Thomas Jefferson and Me

Have you ever watched a child chase a duck or a chicken?  Now, hold that picture in your head while I fill in the details.

We recently decided to take the kiddos to Washington D.C.  We live relatively close and were going to be over halfway there for another event.  We spent the weeks leading up to the trip looking up facts about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, all the memorials, and the museums.  We watched videos, read books, and looked at lots of pictures.  Little did I know we would learn a much bigger lesson.

The trip was wonderful!  We found parking for our huge van and the boys were real troopers walking miles and miles.  They learned so much and got to experience our country's capitol up close and personal.  However, (now, here is where the duck chasing comes in) everywhere we went Asian tourists would chase our kids down taking their pictures.  One photo here, one snap there.  I think the boys were a little unsettled.  I was thinking my kids are cute so maybe they want a picture of the cutest American kids they have ever seen.

Well, on the second day of our trip we had really worn the kids out, but we decided that one last stop by the Jefferson Memorial wouldn't hurt.  So, with Benaiah sleeping in the stroller and Juliet strapped on we made our way to the portico.  We weren't there for two seconds when a rather large tour group spotted us.  You would have thought we were Jefferson's great-great-great-great grandchildren.  They came pouring over asking to take pictures with us, snapping pictures, giving us thumbs-ups, petting Juliet, asking for hugs, and telling us our family was beautiful.  There were so many people we couldn't move.  Before you start thinking I am exaggerating, an off-duty police officer actually came over to see if I wanted help breaking them up. . . after he finished laughing about the whole scene.  I told him I really was fine and we continued making new friends.  Then, one lady asked Danny, "Does the government pay you for each child?"

The light went on.  Yes, my kids are cute.   Yes, our family is great.  But they were amazed at the size of our family.  Coming from a country where most people have one child, and only recently have citizens been able to APPLY to have a second, of course our family seems like a novelty.  I almost started to cry.  Standing in the memorial of the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence, I was a picture of the freedoms we have in America.  I can't imagine our family without each of our little ones.  Even before they were born I had a desire to have them here.  The strain to want to grow your family and not have that freedom - I can't imagine.  To watch the love blossom between my boys and my precious girl is beautiful.  When I look at my family I see God's grace and blessing.  My thankful heart overflows!

Fantastic Four!

I love my little rascals, even if they have reached the age where it is funny to conceal your identity and keep everyone guessing as to which twin you are!  I can't believe they are FOUR!  Here is a little walk down memory lane and a look into each precious boy's unique personality.

The thing I love most about Huck is his happy-go-lucky attitude.  He wears a smile most of the time and laughs, laughs, laughs.  Huck is the self-proclaimed chef.  He is always pulling up a chair beside me to help cook.  Then, he informs everyone at dinner that they should thank him for the dinner that he cooked.  He loves Candyland and dancing.  When there is music playing he is grooving.  He is the quieter but tougher of the two.  In his words, "Eli's the silly one and I am the crazy one."  Huck loves to be read to or have you right by his side sharing any experience.  Huck is more aggressive and is always right behind Jonah in most of his shenanigans.  He has an affinity for mud puddles and sticks.  Huck is usually the first of the big boys up in the morning.  I love seeing his smiling face!

Eli melts my heart multiple times a day when he comes up to tell me he loves me for no reason other than he just does.  He never walks by a flower he doesn't pick for me or Juliet.  Eli is proud of his silliness.   He is always singing in made-up languages or saying crazy mixed-up words.  He has great attention to detail and it shows in his writing and coloring.  Eli is a self-proclaimed artist.  However, his attention to detail often derails him.  He will get sidetracked picking out socks and forgets his pants.  We are always waiting on him.  Eli does not take risks.  No cricket eating or giraffe kisses for him.  He is a super pedaler on his bike and is really getting stronger everyday.  While Huck and Jonah play, Eli can often be found blowing bubbles or doing sidewalk chalk.  The thing I love most about Eli is his cheerfulness.  He is the most innocent and happy kiddo!  Okay, maybe not always innocent ;)

Together they can get super silly. They get into this twin mode where it doesn't matter if they fall on their heads - they will get back up and do it again and again laughing.  I love seeing them playing together, laughing, wrestling, and imagining all sorts of adventures.  A brother is a sweet gift from God, but a twin brother is really something special!

