Awww....I love days like today when it no matter what happens all seems right with the world!!
Renley has learned how to blow bubbles and it is simply the cutest thing ever!!! She spends hours blowing bubbles!!
Roman is not crawling but he can get where he wants by getting on his hands and knees and then repositioning his body and sitting down then doing it all over again until he gets where he wants. He also hops on his bottom to get to a different location.
He loves to bang on pots and pans while Renley sings along with him! They are perfect!!!! (says the momma)
Today as I was feeding the twins I began to think about what being a mom of "advanced maternal age" was to me. I can honestly say that I enjoy the part of my life more than I can express in words. Children are one of the major sources of happiness for most women, but they also change life as we knew it before we had them, even if we had older children and are now starting over again.
Young kids are full of energy, demands and needs that require much attention but the "extra" wisdom that we moms have as forty-something moms comes in very helpful when handling these little ones. I have taken things less seriously and enjoyed each moment more, I have learned what is important and what won't make a difference in ten years, I am more emotionally stable, more patient, and most of all I understand from experience how quickly this era in my life will pass!
I am not saying being a young mom isn't a good thing because I certainly enjoyed my motherhood raising my other children. I sure know I had more energy!
Occasionally, I look at these babies and think "surely you will never turn into those preteens that don't like having Momma around or the teens who would rather die than spend a Saturday night with Mom....but then I remember that "yes" they will go through these stages and it will be okay because with these stages also come the random advice seeking teen who out of the blue asks your opinion about a relationship or outfit (equal importance in a teens eyes I believe) or the one who comes in after a late date and can't wait to share what is going in their life with you at one in the morning or the hug you get for no reason at all and ever so often the text that says "Mom I love you so much and I am so glad you are my mom!" Yes, these moments make everything else disappear. So, today I am thankful for all the sleepless nights as well as the busy days that leave little time for me to exercise and I am thankful for the fleeting moments that I still have left with my teens and look forward to the adult relationships we will one day have!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Best Baby DaYS!
Best baby days!!
I haven't posted in a while because life is just B-U-S-Y! The past weeks I have witnessded the babies learning to go from a sitting position to laying on the floor to sitting again and learning to pull themselves up to their toy basket or small furniture. Roman is always ahead of Renley in learning to do things. I think it is because he is so rambunctious! It is fun to see the difference in their personalities. I am not certain this is due to their gender or just their personality.
They have learned to play for an extended period of time on the floor with toys so I have actually been able to get a few things done...but most of all I love sitting on the floor and playing with them! They are so close to crawling.....watch out sisters!!
This morning I was loading laundry into the dryer when I hear Renley cry....you know the cry that tells you something is wrong. I walk into the living room to see here lying on the floor and Roman has a large plastic toy hitting Renley over and over with it and laughing out loud. Thinking this may just be a sgin of things to come!!
I love it when I go to pick them up from their bed and they are sitting up "singing" me a song with those huge smiles and Renley's adorable dimples. At that moment I know that all the hard work is worth it!
I have to share with you what I feel are the perfect shoes for the babies. Roman has very large feet for his age. They aren't just long but are really fat and Renley has very petitie feet; thin and tiny. I purchased more shoes than I would like to admit to for the babies trying to locate the perfect pair that are comfortable, cute, and stay on. I found them, finally......Pedipad!!! They make several styles and the infant ones are sized by months which make it easier to choose a size and hopefully they will last longer. I have purchased white ones for Renley in size 0-6 months and she has been wearing hers for two months and brown sandals for Roman in size 6-12 months which he wore for two months and I purchased the 12-18 months for him in the sandals and brown "loafers." I plan to continue with this brand as they grow older. The price is right and they Velcro closed so the stay put and are easy to put on, but they aren't so tight that the are uncomfortable. I am not big on making the babies wear shoes at this age but there are just times when I feel it is more appropriate for them to have shoes on such as for church or going to eat at a nicer restaurant. I posted pictures below.
