(5 signs that it's busy season}

I'm really not complaining. Okay, maybe a tiny bit. I'm not married to a doctor that's on call all the time, nor do I have a husband that travels more than 6 weeks a year. He works a lot of hours, but he's able to be home quite a bit too. However, come the first week of January, I might as well not have a husband until March.

He's a CPA, and an auditor for a large Fortune 50 company. These crazy 8 weeks are what we lovingly (ha, ha) refer to as busy season. Sometimes I think it would be easier if he was out-of-town for the duration--it somehow seems harder, knowing he is 10 minutes down the road, but we can't see him.

He works really hard, and granted, I would rather be in my cozy house than in his office, but some days I feel like I may not make it through alive.

So, here are some of the signs and symptoms I display during busy season:

• Dinner becomes something I can make in under 10 minutes...every single night. My kids love it though, because I'm serving all their favorites--macaroni and cheese, Ramen, grilled cheese, etc. Ryan did ask Rick the other day though, when he would start being home for dinner. Ryan was worried we would never have an actual dinner again.
  
• Bedtime gets even earlier--it is a serious countdown once we hit 4:30pm.
  
• I actually considered going to McDonald's for more than one meal this week, which is something I have never done before. For someone who hadn't really been there since high school, until just the last couple years, that's saying a lot.
  
• Clothes? Who needs clothes? Pajamas work just fine.
• I start talking to myself. I've had some great conversations too.
  

Don't worry...all these symptoms are temporary, and will disappear as soon as March 1st hits. So, if you see me wearing pajamas, flip-flops, and muttering to myself, there is no need to call anyone. I will recover and be my old self soon.

{better late than never}

I really thought I was going to make it. I set my alarm, laid out the clothes, and had a game plan. Everything was going smoothly, until the babies decided they didn't like the plan.

That was the end of that.

I'm slowly figuring out just how early I need to get up on Sunday mornings, in order to get myself and five kids ready for church by 8:30am. Without Rick.

Hopefully by March we'll be on time.

{2010 Family Theme}

We decided that each year from here on out, we would have a yearly family theme, along with a coordinating scripture and song. I really love this idea, and already we have had fun with it.

It took the good part of Sunday afternoon to come up with our 2010 family theme. We had some great suggestions, (princesses were a common idea) but we finally came up with something that we want to work on as a family, and one that even the littlest ones can grasp on to.

I love that it gives our family a specific direction, and will hopefully provide many teaching moments. It will also be our teaching guide for each Family Home Evening, which helps me plan for the year!

So, without further ado...

~CHOOSE THE RIGHT WAY~
Sweetpea Family 2010 Theme

"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them."
-John 13:17

"Choose the right way, and be happy. I must always choose the right!"
-Primary Songbook

{I can wait}

(Please ignore the spit up on their clothes. That's what I get for taking their bibs off to take their pictures. )

When Ryan was a baby, I was always in a hurry---in a hurry for him to roll over, to eat solid foods, crawl, walk, talk...and the list goes on.

Well, things have changed. I want my boys to meet their milestones, but I'm not in a rush for that to happen. Right now, I'm in what I call the "twin honeymoon phase". It's the time from when they sleep through the night, until they become mobile.

For example:

• I can actually take a shower and not worry about locking them in the bathroom with me, or waiting until they are napping.
  
• My regular routine during the day has continued pretty much as normal (adding in feedings, putting down for naps, etc.), while they look on from their Bumbos, swings, or blankets.
• No baby gates, or worrying about life-threatening falls down the stairs. Or conspiracies to help each over or under the gate.
  
• Feeding time is easy--4 bottles a day, plus a little rice cereal with bananas added in.
• When I put them down, they stay there!
• They are still in infant seats, hooray! Once they make the transition into toddler seats, my life changes. No more keeping them asleep as we run errands, or go to church. It's a whole new ballgame getting 2 babies that can't walk in and out of the car, into stores, or into the house by myself. However, Henry is quickly approaching the limits for his car seat, so I'm praying we just make it at least until March. I can't even imagine church with two girlies, and two babies that need to be held the whole time.
  

Plus, I love having babies. That age between 5 and 9 months is one of my favorites...lots of smiles, happiness, and chubbiness. It's also the time that goes the fastest, and it always seems that before I know it, they have turned 1, and become toddlers. (Which I love too, btw, but the baby stage is much more elusive.)

I am savoring every moment. I am enjoying each and every day, and even when it's hard, and I'm tired (and maybe haven't showered for a day or two or three), I am trying to remember that time will pass, and then I will wish it back again.

So, I can wait.

JACK:




HENRY:

{tobogganing}

Living in a cold place has a few perks, thankfully. Just a mile or two from our house is the city forest, and it's one of our favorite places. During the winter you can enjoy a toboggan run, sledding hill, and cross country trails.

Yesterday some good friends came over to watch our babies, while Rick and I took the oldest three to go tobogganing. It was SO fun.

The toboggan we were using (thanks guys!)was super long, and easily fit all five of us with room to spare. It also was REALLY fast, which we loved, because our goal was to make it to the very end of the track before stopping. We made it, too! Miss Kate is our resident daredevil, and loves to sit in the very front as the driver. In fact, when Rick took them last week, she sat in the driver position all by herself, since Rick couldn't hold her and Emma at the same time. People were even taking pictures, and commenting on our crazy girl. I wonder where she gets it from. :)





What a perfect day!