Twenty fingers and twenty toes
Four eyes looking up at me
Where did the time go?
One brunette, one is blonde
My heart explodes with a love beyond...
I have been a Mama over 16 years. I have seen each baby grow up so quickly. Still, nothing prepared me for how fast this year with the twins would go. It started with exhausting days and sleepless nights of staring at two tiny bodies through incubators in two totally different cities.
Then, Suddenly, we were celebrating milestones of sitting up, cutting teeth, crawling, talking and taking first steps! Saying "soon they'll be able to ______" became "remember when they couldn't even _____".
This year has flown by.
Each milestone was accompanied by a memory of their big sister (and their brothers). As sad as I am that Aubrey wasn't here to watch them grow, I'm now even more grateful for her and the lessons her short, but full, life taught me. I know--more than ever before--to cherish each moment as they come and to be extra thankful for the next. Instead of being mad when someone wakes up in the middle of the night, I was able to purposely breathe them in, hold them even closer and savor the moment.
These girls were the most perfect, unexpected gift and they have brought us all even closer together. I can see my both of grandmothers in Julia Ann. Carson Laine is Aubrey made over but she also looks so much like her Daddy, my Uncle Steve and her big brothers (and what amazing brothers these girls have).
God has a way of doing that for us. It's as if he sews little pieces of those that came before us into the fabric that is a new child. Then that child's life becomes a new part of a bigger, always-growing puzzle.
I have never known such joy and happiness. Before, I thought my heart was at full capacity and couldn't possibly grow. These babies taught me that my heart--and my life--can always expand. Somehow, God loves me so much that He has and will continue to give me more than I could possibly deserve.
My prayer is that all of my children always know how much we love them. I hope that every year of their life is better than the last. When they're much older and look back, I want their memories to be full of happiness and LOVE. I hope their only disappointments are that there weren't enough hours in a day to love each other enough. I am grateful that the girls will always have each other and a special bond that grows as they do.
HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, girls! We love you more than you'll ever know! 💜💜
