November 21, 2010, Nashville, Tennessee, 2:56 p.m., C.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

I look at the sweet, cookie-covered faces of my two youngest children, and I can't help but get tears in my eyes.  Seems like only yesterday when they were in diapers ...

Ian Charles and his twin brother, Isaiah Cameron, were born at this time three years ago.  After adopting sixty-one children (most, of whom, have special needs), I became pregnant.  I was pregnant with twins, both boys.  It was not really planned.  It just ... happened.  LOL  The twins were a month early (they weren't due until a month later, around Christmastime), but the boys had other ideas.  I guess they didn't like the darkened confines of my belly, so they wanted out. NOW.  LOL  So they came early.

Happily, other than a few breathing issues (by Ian ... or was it Isaiah?? I can't remember! LOL), both boys arrived on the scene, bursting with health.  Ten fingers, ten toes.  Perfectly shaped heads.  A headful of black hair.  Good color (the one; the other, not so much; he was pretty limp and quiet when he came out, which gave all of us a bad case of the nervous nellies).  

They were beautiful!  They looked just like their daddy, Bill, who was fighting with every bit of his strength not to pass out in the delivery room.  I was so happy, I cried.  Bill cried.  So did the children when daddy went out to tell them that they had two little brothers (although they already knew that fact several months before).

It was the best Thanksgiving of our lives!  

We had gone out to lunch at the Golden Corral; I couldn't eat that much because I had an upset stomach.  Then my water broke, and it was pure chaos.  I didn't even get to finish my meal because not even fifteen minutes later, we were all headed to the nearest hospital (the one where I worked), and I was bundled into a wheelchair, where I was immediately taken to the delivery room.  

Now Ian Charles and Isaiah Cameron have grown into a pair of handsome boys who are walking, talking, and getting into everything.  They are curious little bugs who are always on the lookout for adventure.  They are extremely bright for their years, and both love to get into mischief (much to the dismay of mommy and daddy, not to mention, all their brothers and sisters! LOL).  If they will see to it, mischief won't be long in coming.

Just the other day, Ian got his head stuck in the banister on our stairway.  Bill had to saw one of the banisters off so he could free his howling son's head out.  And then Isaiah got shocked when he stuck a hairpin into the light socket.  ZzzzZZZttTT!!  Lesson learned.  A painful one, perhaps, but now he knows better than to do something like that.  I'm just glad that Isaiah  didn't get electrocuted: it could have been so much worse; I just thank God above that it wasn't!

Hopefully this year, when we take them to see Santa, Ian or Isaiah won't throw a fit when I try to place them onto Santa's lap.  The last three times we've done this, they cried and screamed the entire time; the pictures show two screaming, red-faced twin boys who are obviously very unhappy with this predicament.  

They already know what they want from Santa:  Ian wants a fire truck that he can ride; as for Isaiah, he wants coloring books, crayons, and toys, toys, toys!!  LOL

Well, I better tend to the cake; it's done baking.  I then have to decorate it and put it up for tomorrow.  They are going to be so surprised when we throw such a huge to-do over them!  Well?? It's their third birthday; they deserve it!!

Wow!  Three years old already!  My baby boys!  Who would have ever believed it??  I know I can't!!