How did this happen?
Eleven years ago, after not-so-gracefully enduring almost seven years of infertility, the joys (not) of going through in vitro, and suffering through the regular effects of pregnancy -- exacerbated by the sweltering Houston heat, two jumping beans taking up the space one normally does, almost-suicide-inducing hives for the last three months, and an epidural that failed during my c-section (yeah, really)...
I got to meet these little dudes.
Totally worth it all.
After the boys fumbled the delivery of the party invitations the first time around, we almost didn't have a party. We gave it another go, the boys hand-delivered the invitations... and I'm glad.
I've been having kind of a delayed reaction to the recent death of the infant daughter of a couple who we used to go to church with before they moved away. She was only a few weeks old... healthy... beautiful... and slipped away in her sleep. I grieved for them, but maybe because I wasn't particularly close to the parents I felt detached and didn't fully comprehend the loss right away. How can you, really? The parents can't even grasp the enormity of it all. The only comfort lies in knowing that they'll see their baby girl again someday; that the Atonement covers all sorrows and pain; that they will be together forever as a family. They, and we, have a firm testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the promises of eternity beyond what this life holds.
These last couple of weeks in the midst of everyday hassles and drudgery and kid-induced exasperations, I've found myself more aware of my blessings, and seeing things I didn't see as blessings before. Grateful for dirty socks and dirty dishes... because if they didn't exist, neither would my kids and husband.
So with a grateful heart I watched the chaos ensue and snapped photos with a smile.
Happy birthday, boys!
decorations
dog & cat food donations to the Humane Society instead of gifts
and nine silly boys!
(Jonathan was my go-to guy, and Kizi and Diesel endured it with the help of some cake...)
4 comments:
Eleven?!!! Hard to believe! Love those boys! God chose the perfect family for them! (God gave you Kizi, too. He knew you'd need her!)
I'm glad the 2nd time around turn out was better- and I agree about being thankful for all those little things that wouldn't be there without our loved ones- what a very difficult time for them- my heart goes out to them, even though they don't know me!
First Grade Stars, who are you please? :)
Sorry. Don't know how that name got on there. That was my OLD blog name. I thought I'd deleted it. Google must still have it. It's me, Jan Olinger.
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