i don't even know where to begin.

i really don't. i have so much to say, so many emotions, memories, so much excitement...and the exhaustion. oh, the exhaustion! i forgot how crazy it is. but the best kind of crazy there is!

i know i'm not ready to share the birth story. i need to remember it, write it down, and then share it. it was wonderful. it really was. a dream delivery...to these two precious babies!

i thought for today i'd just share some photos and words.

a quick primer on how to tell the chickies apart:

lucy is WAY bigger. she also has way more/darker hair.

cate's features are tiny. she is tiny. like a little wee elf!

they both have clefts in their chin and awesome dark hair.

cate on left, lucy claire on right:

 

 

 

cate and j on his couch. he was SO happy to say goodbye to that couch! although it was pretty swank compared to the chairs we have gotten in the past in military hospitals!

this photo cracks me up b/c they look so much alike!

we have been doing lots and lots of practicing of the "double football hold". i think i'm getting a hang of it, and it makes breast feeding SO SO much easier.

although obviously when i do it their heads go in, not out.

a bit about the bigs meeting the littles...the joy on their faces when they walked int the room made my heart hurt.

it was truly overwhelming. and a testament to God's love and blessings...pure joy is just so beautiful.

 

 

 

harper especially...it melted my heart. i am so proud of her. she is really, truly over the moon happy to be a big big sister. she takes the job very seriously.

 

 

 

and sadie...well, we're working on it. in THEORY she is VERY excited. in theory. she wants to touch them, and we are teaching her that "gently touch" is not the same as "poke your sister's eyes out".

she's only two. and at two the world revolves around YOU. she has been the baby her entire life. it's all she knows.

 

 

getting used to anything other than that is hard for her.

she's thrown some fits...

pouted a bit:

and then in a classic move (perfected in christmas of 2009)...

she tried to lick the baby.

 

because that's what sadie does. :)

i have no doubt she will survive. but i hate that it is so overwhelming to her right now. so i sneak moments with her...love on her, hold her, whisper her secrets...and wait for her to adjust.

 

we are all adjusting! and this house is so full of love, i just can't stop whispering that same old three word prayer over and over...

thank you Lord.

i hope you all had a beautiful, blessed thanksgiving!

xoxo

s

 

 

 

Comments

[Nancy L.]

Congrats! They are beautiful! My daughter loved seeing the pics and reading your post!

[Janet m]

Your collection of pictures are just perfect, love all the journling with them . Wishing you so many blessings . Have fun being a family of six. Once again tell your mother from one grandmother to another - enjoy her time with all of you . What a treasure to have her there to help.

[Tracy L]

Oh my gosh they are so perfect! I can only imagine! Enjoy every moment as we all know how quickly they grow up! Thank you for sharing this journey with all of us!

[Cindy Johnston]

I want to say big congrats again! I am so happy for you all! I literally have tears looking at these photos of your precious daughters...all 4! Oh my goodness they are all so sweet! You take care and God bless you all!

[Deb Wisker]

Perfect....nothing else needs to be said. I am so happy for all of you Steph!
XO

[Cheryl]

The photos of your bigs holding your littles made me tear up. It's all just so sweet...and full of love...and absolutely perfect. Congratulations again.

[Holly S.]

Tears are flowing, so beautiful, so perfect, so happy for all of you.

[Pat]

Thank you Lord is so appropriate!!! All four of the girls are so beautiful! God bless you!

[emily pitts]

sigh. so very beautiful and all is good.

[nancy n]

So sweet and so precious ~ all four of your little women ~ and the pictures are PRICELESS! I have felt for each of my youngest, when overnight they became the "big" sister or brother. It is definitely an adjustment. My prayers are with you and an extra one for Sadie.

[Keshet]

Stephanie, I love this update! Your bigs and littles are all so cute together! And I love the photo of Jimmy and Cate, they really do have the same expression!

