“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

Luke 2:19

3/1/2012 – We were driving home from dinner tonight and Nathan said, “Mommy, when I grow up I’m going to be a boy rock star.” Abby asked Nathan, “Are you going to grow your hair long?” Nathan replied, “No, I’m going to have a boy haircut.” At Nathan’s reply, Andy got a big smile on his face!

3/1/2012 – Nathan came in and said he was really hungry and he wanted a little M&M’s. I said, “A little M&M’s won’t fill you up. Do you want a tortilla with cheese?” He thought about it for a second and then said, “OK, I want a lot of M&M’s.”

2//29/ 2012 – Nathan saw the minaret for a mosque today and he turned to me and said, “Are we in Paris?” I said, “No Buddy, why?” He said, “Because I thought that was the Eiffel Tower.”

2/29/2012 – I took Nathan with me to the Hilton Hotel this afternoon & he saw a water sprinkler. He was amazed by it!! He just stood there watching it & asking me a million questions about how the water squirted out of it. I guess he has grown up in Africa – not too many people using water sprinklers here.

2/27/2012 – Nathan knows how to melt my heart. I love when he comes up to me and says, “You’re the best, Mommy!”

2/27/2012 – I heard Nathan talking with Andy about what he wants to be when he grows up. It started out with him being a truck driver, bulldozer driver, etc. It ended with Nathan saying, “I’m going to be Santa when I grow up.”

2/17/2012 – Abby had the day off school today, so we took the kids to the lion zoo. The lions were actually standing up, pacing back and forth and roaring at each other. Our entire family enjoyed this zoo experience.

2/15/2012 – Abby lost her first two teeth. She came home from school & sat in my lap and let me wiggle her teeth. Her bottom left tooth was really loose, so I just pushed on it and it came right out. I then felt her bottom right tooth and it was just as loose. I pushed on it a bit and it came on out. My little girl is growing up!

2/14/2012 – Abby to Nathan, “You are the meanest boy on earth.” Nathan replied, “But God made me.” Abby, “Yes, God made you, but you are the meanest boy on earth.” Sure do love ‘em, even when they’re fighting.

2/9/2012 – At 6:15 AM, I wake up to Abby saying, “Stop staring at me Nathan.” I then hear Nathan say, “I love you Abby.” Then I hear Abby say, “Stop staring at me.” They sounded like a newlywed couple to me.

2/3/2012 – I heard Abby introducing the twins to her friend. She said, “These are my baby sisters & they are adorable!” Made my heart melt.

1/30/2012 – Celebrating the twins first birthday with a party! I loved watching them eat their cake!

1/27 & 1/28/2012 – Watching Abby compete in her very first Field Day at Bingham Academy. I loved watching her win the 3 legged race!

1/25/2012 – Abby got home from school today and said, “Mommy, you know people who lived in the 98’s . . . a really long, long time ago, they must be dead by now.” She got a really surprised look on her face when I told her I was living in 1998.

1/22/2012 – The kids are listening to Feliz Navidad on their CD player. I went in and jokingly sang, “Fleas on the Dog.” Nathan said, “No Mommy, it doesn’t say Fleas on the Dog, it says Police Mommy Dog.”

1/21/2012 – Nathan said he wanted, “jelly toast with bread” for breakfast. I guess he didn’t know that the toast was the bread.

1/20/2012 – I can hear Nathan outside playing hid and go seek. He’s at the front of the house, “1,2,3 . . . “ He’s on the side of the house, “11,12,15.” He’s at the back of the house, “Ready or not here I come!” Funny part I s, he didn’t find Abby or Daddy during his counting spree.

1/19/2012 – Abby has a measuring tape out. She has Andy holding one end up to the top of his head and she is down at his feet with the other end saying, “Daddy, you weigh . . . “

1/16/2012 – Haley took her first steps today. We were videoing her in her room just to see if she would walk & she did. She walked from Andy to me! How exciting!

1/15/2012 – Audrey took two little steps for the first time today. We were at lunch with a group of people at the Pearson’s house and Andy stood her up on the floor and she took two steps.

1/11/2012 – Abby got off her school bus today and said, “Mommy, my bus almost left me at school, but I saw him driving off and told my teacher. My teacher used her hawkie talkie and got the guard to stop the bus for me.”

1/9/2012 – Nathan – “Mommy, does God need keys?” Me, “I don’t think He needs keys Buddy.” Nathan (insistent) – “Yes, He dies need keys because there is a Gate in Heaven.” Made me laugh.

1/6/2012 – The twins first Birthday! I’m so thankful to have them in our family!

