LA Part One (a.k.a. Jake becomes Dr. Gross!)

At the beginning of January, we headed out to LA for Jake's graduation and great time with great friends! We spent the first part of our time staying with our former neighbors, the Strawns, who also have graciously hosted Jake when he's been on campus at Azusa. While Jake was busy defending his dissertation, our girls were busy playing with the Strawn girls! Mihret is 10 months older than Abby Jane, and she was Abby Jane's first friend. They spent countless hours together as infants and toddlers! It was really fun to reunite them AND for us to meet fabulous Zinash, the big sister in the Strawn family! Chuck and Carrie are really special friends, and it was delightful to get to spend time with them those first few days.

Abby Jane surprised us by suddenly leaping from her swing at the playground one morning. Turns out she loves jumping from swings at their full height!

Blythe being Blythe.

Then came the night of Jake's formal presentation! There are few words to adequately describe the depth of our emotions upon arriving at this evening. After five and a half years of hard work, this evening was the grand finale of Jake's doctoral process.

I was 10 weeks along with this little nugget when her daddy went to his very first doctoral class, so we thought it would only be appropriate for her to come be a part of his big night. She was beside herself with pride.

Jake's parents and my mom flew in for the weekend, so we all got to enjoy and celebrate together. After all, for all the folks who give me a lot of credit in this whole process, there was a big set of involved grandparents who have had my back all these years, too.

Then suddenly it was Jake's turn to present the results of years of work in 15 minutes. I am not biased in saying he did a fabulous job, and none of us could have been prouder.

Drs. Chris and Kristy Collins are wonderful friends of ours on all kinds of levels, but one of those is that Chris was on Jake's dissertation committee and a great help to him throughout the process.

Wearing his new hood!

Jake and Alex, his committee chair, advisor, mentor, and huge blessing to Jake! Alex came to APU in Jake's second year, and we are so grateful for the impact he has made on Jake's life and for all that he has taught Jake these last several years.

Jake with his wonderful faculty at APU.

Mitch is an old family friend who lives in LA and was able to join us. He's known Jake since high school, so it's fun to share such a milestone evening with such a longtime friend.

Proud, proud mama!

Dr. and Mrs. Jake Gross!

Chuck and Carrie Strawn!

These parents were about to pop. It was a great night for the Gross family!

Jake and Lesley Roberts got stuck in epic traffic and drove for two hours to make it for the special night.She's pregnant and ended up missing dinner- they're rock stars for making it!

Maybe she'll hold this up when she's 16, too.

Abby Jane and Mihret when it was time to say goodbye. The girls played nonstop with dolls and dress-up, and they had slumber parties every night.

Zinash was a mega star to all of our girls. The twins especially thought she hung the moon. She was very gracious and kind to them. So thankful for our time with these sweet friends!

Joy at Three

Like I said with Blythe's post, I am two months late on Joy's birthday post, but these pics are all from right around her third birthday to be true to date!

Joy, Joy, Joy. Joy is FUN. Joy is CRAZY. She presents great challenges to our patience and yet is addictive to be around because she is so hilarious and life-giving. I am never worried for her. She can always hold her own. She always speaks when spoken to. She is always thinking of things to do and things to get into. My children never complain about being bored, and I think that may be because we have a Joy. This picture looks to me like, "Here comes trouble!" But it's trouble that I need a break from sometimes and miss terribly the whole time I'm gone.

 She is full- throttle, off-kilter, and predictable in her unpredictability.  She is also very protective of Blythe. Once a sweet little 17 month old boy rested his hand on Blythe's leg to balance himself, and Joy swiped it off, saying, "No!" Another time, the girls were on a trampoline with some friends of ours. Blythe had fallen on her belly and was just resting there a moment, bouncing along with the trampoline as the kids continued to play around her. A little two and a half-year-old boy sat on top of her, straddling her. Before Blythe had even begun to complain, Joy shoved him completely off saying, "No! You CANNOT be on there!" We call her the Blind Side sometimes, because of her protective instincts. :)

 She is a mess. For as much as Blythe is careful and clean, Joy is reckless and messy. She is also ALWAYS hungry. A friend said that now when her kids say they're hungry, she thinks of Joy. The doctor says as long as she's hungry for healthy things and continues her current level of activity, we're good to go. So far so good.

