Below My Feet

i'm stuck on this Mumford & Sons song, Below My Feet.
I read a random person's comment on what this song means to them. And i think i agree with most of it. when i listen to it, it fuels my fire for the Lord.

"I believe this masterpiece to be about staying humble and trying to fight the temptation of the flesh. When everything is going well in life, it's easy to stray from God and his word. We begin to think that we accomplished everything on our own and forget to give glory to God. It's in our time of need, when all is steeped in blackened hopes, that we often turn to God for help and direction. God is the one constant in life and God will always be there through all the ups and downs. In a world where your whole life can be flipped upside down in a instant, it's amazing to have something you can always turn to.

Mumford was able to find strength in God and is trying to hold onto the truth that he has found. Christianity is about admitting our flesh is week and admitting that we need God's help in life. By keeping the earth below his feet, Mumford is trying to stay humble so that he won't feel the way he did when he was lost. He is trying to grounded to the lesson that he learned from his past. This is a song I think we can all relate to, or will eventually be able to relate to as life progresses.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." 

above comment taken from here
XO, rachel

9 months & wondering

my girls are 9 months old. wow!
i need to find a blog for moms going through weird emotional hormone swings so i don't feel like i'm the only one. i can't wait until they can talk. i have been having bouts of extreme lethargy and i work out every day, except sundays. is this hormones?

reading this book with my best friend and it's sooooo good. so insightful, so perfect for the current state of "religion" in our society. it tackles the tough questions. it isn't full of hypocrisy nor does it beat you over the head or shove things down your throat. 

i highly recommend it.
now for the random shots of the girls doing their thing......

oh, and yes, i did Ombre my hair. and even in the midst of a really hormonal and difficult week i still liked it. so, that says a LOT! i like how it's growing out and highlights my face. it's fun and super easy to maintain. i really don't have time for much more fashion maintenance at the moment. i'd rather be at the park or relaxing.

i miss every single one of my family members, a LOT.

i've had 2 intense massages that have been great for getting the toxins out of my system
i've been having crying spells in the evenings. nothing too intense. more stress-relieving than anything..... i think.
i know this is just a phase.

i know i  need to hold fast to the assurance.
XOX, rachel

What am I THINKING???

so, i've been doing what people have soo kindly told me is
"making my girls carnival/circus nursery awesome!"
but sometimes, a lot of time, i just look at it and think;

"oh my INsane brain. are Lucy & Sky going to be able to sleep in this chaos that i'm thinking is fun and artistic"?
and THEN
i tell a darling, sweet friend from etsy that i'm more than happy to make 4 custom order hats (seen below) for her BEAUTIFUL family and here i am a million days later still sewing in the ends?!?!?!

Monica, I LOVE YOU.

your patience is INcredible and i promise to add goodies to your bag o' hats
and i promise- THEY ARE COMING!

and THEN
there are these 2 munchkins. my girls (below, wayyyy down there after my ramblings)
did they really live inside my tummy for 38 weeks? did that really happen? do i really have 9 month old girls? is my mom really so giving of herself and of her time to be LIVING with us and taking care of meals and doing laundry and cleaning my house AND helping to RAISE THESE CHILDREN?
seriously?

this cannot be real
and i beat myself up for so many things
and my mom tells me "YOU ARE A WONDERFUL MOM!"
and THEN
i reopen my etsy shop
because i NEED to stop decorating the carnival nursery... but i NEED a creative outlet!
and then my friend Abby posts this link to a blog article on Facebook, which i am SOO bad at tending to it's silly, and i am in AWE of this paragraph
this paragraph about moms being perfect
and it goes like this:
"Somehow in the mixed up media world we've got these thoughts of moms being perfect. Society doesn't give us a break. I mean read this article in the New York Times about the pressure on moms to look a certain way after they give birth. And then? Then we're to be ultra creative, crafty, humorous, happy, chipper, up before dawn, to sleep after dark, with our sinks shined, and the laundry folded, and tomorrow's breakfast in the crockpot, with tomorrow's dinner - pulled from our once-a-month cooking thawing in the fridge, while we work out for 20 minutes on odd days and 40 minutes on even days, and our hair is always done, we're makeup ready, our fridges are stocked, and the craft closet bursting with ideas for that quick perfect afternoon art project that we'll place on our recycled wood and mod podged adorned hand painted chalkboard."and i am laughing
and re-reading it
over and over and over
but i gotta get back to the hats.
because really, they should have been done about 2 weeks ago

(paragraph from this article. go read it. it's awesome!)