1/2/2012 – I love listening to Abby and Nathan play pretend. I do think they spend more time setting up rules for their pretend world than they do actually playing in their pretend world. What’s funny is Nathan will say, “This dog is going to take a nap now.” Abby always revokes his rule by saying, “Actually, that dog isn’t going to take a nap right now.” And then they go on playing and coming up with the next rule for their pretend world.

12/31/2011 – Jet lag is crazy! I enjoyed a nice breakfast by the fire with Andy at 5AM. Nathan woke up around 8 AM and Andy said he’d watch Wall E with Nathan so I could take a hour long nap. I think Nathan could make a DVD commentary because I don’t think he stopped talking the entire time they were watching the movie. It made me smile. I had to close the bedroom door and put a pillow over my head so I could sleep and not listen to Nathan’s questions and fun commentary!

12/25/2012 – Nathan’s quote for the morning, “Grandmama, is it Christmas?” Grandmama, “Yes.” Nathan, “Is it really Christmas?” Grandmamma, “Yes.” Nathan, “So where’s the snow?” Guess he thinks they is supposed to be snow at Christmas.

12/24/2011 – Nathan’s quote from Christmas Eve: Nathan found two last presents and he asked Granddaddy if they were for him. Granddaddy said, “Well, it says it’s for (and he spells out) N . . . A . . . T . . . H . . “ Nathan stops him quickly and says, “My name has a H in it.” I thought it was funny because the NAT didn’t clue him in, but the H sure did.

12/24/2012 – Just found out that Abby has 2 loose teeth. My baby is growing up so fast.

12/17/2012 – Enjoyed taking the kids to “A Night in Bethlehem” at First United Methodist Church Garland.

12/ 13/ 2011 – I love the pedicure kit Abby got for Christmas. It has not only kept Abby and Nathan entertained for hours on end, it has provided many foot massages for Mommy as well.

12/4/ 2011 - Abby LOVES to wear dresses. She’s such a girly girl. I laid out Abby’s clothes this week & I put pants and a shirt out for her (for the second day in a row). Abby walked in and saw her clothes and said, “But Mommy, I can’t wear pants two days in a row!”

11/13/2011 – Andy and I were super busy packing and getting all the last minute things done before we headed to the States. Abby and Nathan were playing a lot on their own today. Andy walked into the living room and found Nathan standing on the back of the living room chair, peeing out the open living room window.

11/11/2011 – Nathan told me, “I will be big when I have whiskers on my face.”

11/5/2011 – Abby was playing with one of the twins this morning and she said, “I just LOVE these babies! They are soooo cute.” My sentiments exactly, Miss Abby!

10/31/2011 – Enjoyed carving a pumpkin with the kids today. After that we made popcorn balls and watched “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” by the glow of our pumpkin light.

10/24/2011 – The kids are doing Vacation Bible School this week during their school break. Nathan is in the “big kid” class for the first time. I must say, it made my heart swell when I walked out the door of our meeting room and I heard Nathan yell from across the field with excitement, “That’s my Mom !”

10/20/2011 – Abby had a fever this morning so I told her she couldn’t go to school. She started crying and said, “But Mom, how am I going to learn if I don’t’ go to school?” I LOVE that she LOVES school!

10/2/2011 – Nathan came in from outside and said, “Alley (our cat) scratched me, but Molly (our dog) licked it so it won’t bleed.”

10/1/2011 – Andy was outside playing with the kids . . I hear, “6 . . 7 . . 8 . . 9 . . 10, ready or not here I come.” Then from across the yard I hear Nathan yell, “We’re over here!!” Just made me laugh!

10/1/2011 – I said, “Abby, you need to go clean up your room.” Abby said, “Why?” I said, “Because you are good at it.” She went into her room & returned a few minutes later and said, “Mommy, the only thing I’m really good at is dancing!” Poor girl, still had to clean her room, but I didn’t mind if she danced while she cleaned.

9/23/2011 – We were driving home from dinner and Nathan said, “Mommy, I am going to be a pilot when I grow big.” Abby quickly chimed in, “Any you know what I want to be?” I said, “What Abby?” She responded, “A Queen!”

9/14/2011 – Celebrated Abby’s 5 ½ year birthday with dinner on the floor in front of the TV. We watched Barbie Fashion Fairytale as a family and then had cupcakes afterwards.

9/6/2011 – Abby scared me at dinner tonight when she said, “This little boy was being mean to me at school so I taught him a lesson.” I said, “Uh oh, how did you teach him a lesson?” She said, “I told him that God says we’re supposed to love people and be nice to each other.” Whew! I wasn’t sure what she was going to tell me. I must say I was relieved with her response!

