Raising Three Arrows.: Four; Eli, Zek & Me.

Earlier this week, we celebrated the twins' fourth birthday. The party was Saturday (for all three boys) and the celebration continued right up to the Monday evening (their actual birth day).
Birthdays are a really big deal around here!
I think of the twins' birth day often. I love recalling (and retelling) our story of wanting them, praying for them, and eventually, believing forthem. I will always remember that day we discovered we were pregnant, nor forget the day we saw those two blobs on the ultrasound (the day I thought B would literally fall over!). And then finally, the day we met these precious boys face to face.

: Baby boys 2010

A mommy was born that day too. I will never forget the change I felt when I held these two little lives in my arms. I was humbled to my core. I felt so small, so helpless. Even more so once we brought them home. I will never forget walking through the door of our house, setting the carriers down and asking, "now what?"
I think I cried. A lot. Read about that first week and my first thoughts on the babies here.

But God.
I still thank God He saved me years before I had babies. That I knew Him and knew I could reach out to Him before anything. How His saving grace has been our Rock since becoming parents.
Read a past post about momma-grace here.

The boys.
The twins, our firstborns, have rocked our world. What a blessing it has been to be their momma!

Elijah (it's important to note he was Baby "A" in the womb), is the biggest (in size), he is stubborn, independent, and extremely intelligent. The boy can see something one time and not only remember it, but describe it in great detail months, even a year, later. No joke. He is still describing things he saw on our vacation last year. At Christmas, he was asking about things he saw or received the Christmas before. He tells the best stories. He's hilarious and he likes to use big words, like devour, antagonizing, aggravating, enormous, and furious, just to name a few. And he loves Captain America. In fact, he wants to be Captain America. He hates the cold (me too buddy!), loves popcorn and a good movie, and he loves a good party, including a dance party in the middle of any given day. He wants to learn karate and cannot wait to go camping with his daddy this summer. He prefers to pick out his own clothes and loathes long sleeve shirts. He is meticulous and likes things in a certain order. You can't "beat around the bush" with Eli. He's tough and he's sharp; you can't get much by him. This kid's got heart; when he looks into your eyes, it's like he's looking into your soul.
...

If Elijah is left, then Ezekiel is right. Ezekiel is tender-hearted, always wearing his heart on his sleeve. He's shy, just until you break the ice, then he'll share his ice cream with you and give you a hug if you need it and tell you it's going to be all right. Though he may also tell you that "you should cover your mouth when you cough", "don't interrupt when someone is talking" and "use your indoor voice" and when you leave, he just might tell you, "good-bye and be safe!". Zek is very caring, soft-spoken (usually) and cries when something or someone is sad. But, don't let his sweet heart or small(er) size fool you, he's still tough. And he's got an arm. For punching and throwing. He can and wants to be a baseball player. Boy's got skills. He's not into sitting still for long, but Zek loves to learn, to be taught. He wants to learn to read and write. One day, he's "going to write a story". He's got seasonal allergies and is allergic to cats and dogs, but he's got a plan. He prays God will take his allergies away, so one day he can have a yellow dog named Bananas. But if not, "that's okay mommy, I won't be mad." He loves to be outdoors. It doesn't matter the weather, other than, he really misses swimming in the summer. He doesn't care much about clothing, yet he does like his hair combed a certain way...never, ever, sticking up.
While they are opposite in so many way, these guys are best buddies. They don't like being away from each other for long. And they refuse to sleep in their room without the other. They work and play together very well. They're pretty cool big brothers, too. They have been awesome at welcoming baby brother Isaac into the family.
They share a love for superheroes, Lego building, fort building, wrestling, racing, laughing loudly, baking and loving on mommy. And they'll both tell you, "Daddy and Grammy are my best friends."
The twins and I have fond memories of snuggling in the "big chair", sitting together when we were just bone tired and didn't know what else to do. The three of us have a bond that will never be broken. I'm really thankful to be here with them, every single day.

: Eli and Zek 2014

On being their Momma.
When I look at all my children, I just see the face of God. He created them. And in doing so, He created a mommy. My life was forever changed the day these boys were conceived. And more so the day they were born. The day a mommy was born.