Happy Birthday, Heidi!

So, I am two days late on this post. Heidi's birthday was on Sunday but I was just too busy to write something. I had no idea how busy we would be with twin infants and a two year old but it's pretty darn busy. Anyway, I am so blessed to be married to the attractive, wise, and funny Heidi Chase. She is a fantastic Mom as well. I love you, baby.

Here are some more pictures of the kids.

Eliah Showers was one of the first to meet the boys.

Jackson is not normally this happy at bedtime.

Theodore sleeping. He does that a lot.

 

first professional pictures

At the hospital, they come by and take some pics of the babies when they are 1 day old and then they offer to sell them to you at ridiculous prices.  I figured, sure take the pics, but there's no way I am buying them at those crazy prices.  Well.....she got some pretty cute ones, so I did end up breaking my "budget rules" and Ie ended up buying a couple.

 Beckett's on top, hugging Theodore :)

Beckett and Theodore

More pictures!

The proud big brother.

Theodore needed to be warmed up.

Our friend Sierra made these shirts. What's the good of having twins if you don't dress them alike?

Just an hour or so old.

 and 

baby boys!!

We are so pleased to announce that Beckett Jameson and Theodore Duncan entered this world at 8:57 and 8:58am this morning!  Weighing 7lbs, 4 oz and 6lbs, 12oz.  14 lbs of baby!

  and  

He makes the man before He makes the ministry

Warning:  This is a long blog post....But soon, I imagine, many of our posts will be pictures of the twins.  So, for those you who read this, bear with us!  Put in the work now, and soon you can enjoy the pictures :)

Well, the time has come.  Only 1 more day until these babies make their entrance to the outside world!  I feel like there is still a lot to do, but it's not going to get done and that's OK.  I hope my dad wanted twin grandsons for his birthday present, b/c that's what he's getting!  Dad is actually having prostate surgery this Wednesday as well so it's going to be a day to remember in our family.  Please keep us all in your prayers, especially my dad and the twins.  I am a little nervous about the C-section, but thankfully, God is in control!  

Here's one last prego pic for ya, this is about 36 weeks.  I think this picture makes me look pretty good, 

I am fairly confident that I look larger in person :)

The past few months have been a blur.  We found out in October at 20 weeks that we were expecting twin boys, we found a house we wanted to buy about a month later and about a month after that, we moved.  Just after moving, we found out about Dad's cancer (prostate and bone) and well, in about 35 hours, we are going to be a family of 5!  When it rains, it pours, eh?

Tim and I were having a "heart to heart" the other night (we're trying to be intentional about connecting with each other right now before things really get crazy :) and we ended up reflecting on the past couple years.  There has been a lot of change.  For most of our married life, things seemed to move ridiculously slowly and then, just like that, they kicked into hyper-speed.  

Half of the time, when I think about it, it almost seems like I am living someone else's life.  Where did this house come from?  I have how many children?  Did you just say twins?  I drive a minivan now?  What is going on here and when did I move "home" from Africa?  Oh wait, I never left...  

Up until October, Tim and I were still fairly heart-broken, still in the midst of learning painful lessons about truly, legitimately trusting in God in ALL things when we were suddenly catapulted into a season of preparation for something we never saw coming...twins!  (In case this isn't assumed, I want to also say that we are SO excited about these babies!  I am thrilled to be blessed of God to be able to bring two little people into the world at the same time.  What an honor.  Tim and I cannot wait to add two more sons of righteousness to our family!)

That said, whose life is this?  I am pretty sure the life I "picked" had more to do with sitting on a thatched mat, sharing the Gospel in another language while drinking attaya (West African tea).  Thing is, I gave up that right to "pick" my life a long time ago.  Praise be to God.  I may not feel like I hand selected the life I'm living right now, but I have never been more certain that the One who did pick it, did a perfect job.  He knows me better than I know myself  

We may still feel wounded over the change in direction that God has lead us to, but soon these wounds will heal and then they will become scars.  They'll be scars that tell our story of heartbreak, trust, obedience, perseverance, redemption and restoration.  That's how God works.  He is leading us on a path of righteousness and He is making the man (and woman) before He makes the ministry.

Yesterday, we heard a great sermon on the troubles of life and our ability to overcome.  I love it when ministers preach out of Job.  There is so much great stuff in there.  It's heavy, but personally I think the Church could use a little more heavy.  I was blessed by the reminder that God only allows us to face trials that we can handle.

