And now they are 8.

First off, a shout-out to any Siestas who drop by from Beth Moore's blog! :) I am excited about our Scripture memory team this year. My verse for the second half of January:

And let the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm and establish the work of our hands—yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it.
Psalm 90:17 AMPC

That's an amplified version, so it might sound a little repetitive? But I love it. Savoring the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God. And praying he will confirm and establish the work of our hands this year!

OK, back to the post title.

Seriously. These tiny little babies:

turned 8 years old.

And for good measure, them on Christmas Eve, two weeks before their birthday:

For their birthday, I let them skip school and they had a fabulous day at the children's museum and Chuck E Cheese (they each got to pick a place) with their aunt, uncle and cousin who were visiting from Texas.

My husband was in Israel on their birthday having amazing, life-changing experiences, so we are finally doing their family birthday celebration tomorrow.

So yeah ... 8.

Parenting has been nothing like I thought it would be. Partly, I'm sure, because I NEVER imagined myself having two at once. I always imagined myself easing into motherhood all snuggled up with one peaceful baby. (I'm funny, I know.) Cherishing that time with just one before my attention was split in two or more directions; ironically, that was one thing I most looked forward to about having my first child! God had his reasons for sending my second child along for that same ride. And it's not always so bad ...

Even eight years later, though we've certainly moved past the Survival Mode of the first year or five, it can still be pretty challenging. There are a lot of medical issues in our family. Will and Alex are polar opposites. They love each other, they expertly press all of each other's (and their parents') buttons, they fight frequently, they wrestle and laugh and scream and tattle, and I'm praying that at some point, iron will sharpen iron.

In some ways, not much has changed.

There are definitely some amazing moments. Many laughs and, increasingly, deep and meaningful conversations. Alex is conscientious, a little geography professor, sweet-natured, book-loving, a born traveler, and thrives on routine and traditions. Will is "wide open," a born leader, spirited, surprisingly articulate, energetic, extroverted and thrives on attention and drama!

I look forward to seeing what the next year will bring.