Christmas Reflections

We've been really trying to teach the boys the true meaning of Christmas.  Now they do know what Santa says, and we're working on actually saying "Merry Christmas."  They are enamored with the presents under the tree, and for some reason think they all belong to "Uncle To-dy!"  But we really want them to know that first and foremost Christmas is about the greatest treasure we could ever find, an innocent baby named Jesus, fully man and fully God, coming to die for us all to offer the free gift of salvation.

I found an advent story that Noel Piper wrote that has been an amazing teaching tool.  Every day it adds a piece of the nativity story with a new character we add to an advent calendar.  The boys love it.  They have learned some of the main characters already like Mary, Joesph, and the shepherds (they really like these guys).  We've also learned new animal sounds, so unless you want to be sprayed I would avoid asking them what a camel does.  :)

I have had several opportunities to think about the characters involved in that first Christmas, and this year I have really been thinking about Mary.  I think motherhood makes you do that.  If I had the opportunity to talk to her I have several questions....

• What was it like to care for a tiny infant completely dependant on you, and yet still know that this was the Messiah you had been waiting for?  The very Messiah who ultimately you would depend on for your salvation.
• One of the greatest joys I have as a mom is watching my boys grow and discover on a daily basis.  Did Jesus grow in His discovery of who He was, or did He seem to always know?  What about the world around Him (which He created), did He have to discover anything or did He already know how it all worked?
• What is it like to raise a perfect child, and allow Him to see your mistakes?
• How did you handle knowing that ultimately He would lay down His life for you and all of man kind?
• What were some of the biggest lessons He taught you?
• Was there sibling rivalry and how did you handle that?

I cannot even begin to imagine the role that God asked Mary to fill.  Her faith and humility completely amaze me!  One of the biggest blessing I have is getting to be a mom, as imperfect as I am.  Daily I cling to God's grace as I teach, model, love & discipline our boys.  I can't help but think that parenting Jesus, caused her to cling to the Lord more than she had ever done before.  She must have felt even more inadequate than most of us moms feel.  Yet she never doubted His plan for her life, or complained that it was just too hard.  She didn't argue or protest.  She simply accepted His call on her life, and praised God for who He is.  My prayer is that I can look at the plan God has called me to and as Mary, confidently walk through it proclaiming "for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant....for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name." 

 

The Great Outdoors

So I'm a little behind on blog updates...between Thanksgiving and we moved out of our townhouse and into a real house this past weekend, I haven't really had a chance to think about blogging so this will be short & sweet. 
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family & friends, I just didn't take very many pictures, so instead I'll share with you the boys' first 4-wheeler adventure.  The weekend after Thanksgiving, we went out to a ranch with some friends from church.  Now this wasn't your normal ranch, it was nicer than any home I'll every dream about owning, and sat on 100s of acres of beautiful land.  We took the boys out exploring on a 4-wheeler (complete with seat belts and a full second row of seats- please don't panic)!  They loved it.  They sat in awe as we drove by several ponds , deer, and even a wild hog.  I don't know about you, but I've never seen cuter kids in camo! 

There's a Spirit Can Never be Told

Okay, so I realize that my last post was the boys in their Aggie jerseys, and adding this post just makes me look like "that" Aggie, but oh, well!
This past Saturday we had the opportunity to travel to College Station to watch our beloved Aggies lay a good ol' defensive smack down on the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Now I have been to many Aggie football games over the past several years, and this was the best game I have ever watched in the stands at Kyle field.  We walked away with a hard fought victory!  WHOOP!

If you know anything at all about Aggies, it is that they LOVE their school.  The traditions, the spirit, the values all of which are unique to A&M, but when I think of my four years at A&M those aren't what I remember.  I want others to know about another side of A&M.  As we walked across campus this past weekend I was flooded with memories.  God used my time in Aggieland to grow my walk with Him in ways I would have never guessed.  From on campus Bible studies, to ministry projects, to a church that just loved serving college students and making sure they knew the Word this time in my life unlike any other was saturated by the love of Christ.  I learned what it looked like to have a hunger for God's Word.  I learned what it looked to have true community that really does life together.  I learned what it looked like to serve others and think of them first.  The best part of that is I know I'm not alone.  There is something different about A&M.  Every year, hundreds of college students have the same testimony.

I am a proud member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2004, and so grateful to be a part of the Aggie family.  I will forever cherish the memories, traditions, and camaraderie I have from being an Aggie, but more than that I am so thankful the Lord uses a place called College Station, TX to move and work in the lives of young college students.

Thanks & Gig'em!

Train up a child in the way he should go...

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Some may call it brain washing or indoctrination, but I prefer to call it passing along important values and tradition!  You see it's all in your perspective.

These are our sweet little Aggies.  They have officially learned to "Whoop" and we are currently working on "Gig 'em."  They are very aware of their Aggie attire, and point it out when it's in the laundry every time.  "Aggies!  Aggies!"

