Our Faith Abigail turns 11 tomorrow

Faith Abigail Victa, just her name alone screams volumes about who this wonderful child, this beautiful young lady is.  She is a little girl of great faith.  There are many times I catch her saying "oh thank you Jesus" when most girls her age would say "oh jeesh, that was close". lol.   In these moments, she reminds me so much of my Nanny, who also was a woman of great faith.

Faith, you are a joy to those you meet and those around you.  Always seeking to help and be a servant to others.  You are usually the first to ask if people need help, and the first to offer your assistance, no matter how great or how small...it means so much to me to see you growing in the Lord and in your character.

You are our brown bear as we've always called you.  And you are gorgeous Faith, but really, it's your insides that shine the most.  And I've always told you, that is the most important!

I thank God for you, our little girl who is not so little anymore.... but you will always be our baby frog no matter how big you get :)

Happy Birthday Faith Abigail.  I'm sorry I couldn't make your video.  I promise to do it this month! Can't wait to celebrate you tomorrow!

Love Mommy

Baring my Soul~my journey to the decision of Homeschooling my brood...

Home schooling has always been something that I've had an internal battle with.  I am not a die hard homeschooler, neither am I a proponent of the public school system.  I have spent countless hours doing a mental negative and positive check list for each choice.  

I home schooled our children up until the year I had the twins.  Having 4 in diapers didn't make for a very good educational environment, so I sent them to public school since we could not afford private.  

So for the last 2 years the children have been in the public school system.  I have seen much growth in them, but I've also seen where even the best teachers can have the best intentions but still fall short.  

I was still content in my choice of schooling up until about 3 weeks into this summer when there was a very noticeable change in the dynamics and peacefulness of our home.  I did not know why but it was like things just "grooved" again.  It took a few days for me to realize that it was the fact that they were once again working as a team, getting along, and the stresses of classroom life and peer pressure had eased.   

This was the beginning of the Lord talking to my heart in the direction I needed to choose for our family.  

My 'mental' arguments came down to this: I 

either had to homeschool all of them or none 

of them, for last year I did both 

homeschool AND public and I felt like I was 

homeschooling literally all day because 

once my public school kids got home they had 2 

hours of busy work homework, most of which 

they didn't understand because of how little 

they actually learned in the midst of their 

peers.

I also felt like I made my homeschooling child 

miss out on activities because I was always 

having to be home at certain times for my "in

school" kids. 

The public school my kids go to was rated #3 

in all of Corpus Christi's main schools (not 

charter schools) and they STILL failed to 

properly educate 3 out 4 of my children. 

That's sad. My 5th grader was stuck with kids 

on a 3rd grade reading and math level, and 

given spelling tests with someone spelling for 

her just so that she could feel the 

accomplishment of getting a good grade. Not 

ok!  

In the midst of making this decision, I had a 

friend tell me not to send my  oldest to 

middle school. She said day one of 

middle school, she came home asking her mom 

what a bl*w j*b was.  She said she got through 

it because she was in all advanced honors 

classes, but that so many of her peers didn't, 

especially ones with labels...another girl in 

a different state, told me she watched 

her middle school friends give out  

bl*w j*bs like Lolly pops behind lockers....

and while I'm not ignorant in thinking they 

won't learn about these things in time, age 11 

would not be the age I choose.

My 5th grader Faith, who was home 

schooled last year DID 5th grade work, so 

she'd be repeating 5th grade if I sent her to 

public. 

My 3rd grader Coco was the one who did well 

last year academically, but is begging to be 

Home schooled...

Malacai was in k4 last year and they 

labeled him with Asberghers, I requested that 

they test him, and come to find out he's just 

a genius (IQ at age 4 was tested at 140) who 

doesn't quite get the idea of other peoples 

"personal people space" 

Just this summer alone he learned all of the 

states, most of the countries and will quickly 

correct those who say Africa is a country. 

It's quite comical since he can't even 

pronounce the word "continent" correctly lol. 

The catcher for me though was the fact that 

within a month of being home, he stopped 

biting his nails/chewing his fingers until 

they bled. 

I know the social aspect and pressure of 

school was too much for him. I really look 

forward to watching him blossom this year.

