THE BUG SQUAD

Ya'll.  I have the cutest kids.  I don't often use the blog as a straight up brag book, but tonight is the night.  We had a Fall Fest at church to attend, and so we got all fixed up in our Halloween costumes.  It actually made a great opportunity to get pictures of all the kids before we left, because on actual Halloween, we end up having a lot of people over and it gets a bit crazy.  So - without further adieu, I present, the Bug Squad.

Okay - I said, no more adieu, and then I remembered that I didn't explain where I got this idea.  Have you ever read the LadyBug Girl books?  We are big fans here in the Spenst house.  One of the books is LadyBug Girl and the Bug Squad, which features LadyBug Girl (duh), and Butterfly Girl, Dragonfly Girl and Bumblebee Boy.  Both Lily and Bella wanted to be butterflies, so I ended up with no Dragonfly Girl, but I was not complaining, since they were so willingly going in for a theme.

Here they are, in all their insect glory.



Butterfly Girl (#1)

Butterfly Girl (#2)

LadyBug Girl (more interested in drooling than smiling for the camera)

BumbleBee Boy (has really started walking this week!  Hooray!)

The girls were so excited, and the babies were happy to be outside.

(BumbleBee Boy still flies with a paci.  Don't judge.)

The Fall Festival at our church was a massive success and totally crowded.  I didn't take many pictures, because it was all I could do to survive.  And talk to my friends.  We did get 27 pieces of candy (according to Lily) and have a lot of popcorn and hot dogs.  Lily's wings were so big that they had to be removed to get through the crowd, and Bella's came off shortly after this picture.  They were, perhaps, bigger than I realized they would be when I ordered them online.




I do love fall.  So much.  And my sweet Bug Squad.

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW

Yesterday morning I went on a walk with a dear friend.  We've walked through a lot of life together in the past seven years, and I'm so thankful for our friendship.  The past several months have been pretty stressful for both of our families, and so really connecting has been hit or miss.  But yesterday morning, we hit connection gold and were able to share about some of the ins and outs and ups and downs.

There were some tears and more laughter, because when you are able to speak out loud about some of the crazy things floating through your mind, you are often able to realize how ludicrous some of them are.  And how hard others of them are.  Having a good, godly sounding board is a treasure.

The conversation was a reminder of how good it is to be honest and authentic.  There are a lot of times and places when staying on the surface is appropriate, because the raw places in our hearts are not safe with everyone.  But, it's easy to keep the raw places completely under wraps and hidden.  To let them fester and even become infected.

I've realized that if I don't speak about the real hard things, then those things can grow, without me even realizing it.  My mind can be a dangerous place, especially if I am not committed to taking thoughts captive and meditating on what God's truths are.  Good friendships help me air out the wounds inside of me and realize that I am not alone.

This blog is certainly not a "safe" place for all of my thoughts and feelings, and as such, if you are reading this, it would be easy to make assumptions.  You don't know that I had a minor breakdown on Sunday night that involved a fair bit of compulsive sobbing.  (Well, now you do.)  You don't know, nor should you, the ins and outs of our marriage or parenting or spiritual journeys.  Some things are sacred for our family and not to be splashed out into the public sphere.

But, the people that we do life with should know a lot about those things.  We do each other an injustice to stay on the surface and not let others in.  Yesterday I was reminded of how normal the things I deal with are.  How some of the ways that John and I operate are similar to other couples, for better and for worse.  How easy it is to assume that because things "seem" to be okay, then they must be just fine, when the reality is far from that.

It's like the saying, "Be Kind; Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."  It's far easier to assume that someone else's circumstances are better than our own.  That God has made their path more "charmed" than our own.  I'm sure there is a good reason that Jesus told Peter to mind his own business (John 21:22) and follow him.  I can get distracted by the alter-realities that I create for the people around me and wonder why things go a certain way for them and not for me.  Comparison never does me any favors.  It's also occurred to me that from the outside looking in, my own life could look pretty "charmed."

And, in so many ways, it is.  For the time being, I have four precious children, a loving husband with a great job, and a beautiful home among other things.  I fully recognize that my cup is overflowing, and that God has been so gracious to our family.  It is far more than we deserve and more than we ever dared to hope for.

But - real life is messy.  It just is.  I'm thankful for the raw, messy places, because they are pointing me to the Lord.  I'm thankful for friends who will share their raw places with me, because it is a reminder how much we are all battling - no one has a charmed life.



So, those are my jumbled up thoughts on this beautiful fall afternoon.  I hope that you are encouraged to be in relationship with those around you and to be real - it's worth it.

TWINS ARE 18 MONTHS OLD!

Gone are the days of two babies sitting "calmly" on a chair for their pictures.  Long gone.  I might be able to get pictures that are more posed, but honestly, I just don't feel up for the challenge at the moment.  So, I'm using these pictures from yesterday of my two precious babies who are busy, busy, busy.



