I Love Christmas time!!!

Wow, what a great Christmas we had!!! Christmas is so much fun with little ones around, and the girls are the perfect ages to start to "get it". We are still trying to find our house under all the stuff, it's truly overwhelming. Our house is very small and has virtually no storage, so we are being overtaken by toys. I am working on donating many of the toys that aren't played with much or have so many pieces they drive me crazy, but I have to pack them up and get them out of the house while the girls aren't around, so that's not an easy task. I am also finding that I'm a little bit emotionally attached to some of the toys, like Molly's baby stroller that she got for her first birthday--they got great new strollers, and the old one is falling apart, but still. . . . .

We had a fairly calm Christmas without too much running around to do. Kelly's parents have moved and are coming in town later this week, so we only had one family to visit with. We stayed at Granna and Big D's house (my Mom and Dad)and Santa came there. We went to a great family Christmas Eve service that the girls really enjoyed and then had a wonderful dinner with the whole family. Then off to bed to wait for Santa! Molly was so excited, she put out cookies and milk for Santa and raisins and carrots for the reindeer.


The girls got some really great toys that they are enjoying. They both got doll strollers, doll carriers and dolls--which are exactly the same. Santa apparently has learned that it is much easier if they just get the same thing so they don't have to fight over it and can play together :-) They also got an easel, which we all love, they painted three times today! But the favorite toy is the very loud and annoying Dora ride on toy (thank you Aunt Kasey and Uncle Josh--you will be paid back for this someday!).




Libby and Andrew gave both the girls UGA shirts, and Sadie loves the "bullgogs". Anytime she sees her "bullgog" shirt or socks she insists on wearing them. We have some tiny baby bulldog socks that she loves and will throw a complete fit to wear them even though I have to CRAM her feet into them. When she opened her new shirt on Christmas, she had to put it on at that very minute before she would do anything else--I think we have a future UGA grad on our hands--GO DAWGS!!


All in all, it was a wonderful Christmas and I'm sad that it's over already. I am so blessed to have two beautiful, healthy daughters, a great husband and an incredible family. That's the best Christmas gift I could ever have. I truly don't need anything else. Happy Birthday Jesus!!

Holidays are upon us!

If I thought it was hard to find time to write in this blog before. . . . well now I'm really behind. We've been so busy this year and I'm trying to slow down and enjoy everything because I know next year will be different. It all seems very bittersweet, I am very happy about Kelly finishing his residency and having more family time, but we will be moving farther away from my family who have been my support and my lifeline through this long process.

As soon as the holidays are over, we will be putting our house up for sale and looking for a new one. While I am VERY excited about a new house, alot has happened in our humble little home. We went through both pregnancies and brought both of the girls home from the hospital here. They were both baptised here and had their first birthday parties in this house. Although there are many things I won't miss about this place, I think I am more attached than I would like to admit.

Anyway, the girls are SO excited about Christmas. We have a busy week ahead of us, but I think it's going to be a blast. Molly has her school party today and Sadie has hers on Thursday. Molly, Libby and I made the most adorable snowman cupcakes for her class.




I know in a few days I won't be able to use the "Santa's watching you, you better behave" line, and I am not so happy about that. Molly takes it very seriously, it has been great to use on her. Sadie just ignores me, and puts herself in timeout. I don't think timeout is going to be an effective form of discipline for Sadie, I'm not sure what we are going to do with her. . . .

Starting the Holidays

I haven't written in so long, I don't even know where to begin! I was looking through pictures from the past few weeks and realized how much has been going on around here. We've been enjoying the beautiful weather and the kickoff of the Christmas season. Our theory is, the sooner you can start Christmas--the better!

A few weeks ago, I was looking at our leaf covered back yard and thinking I should rake it (so that you could actually see the yard again). So, the girls and I went out and raked the leaves into a huge pile and jumped in them. We had a really good time just being silly and playing in the leaves. Molly liked it much more than Sadie did. I think Sadie was a little confused as to what we were doing and didn't really understand!

