Day In The Life Winter 2017

*BIG thanks to Julia for hosting this! I absolutely love DITL posts and seeing how others spend their days.


Tom is 34 years old

Melissa is 35 years old

Reese is 3 years old (just about 3.5)

Henry and William are 19 months

Lily dog is 6 years old

6:05am // alarm goes off and apparently I hit snooze…wonderful.  Tom got up extra early to workout so he’s downstairs finishing up.  

6:10am // I hear “mommy? Mommy?” over the monitor so apparently the Ok to Wake! clock set for 6:30 means zip to Reese.  Since this is a work morning for me I need to get in the shower asap before the twins are up, which will be any minute.  I tell Reese she can come hang in our room while I shower.  I jump in the shower, which is basically a 3 minute sprint.  As I step out I hear the boys chirping not so happily over the monitor and begin fielding 101 questions from Reese. And so it begins.  I chastise myself for not getting up early to work out and shower before the kids get up...which seems to be a daily thing for me now.    I quickly throw on some comfy clothes and start to get the boys up.  Tom hears us and comes up to help get twins up.  

6:30am// Change diapers, pass out milk cups, and plop on the couch for a morning show.  My kids generally are on the crankier side in the morning and I find a little screen time helps them ease into their day.  Reese digs into cereal and a cup of milk and seems quite content.  The boys pile on my lap and they share a banana, Lara bar, and Greek yogurt.  This is what I like to call their morning snack as they'll be hungry again in approximately 75 seconds.  Tom hangs with us until he needs to head upstairs to shower and get dressed.   Once the kids are content I pour my coffee and make a smoothie for the kids to share.   Forget to feed myself.

7:00am//  TV is off and everyone disperses to play while I do my hair and makeup.  The only way this works is if I get ready in the dining room where I can keep my eyes on everyone.  I have to stop several times and grab a baby from doing whatever thing it is they're not supposed to be doing (dumping out diapers from the bin is a favorite this morning). Also plenty of stops for tickles, hugs and kisses. The boys are at the most delectable age (save for the tantrums) and I just cannot get enough of them. 

Once I'm semi-presentable we all head upstairs to get dressed.  This is a chaotic time and definitely my least favorite part of the morning.  I laid out the kids' clothes the night before but no matter how prepared I am mornings always seem to throw curveballs. Reese has several strong opinions about the clothes she picked out the night before and takes me to task on every.single.thing. as I get her ready.  Clothing is not one of the battles I like to engage in, as in I don’t force her to wear things that match or that I personally prefer, but I draw the line when it comes to wearing clothes that are clean and weather appropriate.  I try to keep my cool and work with her on getting ready which is particularly difficult as William and Henry are making their way through every room in a tornado like fashion, trying to throw things in the toilets, and just being the adorably mischievous rascals they are.  After several rounds of negotiations and some serious deep breathing on my part we reach a compromise.  I throw some clothes on the boys (yay for babies with zero clothing opinions as of yet!) and they all follow me like little ducklings into my room and make themselves comfy on my bed.  I'm distracted by the fact that all three kids are laughing and playing together...nicely. 

I know tears are inevitable within a few minutes but this sure is nice when it happens.  Tom pops in a few times to tickle and play with them all while trying to keep grubby baby hands off his freshly cleaned suit.  Always a gamble on his part☺  I hurriedly flip through my clothes, none of which are particularly exciting to me, but such is life.  I settle on my outfit, pick up the twins and Reese follows as we all head back downstairs

8:00am// Tom says his goodbyes and heads out for work.  Reese claims she doesn't want breakfast because she ate breakfast yesterday, which is fine with me because she seems I have forgotten about the cereal and smoothie she had an hour ago.  The boys run to their high chairs and start pulling them out; their subtle way of telling me they're hungry.  I heat up banana pancakes leftover from the batch I made yesterday and they go to town.  I realize I'm getting pretty crabby and decide it's time to feed myself...wheat toast and peanut butter. I dutifully log it into My Fitness Pal, which is the only way I can keep on top of what I'm eating and making sure I'm hitting my goals each day. I really can't wait until the day I don't feel the need to do this, but for now I've got to keep my eye on the prize.

