Its Fall Ya'll

Well Fall is certainly in the air here in OKC! I feel like we went from 70 to 40 in a few days.. but I guess that is pretty much expected at this point.. and Oh man, the rain! Its been great.. Lake Hefner looks fantastic!

We are gearing up for a busy Season.. I feel Like I haven't told you anything in awhile.. so here's a catch-up.. The girls started a new school in the Fall, Primrose Northwest, and its the greatest thing ever. They LOVE going to school now! We are so grateful, because nothing is worse than dropping off your crying, sad kid who does not want to go to school.. They have flourished there and they love their teachers and new friends so much! They get to go on a field trip to the pumpkin patch tomorrow.. and they go to the library on Fridays.. and have LOVED Checking out books! So.. we are super happy they love it! So that has been a HUGE blessing..

With Fall here.. that means Halloween is just around the Corner and the girls are cooking up some magic for you this year.. About 2 months ago.. Crosslee was watching the "He's Alive" video with Dolly Parton and decied she was going to be Dolly For Halloween.. so I tried to think of something that might go with Dolly.. Like maybe Kenny Rogers Perhaps.. but I didn't think that would make a good costume.. so I played "On the Road Again" for Londyn and asked if she wanted to Be Willie Nelson.. SOLD! And she's been singing "On the Road again".. since then.. #winning

So now.. not only am I winning at Halloween.. I'm winning at my kids listening to great music.. Oh, and if you want Extra.. they ate Beef Stew last night.. so yeah! Boom! Don't be surprised if I win mom of the year..

I've also been enjoying my gig on Hank FM.. (99.7 on your FM dial) and just really LOVING that I get to do what I love again. I cannot tell you how awesome it feels to be doing what you love and what you are good at. If you have that opportunity in your life.. take it.. Just make sure you also have another job that pays the bills.. lol.. #truth

I got another year older this year.. which will make me.. Old enough to know better and still too young to care.. (Thank you Wade Hayes).. I honestly feel rather great for being old as dirt.. This is the first time in 20 years that I work out 5-6 days a week.. Orange theory has been a life-changer for me. I started Last March when it opened, and thought.. "How do I keep from dying  when I do this workout?".. Well thankfully I did not.. and here I am over a year later LOVING my workouts.. WHAT? Stop. I know.. I never wanted to be THAT GUY, but I officially am.. I wear workout pants now! WHAT?? I KNOW.. I talk about working out with my fellow OTF friends..and we feel like we are in a special magical club that celebrates Burpees, Deadlifts, Run to Rows, all while high-fiving and cussing! I also love my coaches.. I'm so grateful to finally find something that WORKS for me.. I'm athletic.. but I'm not a runner.. I don't just 'run for fun'.. unless someone is trying to stab me.. I'm super competitive, and Orange theory allows me to compete with myself, and others.. all while completing an amazing workout with weights and cardio.. I even completed a dri-tri?@?!?! Yeah.. I know.. its a 2000 meter Row on the Rowing machine, a 5k on the Treads, and 300 body weight Reps.. and I DID IT!!!!! Another great part? yeah.. its done in an hour.. and I burn over 600 calories.. BONUS. We start Hell week on the 24th.. if you want to give it a go, hit me up, you get to workout for free for a week.. I'll cheer for you..

So all on my own.. I've lost almost 70 pounds.. Its been a great journey with Orange theory and also Profile.. They have helped me get my food in check with awesome coaching as well.. I cannot complain about much! Well.. I could.. Like the fact that Londyn has a cough that only happens at night and it wakes her up.. but overall. .Life is good here!

We are headed back to Branson in November.. so if you know anything magical that we need to do.. Let me know. We are staying at the Lodges at Timber-ridge, which is amazing.. and we are going to try to go to Silver Dollar City and to the Sight and Sound Theater to see "Samson" this year. I've heard amazing things about both.. and of course Cross wants to go back to the Dolly Parton Dixie Stampede.. #becausedolly Mom got her a weird Dolly Parton Doll, but we haven't given it to her yet, because we have to find Londyn a weird Willie Nelson doll to go with it.. lol

The girls still love all things Creepy.. The giant is up.. and they still take him food in the evenings.. blankets for sleeping..and talk to him all the time.. They also love the Bloody Clown. He was missing for a few days and they were very concerned, but then our neighbors put him out and all was well.. They pose with him on Sundays..