XOX, rachel, a mom who is NOT failing;)

Slacker Blogger Mama

i love instagram because it does my blogging for me. every picture i take and share on instagram goes straight to my Flickr account with date and time and commentary.
but i thought i would share this photo, that got the attention of a few other mama's....
this was what i wrote when i shared it:
"I like things organized. But there is something about the chaotic #mess left behind from my #twin #girls exploring that I completely adore. I'm glad we use our space:)"

nothing monumental. just something worth thinking about. i've had a few discussions about it. okay, BEDTIME!
P.S. Lucy's top teeth are EVIL! she cut her first one and her 2nd one is about to bust on through. they are making her miserable:(
park & coffee in the morning:)
XOX, rachel

The Curse part 1

i was going to write an entry about my pregnancy with my twins, who are currently 7 1/2 months old. i started going through all of my iphone photos i had taken throughout and realized, there is NO WAY i can write just ONE entry to tell this story. it's a NOVEL!

but i realllllly wanna share it. so i've decided i will just have to share it little by little.

my pregnancy was so HORRID that i wasn't able to blog much during it.

like, i was sick EVERY, SINGLE, DAY of it horrid.

and i'm not kidding.

and my girls went FULL TERM for twins

38 weeks

of sheer misery

now, would i change a thing? NEVER!!!!! they were worth EVERY SINGLE rancid minute of it.

but it was something for the books. something i want to share, in case any of you other momma's out there are struggling. i feel like i was born to be a "mom" but i do not feel like i was born to be "pregnant".

the photo above is a series of shots i took making silly faces on the day i should have known something was up. the day i should have known i was pregnant.

i will NEVER forget how EXHAUSTED i was just spending the afternoon with my friend Abby's 4, nearly 5 year old son, Kai. i was a nanny for years of THREE boys. i'm the oldest of 5. i grew up baby-sitting mass amounts of kids.

one boy for 3 hours should have been a piece of cake!?!

yet i remember draaaaagggging. trying so hard to keep my eyelids open.

so, i guess technically the first 4-6 weeks weren't pure torture because on this day i was just plain old tired.

it would be about 2 weeks later that the true AGONY would begin.

i had NO IDEA what i was in for....

i think that's enough for today:)

i love you Lucy & Sky

YOU WERE SOOOO WORTH IT

xo, mama

ANATOMY OF A SWIM

Sky took a 3 HOUR nap this afternoon so i decided to take Lucy for a swim. i thought it would be fun to document the familiar views the girls have EVERY time we take them to the pool. i wanted to shoot them in black and white, just because:)

entry ahead

love the sound the gate makes when we open it

sweet little path

ahhhh, the pool in all it's glory!

we take a stop off at the waterfalls.....
let's be honest, we spend half of our time at the falls;)

and we always need to take some time and rest, soak it all in, etc.
nothing like floating in a pool in July....

the LASHES on BOTH of my girls make me gasp EVERY time they are wet.
dad is coming home tomm. AND it is his 31st birthday!
YAAAAAAY
happy weekend:)

XOX, rachel & Lucy

BUBBLES

Who KNEW?

bubbles are possibly THE COOLEST things for kiddos that are 7 1/2 months old

can you say ENAMORED?!?!?!

whoaaaa

i feel another addiction coming on, Charles park being our first

then there is last night...... oooohhh, last night. should i even write about it?

it just proves how altogether LOST i am without my other half! if robert was home i NEVER, EVER would have allowed little ms. Lucy to con me into letting her sleep IN the bed with me.

and when i say "sleep", what i really mean is:

"practice crawling & head-butting mama ALL THE LIVE LONG NIGHT!"

dad would have let me cuddle her for 30 minutes, TOPS, and then put her little scamp-butt back in the crib with her sister. unfortunately, me and my loneliness got all tangled up in a mess of emotions and the 2 of us got a pretty horrid night of rest, if you can even call it that.

but bubbles, ahhhh, the wonder of bubbles makes everything better!

thank you, abby- we've been meaning to do this for a couple months now

XO, rachel

LUCY SITS & SKY GIGGLES

the posture on this child is INCREDIBLE! can you please teach me how you do it, Lucy?
k, thanks!
who doesn't love baby giggles?
it's just 35 seconds of Sky being deliriously tired on GG's bed before being rocked to bed last night but it's contagious

dad left for a mission trip at 4 am this morning.... until saturday.
i'm pretending it's not happening so i don't cry myself to sleep every night.
XO, rachel

FORMULA ICE CUBES

my mom is a GENIUS!

it's true....

we go to the park for at least an hour EVERY morning with the girls- if you follow me on twitter or instagram then you are WELL AWARE of this;)

and EVERY morning my mom and i pack a cooler full of bottles and make ourselves iced coffee with coffee ice cubes that we make so that when they melt we still have STRONG coffee. i don't like carrying the small cooler with the bottles in it but i don't want the milk to get warm and yucky. we live in Florida, needless to say, it's always HOT.

well, we decided to make formula ice cubes!

you just pour some formula in the ice cube tray, freeze and TA-DA- you've got fresh, cold milk cubes for hot, summer days:)

plus, the cold milk feels really good on the girls sore teething gums.

this is just a winner on ALL fronts!

happy Sunday friends:)

XOX, rachel

UNSCHOOLING....