9/6/2011 – Nathan was looking at our wedding picture today and he said, “Mommy, here’s you & here’s Dad. But where are me and Abby?”

9/1/2011 – I changed Nathan’s wardrobe out to his 3 year old clothes today. He got his first pair of boxer shorts in the switch. He was so excited about them because they were Thomas the train boxer shorts & he immediately put them on. A little while later he came in to me and said, “Mommy, these shorts are broken.” I asked what was wrong with them. He said, “They have a big hole in the front of them!”

8/31/2011 – We ate Chicken and Dumplings for dinner tonight & Nathan kept calling them “Chicken and Ducklings.”

8/30/2011 – We were riding in the car today and Abby asked us, “Who’s the boss of our family.” I said, “Daddy’s the boss of our family.” Nathan chimed in real quickly, “Yes, and I’m the boss of our room!” It made us laugh.

8/30/2011 – We were taking the kids to Kaldi’s and Nathan said, “Are we going to eat there?” I said, “Yes, we’re going to eat ice cream.” Nathan said, “You don’t eat ice cream, you lick it!”

8/24/2011 – Abby’s full name is Abigail. I noticed that all the paperwork that her teacher was sending home said Abigail on it instead of Abby. I asked Abby if her teacher called her Abigail. She said, “yes,” so I said, “Have you told her that you go by Abby?” Abby responded with, “No, I want my friends to call me Abby and my teacher to call me Abigail.” I just thought it was cute that she had an opinion on the matter.

8/23/2011 – Abby’s first day of Kindergarten

8/21/2011 – Abby and I enjoyed our first annual “Back to School” Pedicure today at Boston Day Spa. We had so much fun together getting pedicures! I’m excited about this new tradition.

8/18/2011 – I took Abby with me to the grocery store. Before we went into the grocery store, we stopped for a ice cream next door. Even though we were only in the ice cream store for 15 minutes or so, we had a wonderful conversation, laughed & thoroughly enjoyed each others company. I just love hanging out with my little girl!

8/15/2011 – At lunch I was talking with Abby and Nathan about Proverbs 20:11 – Even a Child is known by his doing. I told them that you will be known by your actions . . . argue, happy, sad, etc. The kids were playing in their bedroom later in the day and Nathan was arguing about something. I heard Abby tell him, “Nathan, do you want to be known as an arguer?”

8/13/2011 – Nathan is definitely the comedian in our family. I asked him earlier today how he got a big chip in his bedroom wall. He said, “I don’t know, maybe a chicken flew in here and did it.”

8/9/2011 – I told the kids I was going to leave them with our housekeeper for a few hours while I ran out to do a little shopping. Abby responded with, “All right! I get to do my first real babysitting today!”

8/4/2011 – Nathan was watching Barney while eating a banana. He handed me the banana peel and asked me to throw it away. I was working on something else so I said, “No, you can put it in the trash.” He said, “But Mommy, I’m BUSY.” It made me smile. He still had to pu this own banana peel in the trash though.

7/27/2011 – Andy was just about to feed the babies some rice cereal last night. Nathan came in and asked Andy if he would play with him. Andy told him he couldn’t play because he was going to feed the baby. Nathan thought about it for a second and then said, “But Daddy, you don’t have any milk.”

7/25/2011 – Abby and Nathan were arguing in their room. I heard Abby tell Nathan, “God says that you are supposed to love other people AND SHARE!”

7/21/2011 – I told Abby I sure was going to miss her during the day while she’s away at school. In a loving, but funny way she responded with, “Mom, you’re being really weird.”

7/3/2011 – Abby was talking to Grandma Snow about Kleenex the other day and Abby said, “Grandma, is this sneeze paper?”

6/29/2011 – We were quite a few hours into our drive from Texas to Missouri when Nathan asked me, “Mommy, are we still in America?”

6/30/2011 – We pierced the twins ears today.

6/26/2011 – Had soooo much fun fishing with the kids today. We caught a fish just about every time we threw our hook in the water. I asked my girly girl, Abby, if she wanted to go fishing with us . . . She shook her head yes and then said, “Can I wear a dress?”

6/23/2011 – Abby and Nathan were playing and I heard Abby say, You are the best brother I ever had.” It made my heart melt!

6/15/2011 – Abby told me earlier today that she was going to pack her carry on all by herself. I looked in her bag this evening & what I saw just melted my heart. She had a few toys for herself, lots of cars for her brother and her Bible.

6/10/2011 – Abby and Nathan have the hardest time telling the babies apart. So, instead of calling them by name they just call them sister/sisters. All day long I hear, “Mommy, sisters are smiling . . . Mommy, sisters are sleepy . . . Mommy, can I kiss sister?, etc.” I just love it!

