The Combs Krewe

As a flea market junkie I know that the old saying is true: one man's trash is another man's treasure. This especially seems to be true with my children. Of course they love cardboard boxes just as many other children do, but they also hoard all sorts of other things most moms would chunk in the trash. Case in point: this trophy. Yes, Jackie "won" it back in 1984. Okay, actually one was just awarded to all the players after a losing season. But he held onto it, and last year the boys found it at their Uncle Doug's house. They were enthralled with the idea of a REAL trophy and wanted to take it home. I figured they would forget about it at the bottom of their toy box and that I would eventually get rid of it but no. They have played with that thing more than many of their toys!  One day back in NOLA, Jathan brought it downstairs to the playground. He and his friends raced their bikes and scooters along the sidewalk, each time awarding the winner with temporary cust...

  Can you believe it's been one whole month already? I would say no. Jackie might say YES, ha ha. There is a quote I love that says something like "parenthood consists of long days and short years."  The more children I have, the more I appreciate this truth. Now--six children into this life--I can sit in bed at 2 a.m. battling exhaustion and love every minute of it. (Okay, most minutes of it.) I can snuggle my nose down beside their little heads nestled into the crook of my neck and be completely content with life. I know that all too soon one month will be two and the days will slip right through my fingers and before I know it all their tenderness will be concealed beneath a teenager's sharp facade. And then I'll wish again for these sweet moments when it's so simple to convey my love for them. Because for now all they want in the world is a warm embrace in which to find nourishment. But I suppose in actuality that's all we all truly want! I sp...

On Thursday we had our "big" ultrasound. I was so hopeful to be able to find out the babies' genders. At both my 14 and 18 week doctor's appointment, my doctor performed ultrasounds and each time the baby on the right was turned in such a way that you couldn't tell. At 18 weeks we were 99% sure that Baby A (who is on the left) was a girl so I was eager to find out her twin's gender so we could tell everyone! At this ultrasound, both the babies were laying across my stomach. Twin A was on her tummy nearer to the top. The ultrasound technician confirmed that she was indeed a she! Twin B was more to the bottom and facing up so it looked like they were talking to each other. Thankfully she was compliant and we could tell quite easily that she was a she, too! She already behaves very different from her sister, however. While Twin A was calmly rubbing her hands over her head, Twin B was turning backflips it seemed. The ultrasound technician kept having to chase...

Wednesday marked 16 weeks into my pregnancy. I'm happy to be fitting into maternity clothes now instead of being at that weird in-between stage. At around 12 weeks, I was certain  that I was feeling some movement but then they were few and far between until this week. Then I had one day when I felt a lot of little flutters but only on one side. I know that one placenta is anterior and one is posterior so I wonder if this has something to do with that. After a two-week wait and calling to see what was up, I finally got a call back from my nurse setting up my BIG ultrasound appointment. Sadly, it's not until November 13th! I will be one day shy of 20 weeks so hopefully we will get a nice view of them and find out their genders. I hate the wait, though. I'm contemplating having a gender-reveal party. I think it's such a fun idea. I really, really don't want to wait myself, though. Would it be bad if Jackie and I found out then had a party to tell everyone el...

Today I am 15 weeks pregnant! According to BabyCenter , the babies are each about 4 inches long (from head to rump). They can sense light through their still-fused eyelids and are peeing out the amniotic fluid they've been swallowing. Ah, they grow up so fast! = ) Their sex organs should be visible on an ultrasound. I'm still anxiously awaiting a call from Dr. Perret's nurse to schedule that all-important one. I can't wait! We are one of those families that finds out the genders before birth. I think it would be so much fun to wait and have a birth surprise but I just can't bring myself to do it. One of the main reasons I like to find out is to feel more connected to the babies before they are born. Then you can pick out special bedding and clothing and know their names. I just think it's a wonderful privilege.  I'm most excited at the moment to choose baby names! Although Jackie likes to wait until we know the gender, I love perusing name books...

Yesterday I celebrated being 14 weeks pregnant! Today I had my OB appointment. I was so happy when, after a very long wait, the doctor said, "I'll be right in. We're going to get the ultrasound machine."  She said that at 14 weeks it would be difficult to distinguish between heartbeats simply using the doppler. Plus I think she just wanted to see them which was totally okay with me!  Jathan came with me today and the doctor gave him the first peek. She pointed out their heads and "frog legs." Then I got a looksie.  This is a picture of the twin that is on the right. It was in a good position and the doctor try to determine its gender but felt it was still too early to tell. At 14 weeks boys are easier to spot than girls and this baby didn't have any obvious, um, protrusions, shall we say, but we just couldn't tell for sure. I'm betting on girl, though!  The baby on the left was not feeling so photogenic today. It was imp...

In late July Jackie and I discovered that our family was expanding. We usually wait several weeks just to make sure everything is okay before we tell everyone (usually after I go to the doctor for that first ultrasound) but this time I struggled to conceal my nausea and tiredness. My family was coming to visit and I knew there would be no hiding it from them so on my mother's birthday which I admit I forgot--can I blame baby brain?--I sent her a text of the kids saying happy birthday and told her that her birthday surprise was that next year there would be one more singing to her! After that we let everyone in on the secret. Over the next few weeks I felt much like any other pregnant woman--sick and tired! In my mind those are good things because they mean a healthy pregnancy. I wasn't overly sick or overly tired, but something was different . I had a funny feeling and kept finding myself referring to the baby as "them" or "the babies." I Googled things li...

Why, yes , I do have my hands full. And now, I also have a hand full! Coming Spring 2013 Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Psalm 127:3

Back in December an anonymous donor gifted the homeschool group on campus with Friends of City Park membership cards. These cards granted us free access to Storyland and the Botanical Gardens and discounts on other cool things. Last night we enjoyed another perk of the membership--my favorite thus far. We were invited to the membership appreciation night at Carousel Gardens in City Park. Not only did we get unlimited free rides but we also ate free cotton candy, popcorn, and snowballs. Needless to say, the kids were pleased. I love Ryland's little forced grin. Piper finished off Ryland's cotton candy while the guys rode the ferris wheel. I am not that into rides but I was totally into the Haydel's Bakery table. I thought I was getting in line for a measly cookie (if you can call their cookies measly) and then I saw that they were serving little slices of unbelievably delicious cake. Oh. My. Goodness. Perhaps their cakes truly are worth fifty buc...

I met someone new last week and as we were talking I mentioned that I home school my children. As with many people, I got the response, "Oh, I could never do that!" I know that everyone does not agree that homeschooling is a viable, desirable option but no one has ever been rude to me (at least not to my face!) when I mention that's what we do. Almost always people bestow compliments on me. I try not to let this go to my head because I happen to know that I am nothing special. Yes, I have four children and their ages sometimes make things challenging. Although I have a natural creative bent and love learning, I didn't exactly plan that I'd be homeschooling a teenager, a preschooler, a curious two-year old, and a mama-lovin' toddler. It's hard juggling geometry and diapers! I like to think of myself as an innately patient person (when it comes to dealing with people) and that helps, but that is not my secret. Over and over I hear people say, "I cou...

Today a package came in the mail for the kids. It was Easter chocolate from Nana and Pappy! I got a quick picture or two... then they dug in. Some with more gusto than others. Keeleigh melted hers down and ate it with a spoon. Jathan and Ryland were a little less reserved. Okay, Ryland was a lot less reserved. And Piper? Well, she was just adorable. So adorable that she needed a bath afterwards. Ryland was jealous. "I wanta play with her," he said. Thanks for the yummy treat, Nana and Pappy! I think the fact that all the bunnies were devoured in mere minutes means the kids loved them. = )