School-Day Morning Sweetness

Not all aspects of our school-day mornings are “sweet”. 

Nope. 

There’s the half-paying-attention syndrome that sometime plagues us, prompting Mommy to offer up more “reminders” than ideal.  There are the “you-fixed-her-hair-first-yesterday…it’s-my-turn-to-go-first-today” grumblings.  And there are the “why-didn’t-you-pack-my-backpack” accusations, one sister of the other.

Sigh.

But…

I’ve had some of the sweetest sleepyheads to greet me in the mornings.  Our girls are usually up early, and it’s a supreme treat to get to wake them on occasion.  “Good morning, Mommy,” they’ll mumble.  “I love you.”

Melt.

I get warm belly kisses from still-snuggled girls, one of my favorite things in the world.

And the sweet little voices who often read to me aloud as I’m getting ready.

And to end the morning, I sometimes get an over-the-shoulder look and wave as the girls enter their school.

That morning sweetness doesn’t begin to rival our weekend family time, nor does it touch the lazy mornings we spent together the girls’ first five and a half years of life…but it buoys my day, for sure.

Making the Most of the Evenings

Since the girls started to school and I started back to work, our evenings have become pretty hectic.  I do my best to get home by 5:30.  I do quick hugs (and someone usually talks to me while I am on the potty).  I change and heat up supper.  We eat, and we try to squeeze in a quick book or a game before we start our bedtime routine at 6:30.

Whew.

These past couple of nights, though, we’ve somehow managed to squeeze in a little more family fun.  And it’s been wonderful.

We’re having a magnificent taste of spring this week…sunshine, and highs in the 70’s and 80’s!!!  I’ve gotten away from work closer to 5:00, and I’ve gotten home to play outside with the girls for a few minutes.  B has chosen to ride her scooter, and A and I have played catch.  How wonderful it is to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine with my baby girls!!!  We enjoyed lots of laughs…high fives…and hugs.

On Tuesday night, in particular, we somehow had time to play outside…eat a quick supper (leftovers!)…AND play a bit before bed.  Daddy and A played a game of UNO, and B read her library book to me.  We were 10 or 15 minutes later than usual heading upstairs, but the girls were focused on accomplishing their bedtime routine, so we were still in bed by 7:00.

What an incredible difference it makes to have this extra playtime with my baby girls.  

Bring it on, Spring!!!

Precious Slumber

My girlies have been early to wake for most of their lives.  There was a {glorious} period of time when they were about two, when they slept until 7:30, or even a little later…but they’ve been waking up around 6:30-ish, give or take 15 minutes, for most of the past six years.

Thanks to their {wonderfully fabulous} “OK to Wake” clock, they were staying put until 7am, when they would call out, “Mommy!  My clock is green!  I slept well!” in perfect unison.  But…when school started last year…I had to wake them up at 6:15.  It didn’t take long before that was their new wake-up time.  And sometimes, particularly Baby B, would wake up even earlier.

[I can’t really complain, as the girls would stay upstairs, usually reading, until it was a decent time to rise.  But I hated that the girls were missing out on sleep that I feel strongly they need.]

I’m not sure what to credit lately…maybe it’s the darker fall mornings…maybe it’s our weekly soccer practice that keeps them up later one night a week…maybe it’s the rigors of first grade…but our girls have been SLEEPY lately.  I don’t know that they make it all the way to 7:00 on weekend mornings, but I’ve had to wake them up (now at 6:30) many of the last school days…

…and what a treat that is!  There’s nothing yummier than warm, sleepy babies!

I usually tiptoe into their room and pick a bed to join.  I snuggle up next to someone and begin whispering good morning to my “tinies”.  The girls will usually moan a bit and snuggle into me.  I sometimes pretend I’m stretching out on the bed, “…but it’s so lumpy!”  And then I call the girls my “lump-lumps”.  They moan and giggle and snuggle some more.

I raise their pajama tops and kiss their warm bellies.  And then I sit up and pull them to me in my lap.  They snuggle in against me, their heads still fitting remarkably well under my chin.  I often physically stand them up and send them on their way to the bathroom.

And…repeat with Baby #2.

There’s just something about bedhead and warm, snuggly babies that takes me back to when they were little.  And I love it. 

(Baby B, from our traditional first-thing-in-the-morning pictures on the girls' sixth birthday.)

Thank goodness for sleeping “in”.

Short and Sweet

...'cause I just don't want to forget...

When we first moved the girls into their big kid beds, I was so afraid they'd get up and wander around the house at night.  I impressed upon them that they DID NOT GET UP until their clock turned green in the morning.  "If you need something, call Mommy."

The girls are far old enough to go to the bathroom by themselves...but during the night, on the rare occasion that someone needs the potty, I get a summons.  It rarely happens, so I don't really mind.

