twinkie love

Brysan and Aidan were jumping on my bed before it was 7 o clock this morning. There was light coming through the blinds and they asked me when I was getting up. “Hurry up mommy, we need to go, let’s go to the store.”  Brysan couldn’t wait to go to the store to go and get candy with her own money to give to her twinkies this morning when they got up for their birthday. Malachi had come to us yesterday after finishing his school work and said ” I know what I have to do, I have to build a wall-e costume for Judah” And then for hours the boy taped boxes and cardboard tubes together. Aidan joined him and made an Eve costume for Harper and the two of them painted together. So excited to give their hearts gifts to their twinkies.

Harper woke up this morning crawled under the sheets and said ” happy birthday judah today”. A few minutes later Judah walked in and the first thing uttered from his mouth was “happy birt-day honey” and then broke out in song to his “honey”. Harper shouted ” Twinkie Love ! ” (This is the phrase that has been developed over the past few years when Harper and Judah find each other numerous times during the day with out streched arms and bear hug one another. This can be done in times of elation or times when one of them just got in trouble by the mommy/daddy  and the troubled twink is looking for sympathy.)

We have a family tradition that every hour you are awake you get to open a little “dollar zone” kind of gift on the day of your birthday. We started this years ago and every non birthday sibling is as excited as the birthday child to give the little wrapped trinkets on the hour and it makes the birthday last all day and is just special for everyone and keeps the excitement up.

Brysan, Aidan and  I ran to Kroger after giving them their first little present and after Brysan picked out the best looking bags of sour gummy worms, we came home with Harper’s favorite powdered sugar donuts. Malachi was about to pee his pants to give the twins their costumes. Malachi and Aidan brought them in laid them in front of them them and they went crazy playing in them and Judah refusing to remove it for the next hour. Because we couldn’t wait to really blow their mind, Addison and Bryan go outside to get  their big big present ready. ( 2 months ago I found the motorized  jeep I’ve been wanting for them on craigslist, we’ve never had one for any of our kids and so we were all so excited to see them receive the jeep). 

Unsure of which one of us 10 was more excited to witness the unveiling of the jeep. We all stood around with smiles as Judah and Harper went crazy. Judah drove and Harper was too busy cackling and laughing to gripe out directions and orders. The entire day has been full of joy, love and the confirmation once again from my Heavenly Father that He called us to this amazing job. It is days like to day that make me so tickled to have 10 children and the desire to be blessed again. 

Twinkie love today erased all fears that weigh on our shoulders, blessed peace was gifted to us for today. All the stresses of houses, jobs, money and other things will be waiting for us, but today we were all just in the moment all reveling in the multiplied joy that came to us 2 at a time 3 years ago.

Time has flown when I think that at  9:51 3 years ago tonight after many many hours of my fabulous OB trying to turn an ornery baby boy who had his feet stuck in my cervix,an emergency c section was done and a feisty blond 5 pound 10 oz baby boy was pulled from my womb. 3 minutes later his screaming sister who was a whopping 4 pounds 10 ounces was pulled out as well. My fabulous OB shouted out  ” you’ve got one of each Valerie, that will make all your kiddos happy”.  Happy doesn’t adequately describe the joy felt when after 4 months of  bedrest. And the love of our beloved twinkies didn’t start at that announcement of their arrival. The saying it takes a village couldn’t be more true.  Without the amazing group of our homeschool family we would not have carried these precious bundles to term. We had Godly women in our house daily loving my children like their own, feeding my family, scrubbing my toilets and committed to giving these twinkies inside me the very best chance possible. I am pretty sure no other twins have been more loved by such a large group of people. Every day when I look at Judah and Harper’s precious faces I am thankful for the hands and feet of Jesus. 

Judah and Harper multiplied the joy when they joined us on the outside. Judah had an 8 day nicu stay that separated them at birth. With in minutes of being reunited 7 days later Judah put his arm around her and she snuggled into him.They have been inseparable ever since. Everything in their little lives revolves around the other one. We had always wanted wanted twins and it has been better than we even imagined it to be. We love you twinkies– Judah Pie and Harper Honey.