Visiting Granny!

Just after the twin's Valentines party at school we drove to Macon to visit Granny and Grandpa. We stayed for about a week as Preston was on a buisness trip to Vegas. We had lots of fun as Granny had planned to take us to some special places. One of the places that we visited was Dawett Trails which was in Jackson, Ga. It is an animal refuge nature preserve. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we enjoyed a picnic after visiting the animals. The twin's favorite animals were the pigs because they were covered in mud from head to foot. They thought it was so funny to watch the pigs roll in the mud. Gracie and Bailey had a blast having a spend the night party with their cousins. They always love to hang out with their cousins whenever we visit Macon.

My lil Valentines!

Gracie and Bailey were so excited to receive two different sets of Valentines in the mailbox. Their Grammy and their Granny both sent them special Valentines that they pulled out of the mailbox all by themselves. We had lots of surprises on Valentines Day. Our house looked a little bit like Christmas and some people might say that my kids are spoiled but you know what "I really don't care and yes there is no better reason to celebrate then a day all about LOVE!" We made Valentine art and decorated sugar cookies to celebrate the day. The twins worked so hard on their boxes to take to school for the Valentine exchange. Gracie's box was all about Minnie Mouse and Bailey of course chose Thomas the Train. Preston surprised us all the morning of Valentines and had gotten the twins Valentines t shirts, chocolates and a basket of Bath and Body Works for me. I was quite surprised that he took the initiative to buy them clothes and got the sizes right! Gracie's special present was a Sesame Street matching game and Bailey got two new train engines. Their present together was a Lucky Ducks game for them to share. We had so much fun playing with our new toys.
My best present came during the day when I was packing our bags for Macon. Gracie and Bailey love to play make believe anything and so they were playing make believe "night night' time in their room while I packed. I watched Gracie as she tucked Bailey in his bed and she went over every single thing that we say to them each night...she said "now don't put this blankie over your head or I will come right back up and take it away" then she said "now lets say your prayers" she continued with the sweetest little prayer about all the things that Bailey was thankful for. Next she asked Bailey the same questions that her Daddy asks her each night..."Who do we pray to?" "Who is God's Son?" "Where was Jesus Born?" "Why do we celebrate Christmas" and "Where do we find God's word?" I stood in complete amazement as she recited all of these things to her brother. At first I was a little scared as I realized what a little sponge she is but then my heart became filled with joy. I thought about what an awesome gift that she is only two and already learning about love and compassion and how to be a great little mommy. Watching my two little miracles play make believe together was the best Valentines gift I could ask for!

2 and 1/2 Years Old!

Today my sweet little miracles are 2 and 1/2 years old. I do not know where the time has gone or how they have grown to be so big right in front of my own eyes. It is such a blessing to be able to stay at home with them and watch them grow and develop. I love that they are now loving to play make believe "anything" with each other. From pretending to be snakes on the ground to having Birthday parties where they blow out the candles and open imaginary presents. It is fascinating and scary at times to see what these two come up with together. I explain to most people that they seem to have a love/antagonizing relationship. They are either holding hands and hugging or fighting. Gracie and Bailey continue to LOVE school which makes my heart so happy. Just this week we started doing the "car pool" line which is a big deal as any mom can tell you. They looked so confident holding the helpers hands as they walked into their school without me. It is neat to be able to watch how something so small can help them to develop their confidence into being big kids. They are now going to school on M, W, and F from 9-1. My favorite part of the day is picking them up and hearing them tell me about their verse from the day like "God Made Animals." I always hang up their art on their special art boards at home.

Gracie is so sweet and feisty all at the same time that it isn't even funny. I am constantly having to remind her that I am Bailey's mommy and that she is his sister. She loves helping out around the house and really is a great help. The other day I was changing Bailey's diaper and I asked her to get me a plastic bag. She opened the child proof locked cabinet picked out a baggie and brought it to me. Her job is to feed Dixie each night and the other night after feeding her I heard her in the kitchen drawers. I asked her what she was doing and she said "getting a towel to clean up Dixie's mess" as she proceeded to wipe Dixie's drool up off the floor. She is incredibly smart and I really have to watch what I do and say because she copies EVERYTHING. When it is sunny outside she will sit with her knees up and pull of her pants legs and say "I am getting a little sun!" She is picky at eating and her favorite foods are chicken nuggets, chicken nuggets and chicken nuggets. I think she would eat them for every meal if I let her. Her favorite things to play with are her baby dolls, kid coffee maker and play kitchen. Her teacher reports that she is the boss of her class room and that at potty time she will line up all children and tell the teacher that they are ready to go. She has started potty training and is wearing big girl panties on and off. Mommy needs to commit more in this category. She sleeps well but she definitely is the first to wake up. She still sleeps with her bunny lovie. Her hair has just gotten long enough for pig tails and pony tails and she continues to adore having me paint her nails and to put "curls" in her hair.

