My best friend's baby

Here she is! Emma Grace. Isn't she gorgeous?! Check out those eyes! They are currently still blue even though you can't tell in the pictures. I went on a 24 hour excursion up to Philadelphia so I could hold her and love on her in person. It just made me want more. I wish so much that she lived closer.

Below, Kate (left) and Lily (named after Emma Grace's mother) enjoy gifts sent to them by their Aunt Lily. (Notice the skirt over Lily's outfit...she insists on wearing a skirt every morning these days.)

"I'm so glad to be yours"

There are days when I still can't believe the blessing I have received in adopting twins. (Granted, there are days when I think we are crazy as well, but that is another post...) It is becoming more joyous each day to watch them learn to interact and love one another. Like this week, they have started telling each other jokes. Lily will say some phrase to Kate (which is unintelligible for the most part to me) and Kate will say part of it back to her and they both laugh uncontrolably. Usually it is the same joke over and over... they have about 3 of them. They have also started arguing. One will say an unintelligible phrase that includes the words, "no,no sister" and the other one will respond back quickly and sharply with an equally unintelligible phrase that also includes "no, no sister." And then it is over as quickly as it started. They also love to chase and wrestle each other. It is always Lily chasing and tackling. Kate loves to be the one pursued. Even though they are so different from each other, I can't imagine one without the other. I hope that they will always love each other the way they do now.


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I had to delete the song since I couldn't figure out how to keep it from playing all the time. It was "I'm so glad to be yours" by Hunter Payne...great song!

A different Christmas

As Phil and I pulled into Mississippi for our Christmas vacation, we feel ill with a raging strep throat infection. For three days, we could hardly get out of bed and felt awful. Thankfully, my parents were there to take care of Lily and Kate. Sooo... we ended up with interesting views of Christmas this year.














Christmas from my perspective... Here is the ceiling fan I stared at for 3 days.














Here is Phil's view of the ceiling fan.













Here is Lily and Kate's memories of Christmas...LOTS of individual grandparent time.














...more undivided grandparent attention

...more undivided grandparent attention

Phil and I rallying back 24 hours after our Christmas Eve in the ER, antibiotics and pain killers.

Finally...getting to be together with the girls again.

Our little blessings under the tree

This year brought us another Christmas where the best gifts under the tree for Phil and me were our beautiful Kate and Lily. (Kate on left)
....more about our Christmas to come...once I recover. :)




















Last year's picture under the tree. (Lily on left)

In memory of my dear friend, Rhonda

One of my oldest friends (since preschool) died last night. Here she is with her husband and kids at Thanksgiving. She fought an enormous battle against cancer and survived 3 bone marrow transplants over the last 9 months. Lily and Kate have been praying for her everyday. Every night when Phil and I ask them if they want to pray, they say often say, "Rhonda" spontaneously. Please pray for her family this Christmas.

Our special dresses

One of my dear friends, Piti, from Chile came to visit us this summer and brought her whole family (seven all total)! It was such a special time for us to have them in our home and for them to meet Phil, Kate and Lily. They brought us these dresses that were handmade in Chile. I wanted to preserve them in some way so we went and had the girls picture made in them. I'll always cheerish these!














Kate on left




















Kate




















Lily




















Lily




















Kate

Pictures with Santa

Since Santa has no significance yet to Lily and Kate other than being "that huge man in the crazy red get up with monster fur on his face who wants to take me away from my mommy and possibly eat me alive," we decided to put some distance between him and them this year in the photo. Here is Kate on the left, Lily right and Santa behind where they cannot see him.



















Here is last year's picture with Lily on left, Kate right...both stunned.




















This year we went with our twin friends, Ella and Emma, to take our picture with Santa. While we were there, I snapped this photo of our little angels around the baby Jesus. So sweet, I could just sop 'em up with a biscuit!

Lily and Kate learn Chambers' traditions

Phil and I have a tradition of making and eating chocolate chip cookies during times of extreme emotion - happy or sad. Here is Daddy teaching the proper technique of licking the beaters.















For Thanksgiving we went to hang out with the Chambers clan in Georgia where Kate and Lily learned more about making sweets in Grammies' candy making assembly line. Here they are with their cousins Marissa and Megan. Ahh, yes, we mustn't leave out the fact that this is Uncle Lee's hand at the bottom right of the picture feeding them candy as quickly as they desire!

Sweet smiles

Kate is on the right. I like this one below because it is so typical of their personalities. 50% of the day, Kate is looking to Lily to see, "What's next, Sis?"
BTW...Phil finally taught them to say, "I love you" this week. He's been working on this one for about 9 months. Talk about gratification! It makes every muscle in my tired mommy body relax and smile.

Musical chairs and box sledding

Happy Halloween!

Kate and Lily dress up with Ella and Emma
(from left- Emma, Lily, Kate and Ella)













Lily on left practicing saying "Trick or Treat" which comes out "Tic o Teet."














Lily, the Bumble Bee














Kate, the Ladybug

Kate and Lily's new baby cousin!

Rachael Elizabeth was born on Oct 18. She is the first girl for my sister after two boys. She's a cutie! I got to be in on the C-section. It was wonderful to see her being born.




















Doting parents














Doting grandparents













Doting 1st cousins














Dotee

Lily and Kate's 2 yo birthday party

For Kate and Lily's birthday, Phil and I planned a pony ride/petting zoo event in their own backyard. We called it Elmo's Wild, Wild West Party (the name of their favorite video). Attending the event were 2 ponies, a donkey, a sheep, 2 baby ducks, 2 chickens, a goat, a bunny rabbit, family and neighbors.















Our neighbor, Don, photographed the event so Phil and I could be a part! Thanks, Don! Kate on left.

















Lily hanging onto Kate.



















Lily's pretty party smile.














Kate on right while blowing out the candles.










Our neighbor, Julie, made the cake!














Granddaddy with Lily on left














Daddy, Lily and the donkey (you decide who's who).














Kate was slow to warm up. Here she is drinking and driving.















Here she is all warmed up with Mammaw.




















Lily, after the party, eating all the cake she wants and declaring her new age!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

October is Chamber's family birthday month. Grandpa's (Phil's dad) birthday is today. Grammie's (Phil's mom) birthday is the 4th, Lily and Kate's is the 5th and Phil's is the 6th and his sister's is the 20th. So we've done a lot of celebrating lately!! First we went to the Old Baker's Farm.




















Kate "helps" Grandpa around the farm.














Grammie with Kate on left and Lily on right














Phil and the girls "rollin' in high cotton."














Kate at the wheel.














Lily (right) and Kate taking in the sites.