Hiatus

I apologize for the hiatus from the blog. The holidays were just exhausting for me and we've had a lot going on that I haven't really had the energy to talk about. I've also been stuck in my own head a lot more lately. I'm working on making some personal changes for 2012 and writing a post about what's been going on, what I've been struggling with and the steps I'm taking to make 2012 a great year!

I'm hoping to get back into the blog with the New Year and really start to write more regular posts. I will probably be doing a lot more "Flashbacks" becauase I have a lot of events that I want to record for our family history. I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween, a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Christmas Letter 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

                This year has just flown by for our family. It seems we went from May to December in the blink of an eye. The kids have had a lot of milestones this year and we’ve had a lot of fun. We’ve struggled with some growing pains too, with each of the kids trying to find their individual identities in a large family. Life is always crazy and loud at our house, but it’s never dull.

                Nathan turned 6 in May and entered the First Grade at our local elementary school. He enjoys camping, fishing and hunting. He has had the opportunity to join our local Cub Scout troop and he completed the Deer Dash, a 3.1 mile race sponsored by his school in May.  We were so proud of him for committing to training for the race and for completing it!

                Tate will turn 4 in January and he is a very energetic little boy. He works very hard each week with his Speech Therapist and has made amazing improvements in his pronunciations and his vocabulary.  He started attending pre-school three days a week in September and has reluctantly enjoyed it. He loves fishing and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Tom and Jerry cartoons. He also loves to play trucks, boats and campers with Nathan.

                Lana and Jackson celebrated their second birthday in October. Lana loves all things girly. She loves the colors purple and pink. She loves to talk and her language is very advanced for her age. She loves to watch Sesame Street, color and play with her baby dolls and princess stuff. She has also mastered the potty! She says the funniest things and she consistently surprises us with her manners by saying thank you, you’re welcome, excuse me and bless you. Jackson is the sweetest little boy.  He’s very shy and quiet, only talking when he needs to. He loves giving kisses and hugs and you can always count on him for a smile. He loves to play with his fire trucks and trains. He also loves to play with Lana. He is very attached to his sister, often sleeping in her bed with her or next to her bed on the floor. They both enjoy their time in the playroom at the YMCA when I can actually get to the gym.

                As for myself, the kids keep me busy. I spend most of my time taking them to and from their schools and their appointments. I enjoy my occasional trips to the gym at the YMCA.  TJ is still working at Microsoft. He travels a lot for work, but we enjoy having him home when he’s not traveling. He’s also a co-leader with Nathan’s Cub Scout den.  We were honored to help celebrate two big events in the Spahr family this year with TJ’s sister Robin getting married in May and our first niece, Brooke Elizabeth Spahr, arriving in October to Dan and Stephany.

                Our family is preparing for a big move in 2012! We are hoping to put our 3 bedroom 2 bath house on the market and start the process of building a new home that will have more space for our family. We are very excited to see what 2012 will bring our family.  We wish your family health, happiness and a year full of new adventures!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

One Word Wednesday: T's

Flashback Friday: Tate Gets Stitches

 Every August the Higgins family gathers for the Blairs Valley Picnic. It's something that they've been doing for almost a century. It's one of those family traditions that holds a lot of fun memories. It's held by my grandfather's childhood church at their picnic grounds. They have live gospel music, fun little toys to purchase, some of the best ice cream you've ever tasted and the best stream for catching crayfish.

The picnic is always a big hit with the kids because of the toys and ice cream, but especially because of the stream. In August of 2009 when we attended the picnic I was 7 months pregnant with the twins and Tate was just 18 months old. He was loving every minute of playing in the stream. After a couple of minutes he got adventurous and walked off from my dad and Nathan. When he climbed out of the stream he fell and cut  his hand on a rock.

After taking a look at the cut my mom decided that it needed stitches. We left Nathan with my Aunt Pam while my parents went with Tate and I to the Emergency Room. I really expected this to be a horrible experience but Tate shocked us all by remaining calm. We were so lucky to have a wonderful nurse who also happened to be the mom of one of my high school friends! Carla was really great at keeping me calm and making sure that Tate was taken care of. My dad held Tate while the doctor cleaned and stitched the wound. We were all amazed by his tolerance for pain! I was exhausted but so relieved that the whole thing had gone so much better than I ever could have imagined.