Tim and I are learning that as the restoration process begins, that's when the fire really heats up.  Thankfully, I think we are learning well from the past 2 years and are facing up to the trials at hand with greater faith and perseverance.  This I know:  God is good and God is true and you can believe His word.  

Peace,  

2011: And we're off!

What a month.  A little over weeks ago my dad was admitted to Abbott NW Hospital and was diagnosed with prostate and bone cancer.  Wowza.  That's almost enough bad news to send a lady into labor.  Almost, but not quite.

He has started radiation treatment and will soon start chemotherapy.  He has remained in good spirits and I think my family is dealing with everything fairly well, all things considered.  We covet your prayers though.  His oncologist is optimistic and we rejoice in knowing that God is in control.  While I am doing my best to avoid thinking about it, this news has hit me rather hard.  My dad and I are close and he has been a HUGE source of strength to me over the years.

This is the man who has always had a word of encouragement for me.  Who has always had a word that has spoken directly to my heart when I needed it most.  As I have struggled with chronic pain over the last almost 7+ years, my dad has been the rock that I needed time and time again.  He has been my strength and hope for healing and restoration at times when I had no strength to hope or believe for healing.  I praise God for a godly father and look forward to many more years with him, seeing him pour into my sons as he has poured into me and my brother.  Good fathers can be hard to find.  Thank you for your prayers.

In other news, I had my first contraction last week.  I think it was just a warning:  either slow down or get ready!  Since I am not ready quite yet, I am choosing (theoretically) to slow down.  At least Dad is out of the hospital now, I really wanted to wait until he was out before I went in.  Since my mom was going to be my primary source of help, other than Tim, with the twins, the news of chemo has rocked my little family a bit.  We are resting in the knowledge that God knows and apparently He thinks we can handle all this.  So....I guess we can.  Pray for us!

I am 36 weeks along tomorrow and it looks probable that the twins will come next week, one way or another.  I will keep you posted!

a January update in pictures

Tim and I were so thankful to have friends who were willing to help us move on New Year's Eve.  Here's a few pictures of all the work they did.

We had no idea how much stuff we had until we filled up a 26' truck.  Yikes!  I am pretty sure it was all baby stuff......

Peter and Julie moving my beautiful, "old lady" couch that everyone hates.  I love it!  Too bad we had to cut the legs off to get it in the house....

Stan was a rockstar fitting everything into the van with expertise.  Stan in my favorite!

Since Jackson's birthday was right before we moved, we waited a few more days to celebrate after we moved and then took him to Nicolodeon Universe.  We had a couple mystery tickets and one of them had 100 points!  We only used about 30 before it was bedtime, so we blessed another family with the rest of the tickets.  It was pretty fun giving them away and seeing the look on the little ones faces.  

It was his first time on rides and he loved them!

I was only able to go on 2 of the rides with him, but it was pretty fun to see him enjoying himself so much.   

We ate at McDonald's before the rides, which was a big hit, as always....

I also tried my hand at cake decorating and make Jackson a puppy cake.  From the look on his face, I think he liked it.  Or maybe it was the roomful of people singing to him and clapping for him that produced such joy!  We are so blessed to have this sweet little boy as a part of our family, I can't imagine life without him.  He has brought so much joy to us these past 2 years.  Happy 2nd birthday, love!

here's the belly!

For those of you I haven't seen in a while, here's a recent shot of the twin belly.  

This is about 31 weeks.  Wow.  I know.

I wanted to post a pic of when I was 30 weeks with Jackson, but our internet is still sketchy, so maybe next week.  Believe me when I say I am way bigger!

Pictures of the new house coming soon....

Happy New Year!

We haven't posted in over a month - forgive us!  We've been a little busy :)  The move to our new house was a great success thanks to a crew of wonderful friends and family.  We don't recommend moving on New Year's Eve, but all in all, it turned out great.  The crazy weather didn't start until everything was unloaded and we only had to cut the legs off of one piece of furniture.  Thankfully, Tim's sister Sally was able to successfully re-attach them.

We've been here about 2 1/2 weeks so far and things are coming together little by little.  Tim has been amazing and spends every evening getting little projects done and helping me do all the things I am no longer supposed to do.  Like sweeping or vacuuming or lifting anything.  Hm, what does that leave, you ask?  Not much except for cooking.  With the twins coming in a little over a month and my energy dwindling fast, we are motivated to get this place ready!  My mom's group blessed us with a work day today and let me say that 5 ladies on a mission (plus me and 3 little ones) is a force to be reckoned with.

