Busy little bees....

Abbe, we are indeed back in our little nest and nesting is in full swing. Joelie is home this week and so we are taking turns getting things done. The washing mashing is chugging, chugging, chugging, our favorite music playing, chili bubbling on the stove, toys put back in their basket, new books and such have found their spot, family bed being altered to accommodate rolly pollies...all the while babies playing, sitting, crying, giggling, rolling, grabbing, eating, kicking, bouncing, sniffling (poor Sammy), teething (again, poor baby Sam), splashing in their bath and looking out the window at the falling, fascinating snow.
It is all tiring and wonderful at the same time--like most days are:) Hope you had a good one, Jen

Um, wow!

We made it. We are home and it feels so good to be here. The babes are such troopers and after a small battle with Continental to let Shari help me get to the gate (we won-I think the TSA supervisor saw the desperation in my eyes), the flight went well. Amelia slept almost the whole way and Sam slept a long while too and then just searched around for people who would give him eye contact so that he could smile at them:)

Jim and I had a talk on the way to the airport about some tragedies we had recently heard about and about how life can be so darn sad sometimes. Then we talked about the deep joy that life brings too and how rich our days can be because of that. Well, I experienced that on a small scale on our travels that very night. The steely, uncaring, tired eyes of the Continental lady who didn't even look up at me and said "NO" when I told her my situation. That was a bit tragic. Then the big, teddy bear TSA supervisor who heard my plight and said, "Watch this" and went over to that same lady and got Shari a pass. That was pretty joyful. Then the nice guy who whizzed us to our gate in his cart and was so helpful and kind. Then the people who looked up in fear as I walked by their seat with one baby in a sling and one in a carseat, their eyes screaming "Please don't sit here!!!" Okay, I can't blame them. But then there was the nice, fresh faced college guy who did sit next to us and sat right down and asked Sam his name. Then he said, "My very, very best friend's name is Sam so I like you already." We liked him too. We also liked the man who insisted on helping me and carried Amelia in her carseat all the way to the baggage claim and into her daddy's arms.

We got home around 1:30 am and Joel got the babies to sleep while I crashed into bed. The "um, wow!" is my reaction to the winter wonderland that is Salt Lake City right now....here is some eveidence for you. Hope you are warm and cozy wherever you are, Jen

Home again, home again, jiggity jog......

Tomorrow we fly back to Salt Lake City. To the snow, to the cold....to our home. To our big bed where we can all sleep together again, to our little routine that makes life easier most days, to our friends and church and to Joel who is in route via the Outback as we speak. It is always bittersweet leaving, and this time is no different. It has been a challenge moving the babes around so much, trying to get in consistent naps, etc. but it has all been SO worth it. What precious memories and moments we have had, ones that will be treasured in my heart for a long,long time to come. Lots of pictures to come once I get home and settled, Jen

Sister sits up...

"Look everyone, my first tooth!"

Privileged is how I feel....

On the eve of Christmas, the celebration of our Saviour coming to this earth as a mere human babe, I feel privileged to know His tremendous love and grace.

I feel privileged to be with my family this year, surrounded by love and warmth (I love you Texas sunshine:).

I felt so privileged this weekend that Joel and I were able to be a part of a wedding that joined two people so close to us that they feel a part of our very core. I still can't quite wrap my mind around the fact that they will forever be one. I love it.

Of course, I also feel privileged to be a mama this year to these precious, hysterical babies.....



And to be a wife to their sweet papa who loves them and their mama so...

And to be an Auntie to their new, beautiful cousin Echo...


It is all overwhelming and I just give praise to the Lord for every good thing in life. Merry Christmas and much, much love to you dear family and friends!

The wait is over...

Baby Echo was born this morning at 5:45 am! Mama, Papa and baby are all doing very,very well. The labor, though of course extremely challenging and painful, went just as Tara and John Mike hoped and prayed for. She had a very uncomplicated, low intervention, drug free birth. I am so proud of Tara's perseverance and patience as she waited and labored for their new, precious little one. We welcome you Echo with open arms!

The very silly Hunt elves wishing you a Merry Christmas...

Click here

I hate (to love) Anthropologie.

