as i tucked my little girls into bed tonight, i realized that tomorrow, nov 30th, they will be 10 months old. 304 days have passed since preslee and mason came into our lives. where has the time gone?
it's funny how before you have kids, people tell you how fast time goes. i always believed them, but never fully understood what they meant. my life has changed so much in the last 10 months.
preslee stood today, all by herself, not holding on to anything for about 30 seconds. she had her arms sticking straight out to balance and a huge smile on her face. she was so proud of herself! she is crawling and pulling up on everything. she used to be so timid and quiet and now, has come out of her shell. she squeals, sometimes screams, just to hear her own voice. she says mama all the time and looks right at me. not sure if she just likes to say the word or if she really knows that i am mama. i like to think she knows.
mason took her first step this week. i watched her problem solve how she was going to get from the sofa to her activity table without falling and crawling. she finally just reached out, and took a step. it was amazing! she used to be so independent, but lately has become mama's girl. she only lets me be the one to put her to bed at night, not even daddy will do. when someone says hi to her, she buries her face in my neck and hides. although, i wish she would let others interact more with her, secretly i love it that she needs me!
they are both eating table foods now. lots of cutting things into tiny bites. and i am seeing more tears and frustration when toys are taken from them by the other one. i think we are seeing the beginnings of personalities developing. it is so wonderful to watch!
as the holidays are approaching, i feel so blessed to be able to experience christmas through preslee and mason's eyes. when we brought them downstairs to see the lights on our tree, they just smiled and looked back and forth at drew and i, like we just performed magic. my friend andrea, who is also a twin mommy, summed it up best, "the lights seem to shine a little brighter, the trees smell a little fresher and most of all the glory of jesus's birth is a little more personal this year." as we celebrate jesus's birthday and reflect on the miracle of life, i am in awe at the pride i feel to be preslee and mason's mommy. i was born to be their mommy. the first time and everytime i look into their eyes, i am flooded with a love that i have never known.
having a child and watching them grow is the most magical, fantastic thing on the planet. i am convinced God spaced out our youth, children and grandchildren to remind us throughout our lives how truly amazing being a part of a child's life can be. watching preslee and mason experience new things is a gift and i am the luckiest mommy in the world
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
The Beynon Family Elves
now that thanksgiving has past, at the beynon house, we have jumped head first into preparing for preslee and mason's first christmas. just to get everyone in the spirit of the holiday, here is a little preview of the beynon family elves. turn up your speakers and enjoy........
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9600121355
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9600121355
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Our trip to North Carolina
while daddy was in germany for work, mommy took us to visit mamaw and papaw in north carolina. we got to see aunt amy and gavin too! we had so much fun and can't wait to go back at christmas!
Thanksgiving
every year at this time, as thanksgiving approaches, i try to stop and reflect on all that i have to be thankful for. my life has been so richly blessed that listing everything could go on forever and ever.
drew and i have been so lucky. for the most part, our families are healthy. we have an amazing marriage that grows stronger everyday. i used to chuckle when he would make me give him a high five and say, "team beynon", but we really are a team. and last january we added two more little members to our team, preslee and mason.
getting them here wasn't easy. we struggled for almost two years before i got pregnant. then came all the worries of a twin pregnancy. but, again, God blessed us.
there is something magical that happens upon the birth of a child. it is something that is very difficult to narrow down because so many things change. it could be the overwhelming responsibility of being a parent. never wanting to make mistakes that will affect your child. it could be the feeling of mortality. realizing you are getting older and that your child needs you right here right now. it could be the sense of protectiveness that takes over after a child is born. knowing no matter what you will fight, scrape, and scrounge to ensure your child gets whatever they need to grow up to be happy, strong, healthy, and loving. mostly i think it is a sense of being thankful. thankful that no matter how bad you might think things are you still have more than most people. i am thankful we have two daughters that have brought us more joy and laughter than you could ever imagine.
how blessed i am that God chose me to be their mom. my life is richer because of preslee and mason.
i am thankful for the smiles of my children, for the feel of their arms around my neck, for the trust i see in their eyes, for the peace i see in their faces when they sleep, for the joy in their faces when they play in the leaves, for the simple fact that they are alive.
the thankfulness you feel for your children isn't the easy, sentimental kind. it's laced with challenges and frustrations, paid for with nights of broken sleep and a house that looks like it's situated in a hurricane's path.
