Keepin’ It Real Rewinds 00
Sweet Henry’s posture captures my spirit well, as I’m stare at my computer screen… if only I could type comfortably in that position. This post has been brewing in my head for weeks now, so I’ll warn you in this first paragraph that it has the potential of being a catastrophic mess of Jen’s thoughts, but hopefully I can express a little bit more of “ME”.
I also have to warn you that I’m a bit apprehensive on how this post (and posts to follow) may change your perception of me, but I feel burdened to share more of the “reality” of our life.
As my Sunday School teacher used to say, “Fasten your seatbelts!” (Right, Marie?)
Lets’ see where do I start???? I love this blog for many reasons.
~It gives me a way to share our boys with our family and friends (and all of you “lurkers” too!).
~It gives me an outlet and a memory book to capture some of the stories of our lives. (After all, isn’t the best part of taking a picture sharing it?) I can hardly wait to share this journal with the boys someday!
~It’s a resource for other multiple moms, especially expectant ones who can use our archives as a way to prepare for their journey, laugh at our mistakes, see different multiple products, contact us for support, etc. This is one of my favorite things about our blog and one of the main motivations behind these posts. You’d be surprised at how many mothers of multiples that I come in contact with who have read our entire blog. Do you realize that’s hours worth of reading? Computer screen, after computer screen of text? It amazes me, but at the same time if I would have found a quad blog before our delivery, I’m sure I would have done the same. Finding a “real life” family who has walked your path is golden.
~It’s a way to glorify Jesus Christ. He has provided for us, loved us, answered our prayers, performed miracles, and protected our family through this amazing journey. There’s well over a thousand of you coming to this site a day, and I feel a strong responsibility to share with you our Savior. Creator. Father. Redeemer. And I hope to do this better in future posts….Would you fellow believers pray for boldness and clarity in my writing? I am both humbled and overwhelmed at this task.
So after reflecting a little bit on “why I blog”, (because to be honest, some days I feel like throwing in the blogging towel, and trying to hide us all under a giant-family sized rock), I decided that some of our story needs a more realistic approach. I don’t mean that our pictures, videos, journals, adventures, etc. haven’t been true to life….they are some of my favorite memories and I am so glad that they are documented in a way that I can save them in my “image bank” and that we have the opportunity to share them with you, our readers. The majority of my posts will continue in the same style and content.
However, I think some of you feel like you “know us”, by reading this blog and I desire to show more of our heart with you. This blog simply scratches the surface of who we are as a family. I’m still wrestling with the how, what, and when, of going about all this, so be patient with me. (A little pat on the back for encouragement sake would do too!)
I’m planning on rewinding back to the pregnancy for several future posts. I know, I know, 18+ months later, but you’re never ever obligated to read. There’s just a bulk of our story that I’m fearful that will be forgotten if I don’t write it down….soon!
I’ll close for now with a few verses that have been an encouragement to me in recent days.
“Not that I have already attained or am already perfected. I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3: 12-14
I am glad that I stumbled on to your blog. Being a mommy myself I understand the need to capture those moments. I am VERY late in the blogging dept. and fear that those moments will escape me if I do not write about them. So I blog. You & every other multiple mommy give me the inspiration to do it! I Thank you!
Jen,
I am a lurker, but a fellow sister in Christ and…Yes, I will be praying for you as you share your story and continue to glory the Lord!
Love from MN
Beautiful words, Jen! I look forward to hearing more of your story, the whole thing. I pray that God keeps on using you and your family – and you keep shining as you glorify him.
I just love your blog so much Jen! Not only b/c your kiddos are adorable and I love seeing what’s to come parenting multiple boys (not 4 though! ) 🙂 But I also love reading b/c I can see through your writing that you are a woman of God. I am excited to read ALL that you have to share with us and I hope that others see God speaking through you as I do.
Ashley
Jen,
I will be praying that you are able to communicate what Our Father has placed on your heart.
In Him.
