Spiritually Parenting Your Preschooler: Book Review

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and was so impressed with how thorough and yet simple the ideas and suggestions in here were. I was eager to remember and implement the key points in the book and so I began a list of ideas I wanted to remember and put into action. This list resulted in a “40 Ways” type  list. And while I believe you will greatly benefit from reading this book in its entirety, and encourage you to do so I would like to share my list with you. These notes were made as reminders for me so not all will make total sense but most should.  I hope you read this list and are inspired to buy and read the book!

Spiritually Parenting Your Children

1. When you are stressed: STOP AND PRAY even if it just for a minute.

2. Say to stressed children “Be at peace, son/daughter”

3. Have your child lay their hands on their chest and say “peace” over and over. Or do it for them.

4. Let your children be part of your daily worship and praise

5. Be conscious of what is WORTHY of your family’s eyes and ears (including media)

6. Read bible stories every day. Say “I love Jesus”. Kiss his picture.

7. Show them your bible. Hug it. “I love the bible”.

8. Pay attention to how God uses bible stories to minister to YOUR CHILDREN.

9. PRAISE HIM!

10. Worship should flow naturally from a grateful, loving heart.

11. Love God and spend free moments expressing it

12. Have a basket of instruments to play during musical worship

13. Like “Love & Logic” give CHOICES

14. Spanking should be reserved for rebellion and always administered calmly, never out of anger or for small infractions

15. Biggest goal: TO HELP YOUR CHILDREN HEAR THE HOLY SPIRIT

16. Sin hurts.

17. Quite scriptures daily to your children.

18. Teach by example: Obey God and do all things for the Glory of His Name

19. Teach the 10 Commandments

20. Children naturally desire to please us. The desire is tarnished by parents anger or too high expectations!

21. Prevent public meltdowns by telling them where you are going what you are doing and what is expected of them. Occasionally reward good behavior.

22. Fear The Lord: love with He loves and Hate what He Hates.

23. Prior to all social activities say the rules: Love and Don’t hurt: God, Others, Yourself

24. Teach them verses with songs/hand motions

25. The Holy Spirit takes the Word of God that your child has heard and brings him to Jesus – Salvation

26. John Chapter 3.

27. Sanctified

28. Chores they do themselves prepares them

29. 3 types of learners: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic

30. “Grace to you, baby, in Jesus name” when child is frustrated

31. Hang pictures of people in prayer in your house

32. 10 Commandments should be base rules for family and posted somewhere visible.

33. Observing the Holy Day of Rest will bring order to the family’s whole week.

34. Church should out rank and out excite ALL OTHER ACTIVITES. If it does not, it is time to pull back on those activies

35. Child activities should be the NUMBER ONE CONSIDERATION when choosing a new church

36. Health Issues: PRAY FIRST Psalm 103: 2-3

37. www.charismalife.com

38. When your child has big feelings (happy, scared, sad, excited, mad) be quick to pray with them

39. When your child leaves home tell them “Remember who you are”

40. If we stay in touch with God then He who searches hearts, even your child’s heart, will reveal to you the mindful spirit in EVERY MATTER

The New Normal

Our family is living a new normal. What is this new normal? It is a world without my brother, Brad. But it is way more than that. It is a normal of knowing how tragic and traumatic his death was. It is a normal of no matter how great of a day I have, there is always a dark looming cloud of sadness over my head. I don't expect this to change. I had thought maybe, eventually there would be days or even moments where I felt purely happy. I do find happiness in my days, especially in my time with my children. But there is forever a sadness in my heart of which I am constantly aware.

I have reminders all over my  home of my brother. I put his picture up in Elijah's room so that Elijah continues to remember his Uncle Brad. Elijah KNOWS that Uncle Brad is in heaven and that he will see him one day. He does not understand it but he does know it. And I love that. Without ever knowing it or meaning to, my brother taught Elijah something so powerful and important. He taught him Truth. We have a picture of Brad in our living room by the back door. I see him everywhere. I see him in young men (wow never thought of my 18 year old brother as a man) that I catch in my peripheral vision. It makes my heart stop from a split second of joy before it drops to my stomach with sadness once again.

My new normal is tossing and turning last night as I remember and relive his last ten hours in the hospital, regretting that I missed the first ten, though I got there as soon as we knew. I think about his tragic end and the moments and hours leading up to it. I cannot stop thinking about that even though I was not there. I see him laying in the hospital, not looking anything like him. I got to hold his hand for hours, and talk to him, witness to him. I am so grateful for that time. And yet.......there is something else in my heart. It is regret. Why didn't I fight for my brother.