Despite all her bluster and craziness that charms all of our socks off, she also catches us off-guard with equally passionate compassion and thoughtfulness. She is concerned when others are hurt. She pats her sisters on the back if they are crying. One time Jake was sick, and Joy was praying for him all day long, checking in on him all day.

Other fun facts on Joy...
-at her three-year well-check: 35 lbs (to Blythe's 29) and an inch taller than Joy
-athletic, really coordinated in big motor skills
-favorite color is orange (because of Auburn)
-wants to be a football player when she grows up
-nicknames: "Bird", "Birdie", "Joy Bird", thanks to something Mimi started when Joy was a baby. Now Joy jokes that her last name is Bird.
-she went through a phase this summer when she never spoke in contractions. Every word was succinctly formal, coming from a girl who is anything but formal or proper.
-favorite food... any food available. Except she's not a huge fan of the smoothies the other girls down. She is actually better at eating raw veggies and salads than they are, though.
-loves to dress-up, dance passionately, do anything Abby Jane is doing, be with Blythe, be read to, be reckless on anything there is to be reckless on
-multiple sleeping buddies vital to a good night's sleep are Muffin McClay the dog (named after the Hairy McClary series), Sally the dog (that Jake gave when she was born), Bunny, and her green blankie
-she potty trained in the spring, YEA!!!
-she decided recently she doesn't like having her hair fixed with pigtails, ponytails, bows, etc. She prefers a simple clippy that she insists on putting in herself, and you can imagine how cattywampus that hair-do is. Then she decides to take it out and hold it until she forgets and drops it. So she pretty much has wild, un-done hair on a regular basis, and we are often out of clippies.

My Joy is my Joy. We love her terribly, and she brings out the fun in all of us.

Blythe at Three

So I'm only two months late on Blythe and Joy, and these pictures are all (except one) within a couple of weeks of Blythe turning three. I figured now that they're three, the twins can get their own birthday blog.

Blythe is my sugar lump of delight whose heart and voice could melt an iceberg. She's an octave or so higher than her peers. When she speaks in her falsetto for one of her animals, it's at a registry I'm amazed we can make out. She's delicate and feminine, but she's learning to be assertive here and there. We know this because in the midst of the tumult of the normal din of our household, we'll hear a tiny voice saying, "I'M SPEAKING!!" Then we stop and listen to what she wanted us to hear. Bless her heart. 

So this is Blythe. Most who follow our blog know this, but Blythe is always accessorized. She is always fancy. This was not taught. She'll grab a necklace or sunglasses on her way out the door to complete an outfit. This is how she raked this fall.

But don't be fooled by all the delicate femininity. She has muscles, too. See? This is her showing her "big muscles".

 She's content to be exactly who she is. She has no regard for peer pressure. She adores her sisters beyond words, but she has no need to do what they are doing and can completely march to the beat of her own drum. She enjoys having some quiet time to herself. She would likely be potty trained if she cared a little more about peer pressure, but that's ok. We're planning to deal with that later this month. We'd rather her be who she is in a pull-up than care about the opinion of others more in big girl panties.

 Despite her appreciation of quiet time, she can be crazy right with the others. Because she's so sweet, sometimes her devious-ness flies under the radar. Before Christmas when they were in their cribs, sweet little Blythe would make Joy burst into sobs by saying things like, "I'm going to put you in jail!" (Has no idea what jail is.) Or "I'm going to spank you!" (Couldn't even reach Joy.) Or the coup d'etat was "You're not kind!!!" We go in, Joy's sobbing, "She said I'm not kind!!!" Little Blythe sitting there satisfied with herself. What she can't do in physical feats, she can do with her tongue. But only when they're by themselves. We're working on that, but love that the worst insult is "you're not kind."

