The Two of You are Two!

I cannot believe it's time for me to write this post, but it's true, my babies are two. I've been thinking about the last year and marveling over the changes that have happened from one to two. I felt like getting through the first year was such a milestone and now I can't even remember where the year went! Trey and I feel so grateful and blessed to have been chosen as the caretakers of such wonderful children. He has been so faithful to be with us on this journey through parenting, and we pray His continued presence over our children for the coming years.


Hulse,
My firstborn, son, funny man, and drama king! You are all boy and your favorite things to do involving, running, jumping, constant motion, and anything you play with a ball. You are smart as a whip and have been talking in complete sentences/ paragraphs for a while now. You can count, know your shapes and colors, sing all kinds of songs, and have a pretty articulate vocabulary for a toddler. You are the leader between you and your sister. You are the first one to decide what to play and can get Olivia to follow you around with no problem. You're not overly protective of her yet, probably because she tends to be a bully, but I'm thinking that will come in time. You love to eat, and we very rarely have a problem getting you to eat what's on your place and try new things. You love kid food of course, but you also like to eat red meat, zucchini, and any pasta dish. You love music and really like to sing and dance. You also like to color and work puzzles, and you love to read! You are a big fan of the Sesame Street characters and like to watch Elmo and the gang on TV. You are into dinosaurs right now and like to watch a show on TV called Dinosaur Train. You are a sweet baby boy, but you do have a tender heart and can be pretty emotional at times when things don't go your way. I think this is a combination of your age and your personality. You're our favorite boy, and we can't wait to see what the future holds for you. Your dad and I want you to know that we are praying for you always, rooting you on in whatever you want to do, and we love you like crazy! Happy 2nd Birthday.

Olivia,
Sister, my sweet girl, and total mess! You are an absolute joy to be around and are the funniest little girl. You like all things girl, but can also enjoy wrestling with your brother. You are also a smarty pants and say your ABC's, count, know your colors (this has been interesting since everything started with green and pink), shapes, and can talk up a storm. You still like to talk in your own language a lot but you can be sure you're saying whatever it is with feeling! You like to play with your kitchen and cook food. You enjoy getting your baby in the stroller and roaming the house (always with a purse of some sort on your arm). You love jewels and always want a bracelet or necklace on. You are like your brother and like to sing and dance. You are a big reader as well and would read your whole library in a sitting if we let you. You are making lots of progress with the potty training. You will tell us when you need to tee tee and go right in and potty, still a work in progress but it's coming along. You can take a licking and keep on ticking so it takes a lot for you to cry but you can throw a nice little fit when you get upset. Terrible twos maybe? You are our favorite girl and the world better watch out for you! Dad and I are praying that you will follow after Him and experience His love and grace. We know you have a bright future ahead and we can't wait to see what it holds. Love you to the moon and back! Happy 2nd birthday.

Newborn

1-Year-Olds

2-Year-Olds

Christmas Recap

We had a great Christmas this year. It's so much fun to watch the kids get so excited (to the point of overload!) about all of the fun. I know that it will always be a time we cherish at our home.
We started off the celebrations in Pine Bluff with Trey's family and my extended family. My kids are social creatures and I think they really loved being around all the people. Olivia really got into opening gifts while Hulse just wanted to play with everything he opened immediately. We also made a stop in to see my grandparents and I so enjoyed getting to spend some time with them. After a LONG night we headed back to our house for Santa to come. He didn't disappoint and I guess both the babies made the nice list. We had a relaxed morning at our house and I really enjoyed letting the kids just play without having to run somewhere. We had Christmas with my parents that night and again just got to enjoy the kiddos. Sunday we finished up with merriment with a trip to Trey's grandparents. We were tired and glad to have some time off after it was all over. I was off the week after Christmas and really enjoyed keeping the kids at home and spending some much needed downtime with them.
Trey always does a great job with my gifts, but he really outdid himself this year. My hands down favorite gift was the chance to sponsor a child through Compassion International. I've been really feeling God pushing me to some kind of action involving children. I haven't felt like he's calling me to adoption or fostering, but He calls all of His children to care for one another. We have an addition to the Hankins house named Moises and I honestly can't wait to correspond with him. I would urge you to check out the Compassion site and see the work that they are doing and pray about the part God might have to play in the life of someone else. http://www.compassion.com/
This year, more than any other, I found myself thinking of Mary and Joseph and that little baby in the manger. This has been a year of great spiritual renewal for me and God has been teaching me so many lessons. He's been preparing my heart to deal with situations that have come up in a way that honors Him and reminds me that He's my constant above all else. People may fail me, but He never will. His grace was my constant companion this Christmas season and I am so grateful.