One Word Wednesday: Craziness

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday we took the kids to visit the pumpkin patch. This is one of our annual fall traditions and it's one of the kids favorite activities. They always have such a great time at Summer's Farm. We typically go on a weekend, but this year our weekends have been pretty busy so we had to settle for a weekday evening.

This was the first year that Lana and Jackson were able to participate in all the fun activities. It's hard to believe but two years have passed since we ventured to the pumpkin patch for the first time with four children. The pumpkin patch was our first outing after we brought the twins home from the hospital! I remember thinking that I didn't want Nathan and Tate to miss out on their annual trip to the pumpkin patch but I think most of the people who saw us that day thought we were crazy!

They love visiting with the animals, going down the slides, playing in the corn cribs, pumping water for the duck races and finding their way through the mini-mazes. We didn't have time this year for jumping on the giant air pillow or any of the rides so the kids were a little disappointed, but they got over it. We took the last tractor ride out to the pumpking patch and let the kids pick out their pumpkins.

I think they all enjoyed the trip even if it was shorter than usual. Can you believe how much they've all grown in two years??? AMAZING!

Flashback Friday: Lana and Jackson's First Week Home

Lana and Jackson are turning two this month. It's hard to believe that it's been two years since they were born! When we found out we were having twins I was scared to death. I knew having a 4 year old, a 20 month old and two newborns was going to be hard. Looking back I think in a lot of ways it was a lot harder than I had expected, but in other ways it has been a lot easier. We have definitely faced many challenges, but it's funny how the bad moments are quickly forgotten and all you're left with are the precious memories you want to cherish. I probably wasn't always the best mom. Exhaustion certainly got the best of me on many occasions, but I think my kids will be left will happy memories from their childhoods. At least I hope so.

That first week the twins were home was much easier than I had expected. They slept a lot and our two older boys seemed to have adjusted well. It turns out that it was just a honeymoon period, but at the time it just seemed magical. I was so grateful to have two healthy babies who were born past 38 weeks and were both over 6 pounds. Our first baby had to spend 4 days in the NICU after he was born so we knew what to expect if one or both of the twins needed extra care, but when neither of them had to spend any time in the NICU we were shocked. I think we were still in a daze as we left the hospital with TWO babies.

Trying to balance the needs of four kids who were at three very different stages in their development turned out to be my biggest challenge the last two years. Just trying to make sure everyone got enough "Mommy Time" made my head spin. Nathan and Tate both had to grow-up a lot faster than they should have at that age, becoming more self-reliant than the average 4 and (almost) 2 year-olds. Looking back on the pictures from that first week I am struck with how little Tate was. Compared to the twins he seemed so big. We still call the twins "the babies," but they're already four months older than what Tate was when they were born!

I don't know what I'd do without my little guys! I'm beyond grateful that they arrived healthy and that they have stayed healthy. Looking back I remember how slow each day went by, it seemed to take an eternity to get to bedtime. But as I look back I'm simply amazed at how fast two years have flown by! I just hope the next 16 don't go that fast!

Torn

We have some big decisions to make about our house. When we bought our house seven years ago we knew that one day they would be buildiing new houses in a new neighborhood further back our main street. I had always hoped that when that happened we would be ready to move. When they made the big announcement last summer that the new home lots would be available for purchase this fall I got so excited.

I have been doing everything in my power to gather as much information as possible about the new neighborhood and about the value of our current house. We are hopeful that everything will work out, but I'm nervous that it won't. There are just so many things that need to fall into place and it just doesn't seem possible that it could all happen. Of course the biggest obstacle is money. Isn't that what everything comes down to? The value of our house, the price of the new homes, the amount of the down payment, and the successful sale of our home for the amount of money we need to move.

I've been feeling torn about a possible move. As much as I want to move to a bigger house, I'm not sure I can say good-bye to this one. We have so many memories here.  Our children spent their baby years here. I can look into every room and see a memory of one of them laughing, smiling, learning to walk or crying. During the day when I am struggling with all the issues that having a large family in a small house creates I'm ready to move on, but at night when the house is quiet and I have time to reflect about the last seven years it makes me sad to think about leaving. We want our next house to be the one we stay in for years and years and years. We'll have an opportunity to make so many more memories there, but it's always sad to say good-bye.

I'm not sure where we're going to end up in the next year, but I'm getting the distinct feeling that it's time to move on. I'm not one that embraces change easily. I love to think about it. I love to plan for it. But actually making it happen is another story. Right now I'm just praying for answers. We could definitely stay in our current home for several more years, but an opportunity to build a new home while staying in our current neighborhood/school district won't come along very often. I'm just so grateful to be in a position where building our dream house is something that we can even seriously think about.

I'll leave you with the link to our dream house. Maybe one day I'll be posting pictures of our new house.

http://www.ryanhomes.com/community/maryland/eaglehead-at-lake-linganore/avalon

One Word Wednesday: Helpers

ISO Challenge: Faceless Self Portrait

It took me days to think about what I was going to do for the Faceless Self Portrait Challenge. I have been "unofficially" participating for a couple of weeks but I really wanted to get an offical entry in this week. On Friday I put my Journey 4A Cure t-shirt on and headed to the gym for a great workout. It just so happened to be the last day of September and the end of Childhood Cancer Awareness month. On the way home it dawned on me that I wanted my self portrait to be a picture of my shirt. It felt just right! It took a few tries to get just the right position, but I love how it turned out! I love how the flash reflects in the mirror. It reminds me of the bright lights of Heaven- all the beautiful souls of children shining down on those they left behind.

It's been a year since little Declan's Journey changed me. His death just 6 days before his first birthday from cancer broke my heart. Since then too many children have died from cancer and I've learned of a little girl at my son's school who is also fighting her own battle with cancer. Childhood Cancers are underfunded and under-recognized by our society because the topic is too hard for most people with healthy children to face. But our children deserve better. I donate to many charities throughout the year, especially those related to children, but this one is the one that means the most to me. They deserve to get to live their lives. So today my entry is for Declan, Gabby, Ethan, Lily, Emily, Kate and all the other children I've prayed for.

One Word Wednesday: Babies

Goodnight Moon

Nathan read Goodnight Moon in First Grade last week. It's been one of our families favorite books since Nathan was tiny, often asking for the "moon" book. He's probably had it memorized for years! Now when I ask the twins to bring me a book to read they bring over "Goodnight Moon" frequently.

For those of you who don't know the book, it goes a little something like this. After describing the items in the room, the narrator begins to say goodnight to each of them. It starts like this: In the great green room there was a telephone, and a red balloon, and a picture of the cow jumping over the moon."

And ends like this: "Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon. Goodnight light and the red balloon. Goodnight bears and goodnight chairs. Goodnight kittens and goodnight mittens..."

As part of his assignment Nathan had to write his own version of "Goodnight Moon" by completing the phrase "Goodnight _______."

Goodnight bas fishin bot (bass fishing boat)
Goodnight oshin (ocean)
Goodnight nony (Nonny)
Goodnight Pap
Goodnight bekol (Binkle aka Bullwinkle)
Goodnight Tate
Goodnight ski (Skye)
Goodnight dady and Momy (Daddy and Mommy)

Every line of it reminds of where Nathan is in his life right now- the things he cherishes most and the people and pets in his life .  He's doing so well in school and I'm so proud of him!

One Word Wednesday: Bait

Flashback Friday: A Classic Motorcycle

This is one of my favorite pictures of Nathan and Tate from the summer of 2008. Nathan had just turned three and Tate was only about seven months old. They were just beginning to enjoy playing with each other.

Our neighbor gave us this really cool battery-powered motorcycle. The boys loved it for years. That summer was filled with so many great backyard memories! I remember watching Nathan play on the motorcyle and thinking that Tate would love it too. He wasn't walking yet and was still pretty wobbly, but Nathan held on to him so tightly and I snapped a quick picture. Almost as soon as I took the picture Tate started to slide off and I had to catch him before he hit the ground.

