hubby's family reunion

My mother-in-law's family has an annual reunion near Cherokee, NC. This is the first time we've made it.

The kids and I bring 'color' to this family. :)

We enjoyed seeing some of the family members again, and some for the first time, though we were told that there were a lot of family members who didn't make it this year.

I anticipated that there may not be a lot for the kids to do, so Daddy and I packed the DVD player and blankets. Good thing too. It provided the kids with some rest and probably averted some meltdowns.

Curious George was pretty good. Though it helps that one of his cousins came with us.

By late afternoon, the twins had it. Thankfully, we found a recliner that happened to be in the kitchen. A few furious rocks adn the girls fell asleep. This show was after Thing 2 had already woken up and gone to find her Daddy.

the Great Smoky Mountains and family

We spent the weekend in the Great Smoky Mountains to attend my mother-in-law's family reunion. While there we explored the Cherokee Indian Reservation, which was busy with tourists. We stayed at the motel my MIL's father built. It is now on the 3rd owner after her father. It was my first time there, though I had seen it before. It was the kids' first time. Though the motel brought back a lot of fond memories for Daddy, he said it didn't hold the magic he remembered it having as a child. I think the big part of that magic is his grandparents. Grandparents are special like that. But I think it holds a different kind of magic, though - the kids and I being able to share part of Daddy's childhood.

Front of the motel.

Twin River's Lodge (originally known as Ela Motor Court)

Nana chasing after Thing 1.

Curious George went fishing in the back with his Papaw and cousin. This is one of the fish he caught.

Papaw helps Curious George.

The river in the back of the back of the motel.

Thing 1 (pink) and Thing 2 (green) enjoying the open space. They bust into 'Ring Around the Rosie' when Daddy pulled out the camera.

Thing 2 (laying down) and Thing 1 enjoying the kiddie pool.

Enjoying the big pool.
(Thing 2 in blue, Thing 1 in pink.)

Katie & Jojo's Baptism

Here are some photos from the girls' baptism. It was bright and early on a rainy Sunday morning. Even though I only got 5 hours of sleep the night before, I thought I handled things fairly well. And many thanks to my mother-in-law and father-in-law, things definitely went smoothly.

This is Jojo's water immersion. Surprisingly, the crying didn't start until she was on the water. (Do you see how Katie is watching the whole thing?)

Then it was Katie's turn to be immersed.
(The four people on the right side are the godparents.)

Finally, the girls are introduced to the community.

Notice that Jojo has socks on, and Katie doesn't. This is because I was the one who changed Jojo after her immersion, and Daddy changed Katie. :-)

This is after the mass. We make a lovely BIG family, don't we?

Behind us is the deacon who performed the baptism. He is the same person who baptized Matty as well.

2007 Review

The year 2007 was filled with one blessings after the other. What the hubby and I did to deserve such endless gifts, we would never know, but we are forever grateful.

The year started it out pretty rocky with the worry of going into preterm labor and not having any support system in place to take care of the little man, but everything fell into place with such great family. The hubby's parents were more than willing to put their lives on pause and help us out however they can - and they did. They were here during the hubby's major jaw operation and they were here in a moments notice when I went into labor early. We could never thank them enough for what they have done.

We are also thankful for my mother who came and helped us out for a month after the twins were born. Had it not been for her caring for Matty, I don't know if we would still be sane by now. Or maybe Matty would have ended up for auction on Ebay? if only for a second...

The girls were amazingly healthy and amazingly big for being 6 1/2 weeks early. There were definitely angels watching over them (my grandmother included). They continue to thrive and in no time, they will be ganging up on Big Bro for sure.

Matty did excellently this year. For someone who is hard to transition, he accepted pre-school like a pro. Daddy and I expected crying fits for a week, nothing like it remotely happened. He absolutely loves school. His speech has taken off and we are continually amazed (and shocked) at what he says.

The hubby's sleep apnea was finally addressed and now he is sleeping soundlessly. Yipee! He went through a lot with the latest surgery, and we are thankful that it's over. I'm also thankful that I do not need to worry about him stopping breathing in the middle of the night - though it took some getting used to not hearing a peep out of him the first few nights. I had to make sure he was breathing!

I am thankful for my health. My body did pretty well at keeping the twins in for a fairly long time. Thank goodness for Big Bro being big - he made sure that his sisters following him fit in there quite well.

The year 2007 made it quite clear to me the importance of family. When it was just the hubby and I, we were relatively reclusive, and it worked for us. But with the arrival of the twins, it was clear as day that no one could stand alone in this world. We all need each other.

Welcome 2008!

Katie and Big Bro

Jojo

Merry Christmas!

There were no runny noses and teary eyes this weekend, and certainly not fevers. So we finally made it to Sears and got our pictures taken. Suffice it to say, our Christmas photo card may be a little late, if not right on time. Sorry!

I couldn't have planned the day any better. No one had a tantrum. All three of the kiddies were great. Katie (in green) was just a grinning little princes but Jordan (in red) was a bit reserved. She gave everyone the evil eye every time the flash went off. She has an evil eye that could make a grown man cower, just like her momma. I'm so proud.

After shelling out the children's college fund to pay for the portrait orders, we went to see Santa. Matty and I waited (Daddy took the girls to walk around the mall) in line for almost an hour and I heard not a peep of whinning. When it was his turn, he ran to Santa and told him his wish list - a nice shiny bike/trike with monster tires.

It's a great day!