Always wanted twins

I always wanted twins. I went as far as to pray for them. Thanks Nan for these super cute outfits! I love these little guys! Disclaimer - this is just phone pictures, but they were having so much fun together, I couldn't resist!

MoHa and the Poconos Mountains

It's been way too long since I've posted. There's so many posts I could write about, but I feel the need to rewind a bit and catch up! A few weeks ago we got to take a retreat as a family to the Poconos Mountains with our missional community. Our church here in the city, Trinity Grace Church offers these missional communities that are set up by neighborhood. Ours is "MoHa" Morningside Heights and Harlem. They are designed to offer an opportunity to get connected to the church as well as reach out to the neighborhood you live in. This has been an answer to specific prayers for Aaron and I as we desired to be able to get involved with community outreach. MoHa is made up of many singles, a few married with no kids, and a few families with toddlers. It's an awesome group.

A couple weeks ago, 33 of us loaded up and headed East to the Poconos Mountains in Pennsylvania. The purpose was to rest and connect. What a sweet time it was. We focused on Psalm 46 where the Lord tells us to be still and know that He is God. At times I thought it was a joke, because being still with two toddlers is almost impossible! But I was challenged to think through what being still looks like in this season - despite what feels like constant chaos! I am not sure that I walked away with any answers, but I do believe that God gave me some insights. Stillness is an attitude of the heart, not a circumstantial reality. If I look for stillness in my surroundings - hello - I live in NYC with a 1 and 2 year old - I will never find it. The first part of Psalm 46 addresses chaos going on in the world. Waters roaring, mountains quaking...Then it goes into what God has done. Towards the end of the psalm is where it's stated "be still and KNOW I AM GOD". The all caps is what God said to me that weekend. Even in the midst of craziness, Joyce, choose stillness in your heart because I AM YOUR GOD. It's as if He said "I got this - relax". It's a choice I need to make daily - sometimes each minute.

The connecting part of the retreat was incredibly refreshing. We got to live in community for a couple days. For Aaron and me that meant when the kids were napping or had gone to bed, we got to fellowship freely. It also meant that we got to watch our kids connect with the other kids as well as adults. There was a lot of joy in that. Perhaps one of our favorite moments of the weekend was getting to share our story of how we met. It was so sweet to reflect on that. Several of the gals that heard it shared later with me that it really brought hope to them. I love that almost 10 years has past, and God is still Glorifying Himself with the story He wrote to draw Aaron and I into marriage. I was touched by how this community enjoyed our kids and loved on them. They also loved us well in tending to them during different times so we could have a moment to ourselves or to eat without interruptions.


It's crazy to think that we've only been in NYC for 4 months, and we've already been able to experience such life in friendships. God is Good - writing this is an incredible reminder of that :)

Gregg and Chrissy

Aaron's cousin Gregg and his wife Chrissy came to NYC for Gregg's 30th birthday. We were so excited to see them. We got together for dinner and then came back to show them our place. Chrissy's cousin Breezy also joined us. It was super sweet to share a meal with family in the city. The boys loved spending time with them and of course we did too. It was great to catch up! Even yesterday Austin asked about Gregg, Chrissy, and Breezy! Thanks for making the time to hang with us!

Side note - we took a family shot b/c we were all wearing our Rangers gear :)

Lessons from my children

Upon becoming a mom (literally within the first day of Austin's life) I had this overwhelming feeling that I needed God more than ever in my life. It was daunting to learn that this little life needed me so much. The responsibilities and demands on me seemed to instantaneously multiply. This was kind of the catalyst to realizing that these little lives were going to teach me a whole lot about my God. This morning as I was getting ready, Jonathan reminded me of one of those lessons.

I had just finished taking shower, and I heard the ever so familiar crying at the door to be let in. It was Jonathan. He has been a mommas boy from very early on. I'm OK with that! I understand this is just a season of life and there will come a point where he won't want to talk with his momma much less hang out with her at every moment of the day. So back to the story...I let my little man in. The joy in his face upon seeing me was overwhelming. His little smile just lit up my heart. I continued my routine of getting ready. He was as content as could be to sit at my feet and exchange smiles. As I enjoyed his presence and chuckles so much, I realized the delight of a parent to be with their baby. Moreso, I felt so privileged that he wanted to be with me. With a house full of toys, a brother, and another friend (we were taking care of a friends' 2 year old this weekend) my little Jonathan cried to have the barrier that kept he and I apart. He wanted not the talking turtle, or the farm book, or the balls, or puzzles, he wanted his momma. Oh how much I can learn from him. You see the bible often refers to us as believers of Jesus as children of God. I love that about scripture. There is so much to learn as we relate to God as our father. My child is so eager to be in my presence - ALL THE TIME. I wish the same could be true of me and my heavenly Father. My baby doesn't like barriers between he and I. I, on the other hand tend to build barriers between me and my Abba Father. My son would pass up toys to be in his mommas arms. Me...? I am often so distracted in my "toys" I forget the comfort of my Father's
arms.

Oh sweet Jonathan - keep teaching me son. In your innocence, may I grow to be a better child!

Vovô and Mema vist

My parents just left after a 4 day visit with us here in NYC. It was a great time. I loved seeing them with the boys. They took great joy in spending time with their grandchildren. Austin and Jonathan loved having them around. Our little tiny apartment feels pretty empty!  

They arrived on the first day of snow for this winter fall! We had tickets to see the 9/11 memorial and weren't sure how easy it would be to reschedule, so we trucked two small children through the sleet, rain, and snow to the southern tip of the island only to discover that it was closed that day - AHHH! Very frustrating! But the did get to join us in awarding Austin an ice cream cone from "Old McDonald Had a Farm" (as Austin calls it) for doing awesome on the potty. He only had two accidents in over a week. Sunday we went to church and then Super Sundays where we do a sports/food ministry to kids in Harlem. Monday we got to go to the Central Park Zoo. It was a beautiful day. We also spent a little time in Central Park. Tuesday we shared breakfast with one of their friends that lives in NY and then went to the park. Today we went back to the same park as dad wanted to capture video of Austin's bold climbing skills! We finished our time together having a picnic lunch on campus with Aaron. It was fun to do this with my parents because the boys and I do this very regularly!

Hope you enjoy some of the pictures!

We had a wonderful time. Mom and Dad, thank you for taking the time to visit us. Thanks for loving our children and marveling at them. Thank you for telling us that you are proud of us. Thank you for showering us with gifts. Thanks for serving us so well in cooking meals, doing laundry, going to the grocery store, ironing our clothes, taking care of our children. Thanks for living the adventure in the city for a few days! It was great to have you here! Come see us again :)