To say we are thankful or that we feel greatly blessed of the Lord doesn't even come close to truly expressing our emotions over having a place to call our very own again.  Maybe saying that we are completely overwhelmed with the goodness of God's plan for us comes a little closer to the truth, but it still doesn't really cut it.  God has been good to us, He is showing us His faithful hand of provision day by day and we are working hard not to miss it.

The theme at our church for last year was restoration.  It brings a smile to my face and renewed faith to my soul as I consider that we moved into our new home on the very last day of 2010.

God is always good and God is never late.

The pressure's on

For a few years now, Tim and I have felt a sense of homelessness.  We felt it even when we were still living in the duplex.  It never truly felt like home and we never really settled in b/c we knew we would be moving on from there shortly.  The places we have lived over that past few years have always felt transitional, especially as we were prepared our hearts to receive Senegal as home.

Here we are, on the cusp of moving into a real home, a place that will be ours, where we can raise our boys and settle in.  The mere thought of that reality truly overwhelms my heart.  I want to settle in and cultivate a home my family so badly I can taste it.

Yet almost from the moment our offer was accepted and the purchase agreement signed, the enemy has been trying very hard to steal our joy in this process.  The hits just keep on coming, from stressful family situations to major health insurance problems to hefty car repairs.  All with Christmas and Jackson's 2nd birthday around the corner as well!

I don't think it's any coincidence that as we are ready to launch into an exciting new season of our life together, Tim and I are struggling to make sense of some of our circumstances.  The Lord was faithful to remind me this afternoon that it was He who established the earth and it is He who sustains us.  Who do I trust in, my bank account or my Savior?  I can't control any of these situations and quite frankly, I feel very out of control and powerless these days.  But He is faithful and He will be faithful to us and will provide all that we need.    

We have a friend who often says that God makes the man before He makes the ministry.  We may have stayed home from the mission field, but we are still living in expectation of a powerful and annointed ministry.  So, it looks like God is "making us" into what we need to be b/c it sure feels like the fire is being turned up a notch.  Praise be to God!

excitement is mounting...

Can I just say that I am really excited to meet these little boys that are inside my belly?!  I can't wait to kiss their sweet little cheeks and snuggle them.....oh, baby love.

Oh MN, how you disappoint me.

I must be a little out of things, b/c I finally just heard that Dayton won the gubernatorial race in MN last week.  Not that I loved Emmer, b/c I did not, but Dayton's plans for our state are frightening.

Well, MN, you disappoint me once again with your severe lack of care for both the unborn and for the middle class.  Sigh.  Tax the rich, kill babies, pour more money into schools that aren't working, and start state run casinos.  Wowza.

At least my God is in control.  Praise be to God!

the name game

December already, time flies.  Especially when you are busy.  Tim and I continue to struggle with settling on names for these 2 treasures in my belly.  We have actually been talking boy names since Jackson was born, since his was difficult.  Girl names are easy for us, but not names for little princes.  You'd think 2 years would be long enough to decide.  If you have any good ideas, let us know!  We have one picked out, but #2 is proving tricky.  Happy Advent season!

Offer accepted!

I guess we haven't posted anything on here about our search for a new place to live yet....  Seeing as how the purchase agreement has been signed, I think it's time!  Once Tim started his new job, we redid our budget and pretty much started looking right away for a place to call home.  At first we were just casually looking, taking our time, seeing what's out there.  Then we discovered we were having twins and we ramped up the search big time.  I am very excited to get a place ready for these babies.  I never really decorated a nursery for Jackson, so I am pretty pumped to do it for the twins :)  

After scouring websites and MLS listings for hours at a time, I would go out and check 'em out during the day.  We basically looked in almost every part of the city.  Frankly, it was a little disappointing.  With what we could afford, there wasn't much out there that we wanted to live in.  But we continued to trust in God that He had a place for our family, a home of our very own. We placed 2 offers on two houses that we didn't get and then we found the "one" on Friday afternoon.  Our counter offer was accepted verbally late last night and everything was signed just this afternoon.  At this point, we are planning to close in December.  The sooner the better!  I am ready to nest!

