a year ago i gave birth to two baby girls. one was 6 lbs. 4 oz. and we named her Lucy Claire. one was 4 lbs 12 oz. and we named her Catherine Bennett.
i was scared. i didn't know how i was going to handle two babies.
i didn't know how i was going to handle four children under five.
one year ago they wheeled me into the operating room and i didn't know what to expect. i certainly didn't expect to deliver two babies in three pushes! i certainly didn't expect to not even know i was in labor (the babies were so big, i ALWAYS felt like i was having contractions!!). i certainly didn't expect to have no pain or recovery after the delivery. i think God knew i'd need my strength,ha!
a year ago jimmy and i had a quiet thanksgiving in a hospital room as we looked at our two daughters...marveled over them...and talked in hushed tones about the future.
everything about them, EVERYTHING...has been unexpected. from the moment they told us they saw two heartbeats...everything has been a surprise.an adventure.
they have turned our worlds upside down.
they have taught us all more than we ever could have known.
and i NEVER could have anticipated how FUN this would be. watching them together is a blessing. it is so interesting, and wild, and exhausting, and funny, and scary, and did i mention exhausting?
i became a better mother this year. i became more patient, more loving, more able to just soak it all in.
they are my "gentle reminders" from God. my nudges.my reminders that i am not in charge. i am not the one that knows what is in store.
they are proof that WE CAN. every time we think we CAN'T handle something as a family, we do. they are proof that we are stronger, better than we think.
they are beautiful. they are wild. they are EVERYWHERE and into EVERYTHING. they have taught me that my love can MULTIPLY. my love has not been divided. i now love four little girls with more love than i knew i had.
they are our saving graces.
happy birthday, cate.
happy birthday, lucy.
thank you for lighting our lives and filling our hearts.
xoxo,mama
What a complete sweet family you have!
Have a blessed Thanksgiving with Birthday girls!!
Enjoy watching/read about your family life with the girls!
Posted by: jennifer Camplin | 11/24/2011 at 09:04 AM
Happy Birthday day girlies! We love you too!
Posted by: Tammy Kay | 11/24/2011 at 09:04 AM
Absolutely love this. :)
- April
Posted by: April W | 11/24/2011 at 09:09 AM
Your family was beautifully blessed with those two sweeties. Happy birthday, Lucy and Cate. Wishing you many, many years of love, laughter and happiness. Hugs.
Posted by: Sherry Cartwright | 11/24/2011 at 09:17 AM
Happy Birthday to my birthday twins : ) (I've waited a whole year to say that!!) xo
Posted by: Elizabeth | 11/24/2011 at 09:30 AM
Happy birthday Cate! Happy birthday Lucy! Have a wonderful & exciting first birthday. :)
Posted by: Danielle | 11/24/2011 at 09:41 AM
Perfect!
Posted by: Cindy | 11/24/2011 at 09:42 AM
beautiful - happy bday to your sweet girls!
Posted by: lisa truesdell | 11/24/2011 at 09:56 AM
So sweet! Happy birthday to your two punkin pies!
Posted by: Andrea Walter | 11/24/2011 at 09:57 AM
Happy Birthday to your sweet girls Steph!
Posted by: Gracie | 11/24/2011 at 10:18 AM
They're so beautiful. Love the 1squared shirts. Happy Birthday, Lucy and Cate!
Posted by: Noelle | 11/24/2011 at 10:19 AM
Happy Birthday to your wonderful girls, their faces make me laugh so much!!
Posted by: Cornelia Kennedy | 11/24/2011 at 10:22 AM
This is the only place on the web that I cry when reading a birthday post!! Just beautiful! What a Thanksgiving blessing. :)
Posted by: Pidgen | 11/24/2011 at 10:38 AM
Oh my but you have a lovely family! Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by: Meghan | 11/24/2011 at 10:41 AM
You have so many blessings and they are all beautiful. Have a blessed and happy thanksgiving. Happy Birthday Cate & Lucy!
Posted by: Pat | 11/24/2011 at 10:58 AM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY from Oregon!!! oxox
Posted by: patti | 11/24/2011 at 11:07 AM
happy happy birthday my beautiful friend!
