Seriously ... 3 years have gone by?

When I say my kids are 3 years old it doesn't even seem right coming out of my mouth. It blows my mind. Although it feels like the past 3 years have gone by in a blink, I feel like I have known them my entire life. Throughout the pregnancy, I continuously wondered what they would look like and what their personalities would be like. All that wondering seemed silly after the first time I looked into their eyes. I realized at that point that they had been growing in my heart for years and everything about them seemed familiar.

JUNE 11, 2006

Quinn Rayann. First born weighing in at 5.2 pounds and 19 inches long. She looks so big laying there but she was tiny. The diaper she has on is a preemie diaper and it swallows her.



Hassie Clare. Born second weighing in at 3.13 and 18.5 inches long. This little girl gave me the biggest scare of my life. It took her a while to start breathing on her own and she was itty bitty! They took the ventilator out after 5 hours.

JUNE 11, 2007

WE SURVIVED THE FIRST YEAR WITH TWINS!!!! YEAHHHHHHH

JUNE 11, 2008

The pics of Quinn are on June 14, 2008 - the day of their party. I could not find a decent one of Quinn on June 11, 2008.

I have a huge range of emotions today. I'm excited for the future and very sad that my daughter's baby years will soon be a distant memory. I'm nervous about several things. Are we doing a good enough job raising them? Are they healthy? If I could take a peek into the future in let's say .. ahh 20 years from now, it would help out a great deal!

Loving them and taking care of their physical needs are easy. They make it easy. I find "raising them" or actual parenting them to be difficult. I guess I think it is difficult because of the unknown. I second guess myself all the time, especially when it comes to discipline. Am I teaching them the right life lessons? Am I teaching them the importance of giving, being kind to others and loving all God's creatures? I'm a huge believer in leading by example and I don't feel like I'm doing that well enough. Maybe that is what I will work on over the course of the next year. Until then, I promise to love and care for them as best as I know how.

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Dear Hassie Clare and Quinn,

My life was good before you came into the world but you have made it great. When I look at each of you, my heart swells up and I fall in love with you that much more. With each year, you change so much and go through so many life changes. I feel so privileged and honored that I get to watch you grow up and experience these changes. Thank you for the best 3 years of my life. Happy 3rd Birthday!

I love you with all my heart,

Mommy