While the twins are contained in their high chairs and Reese is busy giving her dolls much needed medical attention ("mommy her stuffing is ripped and I must help her boo boo wight NOW!) I clean up the kitchen, run the dishwasher, and pack up leftovers from last night’s white chicken chili for my lunch today.  I check the weather and email and get my bag and Reese's backpack prepped and set out by the back door.  We are actually ready to roll ahead of schedule so I let Lily out, pick up some toys and go through yesterday's mail. I administer my series of head’s up to Reese that we have to leave soon but she is so engrossed in giving her baby a checkup she doesn’t seem to hear me.  

8:30am// My mom (Nana) arrives and the kids are delighted.  She watches all three one afternoon a week and watches the twins one morning a week (today) while I work and Reese does an extended lunch hour at school. I clean up the boys’ breakfasts and chat with my mom as I get Reese's coat on and kiss the babies goodbye.  

Can't take your eyes off William the Conqueror for a second...

8:45am// Reese and I are in the car on our way to school.   This is only the second week with our new schedule and she loves loves loves the fact that on Thursdays "just Reese and mommy drive to school with NO brothers!"  Somehow we’re early in the car line so she jumps in the front seat and we engage in some car shenanigans until the teachers come out.  As much of a challenge this age is and how much I look forward to her school time, there is always a little lump in my throat when I drive off.  Living in the post Sandy Hook era, where much of our world is essentially a dumpster fire, has changed me profoundly.  No matter how stressful the morning can be and how many tantrums we work through, I work constantly to not take the bait and to make sure she knows how insanely and fiercely loved she is before her little feet step out of the van.  And no matter how crazy she has made me, I count down to the minutes until she is running out the door and I get to pick her up, even when that means resuming the crazy-making all over again.  Motherhood is nuts, ya know? Or maybe it's just me? Don't know.

After Reese heads in with her class I put on extremely non-kid friendly and enjoy the brief drive into work, sans children.  What can I say, I like to live on the edge.

I have extremely refined taste in music.

9:15am-12:45pm// work work work.  I am a mental health counselor and work with children, ages 5-18.  I work for a nonprofit mental health agency and we have a school onsite as well.  I currently have a very small caseload but for now it is what works best for our family.  I plan to continue to add back hours in the years to come, particularly when the twins start preschool and then elementary school.  But for now this arrangement is working about as well as I can hope.  I owe 100% of this to my mom and her willingness to hang with my babies.  Childcare for three toddlers is outrageous and not nearly worth it to us right now.  This allows me to continue staying relevant professionally, keeping my state license active, and provides me a respite and purpose outside of being "Mom".  Anyway, I see a few clients at our school and a few outpatient clients as well.  Since I am a "flex" therapist, I am contracted through my agency now that I'm no longer a full time employee.  There are several pros and cons to this set up but for now, the pros far outweigh the cons so we will roll with it as long as we can. I cannot beat the flexibility and getting to make my own schedule.  And no real pictures to show for this because of pesky little things HIPAA! CONFIDENTIALITY!

Lately Reese has been asking me to take pictures of myself whenever I leave the house and apparently she totally digs the purple walls in my work bathroom....so selfie for the little one.

In addition to seeing clients I take a bit of time to plan out my work schedule for the rest of the month and tackle my personal/family calendar for the next few weeks. I make a note to find a seamstress to alter my bridesmaid dress for my brother's wedding, which is in just a few months. My mom texts me that William feels warm and has a runny nose.  Dear God I cannot handle one more kid virus right now….really praying it is due the bizarre mood swings of our Midwest winter weather.  My poor little buddy.

