Another Busy Weekend!

We had a great but BUSY weekend! It all started when Bubby woke up smiling as usual and was acting squirmy.

That's when we noticed that the jammies he was lounging in were getting a bit too small and his toes were poking through the feet! Poor Bub!

And Evie wanted to sleep in.....


but soon wanted to join in on the fun.

So we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's for some outdoor fun.

And Gracie made cookies with Auntie Amy. She helped pour the ingredients.

And mix them too.

And even licked the beaters.

Then it was off to a grauation party. Cousin Elizabeth snuggles up with Evie...

While Gracie played at the "park".

And jumped on the trampoline with cousin Molly.

Presley had fun hanging out with Grandma.

And Gracie stopped swinging to come and listen to Uncle Jim play the accordian.

And my girls loved sporting their matching outfits.

Because, yes, I am one of "those" moms.

And then today we went over to Scotty's house for more fun. While the babies had their 6 month pictures taken (will post later), Gracie and Scott had fun playing.

But it was sad when we had to say good-bye.

But that didn't last long because then we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's cuz you know we don't have a yard to play in, for some swimming.

Evie liked the water but was nervous about showing off her thighs.

And Presley just wanted to play with toys.

Gracie likes swimming though and is looking forward to swimming lessons.

And Granpa even had fun because Mommy was wearing down.

So we headed in for dinner but Evie wanted to sport her new shades.

And Presley wanted to hang out in his diaper before heading home.

It was a great weekend and I can't for everyday to be like this when summer finally comes in summer 7 days!

Out and About....Finally!

This weekend we managed to finally get out of this little house we live in and go somewhere as a family. The weather finally cooperated so we headed downtown for Springfest.

Gracie woke up on Saturday and we told her we were going to the carnival. She was excited until we told her she couldn't wear her high heels.

Gracie couldn't wait to get on the merry-go-round. Of course she picked the zebra to ride.

And she even won a prize.....

because she played her favorite game....the duck pond!

And then it was time to stop and play at the park.

Gracie had fun riding the horse.

And daddy had fun riding the motorcyle.

And Presley and Evie had too much fun that they tuckered out before the outing was even done.

6 Months Old!

Well, my twin babies, Presley and Evie, are 6 months old today! I'm not sure whether to celebrate making to the halfway mark or be sad about being halfway done with the first year already. I won't lie, the road has been rough and there have been tough times. I do feel truly blessed to have had such healthy twins and a healthy toddler too. I wouldn't trade any of this for anything though. Here is a recap of the past 6 months.

And here we are today......6 months old!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Last mother's day it was just my gracie girl and me.

But this year, I got to spend it with my 3 beautiful kiddies.

Of course Chuck had to work so we spent the day at Grandma and Grandpa's. Auntie Amy made breakfast. I dressed Evie and Presley in "mommy" wear too.

Even though Evie doesn't look like her mommy, she still loves me!


And Presley knows that I am way cooler than the other mommies out there.

And Grandma had fun being with all her grandkids today too.

We gave her a special present with everyone's handprints. There is room to make more as they get older too.

Then we went down to the the Joliet Historical Society. They had a Wizard of Oz display going on for a short time. Unfortunately, you couldn't take any pictures of the stuff. Gracie was impressed and was looking at all the stuff saying the characters names and "I'll get you my pretty." We looked around after that. Gracie met an astronaut.

And she had fun pretending to drive Grandpa and Presley around in the car.

And all the kids enjoyed learning about Route 66 sitting in the old drive-in seats.

And Gracie even met the Blues Brothers.

It was a great day. I may not have gotten to sleep in like I wanted but I did manage to squeeze in a nap with Gracie. Hope everyone had a great day!

All the Juggling.........

So I know I have a lot to be thankful and I am. Sure I have the world's greatest kids, and I have an awesome husband who helps out, and I have supportive parents, many caring friends, a job working with people I love, and a roof over my head (even though we are packed in like sardines) most days I hit my stress level with

All this juggling!!!!!!!

