Today I'm celebrating my twins' 2nd birthday! Highlights so far include one of the twins escaping the house and mad-dashing it (barefooted) to the closest snowbank, while the other twin became the self-appointed plumber tending to the toilet.

I love it!!!

No sarcasm there. I seriously love this.

The twins are a living testament to how God answers very specific prayers. He's amazing at the details!

When I began my journey into motherhood, I discovered something about myself: I'm terrible at predicting the gender of my babies. We always kept it a surprise, allowing for that monumental pronouncement at birth... "It's a..." But that didn't stop me from guessing and, subsequently, being completely wrong every time. 

My grandfather on the other hand, whom we called Pap Pap, seemed to have a special God-given gift, at least where I was concerned. He accurately predicted every gender for my first four babies (without dangling a ring over my belly or determining if I was "carrying high or low"). By the fifth baby, I decided to align my prediction with his and was finally right! 

I asked him to reveal his secret. How did he know? He told me that he prayed about it and even sometimes requested a particular gender. Then he continued... "I'm going to ask God to send you twins - a boy and a girl." I was pretty enthused, as I've always wanted twins. I also thought it was pretty bold of him to ask for the specific genders.

My next baby wasn't twins, but Pap told me it was a girl, and it was. That was the last prediction he made, as we lost him very suddenly only months later.

Years later, as I lay on the ultrasound table, the technician announced that I was having twins. I cried. She asked if I would be okay - I think she thought I was having a nervous breakdown at the prospect of babies #9 and #10! "I'm just so happy," I said, "I feel so blessed. And I'm pretty sure I know the genders... but don't tell me, 'cause we like the surprise." She raised an eyebrow, but smiled at my excitement. 

When they were finally born, I felt like I had been pulled into the heart of heaven. First they announced our son, who was a full pound heavier than his sister, who emerged shortly after. I named our son, James Vincent - Vincent for my grandfather, and I thanked God for showing me how attentive He is to our prayers. 

In all honesty, I sometimes feel guilty or unworthy to ask for small, specific things, when I know so many people have intense crosses and are crying out to God for help, but God is big enough for every need, even the small and seemingly mundane. I had an aunt once ask for an affordable new couch. She even specified the color and God brought it to her within days.

I think God loves it when we ask him about things that may seem trivial or incredibly specific, because it shows how connected we are to Him - that we direct the incessant flow of thoughts, ideas, hopes and concerns towards Him, without excluding any of the details. It's a special union of our hearts and minds. 

Now. Anyone want to join me in praying for triplets... hehe?