Do NOT freak out!

take a few deep breaths

the more i read about this form of learning the more i am certain that i want this for my girls.

there are MANY reasons why.....

i don't want this post to serve as a debate. i think each family should do what works best for them. i am in NO WAY trying to push my ways of teaching my children onto your children. NO, NO, NO! i promise:)

if you're curious and want some more knowledge on the subject, HERE is a great article on what UNSCHOOLING ACTUALLY IS and where it came from. i also like this PIECE

okay, carry on

just wanted to share this for some people that i love very much.

XOX, rachel

END OF A BIG WEEK

and we are feeling it.

EVERY morning this past week we went for long, intense, walks/runs.

lots of 5-6 milers

yesterday, the 12th, robert and i celebrated 9 years of marriage.

crazy-awesome to see how far we have come:)

profile photo of the infamous srunch-nosey smile!
there were storms this week. followed by bright sunny skies followed by more storms.

Lucy loved looking outside the window

Sky and i have been practicing rolling & crawling. she looks so suspect, above.

i love the different positions, below- the butt up in the air in particular. it's all a part of the process

okay, out to dinner to celebrate yesterday's milestone we go.....

after baths of course:)

XOX, rachel

Here Comes The Sun

i get it..... but i don't like it.
people see me with my girls and say things;
"uh-oh, double trouble!"
or
"2 girls? yikes! just wait til they are teenagers!"
i sometimes would like to back-hand these people
though i never would.
i will admit, sometimes i just snap back with
"i'm double blessed!"
and carry on about my business.
i know all the reasons why these people say the things they do but it doesn't change my feelings on the matter.
and i watch this little video i shot of my girls at the park, where they NEVER cried once, even though it's covered up by music, and i cannot help but think:
people are crazy. this is LIFE! this is LIVING!

xox, rachel, sky & lucy
who are all happy about being together- through every up and down:)

SA STEPHANIE CAME TO TOWN

my sister Stephanie came to visit this past weekend. it was a much needed visit:) she's growing up and getting all gorgeous. that's my muma and her above.
steph captured some beautiful pics of the girls, like this one below of Sky's eyes..... don't mind the drool pool- she's teething, guys- it's what kids do!! embrace it

i love how Lucy is TOTALLY checking her out. what is going on in her brain?!?!? CANNOT wait til these children can speak!

that tongue!
this last shot below is beautiful. they both light up the photo. there's a sparkle in those eyes:)

come back soon auntie Nay Nay. we love you, we miss you.
MWAH!
XO, the crazies

TIME.
don't even get me started on how it flies......
but if i get caught up in watching it do so, then life is just no fun at all.
(i collect vintage alarm clocks. i have at least 20. i only have 1 that is in working order.)
if i've learned one thing about time in this past year, it's that it does indeed HEAL.
i know, i know, we hear it all the time. but i'm so glad it's true!

Lucy took an extra long afternoon nap today, which meant i got some much needed one on one time with my Sky. she giggled and giggled and giggled......
more afternoon light poured in our living room today
i love our house and life is so FULL!
XO, rachel

NIGHT PLAY

see that dark shadow across Lucy's forehead?
that's the sun setting and casting shadows on her as she plays quietly with blocks & teething toys...... after a bath. this is only a big deal because around here we are schedule people. girls bathe at the same time every night, we put them in pajamas and then we rock them and put them to bed. well, throw off your entire day and pitch in some teething and you get some of the above. it makes for pretty pictures:)

scroll through the camera roll on my iPhone and it obvious the girls are teething- SOMETHING IS BETWEEN THEIR GUMS 99 PERCENT OF THE TIME! Sky (above) is chewing up a storm on her finger with daddy. we went to a wonderful couple's home this afternoon for a meeting/brunch about the mission trip that robert is going on next week. Lucy was given Motrin at the beginning of the day. i didn't even think twice about giving it to her, that's how miserable she was:( soooo, we found a cozy room in the left wing of the house to try and just chill out. we looked out the window, as the landscaping was something straight out of a magazine, and i got this shot of Lucy playing with her toes, very much in the shadows. it really captures the mood of today.