I haven't posted in a while because life is just B-U-S-Y! The past weeks I have witnessded the babies learning to go from a sitting position to laying on the floor to sitting again and learning to pull themselves up to their toy basket or small furniture. Roman is always ahead of Renley in learning to do things. I think it is because he is so rambunctious! It is fun to see the difference in their personalities. I am not certain this is due to their gender or just their personality.
They have learned to play for an extended period of time on the floor with toys so I have actually been able to get a few things done...but most of all I love sitting on the floor and playing with them! They are so close to crawling.....watch out sisters!!
This morning I was loading laundry into the dryer when I hear Renley cry....you know the cry that tells you something is wrong. I walk into the living room to see here lying on the floor and Roman has a large plastic toy hitting Renley over and over with it and laughing out loud. Thinking this may just be a sgin of things to come!!
I love it when I go to pick them up from their bed and they are sitting up "singing" me a song with those huge smiles and Renley's adorable dimples. At that moment I know that all the hard work is worth it!
I have to share with you what I feel are the perfect shoes for the babies. Roman has very large feet for his age. They aren't just long but are really fat and Renley has very petitie feet; thin and tiny. I purchased more shoes than I would like to admit to for the babies trying to locate the perfect pair that are comfortable, cute, and stay on. I found them, finally......Pedipad!!! They make several styles and the infant ones are sized by months which make it easier to choose a size and hopefully they will last longer. I have purchased white ones for Renley in size 0-6 months and she has been wearing hers for two months and brown sandals for Roman in size 6-12 months which he wore for two months and I purchased the 12-18 months for him in the sandals and brown "loafers." I plan to continue with this brand as they grow older. The price is right and they Velcro closed so the stay put and are easy to put on, but they aren't so tight that the are uncomfortable. I am not big on making the babies wear shoes at this age but there are just times when I feel it is more appropriate for them to have shoes on such as for church or going to eat at a nicer restaurant. I posted pictures below.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Smiley Babies make my day!
It has been one of those weeks where I seem to get nothing done but am constantly busy! I decided look at the week and think about the positive things that we did instead of thinking about all the things I didn't get done. So this blog is therapy for me. I did get everything unpacked, washed AND put away. I finished KEI's deposits and paid the bills for both businesses and our household. I kept the dishes done and the floors cleaned. The twins and I went out to eat with Jessica, Abby and Allie, I read a book to the twins everyday, played with them on the floor, watched Roman learn to go from a lying down position to sitting up and watched as he teetered on his hands and knees....close to crawling, rocked my babies to sleep everyday, cleaned the two main floor bathrooms. went for a walk everyday with the babies, ran two miles three days this week, managed to get dressed before nine everyday this past week and brush my hair and teeth, feed the babies bottles 24 by myself and 14 times with help from the girls, made three trips to town and one trip to Joplin, watered the plants everyday, attended a wedding, read my Bible daily and most amazing thing ever....found time to paint my toenails!!
So, I may not be able to look around and visually notice the things that I accomplished this week but I do now realize that I did complete some tasks and most of all I spent time with my children and babies. Looking at those two smiling faces this morning made me realize what a lucky mom I am and that I should concentrate on the positive and forget the negative because these two babies deserve a happy momma!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Just a little bit of today....
I woke up this morning with the fact that I needed to change my perception of reality...well at least my acceptance of what it was yesterday!!
One good big cup of coffee was just what I needed to get this day off to a better start. It helped that Renley slept ALL night, yes all night, two days in a row now. I am hoping this continues!! I really wish I could get the twins on a schedule that was similar. Just as their personalities are different so are their schedules. We do manage to get them to bed within the same hour but my little man is a sleeper like his Momma. He comfortably sleeps until nine or ten. On the other hand, my little princess is a morning person like her daddy! She wakes up around six-thirty. She wakes up in a pleasant mood. We can hear her talking to herself and "singing." Unless she is crying I make it a rule to wait until seven to get her out of bed. Renley was already been up and back down for a nap by the time Roman was awake for the day.