I also look forward to just being a family as 

well. The stress and the fighting/bickering 

has dramatically improved within the first few 

weeks of summer. It's like they forget how to 

interact with their siblings who are older and 

younger than them because they are only ever 

around their peers. And let's face it, what 

adult is around their peers 8+ hours a day? No 

one that I know...

And yet even with all these mental positives, 

I still majorly waffled in my decision.  

I had family tell me things like: "its too 

much" "how can you possibly do it?" 

and "well, they need and education" and so 

much more. I doubted my ability and my 

patience level. 

Could I truly, daily die to myself to choose what I knew was best for my children? Obviously the answer was an astounding NO!  

Then pastor Don began preaching about dying to our flesh, and living the crucified life of Christ. One Sunday when he asked us to bow our heads and rededicate our lives to His service, I knew exactly in what way Christ wanted me to die...that being giving up my quiet mornings of coffee and Good Morning America, and my trips out with just the little ones to play dates, to do something so much greater: teaching my children with a God centered approach.  

Still, I could not bring myself to make the final decision of homeschooling them until yesterday when I opened my Bible and it was like God speaking into all the doubtful corners of my heart bringing hope and peace with this scripture: "The children of your house shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you (Psalm 102:28)  

Then my eyes strayed a page over to this scripture: "I will ponder the way that is blameless.  Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart WITHIN my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.  (Psalm 101:2) In light of eternity, that coffee and Good Morning America seems pretty worthless no? lol

I'm not going to lie and say I'm not scared, or that I will have it all together.  I guarantee you I will not.  I promise there will be days I will want to give up, days I will complain, but in those days I know where my hope lies, in Him, knowing that He has called me.  And while I feel less than equipped, it is HE who will fill in the gaps and give me strength. 

We have chosen to do a Unit Study approach through My Father's World. This year we will be taking a trip around the world. The children will each get their own passport that will be stamped as we "visit" each country and learn all about their culture.  Then the children will have their individual levels in Math and English/literature. God has blessed me with a beautiful friend who also home schools, she has been a major blessing to me in every way.  Thank you Marsha :)

I am excited and will be photo-blogging weekly of our global adventures. 

This has been a blog post of baring my soul.  I know in moments of doubt I will look back at this post and be reminded of the whys and the reasons I chose to do this huge undertaking.  Anyways, if you made it this far you deserve a prize :)  THE END!~

Mother's Day

Mother's Day and instead of being sentimental I figured we mothers could all use a little humor.  So I'm going to make a list of what I've learned from being a mom...



Now these are some practical things, especially if you have more than one child lol

1.  Don't buy expensive socks, just don't.  They end up missing, or if you have children like mine, they will refuse to take them off, wear them outside, inside, and by the time they actually do remove them no washer, no tide with bleach will ever get them clean again.  Dollar store socks? yea Mama...

2.  If they throw a fit, Let them cry, walk away, take a breath and realize they'll stop soon enough lol

3. That peanut butter and jelly that you see in the jar together and you scoffed at it? Buy it.  I'll never go back to ordinary pb and j, with two separate knives and two jars, when you have 7 and sometimes upwards of 11 sandwiches to make, believe me you'll appreciate the ease.

4.  when you ask your children to do something, and then ask them again, and again, don't waste your energy yelling, just start speaking Chinese "Chung mai--chee chung chung chee" and I promise you, they WILL look at you, maybe like your a weirdo, but at least you've now got their attention.

5.  That day you're little girl gets into makeup, and writes all over the walls with it, covers her face in red lipstick, and ruins an outfit, don't swear or yell, take your camera out, and one day you'll thank yourself for the memory...(Unless of course it was Ulta makeup...then I'd say get a few curses out, then take a picture haha)

6.  Hair grows back. I promise...take pictures of that too, but really just never buy scissors, cause no matter where you hide them, I promise at some point they will find them.

7.  Train them early to wear flip flops, and buy them in bulk.  There will always be a time you're running out the door and can't find shoes for someone.

