Where has the year gone?  Almost a year ago, my babies were released from the NICU. I don't even know where that time has gone... it is mostly a blur of persistence in breastfeeding, constant motion (6 kids will do that to you), and sweet, sweet sleep whenever possible (which never seems frequent enough!).  I have obviously neglected this blog and many of my other projects but so what? My family is worth it!

The twins are gorgeous, healthy, and on-the-go.  At 14 months they are cruising along things, standing without assistance (occasionally), and even taking a step or two.  They are babbling mama and dada and love to chase after their older siblings or the dogs.  They are two amazing miracles and we are truly blessed.   I remember long nights in the NICU just praying that  both boys would pull through and unbelievably, they are pretty much unscathed from being born much, much too early.  But tonight, I find myself in a hospital room again for Tommy's first of two heart procedures. You'd think with their miraculous lives, I could just completely trust God through this process.  But it just doesn't get any easier... I wonder how parents of chronically and/or terminally ill kids do it!

Tommy was a superstar through his heart catheter today.  The procedure went perfectly and he came off the vent with ease.  Although we had hoped that an angioplasty would correct the nasty overgrowth of muscle tissue just below his pulmonary valve, that was not to be the case. On July 1st, he will have to undergo open heart surgery.  If you are crazy enough to check it out, there is a video of a very similar procedure on youtube.

Have you ever thought of marriage as a plant, maybe a very fragile one like an azalea.  I don’t usually think of marriage, or my marriage for that matter, in that way but this New Year that image has smacked me in the face!  For the most part, I’ve enjoyed my marriage of 8 years and it has seemed easy enough, almost like a car coasting down a hill. Of course we’ve hit bumps, had fights, but it seemed like we recovered easily.  Then something happens where the very soil that supports the marriage is shaken…everything seems upside down.  Things that you took for granted, like honesty and trust, seem to evaporate into thin air. How did we get to this point?

The Niedermaier  Caravan rolled into Sweet Rose Farm at 5pm on Thursday, December 17^th.  We managed to make it the last hour through the mountains without any vomiting – YEAH!!!  Thanks to some great navigating skills by DH and a new route through Covington, VA (a beautiful little town!) and past Falling Springs.

This time of the year is always crazy.  As a mom, I'm 'stuck' in the day-in and day-out needs of my family and still trying to make the Christmas season special for my kids and for those I care about.  This year I'm miserably failing at the second portion of that recipe.  So I needed a little inspiration and my good friend, Jeannette, came to the rescue.

Out of nowhere, she "assigned" my friend Charity and I to sit down, drop what we were doing (which involved babies and laundry, I believe), and listen to a song on her ipod.  The song was "One Heartbeat at a Time" by Steven Curtis Chapman.  Such a gentle and loving gesture made my day.  I found the following photo montage set to the same song in the hopes that it will remind you, mommas, how important and special you are, especially through the chaos of the holiday season.  Let your children ground you and love every moment of it, because you are truly CHANGING THE WORLD! 

(I'm reprinting this from an old blog of mine, from April of 2008, mostly for inspiration!)

The following is a recipe for a day in a family with 4 kiddos and a puppy: