ONE + ONE = DOUBLE the FUN!

From womb-mates to room-mates!

It's really here... the twins' birthday! It absolutely blows my mind that we are celebrating one full year with these beautiful, busy, whip-smart, smiley kids. It's been a year that has required much caffeine and many deep breaths, but we wouldn't trade one second of the chaos for all of the bliss it's brought us.

As a birthday present to Kendal and to me, both babies are standing up on their own! Carlisle can confidently pop up from a crouch and Jackson easily lets go of a chair, toy, etc., once he's in standing mode. They can each stand for a good 30 seconds before falling on their booties - Carlisle even claps while standing and fully expects everyone in the room to join in! They are mere days away from walking (I think) which is exciting and terrifying, but mostly just plain great. I am dreaming of the days - still in the future, but not so far off - when they will hop out of the car on their own without our having to lift the heavy carseats... But by the time those days arrive, we'll surely be wishing they were back in their swaddle blankets!

Jackson Camper (Jackson, Camper - take your pick!) is always so happy and has an easy grin and is so darn cuddley. When he's screeching in irritation we call him "Cramper" but most always he's just a great little guy. He was the first to master sitting up and stood up first in his crib all by himself, as well as learned first how to make his knees and hands work in sync to craw (not that any of this is a competition, just milestones and observations I promise!)l. He's always been a great eater and opens his jaws extra wide for every bite. He still coos and squeals and likes to sing to himself in the early mornings before it's quite time to get up. He is the fastest crawler in the entire world - there's no way he can run any faster than he can crawl. He's the adventurer and loves to explore, to examine, to take things apart, to ponder. He crawled right up a set of stairs on his first try and hasn't looked back! He's a quick one!



Carlisle (or Carli Mac, or Warley) is also a really happy kid. She's miss independent and quickly mastered clapping, as well as standing on her own. Jackson had been pulling up for several days when - out of the blue - Carlisle just pulled up in her crib like it was no big deal. She watches and observes and then picks things up. I fear she's going to mastermind a lot of pranks and try to blame it all on her sweet bro. She is a total daredevil and loves to be thrown in the air, to swing high, laughing all the while. She has a huge grin that lights up her whole face and just makes you melt - watch out, boys (and Will Eldridge, her first crush)! She babbles a lot and makes the funniest gurgles and shrieks. She can pull out the crocodile tears in a heartbeat when she doesn't get her way and is bound to be a total drama queen, but then she just bats those huge blue eyes and all is forgiven and forgotten.



The twins truly are already best friends. They love to play, steal each other's toys and love on each other. Nana (Kendal's mom) has been here the last week and she has great stories: Once again, Carlisle stole a toy from Jackson and he just cried and cried. She then crawled over to him and patted him on the head and he just lay his head on her shoulder (mind you, she didn't give him back the toy, but she did make him feel better!). Nana also said she experimented with bathing them separately the other night, thinking each would have such fun on their own with all the toys to play with. Apparently, bath-time for one is no fun and each was totally bored! GanGan (my mom) kept the twins for several days last week and was just amazed by how well they played together and communicated, though the sibling rivalry is already in full swing. We pray they will always share a special bond and love and support each other throughout their growing years and beyond. Happy first birthday, Jackson Camper and Carlisle!!! We love you!!

"Sharing" their first apple juice...

Don't let the pretty pastels fool you... they mean business!

All bundled up and ready to cuddle!

Footsteps of Faith

Kendal left today for TWO WEEKS in Europe! I am thrilled for him and sad for myself all at the same time as I already miss him terribly. He is helping lead a group of high school students from our presbytery on a tour that traces the footsteps of Paul throughout Greece, Italy and Turkey. It is going to be an absolutely amazing trip... and he didn't even bring a camera! Hopefully he can steal some photos from the other group members and post some pics and stories when he gets home.


In the meantime, I have lots of help from the grandmothers. GanGan is here until tomorrow, then Nana is headed up here to help until Kendal gets home. The twins are into EVERYTHING (cat food is a new favorite, yuck). It's so much fun to chase them around, but it's also just a little exhausting. They babble almost-words all the time and we're convinced they are talking to each other and just have no need to talk to us! That is, until they need their allowance...

Quick note - Kendal and I just celebrated our sixth anniversary. Nana came up to watch the kids and K and I spent a great evening dining at a wonderful, romantic restaurant in Hot Springs, Angels in the Park. We then spent the next several hours tracking down the swingset we eventually bought and built (Kendal built!) for the kids. It was a fun night and just the right mix of romance and parenthood! That shot of our garage is the "before"...

and here is the "after!" (photo stolen from walmart.com)

One last photo... I accidentally spilled the entire bottle of Johnson's baby shampoo in the tub the other night while preparing a bath for the twins. So, they got their first bubble bath! Carlisle loved doing face plants into the bubbles and coming up with a full bubble beard! Jackson Camper was a little more cautious but liked slapping his hands in the bubbles. Fun times!!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, ONEder Twins! We celebrated Jackson Camper and Carlisle's first birthday today, Noah's Ark style :) Lauren's mom (GanGan) came up to Arkansas on Thursday to help get all the food ready for the party - her help was invaluable! Kendal worked hard in the yard to make everything beautiful for the day, so many props to dad! Kendal also worked incredibly hard to get the twins' birthday party ready - a swing-set! Our awesome friend Robert helped Kendal build the swingset and was at our house until 1:30AM on Monday putting in the final bolts. It looks great and the kids love it already. We look forward to many, many years of swingin' times!