8.  If you nursed your boys, be prepared for them to always love "them" I was in church holding Malacai who continually kept nesting his hand there, when I asked him to stop, he loudly proclaimed "No Mom, just let me keep it in there"

9.  If you take pictures on your cell phone for your husbands eyes only, delete them immediately, cause those days they misbehave in church and you hand them your cell? That might just be the picture they decide to hold up for the entire congregation to see, proclaiming how pretty you are.  Yup...


10. If you're tired and emotionally drained, and your house looks like a tornado went through it, leave it, take a deep breath, it will all be there waiting for you tomorrow.  (and even if you do clean it, chances are it will need to be done AGAIN tomorrow--so leave it, make some tea and rest)

11.  Those kisses that wash your face with their spit? Enjoy them, soon enough kissing will be considered gross, and hey, lets face it, your face could use a cleaning lol

12.  Grocery shopping...you dread it, you know its coming, but you put it off.  After two days of $5 pizzas, you know you have to brave it with all your littles in toe...They begin pitching a fit, you start getting looks... smile or cross your eyes at the nasty people, take some goldfish off the shelf, open them, hand them out, and keep shopping.  Grocery checkout people understand when they see that empty container going through the check out!

13. And finally don't compromise on your beliefs that you feel strong on, even if everyone thinks you're a weirdo.  6 years ago, I began buying raw milk, grass fed beef, cloth diapered, put my babies in wool clothing because it breathed, wore my babies, nursed them exclusively for at least 9 months, and then kept going well past their first birthday, bought them amber teething necklaces, and refused to vaccinate them.  Back then people told me I was a hipee and a granola nut case...now? Its all the norm...

Being a mama is hard work, its 24-7, and unless you're rich, you rarely get a break.  But do realize that this too shall pass, and before you know it, they'll be your best friends. Make it special when you can, and when you can't, realize you're not superwoman. Your kids will appreciate a "real" mom more than a mom who tries to do everything "pintrest-ly" perfect, but is miserable.  And above all remember Who your strength is.  He loves you and is just a whisper away.  You don't have to carve out an hour somewhere in order to pray.  Play scripture on your phone, clean to worship music, and breathe your prayers, and you'll find His strength will be the joy that gets you through your day.

Happy Mothers Day 2012!

The Error of "Faith"

Coming out of the "word of faith doctrine" that we've been in for the last 8 years, I would love to share my true feelings of how destructive this teaching is, as well as be transparent in our error.


What exactly is faith? Is it belief that God exists? Is it trusting in things unseen? How do we get it, how can we acquire enough to "move mountains"?  If I'm struggling in my marriage, in my health, if I don't know how my electric will stay on next month, does that mean I have no faith? I used to believe that yes, people who were struggling were so called faithless.  They didn't have enough gumption to believe that their electric would stay on, or that their marriage would heal.  They obviously were NOT confessing enough, or saying the right scriptures over their lives.  And sickness? If their was a "word of faith believer" sick, you better believe that he was told he didn't have enough faith, or that he didn't tithe or give enough money to his Father in the faith.  Bondage...


I am ashamed to say that when my kids were sick, I'd pretend they were not.  Instead of being the motherly comforter, I'd tell them they needed to confess they were healed by the stripes of Jesus, that while they are experiencing symptoms, they should carry on and not act sick.  How stupid could I be? I was living in denial and pride. Christians who believe this way are no different then the humanistic people who follow the book "The Secret".  I've heard the stories, or should I say pride in the parents who follow this heresy say "My children have not been sick in 5 years, sure they've had symptoms, but they go in a matter of days" People? Get real! Most kids get sick with the common cold and are better in 2 days.  God has made our bodies to fight off pathogens and sickness.  Your kids would have gotten better whether you confessed a million times, prayed in tongues over them, or stood on your head for an hour.  Please understand, I am not mocking prayer.  Prayer is communication with a loving Father, But it is not a formula to get that new BMW or manipulate God and/or people into doing your wishes.

People in the different churches we were connected to would pull the same phoniness.  You knew they were falling apart on the inside, but when asked how they were they'd reply "I'm blessed and highly favored" with a huge fake smile plastered on their face.  Where did we go so wrong as Christians that we cannot be real?  Did that person truly believe that he would get help by putting "mind over matter"?  By saying lies instead of being real with a fellow brother or sister, and allowing them to share in his burden? Whatever happened to Galations 6:2: "Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ" ?


