They've got (bop) personality...

The moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived. (No this is not a birth announcement!), I was finally able to feel the babies kick on the outside of Kendra's stomach. I have been trying for weeks (okay months) to feel that sensation. I didn't know exactly how it would feel, but it is absolutely amazing, a little freaky but really cool.

I can't imagine that we even debate the sanctity of life in this country, especially after about 18 weeks. I know they are alive and living, but it seems that from that point forward we have been able to witness and understand more about who these babies are, not just what they are.

For instance, we are having twins and already you can sense the different personalities that these children will have. Sure, they will have an immense amount of habits and traits that are similar, but they are still distinct creations from God. We have one baby who like to move around all over the place, put his feet on his head, move in short bursts, and pretend the uterus is a hamster wheel to run all over Kendra's belly. Then we have the kid who likes to lay in his spot, move nice and smooth, kick in the same general direction (usually towards his brother's head), and seems pretty chill (we'll see if that holds up outside the womb). But these two awesome little guys are already showing just how unique, special and individually designed they are. I can't wait to meet them in the real world. I'll let you know when that happens for real! :)

I'm a big kid now.

I'm sure you all remember the catch commercial jingle for Pull-ups that ends with "I'm a big a kid now". Well, that's exactly what I'm singing today. The reason, you ask? Well, last night I bought my very first car. That's right, I went to the dealership, haggled and hassled them and walk out with a car fit to carry twins (and more).

I must admit, one of the greatest fears in my life to date was purchasing a new car(Note: When I say new, I mean new to our family not brand, spankin' new). I literally dreaded the thought of dropping that kind of money on a depreciating asset like a car. Plus, it seemed like no one ever wins, except the car dealer, that is. Sure, people drive away with awesome cars that sound great and have all the bells and whistles. But then, they end up upside down, financially speaking, and are stuck with a car they are paying too much for down the road. I mean you can see why my fear and anxiety level was pretty high at the thought of buying a car.

So, how did I overcome my fear? Well, first I started praying. Last semester, we studied the book of James, and in James 4:2-3 it says, "² You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." I tried to be sure to ask with the right motives. Not asking for the super duper car with all the bells and whistles. I simply asked that God would give me direction and make available a car for us to purchase with what he had already blessed us.

I guess it worked because Friday night we drove home our new van. I know it's not the coolest ride, and it's not even the coolest van ever. However, it is a blessing from God and not to mention that, I bought the stinking car, something I never thought would happen. This may seem trivial to those of you who have bought dozens of cars, but this was big for me. So, again I repeat "We got this!"

"We got this."

"We got this." It's three simple words. Easy to say, hard to believe. It's also our motto in the Pagel house for 2011 (and probably 2012, 2013, etc.). If you know what's going on in our lives you understand the title of this blog and the need for this motto. But if you're not sure if you fully understand, I'll fill in the details for you.

This blog was created by two expectant people. We are expecting twins, due sometime in April or May. (We don't feel it's important to have a "due date" because only 5% of babies are born on their due dates. Plus with twins it gets even wackier. So no "due date" just late April or early May). Anyways, that explains much of the "Blessings Multiplied" title. However, we are also people of faith. Which means we believe in receiving blessings from God. All of our lives it seems that blessings have been poured out on our lives and multiplied. Maybe it's youthful optimism, good luck, or delusions. I prefer to believe it's "Blessings Multiplied".

Now back to the motto, "We got this". This motto was selected from many good options (okay no other options, but it works). It came into our lives halfway through our first "baby" class, you know the classes where they overwhelm you with all things baby (and in our case babies). So, halfway through "Preparing for Multiples", I decided I needed a pep talk. Therefore, I just repeated in my head, "We got this.", "We got this", "We got this.". Then I got the courage to pep Kendra up. I turned to her as we walked down the conference room hallway and said "We got this". Perplexed by my random statement, she retorted with what should have been an expected question, "We got what". So, I explained to her that I believed in us and think we can handle this twin thing (not that we have a choice at this point). She wasn't as convinced as I was, but she's coming around. (Note: It didn't help my newfound confidence that as I pepped Kendra up with the motto, she missed the water bottle to mouth connection and dribbled water down her shirt. "We got this" was looking like sheer overconfidence at that point. But we rebounded and the motto stays.)

So as blogs go up and the stories of successes and failures in this crazy thing called life hit the blog, just remember the motto "We got this".