My Faith and Joy… and Boys!

We went to a park this afternoon to feed the birds, but we ended up feeding the kids more than the birds.  Every time I handed the girls a chunk of bread to toss, they put it directly in their mouths.  I guess they didn’t want all that carbohydrate goodness to go to waste! 

Susie (far left): “I think the birds missed a piece.  I’ll go get it.”

Kaitlyn: “Babies are more fun to feed than the birds.”

Susie: “Do you think birds like to eat little girls?”

Susie: “No birds can get me up here!”

Susie: “Now these are what I call Big Birds.”

Becky (on right): “Birds, WAIT!  I promise I’ll give you the next piece of bread!” 

We’ve made it safe and sound and sane to Arizona.  The trip was surprisingly smooth; we had the entire bulkhead row of six seats to ourselves, and the girls were amused by smiling at the flight attendants and fellow passengers.  Despite the entire duffel bag of snacks and new toys I had packed, Susie found the most entertainment in a package of Kleenex.  At the end of the flight, Jim announced that he prefers traveling with “infants in arms” over solo traveling, since we always end up with better seats.  He said this as I was wrestling a wriggly child into her socks and shoes while fishing mushy cheerios out of the seat cushions.  If I hadn’t been so busy also whispering “Itsy Bitsy Spider” into the child’s ear, I would have told him he was welcome to fly with the kids and the good seats next time – I’ll take the middle-seat, squished-knee solo flight!   

The girls have thoroughly enjoyed playing with their cousins.  They love everything about them – their energy, agility, and especially their hair.  There have been a million adorable photo ops, but I was too busy enjoying watching the kids play to retrieve the camera from my suitcase.  I finally grabbed the camera at bath time tonight, but it was especially difficult to get four soapy wet children to pose for a picture.  Big Tub + Big Bubbles + Big Cousins = Big Fun!

I’m a bit short on time and inspiration these days, as we’re packing for a week-long trip to visit family in Arizona.  We leave Thursday, but I’m already frantic about how I’m going to fit all our stuff into two suitcases.  I’m not the world’s most efficient packer.  And I’m nervous about flying with two fifteen-month olds.  So instead of treating you to my panicked ruminations about how on earth I’m going to keep the girls entertained on the flight, I’ll leave you with this sunny salute from Becky.  Hopefully she’ll be just as joyful after six hours on a plane! 

It’s been a long day.  Susie woke up from her nap at church this morning with a fever, runny nose and slight difficulty breathing and she’s just been out of sorts today.  She still felt well enough to play and walk around and, of course, flash her mega-watt smile, but even her smile wasn’t quite as bright as it usually is.  She just preferred just to sit in my lap and watch her sister run circles around us.  She sat quietly in my arms for longer today than she ever has, which was unsettling from a health perspective, but it was a treat for me to cuddle my baby girl.  We’ve been in touch with the pediatrician’s office, and they’re thankfully not concerned with her symptoms at this point.  Please pray that she quickly returns to full health and that no one else gets sick.

Here’s a picture of a healthy Susie from earlier this month.  I just love the look on her face.  It’s like she’s saying to me: “And what exactly do you find picture-worthy about me reading a magazine?”

Please pray she’s back to her old tricks in no time!

The stats are in!  We had a pediatrician appointment today and Rebecca weighed in at 20 lbs. 14 oz. and Susanna’s not too far behind at 19 lbs.  They’re both 29 1/2 inches.  That means both girls gained approximately a pound and a half in two months, and grew half an inch taller.  The doctor was very pleased with their growth, and so were the girls!  Here they are showing off their expanding waistlines:

Rebecca: “Where am I putting all that weight?”

Susanna: “See?  I’m getting to be a big girl, too!”