Really, I do. It is one of those stores where you (or, at least, I) walk in and immediately get a stomach ache because you see 25 things that you suddenly don't know how you were living without and you know those things cost waaaaaay too much. A t-shirt that I really liked cost $68. Um, no. So you walk around coveting,coveting,coveting all of the miniature people that work there with their energetic smiles and oh,so cool clothes and walk out feeling like a very tired, frumpy, mismatched mama of twins. Oh wait, that would just be me. But seriously, is it worth going into places like that? After today I am thinking not for me. I left with a much better feeling when we walked out of the children's thrift store where we got some oh, so cute things for Amelia that ended up being 1/2 off of the already super cheap price! Yay!

In other much more important news, we are still here in New Braunfels awaiting baby Echo's arrival. She is now 7 days overdue but we expect her any time now:) We are having a great time with her mama and daddy and grandparents and auntie Robin and cousin Dude while we wait! Here are some pictures I love from our visit to Austin today. Hope you all are well, Jen

How sweet it is to be loved by Dude!

Bub and Robin have a dog named Dude. Dude is far from an average dog--he is truly part human I think. Yesterday really confirmed that for me as he helped me take care of the babes. I'm serious! One would start to cry and he would trot over to it and start to comfort it by licking it's belly or letting them pull on his fur. He did this for a couple of hours. I felt like I should have paid him for being such a helpful babysitter, but he said not to worry about it as he loves being the oldest cousin:) Anyway, here is a little video of Dude taking care of the babes while I watch Ellen. What?! I totally trust him and babysitters willing to watch twins are hard to come by (just kidding family)!

Cousin Dude

A little peace. A little quiet.

Sometimes it's all he needs. No bells, no whistles. Just a look at his Grammy's face and all is right with the world. I'm right there with you Sammy.

Happy Birthday Robin!

We love you!

A little glimpse.....

Amelia enjoys rolling over and grabbing whatever Sam may have in his hands and putting it into her mouth. I guess since he didn't have anything she decided to play with his head:) Silly, precious babes.

Amelia and Sammy

Mothering by grace....

Oh how I long to be a mother who gives grace...to my babes, to myself, to other mamas. We had a rough night last night with the babies waking up continuously from 10-2 crying, crying,crying. We couldn't figure out what was wrong and it felt so helpless. In my head I could hear myself saying to another mama (or when I left her company)in the same situation, " If you just do this or that then they would probably be sleeping better." The solution,of course, is never that simple. So when in my sleepy stupor I started to beat myself up over sleep habits, question our whole parenting philosophy,etc. the song came into my mind, "Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within....Grace, grace, God's grace...." over and over and over. So I prayed for wisdom, and I am praying still. I know there are lots of methods out there, and we have tried a few. I want what is best for these two specific babies, though, and if having twins has taught me anything it is that babies are not cookie cutters! So, until we figure out the best way to gently help them sleep through the night I pray for grace and I thank God for the reminder that the same measure of grace He gives to us needs to be given from ourselves to our children, ourselves, and each other. The great thing is that He makes babies so amazingly cute that after the most frustrating of nights, you wake up and see their precious smiles and decide that you can indeed be a mama again today.

For our dial up friends (ahem, Holly and Travis).....

Here are a few pics since you can't watch the jumping bean video:)

Our own little jumping bean....

Jumping Bean
She loves to bounce, bounce,bounce these days and, of course, we love to watch her! Click on the picture and you can see her in action:)

Attention picture lovers....

I've updated our November photo album on the sidebar. Just double click on it and enjoy! Jen

Sister to Brother: An interview

Bub. Compassionate, thoughtful, affectionate, protective big brother of mine. He was my fierce protector during our public school years, he was my buddy (most of the time:) during our high school years, he was and is my quiet cheerleader throughout my married years. I am thankful for my big brother. I think after reading his words you will see why....

Siblings: An interview: Number 4 (If you missed the other siblings click here for Tara's interview, here for Robin's and here for John Mike's.

JENNY: What is one thing that you love about your life
right now? Please be specific.

Bub: One thing I love right now is getting to see how my siblings care for their children. From Jenny's unending patience and hard work taking care of twins, to Johnny Mike's amazing work ethic and creativity preparing for little Echo. I truly believe those two will have the most gifted children in the world. Being the oldest, I feel like this is my chance to take from their experiences, like I truly hope they have been able to take from mine in the past.

JENNY: Tell me about a vivid childhood memory

Bub: One that I haven't thought about in a while is going to Mrs. Smith's beauty shop at her house to get Grandma's hair done. The smell of the permenent solution(sp), and being able to move up and down on the old barber chair, all the dogs barking when you drove up, getting cookies out of her cookie jar, and her playing the old organ. She always made Grandma feel like a queen.

