We Are Thankful

 Thanksgiving is almost here! The holidays change the mood in the air, and we get to channel that excitement in whatever way we want - extra hustle and bustle, or extra occasion to slow down and breathe it in. As we gear up for Thursday, I'm going to take time each day to process some of the recent things I'm most thankful for in one of my favorite ways - blogging! (Props to those of you who have been posting thankful thoughts all month - I enjoy reading them, and I'm impressed. It's all I can do to pull my thoughts and organized energies together for a week!) There's a super post to follow this one with some of my favorite pictures from this year. Today's pictures aren't so bad, either. ;) 

20 months

Mighty Men Z and G, you are growing into such strong and fabulous little boys. Mom can hardly keep up with you (the day I was cautioned about has arrived - you are literally running in two different directions all day long)! So how could we expect Mom to blog all your latest experiences and accomplishments?

A couple weekends ago Uncle Lee and Aunt Kristen came to town, and while we were sharing some of your cutest stories, Aunt Kristen reminded me that I should stop to record those sweetest of moments. (I've been paralyzed from blogging these past months since there are so many big things to document - I don't even know where to start!) But it's true that the brief things you do or hilarious things you say are the treasures that slip away the quickest. So, with that in mind... I'm spending today's nap time (not cleaning up the table or kitchen counter or living room or sorting laundry) documenting some special happenings of recent in the Hill household.

Foods
Breakfast - always yogurt, banana, and eggs/waffle/pancake, or muffins for a special treat
Lunch/Dinner - you are table food champs! (Even using forks for things like scrambled eggs.) No more purees or rice cereal.
Preferences - potatoes (regular or sweet), kidney/black beans, pot roast, and BREAD! It has become clear that you do not actually like all the same foods. Zeke enjoys veggies and pasta, while those things are instantly rejected by Gabe. (Literally, his tongue reappears right out of his mouth with the undesirable objects on it.) Gabe likes meat and potatoes. And did I mention, bread?!
Progress - You are both drinking from sippy cups like you born knowing how to do it. I can't believe this felt like such a challenge a couple months ago. (We wondered if you would ever do it!) You drink 2-3 full sippy cups of whole milk every day, some water, and occasionally a little bit of juice with lunch.

Teeth
First, you should know - you have become expert tooth-brushers. After bath time and having your ears cleaned, you guys sit by the tub and let Mommy have a turn brushing those little chiclets, and then it's your turn, and you LOVE it! Now, how many teeth are you brushing... Remember how at 17 months you both had two upper and lower teeth that had been in for awhile, and I said your third and fourth uppers were on their way? Well, Gabe - you've been focused on other things. There are no status updates on that cute little mouth of yours. Zeke on the other hand has been dedicated to growing some teeth. Z, you have a mouth full of 12 teeth, my friend. And when the moment is right, you flash them very well. When you scrunch your nose and smile, we can even see those molars in the back. ;) (That's your "smolder." Gets the ladies every time!)

Songs
-We're singing a lot of the same songs (Wiseman, Boy Named David, Itsy Bitsy Spider...)
-A special addition as of late is "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." It might kill me. Every time we're in the car, you specifically request "Wo, wo, wo." And I can hardly finish the phrase, "Life is but a dream-" before Zeke exclaims, "-'gain!" Oi. The thing that keeps me singing it is your participation. The other day, Zeke was singing "Wo, wo, wo," with me each time, and then wait until I got to "Merrily, merrily, merrily" to come in with that sweet lil wandering head voice. To die for. So we keeeeeeep singing it. :)
-My favorite newbe is completely original. I call it your "new song every morning." You guys have become quite find of composing your own tunes, which you mostly perform while playing toys. The lyrics are generally variations of the words, "Daa-da,""A-da, or "Baa-ba," but the rhythms and melodic choices are impressive.

Signs
It's a little sad to realize that as you become more and more verbal, we're moving away from sign language. We've dropped "All done" and "Oh my," but we're still heavy users of all the rest. The most impressive addition that you sign is, "please" -and you use it all the time. When we pick you up from the church nursery, we almost always get asked what you were signing to them all morning - 'please'!

Words - Did I mention you were so much more VERBAL! You've added...
Uh-oh
Your own names, "Zee" and "Geh"
Oh, yeah!
Zebra
Giraffe
No (Yes. We've learned the dreaded word.)
And while those are the words you freely offer up any ole time, you'll repeat just about any word we ask you to. Also, there's a whole lot of babble going on around here. Like, full babble sentences, and we're starting to get the idea that you two know what you're saying, while we still don't.

Sounds (What does the _______ say?)
Turkey (gobble, gobble)
Fish (mouth opens and closes - you take it very seriously)
Cat (finally, you "meow!")
Fox (A response to the most popular youtube video, Daddy taught Gabe to say "Wap-ap-ap-ap-ap-apow!)

