Busy, Busy!

It's been soooo long since I've been able to blog. Part of it is being super busy (by the end of the day I'm ready to lie in bed and zone out!) When I do have time to blog I just don't feel like it! Now I'm super behind...

The past 2 weeks have been crazy. I wasn't totally over my allergies/cold until last Tuesday. It's been a pretty normal couple of weeks aside from staying late for BTS Night last Thursday. It was pretty sucky not being able to see the girls until Friday afternoon when I picked them up. Grandma got sick this week and so I'm home today with the girls.



All dresses up for Hokie Game Day! Christopher's favorite time of year :)





Abigail now loves to swat at her toys with her feet :)


Enjoying a lazy Sunday!


Getting teeth soon?

Audrey just loves talking to her Abigail!


Abigail loves to grab her feet!

This past Saturday we went to see Dare to Dream at the Richmond Coliseum (Disney princesses on ice.) We went with Aunt Sarah and cousin Bella, and cousins Tina and Skylar. All the girls dressed up like princesses...it was so fun! They all loved the show (Audrey barely said a word...she was mesmerized!) I bought her a Cinderella doll afterwards and then we all went to dinner at Cracker Barrel. Of course everyone fawned all over them! It was such a great day with my sweet Audrey Cate. Dad stayed home with Abigail and he loved it! He sent several pictures throughout the day (her holding her bottle, watching the Hokie game.)












It's pretty incredible how over the past 2-3 weeks Audrey has taken such an interest in Abigail. One of her favorite things to do is lay on the floor next to Abby.



LOL!

Abigail loves to practice sitting up.


Ha! Love this expression.



It's the funniest thing! For a few weeks now Abigail has been rolling from her back to her side. On Sunday (9/25) she finally made it all the way over to her belly! She kept practicing and practicing...and it would take quite a few tries for her to get over. But by that evening she was turning over in no time flat! You couldn't keep her on her back. I'm pretty happy that I got to spend the day with her as she achieved this new milestone :)


Audrey has been using Halloween stamps and she likes to hang her masterpieces on the fridge.

And play hopscotch on them (?)

I just love these! Audrey thinks it's so funny when Abigail touches her..."Abby's tickling me!"












These girls are wonderful and I'm loving every minute we get to spend together. Abigail turned FIVE MONTHS yesterday...that post will be next!

Sister Love

Even Christopher has noticed how Audrey has been paying more attention to Abigail. Today when Audrey and I were leaving for dance she said that she wanted Abby to come with us. When we came home from dance & shopping, she ran to where Chris was holding Abby on the couch. She kissed her, hugged her, and starting talking to her! She calls her "My Abby" and says that she's her best friend. Such a sweet girl!

Sick Day

I took a sick day today. Yesterday I had a sore throat, headache, and body aches...you know the kind where even your hair hurts? Yeah...it got so bad that by 4:00 I nearly cried every time I swallowed or tried to talk. Not cool when you have to engage 25 kiddos. Before I left I piled a bunch of stuff on my desk in case I needed a sub. I felt worse as the night when on and ended up taking an allergy pill before bed. It's tricky- I had a feeling it was allergies (I didn't have a fever) but then again we had just come back to school and this time of year the influx of germs is inevitable and unavoidable. I was hoping it was just allergies because my babes CANNOT get sick! I typed up sub plans and took a hot shower before crashing.

I woke up at 4:30 this morning and still felt like I had a sword in my throat...I could barely talk! So I arranged for my sub and went back to bed until Chris and the girls woke up. He offered to take the girls to Grandma's. I was so thankful for that! Besides not having a voice, I was exhausted and still very achy. No way could I have gotten any rest with 2 little babes all day. I felt guilty as they all left, but it was exactly what I needed...I took a couple of naps and enjoyed the peace and quiet. I feel much better tonight! My throat doesn't hurt, the aches are gone and I'm just a little stuffy.

This week kicked my butt. Part of it was feeling sick, the other part is the overwhelming amount of work to be done at school. I love the beginning of school, but it's just so hectic trying to get into a good routine. There's not enough time in the day to get things done. Maybe by October I'll have a better handle!

The girls are great- I just love spending time with them in the evenings. Abigail is SO READY for food. She eats with her eyes! I have her sit in the Bumbo at the table when we eat. She stares at the food so intensely, you can tell she wants it!