I really don't mean to sound like I am complaining. I have a friend who mentioned that her baby didn't have a bed time and went to sleep sometime between midnight and one AM. It makes me realize how lucky I am. It made me start to think about things. I thought about how I got the babies to have a good bed time. I could say it was because I have had so much experience and am a really terrific Momma, but that would be a lie. My other childern didn't have a good bedtime. In fact, Abby and I used to stay up till 10:30 to watch one of her favorite shows. This time we do have a routine that we do every night, but I stole that from my niece. We feed the babies cereal then bath them and read them a book. Next, we feed them a bottle and then lay them down for the night. I have come to the conculusion that God never gives us more than we can handle and He just knew that at my age I couldn't hadle babies who didn't sleep. I would go insane!
I knew when those sweet little grins that wiggle their body from head to toe greeted me with bright eyes that today was definitely going to be a better day. Sometimes you just have to allow yourself a moment to linger in your self pity but then decide that it your own attitude that has to change. Today is a new attitude!
Have you ever noticed how a baby has such unbridled love for his/her parents. It's like the smile I mentioned in the above paragraph. They love with their whole being. Every inch of them expresses their feeling for you. Like they have so much love that it is just bursting out ready to be shared. When I pick them up from the crib, they hold on tight like I am the best thing ever!! I want to remember these moments forever!! So today has been a better day, despite the dishes that need to be washed, the loads of laundry waiting to be done and the floor that needs to be swept....for my babies are growing up way to fast to let something so trivial steal my joy!
The babies were a little fussy after lunch. I had very little luck getting them to play with the toys so I pulled out a couple of pans and plastic serving spoons. They loved it!!! They were banging and patting away!! It was fun to watch them. I got a kick out of watching them interact. Renley constatnly wanted to spoon and pan Roman had. When she was successful in retreveing his away form him he would work his way around to where he could reach the one she had and then it would start all over again. She AGAIN wanted the ones he was playing with. I think this may be a taste of what the future may be like.
Today, we filled up the wading pool. The babies loved it!! I am sure they think it is an over sized bath tub. Watching then splash and laugh was priceless. Not sure who loved it more the babies or Jessica! She enjoys helping me with the babies and I enjoy having her here to help me!!!
One good big cup of coffee was just what I needed to get this day off to a better start. It helped that Renley slept ALL night, yes all night, two days in a row now. I am hoping this continues!! I really wish I could get the twins on a schedule that was similar. Just as their personalities are different so are their schedules. We do manage to get them to bed within the same hour but my little man is a sleeper like his Momma. He comfortably sleeps until nine or ten. On the other hand, my little princess is a morning person like her daddy! She wakes up around six-thirty. She wakes up in a pleasant mood. We can hear her talking to herself and "singing." Unless she is crying I make it a rule to wait until seven to get her out of bed. Renley was already been up and back down for a nap by the time Roman was awake for the day.
I really don't mean to sound like I am complaining. I have a friend who mentioned that her baby didn't have a bed time and went to sleep sometime between midnight and one AM. It makes me realize how lucky I am. It made me start to think about things. I thought about how I got the babies to have a good bed time. I could say it was because I have had so much experience and am a really terrific Momma, but that would be a lie. My other childern didn't have a good bedtime. In fact, Abby and I used to stay up till 10:30 to watch one of her favorite shows. This time we do have a routine that we do every night, but I stole that from my niece. We feed the babies cereal then bath them and read them a book. Next, we feed them a bottle and then lay them down for the night. I have come to the conculusion that God never gives us more than we can handle and He just knew that at my age I couldn't hadle babies who didn't sleep. I would go insane!
I knew when those sweet little grins that wiggle their body from head to toe greeted me with bright eyes that today was definitely going to be a better day. Sometimes you just have to allow yourself a moment to linger in your self pity but then decide that it your own attitude that has to change. Today is a new attitude!
