Around the house silliness

Just a few pictures to make you smile...cause let's face it...these boys are CUTE!

Why he got the nickname "Chubbolicious!" He's cruising with snacktraps on BOTH hands!

Silliness abounds...


I believe this is innate in boys...

Mr. GQ himself :)

The Bad Pants Open Fashion Show

The boys got a chance to be a part of a wonderful event last week, the Bad Pants Open Fashion Show.

This event is a promotional event to publicize the Bad Pants Open which is a golf tournament where the proceeds benefit the NICU at Texas Children's Hospital. We have gotten to spread the word about TTTS so much, but that was only half of the battle. The boys were still born very prematurely, at 32 weeks, and still needed much care and assistance to make sure that they were healthy.

The NICU at TCH is a wonderful place. It is the hardest thing in the world to leave your precious babies every night in the care of someone else. But I was able to do so with confidence knowing they had the best possible care.

The BPO Fashion Show happened last week and local celebrities were invited to sport some bad pants while walking the cat walk with NICU graduates. It was also hosted by Dr. Jennifer Arnold who is a neonatologist at TCH as well as the star of a TLC reality show called, The Little Couple. (http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/little-couple/little-couple.html)

The boys got to walk down with reporters for our local NBC and CBS stations. We also got to meet Dr. Arnold.

Here are some pictures from the day.

The whole group:

The boys with their celebrities:

With Dr. Arnold - and yes they are crying, they were SO tired!

It's always a good thing to be reminded of where you come from. The boys have come along way. We got see some familiar faces of other babies who were in the NICU with the boys, and of course friends from TCH.

Also, if you live in the Houston area, you really should consider being apart of the tournament. It's in October...here is the link to it: http://waystogive.texaschildrens.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=666

Get ready for some transparency!

Nate's work schedule has been CRAZY lately - and when I say crazy I am talking crazy. There have been days where he is going in at 2am and coming home at 6pm. His phone rings off of the hook and he is stressed to the max. Often he comes home and just crashes on the floor and lets the tweedles crawl all over him. He doesn't have energy for much more.
Now to the honest part about me. I am not as wonderful as some would imagine. For some reason the more tired and stressed he gets, the more frustrated I get. I know it doesn't make sense. Especially when he is not taking it out on me. I think I just get worried about him and want to fix things, change things, help...and I can't. So I get the next best thing - mad. I am grateful for God's grace :).

Well, last Sunday after on of Nate's exceptionally hard work weeks, our Pastor introduced a message I was sure was just for him. Before he even began he had us stand in a commitment that we would respond by doing whatever God asked us to do that morning - even before we knew what the message would be about. So I stood next to Nate thinking, "Alright, God, this is it...show him how he should change!" Funny thing is I didn't really know what needed changing, I was just sure Nate did and that I would be the one to support him during that change. Again, grateful for grace!

In short form the message was not for Nate, but for me. We have been studying Joseph all summer and that week of all weeks was on bitterness. He highlighted the part of the story where after years of not seeing each other because they sold him into slavery, Joe's brothers are forced to come back to him, who they don't know is Joseph, and ask for food because of the 7 years of drought. At this point, Joseph had an opportunity to pay them rightfully back for what they had done to him years before, or to extend a hand of grace to them. My man Joe, he chose grace.

Pastor Cox then closed with a story that really got me. He told of a poor minister who had married a well to do southern belle with a promise to her father that he would take care of her. Soon after they wed he started seminary and surprise, surprise became a little strapped for cash. One day he came home and his wife met him at the door. She led him straight into the dining room where she had prepared a candle light dinner. In the middle of the dinner he got up to use the rest room. He entered and flipped the switch to see that the light didn't work. He went into the hall, flipped the switch, and the light didn't work there either. He soon realized that the candlelit dinner was because he had forgotten to pay the electricity bill and their power had been shut off!
But instead of greeting him with the mistakes he had made, she took that moment of bitterness and turned it into a moment of extending grace. WHOA!!!!!!!!!

So there I sat, ready for Nate to change, when God whispered in my heart...Kim, it's you this message is for.
I hate it when that happens!
But oh, so true, people! So just so you know I made good on my end of the deal that Sunday. I responded even though I didn't think I would have to.
I am glad God pours his grace on me and I in turn can pour it on others. I am thrilled to show Nate my love for him in that way.

A year ago yesterday...

We got to have them both under our roof! What a year it's been!

I do my little thing on the cat walk...

The boys had the privelage to do a little photo shoot for Texas Children's Hospital back in June. It was so much fun. Their faces proudly proclaim success for the Fetal Center and their work against TTTS.

Here are some of the pictures:

Indivuduals: (Owen, then Blake)

With Karen Moise (Fetal Center Nurse, spokesman, and wife of one of the doctors, Ken Moise)

Did you see what we get to play with?!?!

Trying to get two 11 month olds to sit still:

Our favorites:

A day in the life of boys...

When I was in high school I use to tell my parents that I wanted 4 boys. It looks like I am half way there! Let me tell you I am sure girls are fun, and I wouldn't mind having one one day...but for now I am loving having boys. Sure they are tiring, even Elmo thinks so...but they are also HILARIOUS!

The other day they pulled the cushions off of the couch and began crawling all over them. We had never shown them this before, I guess it's just innate!

Blake's go at it...

Owen's turn!

Then tonight they were in the kitchen playing while we were eating. I looked over and Owen had his sippy cup of milk. He would drink it, baby gargle it and let it spill out of his mouth. It would drip all over the floor where Blake was right next to him on his stomach LICKING it off of the ground!

We pretended we didn't see it! Too funny!

And people wonder why I keep my house clean!

Busy, busy, busy

We have had a busy few weeks around here. After the buddies birthday we headed to Florida, then home for a few days and then the tweedles and I headed to the big D for my nephew John's baptism. It was so great to be there for that.

Here's Johnny Boy!

I then left the boys with my parents so that I could head to camp with our students. I sure missed the little guys, but I know my parents had a great time with them. I also had a great time being with our students. I really love these kids and enjoyed just spending time with them. Hearing their struggles, triumphs, seeing them worship...it was a great few days.

Once home from there we had a few days down time and then we got a great visit from our wonderful friends, Melodee, Jeff and Josie Crank. Melodee and I have been friends for 8 years! I can't believe that. We worked together at FBC Lewisville where she was the Associate and I was an intern during my college summers. She taught me the love of a vanilla diet coke from sonic, laughing until I cried and how to really love on students. I heart my Melodee. We were each others bridesmaids and have kept in touch ever since life has moved us all across the country.

Jeff and Melodee and their firecracker, Josie, live north of San Francisco. So seeing them is a rare treat! We haven't seen then in almost 2 years! It was so fun having them in our home even if short lived!

Here is our attempt to get a picture of the kids.

And the buddies attempt to convince Josie of how cool they really are:

And Josie girl

The next morning Holly and Payton came over - always fun! Here are the tweedles with her.

What can they say...the ladies love them!