Posted by: Stephanie Howell | 11/24/2011 at 11:13 AM
You have a beautiful family, happy birthday to Lucy and Cate!
Posted by: Michelle Poirier | 11/24/2011 at 11:33 AM
they are too cute for words! happy birthday cate and lucy. happy thanksgiving to you and yours, stephanie. you truly have a beautiful family.
Posted by: christy | 11/24/2011 at 01:27 PM
Happy Birthday to the girls!! :)
Posted by: Jennifer Sanborn | 11/24/2011 at 02:23 PM
Happy Birthday beautiful girls xxx
Posted by: Kelly Rodgers | 11/24/2011 at 03:26 PM
happy birthday cate and lucy! I can't believe you two are ONE! it's a joy to follow your life and see your smiling faces on your mama's blog. you two are miracles!! xoxox
Posted by: Jenni Hufford | 11/24/2011 at 04:06 PM
Wow! Congratulations, Happy Birthday to the babies, Happy Thanksgiving to you. Every.single.time. you blog about Cate and Lucy you make my ovaries hurt ;)
Posted by: sarbear | 11/24/2011 at 04:50 PM
Happy birthday to your beautiful girls!! Happy Thanksgiving to your family!
Posted by: Natalie | 11/24/2011 at 05:43 PM
Happy birthday, Cate and Lucy.
And, congratulations, Stephanie! You have so much to be thankful for and so much to be proud of.
Posted by: Barb | 11/24/2011 at 06:06 PM
Happy birthday Lucy and Cate!
Posted by: Lindaj | 11/24/2011 at 06:28 PM
Happy Birthday sweet girls!
Posted by: Mary Ann Jenkins | 11/24/2011 at 06:30 PM
Happy Birthday Lucy and Kate! God blessed you both with an amazing family!
Posted by: samantha | 11/24/2011 at 07:00 PM
happy birthday to your two sweet girls - can't believe it's been a year!
big hugs to you mama - what an amazing ride you're on!
Posted by: melanie bauer | 11/24/2011 at 07:52 PM
It's my daughter's birthday today too (the 25th--I'm in Australia) so Happy birthday Lucy and Cate, I have so enjoyed watching you grow and learning strength from your mama, because whether she knows it or not, her blog helps me to find strength when i dont think I have it. I think "if steph can do it with FOUR girls and a hubby who is away as much as J is, i can do it in my circumstance'.
Thank you for being such wonderful little darlings (and to my darling too :))
Posted by: Linda trace | 11/24/2011 at 08:09 PM
Happy birthday, girls!
Posted by: JoLynn | 11/24/2011 at 08:18 PM
Oh Steph...life has gotten in the way of my blog reading lately, so I haven't had a chance to enjoy your sweet family! The girls are gorgeous! and so big! Happy Birthday Lucy and Cate!!!
Posted by: Laura Fiore | 11/24/2011 at 08:30 PM
Happy Birthday Cate!
Happy Birthday Lucy!
Happy Thanksgiving Howell family!!
Posted by: Alissa | 11/24/2011 at 08:38 PM
OMG they are just so cute!!! Happy Birthday girls and a very Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!!
Posted by: sue | 11/24/2011 at 10:26 PM
What a sweet post! Happy birthday to your sweet angels and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Beautiful family you have there :)
Posted by: Becky D | 11/24/2011 at 10:53 PM
What a beautiful post. Happy birthday to your babies and Happy Thanksgiving to you & your family!
Posted by: hisglorygirl | 11/24/2011 at 11:12 PM
Happy Birthday Lucy and Cate!!
Posted by: Nicole | 11/24/2011 at 11:38 PM
awww sweet babies happy birthday!
xo
p.s. are those amy tangerine shirts?? love em =)
Posted by: christina rayevich | 11/24/2011 at 11:50 PM
Happy birthday, sweet girlies!
Posted by: Jill Sprott | 11/25/2011 at 02:10 AM
Happy Birthday x 2.
What a beautiful family!
xox
Posted by: Lou | 11/25/2011 at 03:15 AM
Happy Birthday to the Littles! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving too!
