Blow out the candles and make a wish! Happy 1st Birthday!

[SIZE=14pt]:birthday: ANNA!! :birthday: ASHER!![/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Before you leave us for the big world of the 1-4 year board - a few requests!![/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]

• Can you show us a before and after pic? (If you are a rewards member you can attach it otherwise you can provide a link).

• 
  [*]Summarize your last year with your little loves!!
  [*]Tell us about your 1st birthday plans? Do you have a theme or something special you are going to do?

[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt]:sign0016: to the 1-4 board and please visit the First Year Often!![/SIZE]

 

You can see pictures of Anna Morgan and Asher at http://hendrixfive.blogspot.com. Please visit the site and look at them. I think they're so precious!!! Of course, I'm a little biased.

Summarize the last year with my little ones . . . hmmmm. That's pretty tough. I will say that this has been the most wonderful, difficult, and whirlwind year of my life. What a ride it's been! We made it, though. I will admit there were a few days when I wasn't sure I'd make it, but we did.

We started off 2007 with a bang with the births of our two wonderful babies. I was able to have a normal delivery, although I did deliver on the operating table in the OR just in case something happened. Our daughter Anna Morgan was born first, weighing in at 5 lb. 11 oz. Then came her brother Asher who weighed 5 lb. 2 oz. We have another son, Matthew, who was 2 1/2 when the twins were born.

Our hospital stay at first was uneventful, but after only 10 hours at home, we were back in the hospital because Asher was hypothermic and not eating at all. Anna Morgan ended up being readmitted, too, because of issues with jaundice. We had a total stay of 11 days (not bad compared to others on here) and then our family settled in at home. Our son Matthew had a hard time at first. I think most of it stemmed from us spending so long at the hospital. I stayed there, too, since I was nursing. He spent the first 2-3 months going back and forth from kissing them to hitting them. We dealt with everything from eye-poking, arm-pulling, nose-honking, and all out hitting them. We can laugh about it now because things are not like that at all anymore, but at the time, it was awful! I just wasn't prepared for that.

I am a baby lover, so two babies hasn't been that hard for me. I love everything about them. I love that we have a boy and a girl. They are nothing alike. It's so funny watching them develop so differently. Our daughter is calm, laid back and so sweet. She's so easy-going and beautiful, too. Our son is into EVERYTHING! He can be pretty demanding when he wants something, but he's also the little charmer. I am so thankful they each have their own personalities and unique characteristics, and it truly surprised me how quickly their individuality came out.

We are thankful every day for the wonderful gift of these two precious children. We were blessed so much with our first son, but these two babies have made our family complete (at least we think so right now). They are both the easiest babies. They are truly happy and content. They hardly ever cry, and they've really always been that way. We are so blessed by this. I think my older son keeps them entertained, but they also have each other!

I feel so blessed to have the rare opportunity to watch two babies grow up and develop side by side. It is so awesome to see their differences and similarities. The differences in boys and girls is amazing! Our children are funny, too, because sometimes they look alike and sometimes they look nothing alike. It's weird.

As I reflect on this year, it amazes me to see how far we've come. We have done so much this year! Obviously, I birthed twins. I also breastfed them both until this week. I feel like I deserve an award for that!!! I potty-trained my oldest child (another award deserved for that). We have started a new magazine (http://bluegrasschristianmagazine.com). We have sent a child to preschool. We have survived the tiring first year with truly happy memories and no regrets.

It angers and saddens me when people feel sorry for me for having such small children. I feel like the luckiest women in the world. What a gift God has given me! They are babies! That's all. Nothing more, nothing less. Wonderful, precious babies that God has trusted me with. I am their mother, and nothing brings me more pleasure or joy.

I know all of you love your little ones just as much. I feel like we've all been given double joy with our double dose of baby.

As far as birthday plans go, we had a small party tonight with our little family of five, but the real party is going to be on Saturday. We're just doing the first birthday theme. I have two cakes--one in pinks and one in blues.

Here's what I put on their invitations:

One tiny girl and one little boy.
Two growing babies full of laughter and joy.
Double smiles, double giggles,
and twice the fun.
Can you believe we're already one?
We're tired of Cheerios,
so bring on the cake.
Please come to our party and help celebrate

Anna Morgan & Asher's First Birthday

I'll post a picture of the invitation on the link, too.

Sorry this post is so long. I love my babies, what can I say??? I'm a talker, too.

 

Just to clarify, we call our daughter Anna Morgan, a double name. They are not twins with different last names. We've run into some confusion with this before--at the doctor and my MOPS group. Crazy, I know. Maybe we need to refer to them as Asher and Anna Morgan Hendrix. ??? When I saw it typed as Anna Morgan & Asher Hendrix on here, I could see why it's confusing for people. Oh my. Another thing to obsessively worry about.

 

:birthday: Anna! :birthday: Asher!

 

Happy Birthday to our Birthday Buddies!!

Happy Birthday, Anna!! :birthday: Happy Birthday, Asher!! :birthday:

 

They were so funny last night with their cupcakes. Anna Morgan was all about it, while Asher didn't want anything to do with it. So funny!

Check out the pictures at http://hendrixfive.blogspot.com.