Bailey is still my sweet boy. He is definitely a momma's boy. He loves his sister and he asks to give her a hug and a kiss each day before nap time. If I forget then he will get out of his bed and say "momma I hug/kiss Gracie." He is super easy going for the most part. He can play independently for long periods of time as he LOVES his train table. He has started getting into some big boy toys like Legos and super heroes. His favorite thing to do when Daddy gets home is to play tackle football in the den. He is a great singer and he can recite just about any song that he has heard. I love hearing him sing and watching him dance. He can say all of his A,B,C's and numbers. His smile is contagious as he grins from side to side. He has an appetite that I have never seen in any little boy. This kid can eat and eat and eat! He loves fruit, vegetables, meats and his favorites are sweets. He can also sleep like a champ. I usually have to wake him up after a 3 hour nap and sometimes in the morning because it is time to get ready to go to school. His favorite toys are his train table, cars and musical instruments. He recently got a Thomas the train whistle and he hasn't put it down since the day he got it. Bailey isn't very interested in potty training. He is still attached to his lovie at nap time and bedtime but lovie now stays in his bed and so that has been a big step.

Daddy's Birthday Cake

Gracie and Bailey LOVE celebrating Birthdays. They were so excited when I told them that today is Daddy's Birthday and that we had to get ready for his party. As a stay at home mom I was also excited that his Birthday provided us with a whole day's worth of activities. We started by making Daddy a special Birthday cake. The twins love to help me cook and I always try to let me be involved even if it does mean a couple of slobbery fingers in the cake batter. Gracie and Bailey stayed busy coloring Birthday cards while the cake baked in the oven. Next it was their favorite part of putting sprinkles on the cake and then they helped me to wrap all of the presents. I really couldn't believe that these things took us literally all day long to complete. If I was just on my own then I am sure they probably would have taken a little less then two hours! The twins were SUPER excited to show Daddy all of their hard work. As soon as he walked in the door they started singing "Happy Birthday" and we had the candles lit and ready. I was so glad that I also had the camera ready as their excitement was too cute. After doing a small party at the house, Preston and I were blessed to be able to drop the kiddos off at his Parents so we could enjoy a nice Birthday Dinner at Provinos. I think Preston had a great Birthday and we are so lucky to celebrate having a husband and Daddy who works so hard for us to be able to have fun each and every day!

Fishies with Aunt Kara

I received a call at 10:30 one night and it was Preston's little sister, Kara. She asked if the twins and I had anything going on the next day and she begged for us to come to the aquarium with her and her boyfriend, Ashley. She explained...it is so much more fun with little kids. I thought to myself "goodness it is 10:30pm and you want us to do this tomorrow?" After thinking about it for a couple minutes I figured that I do stay at home and we really did not have anything going on the next day and so why not be spontaneous and surprise the little ones with a trip to see the "fishies" as they call them. Kara's boyfriend, Ashley received super bonus points on the trip because poor Bailey got car sick on the way to the aquarium. Ashley was in the back and he was so kind to help out my little buddy. After a quick change of clothes for Bailey we were off to see the fishies. The twins loved watching all the fish. Gracie's favorite was the penguins because they loved to chase Aunt Kara's bright red pocketbook. Bailey was amazed by all the big sharks. Gracie's favorite part of the aquarium was the "moving sidewalk."I am so glad we decided to be spontaneous and that Aunt Kara was sweet enough to spend the day with her niece and nephew.

Pajama Day

Today was "Pajama Day" at school and Gracie and Bailey were so excited to wear their favorite pj's to school!

On Call

This past week Preston was a "super Dad" as he always is. I was on call for Hospice for each week night and over the weekend. In order for this to work Preston had to rush home from work each day to be here in case I had a call. Two of the week nights he had to feed and put the twins to bed on his own and I was pretty much gone for the entire day of Saturday. He took Gracie and Bailey to McDonald's all by himself. These things may seem little but doing these things with 2 two year olds is not easy as I find out everyday! I LOVED hearing about the special things that they did together. Some of their outfits that Daddy picked out were a little bit funny but that is ok. I am now on the schedule to cover on call for the second week of each month. It is a blessing for us to be able to earn extra money and not have any overhead child care cost.

Throughout the week alot of my friends and family members would ask about my calls and how I was doing. I would give generic information like that I had to notify a family that their loved one had passed or that I was admitting a younger pt. They would always follow their questions up with a statement about how my job must be awful. I want to share with you all that I absolutely love my job. I feel like each instance is an opportunity to show my love to a different patient or family. I think about how if I was not present in that moment the family could have been cared for by someone who is not as caring or by possibly no one at all. I work with families during the most precious time in life and it is such an awesome reminder that life is a gift and that it is something that should be treasured each and everyday!