6/6/2011 – Karen was given 2 chickens as a gift. I enjoyed spending the day teaching the kids how to kill a chicken, clean it, etc.

6/5/2011 – Nathan was in the shower last night & I asked him if he was ready to get out. He wasn’t quite ready to get out so he said, “Mommy, I amn’t (am not).” Gotta love all the irregularities in the English language.

6/5/2011 – I can tell my kids have grown up in Africa. Yesterday they were playing restaurant. Nathan was the waiter & Abby was ordering food. She would say, “I want pizza.” Nathan’s response was always, “We don’t have that today, what else do you want?” Just like restaurants here.

6/4/2011 – Abby melted our hearts today. Andy said, “I love you Abby.” She responded, “I love you to the moon and back.”

5/8/2011 – I love that Abby is old enough to put her personal touch on a Mother’s Day gift. She gave me roses with gold glitter sprinkled all over them. Andy said he ordered the flowers and turned around and Abby had already asked the salesman to sprinkle them with lots of glitter. That’s so Abby. I love it!

5/9/2011 – Riley asked Abby, “Abby, what’s your favorite color?” Abby responded, “My favorite color is pink and purple with sparkles.”

5/5/2011 – The twins noticed each other for the first time today. They started cooing back and forth to each other & Audrey got a huge smile on her face each time Haley “talked” to her. It was cute!

5/2/2011 – Haley and Audrey both laughed for the first time today. They both laughed at the same thing. I was holding them on my lap and I stretched their arms out to the side and said, “Ohhhhh.” They both thought it was hilarious.

5/2/2011 – I taught Abby how to play Uno today & she beat me 3 out of 4 games!

4/28/2011 – I walked into Nathan’s room this morning and he had a pen and paper in his hand. I said, “What are you doing?” He said, “I’m having my quiet time.” It made me smile!

4/20/2011 – We were praying for Libya tonight with the kids and Abby started her prayer by saying, “God, I want to pray for Olivia . . . “

4/19/2011 – This morning Abby said, “Mommy, can you get me a dress that is pretty, styley and very girlish?” Andy responded with, “I think she had that all covered when she said DRESS.”

4/15/2011 – I love watching Abby and Nathan playing together. Right now Nathan is driving them around town in their car (our chair and foot stool) and Abby is watching the baby that’s sitting in a basket in the back seat.

4/7/2011 – One of the guys that works for us is named Abraham. He adores Nathan and plays with him all the time. Nathan can’t quite say his tame, but I think it’s cute how he calls him “Bubbleham.”

3/19/2011 – Abby was playing with one of her friends today and she came in and told me, “Mommy, he said you turn 4 and then 5 and that is not true. You have to turn 4 ½ before you can turn 5.”

4/19/2011 – We were driving over to look at our new house and Abby asked me, “Mommy, are we going to our sweet home sweet?”

3/16/2011 – At dinner Nathan wrapped his arms around me, kissed me on the cheek and said, “You are my sweetheart, Mama.”

3/14/2011 – I overheard Abby talking to someone about going to a Korean Restaurant (which Abby thinks is Chinese) for her Birthday dinner. She said, “I wasn’t born in a Chinese Country, but I LOVE Chinese food.”

3/14/2011 – Abby is 5 years old today! We told her she could choose any restaurant in the city to go to for her Birthday. Without a moment’s hesitation she said, “I want to go to the Korean Restaurant so I can have sushi and noodles.” That sounds so funny to me coming out of my 5 year old’s mouth.

3/9/2011 – Nathan asked me if we could eat at McDonald’s today. I told him that we didn’t have McDonald’s here, but we could eat there when we vacation in the States. He promptly replied with, “Do they have McDonald’s in America?” I thought it was funny!

3/9/2011 – Audrey rolled over for the first time today. I just love these little baby milestones!

3/3/2011 – We’ve been in transition so we’ve eaten out a lot in the past week. Tonight Abby asked me if we could go out to dinner. I told her we were going to eat at home. She said, “But Mommy, please, please, please let us go out to eat. It’s been like a whole day since we’ve eaten out.”

2/16/2011 – Two of my favorite things today: Abby has been calling the babies, “Mrs. Audrey and Mrs. Haley.” I took a nap today & Nathan woke me up by saying, “Me cuddle with you Mommy?” I love my life!

2/11/2011 – Andy’s conversation with Nathan this morning . . . “Do you love your sisters?” Nathan replied, “Yes, they’re my girls.” He knows how to melt his Mommy’s heart.

