Gosh, there' been so much going on this week that I have to stop and think about it for a minute! I guess we'll do a day-by-day update! Monday was pretty uneventful, but Tuesday was a big day. First of all, it was Matt's 31st birthday. It wasn't the most exciting birthday he's ever had, but he got presents and birthday pizza, so he was satisfied! The twins had physical therapy that morning and our therapist was 100% pleased with them. They're crawling and pulling up on everything in sight and she says that's perfect. We're still a ways from walking, but she said she's not the least bit concerned about that.
We met with our minister Tuesday night because we're having the kids baptized on Sunday. Matt is also being baptized and our family is joining the church. I had been explaining baptism to Mason, what would happen and that it symbolized being a child of God and being a part of our church family. So I was very proud when our minister asked him if he knew about baptism and he told her, "Yes, you'll put water on my head and it means God's love." Yay, Mason!!!!! I was not quite so proud when she and Matt were discussing whether or not he would be baptized and he told her "I don't really care one way or the other." D'oh!!! But in Matt's defense, it's not that he doesn't have faith, but he is not a fan of public displays -religious or otherwise- and he doesn't really love being the center of attention. So making a public profession of faith is so not his style. But I am proud of him for being able to put that aside so that we can join the church together as a family.
Wednesday was a fun day for me because I had a girl's night out with my friend Katie. We went to a great restaurant in downtown Athens and we spent a fun couple of hours eating delicious food and drinking wonderful wine and getting some good girl talk. I didn't feel too bad leaving the guys at home because Matt's dad came to visit and have dinner with them.
Thursday morning was quite an adventure. The twins had their 15 month check-up, so I got to drag all three kids to the pediatrician's office at 9:00 in the morning. Getting them weighed, measured and examined was quite a juggling act, and required extra hands from the nurse and the doctor!! The poor babies had to get three shots each, which was rough, but they got over it quickly.
Mason had a fun evening because he got to go to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese for his friend Lainey. I had fun too because Lainey's mom is one of my best friends! So while the kids ran around she and I and the other member of our "three martini playdate" group got to sit around and chat and enjoy the questionable white wine that Chuck E. Cheese serves. (Although you have to give them credit for serving wine and beer, no matter how crappy. That place is so crazy, they ought to give parents free booze at the door!)
Friday was the busiest day of all. Mason had two birthday parties to attend. A pool party in the morning and back to Chuck E. Cheese in the afternoon! (no wine this time- it was only 2:00) Matt's mom was wonderful- she kept the twins all day so I didn't have to drag them along on the birthday party circuit. And as if that wasn't enough, she came back that evening to keep Mason so Matt and I could go out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary a couple of days early. We had a wonderful dinner and got to enjoy some child-free time.
I spent today trying to get everything ready for the baptism tomorrow- which is also our 6th anniversary! I was also trying to get the last few things that we need for Mason's birthday party next Saturday. My baby is going to be five on Thursday- unbelievable!! We're having a water party at my mom's house- slip and slide, inflatable pool, water guns, water balloons. It should be lots of fun. Unfortunately, when I dragged our inflatable pool out, I discovered that it had too many holes to be fixable, so off to Target to buy a new one. We had a small pump to inflate it, but it wasn't working too well. One of my neighbors came up with an ingenious solution, but our pump is really small, so it was taking quite a while. One of our other neighbors has a big, fancy compressor, so he brought that over and blew it up in no time flat! We have really great neighbors!
Mason and Hays and I had a fantastic time playing in the pool. We put Will in, but it was kind of cold and he didn't think much of it. So he and Daddy hung out inside while we swam like fishes! Hays LOVES the water. He was splashing and laughing and having a big old time. We stayed out there for about an hour and a half- I couldn't believe it was such a hit with that little guy. We'll let the water warm up more and try it again with Will. It would sure be a shame if he decided he didn't like to swim. That would make for a loooong summer!