[Tracey Dye]

What a beautiful family!!!! You are all so blessed.

Congratulations and welcome to your two precious wee girls :)

xxx

[k8scraps]

Bless you and your family! So precious....and such precious pictures, too.

congrats!

k8

[pidgen]

this tops EVERYTHING! :) i have no idea how one can laugh and cry at the same time -- but these pictures and words -- oh my. the backwards, football, b-feeding pic was hillarious! and the ones of the girls (all of them) wow, and wow. God bless you all.

[Antonia from the UK]

Four beautiful daughters! How wonderful! Thank you for sharing your pictures.

[MilliD]

Thank you for the update! It is so wonderful to relive the excitement of a new baby through your posts!! God bless you, your bigs, your littles, your soldier, and your recorded memories. {{HUGS}}

[Hannah]

Your family is very sweet! Love all the pictures too :) the Bigs look very happy. I am a nurse who works some in OB and love breastfeeding so I am so very excited to you are going to breastfeed not one but TWO little sweethearts!! You have my 100% support! Congrats and enjoy cuddling :)

[tara pakosta]

they are so beautiful, all 4 of them!!!!!!
so are they not identical?! I LOVE the cleft chins!
my favorite! I wonder if miss little cate will catch up with her "big" twin sister?! so so sweet, can't wait to hear more!
hugs!
tara

[Beth]

Stephanie I am so so happy for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!You are incredibly blessed, all of you!

[Michelle Unruh]

Such sweet photos!! So excited and happy for all of you Steph!!! Again, congrats!!

[Vivian]

Beautiful photos, Steph!!
So happy for all of you - congratulations!!!

[Jennifer Henson]

So absolutely happy for all of you. What an amazing example of God's blessings and joy. :) Thank you for sharing. :)

[Julia C]

Congratulations to you all! Thanks so much for sharing these photos; they're absolutely gorgeous.

[Jennifer Stewart]

Oh, Steph.....how incredibly BLESSED you all are! They are just perfect. And those pictures of Harper and Sadie with them? Priceless and precious. JIMMY---LOVE the Austin shoutout shirt! :D

When my mom had my twin sisters, I was 8 and my sister was 7. She was the baby and was pretty upset to not be the baby anymore. Very normal for Sadie to act that way, as I'm sure you know and have been told. Give her big girl responsibilities, like helping you change them, grabbing things for you, etc. That helped my sister a LOT. I was the Harper and just wanted to play "mommy" with them ALL THE TIME. haha :)

Love you mucho!
Jennifer

[Stephanie]

Oh! I like the look and the smile of Harper! She seems so full of joy!
Like the "rumple" face of Sadie who seems to hesitate between joy and anxiety.
I like to see Jimmy sleeping so peacefully next to his new angel.
I like to feel so happy and full of your conscience Mom!
Oh! I expected to see such wonderful news!

[yasmin]

Congratulations!!! I'm so very happy for you and your beautiful family, what an amazing way to spend the holidays!!!

[Tammy Kay]

Oh, that was beautiful. They are so gorgeous. All four of them.
I'm so happy for you. Bless your sweet family.
Love you!

[Elizabeth]

Truly, too beautiful for words.

[breanne]

this post made me cry. what absolutely beautiful photos. i am so happy for your family. the babes are just gorgeous and what beautiful HAIR! love all that hair!

[Stephanie]

BUT, BUT, how I are YOU??

My 2nd daughter, "licked" her brother (she was 5) 'cause she loved so much him!!!! And she wanted to eat him!!??

[Jersey Girl Anne]

I love the pictures of your four beautiful daughters! The smiles on the big girls faces just brought tears to my eyes. Do try to get someone to take pictures of all six of you together!!!! I'm so happy to hear that you are breast feeding. I give you lots of credit for that! Just love on your little family because time truely does fly!!!!!!

