Molly Piper

[photos by Katie]

My lifesaver babysitter has been up to her old tricks again! Yesterday she got these pictures of our 10-month-old twins!

A little about Whit:

• He’s our needy baby. Which wouldn’t be a big deal if he were a singleton, but attention’s kind of at a premium with twins (and two other small kids). His neediest time is from supper time until bedtime, so I think if I just keep him on my hip in the Ergo then he’ll be fine. That’s my theory for now.
• Although he’s needy, he’s also very amiable when he’s happy. I think it’s just that he’s social and loves to be with people. When he’s happy and has people to entertain him, he’s probably my giggliest baby. Go figure.
• Whit is standing and cruising along furniture.
• He’s a super-fast crawler.
• He prefers pureed foods. Anything solid he’s not as big a fan, even if it’s something delicious. Silly kid.
• If you say “ET phone home” and stick out your finger, he’ll stick out his (see the bottom right picture).
• Seems to understand some simple words (play, no, jump, yay, his name, Cadence’s name, brothers’ names).
• Says “ma-ma-ma” a lot. I’m not sure if it’s 100% meaningful, but I’ll take it!

A little bit about Cadence:

• Such a happy girl! Very content to play with toys in the crib, in the play gate area (more about that later).
• She started crawling a couple weeks ago and is getting faster & faster by the day. She pulls up onto her knees but doesn’t really attempt standing (yet).
• Loves every food she’s ever been given. If I don’t spread the Cheerios out on her tray she’ll have a huge handful before I know it!
• Responds to “Pat-a-Cake” with big smiles and claps.
• When you sing a song, she starts singing “Aaaaahhhh” really softly. It’s soooo cute!
• Sometimes she’ll wave and say a word that sounds pretty darn close to “Hi!”
• Also seems to understand simple words (same as Whitsun).
• Mostly says “da-da-da.” Again, not sure about the meaning of it, but Dad’s happy to claim it as his own!

I’m really hoping to get back to sharing some more Twin Survival Tips soon, just to let you in on what life is like now that they’re a little older. I’m so busy actually surviving that I find little time to blog about the survival.

Also I’ve been having trouble with my blog feed. I’m working on getting it fixed. Some people are having trouble viewing my more recent posts and receiving my blog updates through Google Reader. I’ve found that Safari is not working right (not sure why yet). But at least for me, Firefox is working and you can see my more recent posts. I’m trying to get it all resolved so we can be a blog family again!

A couple weeks ago, my husband started a new job. He’s working for a start-up that’s set to launch this summer. I wish I could tell you more about the company, but I’ve gone and signed some legally-binding document and all that…

What I can tell you, though, is that the company’s called Abuyo.

Usually I don’t ask you guys to do a whole lot on this blog, just read and comment if you want. But today I’m asking a favor. They have a short survey you can take to gauge peoples’ interest in what they’re doing.

And maybe you’re not too motivated to click through and do it, but here’s some incentive:

• It took me less than a minute to do.
• I got entered to win an Amazon gift card for $100. (I don’t know if I’m exempt from winning because I’m family of an employee, but hey, I figured I’d go for it.)
• It’s for a good cause. (Not really. Unless you consider helping the Piper clan to be a good cause, in which case my statement stands.)

THANK YOU!!!!

On a more personal note, I’m really proud of Abraham for taking this new job. It’s a really good fit for him, and I think he’s going to be very successful with it. I know he takes his responsibility to care for our family very seriously. He’s dedicated to us, and providing for us financially is something he does that I want to appreciate more and more. I know I wouldn’t want that weight on my shoulders, and I’m so amazed at his desire to serve our family that way. I love that man so much.

THANKS AGAIN!

So I’m realizing that having a bigger family means that sickness seems to last FOREVER!

It started a few weeks ago when Orison had the runny eyes and nose and a slight fever. Then it developed into a cough. But before he could get over it, Morrow & Whit joined the party and decided to not be outdone by their brother.

And picking up the rear, me and Cadence are on the mend.

We haven’t been to church as a family in three weeks. Which means we really haven’t gone anywhere, because it’s too difficult to take all the kids out anyway. And if they’re miserable and moody with colds…forget about it.

So this week, I’ve been nursing a yucky cold and have thus been silent in the blogging world. I love you all, but I need to take care of me and mah brood first.

So, here’s hoping we’ve seen the last of it (for now) and I’ll be posting more next week. Have a lovely weekend, all!