So all is well in my world.. Still loving my Church, My Small Group, and My Family and Friends.. I could not ask for more! Excited for the upcoming Vacation and Holiday Season! Hope you guys are doing well.. don't forget every Friday on Hank I have my Accordion, Helen with me at 5:15.. for Accordion Fridays..and the Bad joke of the day is back on Fridays! So give it a listen.. you can also listen online, or via the HANK FM app! Get down on it! woohoo!

Vacation Magic! Gaylord Vs. Greatwolf Lodge

Well we just got back from a sweet little Family Vacation. We took the girls up to the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas. We had been before to go to Great Wolf.. and as much as the girls LOVE Great wolf, its a bit of a grind for Adults.. I mean.. its a LOT of kids.. in ONE place.. A Few of our friends had told us about the Gaylord's Waterpark and how it was amazing, so we thought we would check it out.. (PS, if you are thinking about going to either of these place.. Check Groupon for some special deals, and Priceline.. they were both cheaper than booking directly through the hotels.)

Well I can tell you.. at first glance it looked like Gaylord was going to be Cheaper than Great Wolf.. Depending on when you go to Great Wolf (if you get a groupon, go in the off season, etc) But Great Wolf is pretty expensive.. I'll give you the Pro's and Cons of both in case you decide.. We'll start with Great Wolf..

Great Wolf Pro's:

• You can pretty much stay there the whole weekend without leaving. They have plenty of Restaurants and things for your kids to do. 
• You can go all year Long, because they have indoor Pools/Waterslides/Restaurants
• You can Bring food and drinks with you so you don't have to spend $35 for a juice pack. So this means you can pack lunchables, juice boxes, Yeti's full of wine, etc.. (HINT) and it will save you a TON of money on snacks and drinks.. The Wine might also help you tune out the sound of screaming kids.. 
• Free Parking with your Room Purchase
• You Can purchase Family Suites
• A Million life-guards all over
• Wolf Family Characters stand outside the Swimming Area in the morning for hugs and pics
• Goggles, swim shoes, suits, anything you might have forgotten on hand for purchase
• Your Kids will think its the greatest thing that has ever happened if they are 10 and Under
• Lots of Water things to do. A bunch of slides, rope course, and indoor/outdoor slides

Gaylord Texan Pro's:

• Its a lot Prettier than Great Wolf. Beautiful Flowers, rivers.. etc
• They have fun little theme dinners for your kids (like Breakfast with the smurfs)
• Giant Cowboy and Character people on hand in the evenings to visit with your kiddos
• There's more options for Restaurants
• You press a button at the pool, and a waiter will come over and bring you whatever you want, including drinks
• Plenty of Seating to sit and keep an eye on your kids
• Its Spread out with lots of places to sit and relax
• They have an indoor pool, outdoor pool, hot tub, and Paradise Springs Waterpark 
• The Lazy River is really big 
• Plenty of things for the kids to do on their own (go up and down the slides, check in with you, then go again)
• Really Great Food (but its expensive)
• Dippin Dots, Snow cones on hand for purchase
• Zipline into the water (water is 11ft deep)
• They have specifically designed areas for babies, and smaller kids, so they other bigger kids don't smash over them. 
• Kids meals are offered on their menu, and the kids liked the food

Great Wolf Cons:

• Its packed. All the time
• If you go in the Winter its REALLY Packed because there is no outside pools open
• If you have smaller kids they are not going to care about the 'Wizard games'
• There's no place to sit by the slides and watch your kids go down (Because you will get sick of climbing 10 sets of stairs to go up there with them)
• The Lazy River is not that Lazy. Its usually full of kids squirting you with a water gun, or smashing into your Tube. 
• It always smells like Chlorine
• They usually have to clear out the pool at least one time because someone has some sort of bodily function in it.. 
• They have annoying game centers, build a bears, ice cream and magic crap that your kids try to talk you into going to every time you walk to the Swimming pools.. So your kids will constantly be asking you for it. 
• The Food is not that great. 