Things are looking brighter than they were a few days ago. I got some much-needed time off yesterday and that helped a lot. My mom and I spent most of the day at the Mall of Georgia looking for christening/baptism outfits for the boys. All three of them are going to be baptized next Sunday- got to get them right with the Lord, you know! We lucked out and found precious white, smocked rompers for the twins. (Matt was ever so thrilled. He just loves it when I dress the boys in anything smocked. He tells them things like, "I'm sorry your mother's making you wear a dress.") And Mason is going to be looking quite dapper in a pair of white linen pants and a seersucker blazer. I'm thinking of dressing them as we're walking into the church- that's the only way they stand a chance of looking presentable during the actual baptism!
Matt was a champ and held down the fort while I was gone. All of the boys were alive when I got home, and only two of them had suffered head injuries. And no, I'm not being sarcastic, two of them actually were injured. Hays's head trauma came compliments of Mason pushing him in an umbrella stroller right into the brick wall of the house. He's got a little bruise/scrape combo, but nothing too horrible. Mason's injury resulted from throwing a screwdriver up in the air, which then landed blade-down on the top of his head. As with any head laceration, there was LOTS of blood. Mason was over at Matt's mom's house when it happened, and I'm pretty sure she just about had a heart attack when she saw the blood pouring from his head! Matt took him to the urgent care center to see if he needed stitches or a tetanus shot. The cut didn't require stitches and he'd already gotten the tetanus shot with his four-year-old booster shoots, so he was good to go. I learned about this fun adventure while I was on my way home and called to check in with Matt. He and Mason were at the doctor's office waiting to hear the verdict on stitches. Matt almost gave me a heart attack when he called me back after they'd seen the doctor and told me they'd had to shave Mason's head. All I could say was, "NO!!! He's being baptized next week!!" Luckily, Matt was just kidding. Jerk. But Will made it through the day unscathed, so yay for Will. We were supposeed to go to a party last night, but after all that, we really didn't feel like going anywhere. Instead we just stayed home and rented "Hotel for Dogs." We'd already had as much excitement as we could stand for one day.

I feel like I haven't posted in a while, but there really hasn't been much to post. And truthfully, it's been a hard couple of weeks, so I haven't felt like my attitude is worth sharing. Can I be brutally honest for a minute? Being the mom of three young kids, two of them babies, is hard. I try to share the joys and triumphs of our life with you guys, but all of us, especially those of us that are parents, know that life isn't all sunshine and roses. I've been having a tough time with my kids over the past few weeks. I've already told y'all about Will's unbearable screaming. Though it has improved, Hays has picked up that lovely habit and now they have this really fun game of trying to out-scream and outcry each other. It's deafening and maddening and makes me want to kick them both into next week. And when they're not screaming or crying at me, they're climbing my legs or biting me or pinching me, or biting and pinching each other while trying to climb me. It is exhausting. That is not to say that there are not moments of joy in every day. There are, but it has seemed over the past couple of weeks that the scales have been tipped on the bad side. Mason is out of school, and that hasn't really helped matters. When Mason gets bored, he gets obnoxious. He's a high energy kid and he likes lots of stimulation and he is prone to act out to get attention. Not only that, he is the most argumentative child on the face of the earth. Basically, he's me all over again, and it's very hard to raise a mini version of yourself. He's also loving and charming and hilariously funny, but once again, I've seen more of the obnoxious side lately.
I think a lot of this can be attributed to desperately needing a BREAK!!!!! I am with my children 24 hours a day all week long and I usually use weekends to get out on my own and recharge some. I am lucky to have a husband that watches the kids willingly and lets me get this mommy time. But last weekend Matt had a huge project going at work that required him to work all weekend- literally. He came home at 1 am Friday night, worked from 8:30 am to 2:00 am Saturday and Sunday he was there all day except for Mason's baseball party, and worked through the night, finally getting home at 6 am Monday morning. So it was a hard week that turned into a hard weekend that led into another hard week. Because of that, I have not really been able to embrace the joyous parts of daily life and have really just wanted to run away and let someone else take over this zoo. Every mom has a breaking point and I have pretty much hit mine.
Luckily, today was better. The kids seemed less screamy and obnoxious and I was able to enjoy them more than I have in days. Instead of thinking "Oh dear God, someone get me out of here before I drown every last one of them in the bathtub!!" I was able to recognize how sweet and precious and wonderful they are and how lucky we are to have them. And I was able to be grateful for how lucky I am to have the life I do. It can be exhausting, frustrating, and mind-numbingly boring, but it is wonderful as well. I am blessed with three smart, healthy, happy children. I have a husband that is kind and loving and works very hard to support us so that I can be home to raise our children. We have a house (albeit small and cluttered) and food on the table and enough money to keep the bills paid (if not much else!) We have the unwavering support of our families, and we are lucky enough that they live close by and are always willing to babysit. A mom at preschool told me she was jealous of my "luxurious life" because I always had someone to help me with the kids. I almost laughed punch out of my nose at that one, but she's right. I wouldn't describe my life as "luxurious," but I'm damn lucky to have the help that I do. That is one regard where I am quite spoiled, and I'm thankful for it. I am grateful that God has given me the ability to find true happiness in the small things in life. Today I made pesto from the basil I grew in my little container garden and the fact that I made actual food out of something that I grew in my yard made me absurdly happy! I am grateful for the fact that for the first time in my life I am absolutely confident in who I am and what my purpose is. That doesn't mean that I don't sometimes wish I was someone different, but most days I'm quite happy with who I am.