And to you Minnesotans, enjoy the warm-up (upper 30s, yee-HAW!)!

I’m teaming up with my friend Kristen from We Are THAT Family for a Works For Me Wednesday post, and I did a video! [hooting, hollering, lots of raucous cheering, please]

I met Kristen when I went to Birmingham for the Deeper Still event. I was sporting a new-to-me scarf that a friend had just given me, and I had it tied all fancy-like. I passed on what was of first importance, of course, and showed all my girls how to do it too!

Now, I’m not very good at accessories or hair. Seriously. I found out how to do this fancy scarf thingy by stopping a cute college girl at church (who happened to be a stranger) and asking her, “How did you do that?!?!” This very un-hip momma of 4 needs all the help she can get! She was gracious and showed me this fun new look!

So pop over to Kristen’s blog and see how it’s done! I promise you won’t be disappointed, even if you already know how to do this trick (hint: there’s a guest appearance at the end).

I’m very excited to announce that, starting tonight, we will have live-in help with the kids! One of the best babysitters we’ve ever used will be moving in with us and helping with childcare a couple hours a day.

And not only is she great with our kids, she also loves to knit and watch the Pride & Prejudice miniseries. I’m expecting this arrangement to work out pretty great.

On a practical note, one of the ways that Abraham and I are affording a nanny is by putting a bit more effort into making a little money from our sites.

A really easy and free way you could help, if you want to, is to do your Amazon shopping through links at this blog. We’re a part of their affiliate program so that whenever you click through to Amazon and buy something, we make a small percentage of what you spend.

I’ve put a link on the sidebar to make it easy to find, if you’re ever interested.

I’m not going to make this site about making money, of course, but I know some of you love shopping and love me, so this is a good way to combine those two things. :)

Thanks a lot for supporting this site! You all are the best.

Happy New Year, friends!

Today I’m over at (in)Courage, posting about my failure to read the Bible regularly.

I hope you’ll pop over there and join the conversation. Perhaps you have good suggestions to share to keep us in the Word in 2011.

Thanks for reading!

As many of you know, last weekend I traveled to Birmingham, ALABAMA!!! (A couple times during the weekend I’d think to myself, “This is really surreal–I’m in Alabama….)

Did you know that the license plates say “Sweet Home”?

Growing up in the North and not traveling much as a child, it’s still weird to me that I get to go on trips and see new places (especially places that are so different than ones I’m used to). I love that! I was the navigator for my little duo (me & Shannon, formerly/presently of Rocks in My Dryer) and it was so delightful for me. And no GPS, I’ll have you know! I like the adventure of exploring a new place, and even getting a little bit lost.

There’s something about cell phones and GPS systems that makes us rely less and less on each other and more on satellites and Google. Now, I’m all for those tools, don’t get me wrong, but I like having to stop and ask a random gas station worker for directions. I like getting to have that conversation about where I’m from, what brought me to Alabama, etc. It keeps life interesting!

Anyway…

Your prayers were answered! My time in Birmingham was exhausting in a good way and refreshing in all the right ways. Spending time in the Word and being with new and old blogging friends was amazing. I was in awe most of the time, marveling at just how good God is, allowing all of us to be together and get to know each other better.

And some of the best news came on Saturday night at our little (awesome) Compassion get-together dinner. Through the blogging trips that Compassion has done, 5,000 children have been sponsored. That means that God has worked in 5,000 of you to change the life of a child in poverty, probably someone you’ll never meet. But you will change their life!!! It was such fantastic news.

Here’s a picture of our group (the ones who were able to make the trip to Birmingham):

You can pop over to Shaun’s site (the guy in at the top left of this picture) to get descriptions of everyone in this picture. But let me say this: I love these people. LOVE them.

And My Man (taking my cues from Beth Moore here) kept the home fires burning through the weekend like he (almost) didn’t even need me here. He hauled all four children to the Christmas tree lot and brought a beautiful tree home and set it up so that I’d be surprised when I got home on Sunday night! And making room for a Christmas tree required some furniture re-arranging in the living room, which he did beautifully! Seriously, my man…he’s incredible.

I wish I had more time to tell you about the weekend. But as I type there’s some people who need me.

This weekend I have the privilege of traveling to Birmingham, AL for a Beth Moore event called Deeper Still.

