A special weekend with 1/2 the Jolliffs

This past week was a very special one for Hap and Elizabeth, commissioning week in preparation for their overseas deployment. They spent most of the time in Virginia for meetings, and then they flew to Mississippi for the commissioning ceremony later in the week. While in Virginia, Nathan and I were trusted to babysit for Jacob since nursing infants were allowed to attend, while Sam and Andrew split time on the farm in Patoka and in Salem with both of their grandparents.

Nathan, Caleb, and I met them on Saturday afternoon and we began babysitting that evening. Nathan was able to stay for Saturday and most of Sunday, then he had to return home to be at work on Monday.  We quickly learned the challenges of having two babies with similar needs, sometimes at the same time:). Thank God for helping hands. Once we got there, it did not take long for Caleb to beat up on his little cousin...twisting his ear! I also got to experiment more with my new camera lens throughout the week on another cute subject.

The place we were staying was is in a rural area outside of Richmond and it was especially beautiful with the pretty fall colors. There are a couple of playgrounds, a soccer field, barn, lake, indoor basketball court, and lots of open green space for the boys to play. The rolling hills and fields will be great for sledding too. It will be a fun place for them to be as a family for a couple of months. And the food was delicious too (except for the 2 times I thought I was eating chicken and it was unexpectedly fish).

We took walks around the area with the boys, went to the playground, and spent lots of time outside. While out on walks, many people asked if they were twins since they look about the same age...this gave us a small taste of what twins would be like! These two boys could not be more different though, and both are sweet as can be. We think Caleb is going to be a wild child. He is so active and curious, and quite the yeller. He really likes to practice exercising his vocal cords at all times of the day! Jacob is very patient....yes, that is a great word to describe him. He smiles alot and is so content in his surroundings. Elizabeth says he has to be with two older brothers -:). We had a great time watching the boys and it was fun to see the cousins together.

On Sunday afternoon after Nathan left it was me and the two boys...I was outnumbered. The boys were on the same eating and sleeping schedule that day, so I spent most the afternoon outside with them, and by the time Hap and Elizabeth got home that evening both boys were bathed and sleeping...success! Monday was a fun and long day. The boys were mostly on opposite schedules that day, which was a good thing because there was only one of me. We were staying in a building with other nursing infants, so when both boys were crying at the same time, another caretaker usually came over to hold one of them, which was sweet. I think they felt bad for me because they were both crying, even though Elizabeth and I have no problems letting our babies cry. I took a lot of walks with the boys, one in the stroller and one in the baby carrier, and we hung out outside on the blanket with the other babies in the building too. That night Elizabeth took Jacob to an inauguration event at a church downtown, so Caleb and I turned in early. Poor Hap was not feeling well all day, and he spent the evening at home sleeping too.

Tuesday they finished mid-morning, so it was a short day. Caleb and I hit the road and we were home around lunchtime. I was great having Nathan babysit with me half of the time, and I know he loved all the one-on-one time with Jacob and Caleb. The other days I was appreciative to have another caretaker lend a helping hand.

We were so thankful for the time we got to spend with Hap, Elizabeth, and Jacob this weekend, and it means so much to us to be a part of this important time in their family's life. While we also would have loved to attend the commissioning ceremony in Mississippi, we were selfishly thankful for the one-on-one time we got to spend with them those few days, and we had a good time catching up and laughing with them too. After hearing their testimony, I can so clearly see God's hand in the events that have led them to where they are today, and we are so excited to see how He will work through them with this new chapter in their life.  In the meantime, we are now officially ready for twins.....hahaha!