Huck and Eli's Birthday Interviews!

I love birthdays!  I enjoy celebrating my mini Melins.  Yes, it means they are getting big too fast but it also means I get to watch them become little people with BIG personalities. Huck and Eli are so much fun because they are twins - so much alike but definitely different.  There will be another post soon with birthday shirt pictures and my bragging about how wonderful they are but for now enjoy these interviews!

Eli (Eagerly standing on the chair beside me not wanting anyone else to even speak to me - it is his interview after all.)

What is your favorite color? Orange, I like a lot of colors. I like brown, pink, orange, peach, blue, yellow, red, blue.  I love two blue colors, light and dark.

What is your favorite toy? Jonah’s transformer dinosaur

What is your favorite fruit? mangos

What is your favorite TV show? Batman (Which he has never actually seen but I guess he figures it would be his favorite if he had.)

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Peanut butter and jelly and pretzels and cranberries and raisins

What is your favorite thing to wear? Letter shirt . . . I’m wearing it right now. (This letter shirt no longer has letters because it has been worn and washed so many times.)

What is your favorite game? Candyland

What is your favorite animal? Lions and tigers and cheetahs and jaguars

What is your favorite snack? Pretzels and cranberries

What is your favorite song? I'm In The Lord’s Army

What is your favorite book? If You Give a Pig a Pancake

What do you like to learn about? Jesus

What is your favorite cereal? Corn Pops (One of the many reasons he loves Mamzie.)

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Do a science experiement

Who is your best friend? Maila

What is your favorite drink? Lemonade (Another reason he loves Mamzie.)

What is your favorite holiday? When it is windy because I love cold stuff (???)

What do you take to bed with you at night? Hippo

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal and mangos

What do you want to be when you grow up? A police man (But any other day he wants to be an artist.)

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Turkey made out of vegetables and a pickle (He made this veggie tray with Mamzie at Thanksgiving and ate just the pickle. He actually chose hotdogs when he went with me to the store.)

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? wrestle

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Eat dinner because I love dinner.

What do you pray about? God

What do you love about yourself? I am good for Mommy some days!

What is your favorite thing about your brothers? They wrestle with me and I wrestle with them!

What is your favorite thing about your sister? She loves me.

 

Huck (Laying on the floor asking how many more questions)

What is your favorite color? yellow (All the time red until now.)

What is your favorite toy? Ball blank and cloud blank  (Apparent that he loves his sleep!)

What is your favorite fruit? pears

What is your favorite TV show? Super Why

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? tomatoes (I think he just saw some on the counter and said it.)

What is your favorite thing to wear? My clothes and my Hulk shoes

What is your favorite game? Pretend to be animals

What is your favorite animal? elephants

What is your favorite snack? Juice boxes (The reason Huck plays soccer  - ha!)

What is your favorite song? Jesus Loves Me

What is your favorite book? Veggie Tales – God Made You Special

What do you like to learn about? animals

What is your favorite cereal? Fruit Loops

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Climb the tree

Who is your best friend? Eli and Jonah

What is your favorite drink? water  (He never finishes his whole juice box.)

What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

What do you take to bed with you at night? My frog

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? bagels

What do you want to be when you grow up? Police officer  (He usually says chef but he heard Eli earlier.)

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Cake and muffins

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Play cars

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Play games

What do you pray about? God and Jesus

What do you love about yourself? My body God made

What is your favorite thing about your brothers? They play with me.

What is your favorite thing about your sister? She loves me.