2/10/2011 – Andy bought Nathan a wooden train whistle at the toy store. When he gave it to Nathan Abby asked, “Daddy, did that whistle break off the train?”

1/31/2011 – Abby asked me, “Mommy, can we please have a pony at our new house in the Capital . . . a baby pony . . . and you and Daddy can train it so it won’t run off, OK?”

1/17/2011 – Abby watched a mermaid movie today & we told her that mermaids were not real. During Bible Story tonight Andy asked Abby if there was anything God couldn’t do. Abby promptly said, “Yes!” Andy said, “What can he not do?” Abby said, “He can’t make mermaids.”

1/6/2011 – Audrey Koleta and Haley Claire joined our family!

1/4/2011 – Abby’s quote for the day . . . “Mommy, does Batman help bats?”

12/30/2011 – We’re going to have the babies Jan 6^th if they don’t’ arrive before then. I asked Abby if there was anything she still wanted to do before the babies arrived. Without hesitating she said, “Yes, I want to go to the mall and play in the balls, I want to go to the children’s museum with Daddy and I want to go to the toy store.” So, we started off today at the mall so she could play in the balls!

12/ 26/2010 – We are in Jordan and we rode in a taxi today. As we were getting out of the taxi, Abby told the taxi driver, “Thank You” in Arabic. He responded with, “You’re welcome” to her in Arabic. Then she turned to me and said, “Mommy, I think I finally understand this language.” I wish knowing Thank You in a language was all it took to really communicate.

12/23/2010 – I know we SKYPE a lot because I was asking Nathan where people were in the room. “Where’s Grandmamma,” he’d point to her, etc. I thought I’d throw him a curve ball by asking, “Where’s Grandma Cheeseballs (she’s in the States)?” He quickly responded, “She’s in computer.”

12/20/2010 – I told Abby we are going to the Dead Sea tomorrow and she asked, “Are we going to see seals there?”

I guess she thought since it was a sea there should be seals.

12/ 14/2010 – I showed Nathan a picture of one of my American friends new baby & I told him that was what our babies are going to look like. His comment was, “It’s a pink baby.” Nathan has now been asking me all morning if our babies are going to be, “pink babies.” I guess most of the babies he’s seen in his lifetime have been African babies.

5/13/2010 – I went to the Doctor today & saw the babies through ultrasound. The Doctor showed me each of the babies faces today. What a sweet moment. I can’t wait to meet them.

5/13/2010 – Abby made this random comment today, “Mommy, can we go to the Dead Sea and have a picnic with Santa Clause on the beach?”

12/8/2010 – While Andy and Nathan were out running an errand, Abby and I spent some time packing a hospital bag for the babies. She was so cute. She looked at every baby outfit we have picking and choosing what the babies should wear the first few days after they are born.

12/8/2010 – Abby’s prayer at lunch, “Thank you God for planets and earth and outer space. And God, please make a really big rocket ship so that Mommy and me and Daddy and Nathan can go to outer space.”

12/6/2010 – I asked Abby this evening, “Abby, did you know that you’re about to be a big sister to 3 other people?” In a very silly and fast voice she said, “Yes, I know and I don’t have 3 eyes, so I have no idea how I’m going to watch 3 other people.” I just cracked up!

12/5/2010 – I watched Miracle on 34^th Street with Abby this afternoon. We were watching the courtroom scene & Abby said, “Mommy, why doesn’t Santa Clause have a twinkle in his eye?”

12/2/2010 – I was taking a nap with Nathan earlier today. When we woke up Abby came in the room, gave me a hug and said, “Good morning Sleeping Beauty.” To which Nathan replied, “No Abby, that’s Mommy.”

11/29/2010 – Had a great time watching The Very First Noel with the kids. We sat on the couch, Abby laid her hand on my lap, Nathan held my hand and the babies were both kicking inside my tummy. What a great Movie night with all 4 of my kiddos.

11/24/2010 – I made an apple pie for our Thanksgiving get together. Andy took the kids to the park so I could work on the pie. I took my pie out of the oven just before they returned. Nathan ran in the house & went straight to the kitchen before we saw him. He took a big handful of crust out of my pie. Good thing is, nobody seemed to notice the little 2 year old handprint in my pie at our Thanksgiving get together.

11/22/2010 – We were eating ice cream this evening and Nathan dropped his entire ice cream on the ground. Abby looked over at him and said, “It’s OK Nathan, you can share with me.” She shared the rest of her ice cream with her brother. She just made my heart so happy!

11/21/2010 – Nathan came into the room and said, “Mommy, I fall down.” I said, “Oh, I’m sorry little man, do you want me to kiss it?” Nathan replied, “Yes (pointed to his poopy bottom), bottom fall down, kiss it.”