You see, to me, Faith is a simple trusting.  A trust that there is a God, who loves us so very much and wants what is best for us.  He is there at all times, and knows our every need and desire.  Faith is trusting in that Father, knowing His best for us will not be held back.  Can His best be sickness, grief, pain, loss, tragedy? I believe it can.  How many stories both in the Bible and in our own histories would we have to discount to say that those people missed Gods best, God's will? Would Joseph had delivered Egypt and Israel if he didn't have to suffer the betrayal of his brothers, and the beatings of that he endured while in slavery?  Would Ruth ever have met Boaz, the ancestor of Christ, if she had not suffered grief and loss, humiliation and hunger?

The health and wealth prosperity gospel has so many people blinded in complete error. They've replaced trust in an all knowing God with trust in man and his formulas.  It is a false doctrine of pride and accomplishment, not humility and servanthood.  To truly believe the prosperity/faith gospel, you would have to go through your Bible with a permanent marker and cross out over 50%. And yes, New Testament also!  Sermon on the mount? Acts? The stoning of Steven (because we choose our time of deaths right?) The beatings of Paul and Silas, the beheading of John the Baptist...all would have to be blackened out.  What makes us so special that we think we will avoid tribulation and hardships? Because we live in the 21st century? Because we paid our tithes, and gave to the man of God? Please.  We believed these very things, and would give thousands of dollars over the course of years, money we did not have, because we were told we would get more.  How about giving to give not to get?


Therefore, while we pray for our children to be healed when sick, that prayer also comes with a peace knowing that whether that child is healed or not, God is still on the throne, and His purpose will be done.  And while going through a financial hardship, yes, we can read scriptures on how God will supply our need,  but our trust has to be in Him not in formulas of how much we've given, how much seed we've sown, if the ground we sowed in was good ground,  or if we payed our tithes.  God will meet our  needs because He is good, and He promised to do so, not because of our works.  If we have a rebellious child, loving that child because God loves them, and they are a sinner just like us.  If our marriage is struggling, resting in the Lord knowing we are not alone, and have not taken Him by surprise.

How do we remove mountains by our faith? I'll tell you its not by confessing, or thinking positive, or lying to others about our true feelings. Its simply trusting.  Trusting that the God who created the universe, is the same God who knows the exact number of hairs on your head.  That He will always, no matter what you are going through, carry you through.  That while you may be suffering pain, He has promised to turn that pain around for your good for HIS glory.

You'll look back over your shoulder at that mountain of defeat, of sadness, of grief, loss and pain, and realize with God's help, you climbed that mountain one step at a time, and your stronger because of that climb. That my friend is "mountain moving faith"

An update for family and friends in New Hampshire and Maine

I have a lot of family and friends from New Hampshire asking us how we are adjusting to our huge life change, and how each of the children are doing, so I figured I'd write a long post about our happenings here in Corpus Christi, TX

Rhema is thriving in academics here, she has a great support team at her school that helps her on a one on one basis, and has been getting A's on her spelling tests, and we are so proud. As far a social aspect there, she had a very hard time adjusting since she was the new girl, and had a few episodes of being made fun of, but with much prayer and encouragement, she has now found a best friend and is starting to find her way there. I believe i'm dealing with the beginning stages of my girl wanting to become a young lady and all the fun emotions that entails (not!) but God's grace is enough!

Faith was having a very hard time in school. She is so advanced and the academics here are a bit behind New Hampshire, so we decided to pull her out and homeschool her and skip her a grade. So now she is doing Rod and Staff 5th grade and she is thriving. She also is enjoying being part of a huge church and getting one of the main speaking parts in our church christmas play. She has a best friend from church who is either always over, or she is always over there.

Coco is also doing fabulous in school. Dad signed him up for football in August, and his last game was last week, where he went all the way to the Super Bowl, and won! I was proud of his endurance in August and September when the temperature climbed over 100 degrees, and he was still out there playing fully suited up, helmet and all!