what i am especially thankful for are the lessons my children are constantly teaching me. some of these i've learned just because of the nature of motherhood and the responsibilities it places upon you. earlier i insisted that my life be meticulously planned, down to the minutest detail. now i shrug and try to enjoy the next surprise that's lying in wait around the corner.
the best lessons, though, are the ones i learn everyday from watching preslee and mason. relearning, i should say, for once upon a time i knew them all. until i became an adult. one is the enjoyment of simple things. things that cost little, or maybe nothing at all, except attentiveness and an open mind. how bubbles have rainbows in them. the sounds leaves make when you crunch them. just the other day, they crawled into the kitchen and were leaning over the heat vent. when it kicked on and heat came out blowing their hair, they just laughed and laughed and then looked up at me with this wide eyed wonder.
preslee and mason, being your mommy isn't a job. it is an opportunity and a privilege. it is a blessing and everyday a new adventure. i love being your mommy. for you, i am so thankful!
thank you god, for preslee and mason. they have made our lives so, so rich.
drew and i have been so lucky. for the most part, our families are healthy. we have an amazing marriage that grows stronger everyday. i used to chuckle when he would make me give him a high five and say, "team beynon", but we really are a team. and last january we added two more little members to our team, preslee and mason.
getting them here wasn't easy. we struggled for almost two years before i got pregnant. then came all the worries of a twin pregnancy. but, again, God blessed us.
there is something magical that happens upon the birth of a child. it is something that is very difficult to narrow down because so many things change. it could be the overwhelming responsibility of being a parent. never wanting to make mistakes that will affect your child. it could be the feeling of mortality. realizing you are getting older and that your child needs you right here right now. it could be the sense of protectiveness that takes over after a child is born. knowing no matter what you will fight, scrape, and scrounge to ensure your child gets whatever they need to grow up to be happy, strong, healthy, and loving. mostly i think it is a sense of being thankful. thankful that no matter how bad you might think things are you still have more than most people. i am thankful we have two daughters that have brought us more joy and laughter than you could ever imagine.
how blessed i am that God chose me to be their mom. my life is richer because of preslee and mason.
i am thankful for the smiles of my children, for the feel of their arms around my neck, for the trust i see in their eyes, for the peace i see in their faces when they sleep, for the joy in their faces when they play in the leaves, for the simple fact that they are alive.
the thankfulness you feel for your children isn't the easy, sentimental kind. it's laced with challenges and frustrations, paid for with nights of broken sleep and a house that looks like it's situated in a hurricane's path.
what i am especially thankful for are the lessons my children are constantly teaching me. some of these i've learned just because of the nature of motherhood and the responsibilities it places upon you. earlier i insisted that my life be meticulously planned, down to the minutest detail. now i shrug and try to enjoy the next surprise that's lying in wait around the corner.
the best lessons, though, are the ones i learn everyday from watching preslee and mason. relearning, i should say, for once upon a time i knew them all. until i became an adult. one is the enjoyment of simple things. things that cost little, or maybe nothing at all, except attentiveness and an open mind. how bubbles have rainbows in them. the sounds leaves make when you crunch them. just the other day, they crawled into the kitchen and were leaning over the heat vent. when it kicked on and heat came out blowing their hair, they just laughed and laughed and then looked up at me with this wide eyed wonder.
preslee and mason, being your mommy isn't a job. it is an opportunity and a privilege. it is a blessing and everyday a new adventure. i love being your mommy. for you, i am so thankful!
thank you god, for preslee and mason. they have made our lives so, so rich.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
i read this on the blog of another twin mommy friend of mine and thought it was worth sharing. i hope you find it as encouraging and challenging as i do.
1 Corinthians 13
"If I’m poetic and profound all day but don’t love my kids, I’m just like an annoying never-ending educational film.
If I teach my kids to memorize the whole Bible, giving my kids a deep understanding of God’s mysteries and making academics a breeze for them; if I have trained them to clean the whole house when I snap my fingers, to be quiet, still and compliant, but don’t love my kids, I’m worse than a dead-beat parent refusing to pay child support.
If I don’t buy myself jewelry, new clothes or anything nice ever again, but spend every penny on my children, if I’m a real “martyr mom” staying up all night working on their birthday parties, Halloween costumes, and decorating their rooms, but don’t love them personally and deeply, they might as well be orphans.
So no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m worse than useless without love.
Loving my kids means never giving up (on them, on their father, on the family, on their future.) Love is patient with a “screamer,” kind to a “brat.”