12:45pm// Pack up and head out to pick up Reese. I'm a few minutes early so I paint my nails while I'm waiting. If you ever see me with decent looking nails there's a 95% chance I painted them while sitting in my car since it's pretty much the only time I'm not holding a child. As much as I'd love to frequent the salon for manicures or pedicures it just doesn't jive with my life right now. So cheap DIY manicures in the car will have to do.

I see the rectory door open and all the little ones pile out, eagerly looking for their caregivers. I hear Reese shrieking "mommy! mommy! I have to tell you what I did today! I rode a bike! I painted! I ate my lunch!" and so on and so on. I absolutely love these ridiculously long stream of thought conversations with her and I pick her up and squeeze her tight. We head home where my mom has just put the boys down for the naps. The three of us chat for a bit but Reese is clearly wiped out from her extended day so I bring her up for a nap and my mom heads out. <THANK YOU MOM xBILLION> Reese's naps are pretty hit or miss these days which I'm guessing is pretty standard for being almost 3.5 years old, but she is sound asleep within in minutes today. It's only a matter of time before William or Henry stir so I get to work unloading the dishwasher, my work bag, Reese's backpack and spend some time tidying up. There's just always something to be done!

Reese is going to be the Star Student of the Week next week...I cannot wait for this adorableness.

1:30pm// Everyone is napping...can I get a hallelujah. I use this time to catch up on paperwork from my time at work this morning. Since almost all of my time in the office is spent seeing clients I do the back end of all my non-clinical work at home. This is the best way I can maximize my time in the office for it to make financial sense. I also spend a little time perusing the MLS as we are planning to sell our home and move to the burbs in just a few short months.

2:45pm// William is up shrieking and not in a happy way.  This really makes me nervous considering my mom's text about him seeming under the weather. As I head up to get him the baby monitor cycles and I see Reese is up so I grab her after picking up William.  The kids have their own rooms so Henry was able to sleep through but I'm guessing not for long.  Reese is a bit of a disaster and it's not even fair to photograph her at this point. She's instantly furious that I'm holding William and demands I put him down.  Not off to a good start.  I carry both her and William downstairs and as soon as I try to set down either child they both lose it.  Which is really great since Henry is up and I need to grab him.  Can I just say how much this part of the day always sucks?  Ever since the twins were born the 3:00pm time frame has always been like juggling knives.  Reese would be waking up from her nap, clingy and in need of cuddles, right at the same time I would need to pump and give the boys their 3:00 feeding.  Fast forward a year to now and although things aren't nearly as brutal, it's still a prickly transition in the day.  I distract William and Reese with a snack and I run up to grab Henry. We all play in the living room for a bit.  Everyone seems to calm down and come out of the nap time fog, but Reese has a cough and runny nose and both Henry and William have runny noses, so I scrap the idea of an afternoon outing and decide to stay home.   Throwing up all kinds of prayers for healthy kids.

3:30pm// The kids are allowed screen time and settle on Mickey and then Daniel Tiger.  I contemplate whether or not the kids will let me get away with cooking something new for dinner or if I should just do salads with what we have in the fridge.  Tom and I text about some things going on at work for him and I text with my mom and my brother about his upcoming wedding.  I also zone out for a few and scroll Instagram and FB but I try to be good about not always being on my phone around the kids.  I realize I'm starving so I make a protein smoothie (vanilla whey, 1/3 banana, PB2, ice and water).  Henry and William also force feed me goldfish crackers while laughing maniacally.  Rascals.

The boys lose interest pretty quickly in the show and play happily with me on the floor in the living room.  We break out the Foamnasium blocks and bean bag pillow and they have a ball throwing themselves all over.  Henry and William have such different personalities and it is such a trip to watch how each of them play and learn in such different ways...just one of those unique bonuses that come with raising twins I suppose.

4:15pm// TV is off and Reese decides to color.  She has been bringing home some masterpieces from school so I encourage her creativity as much as possible.  The boys play and try make taco (er fajita?) bowls for dinner while stealthily supervising the children.  If I'm on the ball i have the majority of our dinners planned out for the week.  I feel like most of January has just been an endless run of recovering from the holidays and the stomach bug that plagued our house, so I'm only semi-on the ball so to speak.