The main reason I’m going is because there’s a group of Compassion Bloggers doing a reunion during/after this event. Here’s what I’m looking forward to:

• Getting to meet one of my blogging mentors (seriously, she helped my blog so much) Shannon, along with TONS of other awesome people who’ve done Compassion Blogger trips.
• All of my blogging teammates from my El Salvador trip will be there!
• Meeting some of you??? If you’ll be there, come say hello. I’ll probably be lurking somewhere near the Dayspring booth at times.

But, as you all know, I have 4 children, 2 of them infant twins. So how am I making this trip happen? Well, it takes a village (or a small army sometimes). I’m very deeply thankful for:

• My amazing husband, who’s braving all four children alone. I have full confidence in him as I leave, and I’m so thankful for that. AND, the fact that he wants me to go and have fun. If the tables were turned I’d be whining and probably annoyed that he was leaving. He makes all kinds of joyful sacrifices on my behalf, and I’m so thankful. Love you, Abraham!
• My awesome in-laws, who donated their frequent flier miles to help me pay for an airline ticket. With twins arriving, times are kinda tough for us financially, and my in-laws are always so generous and gracious. Thank you, John & Noel.
• My mother-in-law and my sister-in-law taking care of all four children tomorrow while Abraham’s at work. You are so great with them, and I don’t have to feel nervous about their care at all.
• My friend Shannon in Minneapolis, who’s driving the car pool both ways tomorrow and taking care of Morrow during the morning kindergarten time. Shannon, you have such a gift of servanthood. You’ve made this transition to twins so much easier by loving and serving us. Thanks for helping me get this time away.

Also, I’m really looking forward to time in the Bible. Since the babies have come, my times there are brief and infrequent. In no way do I feel like my roots are deep, and I don’t feel very strong. I feel like I really need this time for the sake of my soul.

Please pray for my small army and for me as I travel. As much as I am excited, it’s hard to leave. I’ll miss my family!

And hopefully I’ll be seeing some of you in Alabama (which is a state I’ve never visited, so I’m getting to add a state to my list! YAY!)

Most people post Friday Funnies or something like that. I’ve not been in a very funny mood today, so these were the posts that grabbed me and I found myself wanting to share:

• My husband wrote a really thought-provoking piece on his blog that I thought some of you would enjoy reading. Sometimes his wanderlust scares me, sometimes I encourage it. It’s part of who he is, and I love him. So…I live with a husband with a serious case of wanderlust. Regardless, this is a great post. And also kind of ironic, since he takes a couple lines to hate on having a car, and we’re in the market for a minivan.
• My friend Elizabeth Esther wrote a gut-wrenchingly honest post about losing our joy in motherhood. I can so relate today. And knowing that she’s a mother of twins, it’s a sobering thing for me to read. But it’s also good for me to have people like her in my life who don’t pretend that everything’s peachy-keen. It helps me pray and prepare for the hard days ahead, as well as the joyful ones.
• And lastly, my dear internet friend, Mrs. MK, lost her baby at 18 weeks yesterday. I’m crushed and devastated every time I think about it. She lost a daughter just after I lost Felicity, and we’ve grown to love each other over these here internets. I was so excited that she and I were pregnant at the same time. Perhaps you have some time to drop over and share an honest condolence. And if you don’t have one to give, then don’t feel obligated. I just know she’s hurting. So many of you have reached out to comfort me. Let’s share the love with my friend Mrs. MK.

It would seem weird to say “Have a good weekend!” after all that heaviness. But that’s life, isn’t it? Not all of us are having “a good day” today. I want to live honestly and share openly, even if it’s a Friday.

I have a new website! After a year of intending to switch from wordpress.com to my own self-hosted blog, it’s finally happened! (Not to say that I could explain to any of you what that means, but whatev.)

This couldn’t have happened without the hard work of the following people:

• Josh Sowin of Rainsong Media, the technical brainpower behind pretty much everything.
• Brannon McAllister, the designer of my banner. I love how simple yet pretty it looks. Not to imply that I think I look pretty, but the floral design…
• Abraham Piper, my faithful and devoted husband who knows waaaay more about blogging than I do. He’s seriously a genius.

If you’re already a subscriber then nothing should change for you. If you haven’t subscribed, I’d love it if you did!

If you’re new here, you may want to jump in with my Compassion series from when I went to El Salvador, or my series on How to Help Your Grieving Friend. And of course you can learn more about me on my About page!

Thanks to all of you who’ve read this blog and brought it to this point with your readership and comments. I can’t wait to see where this goes.