I am so thankful to have found your blog. I too am a lurker and a fellow mom of a 16 month old girl. I am so encouraged and blessed by your faith in God and how you are so open about it. I pray that many will read this and see what they are missing. We are nothing without Him! God has given you an amazing gift and I can see Him using you through this blog. Thank you!!!
Jen,
I have been reading your blog for several months. I found your blog through Suz’s blog. I want to let you know that you are a wonderful inspiration and the love of Jesus pours out through your blog. That’s why I love to read it. Your husband is an inspiration as well. I am still single and it is awesome to see that the Lord still makes men who love HIM and his family!! 🙂 Keep up the good work!!
Blessings from Texas!!
Jen,
I have enjoyed your blog for a long time and is one of the reasons I started to blog. I look forward to your future writings.
Blessings to you & your family,
Misty
I love the picture b.c when my son is upset about something he looks just like that. Lol. I to blog and scrapbook to remember all the memories. I also journal my thoughts about parenting(i even kept a pregnancy journal) and being a SAHM. Love your blog and all the updates on the kiddos.
Another “lurker”…just started my own blog and too am wondering how to express myself as my life is in reality. Not just the fun stuff, but the REAL stuff. Your boys are adorable!
Jen –
I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and look forward to the new page.
Follow your heart – the light shines through 🙂
Blessings from California!!!
Lynda the Lurker
Jen-
I have so enjoyed your blog..I check it most everyday!:) I am praying the holy spirit will lay on your heart the words to express so everyone will understand and see that it’s not about you, but about HIM, our Savior. Lord. Redeemer! I think we can be our own worst critic, because I have seen the Lord through your posts from the first time I read. Don’t let satan beat you up, but say boldly the words the Lord has given you….praying..Connie
J-Jen, I love you. I love you so much. You are such a beautiful and strong soul. I thank God EVERYDAY for bringing you into my life. You are truly amazing. You parent those boys with ease and grace… under fire. And boy oh boy do I know what kind of fire your under. Hang in there mama… and don’t you be afraid to tell it how it is!!! I’m listening!!!
XOXO
G-gen
I found your sweet blog SEVERAL months ago and fell in love with your sweet family! You are an inspiration to me and each day when you post, you make me think and/or laugh!
One of my favorite verses is Phil 3:14. HIS Words are a reminder on a daily basis.
Also-I laughed when I heard you reference Sunday school. As I teach ages one to four on a weekly basis, it is nice that someone picks up on it.
Have a great weekend and sorry for the long comment!!!
~Elyse~
I rarely comment, but always read and look forward to new posts. I’m eager to see what you have in store for us. I promise I’ll keep reading.
My prayers are with you,
Breanne
http://bleach226.wordpress.com
Great post! Yes, I WILL pray for you!
I absolutely love your blog and I look forward to reading what’s to come!
Jen
You stated that one of the reasons you chose to blog is to glorify Jesus Christ. Just wanted to say that you manage to achieve this in every post that I read! You and your husband’s faith shines through every post, and is such an inspiration for me!
Love in Christ
Dorette
Let it all out sista…we are listening (actually reading, but one in the same I suppose). I love yall, your boys are beautiful, and you have shared some wonderful ideas and ways of doing things that have helped us survive the past 10+ months.
Jac
Thank you Jen for your thoughts and your openness. It is so good to read about your family and know that you boys are being reared in such a wonderful Christian family. We need more families like yours. God Bless and keep up the good work. A friend in East Texas, Pam.
oh jen, your blog is a wonderfully open and honest read and i adore each post that you share. so if you choose to share more, i welcome that with open arms. i will definitely keep you in my prayers as you write and make the changes you need to make.
I’m a lurker and not a mom of multiples but I do enjoy your blog – thanks for taking the step to share some of the harder things, it’s easy to keep things fun and upbeat without sharing the other stuff. Thanks for having the courage to do that!
Jen,
Another lurker here. To some degree I feel like I do “know you” or maybe I feel like I wish I really did know you. Anyway, your blog has always been a blessing. Your faith is evident. You do an amazing job showing your love for Him. So, from another sister in Christ, you have my prayers and 2 pats on the back!
Valerie
I am feeling your pain!