Tonight, the girls had been in bed less than 30 minutes when I heard my A call for me.  I ran upstairs and found her sister already snoring.  "Mommy, I need to go potty," A whispered when I approached her.

I walked with her into the bathroom, and she did her thing.  I haven't done this in a long time, but I picked her up when she finished.  Instead of her walking back to her bed, I carried her.

"Thank you, Mommy," she told me as she hugged my neck.

What precious baby girls I have.

<3 p="">

Return to "Normal"...at Least for Today

The girls have been in school now for 2 ½ weeks.  They love it, and I love that they love it.  What I don’t love, though, is how far away from our past-five-years “normal” our days are now.

I am up bright and early to get myself ready before I wake up the girls at 6:15.  We eat breakfast, and then I send them upstairs to brush their teeth and get dressed while I clean up the breakfast dishes and get dressed myself.  We fix hair and load lunchboxes, and we’re out the door by 7:20. 

The girls and I spend about 15 minutes waiting in the drop-off car line each morning.  I take a book and we read while we wait for the doors to open at 7:45.  I give them hugs and kisses and head to work.

After school, Daddy picks the girls up, and I try my best to get home by 5:30.  I heat up supper (I’ve cooked everything ahead of time), we eat and clean up…and we’re left with about 30 minutes (if everything goes as planned) to enjoy each other’s company before we begin our bedtime routine.

This is a million miles from the majority of our days to date…when we held our own schedules and had plenty of time to do what we wanted, when.

Today we enjoyed a throw-back to “normal”.  It was a busy day, but oh, so welcome.

The girls slept (more or less, anyway) until 7:00.  We got up, got dressed, and headed out to breakfast.  After breakfast, we went to one of our favorite hangouts, Lost River Cave.  It was incredibly HOT, so we didn’t hike all the trails, but we spent a good hour meandering around the grounds.

After our outdoor adventure, we began our weekend errands.  Daddy and the girls dropped me off at Walmart, while they headed to Target.  They picked me up, a week’s worth of groceries in tow, and we made a quick stop by Sam’s before heading home.

After encountering more than our fair share of spiderwebs during our morning hike, we headed straight for the shower.  The girls played around while I got towels and outfits, and then we all got squeaky clean.  We enjoyed a low-key lunch, and the girls got straight to playing while Mommy had a [glorious!] nap.

I was awoken by the sweetest Baby B.  “Mommy, can you come upstairs and play ‘party’ with us?”  Of course, I would love to!

The girls had worked hard to set up a birthday party for their stuffed kitties.  They were very proud to show me how they’d set the table, made a cake, and iced cupcakes.  (I was pretty impressed with how they pretended to use decorator icing!)  Baby A had made an elaborate play structure from Connectagons to entertain the party guests, and Baby B made a rainbow collage of foam shapes as a present.

We had a great time playing…and then the girls and I headed to the bookstore to buy the next book in the “Little House” series.  We enjoyed a yummy snack at the bookstore, and we had a great time browsing for books.  In addition to the Little House book, I indulged the girls with a book on spiders, one on the human brain, one on skyscrapers, and a new night-night story. 

We left the bookstore and headed to the craft store to pick up a couple of items.  We ran into a couple of the ladies we know there, who were all excited to hear about the girls’ kindergarten adventures.

After the craft store, we had one more quick stop, and we headed home.  The girls rode their bikes on the driveway (while Daddy was cutting the grass), while I made a quick supper.

We had a great dinner, and then we enjoyed some time with our new books.

It was the perfect day.  Yes, it was busy…especially in contrast to Baby A having asked on Friday if we could snuggle all day on Saturday…but it was great.

I am very thankful for this dose of the “old normal” as we’re creating our “new normal”, at least during the week.  And I'm looking forward to cashing in on those snuggles on Sunday.

Sleeping "In"!!!

I can’t even begin to complain.   

KNOCK ON WOOD (as I do each and every time I mention the girls’ sleep habits), my babies have been excellent sleepers from very early on.  Over the past year or so, bedtime has gotten even earlier…usually around 6:30pm!...but they are up BRIGHT and EARLY – religiously – at 6:30am.  Every.  Single.  Day.

Occasionally, Baby A will sleep past her “OK to Wake” clock turning green at 6:30.  I don’t think Baby B has missed the mark more than a handful of times in her tenure, though.

Still, I had the idea to try the girls “sleeping in” after the time change.  They are SO tired at bedtime…and I can’t imagine them going to bed any earlier than 6:30!  I adjusted their clock to a 7am wake-up. 

KNOCK ON WOOD AGAIN…so far, so good!

Baby B is excited to get up, as usual, and Baby A is still all snuggly under the covers.  I can’t tell the extra sleep is affecting them one way or the other, which is a great thing.

The change is affecting this mama, though.  I can’t say how luxurious it feels to have that extra 30 minutes in the mornings!!! 

