The search for fulfillment

This is Brookston back in June. Searching...

Nipple confusion

another fantastic picture @ darling art

Rebecca Mudrick has done it again folks. Check back to her blog here for another absolutely darling photo of Brookston and Everett. I can't thank her enough!

It was amazing to stand there and see my sweet little boys all wrapped up in each others arms. Once again I cried. Thanks Rebecca.

A Nick @ Night Special

Before I get to the special, here's what blogging looks like @ our place now:

Brookston and I

Okay, and now to the Nick @ Night Special:

Ever since we've been home with the boys Nick has added a new show to his late night line-up. A few nights ago I woke up to Nick sitting up in bed feeling all over in the sheets. I asked him what he was doing, and he replied "I can't find it."
"Find what?" I responded.
"The baby" He says matter of factly.
"What do you mean?" I ask, unaware as of yet that he's asleep.
"I... I can't find the baby in the bed."
"What?" (I'm still getting used to this new sleep talking thing)
"The baby that we're feeding -- I can't find him."
Finally I realize I'm viewing the new Nick @ Night special. "Nick, we're not feeding the babies right now."
"I know. Because I can't find it." He says, still searching about, this time he's feeling my arm and shoulder.
I started to laugh, I couldn't help it. This seemed to frustrate him a little, and he continued feeling around the sheets. "Nick, you're asleep. There's not a baby in the bed." He pauses for a moment...
"There's not?"
"No, you're asleep." It took some more convincing and he finally laid back down.

I knew I was seeing a new Nick @ Night special when the next night I again woke to Nick groping at my shoulder. "Nick?" I ask.
"Yeah?" he responds.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to find the baby, do you have him?"
I start laughing immediately. "No, love, I don't have the baby."
At this point I notice that Nick is tenderly holding his pillow in his arms. As I watch he lays it down on the bed and slowly begins swaddling it in the sheets. I couldn't stop laughing long enough to tell him he was asleep this time. Finally, once I had control of myself, I told him "That's not a baby, Nick. It's your pillow. He stopped for a moment, looking slightly confused. "It's your pillow", I say again, "Just lay your head down on it, Love."
After a moment he did so and asked why I was laughing.

Ahhhh, what an awesome guy.

Our boys are hot models, thanks to Rebecca Mudrick

Brookston and Everett

My good friend Rebecca Mudrick strikes again! Not only did she take the beautiful picture shown above moments after their entrance into this fine world, she also captured their excessive good looks a week after their birth. Check out her pictures at her professional blog here.

I cried the instant the page loaded. Rebecca is so talented and I will sit and stare at these images far too much, I'm sure. Be sure to thank her for me on her blog.

blogging has just become easier

ever since i wrote the title to this post, nicole has been sitting here saying, "i want to blog more, but i never know what to post. what you wrote sounded good." of course, i can't remember what i wrote because i deleted it after i realized it was nonsense. something about how when you have kids all you have to do is put a bunch of pictures up of them and you have a great blog--she thinks i said a "most excellent blog". i was thinking more specifically about posts that get long winded and boring--you know the ones where you talk about how your parents came over and you ate turkey sandwiches and they helped you fix that leaky toilet that keeps running through the night and through your dreams. nobody really understands what's going on in the pictures except your parents, but your parents don't even know your blog exists. so, case in point, here are some baby pictures:

Chillin' in the hospital getting ready to go home.

We made it home.

In Grandpa's arms.

M.C. Hammerpooh

The eagle eye.

Nicole is brewing a nice big long meaningful post. I'm confident that she'll post it sometime in the future--probably not in the past, since it's not already posted, and we lost the keys to the DeLorean.

We have just a quick moment. Here is a marvelous slideshow put together by our good friend Rebecca Mudrick of Darling Art Photography. Not only does this make a priceless gift, but she also gave a lot of her time to help give invaluable coaching during the delivery. We owe her so much.

http://www.darling-art.com/darkroom/share/?client/empey

We're so happy to have our boys with us, to have them healthy, and to be headed home from the hospital today. For those curious souls Everett Burke Empey was born at 2:08 pm, June 3rd, weighing in at 6 lbs 5 oz, followed not-so-closely by Brookston Green Empey born at 10:27 pm, June 3rd, weighing in at 6 lbs 13 oz.

We had lots of great doctors and nurses, and also owe Nick's mother, LaDawn, a great deal as well for driving down from Indiana to be here for the delivery. And also on more thanks to Metta Prieto, who provided child care for Rebecca's monkeys during the night. Metta also took some great photos the day before we went to the hospital. Metta's pictures.

We are sooo appreciative of everyone's prayers and thoughts. We know for a fact that they were answered.

We will write more later with more details, but for now enjoy the slideshow!