For one, I work fulltime. I would LOVE to be able to stay home and play with my kids all day long. Thinking about it today, I really only get about 4 hours with my kids each day. (That obviously doesn't count the hours they are sleeping.) And since I have 3 kids, that means I get roughly about 1 hour and 20 minutes per child. Yes, it is hard having 3 kids under 3 and while I am blessed with twins, it's hard to give them the separate attention they both want. The babies go to bed a few hours after we get home each day. I feel horrible when I turn Gracie into my "gopher" when I ask her to hand me a burp rag or ask her to throw away a dirty diaper. She wants attention too! There is never any down time which is fine (although sometimes it's very hard). It's hard to find time in the day to even play outside. By the time I get home, the twins are ready to eat. Then Gracie and then I need to eat something too. And if it's bath night? Forget it, even less time to play. All the chores that need to be done have to be mixed in there too. Besides the dishes everynight and a load of laundry or two practically everynight, the other stuff has to wait until the weekend. And that gets hard to do too because of my husband's job.

And yes, I am thankful he has a job, I'm just going to say it......his hours suck! Besides working every other weekend, he also has to close 3 nights a week! The weekends he works he is gone the entire time (from breakfast to way after bedtime.) I am thankful I have parents who help me out a lot but it's not the same as having my husband here. Of course it messes with plans constantly, I have to now plan when I will run errands or go grocery shopping. I have not been brave enough to really take all 3 kids shopping just yet. Not sure I really want to deal with 2 shopping carts. His hours are horrible when I too have to work. And some mornings he is already gone by the time everyone wakes up. I can deal with that but if I have to actually shower, get dressed, get my 3 kids dressed and out the door by 7:30....well, that's soooooo hard. I hate those mornings and instead of spending a few minutes playing with my kids, I am running around like a mad woman and literally dripping sweat by the time I pack the kids up, put them in their carseats, put them in the car and then finally plunk my butt in the car. The morning has barely started and I am ready to go back to bed! (and it's usually those mornings that someone spits up after they are already packed up so I have to quickly unpack them, change them and repack them.) The nights are just as hard. My parents come over but still it gets hard to put everyone to bed myself. By time I put Gracie down, I lay down with her and fall asleep myself. And let me tell you, toddler beds are not comfortable! But at that point I am too tired to care.

I know it sounds like I am complaining about my kids and I am not. I just want more time with them. How would it be different? Well for one, I could actually slow the pace down and spend more time just doing crafty things with Gracie, going for walks, going places. I won't have to rush around all the time. I miss spending time with just Gracie too. When I was on maternity leave, we took some classes and went to the library for class. Now I can't do that. I tried signing up for like the one and only class they offered at night but it ended up getting canceled. Go figure. She is going off to preschool. I won't even be there for her first day because I will be working. I will never be able to help out in her class because of work. And that is a whole other issue.

Being a teacher is harder than most people think. There is a lot that goes into planning the daily routine. There is a lot of paperwork too. If you can't multitask, then teaching will never be the job for you. It's the not the same as it was when I first started and really has changed since I have had kids. My job is not my life anymore and I haven't taken work home with me in years because I know it will never get done. Some days just make me feel so cranky and crabby. So many things have changed and it's just not as fun as it used to be. I had a very hard time coming back and I absolutely dread dropping my kids off at the babysitters too. Not to mention how much money I now have to pay in daycare $$$$$! Sometimes I wonder why I have to pay someone to spend time with my children. I want that job. And instead I get to spend time with other people's children. And yes being a teacher has its advantages, Christmas break, spring break, summers, when it really comes down it, it doesn't matter. It goes by way too fast. And really, if one more person tells me how lucky I am to be a teacher because of that, then I will just have to punch them in the face.

So now that I have ranted on and on about my life, I must figure out an easier solution to all this juggling. Sometimes it's hard to not feel like a single parent when you work, take care of the kids, and don't see your spouse. I know what you are thinking too. A lot of people do this everyday and deal with it fine and have worse jobs or worse commutes or whatever. But you know what? Some people are fine with it. Some people want to be at work and not at home. Some people just can't sit still and need to keep moving. I need things to slow down. My babies are already almost 6 months old. And I'm pretty sure Evie rolled over for the first time at the babysitters the other day but I know she would never tell me that because she knows how upset I'd be. I just need things to slow down enough where I can enjoy a cup of coffee and play with my kids without having to rush out the door and not chug 4 cups of coffee at work. Summer break is just around the corner (thankfully) and we'll see what happens then. Maybe then, I will have time to think, play with my kids, smell the roses (in my invisible garden) , and leisurely sip on some Starbucks! 21 days! Can you tell I am ready?