Posted by: Cathy K. | 11/25/2011 at 06:32 AM
Happy birthday for your two beautiful girls !!!
Posted by: isabel | 11/25/2011 at 06:35 AM
Happy birthday Lucy and Cate! And happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by: Kathy Martin | 11/25/2011 at 07:10 AM
Happy first birthday to Lucy & Cate, the most beautiful babies I have ever seen.
Stephanie, I know that you appreciate that your cup runneth over!
Best wishes to the Howell family for another year of health, love, fun & adventure
Posted by: Bessie Segal | 11/25/2011 at 07:16 AM
happy birthday to all of you. This brings back sweet memories of when my girls turned one. They will be eleven by the end of December. They say time flies. Well, trust me, it does. No fear, your blog, your scrapbook pages will keep your memories alive. Not only for you but also for them. (and for us, thank you!)
Posted by: kate | 11/25/2011 at 08:12 AM
Happy Birthday to your sweet girls. I really have to stop reading your posts at work...they always make me tear up!
Posted by: Alana | 11/25/2011 at 11:30 AM
Happy birthday to your little beauties. I hope this doesn't sound stalker-ish, but I love them! Such great expressions on those little faces :)
Posted by: MelissaS | 11/25/2011 at 05:24 PM
Happy Birthday Cate & Lucy (&mama&daddy&bigs)!! I feel like the bigger a family gets, the birthdays belong to everyone. Each year is such an accomplishment and a treasured gift. Cheers!!
Posted by: Melanie | 11/25/2011 at 09:13 PM
Happy birthday to those beautiful girls, and blessings to you and entire lovely family of six.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 11/26/2011 at 11:34 AM
Aw, happy birthday to Cate and Lucy! They are so beautiful:)
Posted by: [email protected] | 11/26/2011 at 04:57 PM
Happy Birthday Miss CAte and Miss Lucy!
can't believe you two beautiful fun little girls are ONE already! times goes too FAST!
Stephanie, they are AMAZING, it's been a BLAST watching them grown and become their own little person!
love it so much!!!
it's so hard to have a birthday ON the HOlidays or even near the Holidays!
Savannah is a Christmas Eve baby, so I know how hard it is, yet such a GREAT blessing/gift to be thankful for at the same time!
hugs to you all!
tara
Posted by: tara pollard pakosta | 11/26/2011 at 09:40 PM
Happy Birthday to two little cuties! Lucy and Cate, it is so hard to think you are already one!!! You are lucky to have such a great mom, dad and big sisters!
Posted by: berta | 11/27/2011 at 01:25 AM
Beautiful as always. Happy Birthday Cate and Lucy!
Posted by: Karen B | 11/27/2011 at 06:01 AM
happy belated bday!!!! I just got home so I had not been able to post anything for you. My little logan turned 1 as well on the nineteen, Indeed this year has been such a blur....so fast. What did you end up getting for the babies, I just got the little fisher price phone like the one we used to have when we were little, I felt horrible getting one more toy in this house with 2 other boys. Did you go shopping again for your ball on dec 3rd??? I am sure you will look gorgeous as always. I loved your post about not even getting Christmas dresses for the girls or getting your tree up. I think as mothers, we are almost our worst enemies trying to do all it all. I am giving my self a break this year and constantly saying to myself, I am doing the best I can. I hope your thanksgiving was lovely, very much to be thankful indeed. I for one I am very thankful to have found your blog more than a year ago. You are awesome!!! Can't wait to hear about the ball....What ideas do you have????
Posted by: Lina | 11/27/2011 at 10:58 AM
A huge hug from Sweden. Your post is what I needed to hear today. So empowering and inspiring. I too am a mother of three girls of which two are twins. I know how you feel and I love reading about your life. Plus, I love the scrapbooking too!
Posted by: Reija | 11/27/2011 at 11:02 AM
hi lovely story of your two girls i also have twin boys who are now 12 teenagers, i had 4 under 4 it was fun we were always busy at kindy and school then
Posted by: janice | 12/07/2011 at 10:03 PM