We started the Christmas season early this year by decorating a gingerbread house 3 days before Thanksgiving. I bought one of those ready made kits (which was great!) and we made a great gingerbread house. Now I just have to figure out how to keep the dog away from it, he tries to jump up and eat it off the kitchen table (I mean, it is cookies, icing and candy--can you blame him?)! Molly's heart will be broken if he gets into it, I try to remember to put it on the counter when we leave, but I just know I'm going to forget one of these days. . . .

We had a Thanksgiving lunch and "performance" (and I use this term VERY lightly) at the girls preschool on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. To describe this event as a complete mess would be kind. I honestly have to say that I was SO disappointed in the organization of this event, it was just pitiful. The entire preschool was in the fellowship hall of the church, we ate lunch and then they called ALL the kids to the center of the room. Now, this was every kid in every class--so I would guess maybe 100 or so kids, maybe more. Then they proceeded to try and get the kids to sing the song they had taught them. Needless to say, none of the kids participated (most of them cried because of the chaos and the sheer number of people) and you couldn't see anything. I was so stressed out when I left there from all the craziness, the preschool needs to seriously rethink the organization of that event--it wasn't fun for anyone involved!!


On Thanksgiving day, we went to visit our family in Alabama. We got together at one of my Aunt's homes and saw most all of the family. Sadie was so excited about seeing "Pa-Pa" (we call him Pawpaw), he is all she talked about. She had to know where he was the whole time we were there. It just warmed my heart to see her like that, he is battling cancer and we aren't sure what the future holds. Then, Mama Lynn and Granddaddy came over the day after Thanksgiving and visited for a while. We were glad we got to visit with them, we haven't seen Granddaddy in a while.


We got our Christmas tree over the weekend and the girls had a ball at the tree farm, they had goats there and they got to pet and feed them. When we arrived at the farm, they gave both of the girls a piece of bread to give the goats--but Sadie ate almost all of hers before we made it to where the goats were!!! We put out our blow up Snowman (the ones that go outside) and it is Molly's obsession right now. She is the keeper of the snowman. She plugs him up the second she gets up in the morning and checks on him all day long. When we leave to go somewhere, she unplugs him so he can "take a nap" and Sadie waves to him and says "bye-bye noman".

Today, we went to ride the Pink Pig at Macy's. The girls LOVED it!!! It is really cute, they had a good time. Then we went to see Santa. Molly colored a picture for Santa this morning before we left for the mall, so we brought that along with the letter they had written and gave them to him. Now, Molly my terribly introverted child, was in complete and total AWE of Santa Claus. She walked right up to him and gave him her letter and climbed in his lap and talked to him--she caught me completely off guard, I expected her to grab onto me and not even look at him. On the other hand, Sadie--my extrovert, screamed her head off and wouldn't have anything to do with him. After our visit if you asked her about Santa, she would say "cry, want Mama" to tell you how she cried and wanted me! Those girls constantly suprise me. Watching Molly really made me remember the wonder of Christmas.

Halloween and Vacation with Daddy!

Kelly was on vacation this past week, so we had him all to ourselves for 10 days! We didn't go anywhere, but we spent lots of much needed (and appreciated) time together. Last weekend, Kelly and I went to the mountains for a little time away and the girls stayed with their Granna and Big D. It was great to get away for a couple of days, even if the Bulldogs broke our hearts AGAIN!!! When we got back on Sunday, the girls dressed up for Granna and Big D, then we went to visit with Mamma Lynn.


When we got back, we geared up for Halloween. The girls had parties at preschool on Monday and they had a blast! Sadie was an absolutely adorable puppy dog and Molly was a cute clown with green curly hair. I was so glad that Kelly was on vacation so that both girls had one of us at their parties-since they were happening simultaneously. Monday night Molly and I had some "mommy" time and went to a friends house to decorate Halloween cookies, while Sadie stayed with Daddy. Molly was covered in icing by the time we left and had eaten more icing than made it on the cookies! Then on Tuesday, I worked and Kelly had the girls (Libby got a little vacation!) and brought them to my office for a party that afternoon. Kasey had given me a bandanna to tie around Sadie's neck and a rubber bone for her to carry around (which she ended up walking around and chewing on!) Sadie won first prize in the costume contest and they got an insane amount of candy, so they had a blast. We handed out candy that night, but didn't actually trick or treat. Kelly and I have decided that we aren't trick or treating until they ask us to, it's not someting we are big fans of (and heaven knows we didn't need any more candy!).