Gaylord Texan Cons:

• Its a Metropolis.. almost too big to navigate through. 
• Takes a long time to park and walk to your room daily
• The charge you parking PER day... even if you park yourself, and even if you stay there as a guest. Its about $24 to park there each day, tacked onto your already expensive bill. 
• Food and Drinks are delicious.. but expensive.. Chips & Salsa is $18. (But its a delight)
• A Mixed Drink is $14
• A bucket of Beers is $35 for 5.. 
• The last few days we were there they started a thing called "Premium Seating".. Meaning if you want a seat on the front row by any pool, it would cost you an additional $25.. That was crap
• Your kids can see Great Wolf Lodge from the Drive-way.. so they will be like "Why aren't we at Great wolf Lodge mommy?" (blargh.. fail)
• You cannot bring in ANY outside food to the Waterpark. They will make you throw it in the trash. So anything you want you will have to buy from them.
• You have to take a Trolley to get to Paradise Springs (Waterpark) it runs every 15 min or so, so its not terrible, but its not really a 'walking distance' thing.. 

I mean all in all.. you can't go wrong with either place.. But.. My thought for my kids. .is if you go to Great Wolf Once, you will probably have to go back there the rest of your life.. even though, for Adults, the Gaylord is a way better option. I mean its a 3 hour trip from the City, so its quick.. and there's So many cute things to do in Grapevine.. We went to the farmers market.. walked downtown.. I got to visit the Orange Theory in Southlake, that is about 8 miles away. Oh, and Have I mentioned how much I love that Texas lets me buy WINE in the Walgreens and the HEB/Tom Thumb? Yes.. Yes I do.. 

So we ended up having a great trip. We also went to the Grapevine Aquarium (Buy your tickets on line because its way cheaper, and you can just scan your ticket and go in) Oh.. but.. on the Aquarium.. they do not open till 10am. Not a SECOND earlier.. so be prepared to wait in a LONG line just to get in. They do have a lot of cool things to look at though.. Sharks.. Sea Turtles.. Star Fish.. Seahorses.. and you get to walk through a cool see-through tunnel where all the sea life swims under, over and around you. Its worth going to.. just be prepared to wait a bit.. 

We also SAW Lego-land.. but it looked like a nightmare, so we didn't try to go to that one.. But I've had some say they loved it, and some people say they didn't think it was worth it. They did have a little lego splashpad outside that came with the entry purchase.. Both the Aquarium and Legoland are in the Grapevine Mall. Its got EVERYTHING you could ever want or need.. ITs a great mall.. They even have a Carousel inside.. 

Another HUGE highlight for the girls was the Princess Day Spa. OMGosh you guys.. this was so freakin cute. The girls came in and they walked them down a flower path to put on little silk Robes.. then they got into their pedicure chairs and they brought them "Drinks".. They got to pick which Princess Drink they wanted.. Elsa was Blue.. Ariel was Pink.. Etc.. They got their Elsa & Ariel drinks in little Champagne Glasses.. So cute. Then they got their toes painted with glitter, their nails painted too.. and then they put them in these little hair-chairs and give them a super cute do'.. Londyn got a little bun.. and Cross got an Elsa braid.. they sprinkle Glitter in their hair.. Then they put Elsa makeup and Aurora makeup on them (Which I didn't love, but they did) And then let them sit in a big Princess Chair, and pose on the runway.. I mean its super cute. If you have girls, they need this in their life! The people were so sweet (and wearing Tutu's) and the girls just loved every thing about it.. And if you book on a weekday, all services are half price! 

We also had some really great food! First.. I LOVE Einstein Bagels! So we had a really good breakfast and schmear there one morning.. The other Two mornings we went to this awesome Cafe called "The Old West Cafe".. that served pancakes the size of plates.. Plenty of options for kiddos too.. Cross loves Eggs so she had Eggs and Pancakes.. Londyn had toast and Jelly.. and Jordan and I had some amazing tex-mex breakfast dishes and Omelets! Super great service (Londyn hugged the Waiter) and really good food.. We went to the Rain forest Cafe.. its ok. I mean I feel like the animals need an update.. but the girls like it because you get to have an Ice Cream Sandwich (Priorities right?) We had a Great Hamburger at Jakes Hamburgers.. They had great milk shakes too.. Of course I picked the blue cheese.. b/c who wouldn't? But.. overall good hamburger place!