[Stephanie]

Hummmm!I would like to know your ddress (I live in Franece!) just 'cause my 2nd daughter, Amelie nd me, love you and your family and... is it possible??

[Stephanie]

Just for a card !

[sharron]

Oh my goodness gracious...precious!!!
sooo looking forward to watching these girls bond.
blessings~

[samantha]

I laughed. I cried. I have baby envy. They are perfect. All four of them.

[Kirsty P]

Beautiful, Just beautiful :)

[ArlaMo]

They are gorgeous! Congratulations! And Sadie will survive (and thrive, is my bet!) From a momma of 6...

[kristine]

So happy to hear that everything is wonderful, what an amazing blessing! And Sadie tried to lick the baby, lmao!

[Katrina of Southern California]

What a beautiful family! You have worked so hard to get to this point and look at the wonderful job you have done. Good Job Mama...

[C. Rayevich]

Oh Steph!! they are all so beautiful! all 4 of them!!
I'm glad everything went well for you guys at the hospital and everyone is healthy
lots of love to you all
xo

[Kristi]

My heart hurts looking at them all, and I don't even knkow you, so I can't imagine how, as the mother, your is so full! Ah, the love. I've read your blog since before Sadie was born, and it is just amazing to have been on this 'journey' with you:) I can't believe what healthy sizes your girls are/how amazingly long you were able to carry them! You are a cookin' machine. Aren't women's bodies amazing to be able to do that?!?!? God bless and sending hugs and patience to all.
Kristi in MN

[Kris Cline]

Hopefully YOU are doing as well as everyone else is....what a blessed time in your lives! I cannot believe you have this post up already!heehee!
Thanks for sharing...those baby photos make me long for those days...my boys are 11 and 14....enjoy!

[Sarah K]

Yeah! You made my evening with this post and the previous one. I am so happy for you all, and I am so impressed that you were able to post, that is quite an accomplishment. Thanks for sharing your life with us. Such a beautiful family, such heart-melting photos. I love the picture of J and Cate sleeping, what a treasure. I can't wait to read the birth story. God Bless You!

[Linda]

Congratulations! What a beautiful family! Your pictures really show the love everyone has. It is so nice of you to share with us. Your post brought happy tears to my eyes.

[Linda E]

Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures! Wishng you and your family bountiful blessings!

[Mel Tallman]

Congratulation on your new additions. they are beautiful.

[Jenni Hufford]

oh stephanie-- these babies being born has been one of my favorite parts of this thanksgiving weekend- seriously!!! your pictures bring tears to my eyes and it makes me want another baby!!! ;) pure preciousness. i am completely overjoyed for you and praising God for His goodness!!!

[Megan B]

God is so good! :) I've enjoyed seeing pictures of your two latest blessings! Congrats to your entire family!!

[Ally White]

What great photos!! Sooo sweeeeet!

[Lori Borntreger]

Congratulations to you and your family!!! So precious are those sweet little girls!!!

[Alissa]

Thank you for sharing your beautiful blessings with us!!! Pics of the bigs meeting the littles are amazing!!

[Nikki M]

Thank you for sharing your joy with us.

[Mariah]

So happy for you. Love the pictures. They're beautiful.

[Jennifer Harris]

Beautiful. Simply beautiful. Can't wait for all the pictures and stories...

[Lisa]

Awww... you make my heart feel good. I am so very happy for your family! Enjoy it! It goes by fast!!

[Kathy M]

The photos and your journaling are beautiful. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your joy with all of us.

[lauren]

beautiful, beautiful words and photos.
amazing babies...all four of them!
cate looks like the spitting image of harper [to me!] and i can not get over how BIG [older!] h&s look in the photos above! :)
congratulations, steph! lots of love to the howell family!
*

[christine]

so touching, steph... your story is totally freakin awesome! pls say hi to your gorgeous little ladies & J. Bless is with y'all... congratulation to Howell family, again!

xoxo, c.