Unfortunately, during the week, the girls sleeping in until 7 means they miss seeing their daddy before he goes to work.  But the extra 30 minutes gives me more time to make lunches, if need be…or shower AND dry my hair…or just chill out before the chaos of the day begins.  And a few times I’ve slept until shortly before 7 myself…the latest I’ve slept in YEARS!

On school days, we do find ourselves rushing just a bit more than usual…but the countertop-height barstools in our new house mean that the girls can safely sit and watch me cook breakfast, which substitutes for our usual snuggles / book-reading in the morning.

It’s pretty awesome what a difference just 30 minutes can make!

Super Stuff from a Sunday

Sunday was a really busy…but really good…day.

I think this is the first time I remember the girls waking up early, talking about something exciting.  Their clock usually turns green at 6:30, and it’s very rare I hear from them beforehand.  Sunday morning, though, it was in the neighborhood of 5:40 when I heard B “talking”.  It wasn’t long before A called me to take her to the potty.  When I went in their room, B said, “Mommy!  Tomorrow we get to start our countdown calendar!”  It dawned on me that’s what had them so excited.

I made cinnamon rolls (not homemade) for breakfast, and then the girls watched me get a chicken dish in the crockpot and a cake in the oven.

The girls played a little bit while I cleaned up the kitchen, and then they joined me at the kitchen table.  While I addressed holiday cards, they did some Christmas drawings.  We just got our Christmas books out on Friday, and that was clearly their inspiration.  They kept drawing manger scenes…they were there, as were different animals…and there was always a Baby Jesus.  Except sometimes Jesus looked like a cat.  (It’s the thought that counts, right?)

The girls made a Christmas collage for Daddy to take to work with him, and then they supervised while I put the garland on the mantle.

We turned on some Christmas music to keep us focused.  The girls weren’t too keen on *my* music (a collection of Top 40 hits through the years), but they were grooving strong to a kids’ sing-along CD.

Daddy came home and we had lunch, and then the girls watched me make icing for my cake.  They kept saying, “It looks like a wedding cake, Mommy!”  That’s gotta make a mama feel good.  :)  I made a couple of cupcakes for them, and they had a great time trying their hand at decorating.  I was impressed they both managed a letter “S” [for Sasha, of course].

While the girls enjoyed some “quiet time” with Daddy in the basement – watching a show on Animal Planet – Mommy ran a couple of quick errands.  When I got home, the girls were playing a made-up game of Duck-Duck-Goose.  Since they only had two players, they enlisted a big exercise ball…when the ball was the “goose”, they had to work together to push the ball around the imaginary circle…which drove them into hysterics.  I was in hysterics, too, watching them playing together.

At last it was time to put up the Christmas tree, and the girls were ecstatic.

They were on Carpet Watch, picking up any of the “needles” that fell from the tree as Daddy and I assembled it.  They were pretty patient through us putting on the lights.  At last it was time to decorate!   

They got each ornament out of its box, and rang every bell that we had.  They kept wondering which bell Sasha would like on the bottom of the tree, to ring with her tail.  They laid out a couple for her to examine, and she graced us with her presence and sniffed the bells, which thrilled the girls.

The girls did a really good job of hanging the ornaments.  Baby A kept asking me to pick her up so she could reach a higher branch.  I did that once…before discovering she’s too heavy for me to hold like that for very long!  Gulp.  That then became Daddy’s job.

It was so cute to hear the girls say, “Oh, I remember this one!”  and, “I remember making this in the three-year old class!”

This year, for afternoon snack, the girls got to have the cupcake they’d iced.  I couldn’t believe they remembered their snack from December 1 LAST YEAR, when we put up our tree.  “We had popcorn last year, Mommy.  We sat in the foyer and ate while you and Daddy put up the tree.”  Wow!

Even on such a busy day, we’re creating memories, alright…and I love it.

Moving Day and the First Night in the New House

It’s so hard to believe it’s been over FOUR WEEKS since moving day!  It seems like yesterday in many ways, though, and I’m thankful I still remember some of the sweet details.  I definitely want to capture those before any more time slips by and I completely forget!

I originally had a different game plan for getting the girls to school on moving day but that fell through the day before the big move.  I was so incredibly thankful that Miss Demara, M&C’s mom, was off that day.  It was a huge stroke of luck that, particularly on very short notice, she was able to pick up the girls and take them to school in her van, which is obviously outfitted with two perfectly-sized car seats.

The girls didn’t mind that I wouldn’t be taking them to school.  They were super tickled to be riding in M&C’s carseats!

It dawned on me that morning that no one – apart from my husband and me – had ever driven the girls anywhere.  It was almost surreal to wave goodbye to them as they pulled out of my driveway.  They were smiling and waving back, flashing the “I love you” sign all the way.