I wish Brad had been a much a part of our daily lives in life as he in death. There are circumstances that prevented this or at least made it difficult. But there it is again. Regret. Why did't I fight through that, for him.

My new normal is obsessive. I think in times of vulnerability, certain character traits emerge. Especially those that may be considered a weakness. Is my obsession a weakness? Is it unhealthy? Maybe. Maybe not. There is so much uncertainty. There are, however, three things I am certain of. The first and most important is God loves Brad. Whatever that means for his life and death, no one will no until their end. But it is Truth. And I believe that His love is something Brad knew at some point in his life. Even for just a second. It counts. My brother is in heaven. Elijah is right.

The second thing I know is even though it sucks that there is a constant cloud of sadness, I am okay with it. Because I need to remember him. I want to remember him. I want to feel his presence and I believe I will always be sad that he died. And the fact that there is a constant sadness means I am thinking of him always, keeping his memory alive. There were many times when I would force myself to not think of Brad because it cause my fear and worry. Maybe if I had not allowed myself to do that, things would be different. But regardless, the best way to honor him is to remember him always. I don't mind the sadness. I would rather he be alive and happy in life. That would make me the most happy. But since he is gone, the constant cloud is alright. It has just become part of me as he has become part of me forever.

The final thing I know is that I will never be the same. I have changed. This part does make me a little sad. And maybe this change is temporary. After all it has only been a little over two months. But there are some definite changes   I see in myself when I really take a step back. Most people that know me would probably say I was often (though not always)  happy go lucky about things and extremely enthusiastic and easily excited. I have noticed lately that I don't really get those feelings anymore. I have good times, happy times even. But that excitement that I used to feel over things is gone. I have always been one of those people that could not sleep on Christmas Eve (yeah, even as an adult), the night before trips or big planned events. I just don't think I feel that way anymore. And that's okay too. But I used to really like that about myself. I was sometimes hurt that others didn't get excited over things the way I did but I always felt really lucky that I felt such joy out of life.

People ask a lot how I am doing. That's pretty much how I am doing. Most of my life I somehow relate to my brother. When I get a cut or a scrape that hurts I think about how much worse my brother's pain was. When my kids at chicken tenders at dinner the other night I thought about how that is exactly what Brad used to get at that same restaurant. He is everywhere. And as hard as this can be for me, my parents lost their child. I cannot even imagine. I can explain my own sadness over our loss. I cannot even put into words my sadness I feel for them and their loss. There are no words. This is the new normal.

Elijah Is Three Years Old

Three years of laughter and tears. Three years of learning together. Three years of hugs and kisses. Three years being Mama to this sweet boy. Three years of him blessing our home and our lives with his genuine sweetness and love. Our Elijah is three years old. I cannot believe it. He was my biggest wish come true and we have had him three whole years!
Elijah is an amazing little boy. He always has been.  Right from birth, Elijah seemed to be ahead of the game and he continues his journey a few steps ahead. Our sweet boy amazes us with his capacity to learn and understand. Many of his skills he has been doing for a year or more such as all colors, shapes, numbers and letters. He now (and for quite some time) can identify 48 sight words. He can recall and communicate stories as well as create stories for your and his entertainment. He loves to perform and knows ten songs that I can think of (probably a few more) by heart. He knows Mama and Daddy’s first names (and will sometimes call his Daddy by his first name and erupt into giggles because he knows that is so silly to do). He loves to learn about Jesus and is beginning to understand salvation. He loves to talk to people about this and has informed several of the adults in his life that he is going to heaven and asks them if they know Jesus.
Elijah learned about death this year when he lost his Uncle Brad and relates it (as he was taught) to Jesus and Salvation and going to Heaven. At least once a day he will tell me that he can’t wait to see Uncle Brad when he goes to heaven. This child has a heart for the Lord already and I am so grateful that he is already embracing Truth.
Elijah continues to love the idea of chores although I have toned down his chore list a bit. He now waters the plants and helps me vacuum (which sometimes means he actually vacuums with our small stand up dirt devil and sometimes it means he pretends to vacuum along with me.) He also still helps empty the dishwasher. I will probably have him start setting the table again soon but we sort of fell out of that habit as well as clearing his plate. He also is proficient at day to day self care including brushing his teeth (though Daddy will sometimes give him a bit of help just to be sure he gets them all), putting clothes in the hamper, washing his hands, cleaning up his toys (though he gets help with that too) and putting dishes in the sink.
Elijah has amazing manners. All day long we hear “Please” , “Thank you” , “ Yes ma’am/sir” “Pardon Me” (instead of Huh which took some work)  etc. He is very affectionate, a total cuddler which I adore. He will often ask “Mommy, would you like to sit on the couch with me?” and I will remember to slow down and take time to cuddle with my sweet firstborn. He is very good about expressing his needs.  His doctor is super impressed with how well he can express what is wrong when he is not feeling well and said such great communication skills are very unusual for someone his age.
Elijah potty trained at 2 1/4 and has been accident free since a month after that. (And this Mama was grateful to no longer have three in diapers!). He seems to catch on to concepts really fast.
Our sweet boy is a music lover. Big time. He loves all kinds of music…..rock, children’s, praise music, Celtic (especially bagpipes). He loves to sing, and enjoys playing all the instruments he can get his hands on but especially the guitar, drums and most recently the bagpipes (a birthday gift from Mama and Daddy).  He loves to build things and make crafts and we try to do lots of crafts and coloring at home. His favorite shows are Peppa Pig and bubble guppies. He loves Frozen and Despicable Me and his Preschool Prep videos. He has enough favorite songs that we were able to make a 10 song mix of his favorites for his birthday party! His favorite color is still blue and he still loves dogs, swimming and playing outside.
He loves babies….LOVES them! If there is a baby anywhere nearby, that is where he is. He loves holding and playing with his baby brothers but his adoration for babies is not limited to them. He is gentle and loving and has his own “babies” and loves to feed them (yes, he nurses them with his belly button) and changes their diaper, takes them to the doctor and does basically everything he sees Mama and Daddy doing with his brothers. He wanted a crib for his babies so I gave him a shopping basket for now but hope to find him a gender neutral cradle for him to use. 
Elijah loves soccer and can already kick the ball straight and pretty far. He also loves basket ball and can dribble! He loves to cook and when Mama is in the kitchen, wants to help. He is definitely a very well rounded little boy.
Elijah is outgoing and has no problem meeting and talking to new people. But he is also very sensitive and his feelings are easily hurt. Oh how I want to protect him from this cruel world as long as possible…..like forever! As he gets older and I see him interact more independently with others and the world in general, I see and imagine so many potential hurts for him and I pray that Chip and I are able to guide him to be a strong and faithful boy and one day man, that will rise above it all.
This journey of parenting Elijah has been the most wonderful three years and it just keeps getting better. He is an incredible little boy and I cannot wait to see what this next year will bring!

Every year for my children’s birthday’s I make a montage video concentrating a song or two from birth and then a couple of song just focusing on the previous year. It is something that I treasure and love to share. I hope you love it as much as I loved making it.

Brad McLoone Memorial Montage

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This is the memorial montage I made for my beloved brother, Bradley McDonald McLoone. Brad, I miss you so much it hurts. I am grateful you finally found peace but oh how I wish you were able to find it in this world. I love you my brother. How I wish you were here.

My Final Words For My Baby Brother

Because I knew you, I have been changed for good. As I think about my brother Brad, and process all that has happened in the past week and the past eighteen years that he has been in my life, in our lives, I cannot help but think about the countless interests that he had.  He brought to our family a unique combination of interests and thanks to Brad, many of us now know about Bonsai trees, coin collecting, Pi, chemistry, dinosaurs, snowboarding and too many other things to name. I am sure as I share with you my list, those of you that knew him are thinking about things you would add to the list. Brad was an intellectual. If he had a question, he would not ask it. He would research it on his own until he became an expert and then share with you the answer…in detail.
But intelligence was only a small part of what he brought to this world. To really understand and know my brother, you needed to see him as a whole…..who he was for eighteen years, not just who he became. Bradley McDonald McLoone was giving. He was kind. He befriended those that needed a friend. He stood up for those that could not stand up for themselves.  He was sensitive and empathetic. He was kind. As I remember my brother in recent years, I cannot think of him without thinking about how he was with my son, his nephew, Elijah.  When I would visit my parents at their home in San Antonio, Brad could normally be found sitting at the computer with his headphones on. Elijah adored his Uncle Brad and would toddle over and climb up next to Brad. Brad always had a smile for Elijah and seemed to enjoy the attention of his first nephew, He never hesitated to hold Elijah and I think Elijah got the most smiles out of Brad in the recent years. When I think of my brother I think of him as helpful. I think of how every time I would visit my family, Brad was always ready and willing to help me unpack and pack my car. He was always responsive with me and my children and willingly received my affection. I want you to know this because it is important that his family and friends that love him realize that the kind hearted, generous, helpful, loving and sweet little boy that we all adored remained a part of him until the end.
What would my brother Brad want you to know and remember about him? First I think he would want all of you and my parents especially to know that he loved you. It was not something he showed to many  as he got older but as this week has passed and so many of his close friends have come forward with memories and condolences it has become quite clear that he loved his whole family and that he knew we loved him. I believe he would want us all to know that. I believe he would also want us to know that he found a lot of happiness in this life. Everything he did, he did with passion and enthusiasm. And he leaves behind him a world that is a better place for him having been a part of it.
 