11/18/2010 – I think it’s funny that my kids love sushi (California Rolls). It sounded funny to me at snack time when

Nathan said, “Mommy, more sushi please.”

11/14/2010 – I asked the kids what their favorite part of our Petra trip was. Abby said, “The cat that had kittens that we got to see.” Nathan said, “The bus that we came on.” I thought it was funny that those were their choices amidst all the awesome rock carvings, caves, etc.

11/8/2010 – Andy told Abby that he didn’t fly on an airplane until he was in his 20’s. Abby(who has grown up oversea her entire life) said, “But Daddy, How did you get to America?”

11/1/2010 – Found out that the twins are girls ! So excited !

10/26/2010 – Nathan was laying down in his pack-n-play at nap time & he was having a hard time getting to sleep. All of a sudden I heard his beautiful, off-tune voice singing Holy Holy Holy & then Seek Ye First at the top of his lungs. It made me smile.

10/23/2010 – Nathan woke up in the middle of the night, so I went in to check on him. Nathan’s crying woke Abby up just a little bit & she sat up in bed & half-asleep said, “Mommy, I’m real happy you’re my Mamma.” Just made that middle of the night wake-up call so sweet to me.

10/18/2010 – We’ve been watching Green Acres lately. Abby asked me this evening, “Mommy, can we have a nice house like Mr. and Mrs. Douglas have?” I just had to laugh. I thought our house was a lot nicer than the Green Acres house. I asked her what made their house nice & she said, “They have a really nice wheel in front of their house.”

10/2010 – I was showing Abby some video’s of her uncle Jamie doing some Occupational Therapy. She watched the video’s very closely & as soon as we were finished she said, “Mommy, we should pray for Uncle Jamie.” Then she prayed a sweet little prayer asking that God would make Uncle Jamie all better.

10/2010 – I was lying in bed one morning. Abby and Nathan were both awake, but I had not gotten Nathan out of his bed yet. I heard Abby walk into their room and impromptuly say, “I Love You Nathan !” It was a great way to start off the morning.

10/16/2010 – We carved a pumpkin today. While we were carving the pumpkin, Abby, who has never been in the States for Halloween, asked me if we could get dressed up in costumes this evening and go beg for candy from our friends. This is what she interpreted Halloween to be from Charlie Brown’s the Great Pumpkin Video. I just had to chuckle.

10/2010 – We had two local friends come over to visit. I asked them if they wanted anything to drink & they told me they didn’t. Abby knew you were supposed to get people something to drink when they arrived, so she went and got two cups, filled them with water and brought them to our friends. I love her little servant heart !

10/15/2010 – Abby’s having a hard time with packing up our house & moving to a new house. I was talking to her today about how we’d have a new house closer to some of her friends. She got all excited and said, “Can our new house be a hut?”

10/6/2010 – Abby asked me what we are having for dinner tonight. I told her chicken salad sandwiches & salad. She said, “Oh, that reminds me of Chucky Cheese and eating pizza and playing the games!” I’m not sure what about our dinner plans sparked that memory, but I’m glad she remembers the fun times she had in the States!

10/5/2010 – Abby told me at dinner time that when you say, “onions,” that is yucky. When you say, “onion rings,” that is yummy. Good thing we were having onion rings for dinner this evening.

10/2010 – Nathan has started saying Please and Thank you all by himself. It just warms my heart when he uses one of those words in his sentences!

9/24/2010 – Nathan loves any kind of vehicle/airplane. He’s having a hay day today because there are bulldozers out front fixing our road. He’s beyond excited!

9/19/2010 – Abby was real quiet today & Andy said, “Abby what are you thinking about?” Abby said, “Oh, I’m thinking about when I’m older & can go to Disney Land and have a pocket knife.”

9/17/2010 – Nathan will not only point out all the spiders in our house, he will now pick the dead ones up with a Napkin and put them in the trash !

9/2010 – Our electricity was out one night, so we were just waiting around for the kids bedtime. To pass the time we turned on the flashlight. We taught Nathan about shadows & he absolutely LOVED it !! He kept putting his hand in front of the flashlight so he could watch his shadow on the ceiling. It ended up being a really fun night.

9/13/2010 – Abby asked me today what we are going to name the babies. I told her that we didn’t know yet. She said, “I know what we should name them. If it’s a girl, we should name her giraffe. If it’s a boy, we should name him cow.”

9/3/2010 – I got to see the twins on ultrasound today. I can’t wait to meet our new little ones!

8/29/2010 – Abby woke up in the middle of the night & asked for some water. Andy took her some water & I heard Abby say to him, “Having kids is hard, isn’t it?” I just had to smile as Andy assured her that having kids was one of his favorite things in the whole wide world.

