Smiles and Ponytails

We've had a few new things going on around here.

Baby girl #1 is sporting a new ponytail!

Baby girl #2 has been sharing the sweetest smiles!

Out with the old, in with the new!

School Days

We took the plunge a little earlier than originally planned. If there is one thing I've learned about parenthood.....it's that sometimes it's just hard to plan, sometimes things don't go as expected, so you just have to roll with it. Hannah Cate was enrolled to start at Country Day School in August. Things have been a little crazy around here lately (it's no coincidence that this post immediately follows my post about going back to work) so we decided that it would be good for all of us if Hannah Cate went ahead and started school (really Mother's Day Out) a little earlier than planned.

I hope it doesn't sound like we needed to "ship" her off, because really this is just as much for her (if not more) than it is for us. The girl absolutely loves to play (be around) with other kids and she loves to be outside. Moving on....that was my version of releasing a little bit of guilt.

She'll go to school two days a week from 9-12. The great thing about CDS is that she'll be able to eventually go five days a week if we choose and they even have a kindergarten program. Everyone has been so nice and we've been so pleased with our experience so far.

The first day was a little hard, Hannah Cate and I both cried when I dropped her off, but the tears didn't last long and she got a glowing report when I picked her up. In the two short days that she's been there she has already taken a class picture, participated in a baby parade and worked on an art project that will be coming home soon. I miss her when she's gone but I know this is going to be a place and time that she's going to grow to love. I just can't believe how grown up she is getting!

Here are a few pictures from her first day!

Matt picked her up on her second day and when he got there, she was crying. He asked her teacher (she has two and we already really like them both) what was wrong and apparently one of the little boys in her class had been on a pushing rampage that day and Hannah Cate was his latest victim. Poor girl! Matt quickly told the teacher he wanted her to know from that point forward he would be telling Hannah Cate that if anyone pushed her again she was to push them right back. Oh.my.gosh. I'm sure the teacher just laughed at him and I guess that is every Daddy's inclination, but Hannah Cate and I had quite the different chat about what to do the next time that happened when she got home! A little grace, Daddy, a little grace!

Back to it....

I started back to work this week. It has actually been somewhat refreshing to be back in somewhat of a normal and predictable routine. I feel a little out of my element without a little structure to my days and since I know maternity leave is not permanent, I have trouble finding structure during that time.

Now it hasn't been all easy and I've missed the dedicated time with Matt and the girls.

But, lucky for me I have an assistant. As you can see, she checks my email and takes my phone calls for me. What a help!

If I can just teach her the difference between the baby monitor and the telephone, we'll be in business!

My assistant unfortunately is not here everyday, but I have an officemate to keep me company. She really doesn't get much work done, in fact she actually sleeps on the job quite often. And if she's not sleeping then she's pretty much eating. But that's okay, I really like having her around and if nothing else, she's really fun to look at! Don't you think she's a cutie?

So I don't really have an assistant and an officemate here working with me, I have two children who just happen to both be under the age of two. I know people wonder how in the world I'm going to work from home with two babies. I wondered that myself, so I hired a nanny. Meet my nanny.

He's done great so far. I think he's going to work out just fine. Plus he's cheap, so I think we'll keep him!

In all seriousness, I am so thankful to work for a company that not only allows me to work from home, but allows me to work from home with two children. What a blessing! And the Lord has provided Matt with a flexible job and a schedule that just absolutely suits our needs for this time in our lives. And then there's Nini and Deeda who so graciously keep Hannah Cate two days a week and will likely start keeping Maddie one day a week. We couldn't do it without them.

It seems chaotic at times, but Matt and I, we are a team and I know we will look back on this season of life and smile and be thankful for the time we had with our babies.

My Girls

Oh how I love these girls! This picture makes me laugh so hard. Sweet Hannah Cate, I mean, look at that expression. I can only imagine just what exactly is going through her mind! And my Maddie girl, so laid back in the presence of her big sister who is always bestowing her with sweet kisses....that is when she is not poking her in the eye in an effort to show me that she does in fact know where her her baby sister's eyes are!

And speaking of my girls....they are sleeping right now. At.the.same.time. Glory!

I'm not really sure what to do with myself. I have had two cups of coffee (decaf mind you). I have actually eaten breakfast. I'm showered with my hair done and make-up on. My teeth are brushed. My house is clean (relatively speaking). The dishwasher is empty. The washer and dryer are running. The pictures are downloaded from my camera. I've checked my email and even responded to a few.

It's nice to have just a few minutes to myself.

I haven't had much time to write my thoughts on having two babies. It's work, hard work. I had no idea. I thought I did, but I really wasn't even close. Thank goodness for my dear husband. I can't imagine how single parents do it. Matt and I, we are a good team, but it's still hard. Some days I feel like this:

But, it's getting easier. It really seems like with each new day it gets easier. We are getting into a routine and a rhythm and we are figuring this new life out. I'm not sure we are to the point where we are ready to say "Welcome to paradise" (remember this?) but I am pretty sure we will get there!

It helps to have such sweet girls to share this journey with.....they make all the hard days worth it. So worth it!

The Moral of the Story

About a year ago Matt placed some rocks in our front yard, in a perfect circle, with the plans to plant a tree in the middle. Yesterday he finally decided to go buy the tree and the girls and I went with him to pick it out. He went with the intentions of getting a live oak tree, kind of like this one:

We left with a cherry tree that will one day look like this:

On our way home, Matt said (halfway to himself and halfway to me): "I went to that nursery in search of a big, strapping, manly tree and I left with a sissy, pink, girly tree!"

Poor Matt, he can't escape the pink and all things girl.

So, the moral of the story is, don't let your wife and daughters go tree shopping with you!