I literally cannot go into the kitchen without both William and Henry following me immediately like little magnets.  They play at my feet or screech for me to hold them....more likely screeching and screaming than playing but today they aren't too pissed at me for abandoning them to make a meal.  Because of this making dinner has been a real challenge for me and is now yet another thing I try to prep ahead of time as much as possible.  

5:15pm// I get the kids all set up for dinner and per usual, everyone seems hungry.  Reese has specifically asked for leftover macaroni and a cheese that she doesn't have to share with her brothers, which is fine since there's really only one serving left anyway.  Everyone munches on yellow bell peppers and carrots while I cut up respective dinners....mac and cheese for her and homemade pizza from two nights ago for the boys.  I feel slightly bad about giving them leftovers but I hate throwing away food at the end of the week and right now the twins are basically bottomless pits and happy to eat just about anything.

While the kids eat I wash some dishes, straighten up and open a couple packages that arrived.  I don't know why but I just love mail with my kids' names on it.  

6:00pm // The children are finished eating and I get them cleaned up and out of their seats.  This also means I have to clean the floor, which is just crazy with twins.  No matter how well they eat there is always a mess to clean up.  We open a fun package for Henry (a belated Christmas present) from his godmother and start picking up the living room and kitchen.  The boys finished dinner about 15 minutes ago and are already in the kitchen asking for rice cakes.  The grocery bills these two run up actually scare me.  Tom gets home right around this time and we're all so happy to see him.  We all play and Reese requests to make tea with Tom, so they head to the kitchen to make some hot tea, which is just about the sweetest thing ever.  The boys and I read books and they finish up their milk before putting their jammies on.  Around this time Tom and I each sneak off to the kitchen to make ourselves a plate for dinner and take turns inhaling our food.  Standard.

7:00pm// Tom and I each grab a baby and Reese leads the way as we take the boys up to bed.  When I was pregnant with the twins I just assumed they would sleep in the same room, which they did for the first four months.  Henry began to sleep longer and more soundly on his own and when he dropped his overnight feedings before William did, we had to put them in separate rooms.   Much to my dismay William still pulls some overnight shenanigans every now and again and honestly I'm so tired I've kind of given up.  More often than night he sleeps through the night but his sleep is considerably more fragile than Henry's. 

The original trio head back downstairs to finish picking up toys, straightening up and washing dishes.  Reese and I read some stories and play with Snapchat filters (full disclosure: I literally understand nothing about Snapchat!)

7:30pm// Usually Reese showers/bathes nightly but we skipped it tonight so she could stay up a little longer to read.  Sometimes it's really clear when she needs more one on one time and today was one of those days.  After we wash up and brush her teeth we snuggle in bed for one more story.  We check and double check nightlights, fan, and noise machine and despite her protests of "I NOT tired at all mommy and daddy!" we closed the door and she laid down.  All the praise hands.

8:00pm//  Collapse on the couch!  Usually on Thursday I go to 8:00 boot camp but I'm starting to feel achy and a bit worn down, so I decide to use today as my off day and rest.  I've nailed my workouts so far this week so I'm not at all feeling bad about it.  Tom and I sit next to each other with dueling laptops and watch Trump's speech at the Campaign Donors Dinner.  I still really, truly, cannot wrap my head around the fact that tomorrow he is our president.   I do a little work and online shopping for gifts for several weddings we have coming up this spring.  I am so excited for my family and friends who are marrying...it's such a fun and special time!

9:30pm// I am fighting to keep my eyes open so I shut down and head up to bed.  Tom will stay up for awhile longer but I just can't hang.  I also never really know what kind of sleep I'm going to get (ahem...William and Reese) so I've learned my lesson about staying up late.  I scroll through Instagram and Facebook and start looking at pictures I took today before giving in going to sleep.  