8/28/2010 – Abby was sitting on the floor real quietly & I said, “What are you doing Abby?” She said, “I’m just thinking about how I would like to have a pocket knife when I turn 5.” I don’t think that’s going to happen, but I think it’s sweet that she wants to be like her Daddy.

8/24/2010 – Abby attended her first day of school. Even though it’s just preschool & she’s only going when we’re in the Capital, it still surprises me how grown up she’s become.

8/2010 – I love how polite Nathan is. He loves to say thank you anytime we do something for him. I also love how he comes up to me and tells me, “I Love You” all on his own.

8/2010 – Nathan was playing with a doll & he was pretending to tuck it in to bed. He leaned down, patted the doll on the stomach and said, “Night Night, I Love you.”

8/8/2010 – Started feeling the babies kick a lot today. I can’t wait to meet the two newest additions to our family.

8/8/2010 – Abby found a broken necklace that I threw in the trash can. She came in crying and said, “Mommy, don’t throw away my whoop.” I said, “You’re what?” She said, “My whoop.” I said, “What’s a whoop?” She said, “It’s one of those things you hit a horse with (a whip).”

8/2/2010 – Abby was pretending to be a ballet teacher this evening. Daddy was her student. She showed him what to do, he tried it & then she said, “Daddy, you can just sit over there and watch.” That just made me laugh.

7/31/2010 – Abby asked me, “Mommy can we go on a big, big boat . . . a cruise ship?” I’m not sure where she learned about a cruise ship in this land locked country, but I sure do like her idea !

7/26/2010 – Nathan was sitting out on the front porch of a friend’s house. Our friend’s 3 year old little boy was sitting next to Nathan. Nathan had a sucker and I saw him take a lick and then he leaned over and gave his little friend a lick. This went on over and over again.

7/26/2010 – Abby ate some hot stew at a friend’s house. She leaned towards me, blew

a big breath in my direction and said, “Mommy, did I breathe fire?”

7/2010 – Abby brought a beach ball in and asked me to blow it up. The she said, “Mommy I going to give this ball to my kids when I grow up & I’m going to blow it up for them any time they ask me to.”

7/2010 - I got some new glasses and the first thing Abby said was, “Mommy, you look like a cheetah.” I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not.

7/6/2010 – We found out we were having twins and we told Abby. She said, “Mommy, how are two babies going to fit in your tummy?”

76/6/2010 – We found out we were probably having twins. I felt so incredibly blessed! I saw the babies for the first time on an ultrasound on this evening & it was confirmed on a more detailed ultrasound the next day.

6/2010 – Sometimes people ask us to translate things that are difficult to translate into the local language. Abby beat everybody when she asked Andy, “Daddy, tell her (her babysitter) that she’s the biggest mermaid in the treasure box.”

6/2010 – We told Abby that the new baby is due after Christmas. At dinner Abby was praying and she said, “God, when will Christmas be done because I really miss my baby sister (she’s sure we’re having a baby girl).”

6/3/2010 – Abby made my day by looking at me and saying, “Mommy, you know what? I love you very much!”

6/3/2010 – Abby woke up this morning and looked out the window. It was SUPER foggy. She then came into my room and said, “Mommy, why is it so dusty outside?”

6/1/2010 – Abby asked me this evening, “Mommy, what is a Mary Godfather?” (fairy godmother)

5/2010 – Abby told me, “Mommy, I can’t entain (entertain) two people at once because I’m too lazy.”

5/2010 – Every morning Nathan wants to pick out a spoon for breakfast. I pick four or five kid spoons out of the drawer, hold them out to him and he chooses which one he wants to use for breakfast. Lately he started looking at the spoons and then he wants to choose one for Abby before he chooses one for himself. He’ll pick a spoon out for her & take it to her and then he’ll come back for his spoon. I just love his little servant heart.

5/2010 – Abby and Nathan were in the living room playing all by themselves. I was in the next room & I heard Abby singing to Nathan. She was making up a song and it said, “Nathan we love Jesus and he died on the cross and came alive again and he will forgive our sins.”

4/2010 – Abby was making up her own language. It was nap time so I asked her, “How do you say lay down and go to sleep in your language?” She told me how to say it so I repeated the word. Abby then said, “That word also means ‘go play’ in my language.”

4/2010 – Abby’s cat scratched her a lot today & Abby was a little upset about it. Afterwards Abby went into the front yard to play with Molly (our dog). Molly was in the back yard and Abby couldn’t find her. Abby came and asked me to help her look for Molly. I walked outside & Abby disappointedly said, “Oh no, I don’t have a dog anymore, I ONLY have a cat.”

