Chubby Cheeks

Ella Grace has some chubby cheeks! They're so cute you just want to kiss 'em! Her eyes are also a very pretty blue. I hope they stay that way! (Miss Addi wouldn't hold still for me to take a good picture of her today.)

Mr. Mom

Matthew survived his first day playing Mr. Mom. He was alone with the girls from the time I left the house this morning at 7:20 a.m. until I got home at 4:15 p.m. I think the girls wore him out! It was a long day for me as well. I worked, had to run by the store on my way home, got home and ate dinner, fed the girls, bathed the girls, and finally got to sit down! Here is a picture I took of Matthew at 7:15 this evening:

That's not even our bed! It's the bed in the guest bedroom! If I had to guess I'd say he's EXHAUSTED!

Many "Firsts"

We have had a busy weekend with many things happening. Here are some of the things that have happened:

Ella - Ella started rolling on her side a couple of weeks ago. Friday night I was in the nursery checking on Addilyn since I heard her fussing. It was somewhere around 3 a.m. Ella was sleeping on her side for the first time.

Addilyn - Addilyn has learned to blow bubbles with her mouth. It's funny to watch, but also a little messy as she hasn't learned to swallow her own spit!

Addilyn & Ella - Addilyn and Ella both had their first taste of rice cereal. Our pediatrician told us we would start them on cereal at four months. We decided to start a little early since I had to return to work. They are still eating every three hours during the day which really makes it hard to get things done. They won't eat more than 4 oz. per feeding without spitting up the ounce of formula their tummy can't hold if we feed them 5 oz. Their little tummys just aren't read for more food. Plus, we are hoping this will help them feel full longer at night so we can put them to bed earlier so I can get more sleep and be halfway competent at work!

So far, they are going great on the cereal. We are only giving them a teaspoon in their formula until they get used to the texture and flavor change. Friday night they slept from 1:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. Last night they slept from 1:00 a.m. until 8:00 a.m. Tonight we are going to have them in bed by 10:30 p.m. and hope that they sleep until 6:00 a.m. Last week when I went back to work, we started their last feeding at 11:00 p.m. and had them in bed by midnight. They did good, but I'm needing more sleep.

Last night we took the girls with us to our friend Aaron and Des' house for their son, Jude's, second birthday. They were such good babies. Everyone wanted to hold them. That's the good thing about twins, no one has to wait long to hold a baby since there is more to pass around.

Mother's Day - Today we celebrated my first Mother's Day. It was a great day, just not long enough. Matthew and the girls gave me some very thoughtful cards and a Cricut Expressions cutting machine! I've been wanting one since I saw the infomercial a year ago! I've taken up scrapbooking, and I think this is going to be a scrapbooker's dream! We also went to Johnny Carino's with my parents to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom.

I feel very blessed to be a mommy. I love my girls more and more every day. I never knew I could love anything or anyone so much until they came along. (Sorry, honey! Don't worry, I love you, too!) Thank you for a wonderful Mother's Day, Matthew. You're the best hubby!

Crazy Days!

The last two days have been crazy busy with me going back to work. I spent Tuesday evening ironing for the rest of the week, getting coffee ready for the morning, packing the diaper bag, setting out the car seats and clothes for the girls.

Wednesday morning started at 6:00 a.m. It was a mad dash to get the girls up and diapers changed while Matthew prepared bottles. By 6:30 a.m. I was in the shower trying to get myself ready. I was out the door by 7:20 a.m. That's almost record time for me! Ha!

It was then Matthew's job to take care of the girls and getting himself ready for work. He was a trooper! I have to admit that I am very proud of him for being willing to even try such a difficult task. Our girls are easy, happy babies, but there are still TWO of them and only one of you which sometimes makes everything more challenging. Matthew survived his first morning being alone with the girls and didn't throw in the towel. He did it all over again today.

I almost had to be dragging kicking and screaming out of bed this morning. I dreading going back to work today after seeing the disaster that my classroom had become. I don't know who these kids are in my classroom, but they aren't the students I left 13 weeks ago. They've mutated into mean, disrespectful, uncaring beasts!

Here's a list of things that were damaged in my classroom: books, easel, supply baskets, rolling carts, and pencil boxes. My first sub lost four weeks worth of smart tub activities. My second sub rearranged my furniture and gave my kids a new seating chart. Neither of my subs read with my kids for 13 weeks. I'm so disgusted and so frustrated that neither were competent to do their jobs when I had EVERYTHING they would need while I was out ready for them. One even had the nerve to talk to my principal about a possible opening at our campus. Really? Do they really think they can handle teaching because you are REQUIRED to teach kids to read! Don't even get me started on classroom management!

