Highlights from the past few weeks

I have been a blogging slacker lately...and I didn't even realize till I checked just a bit ago at the date of my last post.  Boy, time sure flys by when you're having fun!  :-)  Here's what's been going on with us in no particular order: 

• We finally made it to my Granny's house last week for her to meet Henry.  It was a nice visit and we only broke one thing, so I'd say that's a good visit.  Kidding!  We did break something, and I felt bad.  We are getting better though, so you don't have to hide if you see us pull into your driveway, I promise!  :-)  Anyway, Granny was glad to see us and we were glad to see her.  I used to go to her house once a week when I worked, and also when the twins were small.  I need to be more intentional about seeing all the great-grandparents once a week.  That is always my goal, but I have to say, it's hard work taking the children anywhere these days.  The twins are into everything!!!! 
• Dance is going great!  Emmy's little group is doing so well, they added a second dance for them to the recital.  I am SO proud of her.  Her teacher was saying just this week how far she's come.  It's like we started in September and she was still so much a baby.  Now she's a big girl that talks ALL the time, and she is so confident.  She goes right into her class and I think she's one of the more animated and involved ones now.  My baby is growing up too fast!!!  Speaking of dance, she will be taking dance this summer.  We decided to keep right on going with it.  She loves it and doesn't understand summer break, so we are just going to keep on going.  I am hoping she will stay with this same group of girls from here on out, but I need to talk to her teacher about it.  We started her 4 months early, so I will discuss if her teacher thinks she's ready to move on to Pre-Ballet and Tap for the fall.  Summer I'm not sure about.  We like her class though and they are her little friends, so I hope they stay together.  I like all the moms too.  One girl's family brought Henry 3 of the cutest outfits last week, I thought that was so sweet.  We really have a good group and it's been nice getting to know new friends! 
• Carson on the other hand, likes being my baby.  :-)  LOL.  I've always said this.  He's definitely Momma's boy.  Papa comes and gets him almost everyday to give me a break and takes him to do his farm "chores".  He helps feed cows, etc.  I have to say, this has given Carson so much confidence.  He just beams when Papa comes to get him.  He leaves without tears and is so proud to go.  It's been hard for me to let go and let him do this, but I just say a prayer and give him all the hugs and kisses I can.  I know it's good for him. 
• Henry, our "caboose" as we call him, is great.  I am so in love with that boy!  In the beginning I thought it was so strange to have just one baby.  I felt like I was "missing" something....like-another baby!  But, we've gotten into a routine (a very, very loose one, nothing like what I had for the twins) and I am thoroughly enjoying him.  He goes everywhere I go and he's my little buddy.  He snuggles with me in the mornings after his first feeding and he's just a bundle of love.  The twins love to help hold him, feed him, and anything they can.  They are very protective over him and get upset if they think we aren't bringing him somewhere.  I have to literally put his carrier on the porch before Carson will step out of the house. 
• I had my 6 week dr. visit this past week, and Henry and I did some grocery shopping afterwards.  It's hard to believe it was only 6 weeks ago he was born.  I will post his birth story soon. 
• As far as how we're actually doing.....I feel like some days are great and "I've got this" and I"m super-mom with a clean house, clean laundry, precious, darling children that always listen, supper on the table...you get the idea.  Other days, I'm barely treading water.  It just depends.  We have found we have to do at least one, sometimes two loads of laundry a day to stay ahead.  If we skip one load a day, the next day there are three.  You figure the math because it baffles me!  The problem is, I can't put most of it away until the twins are in bed at night, or during nap if I should be so lucky for them to take a nap.  Naps are scarce these days and I'm trying to adjust.  It's hard.  Dishes are the same, a load a day.  LOVE my dishwasher, couldn't live without it.  I'm already planning to save up for a new one, just in case it goes out.  More often than not, there is some type of food ground on the carpet no matter how hard I try to avoid this and promote good table manners.  I have to say- the times the children are in their high chairs for lunch can be the only times I can either eat, go potty, or do something that requires no little children involved-like empty the dishwasher.  SO, sometimes food gets thrown in the floor because I am not sitting right there beside them.  I've decided I get a pass.  All moms of multiples get a pass.  If your child has bad table manners, do your best, but don't sweat it and never compare your multiples to a singleton.  Seriously.  It's apples and oranges I've found.  Ok, I'm off topic.  My point was I also vaccuum every day.  Most of this happens after 9 pm when the kiddos are asleep.  That's why I blog at ummmmm....1 am. 