[Heather Moll]

Stephanie, all of your girls are so beautiful! Your words made me tear up! Praying for a smooth transition and sleep for everyone. Congratulations again.

[Roulien Stahnke]

Oh Stephanie, those pictures are so beautiful and precious!! I love the expressions on Harpers face. She's soooo in love with those little babies!! Enjoy every sweet moment!!
R

[Nicole]

Stephanie
Congratulations!!! God is good and it is so apparent in these two little ones and they are so lucky for the Mommy, Daddy and sisters they have. Thank you for sharing this with us- it is a priveledge to read your blog and I appreciate all you share with us.

[Penny Smith]

Yay, yay, yay!!! No c-section needed! That is AWESOME! You will be able to enjoy them so much more "pain free"! I use to be a doula. I am impressed girlie! Even to find a caregiver that will deliver twins!

Regardless, congrats! They are adorable (of course)!
6 and 4 pounds.... Lucy was hoggin' the incoming, huh? LOL! Enjoy your babymoon!

[Maria]

Absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing your beautiful family with all of us. Enjoy your chickies!!!

[Jill]

so, so precious! congratulations!

[Bethany]

congrats Stephanie! they are gorgeous!! take care!!

[Jen Thompson]

wow Steph, just wow! thankyou so much for sharing these photos and words with us. I've been watching and waiting for an update :) I can *hear* the happiness in your words and I am so happy for you!

[Danielle Calhoun]

SO happy for you. SO happy. The girls are gorgeous.

[Marti Richards]

Oh WOW, Stephanie!! My heart just burst right out of my chest! God is so good and you all are so blessed. Thank you for sharing your world with us. (((HUGS)))

[Kathy F]

I literally have happy tears looking at these beautiful photos of your beautiful girls!!!!! My daughter and I are sitting here reading your post and my heart is soooooo happy for you and your family. The babies are gorgeous and Sadie and Harper are so sweet with them!!!! The looks on their faces is just precious! you are blessed! Thanks for sharing this amazing journey, and remember to take it one day at a time!
Kathy F

[Rachel]

Oh my my. Just reading this post, my own heart just filled up with so much joy. How can one not look at these pictures and feeling anything but happiness? You're family is precious. What a beautiful gift! Thanks for sharing these sweet moments on here :)

[Danielle Barton]

OOO they are just precious! Love the pix where J's holding both. And the ones of the girls! I just found out I'm PG.. I have two 3 year olds and a two year old. I can't even being to imagine how the two year old will handle it. She is such a possessive and clingy little one! Yikes! Good luck with that!!

[KezzaLou]

The pictures of the girls response to seeing the babies brought tears to my eyes. Their innocence and wonder at what is before them is a precious sight. I am pregnant with my second and she and Harper are about the same age. It makes me think about her reaction when she sees her new baby, knowing, like Harper, how excited and serious she is about being the big sister. Precious, precious, precious!

[Lydia W.]

What blessings from the Lord! Congrats on a beautiful family!!

[jackie]

all of your pictures melted my heart. i had to show my husband the pics...and it took him back five years. we just took our twins to see "tangled". loving all the moments together.

[Debby Schuh]

I agree... thank you, Lord! God is good and will supply all you need! :)

[Jennifer]

so amazing!! :)

[Victoria in OHio]

so very happy for you! your pictures and your story makes MY heart hurt .... so happy for you so glad you are OK.. and the babies... sooo perfect =YAY GOD!

[JennV]

Wow, this is so amazing. So, so, happy for all of you! I just love all of your photos! The expressions on your girls' faces are priceless!

[Joan]

WOW! Thank you for sharing such a special moment with us.....the love & excitement on H & S's face (and even the lick!) are precious! Did I say how much I love that LICK!!!! S will be a great big sister too!!!! Love the pics of H...she is so proud & thrilled!

AND the pic of J & Cate...precious! (wow does she look like Daddy!) Congrats...rest & snuggle with all those beautiful girls!