10:30pm// William starts crying but not fully awake...which lasts on and off for ten minutes and he's back to sleep.  This is a pretty regular occurrence so I'm used to it...well as used to it as I'm going to be.  I've really tried everything with him when it comes to sleep but overall we are in a much better place then we used to be, so I'll take it.

5am// Reese is up and wants help going potty and mercifully falls back to sleep until about 6:10...just a few minutes before the twins are up to start the fun all over again!

Five on Friday

Hallelujiah, it is Friday!  I know in general as a parent this means precisely nothing but for me it means Tom is home for a long weekend.  We have a day date lined up and hopefully everyone continues their upward trend and we can get out and do something fun with the kids.  Anyway, here's what I've got...

1.  Ever since sickness intially descened on our house no one has been sleeping well.  With three toddlers someone is always up, and lately it's been the big kid.  Although I really cannot complain as she is usually a consistently good sleeper, she has gotten into the habit of me coming in to her room throughout the night to help her or sleep with her while sick and now we've set an ugly precedent.  Since she's in a big girl bed and no longer confined to a glorious crib she's been getting up a little too early...ahem 5am.  I purchased an Ok to Wake! Clock and I'm hoping this does the trick for my little literalist.  I am tired.


2.  Speaking of being tired, I saw this floating around somewhere on Instagram and it just made me laugh.  Like, laugh a little hard you know?  This is literally me every.single.morning.

3.  Some new finds from the week...if you are trying to keep up with your protein intake these Quest Cereal Protein Bars are delicious.  So far I've only tried the waffle flavor but there are a couple others that look great.  Quest is always a winner for me and they are awesome to keep in my bag when I'm on the run.

Being the good basic mom I am I make a Target run at least once a week...I mean we always seem to need something.  I'm guilty of peeking through their latest home decor items and their recent stuff is killing me.  Although I almost always refrain from purchasing what I see, I gotta say if this line was around ten years ago when I was single and living alone I would have been all over it.....

4.  I don't know what the deal is but all of my kids have been stage 5 clingers lately.  No matter where I am in the house or what I am doing, they are drawn to me like magnets.  The look of fury I receive from the twins when I sneak off to use the restroom by myself is pretty much laughable at this point.  The horror!  Don't they know there are three of them and just one of me?  I know, I will miss it one day but for now I'd just like a few seconds where someone isn't shoving their hand/leg/foot/head/leg onto my body.  Buuuut, they are so adorable.......

5.  Clingy children seugways nicely into alcoholic beverages no?  As much as I try to get behind wine, and I do like it, my drink of choice will always be vodka.  We've been trying to keep sparkling water around just to have something fun to sip and when Tom brought home some really good news on Tuesday of course we had to have a celebratory drink.  Tito's, Coconut La Croix and a splash of lime juice was heaven and almost made me feel like we aren't in the dead of winter.  Low calories and carbs and delicious...try it!

Cheers!

On the Mend....(we hope)!

I hate to even type this out, because you know I'm clearly jinxing us all, but all of us appear to be on the mend!  The week started out a little rough and I was honestly struggle to find the silver lining in anything.  Both boys were still not doing so great, fevers and just general malaise, and I ended up taking them to the doctor yesterday morning.   After a couple of speedy checkups Henry seems to just be fighting a cold and our ped feels that William (and the rest of us) have actually been dealing with rotavirus, not just the common stomach bug going around.  I wish their vaccine would have protected them but alas this strain got the best of us.  I think over the last two weeks about 80% of my days were spent holding a minimum of one child, usually two.  When the shit really hit the fan I had one in the Ergo, one in my arms, and one on my lap.  Suffice to say I could use a little "please don't touch mommy" time.  But look at that sweetness...

The good news is they are on the tail end of this beast and both of my little nuggets woke up almost themselves this morning.  We are back to our normal school and work routine but I'm still a little gun shy to take the twins to any public place where there a lot of other kids.  Too soon...can't deal with more illness!   Reese is back to normal and back in school, which is a good thing for everyone.  Poor kiddo really missed school and is so happy to be back.  We all thrive on a routine and it is nice to be getting back to our every day normal.