On Wednesday, we went to the town we are moving to in July and looked at neighborhoods. It was nice to ride around and explore the area (although next time we hope to go without the girls-by the end of the day they were going nuts in the car!). We found several neighborhoods we are very interested in and will start seriously looking in January or so. I can't wait to look, but I'm trying not to get too excited, we still have a while to go.

I worked again on Thursday, and the girls stayed with Daddy again, so Granna got a little vacation also. The picture below shows what I came home to after work. . .
Apparently, they were having fun with Daddy!

They were both completely naked with various hats and shoes on--but no clothes at all!!! Sadie has figured out how to take all her clothes off, so they both can get naked at any time (and do so frequently!)


The rest of the week, we just hung out with family and tried to get some rest. We meant to do alot of chores around the house that didn't get done, but we spent alot of time together and that's all that really matters!!! I am so thankful to have such a wonderful husband and sweet baby girls.

catching up. . .

So, I haven't done nearly as well as I had hoped I would with this blogging thing. I just realized that it's been nearly two weeks since I posted, and I my goal is to post at least once a week, so I have some catching up to do. The girls have done some fun things lately, so this one is going to be pretty long.




We are lucky enough to have my sister Kasey as the girls "hairdresser". She spent a brief period of time in cosmetology school and does a great job with the girls. I am so thankful that I don't have to deal with having someone else cut their hair (especially with my painfully shy Molly who I'm sure would scream if anyone she didn't know tried to touch her hair). Kasey is EXTREMELY patient while they are wiggling all over the place and trying to get into anything within their reach. Somehow she manages to give them really cute haircuts and not cut them or herself in the process.



Last weekend we visited Cagle's Dairy Farm for some fall fun. Kelly was on call, so we went with Kasey, Josh and Josh's brother Jason and his family. Once we got everyone together we realized we had 7 kids with us and we were scared!! But, everyone behaved very well and we had a great time. They had alot of fun stuff for the kids to do, they got to pet calves that were just a few days old, go on a hayride, and see pigs race. They had a great time. Sadie was all over the calves, sticking her arm in their cages and petting them, while Molly watched to see what happened before she tried!! The highlight of the trip was when one of the calves Sadie was petting grabbed her sweater and pulled and wouldn't let go. The green slimy mess left on her sweater was really disgusting, but she thought it was hilarious.

Bedtime struggles

The newest struggle at our house is with Molly's bedtime. When Molly turned three, the "paci fairy" came to get her paci and left her a guitar (like Laurie Berkner, our newest hero). Taking it away was prompted primarily by starting preschool--they aren't allowed to have them in her class. She has suprised us all and has done really well without it. Before I had kids, I always said that MY kid would never have a paci when they were older than 2. Never say never!!!

The only problem with taking the paci has been that she is very difficult to get to sleep. Not only is she hard to get to sleep, but she is waking up during the night and getting in the bed with Kelly and I. She has never slept in the bed with us since we put her in her crib when she was 8 weeks old. I have to admit that snuggling with my sweet angel during the night (we all know they are the sweetest when they are sleeping!) is nice sometimes. Her tiny little body right up next to me, the smell of her hair and the sound of her breathing make me appreciate these times, and forget that I'm going to be sorry if I let her make a habit of it!!!

Molly has always been my good sleeper, she slept through the night at 5 weeks old (unlike her sister that didn't sleep through the night until 8 months!) and has always been a great napper (also unlike Sadie). I remember a time when she would go to bed at 7:00, get up at 9:00 and also take a 3 hour nap. As I look back, those were the days!

I honestly think that without the paci she doesn't know how to soothe herself to sleep and has lost some of her security. It makes me sad to think that I took that from her, but I know it was time.

So, Kelly and I are trying to teach her to sleep again, but I'm afraid the days of long naps (and naps in general) and sleeping like a rock are over for Molly. Hopefully, we will be able to get her to sleep through the night again soon.