4/2010 – Abby was watching Beauty and the Beast. A scary part came on & Abby started crying. Nathan went over to her and sat down on the floor next to her. He reached his arms around her & hugged her. Abby turned towards me & said, “Mommy, Nathan’s taking care of me.”

4/2010 – Abby was standing in her chair at the table & she fell out of her chair and started crying. Nathan reached over, grabbed Abby’s head and gave her a big hug and kiss.

3/2010 – Abby came up to me and said, “Mommy, I know Nathan is my best friend, but he ISN’T sharing with me.”

3/2010 – Abby was having a hard time obeying & I told her she needed to come to me so I could discipline her. She said,” But Mom, you’re disturbing my wedding!” If I’d know it was her wedding day, I might have been a little more lax in the discipline.

3/2010 – Abby told me her favorite food is mushrooms.

3/2010 – I think we’ve told Abby too much about our friend Guzehein dying in a car accident. We were in a VERY minor fender bender yesterday & after Andy got back in the car Abby said, “Daddy, am I going to die?” Andy, “Not right now, why?” Abby, “Oh, we were in an accident, so I thought I was going to die.” It didn’t seem like it was sad or anything to her, just a normal everyday question.

2/2010 – Abby and Nathan were flower girl and ring bearer in our friends wedding. They looked so cute in their outfits. Abby wore a miniature wedding dress & Nathan wore a suit.

2/2010 – We’re sitting at the table eating breakfast and Abby asks me, “Mommy, can we please say hook ‘em horns in this family?” Where did she learn that?

1/2010 – Abby was kissing Nathan goodnight & she so sweetly said, “Mommy, Nathan’s a really good little brother.”

1/2010 – Andy asked Abby what she wanted to be when she grows up. She quickly responded, “A builder, a ballerina, a truck driver & a princess.”

12/2009 – I love that Abby is hospitable, but I wish she’d ask me before she invites somebody over for dinner. She’s invited people over on two different nights when all I had planned to cook was just enough to feed our family.

12/2009 – I pulled a big bugger out of Nathan’s nose. I said, “Wow Nathan that was a BIG bugger.” Abby quickly responded, “Can I eat it?” To which I very quickly responded, “NO.”

12/2009 – Abby comes out of the bathroom carrying feminine products. Andy said, “Abby go put those back in the bathroom.” Abby responds, “But I’m a wise man and these are my gifts for Baby Jesus.”

11/2009 – Nathan kissed me for the first time.

11/2009 – Abby held my head in her hands as we lay in bed and she said, “You’re a really good Mommy.”

11/2009 – Abby VERY randomly asked me, “Mommy, I want a baby sister. Can we go to Dubai and get one?”

11/2009 – Abby told me that she was going to go back to America with Uncle Luke and Aunt Lindsey & stay for 40 days so that she can get her ears pierced.

11/2009 – I let Abby take a shower & I walked in and from outside the shower curtain I asked, “What are you doing?” My 3 year old’s response, “I’m shaving my legs.” Sure enough she had my razor & was shaving her legs.

10/2009 – Abby opened the lid of the pumpkin we carved & said, “Hello Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus.”

10/2009 – Abby was sitting on the potty & Nathan was tearing the toilet paper. He handed some to Abby & she said, “Thank you, Nathan!”

10/2009 – Abby was in time out & she asked if she could get out. I said, “No.” She said, “But Mommy, I forgive you.”

10/2009 – The power goes off way to often around our house. Abby came into the room with a scarf tied to her back. She told me that she was a superhero & that her super power was, “turning peoples electricity back on.”

I shaved our dog Molly to get rid of her dreadlocks. Abby was playing outside & I noticed that she took her clothes off. I said, “Abby you need to put your clothes on.” Her response, “But Mommy, I want to be naked like Molly.”

9/2009 – Nathan looks up at his Daddy & signs “more” to him because he wants Daddy to hold him some more.

8/2009 – Our friend was reading Romans 3 for House Group. Abby climbed up on the couch next to her. She had an adult Bible in her lap & she said she wanted to read the Bible. Our friend said, “OK.” Abby looked at the Bible & pretended to read and said, “Jesus died on the cross & after 3 days he came alive again. They put his body in a cave & then he came alive.”

8/2009 – Nathan eating his 1^st Birthday Cake

8/2009 – Abby was working on counting with her language tutor. Here they start with their thumb instead of their pointer finger when they count. Desta stuck out her thumb and said, “Ahnd (one).” Abby said, “No, that’s not one, that’s Gig’em Aggies.”