It seems I have chosen the most counter-intuitive moment to post pictures of the babies. I am swamped with preparations to get to our homeschool convention tomorrow: finishing my shopping lists, getting the house and meals ready for the sabbath, getting the big kids ready for an outing with Grandma while I am doing convention, […]

I was asked by a friend (several weeks ago - blush) about hydrogenated oils, and why I avoid them especially when nursing. Her comments were:
Since I read your follow-up to my comment on your twins I have been researching hydrogenated oils and their effect on breast milk and our bodies. I guess this is […]

Just wanted to share a couple of fun pictures of twins holding twins. Too bad the age difference is too large to arrange (or encourage) a marriage.

Caleb Waller (with the hat) is holding our Sweetie and Josh - his twin, is holding her twin, Honey.

The proud future in-laws parents, Mr. Visionary & Me, and Tommy […]

Because it is just so versatile:

Plastic grocery bag… $0.00
4 yards of lavender yarn bought at a yard sale… $0.01
Your five-year-old saying, “Mommy I made this kite all by myself!”… priceless.

I just accidentally deleted the twins’ birth story that I had been thinking through and editing for two months. How disheartening. I’ll start again soon.

What I did today:
~nurse babies, change babies, burp babies, hold babies, nurse babies, rock babies, walk babies, carry babies in sling, nurse babies, comfort babies, kiss, love and snuggle babies, make my bed before dinner, pray for more sleep…

The little lady formerly known as Baby A.
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What I did yesterday:
~nurse babies, change babies, burp babies, hold […]

 
As I was thinking over what I wanted to share about the twins’ birth story, I realized that I wanted to back up a bit and share this prayer that a close girlfriend gave me a few days before the girls were born. This prayer plays a part in the story, and I didn’t want […]

Ahem… a drumroll, please?
I am so sorry it has taken so long to update everyone. I had NO idea life would be in such an uproar after the twins’ arrival. It has been mostly a good uproar (you know, outside of sleep deprivation and hormones swinging wildly), but WOW, how wonderful it has been!
This is […]

The whole affair was a pretty haphazard business. At my tender age, experience was dreadfully lacking. In a months’ time I had graduated from high school, turned 18, bought a house and was about to be married. Still in the blush of my youth (batting eyelashes here), I had only witnessed one wedding ever. Ever. […]

There are many factors to which I could attribute the good news: a healthy diet, plenty of rest, good hydration, those wonderful homemade vitamins, the blessing of midwifery care, or a host of other miscellaneous factors. My heart tells me, however that there is only one factor in the end. Yahweh has been merciful to […]

My best intentions keep getting overshadowed by either the size of my belly (which is measuring 47 cm.) or my lack of energy, which is why I haven’t posted anything. My computer was also out of commission for a few weeks, but that is not a great excuse because I could have used Mr. Visionary’s.
Anyway, […]

Just when I thought I was doing fine with not feeling obligated to blog, I learned a reason why I should - at least every once in a while - check in with some manner of post. My Mom and Sisters-In-Law have convinced me that it just is not proper that I leave them hanging […]

This is Part Three of a series with advice for large families who are expecting twins. You may read Part One Here and Part Two Here.
Some practical thoughts from Susanna:
Don’t put any preparations off! I cannot stress this strongly enough! Start now and feel urgent about it! Do the most physical tasks first […]

This is Part Two in a series with advice for large families who are expecting twins. You can read Part One Here.
Susanna’s family was arranged like this at the time their twins were born: their other children were Boy 13, Boy 11, Boy 9.5, Girl 7.5, Girl almost 5, and Boy 14 months. Here is […]

Every time a new circumstance occurs in life, I feel compelled to do new research. It is my signature move. Funky worm on the tomato plants? Research. Unidentified stain on the carpet? Research. Illness? Rash? Research. Twins? Research.
My modus operandi regarding the twins phenomenon involved asking (discreetly- as I didn’t want to get flamed!) on […]

Whenever the children come to me wanting to tattle, I encourage them to try to motivate or encourage their sibling to do the right thing, before ever coming to Mom. “Don’t jump the gun on the Matthew 18 thing… go through step one before step two.” It seems like a good plan most of the […]

I hate to read them at night. I never get a pinch of sleep. Those books with so many twists and turns in the plot that draw you deeper and still deeper into the complex lives of the characters make me edgy. When will their lives settle down into a logical pattern? When can I […]

I stopped taking prenatal vitamins a few pregnancies ago because I don’t really feel comfortable with singled-out vitamins (out of their naturally occurring form, i.e. “food”). I looked around for a natural supplement as well, reading lots of ingredient lists and testimonials, but I either didn’t like the company well enough to buy from […]

There is an unwritten rule that mothers of large families know. The ones who do not know this rule, figure it out on their own pretty quickly, as there are no shortages of situations in which it will need to be applied. Any stranger in the grocery store, most relatives, casual acquaintances, pastors, and even […]

I’ve been asked several times recently about nutrition and supplements for pregnancy, and have also been reviewing my own notes for my own pregnancy, so I thought I’d share here about this timely-for-me topic for my own benefit, too. I have done much research on this and had a bit of experiential data (i.e. I’ve […]