I know this was sort of a rambling, pointless post, but it is what it is. Welcome to the amazing twin adventure when things aren't so amazing. Thanks for bearing with me, and for bearing with all of us as we get through this crazy thing called life. I appreciate all of you that are out there praying for us and cheering us on.

Preschool class of 2009

The Graduate!!


Receiving his "diploma"



Goofing around with his good buddies Chance and Bennett




With his beloved teachers, Miss Lisa and Miss Chris

Happy family!

The graduate with Yaya and Grandaddy

Mason and Nana

Mason and the twins in their "secret hideout"

Mason heading to Aunt Ninny's house

It's taken me a while to post Mason's preschool graduation pictures, but I've been totally occupied by the season finales of LOST and Grey's Anatomy the past two nights! His graduation was adorable, as you can see, and Matt and I were relieved that he behaved perfectly! I have to admit that I choked up a little when the kids were singing "You Are My Sunshine" because that's the song I've sung to Mason since he was a baby. I can't believe that preschool is officially over and that he will be a kindergartner in a matter of months. Where have the last five years gone?

Of course, in order for him to go to kindergarten, I must first let him live through the long, hot summer. That is, at this point, questionable. I asked my sister today when "Camp Aunt Ninny" starts and she said never. Imagine that. Mason really liked the idea of going to stay at Aunt Ninny's house for the weekend. In fact, he packed his bag, put on the baby's too small sunhat, loaded his gear into a stroller, and set off for Atlanta. I told him as long as Atlanta was somewhere within the confines of our yard, he was welcome to go.

had to take Will to the doctor today. Yesterday he had a weird asthma-like attack while he was eating lunch. He did the same thing when he was eating a couple of weeks ago, so our pediatrician wants us to have a swallow study done to see if he might be aspirating sometimes when he's eating and causing his airway to spasm. He said it wouldn't be unusual considering his history of tracheomalacia. We can have the study done here so we don't have to trek to Egleston (thank God!!) but the hard part will be getting Will to swallow the nasty barium stuff so they can do the test. Good luck with that!

We also met with the behavioral specialist yesterday to discuss Will's lovely screaming. It's gotten much better, but I want advice for if he starts doing it again. She suggested that it may just be his way of trying to communicate, so we're trying to give him better ways. We're working on simple signs like "eat," "drink," and "more," and I made a little book with pictures of things he uses like his cup, pacifier, highchair, bed, etc. The idea is that we show him the pictures and tell him the word in the hopes that he'll soon be able to use the pictures to tell us what he wants and eliminate the need for screaming. We'll see if it works, but I'm willing to try anything!!

I had a lovely Mother's Day, even though I was gone most of the day! Matt and the kids gave me two very cute pairs of flip-flops from Old Navy, a beaded pair and one with sparkly, dangly things on them. Very glam and just what I wanted! I made biscuits for breakfast so we could try out our new strawberry jam, which was delicious. Then I headed up to Atlanta to help my sister and her husband move into their first house. I felt kind of bad leaving my kids on Mother's Day, but hey, I spend all day every day with them, so I think it will be okay!
I had a great time helping my mom and my sister arrange everything in the new house. It's a great house and I think they'll really enjoy it. It was a long day, but by the time I left all the furniture was arranged, almost all of the boxes were unpacked and we even had the knick-knacks out and about. The only thing we didn't do was hang the pictures because the hammer was in the toolbox back at the old apartment! But we figured out where to put them all, so as soon as they get the hammer, they'll be in business. You would never know from looking at it that it was an empty house yesterday morning! But that is my mother's great talent- she can have a house looking like you've lived there forever the day you move in. That's why I never, ever move without her help!

