Short and Sweet

I am going to make this post as short and informative as I can. Riley took the keys off our computer and some of the most important keys do not work. Here is what has happened in the last week.

* Riley is acting more and more like a two-year-old. I will spare the details. I continue to pray God will use her fiesty personality for a great purpose!
* Quinn took his first step. He usually looks like he is going to walk, but I think he realizes its just much easier/quicker to crawl. Take your time little buddy!
* My children have not been sleeping well, but I am sure its just a phase, or teething, or growth spurts...
* My wonderful friend , Karen, helped make some meals to freeze. It has been so helpful to have pre-made meals. I hope to continue doing this in the future.
* Eating and cooking healthy is a lot of work.
* We love story time at the Library. Riley does not like the "story time" because it is too boring, but she loves it when they sing songs. Quinn once again just sits there.
* Riley has been kneeling by her bed to pray for her stuffed animals and babies. It is so stinkin sweet!
* Quinn loves food, even more then Riley. It is so nice that he eats everything I give him!
* I will leave you with a couple of my favorite pictures that my friend Abby took a couple of weeks ago.

Do I have twins???

Lately I have felt like I have twins. Quinn is getting taller and Riley's rapid growing has slowed down. Their hair is starting to look more similar and they both have bright blue eyes. They wear the same size diapers and occasionally wear the same size pajamas. They follow each other everywhere and they are starting to "fight" over toys.

Today Quinn had another appointment with the Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist. He still has fluid in his ears, so he will be getting tubes in a couple of weeks. Hopefully the tubes will prevent any more ear infections. He has learned to give kisses. That boy has always loved getting them and now he can give them. The other day he threw up on my face as he kissed me. It was disgusting, but funny at the same time. He is very active and will still not play with toys. He does enjoy throwing them though. To my surprise, he has not attempted to walk and I am very happy with that! Today he tackled Riley and laid on top of her as she cried. She seemed so helpless and I just had to smile as Quinn was laughing.

I think this picture is Mark's all time favorite. She loves carrying his racquets around the house. Riley is still sleeping in her new bed. The transition was so much easier then I expected. Most of the time she will lay there until I come get her. Maybe that means potty training will go better then expected too! Riley as been very interested in watching everything I do. She pulls her chair up to the table to watch me cook and loves to watch me get ready in the morning. I have caught her having pretend conversations with her friend from the nursery. It is very strange, but I think she just always wants someone to talk to. She stands at the windows and yells for the neighbors to come play with her. She is such a social butterfly. Guess who did this?

Determined

I have been on one of my determination streaks. I go through those every once in a while. Now that I have accomplished running a race, I am determined to get our family eating healthier. I have realized how much I bear the responsibility of our health since I buy and cook the food. Mom, I know you are so proud right now! I have started planning every meal a week ahead of time and I put everything on a weekly chart. I realized that I can make sure we eat healthier when I can think through every meal. I have also set aside one day a week to bake all our breads, snacks, and desserts for the week. I have tried hard to bake with more whole wheat flour and I was even able to put some spinach in one of our desserts. Yesterday was my baking day and it was extremely tiring and difficult with both kids on my leg, but I did it! I am not sure how Mark feels about all this, but I do know he will eat healthier because there is not another option unless he cooks or goes grocery shopping. I think his body will thank me later :)

Preparing for TWO Toddlers

Yes, its true. I have been working tirelessly for the last 3 days switching bedrooms, taking down cribs, putting up a toddler bed, and storing away clothes and toys. I sit here tearing up just thinking about how my babies are growing.

As memories flooded my mind, I slowly packed the adorable bumper pads, mobile, changing table, baby swing, lamp, Quinn's hospital going home outfit, Riley's first birthday dress, and her big sister shirt. I sat in the room remembering the week we stenciled the wall when I was pregnant. I remembered looking at the empty nursery as I was on my knees thanking God for the chance to be a mother.

I thought about the long nights consoling Riley as a newborn thinking "Will she ever stop crying?" and "Will I ever sleep again?". I looked back on the day I put a "I'm going to be a big sister" note in the crib next to a sweet barely 5-month-old baby.

That was the room where I realized some babies do sleep after picking up Quinn from his long nap. I forgot what it is like to not take care of a baby, and that is an amazing gift.

As sad as this transition has been for me, it has been exciting to prepare for the next step in our journey. I love their new rooms and Riley is doing great in her toddler bed. The first night, she was so scared. I had to lay with her until she fell asleep. I held my hand on her chest and her little heart was pounding so fast. The next night I only stayed with her for a few minutes, and tonight I walked right out after our prayers.





I can't believe in just a few months we will have two toddlers in the house. In the meantime I plan on soaking this time up. I know it will be over too soon. We are a blessed family.

Apple Pie for Dinner

We had apple pie and ice cream for dinner last night. It was one of those days. The kids have had colds so they cried all day and their afternoon naps lasted approximately 25 minutes. The morning started with both of them waking early. There were meltdowns in Kroger, a box of cheerios spilled on the floor, and a kitchen drawer thrown by a very strong 1-year-old. My make-up was found all over the crib. A certain little girl drank some of her daddy's Cologne and poured it in our bedroom and over her body. Dinner started out as a disaster. I decided that I was just going to give us all some grace. I promptly served apple pie and ice cream for the main course. Everyone was happy for the 15 minutes we were eating. I am thankful for the tough days because they make the other days seem so much sweeter. This morning is already going well. I worked out already and Riley is playing paddy cake with her toast. It is going to be a good day!

Here they are taking their morning bath: