Big News!

Evan rolled over from his back to his tummy tonight!! How exciting is this!! Let me tell you how good God is: The Hubster, my Aunt, and I had just had a conversation tonight about this very thing. We got some good news today and Aunt Ros asked me if I was happy. I told her that I would be happy when Evan rolled over onto his tummy. I was so serious about this. We are in constant prayer for our boys, and we know we are joined by so many of YOU! We pray without ceasing for their development and health. Let me tell you, "Don't nothin' beat God's folks comin' together in prayer." Yes, I do teach English and I do know that that sentence is grammatically incorrect, but it's the gospel truth from here to Heaven. I prayed for Evan to roll over both ways just this morning, and God answered my prayer this evening. Ha! Don't tell me prayer doesn't work! The Peas are living examples of what prayer can do. Not just from today's events, but for each day of their lives. Thank you so much for touching and agreeing with us on their behalf. We love you all!

It's 4 o'clock in the morning...

do you know what our son was doing?

Certainly not this:

Instead this little munchkin was wide awake, on all fours, and rocking back and forth in his co-sleeper. He decided that he wanted to suck his pacifier, blow bubbles, and babble simultaneously while doing this. Needless to say Evan, who like his mama is a light sleeper, heard all of the commotion and joined the party too. So at 4am this morning the Parker family was wide awake and having a grand 'ol time!

The Peas are Back!

Ryan was a bit fussy yesterday...

R & E are looking at Aunt Ros trying her best to get them to smile. They were having none of it.

Loving this boy!

They look so cute in their big boy clothes! And those bibs? It's impossible to keep them dry for more than 2 minutes. They are teething like crazy!

I had to buy the boys new winter hats. I'm thinking Ev-man approves of my choice!

I'm officially a "working" mom. That statement is a bit misleading because it implies that moms who stay home don't work. Ha! What a joke! I can honestly say that being a stay at home mom is just as hard, if not harder. At least now I am guaranteed a shower every morning, lunch every afternoon, and I get a chance to don something else besides ponytails and sweats. I missed the Peas like crazy of course. I wake up at 5am and Evan has been joining me every morning; Ryan has joined the a.m. fun a couple times too. The boys always sleep to at least 7am, so I know they know something different is going on. It makes the start of my day a bit hectic to have them awake when I'm trying to get dressed and out the door by 6:45, but at least I get to spend some time with them. Three classes of 7th graders keep me pretty busy, but I manage to call home at least once a day to check on them. My Aunt Ros has been keeping them for the past week until the nanny starts. Thanks Auntie Ros!

Sorry!

I haven't posted in awhile...sorry! The Peas have been keeping me busy, busy, busy! Plus, I've been preparing to go back to work on Tuesday. Yikes!! I know it's going to be so hard to leave Ryan and Evan. We have been interviewing nannies and should be making a final decision this week. Meanwhile in the land of the Peas, we are in the midst of teething. R & E are gnawing on any and everything and leaving a trail of drool wherever they go. They went to the pediatrician last week and got another clean bill of health. Praise God!! We see the pedi again for their 9month check-up.

In the land of the Peas...
Evan is this close to rolling from his back to his tummy. They love their new play mat and we officially live in our living room!

Evan loves looking at himself in the mirror. :)

Hanging out in the Bumbo chairs. See my brand new Cricut in the background? It's still in the box. :(

Uh-oh...I used to be able to put the boys in their bouncy chairs so I can have two minutes to go to the restroom/eat/comb my hair/take a breath but it looks like those days are coming to an end. I caught Ryan doing this the other day and I swear I thought he was going to flip the thing over. By the way, he's getting chunky around the mid-section, so I had to let his safety belt out!

More from the Peas later this week...I promise:)

Dear Ryan & Evan,

One year ago today we learned that we were having twins. TWINS!! How excited we were to know that we were expecting two little bundles of joy. We loved you instantly. We have every ultrasound picture that was ever taken of you. We bought every book we could get our hands on for parents of twins. But most importantly, we prayed for you. Each week we grew more and more excited as we could see you growing. I loved every moment of carrying you. I loved knowing that you were with me each and every moment of the day. You were our "two little peas" and we sang, talked, and read to you every single day. Nothing made us happier.