Have you ever noticed how a baby has such unbridled love for his/her parents. It's like the smile I mentioned in the above paragraph. They love with their whole being. Every inch of them expresses their feeling for you. Like they have so much love that it is just bursting out ready to be shared. When I pick them up from the crib, they hold on tight like I am the best thing ever!! I want to remember these moments forever!! So today has been a better day, despite the dishes that need to be washed, the loads of laundry waiting to be done and the floor that needs to be swept....for my babies are growing up way to fast to let something so trivial steal my joy!
The babies were a little fussy after lunch. I had very little luck getting them to play with the toys so I pulled out a couple of pans and plastic serving spoons. They loved it!!! They were banging and patting away!! It was fun to watch them. I got a kick out of watching them interact. Renley constatnly wanted to spoon and pan Roman had. When she was successful in retreveing his away form him he would work his way around to where he could reach the one she had and then it would start all over again. She AGAIN wanted the ones he was playing with. I think this may be a taste of what the future may be like.
Today, we filled up the wading pool. The babies loved it!! I am sure they think it is an over sized bath tub. Watching then splash and laugh was priceless. Not sure who loved it more the babies or Jessica! She enjoys helping me with the babies and I enjoy having her here to help me!!!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Reality......
This is reality....I think.....Some days I think I am drowning! I usually try to look at things as temporary...like temporarily the babies are fussy....temporarily the dishes need to be loaded in the dish washer....temporarliy I need a shower....eventually everything gets done. But there are days like today where everything seems too much...the fact that I haven't even had a second to brush my hair or my teeth let alone take a shower today and it is already five in the afternoon...just overwhelms me!!
I didn't go to church today thinking the babies needed a day at home after seven days of travel....well...they have been held and played with so much on vacation that they expected the same attention from me. I love my babies dearly but enough is enough!! It is impossible to get anyting done with two babies who cry when they are set down or not being talked to or played with! THIS WILL NOT DO!!
So i sit here....with two babies watching me type on my computer thinking they need to be helping me as well. But dear friends....I needed to vent...to share my frustration I guess in hopes that by doing so things will seem better in the end.
Being a mom is a demanding job and yes I knew that going into this scenario. I do have four other children. But some days I long for the time when I used to be able to take a long shower when I wanted to and to go run five miles at any time of the day not just when I can manage to crawl out of bed before six AM. Some days teaching 32 fourth graders seems easier than raising twins properly!
But then I think about all the blessing they bring me and I know that I don't regret a single missed hour of sleep or mile run....Don't get me wrong I still let those thoughts linger in my mind once in awhile but mostly I try to tell myself...The grass always looks greener on the other side!!!
My house isn't as clean as it once was, my clothes often have spit up on them, gone are the days where my hair is fixed before I leave my room...but in their place are the smiles that greet me in the mornings and the hugs, smiles and sounds that I enjoy through the day. I grasp onto the thoughts of the relationships I share with my now teenage daughters and my grown son realizing the rewards that will be mine in the future and knowing these days will be gone in a blink of an eye! I know that these moments are fleeting...and try to get past the self pity and look forward to the special moments that will be in my memory forever....at least I don't remember feeling this way with my other children so I presume you don't remember the overwhelming times!!
I just hope I wake up tomorrow and it is a better day! The twins bed time is only two and half hours away....
I didn't go to church today thinking the babies needed a day at home after seven days of travel....well...they have been held and played with so much on vacation that they expected the same attention from me. I love my babies dearly but enough is enough!! It is impossible to get anyting done with two babies who cry when they are set down or not being talked to or played with! THIS WILL NOT DO!!
So i sit here....with two babies watching me type on my computer thinking they need to be helping me as well. But dear friends....I needed to vent...to share my frustration I guess in hopes that by doing so things will seem better in the end.
Being a mom is a demanding job and yes I knew that going into this scenario. I do have four other children. But some days I long for the time when I used to be able to take a long shower when I wanted to and to go run five miles at any time of the day not just when I can manage to crawl out of bed before six AM. Some days teaching 32 fourth graders seems easier than raising twins properly!
But then I think about all the blessing they bring me and I know that I don't regret a single missed hour of sleep or mile run....Don't get me wrong I still let those thoughts linger in my mind once in awhile but mostly I try to tell myself...The grass always looks greener on the other side!!!
