And just like that... There were four.: May 2013

One of the first things people ask when they see me is, "How's it going?" And it's not just a normal, "How's it going?" It's more like, "OH MY GOSH! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE ALIVE, HOW'S IT GOING?!!!!!", as their eyes squint and their head turns to the side and they cringe as they wait to receive my answer. I'll be honest, it's no walk in the park. But it's definitely not as hard as I thought it would be. When I was pregnant, I was terrified for what the future of 4 kids two and under would bring. I imagined complete chaos, with toddlers running around screaming, babies crying, 4 poopy diapers, a dog whining, and a house that looked a tornado had gone through. Oh wait, that does happen every now and then, but its rare (we're actually getting used to the house looking like a tornado).

Many ask if I am getting any sleep. Yes! Only because Cory is the best husband in the world. We made a schedule that would allow both of us to get at least 5 hrs of consecutive sleep (most nights it works). I take a late night feeding and Cory takes an early morning feeding. The babies still eat every 3-4 hours. Hopefully in a couple of months, we'll be able to pitch one of those feedings and we'll both get even more sleep! If I remember correctly, the girls were sleeping through the night (11 PM-5 AM or thereabouts) around 4 months of age.

It's been 2 months since our little babes have joined us and we are pretty set in our routine. Mornings are our busiest time of day. We all hop out of bed around 6 AM or 7 AM (Izzy and Ava are more like 7:30 AM) depending on the day. I feed the babies and then the girls (and sometimes I manage to eat a little breakfast myself). Then it's playtime! When the weather is nice, we all head outside to play. The babies sit in their seats and the girls love to ride their bikes, play with their friends and play chalk, bubbles, chase, baseball, and much more. We have lunch around noon, a little story or puzzle time, and once 1:30 hits, I'm one happy mama... NAP TIME! All the kiddos are in their beds and it is QUIET. Some days I sneak a nap, but most days I'll do tornado clean up, dishes or laundry (oh, and a shower every now and then). For a week or so, I got caught up on the Downton Abbey series, that was a treat! Everyone wakes up around 3:30 or 4 and then it's snack time, followed by playtime and then daddy's home! When it's cold or rainy, it's a whole different story. Lets just say I use every "trick in the book" to keep the girls occupied: play doh, puzzles, coloring, painting, forts, tea parties, story time, dolls, dancing, singing songs, snuggling, movies, Caillou (blah), cars, beauty shop (one of my favorites), and cookie making. Needless to say, I prefer when Mother Nature blesses us with nice weather. When Cory gets home around 5:30, we eat, have another mini play session, baths, snuggle time and bed. Repeat.

Every now and then (3 times really), I'll venture out with the crew. So far we have gone to visit Papa Leo, made a trip to Target, and visited my school. It's always best to go to a place where there are willing and helping hands. I'm excited for the warm weather to come and stay! The girls love being outside and love playing with anything that involves water. Yesterday the UPS man delivered our new pool... The girls can't wait to hop in! They were so desperate last week (98 degree day), they hopped right inside their water table, with their clothes on! I still need to figured out how to take walks and go to the park by myself with the kids, I'm not sure it's possible.

So, all in all, things are going well. As well as they can be (I think). I certainly wouldn't be saying that if it weren't for all the help that Cory and I get. Our parents are amazing and help out when they can (which is quite often!). It's pretty cool that our kids get to see all of their grandparents each week. The saying, "it takes a village to raise a child..." rings true in our household. I couldn't be more thankful.

I know this post was an earful (eyeful really), thanks for reading. I probably won't find the time to write again until the kids go off to kindergarten, lol!