• Speaking of behavior, we are in the midst of terrible 2s.  It's rough and some days I feel like all I do is correct bad behavior.  I feel like I am making progress, slowly but surely.  They are definitely testing the waters and trying to determine boundaries.  It is really neat though because they are learning what they can and can't do and are so much more understanding of it.  They are able to do a lot more around the house, which is cute.  I let them do "chores" and they both enjoy them at this age.  Both like to empty things into the trash can.  That is the new big thing and picking up sticks in the yard.  Carson will pick up sticks for the longest time, like an hour. 
• I have to say the most rewarding thing about this age has been seeing the lightbulbs go off as I've been teaching the kids ABCs and counting.  Emilynn counts to 11 and Carson goes up to about 10.  Both do ABCs and I think the neatest thing I've found is how they've learned that letters written on stuff everywhere is ABCs.  I had started writing their ABCs for them on the magna doodles and on posterboard and one day it just clicked.  They saw something with writing and yelled ABCs!  It was so rewarding to see that and it's fun because they are so eager to learn and show off what they know.  I am having fun teaching them-we are going to start working on colors soon, we haven't touched much on those yet.  Here's a plug for Sesame Street-it really has reinforced a lot of things and it was what started them with counting.  It's really the best educational cartoon out there in my opinion!  We just love it.  They will watch some other shows (mostly PBS) but they always ask for "Elmo" which means Sesame Street. 
• Softball season has started-it's in full swing.  I can't remember if I already mentioned that but we've been to one game of everyone's so far- Abbey, Madison, and Lys.  I just love ball games and sports!  Emmy grabbed her little bag chair the other day, slung it over her shoulder, and said "Momma, I gonna play that ball."  I thought it was so cute.  She may or may not have ran onto the field at Lys' game Friday night.  We had a long talk when we got home about going to ball games and how she wouldn't get to go if she didn't listen and ran from me.  She really loves to go and asks to go, so I hope that is incentive to behave.  In my defense, someone had left the gate open.  Carson came over and wanted to sit in my lap and asked me to "talk" to him after I was done talking to Emmy.  I thought that was funny.  He thought it was special I guess.  Emmy is truly my challenge though.  I think her fiery, free spirit and determination will take her far in life, but it a challenge during the terrible 2 phase.  She is a joy though and for the first time the other day told me, "I love you Momma" without prompting or me having said anything first.  It just melted my heart. 
• I almost forgot-we might actually be going on a vacation this year.  We were both against it last year because we couldn't imagine trying to get the kids to sleep somewhere else and worry about something being childproofed, etc. etc.  It just wasn't worth it.  We had a pool and sandbox and that was enough for us!  :-)  This year, we may make a short trip to see....drumroll please.....the "real" Thomas the Tank engine!  He's going to be close to us in June and I can't imagine the kids' excitement in seeing him.  They are all about Thomas and trains in general and so we are probably going to Tweetsie Railroad to see him.  I am excited because I know how much he means to the kids, and I think they will do okay leaving home this year.  Meme and Poppy might go with us, which would be a lot of fun!  Alyssa could ride rides with the twins.  Sir Tophamm Hat will also be there-for all you Thomas buffs.  Or "Chomas" as Carson calls him.  :-)  It's all steamies and diesels at our house.  Emilynn is actually more into Thomas than Carson.  Luckily we live in a railroad town, so we see trains every time we leave the house.  Papa took Carson to the rail yard a few weeks ago, and he said he never stopped talking the entire time.  I can't imagine.  Tractors are also a big deal here, we have a John Deere movie for kids that we watch at least once, sometimes four or five times a day.  I know more about the history of tractors than I ever imagined I would! 

Well, that's some of the updates from our past few weeks....I'm off to try to finish addressing the baby announcements.  I have a never-ending "to-do" list.   Will post more later.  Maybe pics soon.