[Jessica]

Beautiful pictures. I am so happy for you...congratulations!!! :)

[Tenika]

congrats! I can't believe how much Cate in the pic with her eyes open looks just like your oldest daughter!!

All the best to you all!

[Sar W]

My heart is bursting for you, just amazing, my hubby is sick of me talking about you and showing him your beautiful photos. xx

[Sandy]

Congratulations to you! Double the blessing and yes so much to say "Thank you Lord!" I'm praying for you. I come from a family of 4 girls too - I have 2 older sisters and I'm the first of twins. My mom always tells us - it was all worth it and although it was crazy at times - we all survived! Now my sisters and I are so close and talk everyday. Enjoy these precious tmes =)

[Noelle Reese]

How darling! You are one lucky Mama! I am so happy for you guys!!

[Ola Jaggers]

Congratulations! They are absolutely perfect! You are one very blessed mama!!! I have two perfect boys & they make my world go round! I'm so happy for you and your family!!!

Thank you for sharing your pictures with us!

~Ola

[Joanne]

Ive been going back and forth on weather we should have another baby in the future (weve got just one 12month old girl). Seeing all the love in those photos and the cute cute cute little babys youve just totally made up my mind on having another :)

[Veronica]

This post totally made me cry. Thank you so much for sharing and making my day.
Lots ans lots of love to you all!!!

[Amy K]

Thank you for sharing these photos of your beautiful family. This post bring tears of joy to my eyes for your whole family.
The miracle of life of simply amazing. Enjoy these double blessings...actually your four blessings!
Sadie will come around, and she'll embrace those Mommy & me times. My middle one had a very difficult time when her little brother arrived, but now they're best of friends (for the most part). We all know that with every life change comes adjustment, and I'm sure you, J, and grandma are spreading the love around to all the beautiful girls in the house!!

Blessings...

[Alexa]

Congrat's to you all. I know these girlies will grow into special little people because you have a truly amazing family!

[Kim Stewart]

do you know how many "just one more baby" babies this will inspire??!! I can just feel the love when looking at the photos.
Congratulations, remember to rest...and soak it all in...thanks for sharing your family!

[cannycrafter]

so, so happy for you! Those pictures are awesome!

[Jo]

Oh beautiful photos Stephanie. Harper looks so proud and full of love. Sadie, well bless her, as you say she's been the baby of the family. But you are going about the right way, showing her love and understanding, she'll get there. Love to all six of you. x

[Helen Tilbury]

Oh my I just love your blog! Your photos are so emotional I was on the verge of tears & then the dialogue about Sadie, culminating in the licking had me laughing so hard I did cry!!!! Just LOVE it...

[Christa Paustenbaugh]

Beautiful photos and what beautiful girls (all 4 of them!!). I bet they will all become the best buddies in no time!

[mel brewin]

Oh Steph what beautiful photos. Soooo blessed. You all look over the moon!!! Looking at Harper and Sadie reminded me of my little girls when my third was born. (They are all only 22 months apart). You are amazing & you will do an amazing job. Precious gift of God.Praying His richest blessings & sleep (for you all).

M xx

[Lynn]

Oh Stephanie...these pictures make my heart so full. You and J are so blessed with your four beautiful girls...I love all the pictures and those little chins on Lucy and Cate...so adorable. You're families love abounds! And Sadie..that tongue cracks me up! so happy for you and J!

[Lisa Russell]

So sweet! I had to laugh out loud about the licking perfected in 2009! Too funny!! You crack me up -- happy adjusting! Life is too fun!

[Sophia Allison]

They are totally precious...<3

[Lynne]

What wonderful pictures! Thank you so much for sharing your happiness with all of us in cyber land! Your babies and your big girls are beautiful!

[Kathy Martin]

Congratulations on such beautiful babies! Such Precious photos of everyone! How fortunate you all are to have one another!