So it is with great honor that I would like to introduce you to the proudest members of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2031! (crazy thought isn't it?)

           Levi our future lineman!

    Luke our future quarter back or strategist.










P.S. Thanks Aunt Noel for our jerseys.  We love showing our Aggie pride!!

Copy Cats

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children." Eph. 5:1




Levi loves to "cook."  I really think it is the
loud noise of a metal bowl and wooden spoon.



 As a teacher, I've always understood that children follow the examples they see. They learn best by the examples in front of them. Now as a parent of two 21 month olds I understand this in a completely different way. The boys are very much in the monkey see- monkey do stage. They love to copy things we do and say (talk about instant accountability!). What is even funnier is when they copy each other. If Luke has learned a new phrase or trick Levi learns it seconds later, and vise-versa. Oh, the joys of having a twin.



However, as parent this also very much frightens me. My kids are watching me. They are learning from me, ME! Our poor boys have flawed and sinful examples to learn from. But I take much comfort in Ephesians 5:1. I love that Paul didn’t tell us to be imitators of God, as stubborn adults set in their ways, but as beloved children. Kids learn by imitation. They learn by watching closely to see what those around them are doing and saying, and even not doing and not saying.



Luke saying over and over again "Heddo" on
the phone (please note it is really a remote control).



Just as our boys copy the little things we do like cooking, talking on the phone, sweeping the floor, trying to leash up our 100 lb. lab for a walk (this one is hysterical), folding their hands to pray before meals (and reminding us to say ma-men if we've prayed too long) we are called to imitate God in the same simple way Luke and Levi imitate. They learn just by spending time with us. The more they are around us, the more they imitate (both good and bad).

My job is to imitate the Lord in the same way our precious boys imitate. I’m so thankful that we have such good teachers in our lives, even if they can’t articulate a complete sentence yet.





Mac or PC?

Halloween costumes for twins are so much fun, especially when they don't have a say in it yet (although I think our time on that is running short).  So after narrowing down our list, we decided on the Mac & PC duo.
Last night, we took the boys to the fall festival at our parents' church.  I'm not sure who had more fun the boys or the grandparents.  Here are some fun pictures...

When these guys are your mac & pc, how do you choose mac or pc?  

Nona J, Levi, Luke, Daddy, & Papaw

Oma, Luke, Levi, & Grandpa

 I promised my wife that I would not make a big deal about her...please understand that's very hard for me to do..for a number of reasons!

First, let me just say that of the two of us, I definitely got the "look at me" gene. Though God's brought plenty of humility lessons my way over the years, I've kindled a special friendship with Mr. Spotlight at times. I love people. I love being in front of people, sharing my heart, sharing God's Word, sharing a laugh (often at my expense). Ha!

Proverbs 18:22 says, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." For me, that's like the understatement of the century. My wife is the absolute best gift (outside of God's saving, sustaining grace) that I've ever received! She is my helpmate, my best friend, my constant encourager and biggest fan. This past weekend I had the opportunity to be her biggest fan...as she ran a half marathon! So while mom was up at the crack of dawn to run her race, a little later in the morning dad and the boys went on a little adventure to cheer mom on. And yes, I did haul them all over in their pj's. Please know that I managed to change them before church that morning! We had a great time, and I'd like to think that Luke and Levi brought legit inspiration to hundreds of half-marathoners as the boys eagerly watched them race (or stagger) by.

 

the boys eagerly anticipate seeing mom



Steph ran a great race. After months of working and training so hard, the Houston Half is officially complete. The boys and I were witnesses! We cheered. We tried to hold up our "go mommy" signs but came up short when mommy passed. We lost a few Cherios in the grass along the way. But we were so proud of mommy for achieving her goal and pressing on through the finish. Way to go Steph! (thanks for letting me post this)

 

mommy was really excited that daddy was taking her pic after 13 miles!



pretty sure that guy's running shorts were not regulation...



Fall is finally here...

A few weeks ago, the boys and I headed to a local pumpkin patch to celebrate the arrival of autumn, which in Houston means our temperatures have finally plummeted into the 80s.  One of the nurseries around the corner from us had a day just for the kids, and we had a blast.   We (meaning mostly mom)  decorated pumpkins, crawled through the pumpkin patch, rocked on the front porch, and explored many new things.  Just wanted to share a few of our pictures from our autumn adventure. 

  

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, but...

It may be for freedom that Christ has set us free, but this is not the point of freedom from mom & dad.

Many of you know that we moved the boys to "big boy beds."  Well after a 3 week experiment, the boys are back into the confines of their cribs! 

The first couple of weeks we saw small but gradual progress, however the week that we decided to move back was nuts! That particular week we had multiple parties in the boys' rooms until after 11 pm (sorry if you didn't receive your invitation- Jonathan and I didn't either).  It was with exhausted parents and little boys, we decided something had to give.

Then it came to us- we never tried to move the mattresses to the floor!  Their eyes can barely peer over the tops of their crib rails.  I think that first night all four of us had a huge sigh of relief. 