Our family loved Brad. We love his uniqueness. We love his incredible heart. We love his brilliant mind. We love the many facets that made up our Bradley bear. And as we move forward from today and saying good bye to our Brad, I know that he will be present in our daily lives through memories, music and many of the “Bradisms” that have come to be a part of our family dialogue. Snacker Nack Haggis. Oh, oh thanks. Chicken wing, Helga, Markia, Word, Look ma skin on the bottom.

Brad, because we knew you, we have all been changed for good. 

I put together a video montage for Brad’s memorial. Below are some of the photos that I didn’t include in the that montage. I would have loved to include every picture I had but since I could not, I wanted to share some additional ones.

Brad and I enjoyed a lot of brother/sister outings sponsored by our parents. Here we are at Astroworld.

Family photo Fourth of July 2013. (Patrick and Rory are there too in utero.

Another brother/sister date at Splashtown.

We had such a neat bond. <3

He was so much fun to be around. I loved spending time with that little boy.

Baby Brad with Daddy and Mark before my high school graduation.

Dinner with the family. Elijah was in utero in this picture.

He was such a cute groomsman. He took the job very seriously.

We had fun with an underwater camera.

I built my first gingerbread house with my baby brother.

Some of my favorite high school memories included napping with Brad after school and loading him in my moms car taking him EVERYWHERE…to friends houses, to go visit my work.

I love that smile.

THAT is an Elijah smile. I see so much of Brad in my first born.

I remember how TINY he was. Our family always seems to have big babies and so when Brad was born at under 7 lbs, he felt so little. I loved his “littleness”.

My dad and brothers immortalized on the walls of several Palm restaurants.

Goodnight baby brother. We miss you already. But I faith I will see you again.

Breastfeeding Milestone: EBF One Year!

We made it to our first breastfeeding goal! It had been my intention to not only nurse my next  baby (which ended up being babies!) full term meaning how ever long they wanted to nurse hopefully around two years, but to delay solids and exclusively breastfeed for the first year. I had planned to give each baby their first solid at or after their own one year mark. For Rory that would have been on their birthday. For Patrick it would have been a little different. Patrick did not get to eat the first four days of his life due to his cooling treatment and while his first food was Mama’s milk straight from the breast, he had many bottles during his 12 days stay in the NICU, some of Mama’s milk, some donor at the very beginning, no formula per our request. Once Patrick got home it took us about a week to get him off the bottle 100% so I was thinking of using that as his 1 year mark. It was important to my husband that they had some sort of celebratory treat at their birthday party which was two days before their actual birthday and since marriage is about compromise, we agreed that their first food, sweet potatoes, would be offered on that day. I even managed to make them look festive by whipping them with some breastmilk and piping them in cupcake liners, to look like frosting. It was a lot of fun and a big hit!

So what was exclusively breastfeeding twins for almost a year like? Well first let’s me define what EXCLUSIVE means for our family. First of all, a few months ago our babies decided that they were ready for solid…..DOG FOOD. So yes…..they went after Wrigley’s food every chance they got and I fished that out of their mouths along with other floor delicacies that any baby (EBF or otherwise) would find appealing. I can tell from diaper changes that nothing was ingested and so even though they tried to make dog food their first food, I can safely say it was not!