My house isn't as clean as it once was, my clothes often have spit up on them, gone are the days where my hair is fixed before I leave my room...but in their place are the smiles that greet me in the mornings and the hugs, smiles and sounds that I enjoy through the day. I grasp onto the thoughts of the relationships I share with my now teenage daughters and my grown son realizing the rewards that will be mine in the future and knowing these days will be gone in a blink of an eye! I know that these moments are fleeting...and try to get past the self pity and look forward to the special moments that will be in my memory forever....at least I don't remember feeling this way with my other children so I presume you don't remember the overwhelming times!!
I just hope I wake up tomorrow and it is a better day! The twins bed time is only two and half hours away....
Sanibel Vacation!!!
We just returned from our trip to Sanibel Island, Florida! I have to say this was one of the most relaxing and fun family vacations I have had the pleasure to enjoy! With two infants in tow I wasn't certian that it would be anywhere near relxing.
The drive there and back was to say the least...long!! The babies did very well considering the amount if time spent in the vehicle. The first day we were on the road for 16 hours and the next ten. We found it neccessary to make more frequent stops and about three hours from home they decided they had enough of the ride and just wanted to be home!! We decided a stop at Mammoth Spring was a great idea. It was a beautiful spot! Needless to say the view of the house was a very welcome sight!!! My advice to anyone traveling with infants: make the most of nap time and drive (make sure you have a full tank of gas becuase everytime we stopped the babies woke up!), bring lots of books to read and sing lots of songs!! Also, a few silly faces here and there help to make them laugh!! We played lots of peek-a-boo and pretended to sneeze and surprise each other to entertain the babies!!
All in all it was a wonderful trip. We used 100 SPF sunscreen applied every hour and a half and the babies didn't get even a tan! We also kept them in the room from noon until two.
The hardest part was keeping them on their schedule. We tried to keep bedtime within thrity minutes of normal time. It did help that Florida was an hour later than Missouri so we were able to stay out and see the sunset (around 8:00 Florida time) and still get them to bed close to 7:30 Missouri time.
If you ever go to Sanibel you MUST ride bikes!! Best time ever!! We rode four hours and I wish we had rented bikes for the week. The island is easy to get around and there are 25 miles of bike trails. It would have been fun to explore the Island each day for a few hours via bike.
We spent countless hours sifting through the mounds of sea shells on the beach. I can't wait to return with the babies and watch them enjoy the beach as much as our teens did!
The drive there and back was to say the least...long!! The babies did very well considering the amount if time spent in the vehicle. The first day we were on the road for 16 hours and the next ten. We found it neccessary to make more frequent stops and about three hours from home they decided they had enough of the ride and just wanted to be home!! We decided a stop at Mammoth Spring was a great idea. It was a beautiful spot! Needless to say the view of the house was a very welcome sight!!! My advice to anyone traveling with infants: make the most of nap time and drive (make sure you have a full tank of gas becuase everytime we stopped the babies woke up!), bring lots of books to read and sing lots of songs!! Also, a few silly faces here and there help to make them laugh!! We played lots of peek-a-boo and pretended to sneeze and surprise each other to entertain the babies!!
All in all it was a wonderful trip. We used 100 SPF sunscreen applied every hour and a half and the babies didn't get even a tan! We also kept them in the room from noon until two.
The hardest part was keeping them on their schedule. We tried to keep bedtime within thrity minutes of normal time. It did help that Florida was an hour later than Missouri so we were able to stay out and see the sunset (around 8:00 Florida time) and still get them to bed close to 7:30 Missouri time.
If you ever go to Sanibel you MUST ride bikes!! Best time ever!! We rode four hours and I wish we had rented bikes for the week. The island is easy to get around and there are 25 miles of bike trails. It would have been fun to explore the Island each day for a few hours via bike.
We spent countless hours sifting through the mounds of sea shells on the beach. I can't wait to return with the babies and watch them enjoy the beach as much as our teens did!
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