What a great looking family!

Growing, growing, growing!!

Wow!! What a great tree! Mark and I decorated our first Christmas tree together. So fun. Doesnt it look great!! He arranged and rearranged again and again! SO funny. And of course, next to the tree the pregnant momma! Wow am I getting huge or what!! Good thing there's two in there!

Our Boys!

Can you believe it!? Twins? Me? It has been pointed out to Tracy and I that God gives twins to those he believes can handle it. Well, I believe we can, and as that time gets closer and closer, I am getting more and more excited to meet our little guys!

I know these pictures are what everyone wants to see. I will only post a couple really good ones we got last week. Here's a couple 4-D images of our little guys.

Aren't these amazing!? I find myself staring at them sometimes. Tracy will often come home, sit down, grab the pics and start talking to them. She likes to play classical music when daddy's not home. She says it will help soothe them later. I try to get them to listen to contemporary Christian music. I tell people they are going to be my little guitar slashers someday.

I wonder what they're personalities will be like. I wonder whose facial features they will have. (We think they have a combonation of our noses as you can see in the one picture). I wonder what kind of a dad I will be and if my boys will like me.

I have so many questions that will be answered in time, I'm sure. For now, I enjoy the wonder. I like to feel them kick Tracy's stomach and stretch out. Usually I say good morning and good night. Life is slowly adjusting, and I love it!

Its really interesting to me to think about how different life will be in April. Some have said that having twins first is the best way to do it if you're going to have twins. That way, since you don't know what to expect, you don't realize how much more difficult it is. Also, if you have kids later it will be a breeze.

Either way, the future is still shrouded in mystery and I am doing what I can now to prepare for that day. I love thinking about my boys, but at this point, I haven't met them yet. When I meet them for the first time, I'm sure I'll fall in love with them!

Tracy is quite the trooper. She has been sick for most of her pregnancy. Right now we are in week 22 and she is showing off her beautiful physique!

Tracy at 13 weeks...

Tracy at 22 weeks!

Isn't my wife beautiful?! I tell her everyday how wonderful she is. I could not imagine life without her. She really has given my life meaning and truely is the completion of me. I would be willing to stake my life on the fact that she will be the greatest mommy ever. I just hope our boys see that in her.

Well, I guess that's good for now. Please keep in touch and let me know how life is out there.

Blessings,

Mom and Dad Tjapkes

(and soon-to-be-boys also!)

Our whole family!

Hello friends!

Many of you may know that Tracy has blogged before, but this is my first time maintaining a blog! I imagine I'm a little behind the times, but I am beginning to learn the importance of maintiaining important relationships in life. This is a great way for those who care to stay informed in our newly married life together! This will be a family blog, meaning sometimes it will be me who posts, but Tracy will be involved as well. In fact, don't be surprised if she posts more than I.

June 23rd was a day I thought would never come, but it did. It's wonderful to walk through the doors God opens when you do so faithfully and prayerfully, knowing it is Him who is giving the guidance. It is crazy to think that 1 year ago today, I was living in Michigan, not even aware of how different my life would become in the next 365 days.

I swore to my family at Micheal's wedding (my brother got married in Kokomo, IN on Christmas last year) that I would NOT be married in 2007. Funny how that worked huh? Then I took that trip up to Minneapolis and met my wife-to-be. We basically met in December of 2006, and were married in June of 2007. As if that wasn't enough, we learned in early August we were pregnant! As if THAT wasn't enough, we learned after our first ultra-sound in the middle of September that we are pregnant with TWINS! Wow, when God decides to move, He moves big!

Well, that leaves us with some big changes looming. Please, if you are a praying person, pray for our family as we have many decisions to make in the coming year, as well as for provision for our family as Tracy will not be able to complete the full year of teaching at her school.

Also, we want to encourage anyone to call anytime! We love to hear from our friends. It is a strange phenonomon, but once you are married, life changes a lot! I was not ready for this change as much as I thought, but I love it! We miss our friends out there, so please don't be strangers.

Until my next post, blessings!