Fall is in the air and I've never been so glad to see summer go! It's been a very tough summer here, with forest fires, the loss of our brave Hot Shots, torrential monsoons and now the loss of my beloved big brother, Mike. My mother used to tell me that God only gives you what you can handle and so I am respectfully requesting a respite from further mayhem, disasters and sadness for me and my loved ones.

The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale assigns numeric value to "life change units" and calculates stress levels based on the accumulation of units (points). Holy Cow! The babies parents have, over the last 2 years, accumulated quite a score! Between moving to a new community, taking new jobs, living with us while buying a home, having that new home burn down one day after moving in, moving back in with us while rebuilding their home, having a baby (turns out to be twins), losing 19 fellow firefighters, having their home flood in last month's torrential monsoon, moving back in with us while the house is once again repaired....... I believe their stress points are off the charts and I pray for their sanity and resilience.

The bright spot in all of this is of course, the twins! The day of the flood, my son waded into his home looking totally dejected. As I stood their in ankle deep water holder the girls, they looked at their dad and gave him a big smile. He told me later, those smiles saved him that day. Their brave Mom was only concerned for their safety and although her heart was breaking at the sight of their beautiful home, the girls are always the focus and the reality that everything else is insignificant. They are strong kids and I know they will once again, rise above this latest challenge.

The wonderful thing about them being here at our house is we get to see them from the time they wake up until they go to bed. Our home has taken on the facade of a day care center, with swings in the living room, and the family room blocked off from the dogs and strewn with toys. The kitchen counter is covered in baby bottles and I type this with strains of the Baby Channel Color video playing in the background as the girls snooze in their swings. Chaos? No! This is a precious, rare and fleeting heartbeat in time, when we get to be a part of their lives. Just this morning, we saw Harper crawl on all fours, finally getting off her belly! Every day they change and grow, discover new sounds, make new faces and develop new interests.

Chillin' at Meema's and P-Pa's house

We sit up now all by ourselves!

Yay! Our toys are all here!

On the go!

Wait for me!

Poor Reagan, banned from the family room!

I could get used to this place.

Yeah, it will do for now.

Hmmmm, what does Harper have that Molly wants?

This used to be our grandparents' family room ......

but it's ours now!