I just started my own blog about 2 weeks ago and I am struggling with making it reflect me and my real life. Right now I have just a couple of posts and they are pretty bad. I am an excellent writer and it is driving me crazy that I can’t get the blog going.
Anyway, I hope you do share more about the reality of your life. As a mother, I know that raising kids is no easy task – let a lone 4 at the same time. I know we all look to each other for encouragement but sometimes the other stuff has to come out too. Good luck with it.
KS
Jen,
I am a lurker too. I have come to enjoy reading your blog on a regular basis and I think today you really brought light on a subject I have been struggling with in the blog world – realism. It is hard to let the world when things are going tough but it’s those momments of reality that insipre others the most and really bring substance to your message. I am looking forward to your insights (and pictures of the adorable boys) !
-Christi in Scottsdale, AZ
sorry this is so long 🙂
I was holding my breath as I read it, fearful you were ‘throwing in the towel!’ So glad you’re venturing to share more vs. retreating! I, as I see MANY others, LOVE to read about your boys and sooo admire your faith and strength!
I can relate to your need to write more down. I was just thinking the other day, that the twins are at 20 months, I’ve never written down their birth story! So much of it was hazy anyways since I was out for the csection and daddy couldn’t be there…but I never even wrote it in my pregnancy journal. And now, baby #3 is on the way, and I haven’t started writing a journal for that lil one yet! I need to get writing, too!!
Can’t wait to hear more and appreciate all you share with us. You ARE touching many people in many ways and I thank you for it!
Barb
Jen — as a sister in Christ — know I’m praying for you. I love hearing about your family and pray that you will glorify Christ more and more through this blog.
Jen you are amazing!!! Reading through the comments above should be such an encouragement for you — you are making such a difference and impact in people’s lives for Christ!! May He continue to bless your blogs and may He continue to speak to many out there that need His grace, as we ALL do!! PS.My ultrasound is Tuesday!! Can’t wait to find out… stay posted tuesday night for our blog post!! 1 or 2? boy or girl?
Love as a sister in Christ,
Allyson
Jen,
Good luck finding the words to express your thoughts! God bless and I look forward to reading ALL of your posts!
-Kari
I am one of your many lurkers that is so encouraged by your blog! I love the postive attitude that you have! THanks for sharing all you do!!
-Susan
Be true to yourself Jen. You are a great blogger and I love reading about all of your family’s adventures. :)Good luck with the internal struggle, we’ll put in a good word for you at our church on Sunday. 🙂
Hi Jen!
I have been reading your blog for a couple months now, so I guess I am officially a lurker. As a mother of a 11 year old daughter and 7 year old ggb triplets, I can so relate to your comment of Henry’s posture – there have been and still are many days when I feel the exact same way!
I will keep reading to get to “know” you and your beautiful family!
Juliana
-Ohio
Bring it on!
As a fellow multiple mama, blogger and sister in Christ, I’d love to keep reading your blog, regardless of how much you chose to share.
Praying for the best.
Just wanted to say we’ll be praying with you during this new step in your blogging. As a Christian mom who doesn’t have a lot of fellowship at this point in time, I get a lot of encouragement from your blog. Can’t wait to see what more He has to say through you.
In Christ,
Stacey
Jen, it’s Pam from the multiples group. I enjoy reading your blog. I’m sure it’s tough to decide what you want to share with the world. We all know about that “reality.” Some days are just better than others. Our opinions of you would not change a bit if you shared the good, the bad and the ugly. We know what a great person and wonderful mom you are. Being a mom is the toughest job in the world and having multiples blesses us more but also multiples the struggles. Hang in there and good luck with sorting things out and let us know if you need anything.
I am typically a lurker on your blog. I have read it all though, among many blogs I have read with people who use faith to handle unusual and challenging situations in a way that is encouraging to me.
It’s a long story, but I have bipolar disorder. Part of the illness for me has been an oversensitivity to noise, so that I’ve been unable to be in church in years. I’m almost ready to try, but first I have to work on some things that got very messed up between me and God during the worst parts of my illness. Plus I am working to accept that what I can handle is what God wants and knows is my limitation.
