10 things I love about my husband

Today is our 10 year anniversary. Time flies! Ten years ago if you would have told me that I would live in Morocco with 3 kids (including a set of twins) I would have said that you were nuts!
Like all marriages, we've seen our ups and downs, ins and outs, happiness and sadness, etc. However, through it all, I couldn't imagine any of it without my husband. He's a great guy! So here is my list:
1) He is a great husband - I REALLY like cards. However, there are no greeting cards around here. I told Josh to not worry about it since I don't expect him to do the impossible. Today I found a handmade card in my computer that was VERY sweet! That is just a tiny drop in the bucket of his capabilities of being a wonderful husband. :)
2) He is a wonderful father - Almost everyday that he is home he takes Andrew outside to kick the soccer ball or play catch with the baseball. He changes diapers, makes bottles, etc with the girls. If I had to leave for a day or a weekend, I wouldn't have to leave instructions. He knows exactly what to do and where everything is. The kids think he's pretty terrific too! :)
3) He is a great military officer - He takes the oath he took when he was commissioned quite seriously. He hasn't always enjoyed every job the Army has given him, but he always does it well because he knows it is important. He has also been volunteering to serve in Iraq for several years. He says it is what he's been trained to do and if he wasn't willing to go then it's time to pick a new career!
4) We never run out of things to talk about - We laugh a lot about this one. I'm sure you've seen the picture of the old couple sitting in rocking chairs on their front porch staring into space. I don't think that will ever be us unless those old people start talking to each other! Sometimes at night we laugh and say "OK, we had better stop talking or we'll never get to sleep!"
5) No matter what, he still loves me - I can say or do the absolute dumbest thing and he forgives me. Fortunately, this isn't very often but I am human! :)
6) He washes the dishes - I HATE washing dishes! 1/2 of the houses we've lived in haven't had dishwashers but Josh does the dishes. I'd rather change a million messy diapers than do dishes!
7) No matter how rough I look, he tells me that I'm beautiful - Especially with twins, showers can be a luxury! I can in pajamas, no make up, my hair pulled up in a knot, hoping I can get a shower soon since it's been about 2 days and he'll look at me and say "You're so beautiful!" I think he's nuts, but it's nice to hear!
8) He lets me pick on him - I think when you live with someone 24/7 who is different from you in many ways, they become an easy target. He plays along and picks on me too! :) [in my best old man voice] "it's so cold! Back in the day when I was a little fella in Louisiana it never got this cold!" (I know this will only be funny to him! :) )
9) He lets me keep the house as cold as I want - I get hot VERY easily! I can wake up in the middle of the night in the winter drenched in sweat. I keep the a/c on the lowest setting in our room. Poor guy wakes up under several blankets dreading having to get out of bed and feeling the cold. Meanwhile I'm on top of the blankets complaining that it's hot! :)
10) He's a smart guy! - I don't think we'll ever go hungry. If worse comes to worse, he can go on Jepoardy and come out pretty well as long as there aren't any sports questions. :) Even then, he probably knows enough to get by!
I'm looking forward to many more years to come! :)
--Rachel

Misc. stuff

Got this letter in an e-mail late last night:

This is to inform you that our laboratory has received your completed DNA swab kits, and has begun preparing the samples for testing. We currently estimate that on or before June 11th (10 business days), the results of your zygosity test come out of quality control. We will then promptly send your results via postal mail and email as you requested.

It took over 2 weeks for the test to get to Georgia! Of course, I'll let you all know as soon as we know!

On another note, I'm taking a break from grad school after this week. I'll pick back up in time to graduate in December. I just have too much going on to try to finish and move and finalize the girls' adoption and more.
If you get our family updates via e-mail, there will be one soon talking about our plans with this upcoming move. We are waiting for some plans to solidify and for immediate family to be informed.

Before I forget, for those who have asked about the childrens' ages, etc. We have a ticker at the bottom of this page that tells how old each child is (the girls turned 9 months old yesterday) and when our anniversary is (10 years tomorrow!).
--Rachel

Various tidbits and we have a crawler!

I have a few stories to share: 1) One morning I woke up and found that Andrew had drawn a picture on the large write and wipe board I used when I homeschooled him. I thought it was cute. I liked how he put "Rock stars" on the base drrum and how he labeled the girls as "Big" and "Small" since he couldn't spell Leah and Leila.

2) The girls REALLY like Apple Juice. It's amusing to watch them chug it without taking a break from the time they get it until the cup is empty! The other day the girls were eating dinner and were taking things from each other's tray. Neither seemed to mind until the Apple Juice came. I handed each girl her juice and while she used one hand to drink, Leah took her other hand and tried to steal Leila's cup. Leila slapped her hand 3 times in a row to get her to stop! And so it begins!

3) The next picture is of Leila in one of her common poses. We get amused by it.

4) And last but not least, Leah is crawling! She did it for the first time today. Leila was frustrated watching her. She would get on her hands and knees and say "UGH!" in her loudest voice. It was quite funny. I have Leah crawling (but not Leila fussing) on video here

--Rachel

LIttle Pink Jumpers

Here are the girls modeling their latest attire. These are size 12 months! They are a wee bit big but not by much!

--Rachel

Leah laughing at Andrew

First off, Sorry for the extreme close up of her head. I had her on my hip when she started laughing at Andrew. I grabbed the camera and started filming.

--Rachel

The girls, etc.

I forgot to mention that Leila started sitting up last Sunday (Mother's Day). Leah is now about to get into a sitting position on her own and it is so funny to watch! She gets the biggest smile on her face for her accomplishment. I'll need to try to capture it on film.
I've been reading a sequel to a Parenting Twins book that I HIGHLY recommend. The first book is about the first year and it's called "Ready or Not Here We Come!"