So we had a great trip.. Hopefully if you are planning to visit either of these places this will give you a heads up! 

Working Moms

Man. Sometimes being a working mom is hard. Especially a working mom with several jobs. Now Granted.. I did part of that to myself, but its still hard. I've run out of hours in the day.. some days I have great success filling all of the hours with meaningful, magical time.. Some days I don't. Some days I feel like I'm winning at being a Wife, Mom, and Employee.. Some days I'm not.

This week is Vacation Bible School, and Vacation bible School at Crossings Is LEGIT. I mean they have full size bounce houses INSIDE the church.. Amazing singers that teach them fun songs.. ITs LEGIT. I waited till the girls were old enough to go with excitement because each year we'd watch the videos and think "Oh man, that is so amazing" so they got to go for the first time last year, and I wanted them to get to go this year.. but this creates a few issues for the working mom.. For one, I go into work at 7am.. Bible School starts at 9, so I either have to wait till 9, then take them.. Or Go to work for 2 hours, send them to their school.. then go back and pick them up and take them to VBS.. Then they get out at 12.. So then I have to leave work..get them lunch.. and pick them up, then take them back to school.. and take myself back to work.. Its hard, but its worth it, because they love going, so we'll make it work.. just like we do everything else.. but being a working mom is hard.

However.. I know being a stay at home mom is hard too..and that is a job I'm just not able to do. I admire those that do it, and I'm in awe of their patience and tolerance! I've always just known that I wanted to be a working mom. Would I love to have a job that allowed me to do both? Sure.. Or only work a few days a week? FOR SURE.. Have endless amounts of money? Um, yes please.. But that is not God's plan for me.. and thats ok. My plan is not anyone else's plan. My plan is for me.

I want my girls to know why I work hard.. What I'm passionate about. What I'm good at.. Why I try to do better.. Why I went back on the radio to do something I love even though it requires more of me! I used to feel bad because I was not the kind of mom that said things like "I never lived until I had children" "My children are my World".. Yeah.. I've lived.. My college experience alone was legit.. lol And don't even get me started on some of the amazing times I've had on the radio!

I've had a pretty incredible life. My kids are incredible, but I'm a child of God, I'm a wife, I'm a daughter, and I'm a mother.. My kids are super important to me, but they do not define me, and I do not make them the Center of My universe. I want them to understand that we answer to someone bigger.. I want them to understand we all have to do crap we don't want to do.. we have to get along with people that aren't worth getting along with.. That I love their daddy and its important that we have time together by ourselves.. That We have to fall down and get back up.. That sometimes the world is Mean and Unfair.. We have to be disciples.. we have to be warriors.. we have to be supporters.. We have to be sympathetic, understanding, caring, and Kind..Even to people who don't deserve that..  And If I make them the center of the universe, do everything for them, Shelter them from everything scary, and move all obstacles out of their way, they are not going to learn that. Those are hard lessons to learn.. but I'm going to help them, and the Lord is going to help me through it all. But.......Its still hard.

IN a society of Busy.. I realize.. I'm busy.. I'm working two jobs, and I don't get to do a lot of things I need/Want to do.. For example, right now I'm neglecting my work as a Hospice Volunteer with my therapy dogs.. I just don't have the time to get to the nursing homes right now.. but I want to. I'm supposed to be taking Payslee & Sawyer on monthly visits to the Assisted Living Center.. but I feel like I run out of time. I'm leading a small group at church, but I am not able to research the lessons for us, because I run out of time! These are GREAT things to do! And I want to do them! But dang.. I just don't have the time right now, and....... I'm TIRED!!! lol.. Tired as a Mother is a real thing..

 I've had to really look at my life lately and decide What my Big Priorities are.. So as a result I've had to cut down on going to a lot of social events at church.. therapy visits.. hospice visits.. even though they are all important to me.. I just can't get to them right now, and you know what? Thats ok. Because eventually I'll get back to them.. But its hard to say no to them..