 Her love language is touch. She'll often say our name and reach out her hand, just wanting to touch fingers. She likes to be close, likes to be held.

 She is ticklish and loves to laugh and giggle. Her giggle is contagious.

 She has always had a need to carry a lot around with her. I think she would make a fabulous mother of twins. She usually has a few babies and toys for all of them.

A few more facts on Blythe:
-at her 3 year appointment, she was 29 lbs, and an inch shorter than Joy, but her curls compensate for that inch, so they look the same height
-nicknames: "Blythey", "Boo", then some derivations from Boo that we try not to say, but they do come out of our mouths sometimes accidentally when we're playing with her... like "Boozy"
-she also loves her kale/ fruit smoothies like Abby Jane and pounds a few of those a day
-her favorite color is pink
-she sleeps like her Daddy and easily could sleep in at least an hour past everyone else, though she often is awakened by their calls
-her favorite song is Jesus Loves Me
-she is beginning to color within the lines well, and has impressive fine motor skills
-she loves to be read to, color, play with her baby dolls, play with her sisters, build with blocks, plan parties in the play kitchen, all while carrying a purse or some other items as she goes
-she has many sleeping buddies, but most important is a very loose-limbed Polly horse that Jake gave her when she was born. Polly is extremely loved and is beginning to show the sweet signs of it.
-she started running in a straight line in September, so though her run is more of a floating prance, she is much faster than she used to be
-though she's quiet and doesn't respond to questions as willingly as her sisters, she is for the most part more observant and clued in than you might think

We LOVE our sweet Blythey!!!

She's been four for 10 months

Is it bad to start a year with a post that is 10 months overdue? Maybe it is more of a statement that 2012 was a bit helter skelter, and I plan to stay on top of life a little better in 2013!

So I totally missed telling everyone about who Abby Jane is when she turned four last February. For the sake of records, I'm going to try to tell you about the four year old and not just my current almost-five-year-old. These were in the early fall, so they kind of split the difference.

Turning four was revolutionary in our home. The little girl who had high highs and low lows as a three year old suddenly became a young lady almost instantaneously after her birthday. Suddenly if the twins were having a conflict that I was having difficulty settling, she'd quietly make a suggestion that was both brilliant and effective. She understood delayed gratification. We had fun playing games together, legitimately, and not just because I like being with my kid and doing things she likes, but because she suddenly was like hanging out with a little buddy. 

 Her sense of humor blossomed this year. She can get a joke and respond to it in kind.

Every now and then I'll get a glimpse of my little baby girl and am reminded that four is still really young.  She sneezes exactly the same as when she was a newborn, and she stretches the same, too. 

But then she'll launch into a deep spiritual conversation and I think she's on the cusp of truly understanding salvation in a genuine way and I realize that four is actually quite old and capable of so much.

So here's some more fun facts about the younger four-year-old Abby Jane...
-Stats at 4 year well check: 36 lbs (60%), 42 inches (89%)
-loves, loves, loves playing with her little sisters and is truly a precious, kind big sister
-drinks 2-3 sippy cups of kale and fruit smoothie/day, yet LOVES ANY kind of treat since we have a slightly sugar-deprived home :)
-favorite color is pink
-L.O.V.E.S. ballet
-loves playing dress-up, princesses, dancing around the house, and coloring
-loves preschool
-loves listening to our Slugs and Bugs CD (get one if you don't have them- so cute)
-loves to be read to and look at books, especially books about ballet and princesses! Sensing a theme here?
-sleeps with her Ally Alligator and Annabelle doll (who is big enough that I measure dresses for newborns against her, haha)
-does not miss a thing, do NOT talk about adult things around her that you expect her not to hear!
-sensitive heart towards spiritual things and asks great questions

My word for the age of four is DELIGHTFUL! We are so grateful for our delightful young lady! It is a privilege to be her mama.

Happy birthday, Jesus! Day

We don't take for granted that our day began with sweet snuggling with our oldest girl at around 7:10 before we leisurely went in to wake up her sisters and begin the day 20 minutes later. I know some homes begin Christmas morning before the sun is up. That may be us next year! 