JENNY: What is one way you fit creativity into your
life?

Bub: I try to be creative in the way I use my time the most. When I'm on the road, I try to see deeper into a town or city than just the surface stuff. It's fun to get off the beaten path and find the really quirky shops( My favorite thing to do is shop for Robin, but she has to tell me not to sometimes), and people that make the city different than any other. It's hard to expain, except that it is really easy to isolate yourself every day on the road, ie: stay on the bus, eat at the same places, etc... So, I try to use my time creatively to search out the uniqueness of each place I am, on the road, and at home.

JENNY: One thing you have learned this past year?

Bub: Raking leaves is not something I would want to do as a living.

JENNY: One way you hope to make this world a better
place?

Bub: Oh, this world doesn't need any help does it? I've tried real hard recently to see the good in every situation, instead of looking for the bad. Sometimes it's not there, and you move on, so in saying that, I'm trying to have a positive attitude in every situation, and hope that rubs off. Unless you mess with my family or friends, and than I will hunt you down to the ends of the Earth and....I know Granny will probably read this, so I'll stop there.

JENNY: One thing you love about your
husband/wife….details.

Bub: Only one huh....Thank God she's good with taxes! OK, I'll do another, She keeps a very clean house, couldnt resist. I love the amazing ability Robin has with kids, she's every kids best friend. It's one area where her patience truly shines through. Amen.

Change of scenery...

Part of the fun of traveling to a new place is getting a change of scenery. That may sound obvious, but the babes have had so much fun exploring all the newness of the homes we stay in, the people we meet, and of course the toys they play with...
They want to say "Thanks Hudson for letting us borrow your swing and playmat...we think they're great!"


Amelia says "Thanks Dude the Dog for being so patient with me. I just love to touch your soft fur!"

"Thanks Echo for letting us open and use your toys before you get here to play with them yourself!"

"Thanks to our daddy for bringing this new, mega fun toy." They cracked us up sitting so still and serious in there little, cozy seats.


Of course, we always have our feet and each other to play with too!




We are all loving this stage of babyness. New changes every day. Lots more to say, but internet time is limited these days. Hopefully soon I can spend a few nice,long hours catching you up on pics (we have hundreds!) and such. Hope you are all doing well. Love to you, Jen

Aunts and Uncles.

I hope you have/had great uncles growing up. I did.
My dad's brother was Uncle Rusty. Rusty was kind, compassionate, gentle, a conservationist and oh how he loved his niece and nephews greatly. We always had shirts from Alculpoco and other exotic places from his travels and I always felt so special wearing them. Rusty left this world way too early, I would have loved to have known him longer and to have known him deeper.
My mom's brother was Uncle Joe. I didn't get to spend a lot of time with him because he lived in Guatemala on and off while I was growing up. He had struggles in this life, but there was quite a soul inside of that man...you can tell it just from his pictures. You can tell it from the things he left behind. I remember when we would visit my grandma's house i would sneak into his room where he stayed when he was in the states and look at all of the interestingness that he had--masks and rocks and cool glass bottles--we even found a real, live eye ball in a medicine bottle one time(long story)! Anyway, I feel like I get to know him even though he isn't here because those who knew him best say that my Bub has so many of his characteristics and mannerisms. I asked him how he would describe Uncle Joe since my memories are fuzzy and he didn't hesitate as he said, "An adventurer. Counter culture. Someone who acted on what he believed." Again, I wish there would have been more time to know him, to understand him, to see his heart.
My Uncle Mike wasn't "really" an Uncle--and yet he very much was. Talk about adventurous! He was mystery and rugged and loved us to pieces.
I only had one Aunt, my Aunt Susan. Thankfully she has been around for me to get to know as I have grown and I have loved getting to know her as an adult. She is such a hard worker, loves her family, and is already such a loving great aunt to Sam and Amelia.

My point in sharing all of this with you is that I have been watching the babes with their Aunts and Uncles and love thinking about what an impact each will make on their lives--so uniquely. I am so excited for these little ones to have such a creative, loving group of our brothers and sisters to love them, teach them, help them grow and help them feel loved.








All for now, Jen

Truly we are....

Thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving from Joel,Jenny, Sam and Amelia

Sling babies...

Fussy hour is much easier to deal with when both babes can be worn....oh so lovely.