I can't wait until she's 6 months...I want to see if BLW will work for her.

Post Summary: I got a much needed day of rest (thanks do Dad and Grandma!), school is a bit stressful right now, and my baby really wants to get her grub on. :)

Loving my girls!

I am tired when 4:00 rolls around. But I definitely get my second wind when I pick up the girls...it's like starting a new day- I feel excited and hopeful and really happy.

And by the time the girls go to bed I feel like we've had a good amount of time for fun and bonding. By 8:30 I'm ready for lights out!





I really love my evenings again!

9.11 Ten Years Later

I, along with everyone else on the planet, will never forget where I was that day. I was in college, on my way to class when I heard someone say that a plane had hit one of the Twin Towers in NYC. I sat through class, not knowing AT ALL the magnitude of the situation. I thought it was a horrible accident. After class the halls were abuzz with more news- we were under attack...TWO planes had hit the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and one crashed in PA. I immediately left and went to Christopher's house (after calling my dad who worked in DC...he had actually stayed home that day.) Chris's house was only a minute from school so I went there to watch the news. He was working the evening shift at Capital One so he was home when I got there. I just couldn't believe it. I felt so awful. And angry. I couldn't peel myself away from the news- I listened to it all the way to work and throughout the afternoon. When I got to the bank everyone was somber and listening to the news...I remember customers looking very scared.

My most vivid memory still makes me emotional...I drove home and saw my parents sitting on the porch. I got out of my car, walked up to them and started crying. My dad just hugged me for the longest time. All I could say was, "All those people..." I was just so sad. I kept the news on for days, waiting for another attack. I was so, so angry as we learned more and more about the situation. To me, terrorism was very new...I knew about Pan Am 103 and the Olympic bombing in 1996- but this was just unreal.

It's very sad to me that we live in a world where these kinds of things happen. I can only hope my girls never have to experience something so tragic. But, as I told my students when we discussed Patriot Day, I am choosing to focus on the heroes of that day. I remember very well how Americans united and feeling very proud to be one. We will never forget.

First Week of School

Well, I survived. Barely. It's going to be a huge djustment with having a larger class this year. It takes every ounce of energy I have to keep the class under control. They are good kids, there are just so many (and they are super needy at the beginning of the year!!) I have to keep reminding myself that they're still at the beginning of 3rd grade. I'd forgotten that feeling we all have at the beginning of the year- "Oh my goodness, they can't do ANYTHING!" It will take time but I'm determined to make this another fantastic year!

Everything went very well schedule-wise. No problems with the girls in the mornings, got to school in plenty of time. BIG THANKS to Christopher who will be taking both girls to Grandma's house twice a week (even though it's completely out of his way)...I go in super early and get so much done. Love you!! Evenings are great as well- we all get home at about the same time. Chris cooks dinner while I spend time with the girls (again, big props to the husband!) Audrey loves to take out her toys and set them up on the living room table. Abigail gets a bottle as soon as we get home and likes to either be held, or sit in the Bumbo. Bedtime routines run smoothly and the girls are in bed by 8-8:30. I pretty much crash after that! I've been waking up super early (on my own) and I do enjoy the extra quiet time but I'm wiped out by day's end.

On Thursday we went to Spirit Night at Chic-fil-a. These always make for late nights but they are so worth it. I love seeing the kids outside of school and Audrey does, too! Unfortunately we had awful rain while we were there so we were "stuck" for a little while longer than I had planned. But all in all it was a fun night!

I gave Audrey a flower from the table. She tore off every petal and proceeded to throw them in the air...Aunt Kelly, she's SO ready to be your flower girl!


Then she stole one of my student's rain boots and tried to get them on (thanks for the help, MJ!)


She was actually very, very good. Stayed by me the whole night (even though she really wanted to go into the playground area.) So she got ice cream!


Abigail was an angel! Everyone kept saying that she looks exactly like me :)



Gator PJs!!

Today Audrey had her first dance class of the year. She was absolutely thrilled to be back. Totally enthusiastic throughout the entire class, she had Mrs. KK laughing the whole time!





Afterwards we went to Panera, then Target for groceries. Chris had Abigail so it was nice to just have time with Audrey Cate!

I'm back to loving my weekends and cherishing every second with the girls. I'm looking forward to bonding with my new kiddos (they are seriously GREAT!) and everything else this new school year holds!