So whatever phase of life you are in.. busy.. not busy.. working.. not working.. momming, not momming.. Realize.. that Your plan is for you. Not anyone else.. Don't let others make you feel bad because you are not doing 'the norm' or filling a status.. God has a plan for me, and for my girls, and I'm excited to watch it unfold. I can't believe they are Five! Seems crazy.. its like some days stood still, and some days flew by in the blink of an eye.. Being a parent is hard.. Being a wife is hard.. and sometimes following God's plan is hard.. But we have to remember that through trials comes Grace, and while those little eyes are watching us, we can show them what it means to walk to the beat of our OWN Drum.. the Drum God created just for us.. not anyone else.. And I'm probably going to screw it up some days.. Because I run out of patience.. and time.. But all I can do is start over the next day and try again.. because as we all know, I'm not quitter.. and I hate losing..except for Weight.. and I've lost 65  pounds.. so Boom.. there's that.

Wizard of Oz time!

Man, can you guys believe the girls are almost 5!?! I cannot.. This year they decided they wanted a Wizard of Oz party, and you know I can't turn down a good theme, so we are now in full on party planning mode.. although, in fairness.. I do most of this about 6 months before the party actually gets here!

Mom is coming up to get the girls on Thursday and Friday so we can decorate accordingly.. I'll post pictures of all the magic after the party.. In the meanwhile it was NOT a great weekend at our house.. Jordan got sick at the gun-range on Saturday morning and almost passed out. I wasn't feeling 100% and then Londyn got sick Saturday night.. I had had my limit of vomit and mess by Sunday so I went out to get some soup for everyone.. only to have it spill all over my car.. and it was roasted red pepper.. so almost like MORE vomit.. Sigh..



Here's some things we talked about on the air this week!

How to get rid of flies:--How to get rid of flies with a banana



Fool that tries to take a selfie with an Alligator... DUMMY



Bizarre Facts of the day:

Michael Buffer the “Let’s get ready to rumble” guy had the phrase trademarked and as of 2009 it has generated $400 million dollars in revenue.

Silly string has military usage in the detection of tripwires. The string would settle onto the ground in areas without tripwires, but catch on to any that is present. The silly string reveals the wire, but it will not set it off due to its light weight.

Do tell.. Do Tell..

OH man. I have a lot to tell you guys.. I'll start with the fact that we went back To Great Wolf Lodge last month. This time Gigi and Pa went with us.. I will say this about Great Wolf.. To kids.. its the greatest place ever.. To Parents.. its.. an opportunity for ways to sneak beverages in a Yeti so that you can deal with the loud noise, Chlorine, screaming kids.. and people wearing things that should not be seen in public.. much less a kids water park..

I will give you a few tips.. Take your own snacks, your own Juices, Your own drinks.. You CAN take them down to the pool area with you as long as you aren't toting glass or an ice chest.. so that will save you a ton of money. Also, wait for a coupon, or a groupon, or a discount.. Those help.. But man, the girls love it.. they talk about it everyday and asked to go back the second we left.. so yeah, its a fun, quick trip.. and Grapevine has an Einstein Bagel.. which is Delightful, so #winning.

Ok, Second thing.. I'm back on the radio! I got offered the afternoon gig on 99.7 Hank FM from 3-7pm.. I'm so excited.. and through the magic of Radio, my regular day job at Loves, I'm able to do both and still be a good mom and Wife.. The girls are going to be making regular appearance on the show with me, so get ready for that.. I'm honestly just so glad to be doing something I love and having really supportive people at my Loves Job that encourage me. I'm mostly excited because I didn't know if I would ever get to be back on the radio again.. and when I look back at the way God has moved in my life.. its just fun to watch! You have to realize that through trials comes Grace, and when that Grace happens its such a blessing to see. God is good. I've setup a facebook page so you can interact with me while on the air.. go HERE-- https://www.facebook.com/kcsheperdcrankhank/

I was thinking about "God Moments" in my life today, because Today is my 1 year anniversary at Orange Theory Fitness. When I think about how crazy it was that I even got there.. its bizarre.. I saw a facebook ad For Orange Theory with a number to call about it.. It was a cold day and I was supposed to go down there and meet with a coach.. I cancelled.. He texted me and set up another time.. I agreed to go down there.. having NO CLUE what I was doing. I had not worked out in forever.. I hated to hear about people working out. I wanted to punch people that told me "Workouts are fun".. blargh. Shut up. No.. No. Stop talking.. But.. I put all that out of my mind and went down there. I somehow just felt like it was what I was supposed to do. When I went down there I met Jordan.. (not my Jordan, but another fantastic Jordan) and he went through the premise of Orange Theory.. I remember asking him 2 main things. 1) How do I keep from Dying. 2) How many times do I have to come here to see results..  He responded enthusiastically to all my questions.. and he was a muscly, good lookin dude, and he was a coach.. so how bad can it be? I joined.