The sequel is for the toddler years and is called "Ready or Not There We Go!"

The author is a mother of twins and jokes that you can spot twins mommy b/c she's the one wearing a short sleeved shirt outside when the weather is 30 degrees. :) She's right! I'm wearing a short sleeved cotton shirt, cotton khakis and it's 68 degrees outside and I am soaked in sweat!
I knew it was just a matter of time, but I managed to hurt myself lifting both girls at once. I thought it would be my back but instead I having major pain in my pectoral muscle. It may just be a micro tear which will heal pretty quickly. Lesson learned! I will NOT carry them both at once!
Here is a picture we took of the girls Monday. I love the look on their face. Usually they will smile if I can get Andrew to stand behind me and be goofy. Andrew was at school so I tried the goofy faces. They just looked at me like I was an idiot. :)

The DNA test came in and we sent it off Monday to find out if they are identical or fraternal. We had to take a total of 16 (8 each) swabs of the inside of their cheeks. They were not thrilled. However, we have a picture of Leah smiling right before the Q-tip went inside her mouth.


--Rachel

Pimp My Stroller

Enjoy!!!

Belated Mother's Day reflections

I know it's a day late. I'm pulling the "Hey! I'm a mom of twins and I'm doing good to get here a day late!" card. :)
For Mother's Day the girls slept through the night. I have to say that was the best gift they could have given me! :) It would have been nice if my insomnia would have let me sleep the whole time, but it was still nice. :)
Josh made me homemade cinnamon rolls and they were quite delicious. He gave me my gifts and joked about how he knew I'd be completely surprised. This is because he had to order it from Amazon and so I knew what I was getting ahead of time since it came in with things for the girls, etc.
I asked for Corel Paint Shop Pro and a book to explain how to use all of the features. I am wanting to dabble in web design. For our 10 year anniversary later this month I want another program. :)
Andrew made me a tissue flower flower and a butterfly out of his handprint at school. He was quite proud of his creations and my flower is on display in the living room. :)
I spent some time thinking of my children's birthmothers hoping that they have found peace with their decisions and at times I wish I could tell them how great and happy the kids are. I'm so thankful for their selfless decisions that has made being a mother possible for me. Words will never adequately express how grateful I am for that.
It was a busy day with church, lunch with friends, a nap (I LOVE naps!), finishing up homework, etc. I was able to briefly talk with my mother as she was getting lunch on the table to wish her a happy Mother's Day. We talked to Josh's mother the day before so we didn't forget her! :)
Late in the evening when all was quiet and everyone was in bed I thought about my friends who so desperately want a child in their home. I remember how painful Mother's Day was when we were waiting to be parents. I hope they can one day feel the joy I feel now.
Many asked if it felt different being a mother of 3 for the first time this Mother's Day. It honestly didn't. I think that's because it hasn't really sunk in that I'm a mother of 3! Maybe next year when they are in the early stages of toddler years I'll feel like I'm the mom of 8! :)
I'm thankful for the opportunity to be Andrew, Leah and Leila's mother. I can't imagine any job that has been harder, more stressful, more fulfilling or more fun than being a mother. There have definitely been ups and downs and I'm sure many more to come but my heart is full! :)
--Rachel

Laura and Beth

Laura and Beth,
You two have been on my mind today. I admire your strength and your perseverance. Your abilities to share your struggles so bravely is amazing. You are providing so much strength to other women who are struggling silently. I look forward to getting to see your dreams come true in the future.
Love,
Rachel

Andrew :)

A lot of emphasis has been placed on Leah and Leila that I thought I'd talk a bit about Andrew. He is a GREAT big brother. He helps us take care of the girls by bringing us supplies, playing with the girls, keeping unsafe items away, etc.
He can always get the girls to laugh. Sometimes Josh and I will try so hard to get them to laugh and Andrew will simply walk up and within 3 seconds the girls are giggling hysterically!
He loves to read and this school year he has really developed his writing. It's fun to see his stories and illustrations that he brings home from school. He enjoys going to school and last week when he was sick he was upset that he couldn't go to school.
Andrew loves sports. His favorite is soccer. He has several soccer jerseys and uniforms from Ghana, Cote d'Ivore, Barcelona, etc. I think T-ball is a close second favorite. He is currently playing his 4th season of T-ball. Josh started pitching to Andrew and he's doing quite well hitting the ball.
Andrew's favorite toys are lightsabers (from Star Wars), Legos, K-nex, and Transformers. He's quite creative with the Legos. Personally, I make a great wall with Legos but that is about all I can do! :) Andrew designs cars, ships, flying vehicles, etc. He really enjoys mixing the different genres of Legos (castles, ambulances, police, Harry Potter) into his own unique creations.
Andrew is working to cure cancer. He has postulated that if he can re-map the protein strain of the double helix at the molecular level, he can reverse cellular degeneration.
Finally, he's putting a lot of energy into the exit strategy for the Iraq war. He's developed a "human terrain mapping" module for the US Army to use in understanding the dynamics of religion and politics in the region. The key to his method is going to be finding a type of theocratic democracy that is best suited to the Iraqi people.
We are just curious to see who reads all of this. :)
Thanks to Josh for helping finish this entry.
--Rachel

Identical or Fraternal?

So, we sent off for the DNA test to determine if the girls are identical or fraternal. I honestly go back and forth on this one. Both Josh and I have had just one in our presence and couldn't tell which one we had. Other times I think their differences are so obvious. So we are setting up a poll and you can vote. It will be to the right above Josh's picture. Here are a few pictures to make you think about it:
Set 1:













Set 2:




















Set 3:


















Set 4:



I'll post the answers as to which one is which in the comments section. FYI: Andrew and Josh each got 2 out of 2 right. Don't forget to vote if they are identical or fraternal to the right!!!
--Rachel