Let me explain our situation, the four of us live in a two bedroom townhouse.  The boys have always shared a room, and this has never been a problem...until now.  From what I've heard our twins follow a pretty normal twin pattern.  We have an instigator and a rule follower.  So my instigator, would regularly go celebrate his new found freedom in the bed of our rule follower.  At 20 months this freedom, no matter how many times he was redirected, was too much for our instigator.  The result was he and his brother, the rule follower, were absolutely worn out.

Lesson learned as a parent: upon attempting a new transition, if they aren't ready, they aren't ready no matter how much you want them to be. 

So from the much better rested Brooks household, hope you guys have a great week!

Male and Female He created them...

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."  Gen. 1:27

This verse has come across my path multiple times this week.  Now, growing up in church I have heard this verse many times, and for the most part have not ever really given it a second thought.  I mean how hard can it be, male and female...got it.  But now I have two boys! 

I  have been thinking a lot about this verse this week.  I would argue that not only did God  physically create us male and female, but something about our very being is different because we are male and female.  Here are a few things I have noticed about boys, that at least for mine are innate to them because they are male!

We love to be outside & sticks might possibly be the best toy!

We wrestle just because it is fun.

 Mess is my middle name.

  

Every mountain (or changing table) was meant to be conquered, and not just by someone but by me personally!

I have love my mom unconditionally.  (So thankful for this one!)

While mom is great, I want to be just like dad.

I look in awe at our creative God.  I too look at all He created and say "It is good."

Movin' on Up...

A couple of weeks ago, I was getting ready for the day.  The boys were awake talking happily in their cribs so I wasn't in a huge rush to get them up.  (Pre-motherhood I never realized getting ready without "help" was such a treat!)  I was drying my hair when I heard an abnormal thud followed by a cry that signified a surprise more than a hurt coming from the boys' room.  We quickly ran in to find Levi standing not in his crib, but in the middle of the room. 

After a quick once over to make sure there were no major injuries, we began discussing our options.  Count this as a fluke (no way with these boys), get crib tents, or just make the move to toddler beds.  We decided at 19 1/2 months the boys were ready to make the move to "big boy beds."  I feel like you should be hearing some dum-dum-dum music. 

 

Now most of our friends have one child at a time.  Those we talked to gave us pep talks about how their child cried for fear of being left alone in their room.  So that first night, we put up all their toys.  Our goal was to make their room as boring as possible; the problem is we don't think like toddlers.  So we did our normal nightly routine.  PJ's, teeth brushings, prayers, sugars, and good-night. 

The first 5 minutes were relatively quite, that's when I began to be concerned.  As most mothers of toddlers will tell you, silence may be golden, but is not a good sign when it comes to your little ones.  So we decided to check in on them.  We walked in to hear a soft "Uh-oh."  Socks, diapers, and wipes were strewn out from one end of their room to the other.  You see, the blessing/curse of twins is they are never without a playmate.  For them, this was not scary at all, but a party.  I really think I heard them say as we closed the door "Our parents must be crazy, this is awesome!"  That night, Luke finally called it a night at 10 pm.  Levi on the other hand, partied until 11:15 pm. 

Fast forward two weeks, with much redirection and coaching the boys, for the most part, are staying in their beds.  They absolutely LOVE their "big boy beds."  I still catch them running to each other's beds here and there.  They really do try to be so sneaky.  I'm working very hard on disciplining and not laughing or getting too frustrated (it's funny how you shift between those two so easily).  As a mom, I must confess there is a joy that comes from going in their room in the morning and finding my precious boys sitting in bed together reading a book or playing with their stuffed animals.  I really do have the greatest job in the world!

SWEET

VICTORY!

They sure do grow up fast

I hate cliche sayings.  I feel like they are a cop-out and are somewhat corny, but I'm learning that many of them are repeated because they do hold some truth.  I know every parent talks about how quickly their kids grow up, but my kids really are growing up fast.  There are times I am amazed at how much the boys no longer look like sweet babies but "big boys."  So to prove what big boys we have here are a few pictures...

Just reading a few books with our morning milk.

Well they almost fit!  I'm sure I can go play in these.

Story time!

Aren't we just adorable?

James tells us that "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."  Lord, thank you for my good and (almost) perfect gifts.   Even though they sure do grow up fast, I sure do love this journey!

Cupcakes!

A couple of weeks ago the boys "helped" me make cupcakes for a friend.  Just like all of us, their favorite part was getting to lick the icing.  There's nothing like homemade butter cream icing.  YUM!

I had a really hard time getting those beaters out of their little hands.  It's amazing how strong they are when they don't want to let go of something they REALLY want!

And then they enjoyed all of our hard work, however I'm not sure Luke was really enjoying it as much as he was playing with the cupcake. (Look at that face-crack me up!)  Levi, on the other hand, left no crumb to be found!
Y'all have a great week!