Malacai is loving school even though he asks me daily if he can be home schooled haha. He gets on his bus happily and comes home telling me that "hey mom, did you know we can drive to Mexico?" Yesterday he asked me if we could go to mexico since he has a passport now! (This week is world week at his school where all the classrooms pick a different country and decorate and cook according to the traditions of that country--and all the kids make passports and get stickers for every country/classroom they visit) He does ask daily if he can go back to New Hampshire, to his old house, and see (insert one name at various times of the day lol) Nani, Pepe, Uncle Dave and Honey, Katie, Madison, Andrew, Miss Lisa, and many more who he loved. I think out of all the children, Malacai has had the hardest time leaving behind all he knew and loved. He daily reminds us how sad he is to have left. I always ask him if we did move back to NH he would miss Pastor, Amie, Ms Patty, Aiden, Ms Susie, Jenn, Lilly, Becka, Jaci, Alex, all people he's fell in love with here, and who have fallen in love with him (Not that its hard haha)

Gloria-Grace is growing like a weed, and without my friends with little girls (Jen and Ebony) would literally be unclothed! All her 2T clothes do not fit anymore. Its so hard to realize I no longer have a baby girl! She's getting so big and loves to "tend" and play all day. All it takes to amuse her is her imagination. If she didn't have toys, she still would imagine with her hands or rocks. She has a very very strong will and I'm asking the Lord to lead me in the correct way to guide her.

Judah is our lover baby, he loves to snuggle and hates it when we leave the room without him. He's about 2 lbs lighter then Zion which has been about the norm the last few months. I joke around with him that he needs to be tougher with his brother Zion who must steal all his food!

Zion is the adventurous one that always keeps me on my toes. And Judah is always close behind joining in the trouble. They've both discovered climbing and have successfully conquered the kitchen table to the chagrin of his mommy. They both adore Faith because she's their "little Mommy" They both have MAJOR toddler attitudes, and I regret not still nursing them, I'm so used to nursing away my 1 year old tempers, 5 minutes with mommy and milk solved everything! (but thank God for bottles!) For them, its CARS, CARS, CARS and CARS! They have a car in their hands every waking minute! They fight each other over cars, and tackle each other over food. Pulling hair, bitings and screaming is a daily assurance. Thankfully they are so stinkin cute, its easy to laugh at all their antics. (the bickerings of the older kids, now thats a different story! Nothing stresses me out more!) One thing I'm so thankful for is that they are great sleepers! They usually take a 3 hour nap and go to bed at 6:30 and sleep straight to 7:30.

Cisco is extremely relaxed and happy here. I think being the head honcho for 10 years of his young adult life really got to him, not that he didn't excel at it, he did! But that's a lot of responsibility for someone so young, and all of his mentors were far away or distant. The change in him is a refreshing change, and that alone was worth the move. He adores working with Pastor Levell, and leading the young adults. He's almost done his Masters of Theology through Liberty University and will continue on to Masters of Divinity, then Doctorate of Divinity.

I love it here! I love the weather, the beach, the palm trees, the church, and the people. I've never had so many friends and wonderful Moms to fellowship with. There are things I miss though, like having my mom and dad and sisters so close. I miss the mountains and beauty of New England, I miss our 3 story home where I could get away from being a mom for 30 minutes, I miss our neighbors and our quiet street and huge backyard where I never panicked if the children were outside since the road was safe. I miss our best friends Dave and Judy, and all our fun times together. But, I DO NOT miss the snow, the gloom and the pressure. My neighbor is probably my biggest blessing (besides our church) here so far. There's nothing better than a wonderful neighbor who cares for your kids like your own, and even becomes a wonderful friend. I feel content here, and know there's nothing better then being in the Lord's will. My future plans are Lord willing, to become a registered doula and lactation consultant and do some photography on the side.

One thing I asked the Lord for was that someone would teach my children piano. In NH lessons were $25 for a 1/2 hour lesson. Multiply that by 4 children and that's $100 a week, or $400 a month! Not possible! Within a month, I found a friend who teaches my children weekly and refuses to be paid. Rhema, Faith, Coco and Cai are all learning the piano at amazing speeds, and I'm just amazed at the goodness of God who really does give us the desires of our hearts.

