Top

Stephanie Howell

reading, organizing, shopping, momming too close to the sun. Home is wherever the Army sends us.

six.

DSCF3692

She came into our lives with big brown eyes and a head full of dark hair.

She changed us…made us parents. Made us love more than we knew we could love,worry more than we knew we could worry, fear more than we knew we could fear.

We have all fallen in love with her. With her million-miles-an-hour talking, her fashion sense,her tears,her heart, her compassion,her smile.

She is one of a kind, God made her extra special,extra kind,extra sweet.

And today she is SIX. Don’t even ask me how that happened so fast,because I don’t have an answer for you.

Happy, happy, HAPPY birthday my dear,sweet girl.

I love watching you grow and learn and love.

You are so very treasured.

Love,mama

17 months? Really???

How in the world are they almost a year and a half old?

Y’all…I know I am biased but they are so so precious. They giggle and kiss and dance all day long. I am just absolutely in love with them. Their favorite thing to do right now is kiss.

They start about a foot away from me and say “nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnUH!” and on the UH they give me a big smackeroo on the mouth. They smooch and hug each other all day long.

Also they pull hair and slap each other all day long. That’s not so nice. We are working on “BEING SOFT”.

They make a mess everywhere. Anything they can reach they WILL pick up and move. I just found a box of quinoa in the bathtub.

The other day i found one of my flats in my shower. They hide in one of the kitchen cabinets and think it is hilarous.

Baby proofing? Has taken on a WHOLE new meaning with these two.

They also love bath time. The splashing and giggling is out of control during baths. I swear I’m going to have to start wearing a raincoat. HA!

IMG_1118 IMG_1147 IMG_1208

IMG_7124
At 17 months

Cate:

IMG_1109

IMG_7135 IMG_7161
Is hilarious. She is tiny (but she has quite the belly) and her hair is curly. She is the quieter of the two,but she loves to interact. If anyone smiles in her direction, she is SO engaged.

She loves making exaggerated facial expressions. Her favorite is her “OH!” face (see above). She makes it any time she is excited, or any time she does something wrong. It makes me laugh every single time.

She doesn’t take a binkie but she does this thing we call “monkey mouth”. She sucks on her tongue when she’s tired or doesn’t feel well.

She loves bananas,crackers,and sweet potatoes. She runs really fast with one arm swinging and she dances by not moving her body,but holding her arms up in the air and making her “oh” face.

Lucy:

IMG_1056

IMG_7113
IMG_7116
Is about 3 lbs bigger than Cate. She loves to eat and moans the whole time she does (AHAHA). She loves blueberries,cheese,strawberries,crackers and whatever I am eating. She is such a beggar!

She gets DOWN when she dances. Literally. Girlfriend bounces so deep her diaper hits the floor.

She says “UH OH” in the most perfect way when she makes a mess or does something naughty.

If i don’t put her hair in a top pony she can’t see a thing through her mop top and will run into walls.

She talks a LOT. She is the verbal one. Her favorite words right now are: UH OH, Sadie, cracker,cheese,cookie,ni night,mama,dada,harper,car,bye bye bath

She still loves her binkie.

The other thing that they are way into right now is saying “cheeeeeeese!”. Here’s a video of them right now.Y’all I love them so much I can’t take it. Twins are just so much fun.

Happy Tuesday friends. Hope it’s beautiful and blessed.

 

cheese from stephanie howell on Vimeo.

35 mm

my may studio calico layouts are up…to see them all you can click here.

hope you had a wonderful weekend!

oh- and i think the mojo might be back. i had a BLAST working on a SC/NSD layout today!

1fe9b8ae920b11e18cf91231380fd29b_7
i can’t even tell you how happy i am. it’s hard when you are going through a rough patch and the thing that gives you joy/therapy becomes unappealing. i’m not even joking that i said a prayer of thanks after i made this layout.

it’s the little things, right?

xoxo

s

My Hero

I've got a new layout up on the MME blog today. I've been working hard over there …won't you  head on over for more photos and details ?

I know I don't do many military pages so i thought it was high time I changed that.

Making this one gave me comfort yesterday and (dare I say it?) made me want to make more pages!

6a01053647c676970c016765b61497970b-800wi

Thank you for every word of encouragement and love that you've shared…every prayer you've said,every email and message you've sent. You guys are the absolute best.

xxo

s

i am weak

B47f1d98895911e1af7612313813f8e8_7

jimmy gave me this coin the day we got married. he couldn't have possibly known what it would mean to me one day. it is scratched and dull. but i cling to it and believe in what it says with all of my heart.

2 Corinthians 12:

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Okay. Confession time.

I am weak.

I admit it. Right now I am feeling weak. I'm tired, I'm sick, I'm worried, I'm stressed. I'm scared.

I am weak.

But He is strong.

I've had to hand my fear over. Hand my worry over.

I have had to accept that I can't do it all. Sometimes I like to think I can. But I can't.

It's okay that I'm not wanting to make anything. It is okay that I quit Project Life for now (I really don't want to put the past 2 weeks down on paper and I'm giving myself permission not to).

It is okay to say I MISS HIM. That I'm better when he's here.That I don't know what I'd do without him and that I'm terrified that one day I'll find out.

It is okay that I just want to love on my girls. Some days I want to hide from the world. Some days I just have to get out to keep from going nuts. Some days we stay in our pajamas all day.

It's okay.

I am giving myself permission to be sad. I am giving myself permission to cry after the girls are in bed.

I am weak.

But He gives me strength. My faith gives me strength. My children give me strength. The love I have for my husband gives me strength.

The fear will not win. The "what-ifs" will not win. The "could it happens" will not win. The "I wishes"will not win.

Strength and faith and positivity will win.

But for now I revel in my imperfections.It is okay to say that I feel weak.

We are all weak. Flawed. Struggling. Even though not everyone will admit it.

I am weak but He makes me strong.

S