Busy, busy, busy. . .

just so stinking cute!!


Wow! It's only been a week since I posted (which is longer than I intended to wait), but alot has happened since then. Molly has finally recovered from the preschool cooties, but not without a trip to the Pediatrician and a round of antibiotics. Sadie is still sufffering with a never ending runny nose and cough, but Daddy decided we should start her on antibiotics yesterday, so hopefully she'll be better in a day or so.

Kelly has been working a ton and I am pretty worn out and ready for this awful rotation to be over (as is he). Although he doesn't have to take overnight call during the week, he hasn't been getting home until pretty late, usually the girls have been in bed. He has the weekend off though, so we are thankful for that time with him!

Earlier this week, I took the girls to have their silhouettes done. A local kid's store had arranged to have an artist come in. She was amazing. With the girls sitting in my lap reading a book, she took a small piece of black paper and a pair of scissors and within 10 minutes had cut out a perfect silhouette. I was astounded by her talent! Here are copies of them, I think they are adorable!!

Molly

Sadie

Weekend with Granna

Jumping on Granna's bed after baths!

Daddy was on call this weekend, so we hung out with Granna! We've been sick all week, so we (mostly Mommy) needed to get out of the house. Mommy is a little worn out from taking care of sick kids that aren't sleeping so well and refuse to take medicine, so Granna stepped in to save the day. Something about being three has made Molly stubborn about taking medicine :-) --I'll let you all know if I figure out what it is! I kept telling Molly all week, "you have two choices, you may take this tablet that tastes like bubble gum or Mommy will have to put the medicine in your bottom (tylenol suppository)" She often was obstinate and I had to do the latter, which was great fun for all that were involved. Apparently the "two choices" thing sunk in because she was coloring with Granna and quoted Mommy. She had colored two pictures and said "Granna, you have two choices, this one or this one". Granna cracked up and couldn't figure out where she had gotten her little saying from!!! She doesn't miss a thing!



We made a HUGE decision this week. Kelly signed a contract with a practice in a small town in the northwestern part of the state about an hour from where we are now. When we visited and Kelly interviewed, we were blown away by the kindness and hospitality we were shown. We really both knew in our hearts when we left the interview and visit that it was the right thing to do for our family. Kelly looked around a little bit and talked to a few other practices, but it always came back to this one. He was thrilled when he went to dinner with a two of the partners and they offered him the job. We are so excited to be moving on to this new chapter of our lives and leaving residency behind us. It's been an incredibly long and hard road (but we wouldn't change a thing), no one realizes how hard doctors work to get where they are.

It's also bittersweet because we will be moving away (not too far) from my family and many of our friends. I honestly could not have waded through Kelly's residency without their help. Kasey and Josh live about a mile from us and often come by after work to save me from the "witching hour"! Granna drives 40 miles (like Libby does!) to keep the girls one day a week while I work. I have a wonderful friend (actually from high school) that lives right across the street and both of our husbands work like crazy, so we keep each other sane (at least we try, Amy-I'm not sure it's working, what do you think?)!! Molly and Sadie have so many people that love them so close right now, we have been very fortunate. We spend a ton of time with my family and love to hang out and will miss them when we move, but will visit all the time, we won't be too far away! As I've told my Mom, "We aren't moving to Montana!". We are still trying to convince Granna and Big D to come with us, we'll see. . . . . . .

We are ready to go, but have 9 more months of residency to endure. But I know the time will fly and we'll be moving soon! I'm trying to slow down and enjoy the time we have left close to our family.

Preschool Cooties. . . .

Molly and Sadie are kids that RARELY get sick. So rare that Molly has been on antibiotics once and Sadie never has. I will say that the fact that their Daddy is a doctor keeps us from visiting the pediatrician unless absolutely necessary. He doesn't get worked up about anything health related unless it is pretty serious. I like to say that the girls would have to have blood shooting out of their eyes and their ears in order for him to be concerned. (It's not that he doesn't care, he just sees much more serious problems than a sore throat or a runny nose!)