Abby Jane asked Santa for a princess book, Joy asked Santa for a new book about Christmas, and Blythe asked Santa for a princess coloring book. Sure enough, those items were waiting for the girls when they woke up! We also fully appreciate the sweetness of such simple requests.

 Amazingly, those silly reindeer made a mess of their food on the front steps.

 Then we opened stockings. This age is just delightful in how thrilling simple items are to them!

 We did our last day in our Jesse tree readings, and we hung the last ornament on our Jesse tree.

Then grandparents arrived and breakfast was served. We do Emily York's Holiday French Toast (with apples and cranberries baked into it!) every year. It is fabulous.

After breakfast, we read Luke 2 and began a new tradition of a scavenger hunt to find our Baby Jesus from our Little People nativity set. Just like the shepherds and wise men searched for Jesus on Christmas morning, the girls had to find several clues attached to candy canes around the house that led them to Baby Jesus before we could get on with the gifts. Grandparents helped read the clues they found along the way. Turns out Baby Jesus was eating Jake's cereal, known as Daddy Cereal (and in Jodi's home, "Uncle Jake's cereal") a.k.a Quaker Oat Squares. Once Jesus was safe and sound back in the stable with Mary and Joseph, the present opening began!

 Joy watching Blythe open up the Minnie Mouse bracelet she had perfectly selected for her twin.

The girls completely came up with this idea on their own.  A new coffee mug for Daddy. With this particular picture on it. They were amazed I was able to actually make that happen! Daddy loved it, too.

 Grammy was really surprised with a gift from Greg and Susan and kids under our tree. Our Manila family plans really far ahead when they visit in the summer. :)

 The hit of the day was the girls' headlamps that can be white or red light. Funny girl here thought of putting it on her nose and being... you guessed it... Rudolph.

 Blythe was very pleased with all new accessories. Gloves from Abby Jane, bracelet from Joy, headlamp from Mom and Dad. We all know our Boo. When she attempted the Rudolph look, her headlamp fell to her chest, and she was delighted to discover that it triples as a necklace.

 Mimi and Bop Bop (who just couldn't make it more than 10 minutes into present opening before he was wearing bows as well) gave our resident ballerina this precious pillow- "Dance unto the Lord". It was popular.

 Blythe and Joy weren't particularly excited or interested in their new painted letters with polka ribbons. They didn't know they were holding the one decoration I was allowing in their new big girl room that was about to transpire. With twins... the decor when you let the tigers out of their cages has to be exceptionally minimal.

So while these two broke down cribs and assembled Jake's childhood beds that we spent a couple of days painting last week...

the girls were entirely oblivious and engrossed in new books and new toys and two engaging grandmas.

 We had a new reader arrive when Grandaddy and Granny Joan came!

Then we pulled out one last gift for Miss Abby Jane- just the thing for ballerina who really is also an aspiring artist! Her favorite color at the moment is purple and the lap table actually already had the ballet shoes painted on when I picked it out- don't you love when those kinds of things just come together?

 Blythe and Joy had one last mysterious gift, too.

 What does a girl need a big girl blanket for?

 Let's go look in your room and see!

 They were ready for bed right away!!!!

 But we had to first give extra hugs to Bop Bop, who helped in the prepping, painting, and assembling of their new beds!

Then we had a lovely Christmas dinner, joined also at that point by my Aunt Becky and Uncle Richard... noticeably missing were the three girls who were busy having "just girls time" in the "new" room.

 Eventually one surfaced to read one of her new BOB books. These are JUST fabulous for early readers, y'all. I think I may have been one of the last to hear of them, but if I'm not, go get some for your early reader!

 Blythe contentedly reading a new princess book with her headlamp necklace.

My favorite gift of the day, from Jake the girls. My old slippers looked like the dog had gotten ahold of them. And we don't have a dog.

This is the way we went to bed that night and every other night this week. The twins' beds can be bunked, and I wouldn't be surprised if we have three little girls who decide we need to do that to make room for Abby's bed within the next year!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!