Dad & Sam playing ball in the yard..
Sam & Uncle Curtis driving the tractor
Colring Eggs with my boys
Cole Easter Morning
Cole & His Pops
My Handsome guys before Blake & Kari's wedding
Too cute!
I can't believe how quickly the time goes and how fast the boys change. I got a little reminder from a good friend that it has been a while since I've blogged... February to be exact. It must sound strange that I could be so busy working 2-3 shifts each week, but I spend most of my time (not at work) trying to catch up with my boys/husband/friends/family/and around the house. I do think about updating our blog, but it's usually as I'm puting my head on the pillow to get some rest. And I'm not ashamed to admit that sleep trumps the blog - especially since I'm now on night shift (7pm - 7:30am). I feel like I spend the majority of my days off sleeping, so I can flip back to normal time.
Samuel is doing great - He's fully potty trained, and it's wonderful. He's completely into Super Heros and if you stopped in on any given day you'd see him in either his Green Lantern mask or his Batman Costume. The poor costume is almost in shredds, and he is about to grow out of it, but it is clearly the best $14. I ever spent! Samuel is having a tough time transitioning into my work schedule. He seems to be more bothered by me being away at night time than when I worked during the day, but I'm sure that he will adjust - given a little time. He is currently clicking away on the computer next to me on his favorite website: pbskids.org "PSKIDS.org" as he calls it. Now that Darin and I are both working we are looking into a preschool for Samuel. He's dying to play with some other kids. I have some friends with little boys his age but with everyone working, etc. - we don't get together as often as we would like to. There is a 1/2 day preschool program at the church on the corner of my Mom & Dad's street. Hopefully we'll get him started soon. Samuel is having fun outside since the weather is starting to get warmer. He can now actually hit some of the wiffle balls when they are pitched to him, and he gets so excited! He is Daddy's boy afterall and says that he's going to play for the RED SOX (of all things... he can't have any of my blood in him if he's saying that...), but Dad and I told him that he can play for the Sox in the minors then get picked up by the YANKS. :) Sam LOVES to get my Dad going by getting him with a "GO RED SOX" now and then. We had a great trip to Little Rock to visit Darin's parents over Easter. Samuel LOVES to get time with his Meema & Pops and had lots of fun coloring Easter Eggs. He got to take another trip to the farm to drive the tractor on this trip which he thoroughly enjoyed.
Cole:
What can I say?? He's growing too... faster than I would like! He's a sweet baby and is on the move. He's sort of secretive about it though. He doesn't crawl or scoot - just sort of wiggles his way around the floor. It's funny - all of a sudden he'll be in another spot in the room. He loves to stand and walk while holding someone's hands and thinks he's big stuff when he stands holding either the side of the pack n play or the coffee table. He loves to eat and will eat just about anything we put in front of him (except for dairy & soy of course). He probably notices me being at work the least since I leave at dinner time and he goes to bed shortly thereafter. I'm usually home by 8:30 am, so he's only been up for an hour and 1/2 or so by then. He takes a bottle much better now but still likes to nurse when he sees me. Everyday with him is somewhat bittersweet - I love to see him grow and change, but I miss my baby. I get intensely sad to think of him being my last. You all know how they get at the 9 month mark... wants to get down. So I take my opportunities for snuggling whenever they present. The other night after I fed Cole he seemed so cozy. He put his head over on my left shoulder then wiggled down toward my elbow. He opened his sleepy eyes and looked at me for a minute and smiled. Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep. It's a rare day when Cole will fall asleep in my arms, so I did what any Mom sad to see the passage of the baby days would do: I stayed in the chair and held the precious little guy for a while. It felt so good. You know - those moments you would like to freeze in time???
Darin:
He stared a job with Superior Engineered Products on 4/15 (a company that installs store fronts & commercial doors). He's an assistant project manager, and everything is going well so far. Keep him in your prayers as he is in the process of choosing a direction for his career. Darin has been talking about going out fishing in the mornings, but I think it's still too cold in the early morning for him. Hopefully he'll get to enjoy that some more over the next few months.
Me:
I'm trying to balance it all and though I don't ever feel like I have a good handle on it, I make my family the priority and hope that everyone else will understand. There is usually a large pile of laundry (OK 2-3 piles), I have yet to write a single thank you note for gifts received at Cole's baptism, and I have some of Cole's 6 month pictures that I haven't mailed out yet. I'm doing the best that I can. I am working 2 nights/week at one hospital and working zero hours (prn) at another (in Lactation). I am studying to take the International Board Certification Exam for Lactation Consultants in July, and I hope to find employment in that area soon after. The hours are a little more normal in Lactation, and I enjoy the autonomy of it. After 13 years as an RN, I'm more than ready for a change. It's weird. I never saw myself as a career girl. Always thought (wanted to) I'd stay home to raise my kids, but since God has a different plan I figure I should at least pursue something I love doing. As I've said before - there are plusses and minuses to working with little ones. It's all about giving it time when changes are made and keeping priorities straight. We are insanely blessed to both have work right now and that we are in my parents' house. After doing the daycare thing in TX and always having to work around our schedules for childcare, I know how hard it can be. Here - I get up, get myself dressed, and leave for work. Darin does the same. We leave the kids sleeping in bed because my parents are here. Darin leaves for work about 2 1/2 hours before I get home in the am and gets home as I'm ready to walk out the door at night. So suffice it to say - we know we have it easy right now. Hopefully by the time we move out we can both be on a daytime schedule, so the childcare thing will be easier. And what will I ever do when I have to start cooking again??? I love to cook, but most of the time I don't think about it. SPOILED... I know. I hope to keep you all updated a little more frequently than every 2 months. You know - the start of 2 jobs is always a little busy. Take care.
