We really should start preparing for this thing called "kids".

As I shared with you last time, the closer these two boys get to enter the world the more unprepared I feel for their arrival. I mean, I can't get all the furniture I need in the room we're in, I can't get the old house packed up quick enough. I can't spend enough time with Kendra. It goes on and on and on.
Well, that all came to a head last night, as we had our first real bit of action. Kendra's blood pressure has been "elevated" for the last few weeks. That is one reason she has been on bed rest for the past few weeks. Well, last night it got high enough that we had to call the doctor. Since it was after hours we went in for evaluation. Of course, as soon as we got into the hospital her blood pressure was pristine, a beautiful 117/67. However, we still got to stay in the hospital for the night and then go home in the morning. (Don't freak out too much, just say a prayer that her blood pressure behaves itself for the next few weeks.)
Here's the crazy part. I now feel a little bit more prepared for these two beautiful boys. I now know what our stay in the hospital room will be like, uncomfortable beds and not much sleep. I also know where to park and enter the hospital. The hospital also now knows all of our pertinent information, so we can skip that check when we head in for the real deal.
I know that there are a few things I can control, like furniture, how many diapers we have, and crib setup. However, there are things I can't control like Kendra's blood pressure. Now I realize the most important thing I can control is my attitude toward this whole process. If I am crippled by worry, I will be worthless to my family. However, if I trust in the One who has true power I will be a blessing to my family. So, I choose to be present in this moment and treasure my beautiful wife, Kendra, who is a gift from God, and to cherish my sons, Ian and Nolan, who are a blessing from the Lord.

"Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" - Matthew 6:27

The closer they get.

Well, we are a month into our bed rest period and things are still moving along. The doctor seems to think we still have a few more weeks, at least, before our boys get here. That's good because we are currently only 33 weeks along, which is a little early to welcome them into this big scary world.
Speaking of big and scary, the closer these two little boys get to entering the world the more unprepared I feel to be their father. I know that I have the love to give, but raising two kids in this world is a crazy endeavor.
So, I have to rely on a strength beyond my own, and I am praying a Sun Stand Still prayer that God will prepare me to raise two God-fearing, beautiful boys.
On another note, God is truly blessing us to be prepared for these two boys. We recently sold our current home, which was our first home (tear). We should close in a few weeks, and have been approved on our construction loan to begin our new home. For those of you who are good at math, you might be thinking a few weeks is not nearly long enough to build a house. You're right. In the meantime, we are moving in with Kendra's parents, who are crazy enough to let us live with them with newborn twins for about 7 or 8 months.
While I feel unprepared, I know that God is faithful and he is prepared. In my weakness, he is stronger.

I miss my babies!

For those of you who don't know, I (Eli) have spent the last 5 or 6 days (I can't keep track at this point) in the beautiful country of Panama. We have been doing some amazing things and met some amazing people, but part of taking a mission trip is leaving things behind.
Unfortunately, this trip I had to leave behind some very important, very awesome people: my wife and baby boys. It has been a bittersweet trip making great memories with some very cool people. But God gave me a wonderful wife for a reason, and she is my best friend. I can't wait to see her again on Saturday night and give her a great big hug. Then I plan to spend the rest of the day Sunday with my hand on her belly feeling those awesome baby boys kicking and rolling and getting the hiccups and getting ready for life on the outside.

When it rains it pours.

The age old saying "When it rains, it pours" is often used in a negative context. However, this time I mean it in the most positive way possible. If you read my last post, you know that we have entered the rainy season of our pregnancy, aka the baby showers. What a season it has been. The results of these showers have left Kendra and I feeling extremely blessed. We have received so much from so many that we could never possibly repay even 1/10 of what we have received. It is a joy knowing that we will be bringing two boys into a world filled with such generous and loving people. I will be posting some pictures of all the things we received so you can get a little glimpse of what's in store for Nolan and Ian. :)


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It's shower time

I can honestly say that I have dreamed a lot of dreams in my brief life. In all those dreams, I can never once remember dreaming of having a baby shower, much less a twin baby shower. Well, welcome to reality because we are having twin baby showers. I'm pretty sure we are having 4 or 5 showers (Kendra is having some with work colleagues and her daycares).

The first shower was this past weekend with our amazing church family at Tuttle Christian Church. It is absolutely the biggest blessing in our lives to get to go church with our immediate families and for that family to be expanded by the grace of God and love of others.

We received so many wonderful gifts this weekend. We received clothes from preemie size all the way up to 18 months. We received butt paste, baby soap, and baby lotion. We received stuff to take care of our babies when they are sick and stuff to entertain them when they want to play. We received all of this as gifts from our amazing church family.

We also received our baby quilts from Kendra's grandma Betty. She makes each of her grandchildren (now great-grandchildren) a quilt when they are born and when they get married. A few weeks ago Kendra, her mother, her sister, and Grandma Betty spent at least 3 hours picking out fabrics to blend together into some beautiful quilts. Below are the baby quilts for Ian and Nolan.

Here is Nolan's quilt. Kendra did an awesome job picking fabric, and Grandma Betty made some beautiful quilts.

This is Ian's quilt. Slightly different, but still a beautiful quilt.

What was I thinking?

There's a popular country song entitled "What was I thinking?", you may know the tune or you may not. Either way the chorus of the song continually finds the singer asking himself "What was I thinking?". Well, I (Eli) feel about the same way. What was I thinking when I put together my schedule this semester? (Yes, I still measure life by semester because I'm a college minister.)

I scheduled 4 major events/trips this semester.

1) A weekend retreat with students in February. Check. That one is done. No major issues.

2) A 4 day trip to Atlanta with colleagues for research and writing. That one happens tomorrow, commencing with a 3 hour drive to DFW to catch a flight at 6 in the morning. This one will be a great trip with tons of fun and some great things will come out of it, however it's another thing on my agenda. (Ironic Moment: The focus of our shared research and reading will be on Sabbath. You know that day of rest stuff. Hopefully, the research helps. )

3.) A week-long mission trip to Panama over Spring Break. Yes, I am leading a group to Panama (the country, not the city beach). I am in charge of 11 people heading to a remote village in the rainforest, while my wife who will be 7.5 months pregnant with twins stays home. This one will be another awesome, once-in a lifetime trip but getting really close to these babies getting here.

4.)A weekend trip to the Passion Conference in Ft. Worth, Texas. This one is only 3 days, but it is really close to the babies being here. I mean Kendra will be 8 months pregnant and we will be hoping to make it to about 8.5 months. So I mean really close.

I continually ask myself "What was I thinking?" when I look at these trips. Then I remember that God has a wonderful plan for all of this and lives will be changed for the better because of them. Most of all God will take care of Kendra in my absence(s), I mean he really is the only one who can take care of her at this point. All I can offer is an occasional foot rub and to run some bathwater.

So, if you have some spare time say a prayer for us. God is good, all the time.

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! :)