But, since the girls have started preschool (three weeks ago) they have both been sick--Sadie is working on her second illness. This does not make for a fun experience for anyone involved! I also feel like I am wasting a ton of money since Sadie has missed 50% of her school in the past two weeks. In some ways I feel like it's my fault for not exposing them to enough situations with other kids until now, they obviously don't have the immune systems to handle all the germs associated with a room full of kids. I will admit, they've been a little sheltered, but it's not something I am sorry about---I think they are quite lucky kids! I do work part-time, but on those days either "Aunt Bibi" or "Granna" (my Mom) stays with them. We have been fortunate enough to not have to put them in daycare. In fact, I was telling someone the other day that we have never had to pay a babysitter!!!!!!!! We always have family around to help out, which means the world to us (and the girls!).

These are pictures of what we did today in order to keep us all sane while we were stuck in the house sick. A bath is always a good distraction for the girls, it is often the cure for the "witching hour" (any of you that have children know what time I'm referring to!), my Mother-in-Law calls it the "arsenic hour", which is also appropriate for the behavior that occurs during this time of day! The other picture shows the girls having fun coloring on a box--it kept them entertained for about 30 minutes! Just proves the point that the box is often more fun than the toy inside!!

Here's to hoping the preschool cooties pass soon. . . . .

Fun with Aunt Bibi. . .

Molly and Libby

My sister Libby (A.K.A., Aunt "Bibi") has one of the kindest hearts of anyone I know. She is always offering to help with my girls and gives up a day of her time every week (and drives across the city) to keep the girls while I work. I think without her, I would have lost my mind in the last few years. When I was pregnant with Molly she moved in with us while attending college and was planning to keep Molly when I went back to work full time. I had a change of heart (and a complete breakdown) when I tried to leave Molly to go to work, and I was fortunate enough to be able to stay home for a while. Libby has sinced moved out and is now married, but still visits us several times a week. She is very generous with her time and means the world to all of us. I hope when she has children I will be able to somehow repay her for all she has done for me.


The girls get so excited when Libby is coming over, they greet her at the door screaming and jumping around. Libby loves to do creative and often very messy projects with Molly and Sadie, and they LOVE it! She just jumps in and lets them make a huge mess and they have a blast. This particular activity was painting pumpkins and using glitter. The painting only began AFTER she hauled the girls to three stores looking for pumpkins (which is a feat in itself!). You can tell from the pictures that they had a ton of fun!!! I'm just glad she decided this was a good activity to do outside :-). By the way, she got the idea from Martha Stewart---I wonder if Martha looked like Sadie and Molly when she got done painting her pumpkins????

Time with Daddy

Kelly is a 5th year surgery resident and typically works at least 90 hours a week. I honestly don't know how he does what he does, I have great respect for the man he is. He is not only dedicated to his job, but he is a wonderful husband and father. When he gets home from a 12-16 hour day, I know he is exhausted, but he still pitches in with the girls and makes the time he has with them really count. He only has 9 months to go and he will be finished with his residency and will be starting in private practice. We are greatly looking forward to having a little more control over his schedule and more family time. On this night, he and the girls curled up in the rocking chair and read before bedtime. It is rare to get a picture with both girls sitting down and being still (even though Sadie is making the goofy face that she makes in all her pics these days)--what you don't see is that Sadie got up about 2 seconds after I snapped this photo!!

Starting the blog. . . .

I have finally decided to create my own blog to chronicle the life of our family. I want to do this so that I can look back and remember all the details of my children's lives, knowing that the chances I will ever complete their scrapbooks is very slim. They are such a gift and I struggle every day to take time to realize that. Life is so busy and it's so easy to get priorities all out of whack, but at the end of the day it's these two angels that really matter.

Right now, Molly is 3 years old and Sadie is 19 months old. Their personalities are very different, Molly is very shy and reserved (more like her Daddy), while Sadie is more outgoing and extroverted (like her Mommy). The picture of Molly is from the day of her 3rd Birthday party, she's very excited to be three! Sadie's picture is from her singing debut on Molly's new keyboard (that Mommy had no idea had a microphone when we bought it :-) Do we have an American Idol contestant on our hands?