My student's behavior was so bad that the guidance counselor wouldn't even come into the room for her once a month guidance session. I was told they sharpened crayons and disposed of the shavings down the sink drain in my room. I was also informed that they were caught standing on the tables. The questions that go through my mind over and over again is: "What in the world was my sub doing?" "Where was he/she that all of this happened?" All of their pencils are gone. I had a HUGE supply of pencils in my cabinet and only have two packs remaining.

These last couple of weeks of school are going to be long I'm afraid. I have to keep my thumb on my kids all day long their behavior is so bad. I turned my back for a second yesterday and caught three of my girl doing back bends on my carpet. I'm so disgusted by their behavior, but if they choose to behave poorly, then I can choose to make the rest of the school year as un-fun as possible. Ugh, I just wish I could have stayed home the rest of the year and not faced the mess that is my classroom until the kids were out for summer.

Reasons why...

...I hate living in the country. In no particular order...

1. spiders...and I'm not just talking your regular, ordinary, spiders. I'm talking big, mean, fierce country spiders that will chase you down and gnaw your leg off.
2. snakes...my pool is now the snake pit. they are big enough out here to kill the motor on the lawn mower. enough said.
3. dogs...strays and such. that's how we ended up with Jack. someone tossed him broken leg and all in the country to die. this goes without saying that most people allow their dogs to run wild out here. i HATE that. love your dogs people. take care of them if you're going to have them.
4. weeds...i think there are unknown species of weeds out here that even bleach won't even kill. yes, i dump bleach on my weeds!
5. tumbleweeds...they hurt like heck and they are everywhere! on any given day you're dodging them just walking to your front door.
6. tarantulas...no, they don't fall into the spider category because spiders don't migrate in the fall!
7. dirt...nothing blocks it and it's always blowing. my house constantly needs to be dusted.
8. feed lot...miles and miles of cow poo. there's no bypassing it to get home. just pray that the wind isn't blowing from the north and if it is grab something to cover your nose with. it gives a whole new meaning to steak.
9. storms...you can see them coming for miles and know there's nothing to stop them and no where to hide. it can be pretty scary.
10. drought...it's impossible to water 14 acres with a water hose thus leading to a very ugly view come July or August.
11. distance...errands take hours. seriously. hours. you learn to plan ahead and take care of things while you are "in town."
12. neighbors...there aren't any. not any that are close anyways. it gets lonely.
13. get togethers...your friends won't drive out to your house because A) you're practically in a different area code and B) they get lost every time and have to call for directions. plus, if the wind is blowing from the north, no one wants to smell the cow poo. it doesn't make for a nice aroma when grilling out!

That's about all I can think of for now. I'll be sure to add on if I think of something later.

Can you tell I'm sour about going back to work tomorrow?

So Much to Blog About...

...yet so little time. I suppose it doesn't help when blogger is down and you can't log in. Oh well.

First off, I snapped a couple of pictures of my irises before the rain made them droop. They are the first flowers to bloom in my garden. I love spring!

Secondly, Addilyn and Ella are 12 weeks old. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone. Addilyn now weighs 10 pounds and is 21 inches long. Ella is also 21 inches long and weighs 9 pounds 5 ounces. They are cooing and smiling more and more everyday. Ella has also learned to roll onto her side. They are sweet girls. We are truly blessed.

We had a lazy day yesterday. Well, I guess I shouldn't say lazy because it was a very busy day. I just didn't get the girls out of their pajamas to take pictures. Whoops! Matthew had a trial run feeding the two of them at the same time while I ran to Wal-Mart. I hope he can manage in the mornings. I'm so sad that I have to go back to work tomorrow. At least it's only 16.5 days.

Izzy Jo got to hang out in the house for a little bit yesterday. Normally she is an indoor dog, but she really needs a bath. We just haven't had time to give her one. It's on my "to do" list. Izzy is funny with the babies. She doesn't know what to think of them. She would smell them and walk in circles around the sofa and love seat. Then to the back door to ring her bells to let us know that she really wanted back out with Jack.

Poor Jack needs a bath too. We did manage to get his hair shaved. That poor dog was losing his winter coat and was just a mess. His hair is so thick and 4-5 inches long. Bless his heart, he looks moth eaten now, but has got to feel cooler with the warmer weather. Jack hasn't earned our trust in the house yet, and with two new babies, I don't have the time to watch him like a hawk. He refuses to ring the bells on the back door when he needs outside.

Jack is just a year old and VERY destructive. I'm thinking about registering online for the "Desperate Landscapes" on DIY Network. Jack has destroyed our backyard. It looks like a gopher lives back there. Not to mention he is a pro at tearing off the fence pickets. Ugh, and don't get me started on the pool cover that is no longer in existence. All in all, he's a very sweet dog and has a very gentle disposition. You can't help but love the little guy. Well, he's not little. He weighs 50 pounds now. He got much bigger than we expected.

Izzy Jo

Jack