In closing, at Thanksgiving, we all went around and said what we were thankful for. We watched the video over again, and we both realized that our four oldest children all said they were thankful for their Pastor and their church. How amazing is that? I know God moved us here for many different reasons, but maybe one of the main ones was for our children to be guided not only by their Father, but also a Pastor and church family who love them. The heavens are open here in Corpus Christi Texas. I've never lived in an area where so many people love the Lord. I can't wait to watch the future unfold in the City of Christ.

So there you go! And update on the going ons of the Victa Clan! I hope no one thinks I'm ignoring them, I've never been busier, so I figured one long post would satisfy and hopefully help cut down on all the questions I don't have time to answer lol :) Love you all!

The Monsters of Monday

By the time the busy weekend is over, I'm ready for a quiet day. But somehow Monday fails me every time. The monster comes out everywhere I look! The dishes spilling out from two days of neglect, the laundry looks like its going to suffocate me, the floor? well lets just not go there. And here I am, weary, tired, ready for a day of blissful nothingness, and yet the monster screams at me, taking on these different forms.

Then there's the overtired kiddos...

(Here's Malacai having a major meltdown

that landed him with some calming juice

and chocolate milk and bed before 6:30--haven't heard from him sense!)

who were in church for 6 hours, neglecting their naps, and therefore think they can neglect them Monday too...Monsters I tell you, cranky, cute, clingy monsters, all of them (ehem---us).

Some day Monday will be nice to me, but for now I'm just glad there's only one Monday this week...

Day 20...the twins...

October 2009 I became very ill. I began suspecting pregnancy right away, and sure enough I had a blaring (and I mean no denying line) on my pregnancy test. I knew my dates could not be wrong, so I immediately began thinking something was up, especially the sicker I became.

When we were dating our friend Paul Springer told us the number of children we would have and that we would have twins. Every pregnancy he would joke until we confirmed that it was ONE baby that this was the time we would have twins. I never really took him serious until those first few weeks of this pregnancy!!! At our church in NH, I had to stop my weekly teaching because I was so sick. I whispered to my friend Lynn why, that I was again expecting, to which she squeezed me and said "ITS TWINS!"

So the sicker I became, the more I joked around with the kids and Cisco that it had to be twins! Around 7 weeks along, I cried out to my Dr. who had delivered the last 2, and was quite familiar with me, (therefore he knew I was NOT a cry baby lol). I told him I was throwing up 12+ times a day. He asked me to come in, and when he examined me, he sent me to ultrasound. I laid on the table and immediately saw three blobs, to which I proclaimed "AHHH, its TRIPLETS!"

But thankfully the 3rd "blob" was just the yolk sac, and the nurse promptly said no, but there are TWO babies, to which Cisco said "TWINS" She was very nice and said "yes, twins means two babies" lol

She scanned me on that table for what seemed like forever. At one point I asked her if all was well, and she sighed and said "I can't find a membrane, the doctor will have to tell you more" So of course I became concerned. I went home and starting googling. Never really a good idea usually, but for me it allowed me to know what to pray against.

You see, there are two types of twins:

1. fraternal (Two separate eggs are dropped during a woman's ovulation, to which two separate sperm fertilize--these types of twins always develop their own amniotic sac and placenta) This is usually hereditary..

2. Identical (One egg drops during ovulation, one sperm fertilizes the egg, and at some point in the cell dividing process, the embryo splits into two separate babies.) With identicals, depending on how early or how late they split will either develop two separate sacs and placentas, or if they split late, they will be in the same amniotic sac and share a placenta. The later being much more of a complicated and dangerous pregnancy.

So that first night on google I realized that I was carrying identical twins, and that they were defined as Mono-Mono twins, meaning they shared the same sac, and the same placenta.