Miss Busy Body

Violet is a dynamic, cuddly, precious girl that we adore.  She is in the 50% for both height and weight.  She regularly goes to speech therapy, physical therapy and developmental therapy and is making a lot of progress.  She can walk and often chooses to.  She is saying and signing "more" all the time, and there are several other words that she is using a lot.  It is AMAZING to see her come to life more and more each day.

Mr. Busy Body

William is a sweet, playful, loving boy that we cherish.  He is in the 75% for both height and weight. He has all the same therapies as Violet with the addition of occupational therapy as well.  He can take steps unassisted, but usually chooses to crawl.  He is just starting to say a few words, and he is motivated by Violet's progress - it seems he does not want to be left behind.  He really loves to laugh and makes us laugh regularly with his enthusiasm.

Here are some "awards" for my little 18 month olds.

Most Likely to Play with Their Poop:  Violet
Most Likely to Eat All of the Food on Their Tray and Their Sister's Tray:  William
Most Likely to Dance to ANY and ALL Music:  Violet (though William is starting to dance more and more)
Most Likely to Shut the Cat into the Closet:  Violet
Most Likely to Cry Inconsolably When Tired:  William
Most Likely to Throw Things for Fun:  William - boy has got an arm
Most Likely to Stand Up in the Stroller:  Violet
Most Likely to Moan in Delight while Eating:  William
Most Likely to Be Delighted by the Presence of a Cat:  This is a toss-up, both babies are pretty thrilled.  I think Violet may slightly edge out William.
Most Likely to Giggle at Something We Don't Understand:  William
Most Likely to Drool and Leave Wet Spots All Over:  Violet
Most Likely to Do Circles in the Kitchen with the Walker:  William
Most Likely to Be Compared to a Sack of Rocks:  William
Most Likely to Put Their Head on Your Shoulder:  Violet

Basically, these two are a barrel of fun right now.  We are really enjoying seeing them grow and come into their personalities and quirks.  Happy 18 Months, William and Violet - we are so thankful for you both!


(I had asked them to clap, and they both did!)

THIS CRAZY FALL: HIGHS & LOWS

I'm sitting here letting the girls watch cartoons and letting the babies nap longer than they should after a broken up afternoon.  That's just the kind of life it feels like it is right now.  I'm trying to catch my breath, and it seems there is not enough oxygen.  So much of it is all good stuff, so I quite realize that I cannot complain, but I do have to just acknowledge that I am tired and thankful that the pace of our current life is just a season.  Here are some of the highs and lows of lately.

High:  The girls have decided that every time we come out of the babies' therapy session, they want their picture taken by these large crayons.  I happily oblige all smiley picture taking.

High:  Having my mom and Wes here a couple of weekends ago for all of Bella's birthday stuff.  Here are the girls wearing the dresses that Mom sewed for them - I love them.  (The dresses and the people more.) (Violet was obviously thrilled about taking this picture.)

Mom did all of my laundry and put it away.  I haven't done it since, and my laundry room is in desperate straits.  That would be a low.  Come back, Mom.

Low:  In the past two weeks, this lovely child has started playing in her poopy diapers in her bed.  I have come in to discover several poop crime scenes, with feces smeared everywhere.  So gross.  I've started sleeping her in footed pajamas to restrict her diaper access.  She is a busy girl.

High:  The twins are getting more fun all the time.  William LOVES to be flipped upside down, sideways, backwards, forwards - whatever.  He keeps coming back for more.



Low:  Sometimes parenting the newest four-year-old child in our home feels like emotional warfare.  This was one of those moments.



High:  I've done a lot of cookies lately and have gotten to do lots of fun themes.  Usually when someone books with me, they tell me to do whatever I want to do to match their theme.  I love the freedom and possibilities that come with that.



(I really liked the cookie cutter window in one of my favorite local stores - Vanness.)

High:  Our church has taken on the ginormous task of packing 5,000 boxes of essentials to go to Nepal and accompany the gospel message.  Our D-Group has helped with a lot of the prep work, and we got to work together and pack several hundred boxes.  I love working with friends.

(These are boxes of t-shirts that we took home to fold and our children loved playing on the boxes.)

High:  Weekend time with our big girl.  These sisters love "t'each other."  That's the way they say it, and it cracks me up.

High:  We went to a really fun birthday party at the Pumpkin Patch on Saturday where it felt like I ran into half the people I know from West Little Rock.  The kids had a great time.

They loved eating treats/second breakfast and singing to the birthday boy.




They loved going to the field to pick pumpkins with friends.



We all enjoyed the hayride.



They really loved the corn pit - especially William.

Low:  William kept eating the corn which then had to be removed from his mouth.  He was not happy about this.  At all.  Not a bit.



High:  We got another restaurant.  Still amazed about this one.

Low:  As Lily continues to point out to us - "Having two restaurants is a lot of work."  There is a lot that goes into a transition, and we are swimming in the thick of it right now - especially John.  We've gotta buckle in, because this holiday season will certainly be full.

That's us - there is so much good, and I'm so thankful.  It's now much later in the evening, and the laundry is all folded - much in part to John's gracious help.  Maybe I'll be able to put it all away tomorrow and reclaim the laundry room.  We can only hope.