We decided to ask guests to bring donations to Heifer International in lieu of gifts - we've received so much support this past year we hoped to give a little back. We hope the gifts we will be able to send to Heifer will really make an impact in the lives of families in impoverished villages. Some friends made generous donations to Heifer in the twins' names and were able to supply a heifer and honeybees to help children and families around the world receive training and animal gifts that help them become self-reliant. Thanks to the gift we received at the party, we'll also be able to purchase a sheep for a family in need, helping them become self sufficient.

Gulf Shores!

We had a FANTASTIC trip to the beach! Each year, Kendal's family treats us all to a family vacation. Past trips have included Mountain Home, AR, Galveston, TX and Gulf Shores. We were excited that this year's trip took us back to the beach.

We stayed in Fort Morgan - it was awesome, away from all the craziness and the perfect retreat for the family. We had 14 people in one house (and four were under one!) but it was constant playtime! The kids all got along and had the best time playing with toys in the living room - we had to barracade the area with couches and furniture but they didn't complain!



Jackson Camper LOVED playing in the sand. Of course he also tried to eat it (yuck!) and he loved crawling all around and running his hands through it. Carlisle absolutely did NOT like the sand and got very offended anytime a grain wound up on her foot or hand. She did take well to the pool, though, and is on her way to becoming quite the water baby. Jackson Camper liked the pool okay but had to be in someone's arms and wasn't ready for the baby floatie. Lauren's favorite day (of course!) was shopping at the Foley outlets. We found some great winter bargains on clothes for the twins, Kendal got a fantastic pair of Sunday shoes for just $10 and Lauren got her first (and probably only!) Coach purse. We all enjoyed lunch at Lambert's and it was a great time!

The twins also got their first taste of ice cream! We stopped at a Bruster's ice cream stand - the best ice cream ever! - and were surprised when they handed us baby cones for the kiddos. The twins loved it, of course. Carlisle immediately grabbed her cone and fed herself while JC needed a little assistance. I'm hoping to send some pics to the Bruster's corporate HQ in hopes of some free ice cream!

CDO Graduation

Well, the kids are graduates! From the nursery, that is! We celebrated their first semester at CDO (Children's Day Out), the daycare the twins attend while Kendal and I are at work. They started in January and adapted so well to the school and quickly made friends with their classmates. Their teachers, Ms. Naomi and Ms. Courteny, were fantastic and loved on both Carlisle and Jackson Camper every single day.



Immediately following their "graduation" from CDO's 2007-08 school year, we jumped in the Jeep and headed to Hattiesburg to visit Lauren's family for a few days. It was a quick trip but we had a great visit with Lauren's grandmother (Mama Diket) and GanGan and Big Daddy. We also got to grab a quick breakfast with Lauren's sister Anna and her boyfriend Matt before they headed to see Radiohead in Houston. Matt just graduated from Southern Miss with a degree in film so we're so excited to see where his budding career will take them. We just hope it's close enough for frequent visits!

Jackson Camper took full advantage of Mama Diket's walker during our visit, claiming it as his own! He is very close to walking - heaven help us! JC and daddy took quite a few trips up and down the hallway and our little speedracer handily overtook the other residents in walker races! Carlisle has amazed us, though, with her efforts to stand up. She is working on a lunge/stand and will probably be on her way to standing on her own very soon!

A Great Visit

Lauren had the opportunity to take Carlisle and Jackson Camper to Mississippi for a visit with her family. The twins were troopers in the car and happily drank their juice while mom listened to a book on CD - what a nice surprise! We stopped in Jackson to visit Lauren's very first friend Emily and her girls Anne Elise and Ava - we watched the kids roll/run around and had a wonderful visit. While in Mississippi, we also got some great visiting time in with the twins' great-grandmother. She got to watch them play, listen to their belly laughs and do a little cuddling. It was a great time. We also got to spend some special time with one of Lauren's best friends, Cara, and see her son Cole and new baby Claire. We had a great visit and even treated the twins and Cole to a trip to the zoo, complete with a visit to the local tiger! The remainder of our trip was spent with Big Daddy and GanGan. Jackson Camper learned to climb the stairs on his very first try (a little horrifying!) - Carlisle has not yet followed suit.



As the twins first birthday approaches, we are in awe - sheer awe - of the amazing, busy, sleep-deprived, affirming, beautiful year we've had with these amazing twins. We've been in a reminiscing mood lately and are constantly shocked to observe how quickly the kids have grown and developed their own personalities. If you have not seen the news story that featured the Land twins on their birth day/Father's Day, click here!

Point of Grace!

Anyone who knew Lauren during her high school years knows that the Christian group Point of Grace is her favorite - many of their songs were sung in her car AND in church! Last night, Lauren had the opportunity to host an alumni Meet & Greet for the girls, three of whom are alumni of Ouachita. It was an amazing experience - the girls could not have been nicer, they gave several shout-outs to Ouachita during the concert AND the show was absolutely amazing. Pictured above is Lauren with the girls and her Ouachita friends Keisha, Rebecca, Kirt and Justin.

Also performing with Point of Grace last night was the Christian group Selah (they are FABULOUS!). My friend Brittany has linked a blog to her site called Bring the Rain. The author is the wife of one of the singers in Selah and her story of their fourth daughter is both heartbreaking and a testament to how big God is. Take some time and read her story, it is so inspiring. Her husband Todd shared daughter Audrey's story and there were many tears throughout the audience.