Disclaimer...on the odd chance we arrive to car line early I let Reese come sit in the front seat....we were parked :)

My Focus for 2017

I haven't made "resolutions" in years and I can't actually remember the last time I actually made one, let alone stuck to it.  I think my resolution for 2015 was something like 'give birth to two healthy babies, stay alive, and keep my kids alive'.  Whew, did it. When we rang in 2016 I pondered what I wanted to achieve and where I wanted to focus, but in all honesty I was so tired I simply told myself, "survive".  I was returning to work a few hours a week right around the new year, we were deep in the terrible twos and all I really wanted to do was to keep my family moving forward.  And we did...three cheers for setting the bar low.   

Now that my head is above water for the first time in a long time, I want to focus on holding myself a little more accountable.  In 2016 I began working out again, just with DVD's at home.  Although I really didn't focus on specific weight loss or fitness goals since I was still breastfeeding for the first half of 2016, I  wanted to get back into the habit of simply moving every day.  I wanted to get in the habit of setting aside a small chunk of time in the day for me, which has really set the foundation for regaining some strength and reigniting my dedication to getting it together in the fitness arena.

So all that to say, instead of resolving to reach certain goals, I've spent some time reflecting on where I want to focus some of my time and energy in 2017.  Here's what I've come up with...

READ.  If i'm getting crazy I'd like to commit to reading two books (for pleasure/not parenting related) in 2017.  My pre-kids self was a voracious reader and it was one of my favorite hobbies.  Now?  Ain't nobody got time, or brainpower, for that.  But I think I can maybe manage two books in 12 months.  Time will tell.

COOK. We really don't eat out often because, um....does taking three toddler to a restaurant sound fun to anyone?  No.  I cook several times a week and I try to meal plan consistently simply because it makes my life easier.  But I'm so bored with just about everything in my rotation so I would like to focus on adding in a few new recipes to the weekly menu.  And something my kids will actually eat is a big bonus.

FITNESS.  I would be quite thrilled if this is the year I hit my goal weight...for good.  I'm closer to it than I've been in quite awhile so theoretically it is certainly feasible.  This the first year in about five years there are no fertility, pregnancy, or breastfeeding considerations so I'm eager to put the focus back on me...and not the version of my body that exists solely to conceive/grow/birth/feed little humans (although that time, while it lasted, was lovely).  I need to dig a little deeper to delineate a clear plan to address my eating and workouts but this is the main focus I'm really excited about.

MARRIAGE.  Although we are already pretty good about this, I want to commit to getting out for at least one date a month with Tom.  We are supremely lucky in that all four grandparents live 15 minutes away and are always willing to jump in and provide us with some baby free time.  And our kids adore all of them so it really is an ideal situation.  Even an afternoon date on a Sunday counts so I just want to be sure we continue this tradition.  Because guess what?  We have a lot of fun together without our kids and I want it to stay that way.



TRAVEL.  Now there are about a billion other considerations when it comes to this topic but we have really put travel on the back burner during these baby rearing years.  It has just seemed like to way too much work, hassle and expense to bother traveling up until this point.  But if it's possible I would really like for Tom and I to get away for a night or two.  Nothing crazy or fancy, just a block of time for us to wander around, eat non-kid friendly food and enjoy some proper day drinking.  We have a couple of weddings coming up in the spring so I think we might be able to make this one work!  We have also toyed around with the idea of taking the children on a family trip this summer.  Maybe I'm just lazy but I'm still not totally convinced I want to take on a road trip with a then 4 year old and two 2 year olds.  Jury's still out on that one....yes, I'm scared.

SOCIAL.  Friendships being affected by new babies is nothing new and try as I might, it is really hard to make time for friends when our lives are all pulled in different directions.  I have struggled, since becoming a mom, to connect to other moms and really only have a handful of girls I consider "mom friends".  I've made some attempts here and there at Meetup playgroups and things of that sort, but nothing has really panned out.  In 2017 I want to continue to focus on connecting with other moms, even if its just through this blog.