We are fast approaching the endo of Mason's last year of preschool, so we've had lots going on this week. We had the Mother's Day luncheon on Wednesday and that was great. My sweet little boy made me a beautiful pink, sparkly flower pin for Mother's Day. And he had lots of fun running around in the rain with his friends after lunch! He was soaked by the time we left, but it was well worth it. He had is end-of-the-year party on Friday, and since it was a water party, there wasn't a dry speck on him! Friday was a day full of parties. He went to a fun birthday party Friday afternoon, then we had a cookout that evening with Nana and Budda and Uncle Jonathan, who's been visiting from Chicago this week with his roommate.
I made a pointless trip to the pediatrician on Thursday with the twins. Will was pulling on his ear a lot and acting kind of pitiful and I would have bet money that he had an ear infection, but he was perfectly fine. Little faker! The doctor said the teething he's been doing may have caused some pressure in his ears, but they were clear as a bell.
Today has been a busy day. We had t-ball this morning and Mason and I went and picked strawberries this afternoon. And this afternoon, I made homemade strawberry jam! It looks great and I can't wait to try it out. Tomorrow I'm going to make mini-loaves of bread and give that with a jar of jam as teacher gifts. Hopefully my first foray into making homemade bread will be as successful as canning jam!

Mason at the March of Dimes


Me speaking while Matt held on to the twinners



Grandaddy and the twinners at MOD




The Masonator

Mason with the tiller!

The old man aka Budda or Julio

Matt with the rake

Naked Haysie butt!!

It's been a bit of a long week. Will's had a screaming issue that's been about to kill us. Basically he's been screaming an ear piercing scream for no reason and it's going to make me lose my mind! It's been better the past couple of days thank goodness, and I really think it's related to teething. I know he;s trying to cut teeth, and the fact that he screams randomly in any situation makes me think that he's screaming when his gums hurt. Still, we're meeting with a speech therapist and a behavioral therapist and having a hearing screen done just to make sure there's nothing else going on. Better to err on the side of caution!

I'm posting lots of pictures tonight since I never got around to it during the week. Last weekend Matt and his dad tilled up most of the front yard and planted grass seed. And it's already starting to grow! From a distance it looks like we have a lawn. Up close you can see that it's really patchy and just starting to grow, but I think we may actually have a decent looking front yard before it's all said and done.

This week was our last week with nursing care. Boo!!!!!!! I am so said to see our wonderful nurses go. I am going to miss my girl talk with Audrey on Sunday afternoons, and Bo is going to be sorely missed during the week. They both were such blessings to our family and became wonderful friends. We're really going to miss them.

Today we had the big March of Dimes walk. It went really well!! I had to speak briefly and that seemed to go well, and then our family led off the walk. It was 2 1/2 miles through downtown Athens and it was a really nice day for it. It got a little tiring pushing the stroller- but not nearly as exhausting as Matt having to carry Mason! Poor guy. But he did it almost the entire way, and has barely complained about his aching back! We walked on the ZachNation team in memory of our NICU buddy Zach. His mom, Jessica, took on a huge role in coordinating the MOD festivities and she did a wonderful job.

Tonight we went to a birthday party for Matt's boss's wife I was pretty concerned about how the kids were going to do since they'd had such a long morning and not much afternoon nap, but they were champs. All three were sweet and well-behaved. They had a band at the party and Mason and Hays really liked that. It was a little loud for Will, but Hays was dancing and yelling the whole time! He's going to be ready to change his name to Haze and start his own band in no time! And Mason got to play the drums when the band took a break, so he was in hog heaven. The crazy thing was, he was actually pretty good! He has a surprisingly good sense of rhythm and everybody was impressed. I imagine he'll be asking for a drum set before long. And we'll get him one- as long as we can keep it at someone else's house!