Movin' and Groovin'
Gabe is running! He took his time letting go of our fingers, but when he did he was a super stable walker. (Don't get me wrong, this kid is not afraid to fall. Hard.) But fearless Gabe had been independently toddling only a couple of days before he tried running. (For awhile it looked like you were running to catch up with your own momentum!) But you've got it all worked out, and just like when you were crawling, you, Gabe, are FAST.

Zeke is a crawling pro. In fact, crawling is old hat. He stands in his crib, cruises on furniture, and even pulls up to standing and pushes the toy walker across the floor! The truth is, he's actually a walker - but he's a pretty stubborn  kid, and he's been very stubborn about walking by himself. For weeks he's demanded two fingers to hold if he was going to walk on his own, which he really prefers to do. The past week, we responded with a similar mandate: one finger, or nothin'. And so, he's been walking assisted by only one finger! In PT we're working to get him free-standing, and then - just like with crawling, we know he'll take off and never look back.

Faves
***You boys are book CRAZY! Toys run a distant second to reading time. The cutest part is that when you pick up a book, you expect the nearest adult to assume "criss-cross-applesauce" so that you can back your little selves into their lap and be read to. The funniest tales are on Zeke, though- he starts backing up from quite a distance, and is not a great judge of direction when he's in reverse. Blessed is the adult waiting for Zeke to navigate his own little bum into their lap. It's hilarious.
***Bah-ble: Our night-time routine is my favorite part of every day, and warrants it's own blog post. But for reasons beyond ourselves, you have both come to look affectionately to the book of untold treasures, your Jesus Storybook Bible. Every night when we get up to your room and say "Time for pjs," or "Ni-night time..." we hear little chants of "Bah-ble," and when we affirm, yes - it's Bible time - you giggle and spin in circles and Gabe does his "fast feet" in place. Just last night we discovered Gabe can go retrieve the Bible from the top of your play shelf himself - and everyone was excited about that. Nothing makes Mommy or Daddy's heart gush like seeing you respond to God's Word already. Praises to our God who has already chosen to work in your hearts!
***Interestingly enough, you've each chosen a favorite animal! We were so surprised and figured it would fade, but so far, you're consistent. Zeke loves the zebra. In books, he combs through the pages to find it, points and says, "Zibra." (-It kind of comes out as one syllable.) Gabe fell in love with the plastic toy giraffe we have, and always favors the "jaffe" when it appears other places. (Mrs Mills will be so proud of your choices!)
***Since one day I'd had enough of Zeke's whining, instead of telling you, "No," again... I just leaned into your face and mimicked the whine, which you thought was hilarious. (Also, it worked - the whining stopped!) However, a new game was born. Now, you both love to pretend whine so that I'll copy you, we pause to laugh, and so on.

20-month-olds. Where did all the baby go? Every day I am looking into the faces of two precious toddlers, but I still feel shocked that the baby-faces that were looking back at me just a couple days ago have so quickly matured. You're curious and adventuring, learning and growing every day. It's a special time in your lives, and I'm lovin' it.

Zeke and Gabe Go to the Zoo

Last July we took the boys on their first trip to the zoo at Natural Bridge. What? Some people post photos from July trips in July? Psht. Where's the suspense? I present to you this November night, a warm summer visit to meet the animals with the cutest-ever twin boys.

Zeke and Gabe Go to the Zoo!

Zeke: Why do I feel like there's something behind me?

 

Hidden tiger, sleeping... tiger:

A day at the zoo: hip-hip(popotamus), hooray!

Thanks to this hilarious, attitudey (over-visited and overfed) creature, Zeke and Gabe learned to make their first "GrrrrrrR" sound when we ask, "What does the BEAR say?"

Grandmarmy's favorite animal! I could not believe they were giving elephant rides - but they were!! 

 

Head shots!

And we met other twins! (No, not this pair of zebras. Just other twins, at the zoo.)

Watching Zeke and Gabe react to each different animal was so much fun. We were pleasantly surprised at all there was to see, the cute reactions they inspired, and how interested Z and G remained in the diverse creatures that God created.

The Twins' First Halloween

Happy First Halloween sweet boys! Oh, my cutest-ever money bags, what else could we have dressed our little treasures as this year? (I'll spare you the endless "worth more than gold, "our little gems," idioms, and tell you that you were the cutest little waddlers that have ever been dropped into pillow cases. From behind you reminded me of the Fantasia mushrooms.) But seriously, this season we have been so aware that just ONE YEAR ago this time, we were waiting to get a court date from a judge in ET - permission to get on a plane and come meet you for the first time. Oh, how our lives would change. We knew it was for the better, but had no idea what priceless joys you would bring to our lives! (-There, I did it again. Priceless. It's just too easy.)