Here's to the new year!

Surviving Sickopalypse 2017

There's really no way of sugarcoating the first week of 2017 for us.  It has been completely miserable.  This monstrous GI bug that is going around returned to our house on New Year's Eve (after a glorious ten day reprieve) and has taken us all down one by one ever since.  It's around ten degrees outside, we had our first snow day, and I haven't left the house in three days.  I'm not even quite sure what day it is or what's going on in the land of the living.  We've been hunkered down drudging through a haze of sick babies, laundry, all nighters, and all the Lysol ever made.  Oh, and a sick me.   Fun, eh?  Although a couple of us seem to be on the other side (knocking on wood) a few of us are still down for the count.   Playing with Snapchat filters, throwing screen time rules out the window, and a little self care are getting us through.

 I truly believe there is no parenting experience more miserable than taking care of young children when you yourself are sick.  And the more kids, the worse it is.  Since there is no avoiding the inevitable rough times I've been making an effort to pay attention to the little things that make me happy, as silly as they may be.  I've been burning my favorite candle to try to lighten up the ick factor that comes with a house full of sickies.  Instead of trying to squeeze in a shower while juggling sick babies, I've been waiting until right after we put them to bed so I can indulge in a long (and by long I mean 12 minutes and not 2) shower.  During my pre-baby days I showered whenever I felt like it, but now?  I make the most out of it and treat it as my "me-time" when things are particularly rough.  If I'm feeling crazy I break out my favorite sugar scrub and maybe even treat myself to a 2 minute DIY pedicure.  I really know how to live the high life now don't I?  All kidding aside, sometimes it's the sum of these little things is what get me through.

But we can't all be sick forever right?  And in the grand scheme of life, things could be a lot worse than a stomach bug.  Overall, I have three healthy kids, it was a good week to miss work, and we have plenty of new toys from Christmas to keep us somewhat entertained while we weather the storm.  I genuinely miss my babies being happy and running around like the little maniac they are.  Onward!

NYE 2016!

We had a perfectly low key evening ringing in the new year.  This is our fourth new year's eve since becoming parents and we have stayed in every year...and loved it.  Pre-kids we always went out and although we had fun (and I'm sure we'll venture out again one day) I adore our mini celebration with the kids.  The twins of course really had no idea that it was a special night and went to bed right on time, but like last year, we let Reese stay up and drink sparkling juice out of a fancy (aka plastic) champagne flute.  She was so excited and her enthusiasm is infectious, as always.  We had special snacks Tom picked up, talked about what a great year we had and everything we have to look forward to in 2017.

This year felt heavy and insufferable for so many reasons, but in my tiny corner of the world, the year was good to us.  I started the day with a spin class and felt so happy and excited about my dedication to becoming the best and most fit version of myself.  I accomplished a lot in this arena in 2016 but I'm pretty pumped to really kick it into high gear in 2017.

After class we took a family walk and realized pretty much immediately that it was colder than it looked.  But we were bundled up and everyone needed outside time so we pressed on.  Even Reese's new "baby girl Daniel Tiger" from Santa joined us for the jaunt.

We chilled at home for most of the day and finished the last episode of The Crown (omg so good) while the kids napped.  After naps we headed to our favorite local bookstore to let the kids burn some energy while I made a quick exchange.  If you are local, Joseph Beth Booksellers really is a gem, especially if you have children.

And of course, as luck would have it, about an hour after my 10pm NYE bedtime Reese woke up violently ill so we were tending to her until the wee hours of the morning.   Turns out I was up to see midnight after all!  But seriously, nothing is sadder than a sick baby.  We scraped our plans to have our friends over for brunch in the morning and spent the first day of the year nursing a sick kiddo and trying to keep everyone else healthy.  Here's to hoping 2017 turns it around!