We met earlier than we expected, and those were some pretty tough days for all of us, I must admit. But each one of those days was still a blessing because we had you. Ryan and Evan. Our two blessed miracles from God. We took one look at you and if we thought we loved you before, it was no comparison to what we felt for you then. We are so proud of you-such fighters you are! Thank you so much for fighting so hard to be with us. So many people prayed for you. There were people and churches across the country praying for the Parker brothers. When God's people get together and pray wonderful things can happen. Miracles, in fact. Hence, we have you. Our Ryan and Evan.

And now here we are--the four of us. You two are the absolute light of our lives. Every single day since last year this time has led us right here to this moment. We can honestly say that if we lived in a world where we could get "do-overs" and we had a chance to have two of the fullest term, plumpest and healthiest babies come home with us right away BUT in doing so there was a chance, even a ridiculously minute chance-that we would get two other babies, not the two of you, we wouldn't do it. Without a doubt and with no hesitation we would choose this journey, our journey to you. Wonderful, beautiful you. Our Ryan and Evan. Thanks for being you, buddies. You are the best things...ever.

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Evan, Evan, Evan!

Okay, so this is a funny story (at least it is to us!) and I had to write it down before I forgot it. Evan is turning into a ham! I was trying to help this little stinker get settled for his morning nap. He was sleepy, but he wasn't havin' it! So, I'm rocking him and patting him and doing everything I can think of to get this baby to close his eyes. I was sure his binky would do the trick, so off I go to get it. I give the binky to this sweet little baby of mine and he sucks it for all of 2 seconds and then it lands over my shoulder. I'm still a-rockin' and a-pattin'. I'm thinking, Did Evan just...? No way, Evan can't throw. So I give it back to him 'cause surely it was a fluke. I watch my child snatch the pacifier out of his mouth and fling it! This time he manages to get it midway across the room! Seriously, I didn't even know hw could do that! It's bouncing and I'm laughing and trying to stop it while I'm still holding him! A mess! Finally, I get the hint--Evan does not want the binky!
He eventually fell asleep--sans the pacifier! :)

Pictures and Random Thoughts

How stinkin' cute are these two? I mean, really...even if I weren't their mother I would be impressed by the adorable-ness in this picture!

Getting a decent picture of these two isn't always easy...

The Baby One is looooonnnng. He didn't get that from me that's for sure!

Look at my big boy in his big boy clothes!

The little toy thingy that Evan is grabbing? This is going to be the reason that Evan will roll over on his belly. He LOVES this toy! He loves it so much that he will risk the dreaded "tummy situation" to get to it. If he looses his grip on it he will turn every which way to grab it again. Shake it for him and you will have one feet-kicking, arm-flailing, drool-smiling baby on your hands. I can eat him up when he's playing with this thing.



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• The Peas had an eventful week. They had an appointment to get their Synagis shots for this month. They are getting so big that now they have to get two shots--double ouch! Unfortunately the doctor told us that RSV season is BAD this year. I mean bad. Bad bad. We're still on lock down and I don't even care. Too bad termies can't get the Synagis shot. No baby should have to go through that.
• I forgot to mention in my last post that both babies are trying to hold their bottles now. How come nobody told me babies would grow up so fast? sigh
• Ryan makes this screeching/laughing sound that is hilarious. Too fast, ya'll too fast.
• Evan does tummy time without all the fuss now!!!!! He's even pushing up on his arms more. He knows that he can be done with t-time whenever he wants now since he can roll over, but so what! Our baby's doing it!
• We are done with our appointments at Yale!! Wohooo:) We visited the NICU to say hello and goodbye and saw one of Evan's nurses. I'm so glad we saw her for the last time. She was so happy to see how well Evan is doing. Everyone seems to think that Ev looks like me. **blush** Of course all the ladies wish they had is eyes:)
• I met a mom that had just given birth to a 24 weeker. She was really scared. I know the feeling. I'll be keeping in touch with her.
• I'll be going back to work soon. Can I really do this?
• Looking for a nanny is a challenge.
• If you are looking for a GREAT book for your little one or a little one that you love, I have the PERFECT book for you. I Love You So Much by Marianne Richmond. This is our new favorite. It is well written and sums up a parent's love to a "T." This title was written for children of color so black and brown beauties can see people in books who look like them (according to the author). There is another version, I Love You So that features Caucasian cuties. Isn't that a neat idea? We got the book at Children's Place, but you can order it from Amazon. This book = a great gift.
• Please pray for the people of Haiti. We have a lot of church family from Haiti and many of them have family who still live there.