One of the limitations is that I can’t even read a process a “real” Bible. After a very long time in a Christian bookstore I learned my understanding level is a very simplified Bible for 4-8 year olds. I struggle with needing it. I also haven’t been able to do a devotional all the way through in forever.
Recently I realized that I COULD do devotionals by reading the parts I could and the verses, and not doing what I couldn’t. I also realized that when I read and learn and grow from blogs like yours, or books about faith, that really is the point as well.
So I for one am greatly looking forward to whatever you share.
I totally love your blog. ANd I’d love to get to know you more! I will pray for you, as I am a fellow believer and love that we can share our faith online to glorify our Father in heaven.
Just found you today! And I love the boys’ names. So classy.
Isn’t Philippians fabulous?
I adore the pic of Henry in the kitchen. That is too sweet.
*pat, pat* I will be praying for you as you work through just the right words to say! I echo the comments that you have already done such a great job of glorifying God in all of your posts. You are an encouragement to so many moms, especially those of us with multiples (though I only have twins- your blog makes me feel like life for me isn’t really THAT busy!) I just started blogging about our family adventures as we are about to take our 22mo twins on a 6 month missions trip… we’ll see how it goes! Blessings to your whole crew!
I am very much at the end of my having babies…these two will be my last…so I will never be a mother to quads.
I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed reading your blog. It’s funny, it’s uplifting and I admire how you have taken to being parents on such an extreme level. I hope that comes out how it’s meant to…I take my hat off to you both :):)
I have struggled for a while with blogging. I think it’s NOT common in Australia and the blogs I have read are all full of great posts…otherwise I wouldn’t read them… right? I guess I’m trying to say that it seems to me that a lot of blogging is the good stuff…nothing wrong with being positive but I also want to read about real life.
I feel like I am a very real person, what you see is what you get. Sometimes that’s a great thing, sometimes I wish with all my heart I could disguise my mood better…but I just can’t.
I will really enjoy reading and supporting you through the good, the bad and the ugly…
smiles and sunshine because today is beautiful…all the way from Noosa… :):)
Jen, Christy from the multiples group here. As you know, I’m still expecting my multiple blessings — though only 3. (How often do I get to say “only” 3?!)
I have enjoyed your blog immensely and learned so much from what you’ve shared already. You are the definition of “grace under fire,” in that you always turn to Christ to get you through. I look forward to your new path, and from the looks of the comments you have many, many people cheering you on.
Be who you are. After all He created you, and He is never wrong.
Christy
I look forward to reading more about your family. Both you and Brad have such a great way of finding humor during stressful times…and I totally appreciate and admire that. You also capture some of the best moments with your boys on camera! Thanks for sharing with the rest of us:)
WoW! you have a lot of comments! I wanted to let you know how thankful I am that you posted the link to St. Vincent on the side of your blog. We have a daughter requiring open heart surgery in the fall, we had attempted to get info. on St. V’s children’s but I couldn’t find anything online. I have NO idea how I found you but, I’m so glad I did. Our daughter is supposed to be scheduled in October. This information was an answer to prayer…I feel complete peace over this decision! Thank you so much!!! :^)
Jen, whatever burdens God has put on your heart, feel free to share them here! Those of us who have found a connection with you are here to support and encourage you! Isn’t that what Christians are supposed to do? Everything good is from the Lord, and the bad…well, you know where that comes from! Your blog FAMILY loves and supprts you and your blog in all its incarnations, so you write whatever you want! Like you said, if we don’t like it, we don’t have to keep reading! God bless you!
Jen,
I have been reading your blog for a long time now. I LOVE IT!!! You are an inspiration along with all of the other multiple mommies. I am a mom of 16 mo. old b/g twins. I am tired, beat down and worn out. I think of you quad moms all day EVERY day and wonder how you do it.
I will pray as you begin to share the desires of your heart! I need to hear them. You and Brad minister to me often! I pray for you often. YOU GUYS AMAZE ME!! Twins is tough. God gave you 4 for a reason. He knew YOU could do it. Keep on sharing. We all support you. You and Brad are just wonderful people.
