WayfaringStrangers

Last weekend we were in Delaware. We visited Mom and Dad T (Behn's parents) and spent a lot of time sitting, resting, napping, chatting, and just BEING. It was one of those times in life where that's what we so needed- to just be and rest. No big plans, no parties, no big family dinners. It was a little bit of a bummer that we didn't get to see some loved ones, but that's how it needed to go this time, and we were so grateful for the refreshment. It was really nice for the boys to spend time with just their grandparents, too. Thank you, Mom and Dad T, for the sweet weekend. I know we really enjoyed it. Twins It's been a tiring 6 months. New baby, new job, moving, looking for a new place (still nothing yet)...it just catches up sometimes and makes you wonder when it's going to slow down. When will the new normal  feel  like the new normal. We'll get there someday, and then something else will cause a new ripple in the pond and we'll adjust again. T...

Ok, few dear readers, I haven't heard from you much lately. Which I get...because sometimes this blog is kind of BOOOORRRRING! So, just for fun, here's what is going on currently: Currently Watching: Downton Abbey , like the rest of the world. The heard the season finale on Sunday is 'devastating.' How can anything be more devastating than episode 4?? Downton , I warn you, if you are disappointing or break my heart, I will leave you.           I also dabble in Parks and Rec and Parenthood , with a side of The Bachelor . Currently Sweating: me, on the treadmill in the basement. This, with the combination of cutting out sodas and some snacks, means that the jeans that were very  tight when I first had Patrick are now comfortably baggy. YES! I still have work to do, but am feeling better about myself. Currently Reading: 7  by Jen Hatmaker You guys, I love this book.  "A mutiny against excess." Jen Hatmaker journals through sev...

The house hunt is....well, I don't know...a bit stagnant? We had a couple of houses we liked and put offers on, but both fell through. We're glad we can trust God because when something doesn't work out the way we thought it would, we are assured it's part of a good plan. His plan. What we've learned from not getting the first 2 houses is that we probably need to look in a slightly lower price range, so we have some room for negotiation and also so that we won't bite our fingernails off at every mortgage payment. See, God already used some of this process to teach us some wisdom! But now that we're looking for houses under budget we are finding that we may have to live in quite a small place. And we have to learn to be content with that notion. Sure, the Lord could still open the door (haha, get it?) to a larger home. But we need to be wise and obedient and content if we are led to a tiny house. After all, a small house here is still much nicer and larger t...

These boys wake me up at night. Especially the little one. A lot lately. Like, last night he woke up to nurse at 10, 12, 2, 4, and 6. I think I'm going to start him on solids to try to get his tummy full. These boys overwhelm me. Being a mother is really hard, relentless work. Graham has had many 2 year old meltdowns and whining lately. He is really trying to sort out why he doesn't get exactly what he wants all of the time and we are working hard to train him to obey. Here is a shot of one such meltdown: These boys make me smile everyday. Graham says the funniest things right now. The other morning he grabbed Behn's nose and said, "Big nose! Funny!" and then laughed at his own joke. Patrick is just giddy and cute 98% of the time. Lots of smiles. These boys are active. Graham is always running, jumping climbing. Patrick rolls over, turns himself around, reaches for toys and kicks. These boys are both healthy, thank You God. They are both a l...

It finally snowed, on my birthday: It was so pretty! Graham enjoyed it at first, but didn't get the point of sledding. We'll try again next time. So, it was cold and snowy, and then less than a week later we were in short sleeves/no coats: I don't mind a warm day in January, not one bit. I like the snow and I like the warm, too. House shopping is going well. We are down to about 2 that we like and are doing a 2nd walk through of one of them tomorrow. In the meantime, I am passing the days going to the library and to playgroups with the kids. We both enjoy the interaction. I am starting to feel a little bit of familiarity and community here. Nights have been awful lately. Both of them are up way too much, ever since we all had a cold last week. I feel like I can't catch a break. And I definitely had planned on a nap today and the boys completely sabotaged that. It's just one of those hard days, I guess. Good thing they are so cute and (mostly) swee...

All week I've been thinking about this post. Today is the March for Life in Washington D.C. It's been 40 years since Roe v. Wade was signed and abortion made legal. Approximately 40-50 million children have been destroyed in that time. It's no secret that I'm pro-life. My whole family and Behn's whole family are pro-life. We believe that at conception, humans are made in God's image. We believe in the value of life at the earliest stage. This is my brother, Stephen (and my brother Tim, in the background): Stephen came to our family at 3 months old and was adopted at 5 months old. He is the youngest of my siblings- I'm 16 years older than him- so I've really gotten to watch him grow up. He's 12 now. So, 12 years ago there was a woman in an urban U.S. city who decided to choose LIFE for her baby. It might have been a really hard decision, especially in a culture where aborting unwanted children is common. The statistics speak for themselve...

A year ago today it was my 28th birthday. I hadn't been feeling great, my appetite was off, and I kept joking I was pregnant. But c'mon, I definitely wasn't pregnant. The weekend before we had gone to Greensboro to visit Emily and Seth, and Emily said she didn't feel good either so we almost took pregnancy tests together as a fun sister bonding thing. (What, you don't think it's fun to pee on sticks together with your sister?) But we didn't end up doing that because those things are expensive and, after all, I definitely wasn't  pregnant.  Why waste money? Anyway, back to my birthday. My friend Mary stopped by to wish me happy birthday and bring me some carrot cake. I so enjoyed her visit (we had some awesome friends in Lexington), but for some reason I did NOT want the cake.   Oh uh. Megan always wants cake. I knew something was really going on. That evening I went out and got a pregnancy test, but decided not to take it until the next morning. I wa...