I cannot wait to finally have a chance to set up a home for my family.  Tim and I have basically felt like we've been in housing transition since we got married (6 years ago) and it's time to establish some roots and settle in.  My heart is ready for this step in a way that I can't adequately describe with words.  I don't think it has truly sunk in yet, that we are actually on our way out of my mom and dad's.  It has been over 18 months since we moved in while we are SO thankful for all they have done for us, we are ready to be on our own again.

This process only took about 2 months up to this point, which I know is VERY short compared to what others have spent, but it sure felt longer.  The Lord has taught us much about His provision in this time and has challenged me to consider where I find the source of my security and contentment.  I stand humbled once again before Him.  He is good, whether you live with your parents or not.

As things begin to unfold, we will update you and soon the postings will probably be all about the challenges of having twins.  With all this housing stuff going, prepping for the twins has taken a back burner, like most everything else.  Time to get cracking on that adventure!

If you happed to be looking for a great realtor, we used a friend of mine from college and she's been fabulous!

Well, I'm to toast God's provision with some sparkling grape juice.  Cheers!

Jackson, in all his cuteness

Trick or Treating.  He loved it once he realized people were going to give him candy at each stop.

Our little lion.

When we tell him that he cannot bring his Lovey, he hides it behind his back.

Dinner time.

 

TWINS!!!

On Friday we went to the doctor for an ultrasound and to hopefully find out the gender of our new baby.  After a few minutes of looking, the tech asked us if we could see what she is seeing.  We both looked but had no idea what she meant.  After a moment, she said, "I see two babies in there."  Heidi and I had both thought a couple months ago that we were having twins but the doctor at that appointment was sure that there was only one baby.  What a shock.  Twin boys.  It is rare for people get to 20 weeks before they find out about twins.  We are incredibly excited but a little scared at the same time.  Wow.

There they are!

Mouthpiece

This post is a long time coming, but here it is, so that's what matters.

For the past 7+ years, Tim and I have been blessed by a great prophetic ministry called Harold Eatmon Ministries International (HEMI).  We have had the privilege of attending 3 sessions of School of the Prophets and have learned SO much about how God works through prophetic gifting in biblical ways.  The last school we attended was early this year and it was pretty sweet.

Towards the end of our sessions on Saturday afternoon, we moved into a time of activation, a time to "practice" what we learned in a safe and orderly environment.  So far the activations all weekend had been pretty painless, not too scary, just a chance for everyone who wanted to to offer themselves to the Lord to be used prophetically to bless another.  It was very cool to see people experience the joy of being used by God to prophetically speak truth and encouragement to one another.

Well, the last activation was definitely a little scarier than the others b/c we even didn't know what it was when they asked for a few volunteers.  You should know that I don't like being "up front" (ever, never ever, no matter what), but I also knew in my spirit that God was asking me to make myself available to Him, to raise my hand and volunteer.  I think the exact words He used were, "If I want to use you as My mouthpiece, who are you to say no?"  To that I said, okey-doke, and my hand went up.  I knew if I volunteered, I would be chosen, and sure enough, my hand went up and Joe called me up front.  They had set up 8 chairs on the stage, in two rows, facing each other.  I sat down and waited as the other chairs in my row were filled up.  Then came the blindfolds....

They blindfolded us and then silently chose 4 people to sit across from us.  We were to prophecy over the person sitting in the chair directly in front of us.  If we felt confident enough in the gender of the individual, we could include that in our word for them.  Well, I will give you one guess as to who got to go first.  You guess it, me.

Joe handed me the microphone and told me to take my time.  I would like to insert that there were probably at least 100 ppl in the room - yikes.  At least I couldn't see them!  I would also like to say that this is an anointed ministry and dozens of very anointed, very prophetic people were there that weekend.  And they were all praying for me, all praying that God would give me a powerful word for the person in front of me, for their benefit and for mine, that I could be blessed by the opportunity to be used of God in this way.  So really,  there was such a powerful anointing present that anyone could have prophecied in that setting!

I won't bore you with the gory details of the word I got, but I will tell you that the experience was amazing.  God gave me a specific and detailed word for the man of God that was seated before me and I pretty much wept through the delivery b/c of how moved I was at the Lord's heart for this man.

After the 4 of us in my row had all given a word, we were able to take off our blindfolds and see who we had ministered to.  To top it all off, the person sitting in front of me was my brother!!!  Wow.  There are no words.  Amazing.  God showed up and I was blessed to be there and be a mouthpiece for Him.    

Me and my "little" bro, the man of God.