Your Sister in Christ,
Janell
Jen,
I am so looking forward to learning more about you! And, in sharing my faith as well.
I feel the same way about my blog, there is an absolute need to share my faith with my readers. They weren’t sent to me by mistake and they weren’t sent to you by mistake either. 🙂
Debi
Jen – If you decide to throw in the towel, will you pinky-swear promise to continue to update through MySpace????? Checking in on your boys is like a therapy to me. Whenever I am having a bad day with Jackson, I just think “There could be 4 of him” and then I quit feeling sorry for myself!
Hang in there!
Gen! I absolutley LOVE your blog!!
You are an AMAZING mommy!!!
PLEASE do not stop the blog!! I LVOE it!!
Lisa
I follow your blog, but admittedly don’t comment each time I visit. 🙂 I’ll try to do better.
I enjoy you sharing your adventures with the kids and your life. I also know from blogging that it can be difficult to share the “real” story at times without being a downer or complainer. The thing is we all have bad days and I think being able to share them with everyone is okay. Life isn’t always a rainbow, but having readers who make you smile with their comments can make the day better.
Much love to you all
Hey jen…I just love your blog too. I don’t always comment, but I check it daily. sorry for not commenting more. I look forward to reading your upcoming posts. I hope you find the words to express how you feel. Hope you don’t consider me a lurker??
take care 🙂
Jen
Am I wrong or did you erase my comment? I don’t believe I was inappropriate?!
Jen,
I am praying for you now. I have been reading your blog from the beginning, and it brings sunshine to my day, Sister! Then, by reading this beautiful comments, I see how many other lives you are touching. Jesus is using you in a mighty way. I look forward to hear what the Lord has put on your heart. You are in inspiration. God bless you.
Veronica from CA
Hey Jen! I was reading this post and thinking that although you may feel like you don't share enough about our AMAZING God, you do an amazing job of glorifying Him – through stories about your & Brad's relationship, dealing with parenting struggles, etc. I look forward to reading what you want to share with us all next!
Thanks for all the effort you put in to this – it's such a great opportunity for all of us who may not have multiples to share in the adventure with you. And you are an awesome blogger – some posts I can just hear you saying out loud! I have thought about starting to blog myself, but my life is boring compared to yours! 🙂
Love, Laura
Hi Jen! I’m a “lurker”. ;o) I’ve been reading you and quite a few other multiple moms for a while. I know that if you all can raise 3, 4, or 5 babies at once, anyone can handle just one! It’s great to be able to take part of the life that you are sharing with the world. Thank you!
Jen- Sorry!! Just reading back my comment and wrote Gen instead of Jen… Sorry– been writing to Gen M. a lot!
Lisa
Jen- Sorry!! Just reading back my comment and wrote Gen instead of Jen… Sorry– been writing to Gen M. a lot!
Lisa
it’s your life, your blog…write what you feel. i would love to be able to read more about your pregnancy, how amazing that must have been. I had twins, can’t even imagine 4!!
I think sometimes the trials and situations we go through are in order to help other people later who are going through the same thing. You’ve been able to give advice and a “real” picture to those who are expecting one or more babies as well as showing them the sweet and very precious moments too. I’ve read many comments on many of your posts where people are so incredibly gratful of your advice, wisdom, and realness…
One of your “mission fields” seems to be the internet. Run with it. Don’t be afraid to share your faith, your good days and your bad days, your joys, your frustrations… People are looking for authenticity.
Our family is praying for you. You are doing a fantastic job and I totally agree with what Dorette said. You both manage to glorify Christ with every post you make. Keep it up. It reminds me of our son’s memory verse last week:
(The kids version with hand motions…lol)
“Be (flap your arms like a bee) strong (make some muscles) and brave (put your hands on your hips) because God (point to the sky) is with you (point to your neighbor)!” Joshua 1:9
By the way, I forgot to mention that we just found out that Nick and Laura Garn know you guys! We all go to the same church! :o)