About 2 days after that ultrasound I heard from my Dr. who told me what I already knew. He told me to prepare for a high risk pregnancy, entering hospitalized bed rest by 24 weeks gestation so the babies could be continually monitored. He told me that they split late in the dividing process and that if they would have split one day later, they would have been conjoined twins (Miracle #1) He also told me he discussed my case with his board of Doctors, and they felt the babies had a 50% mortality rate, that being in the same sac was so dangerous because they could entangle each other in each others umbilical cords. (he gave me the analogy of two dogs being tied to the same tree, and what a mess that would be) He also warned me of twin to twin transfusion, meaning since they shared one placenta (one food source) there was a good chance that one baby would get all the nourishment, while the other basically starved...sounds like a positive phone call huh? lol

After that first ultrasound, I had weekly ones to determine the health of the babies. Being so sick I had plenty of time to do nothing but pray. My prayer was this

"Lord, you gave me these babies, you did not give them to me to take them away. If you can create such a miracle as one baby being split into two separate babies, both unique, but both sharing exact DNA, then you can certainly grow a dividing membrane to keep them safe and allow my placenta to nourish them both"

Again I took out Jackie Mize's book Supernatural Childbirth and began reading it over and over and over again.

On my 13th week ultrasound, 6 weeks after the first one, I laid down on the table, preparing myself to be there for a while, when suddenly I hear my Doctor say "Oh my, there's the membrane" I almost jumped off the table in joy and yes even a little bit of unbelief! I made him confirm it over and over again. But there it was, this miraculous whisper of a membrane, the thickness of a sheet of saran wrap, but just enough to keep my babies safe from each other's cords. Praise the Lord (Miracle #2)

The rest of my pregnancy was pretty much miserable. I was huge, I had no appetite, I had horrendous heart burn, nausea, and couldn't sleep from being so uncomfortable. At 35 weeks I was put on hospitalized bed-rest for the last weeks for the beginning of pre-eclampsia. God bless my husband and his father who held down the fort with 5 little ones!

At 36 weeks they felt it was time, so I was induced and was able to give birth naturally after a 6 hour labor. Both boys cried and nursed right away, a miracle for twins, and boys at that, born 4 weeks early (miracle #3)

I wish I could give you an account of their first year but I'd be lying if I said I remembered much of it. It honestly was a blur! I went through the blues, insomnia, nursing issues, and so much more, but the fact is I MADE IT! (miracle #4!) I was able to nurse both of them for 9 months and they both received my milk for at least one feeding a day till their first birthday (miracle #5!)

There were five, okay, six things I could not have made it through without (no judging here!)

1. The Lord, he truly was my Solid Rock and my Refuge

2. My husband who never left my side, and was always there to help change diapers, burp babies, and so much more...

3. My older children who were a big help in so many ways (thank you Katie, Faith and Rhema!)

4. My best friend Amanda, who also had twins the same age as mine. It was such a comfort knowing she was just a text away to complain to, ask a question, ask for prayer, share the cute things our babies were doing and to just be there...

5. PopPop and MomMom who helped so many different times, I don't know a grandfather alive who would take on what PopPop did--even so far as watching them when they were 10 months for an entire week when we were given a timeshare at disney!

6. (here comes the no judgment part): the occasional glass of wine for those extra stressful days and nights. I joke around with friends and say I never tasted alcohol before the twins, but really I meant it. I thank the Lord I allowed my mom to talk me into drinking an occasional glass at night to calm me down, de`stress me and allow me to rest up for the next full day (Love you Mom! :)

So there it is in a long nutshell...the twins are now 17 months old. Judah we call the sensitive lover. He is always second to do things. He cut his first tooth 2nd, he sat up second, crawled second and walked about 2 months after his brother took his first step. He loves to be cuddled, especially by the men in his life...daddy, pop pop, pepe and pastor lol. He's a true daddy's boy and falls on the floor in a complete mess of tears when daddy walks past him or leaves the house.

Zion is the daring one. He always stands in his highchair, went from walking to running in days, and has a sparkle in his eye that screams mischief. His favorite thing to do is make his brother laugh. (See video)

Even though at times my life is crazy, and some days I wonder if the volcanic mountain of laundry will consume me with its spilling over lava, I can't help but focus on the blessings.

7 healthy beautiful children, each unique, each a miracle...

I'll finish this post with two recent pictures of the boys and a link for pictures of their first 12 months...thank you for reading and encouraging me with your words, it means so much to know that my writing is blessing others, even in small ways!

Link to pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2132004938337.2119224.1192416097&type=1&l=df299eac78