Look! It's our people. One BIG happy house. I think we're finding our groove, this family of 8, and I'll tell you more about it when I get back to blogging soon - for real. But the short version is, this multi-generational living is beautiful. It's real messy. (I think the bottom right corner captures it the best.) But it's real beautiful. Just look:

Summer in Snap Shots (because you've been keeping mom busy!)

What can I say kiddos? Your lives are hard to document, because you are busy boys! This Mama is learning quickly that I can never capture all the goodness in your sweetest of snuggles or hilarious new discoveries. I've got to enjoy it while I've got it.

So... for your sake, here are some snap shots of the awesome summer we've had. Thanks for making every day so full.

<3

Mom

Lake Trips - You two are water boys. Grandad sure loves to share the water fun with you, and every trip you find a new way to play. From Gabe's laying back to feel the breeze on his face, to using the tube ON the boat as an obstacle to climb up and slide down, or Zeke's hilarious first sunscreen faces to sweet "ahhhhs" during fireworks...

 

First Trip to the Beach! Aunt Katherine's been down at Myrtle Beach directing C.O.'s leadership project, so we headed down there with Grandmarmy, Grandpoppy and gang for your first experience with toes in the sand. You also swam for the very first time in Uncle Mike and Aunt Sharon's pool. It was super!

On a fun and spontaneous whim, we got to meet up with your Great Aunt Anne and Uncle Clyde who were excited to meet you!

The Water Hole - I generally try to align myself with the anti-pinterest-and-all-of-it's-impossible-to-reach-goals-for-moms camp, (that's a camp?) but I will NOT apologize for possession of our favorite summer afternoon activity: the water table. A sweet lady from our church had a grandchild who outgrew her's, and so unbeknownst to us we inherited the best front porch accessory we'd enjoy all summer long. (It alleviated some of my guilt since we don't have a pool or pool membership, and Zeke, you are a water-bug. Just look at you!)

Summer Life - There were lots of other sweet days filled with normal day to day things, like these...

For good reason...

...Joy is in our hearts

I'm all backed up on photos, I haven't been keeping up with blog posts, and I promise I'll go back and finish the 3 or 4 posts I've started and try to fill in some of the events around them later, but tonight I have to write about tonight.

We got home from our first housegroup of the year about an hour ago, which is pretty late for you boys. We had a potluck and got to visit a little about everyone's summer, you were ooohed and ahhhed over along with the other 3 housegroup littles, and then we sat around singing songs and sharing about what the Lord has been doing in our lives. You both liked when Mommy and Daddy swayed with you to the music, and you started rocking on your own. We felt like the friends sharing our couch might feel a little seasick, but it was fun. Zeke, you started singing along. Then after more sharing, (and two twins I know finishing their sippy cups) we decided to close in prayer. It's a lot to expect two tired boys to sit quietly during open prayer time when it's late and they're out of milk, but we loved the way you were enjoying all the people around you, and we wanted to get to thank the Lord for all of the goodness He's allowed our group to share while we were together, so we tried it. Gabe snuggled down in Daddy's lap sucking on his sleepy-fingers, and Mommy whispered to Zeke that it was time for praying, and closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes, Zeke was mimicking her, and when they saw each other peeking, they quietly giggled. This went on and on - eyes squeezed shut, furrowed brow, chin tucked... then one-eyed peeking, or a sudden flash of big round "surprise" eyes. It was hilarious. Mommy's friend couldn't help but watch, either - you were sooo cute! Mommy's heart is still bubbling over at the sight of that scrunched nose and flash of all 8 Zeke teeth. And we got to be a part of a beautiful series of prayers to the Lord.

What could make a Mama's heart more full than her happy children in the context of people who share God's love for them?

Which reminds me... Recently Uncle Matt came to visit. He brought his mom, Ms Heidi, who was visiting from Delaware. Uncle Matt is always fun to have in the house, and Ms Heidi brought even more good stories and laughs, and we had a blast. While they were here, we moved your cribs into our room so they could stay in your room where they would have plenty of space. We moved the cribs right before bedtime, and didn't noticed that we parked Gabe's crib (of all things) under a light switch. At 6:15 the next morning, Mommy and Daddy woke to a bright flash of light! Mommy instantly swatted at Daddy. What are you doing?? Just about the time she realized Dad was still in bed and could not have turned on the light, the light went off. Groggy Mom was puzzled, but mostly tired, and just as she started to drift back asleep, the light flashed back on. And then off. And then on and then off. Mommy and Daddy both realized who the responsible party behind the light switch must have been, and just laid there laughing as the newly discovered light switch flipped more and more spastically on and off in front of our proudly grinning mischievous Gabriel. Everyone got a good laugh about that later that morning, and we kept laughing any time we remembered what happened.