Second, as babies get older, they require more calories. My babies tended to cluster feed (basically want to eat constantly not really giving me a chance to rebuild supply before the next feeding) in the early evening when my supply was naturally at its lowest. Because I was a dedicated pumper (10-20 ounces every morning!) I had a huge supply of my own milk in the deep freeze….maxing out at around 4K ounces. Once the twins hit about nine months old, I would offer bottles of frozen breastmilk if I was at all worried they were not getting enough directly from the source. Rory just never took to the bottle. I can probably count on one hand the total number of ounces he has ever taken from a bottle. Patrick was fine with taking in additional milk this way and so yes, we did supplement occasionally with him using my own breastmilk. If anyone asks me the key to EBFing for one year, I would say having a decent size stash built up in the freezer in key. Your baby may not take it (like Rory) but if I had not had that for Patrick, it would have been really challenging to reach this goal.

One of my favorite things about nursing twins was tandem feeding! It was such a cool experience and a neat way for them to bond. When they were newborns and young babies, they loved to tandem and look at one another and touch each other's faces. Once they hit about seven or eight months, they started having (what is referred in the twin breastfeeding community as) food fights. Basically they both wanted me to themselves and would kick, punch and pull one another’s hairs. So no more tandem nursing. Only recently have I tried it again and been successful. This seems to coincide with them playing more together and following one another around. That twinship bond is building strong!

One YEAR! It feel pretty awesome. Although at this point with Elijah I was preparing for my next pregnancy and it makes me a little sad that is not where we are right now, I am thrilled that it means I can keep on nursing my sweet little twins for hopefully another year! In recognition of achieving this first year EBF goal, I wanted some sort of legacy item or keepsake. I found this company Mommy Milk Creations who creates jewelry using your own breastmilk! I found two designs that I love….one is a heart design that would have been PERFECT for my sweetheart Valentines babies but she was sold out of that design when I placed my order. It has since come into stock but she is in such high demand, not only is the turnaround time up to one year, she won’t let you make changes to your order once it has been placed and so I am expecting my second choice (pictured below) to be delivered in about a year. It is such a cool and unique way to celebrate this precious season of life and the pendant is one I know I will love to wear and it will be a great conversation piece!

I am just so happy and humbled by this journey with my twins. It has definitely been a family effort to make this work. Elijah has had to wait for his requests while Mama fed not one but two babies and not always at the same time. Chip has had to take over more than his share of duties to make this work. I could not have done this without my family and I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to meet a goal that was and is very important to me. I know that breastfeeding is not important to everyone and most people would not choose to EBF as long as I have, but for the twins and me, it was an amazing journey and I am already enjoying nursing my boys on a while new level as we continue to slowly introduce solids into their diet.

One more side note on breatfeeding support. My babies are small, small but very healthy. Not once did our family doctor (who we adore) question EBFing for one year or show anything but support. Not all doctors would have been so supportive. Many doctors would have pushed us to supplement solids or even formula. We are very blessed to have Dr. Julius Debroeck in our corner. He has been a blessing to our family and supportive of our parenting choices, including our breastfeeding endeavors. So many thanks to him as well!

I’d like to leave you with a collection of photos that shows our one year exclusive breastfeeding journey!

Not a breastfeeding photo but one of my favorite shots of Rory showing his support!

A little karaoke with my nursing

Patrick’s first latch in the NICU. He knew exactly what to do even though he had been kept unstimulated for his first four days!

Newborn Rory snuggling up. Oh how I love the newborn days.

When I first started tandem I used a My Breastfriend pillow which was a huge help. Here my boys had some lunch together.

We were counted x2 at The Big Latch On!

Nursing Rory (look how TINY!) and pumping for Patrick at the hospital.

Patrick already a little pro at a month and a half old.

Nursing my little chick on Easter Sunday.

Nursing my boy in the Bluebonnets. Can’t wait to recreate this photo in the spring!

Strawberry picking and nursing

One of my favorite shots.

Another favorite shot…nursing baby Rory.

Birth Rally Breastfeeding!

Birth Rally Baby!

Loved this breastfeeding mini session in November!

Breastfeeding with my sweet “Aunt”.

A quick nip before digging into birthday sweet potatoes!

Baby B Turns One Year Old!