Love cares more for her children’s joyful fulfillment than for her own “self-actualization”.
Love doesn’t expect her kids to be something they’re not, doesn’t wish they were more like somebody else’s kids. Doesn’t brag about their achievements and live for that vicarious glory.
Love doesn’t tyrannize her children, or rudely wish they’d go away.
Love doesn’t condescend to her kids or force her own paradigms and agendas on them.
Isn’t always “me first.” But loves them with reckless abandon (sometimes saying goodbye forever to careers, traveling the world, old interests and dreams, and, of course, that “bikini body!”)
Love doesn’t fly off the handle or scream at her children. Doesn’t yank them around or cringe in embarrassment when they just act like kids.
Doesn’t tally up the disobedience from the whole week and get progressively furious. Especially doesn’t get angry with one child because another has been misbehaving.
Love doesn’t revel when her kids grovel, doesn’t gloat when they finally feel terrible for their offenses.
Love delights when her children grow in truth, beaming when they first glimpse God’s holy light.
Love protects these precious people, guarding their bodies, hearts, and minds. Love puts up with anything (a sick baby, a handicap, another “accident” on the new carpet.)
Always trusts God with her children (even when he seems to have such a different plan for them.)
Constantly looks for the best in her kids (even if it’s not what was expected.)
Never looks back (at life before kids)
But keeps going (mothering) to the end.
Love never dies. Love is eternal. Love thinks about her children, praying for them, each day of her entire life.
We have three things to do for our children:
Trust God to be glorious in their lives, be a pillar of hope by expecting His best for them, and love them wildly."
1 Corinthians 13
"If I’m poetic and profound all day but don’t love my kids, I’m just like an annoying never-ending educational film.
If I teach my kids to memorize the whole Bible, giving my kids a deep understanding of God’s mysteries and making academics a breeze for them; if I have trained them to clean the whole house when I snap my fingers, to be quiet, still and compliant, but don’t love my kids, I’m worse than a dead-beat parent refusing to pay child support.
If I don’t buy myself jewelry, new clothes or anything nice ever again, but spend every penny on my children, if I’m a real “martyr mom” staying up all night working on their birthday parties, Halloween costumes, and decorating their rooms, but don’t love them personally and deeply, they might as well be orphans.
So no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m worse than useless without love.
Loving my kids means never giving up (on them, on their father, on the family, on their future.) Love is patient with a “screamer,” kind to a “brat.”
Love cares more for her children’s joyful fulfillment than for her own “self-actualization”.
Love doesn’t expect her kids to be something they’re not, doesn’t wish they were more like somebody else’s kids. Doesn’t brag about their achievements and live for that vicarious glory.
Love doesn’t tyrannize her children, or rudely wish they’d go away.
Love doesn’t condescend to her kids or force her own paradigms and agendas on them.
Isn’t always “me first.” But loves them with reckless abandon (sometimes saying goodbye forever to careers, traveling the world, old interests and dreams, and, of course, that “bikini body!”)
Love doesn’t fly off the handle or scream at her children. Doesn’t yank them around or cringe in embarrassment when they just act like kids.
Doesn’t tally up the disobedience from the whole week and get progressively furious. Especially doesn’t get angry with one child because another has been misbehaving.
Love doesn’t revel when her kids grovel, doesn’t gloat when they finally feel terrible for their offenses.
Love delights when her children grow in truth, beaming when they first glimpse God’s holy light.
Love protects these precious people, guarding their bodies, hearts, and minds. Love puts up with anything (a sick baby, a handicap, another “accident” on the new carpet.)
Always trusts God with her children (even when he seems to have such a different plan for them.)
Constantly looks for the best in her kids (even if it’s not what was expected.)
Never looks back (at life before kids)
But keeps going (mothering) to the end.
Love never dies. Love is eternal. Love thinks about her children, praying for them, each day of her entire life.
We have three things to do for our children:
Trust God to be glorious in their lives, be a pillar of hope by expecting His best for them, and love them wildly."
Thursday, November 1, 2007
HaPpY HaLLoWeEn
halloween at 9 months old wasn't one of preslee and mason's favorite holidays. they decided they were too excited to take an afternoon nap, so they were a little less than thrilled to get in their costumes. but, even unhappy, they were the cutest little fairies that i have ever seen!
preslee and mason with mommy and mamaw
preslee and mason with mommy and mamaw
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