This picture has been displayed on my fridge for years. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Flashback Friday

I was thinking the other day that about how many events and trips I've missed blogging about because life has been so crazy around here for the last two years. So I've decided to create "Flashback Friday." "Flashback Fridays" will allow me to blog about things that I wish I would have had the time to write about. I'm really looking forward to searching my archives of pictures and coming up with my first "Flashback Friday" post tonight after the kids go to bed! These posts will not be in any chronological order, just whatever strikes me as a fun story or a great memory. I hope you enjoy them!

One Word Wednesday: "Puzzles"

In Search of Creativity

Most of you who know me personally know I love my camera. I take it almost everywhere I go. My kids have all learned to say "Cheese" before they could say their own names! I think my love of pictures is genetic. My grandmother never left home without her camera either. She album after album filled with pictures of her grandkids. I got my first camera in elementary school one Christmas and went through at least two rolls of film before the day was over. In high school I took a photography class and loved every minute of it.

While I'm not the most creative person in the world, I have found that I can occasionally capture pictures that I can be really proud of. I recently came across a photography blog that has literally challenged me to be more creative with my pictures. I love it because I'm always one of those people who wants to be creative but can never think of anything creative to do. Each week they issue a challenge and then select the winner. While I haven't participated in their contest I have been trying some of their challenges for myself. My first attempts were with "Water" and "Feet." I call these "SPLASH" and "New Sneakers."

I challenge all of you to pick at least one of their challenges and try it!! It's a lot of fun!

http://isophotos.blogspot.com/

Why Do Brothers Fight Like This????

Our Little Fella

Jackson is our "little fella." He is younger than Lana by only two minutes, but most days she acts two years older than him. They have a very special relationship. He depends on his "Sissy" to take care of him and she loves acting like his little mommy. They share a room but have seperate beds. We frequently find him sleeping in her bed. When she gets mad at him and kicks him out of her bed he will sleep on the floor next to it. She likes to try to change his diaper and leads him by the hand to where she wants him to go.

He will usually play anything that she wants to play. While he loves to play with his cars, trucks, tractors and trains, he most often plays with her dolls, kitchen, jewelry and dress-up clothes. His older brothers still play a little too rough from him so he shy's away from playing with them. 

He's very quiet and doesn't talk very much. Some of his favorite words are: tractor, choo-choo, truck, puppy, bubbie, Elmo, Big Bird, cookie, cheese, juice and water. His favorite song is "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and he like his sister he loves to read "Go, Dog, Go." He also loves Thomas the Tank Engine stories. He loves play-doh but he eats it like candy whenever he's playing with it.

He is such a sweet little guy. Giving kisses and hugs all the time. I love to hear his sweet little giggles. He's starting to get a little temper, which is cute until he gets really mad and has a complete melt-down. He's also finally starting to stand-up to his siblings a little bit more. He gives them a little slap to the back of the head when they're upsetting him or bullying him. While I don't like to see my kids hitting each other I also don't like to see one being so timid that he's always the one giving up his toy.


Every night he sleeps with an entourage of blankets and stuffed animals. When he does sleep in his own bed it is filled with a Care Bear, a glo-worm, at least two blankets, Telly Monster, Big Bird, Ernie and Zoe from Sesame Street.

That Girl Can Talk!

Lana is our little talker. She always has something to say. At 18 months she used more words than I could count. Some of her first words included: cheese, juice, shoes, purple, hi, bye, Mommy, Daddy, baby, dollie, dog, duck and Nathan. There were so many more, but I'm having some trouble remembering them all. Her first sentence was: "Help me."

At almost 23 months she has many phrases that she uses frequently. We often hear: "All done." "Mine."  "Nathan bus." "Pap truck." "I want ----" "Hi Mommy! (or Daddy, etc.)

Her vocabulary has increased dramatically. Some of her favorite words are: princess, pink, puzzle, potty, no, Nathan, Tate, Jackson, play-doh and car.

Her favorite show is Sesame Street and she loves Abby Cadabby. She calls her "Abby Gabby" or "Gabby Abby."

She loves to sing. Her favorite songs are "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." She also loves to count to two. I frequently hear her little voice throughout the house counting "one two one two one two" over and over again. She is also a book lover. Her current favorite book is a mini-version of  "Go, Dog, Go." She loves to read books to herself and have others read books to her.