The studio hadn't opened yet, so I had a few months to think about what I had gotten myself into.. but on day 1.. I was there.. I didn't have workout clothes. I had no idea what to bring. I was a probably a sad looking Sack for gym attire.. But I went.. There were a few times I thought.. Yup.. this is it.. My heart is going to explode.. Hell, there are days I still do that! It's hard! Its work! I fell off the rower.. I probably have looked like a fool more than once.. #yourwelcome But man, the payoff is good! And I love that its for everyone. Its go at your own pace, so if you are 14, or 84.. we can all go! I get inspired daily by the folks that go and literally hand me my butt on the treadmill. I mean..I started out power walking, and these folks come in in beast mode.. but I love it.. You do what YOU can do, and that is good enough! I also have crap knees.. so guess what? No lunges for me! No thank you. Pass.. So the coaches give me options that won't strain my knees. #winning. And sometimes I bring in Cross's Owl, Melba, and the coaches take pics with her.. See how Happy Khairi is With Melba?

At First I only Went 2 days a week.. Then 3.. Then My friend Eileen (who I worked out with, and loved because she cussed as much as I did through the workouts) told me 5 was the magic number.. FIVE! FIVE???? I'm DYING at 3! I'm sore! I can't do it! I'll miss all my lunches! No!.. Ok.. Ok.. Ok.. I'll go five.. and I started going 5.. I met new friends.. I met new Coaches.. I loved all of them.. I loved the OTF Family.. and I started getting muscles.. I started losing weight.. NOW.. Keep in mind, at this point I had no desire to eat healthy. Baby Steps guys.. baby steps.. So I would literally go to Orange Theory on Mondays so I could go to Qdoba $1 Taco days after.. My reason for OTF was to eat whatever I wanted.. and I still lost 20 pounds.. Then about 9 months in I decided to start eating right.. I joined Profile in Edmond. My OB, Dr. Goff had lost 75 pounds and told me about it, so I gave them a call. When I first talked to them I was like.. No thanks. Pass.. But after thinking about it.. I realized I needed a PLAN.  They provided me a coach, meal plans, food, etc.. and I lost 25 more pounds in 8 weeks. So here I am. Its hard. But I still go. Because other people are holding me accountable.. I love to encourage new OTF members because they are in the same place I was when I started.. and its been an awesome journey. People have encouraged me.. complete strangers will come up to me after class and high-five me.. or Ask me how much weight I've lost.. Its a journey, its a family, its been a good God moment for me that led me to some awesome people.. and 44 pounds lighter.. Plus My heart is in better shape! 4" off my chest, 5" off my waist, 9" off my hips.. And I still really like going.. so there's that.. My favorite part? Yeah, its still when its over.. but I'm glad I did it!

So I can't complain.. I started the process of enrolling the girls in Deer Creek.. then stopped.. Because they will just turn 5 at the end of May, and would've started school in August.. and I just don't see the point in putting them in early. They are in Pre-K right now at the Childcare Network and they love their Teachers and friends, so we are going to put them in Next Year when they are 6. I think that is the best solution for them and hopefully they will have gained some Emotional Maturity where we don't flip out at our sister wearing our Shoes, or because you didn't get the bike on the playground.. however, I don't want people wearing my shoes, so I guess that is Valid. We'll see..

IN the meantime, I'm on 3-7, and even have a Bio so please.. feel free to be Crankin It to Hank.. and Yes, I'm working on breaking out Helen, the Accordion for your listening pleasure, so give me a few weeks and I'll get that started up.. You can also download the app and take me with you! Boom!

We are super excited for Easter At Crossings. Its my Anniversary there too, and if you are looking for a service that will MOVE you.. Come Join us at Easter. I can guarantee an amazing Musical performance, Message, and gathering. We have several Services, so take your pick. I'd love to have you join us! There's a Maundy Service on Thursday that will be incredible.. Good Friday at 12, and 6pm, and all the Easter Services!  Look at what we have put together with just a small little Tail Tie (These are the ties I used to put my Heifers tail in when I was showing, but I think normal people call them Zip Ties). Just goes to show you that we are all small Pieces in God's Grand Plan, but when we are all working together, we can do amazing things!