this pic of her bottle below, in the window, is again, a mood-catcher....

we came home, i caught a short nap, Sky wouldn't go down and Lucy needed ANOTHER dose of Motrin- yuck! the fussy hour came, which is about 5, and i decided to pack the girls into the van and head towards my latest addiction- Charles park. Surprise, surprise, they were in 7th heaven. look at those 2 sets of feet!

i'm WIPED! and i don't like teething. but i have so much to be thankful for so no more complaining.
Lucy and Sky,  you girls are the JAM!
XOX

ABBY BDAY & SKY WALKER

a happy saturday is what today was:)

a walk at Charles park, good naps, lots of iced coffee, headband wearing for the littles and topped off by a relaxing cook-out with our DEAR friends Zach & Abby plus their 2 boys, Kai & Judah- to CELEBRATE ABBY'S BIRTHDAY!!!

both of her boys are super sweet with our girls. i love the adoration in Kai's face above, as he tries to make Sky smile during her "fussy, teeth-cutting, pre-bath time". it's rough stuff being just 7 months old!

I captured a short video of Abby helping little miss Sky do some walking. it's gonna be a video that i look back on with great affection.

you can hear Lucy's voice in the background, the summer playlist is softly singing and Abby's encouraging words help my girl to put one tiny foot in front of the other.....

XOX, rachel

CHARLES PARK

yesterday we headed out to Charles Park (above- isn't it glorious?) to walk the shady trails with our friends:) it was Rebecca and just 2 of her FIVE awesome boys, Jamey & Will (pictured below).

even though it's super hot and ridiculously humid the shade was awesome and the breezes were a thousand times better than fans.

we spotted a little turtle and i couldn't stop staring at our surroundings.... light cutting through trees in all the right places and SOOO MANY SHADES OF GREEN!

my girls love to be outside- which i couldn't be happier about. they also took a little cat nap, as did Wilson. look at his cool hat!

at the end, Sky was up for some swinging and in a TERRIFIC mood, even though she had JUST cut her 1st tooth that morning- what a CHAMP!
Lucy was a total gem the ENTIRE time, however, you can tell by the look on her face in this photo that she was seriously lacking sleep. she actually looks a little irritated with me even taking this pic, which completely cracks me up!

i love every stage of these little girls life. it gets better every day.
But i really love that we are able to be a bit more flexible during the day and do fun things with our favorite buddies:) the girls are going to grow up surrounded by such great friends. Wilson was born 5 days after them. Rebecca and I couldn't have planned that better if we tried.
And just so you know, WE WERE NOT trying!
but i'm so glad everything turned out the way it did.
happy friday, friends:)

XO, rachel

THE 4TH ON THE 5TH.....

.....because i really just wanted to chill out last night after our big day with friends:)
my mom made the most INCREDIBLE gluten-free flat sugar cookie and used frosting to make an American flag. yeah, she pretty much rocks and ALL 11 kids that were there ate them and LOVED them. SCORE!

girls were decked out in their red, white and blues

we got to the Blunt's house and it was immediate business time for the children in the baby pool. Wilson had some serious matters to discuss with the ladies. Harvest was a bit shocked and Lucy was putting in her 2 cents, per usual. i'm not quite sure what they were talking about but i do know it was INTENSE!

After, Lucy needed to refuel with a carrot

Wilson went back to having happy times in the water and giggling like a champ

Sky arrived a little bit late to the party because she was in deep slumber, which we don't mess with because that girl NEEDS her naps, but she settled right on in with no trouble at all:)

JJ offered me a sip of his lime flavor-ice (so generous) and then posed with all kinds of personality for this pic. the kid's to cool for school.... love him
Lucy and i picked up some elastic headbands on the way home and then it was baths, bottles, music and rocking the kiddos to sweet, sweet slumber

I spent my evening sewing fabric rosettes & plan on making them with velcro backs so they can be interchangeable. i was against the headbands for a LONG time, particularly the ones with the LARGE bows atop. well, time changes things and i've slowly warmed up to the idea. these bands are relatively thin and the rosettes are no more than 1 inch in diameter so they aren't such a "statement piece". i'm excited about them:)
it was a GREAT day! i love my life. i love my friends.
XOX, rachel
(p.s. i used this tutorial as a guide for making my rosettes. i added my own personal touch to them but i think this video is easy to follow and can help to get you started, if you're interested)