Our strong, brave baby B is one year old today. It is hard to believe that the tiny soul that stole our heart the moment we found out there were two heart beats is a whole year old. When I think of all the odds this little guy beat, my heart just soars and my sometimes wavering faith is instantly restored. Patrick, our Baby B, was not breathing and had no heartbeat at the time of his emergency cesarean birth. He spent twelve long days in the NICU and 6 weeks at home on blood thinner shots administered into his very skinny legs by his Mama. In a matter of twelve months he has achieved so many milestones ahead of schedule. He has been evaluated several times to check that his is progressing at appropriate levels and has passed all evaluations with flying colors, far surpassing the expectations of of a little one who experienced a non traumatic birth. This little boy is smart and developed and loves to connect with other people. He is clearly our deep thinker and can been seen not only studying the world around but really enjoying being a part of it was well. He started smiling early like his twin and older brother though his smiles were more of a rarity and required a little effort on the part of the receiver. As he has grown and matured, those smiles have become somewhat of a signature trait that are almost constantly seen on that precious little face. It is often commented about Patrick “That baby smiles ALL the time!”. We really have such happy children.

As of this morning Patrick is sixteen pounds and two ounces. He is a tiny boy with a HUGE heart. Patrick has been exclusively breastfed until Saturday when we offered his first solid of fancy piped sweet potatoes (which I made extra fluffy with Mama’s milk!) and Patrick dug right in. He is clearly excited and ready for this new adventure of solid food and even tasted some scrambled eggs and banana since then. I plan to continue to nurse this little guy as long as he wants and he still LOVES his Mama’s milk but I can clearly see that he is thrilled to have solids as a part of his new cuisine.

Patrick took his first steps a couple of weeks ago and has not stopped since! Yesterday he took 8 steps! He loves balance standing and very rarely crawls. He loves to grab a hold and pull up then slowly take his hands off of whatever he is using for support, holding his hands carefully up in the air and a big smile on his face. He will do this over and over again like a game and is so proud of himself in this accomplishment.

Patrick has a very gentle voice and loves to “talk” like his brother, in his own little twin language. His voice is quiet and deliberate. He says Mama and Dada and will repeat several words but does not use any others consistently at this point. He loves to repeat sounds and faces. Like Elijah at this age, Patrick thinks it is hilarious to stick his tongue out and waits for a response. Patrick has five teeth (Rory has just one more with 6) and no signs of either cutting any more at this time. I love cute toothy grin and bright eyes. Mama’s “mini me” is often called our “pretty boy”.  It is amazing to me to watch him move and interact. He is really so small….falling at the .4 percentile…yes less than half…so really small but there is nothing small about his personality or accomplishment. I have no doubt this boy will do great things.

Patrick loves loves loves dogs. All my kids really love dogs and animals but Patrick has this special connection and will go out of his way to find Wrigley and lay by him or pet him. He does the same with my in laws dog, Beamer (and their beloved Henry who we recently lost) and any other dog he comes in contact with. Patrick seems to be pretty independent and plays just as well by himself as he does with his brothers.

I love to see how Elijah loves to take care of Patrick and Rory. He loves to help me change diapers. He runs over to give hugs and kisses if one of his little brothers is crying and often asks to hold them and hug them. He is an amazing big brother and Patrick just adores him. His eyes light up when Elijah pays attention to him.

Patrick has been an amazing sleeper from the beginning and now he almost always sleeps through the night. I make sure to feed him before I go to bed around 10 but I almost always have to wake him up to do this. He is just such a pleasant baby and super easy for others to take care of. We know we never need to worry when Reerah and Grandaddy or Miss Mallory are babysitting him. He is just an easy going guy.

I love watching this little boy explore his world. Patrick has the cutest little face and makes the sweetest most adorable expressions. He seriously has one of the most expressive faces I have ever seen. It is fun to sit and watch him react and interact with his little world.

It is hard to believe that one year ago began the most heart wrenching and yet blessed twelve days of my life. As I look down at the tiny face who is nursing as I type this (no one can multi task  like a Mama of twins), I am so grateful for the strong, brave, amazing and beautiful little boy looking back up at me. When he was in the NICU, the nurses told me that he is the kind of baby that makes you want to have babies…..and they are so right. (Though I do think that about all three of my precious boys!). Thank you Patrick for teaching us that strength and bravery come in small packages. You are a blessing and an inspiration.

Thank you to my sweet friend MJ Coker, who took our Valentine themed family photos celebrating the Parish twins first year of life. Valentines day will forever be special for our family because not only were we due on that day but it is the day Patrick left the NICU and came home to join our family of five.

Mama and her sweetheart babies

I LOVE being a Mama of twins!

So much joy in those little faces

Mama and her sweet three.

Such unique little boys.

Precious brothers. Nothing sweeter .

Small and mighty

My cute little nugget

He was getting so excited during his photo shoot

So big!

I LOVE this shot!

All Mama’s guys!

Beautiful boy