Twins.. twinner.. Twinnest..

You know.. there was a time when I was pregnant with twins that I thought I might not make it.. And there have been several times since that moment that I thought the same!

I found out I was pregnant with twins when I was literally 10 days pregnant.. I had a dream to pee on a stick.. I know.. I know.. I can't make this crap up.. But I did.. So I did.. and there was a faint line.. In thinking back it probably showed up because there were TWO babies in there at the time..

I remember being insane until I got to that first doctors appointment.. Everything was new and weird.. I had never been pregnant before.. and there were so many things that google told you that would scare the crap out of you..We didn't tell very many people.. only a few because we were scared.. That actually STARTED the fear..

Fast forward to the 8 week appointment when they nonchalantly told us there were two babies.. this was a horrifying experience.. if you would like to read the details.. here's THAT blog.. Its pretty entertaining.. But.. at the point where we found out there were two babies.. After completely losing it in the Dr's room... I remember just feeling the overwhelming peace that the Lord was in full control of this situation.. How? Why? Um, well because it had never even OCCURRED to us we could have twins.. or it was a thing.. So I had a complete sense of Peace that "God has to have this one, because this is certainly NOT my plan".. and from that moment on I knew that God had this one.. Even when I got admitted to the hospital at 26 weeks.. I never really worried about it.. Now, I was annoyed about being in the hospital.. but I always knew that the girls were fine..

People (Usually people that have a new baby) frequently come up to Jordan and say to us "Man.. How in the hell did you do it with TWO babies.. we are dying with One".. and our response is always the same.. "We didn't know any better, and we didn't have that option".. I'll be honest though.. We don't remember much of that first year. I asked Jordan the other day "Do you remember the girls saying Mama or dada?".. Jordan.. "No".. lol.. We were delusional.. We didn't sleep.. We both went back to work.. I was pumping until the girls were 13 months old.. I mean it was sheer survival.. If we went anywhere it was Two of those ridiculously heavy car seat carrier things.. We were taking swings, bouncers, bottles, rattles, blankets, and bags.. It was like a circus coming to town.. We felt like we missed on the "fun" parts of having a baby.. because we always had two that needed us..

But....... But........ Now.. fast forward to when the girls were about 2.. our lives suddenly got much easier than the lives of people who only had one.. Why? Because ours started playing.. with each other.. Which meant we weren't solely responsible for entertaining our kids all day! Twinning! So now.. I feel like our lives are easier in many ways than those who have one kid.. then later have another.. We don't have to go back and potty train again.. we don't have to get bottles all over.. we don't have to buy different clothing sizes, and start over.. So Now.. NOW ladies and Gents.. I feel like we are winning at the child care game!!! lol

AS I was listening to the girls laugh last night in the bath tub.. and then get out and play barbies for an hour.. I thought.. YES... YES! This has actually become EASIER now. The girls REALLY like us.. they want to be around us and each other.. What! I know! They mostly listen to what we ask them to do.. they play nice.. they are nice to our animals.. I mean.. its Good! Now I know all you parents are saying. 'Oh you silly goat.. you just wait'.. And yes.. I know there is going to come a time when I go back and read this blog and think.. "oh man. Those were the days".. because the hard years will arrive eventually.. but I trust that God will carry us through those like he carried us through the twin pregnancy and those first few years.. This is his plan.

For a good portion of my life I treated God like a back seat driver.. I let him in the car.. enjoyed having conversations with him.. but I was always driving.. Having twins MADE me turn the wheel over to him.. I had no choice. I had no clue, was oblivious, and scared.. "Jesus take the wheel!".. Right?? Everyone (including us) has stress in our life.. Life is not easy. People are not easy to deal with sometimes. We go through situations every day that test us.. and try our patience.. Its always going to be that way.. And there are still  times when I still try to correct him from the passenger side.. or suggest he take an alternate route.. but at the end of the day.. He's driving.. and I'm ok with that.. He's a really good driver, and the scenery on his route is a lot prettier..