I had scheduled “Aunt” S and “Aunt” K to pick up the girls from school.  They found their way to the bookstore, where they enjoyed a cookie and milk, and then a seat on Aunt S’s lap to read some books.  I know they had such a fun time!

The girls got home – to the new house! – just after Daddy did, the movers still having a few minutes to finish things up.  They were very excited, but thankfully not “wild”.  :)

The girls’ room was already set up, and I made sure they had everything they’d need for a relatively normal night-night, including a favorite bedtime story.  Miss Demara brought over supper, which was a huge blessing. 

We were running a bit behind our normal schedule, but we held our bedtime routine as close to “normal” as possible.

I put the girls in bed, bid them goodnight with the same words I’ve used since before they were born, and I closed the door to their room.

I was a bit nervous, knowing they were in a new space, of course, AND with this being their first night in big-girl beds.  I was listening to them over the monitor, and I thought I heard some commotion.  I went upstairs, maybe 30 minutes after I’d tucked them in.  I didn’t hear anything, so I turned out the light in the hall to head downstairs. 

I then heard B whisper, “She just turned it off.”  For some reason, that still strikes me as hilarious.  The girls always call me “Mommy” – to me, and to each other, and to anyone else.  I think that’s the first time I’d heard them use a standard pronoun.

I shrugged it off, though, and went back downstairs to sweep the floors.  Hubby had gone back to the old house for a few more items, so I was alone with my [supposedly] sleeping babes.

There was not a sound in the house, as we didn’t yet have cable or internet service.  I was exhausted, having had a couple of very late nights prior to the move, and an extremely full day of directing traffic.  I was lulled into cleaning mode when something caught the corner of my eye.

There stood Baby B, silently, at the bottom of the staircase.

YIKES!!!

I tried not to show my surprise, but to calmly show her back to bed.

On the way upstairs, we talked about calling Mommy if she needed something.  You do not come downstairs for me.  I will come to you.

My heartbeat eventually fell back into a normal pace, and the girls eventually went to sleep without further incident.

That was a day of many firsts, for sure…some very sweet, some bittersweet, and some downright hilarious…which is really pretty fitting.

Why I Haven't Been Blogging

Sigh.

I miss it.

I really thought by now…a full four weeks after having moved into the new house…I’d be back on track.

But I’m not.

After the first week or so, we were fully functional here.  We have all the necessities unpacked, and all of the main living spaces are in order.  I still have the office to organize, I still have my china and crystal to unpack, and there are a few random boxes that I don’t even want to think about delving into, but all in all, we’re in decent shape.

I just don’t feel like we’ve found our groove yet, though.

A big part of it is that things are downright busy, apart from all the house stuff.  I stopped to recognize on Saturday that the previous four days, we’d had somewhere to be, bright and early.  Tuesday and Thursday were school days; Wednesday the girls had flu shots; and Friday the girls had their field trip to the orchard. 

On days where we have to be somewhere in the mornings, I usually make my coffee in a travel mug.  That indicates I don’t have that precious time of the morning I’ve enjoyed for the past couple of years…the time after breakfast when the girls play nicely and Mommy has her coffee / computer time.  It has typically been during this time that I’ve written my blog posts…organized my to-do lists…gotten myself together for the day.

Hmmm…maybe that explains the helter-skelter feeling I can’t shake.

The other big factor, I’ve finally decided, is the new dynamic of the girls’ play spaces.  In our old house, the girls spent 90% of their waking time in the den, which was open to the kitchen.  They played in the living room, too, but that was just off the den.  In any case, they were always within 30 feet of me, at most.  All their toys were there, too.

In the new house, we haven’t really defined a play space on the main level.  We’re lacking a rug in the den, so although we have a bookshelf with some of the girls’ books, it’s not very inviting to sit down and read and play.

The girls have a fantastic play space in the bonus room.  It’s nothing short of awesome to see their toys so nicely organized, complete with a dress-up area and room for their play tent.  Although they’re closing in on five, though, they don’t have much experience playing totally by themselves.  They’ll play for short periods of time, but they haven’t been engaged for more than 30 minutes or so without needing a dose of Mommy.

We are really blessed to have a big basement, perfect for the indoor soccer ball and Frisbee.  That’s garnered the majority of the girls’ attention, the opportunity to run at full speed, any time they like.  That seems to call the girls away from their play room, too.

I say all this to say that the girls’ playtime is not as focused these days as it always has been.  I typically spend quite a bit of time playing with them every day, but I have always been able to step away for a bit of “quiet time” – for me and for them – in the early afternoon.

We just had a conversation today about how important some downtime is for all of us each afternoon.  I’m hoping to get back on track with that…for everyone’s sanity.

It’s all a process, I know.  And these are first-world problems, for sure.  But I’m ready to find our new groove and get back to basics (and to blogging).