Just about everything you do is worth rejoicing over and celebrating since at all times we sense the deepest truth; God is our God. He loves us. He's allowed us to know and be with Him. He poured out His love on us when He allowed us to be your parents. You are delightful.

For good reason, joy is in our hearts.

Dream, Come True.

I like life slow. There's a line in a song that says, "I am long on staying, I am slow to leave, especially when it comes to you, my friend." I love conversation, and great stories, and hearing from people who aren't just like me. The best time to soak in a good story is when everyone's sitting down with full bellies, all the color and detail of a story are passed on for everyone to enjoy just like when it happened - or maybe even better, and people feel content. It's rich.

Irony. Not much about my life has been slow. (Except maybe the way I talk, I've been told. Shut up.) In high school I did the straight-A, president of the band, cross country captain, do-it all thing. In college I did a dual concentration, overloaded courses, had a triple instrumental focus, ensembles, campus ministry, and somehow dated in there somewhere. I've spent years teaching in public school, at church, private lessons, and balancing life... My confession is, I LIKED all of it. I've had the opportunity to run life fast, and I've enjoyed it. 

The truth is, the busy life is the easy one. So, I'm at the beginning of a new chapter, and I sense the need for some attention. I may always have a mental to-do list, places to go, people to see... But in what I'm naming "the busy life," there is always a sense of running - something to run for, and something else to run from.When my to-do list is long, and I know someone is expecting me in an hour and that someone will appreciate the task I'm about to complete, motivation seems pretty easy to cultivate; gratification is always within reach, and since something always has to be released from the to-do list, I can conveniently ignore the things I don't want to think about or deal with. Overall, the fast-pace feels fun. It's self-propelling; thus, the ease inherent in the pace (though I've been known to whine to make sure the full extent of the accomplishments squished into a day are fully known). If all I'm doing is running, the sense of satisfaction behind long lists of accomplishments is fleeting. At best, it just spurs you to generate more short-term highs. So I've been thinking about the intentional pursuit of relationship, for honest thoughts finished all the way out, and then action. What I think I'm saying I want - for myself, for my children.... is MORE. More depth. More real. I want a higher bar of honesty in our daily living. I want more of what God has prescribed for life, more of what He purposed for us.

So here comes the DREAM. It's another line in that song I mentioned that struck me a long time ago... "I can think of a time when families all lived together - four generations in one house, and the table was full of good food, and friends and neighbors. That's not how we like it now." That thought really got to me. What our culture reacts to when we think of "four generations in one house," is the rub. The encroachment on our leisure, the accountability, the plain old annoyances. But everyone together - sharing, perceiving, really seeing, and honestly enjoying... it's the type of experience I've recognized in my life as truly good. I recognize that our culture does not value that picture at all, and that people my age may think I'm crazy. In a short time period, generations have grown far apart - even forgotten how to interact. But that's not what I want. Multi-generationalism is rich. In my family and church body, I've valued the opportunity to be known by people who will slow down long enough to really see me. Often, it's the people looking in from a different life stage that can give me the best vantage point. I want my kids to grow up knowing that, too.

Dream, come true. This summer Cary and I tried to buy a house. At the last second, (because of a structural report we're grateful for), it fell through. We had less than 2 weeks to find a place to live. Not long before we found out about the problems inherent in our "dream" house, my mom accepted a teaching position here in town. (What?!) Living in this area has been a long time dream of she and my dads,' and for many reasons, (grandbabies not included, but oh, what a perk!), my family decided to take the leap. They had a month to find a place to live. See where I'm going with this?? All of a sudden, we were ALL shopping for a rental, in the same town. All of a sudden, there was the opportunity for this little idyllic dream that I'd floated around in my head to be made tangible, and the avoidable question: did I mean it? Where's the line between my perceptions, ideals, and what I really want?

So here's the picture: In an hour or two, my family will pull up in a U-haul, ready to unload. And we'll do life; one roof, many generations, friends, stories, good food, time; passing my youngest siblings in the hallway, my kids on the laps and gaining from the knowledge of their grandparents daily, my house twice as unlikely to be picked up the way I like, my flaws twice as likely to be exposed. It's all part of the dream. My prayer is that this circumstance I've dreamed of (that sort of fell out of the sky) would be God's to continue to use. My challenge is to slow down. To continue to care about the parts of life that matter, and to not choose to be distracted by the things that don't. To not run away from the things it'd be easier to just not think about. To be open and available, and to GIVE my time instead of holding to lists of what I want to do with it.

The best thing to do with a dream? Give it back to God. Lord, make good of whatever it is You are beginning in bringing our two households together. See it to completion. I'm so thankful, and we trust You.

(The song.) "Every Minute," Sara Groves.