In Focus

::The sweaters I made for the twins before they were born still fit (the silver lining to having a large gauge, I guess?)!  Which is perfect, because I am only now finally feeling like it would be nice to have something on my needles to work on here and there, and my wrists feel up to the task, too.  A few weeks after the twins were born, I noticed that my wrists were killing me.  I learned, after a chat with my doctor, that this is a common experience in the postpartum period.  Sore wrists, who knew!  Because it was quite debilitating for a bit (imagine wrangling two newborn babies with one non-functional wrist), he gave me a cortisone shot to tide me over, and told me that once the babies were mobile, the wrist pain would likely disappear on its own.  Well, I would say we're at least a few weeks away from walking (pleasepleaseplease), but my wrists feel fine, and I am itching for a knitting project to make the best of it.

::Lily is home on Fridays, and I think Hugo's heart is on the verge of bursting from all of the play, love and attention he receives from her each and every time.  There is nothing more magical than an older sibling's love!  I would almost say it's easier to have her around than to have her at school, but as with any creative spirit, our home is filled with improvisational projects whenever this artiste is in the vicinity.  Did you know that oats, water, and thyme can be thrown together (unbeknownst to any authority figure) to create a sort of play dough?  No need to designate a special area, your living room will do.  Invite your siblings to join you and just enjoy the messiness!  These are the instructions Lily would write down if this were her blog.  There is a lot of cleanup.  And delightfulness.

::Ben keeps threatening that he is going to make these babies pay their rent through a career in modeling.  He has a point, we just might be able to make a small fortune (twins, you guys!).  But I'm thinking that we'll just keep them home for now.  Dorothy, left, and Clara, right.

::A few little reminders of my sweet eldest: a "to do" list for a Saturday morning (can you see it on the wall next to that birdie picture? My favorite part is the specificity of the timing), and a picture of Jesus, both on display in the dining area.  These little gifts, left here or there, never fail to make me smile.

::Clara is a bit of a ham, smiling for any old person, camera, or thing.  But just so you know, Dorothy is a smiley thing, too.  See?  There's picture proof.

I wish I could say that our whole week has been exclusively easy and relaxing.  In truth, there have been some moments that have been difficult.  Moments that are not my own to share, but have filled us with worry and fear, the pain of watching someone you love going through a difficult ordeal.  Why is it always such a difficult lesson to learn that God truly is loving and nurturing us even in the midst of trials and uncertainty?  Especially, even.  God is there.  Jesus is there.  I know it is true.  And I think that is why on a week like this, even more so than those picture perfect weeks, it nurtures me to look back at those moments that are filled with grace, seeing God in our midst, clearly in focus.