yes, please

My only accomplishment for the day (besides doing 4 loads of laundry and keeping the girls dressed in spit-up free clothes) was sorting through 3 years worth of pictures on various memory cards. I procrastinated long enough that every single one in the house was completely full. And, well, we have babies now and it's really important that we document every smile, every sad face, every new trick...every everything. They just change so darn fast. While going through the cards I found this little golden nugget.

Only in New England and only truly appreciated by a New Englander. Just look at that ginormous, humongous cup of goodness. I wish it were real.   I could climb in that thing and take a nap. Or get my caffeine supply for about three years. Either one sounds amazing right now.  

things i've loved about this week

 sleep:
These girls are sleeping like champs. Last night they did 6 hours and then 4. I can handle that. Only, after the four a.m. feeding I couldn't fall back asleep. My body was like 'Whoa. I feel like a million bucks. Let's get up and get things done.' Apparently, it has forgotten what it's like to get more than 3 hours of sleep at a time.

 coffee dates:
Warner had a work day and a hair appointment. I love when she has hair appointments because it means she'll be up my way. And because she had a work day she got out of school early. Hours at Starbucks on a rainy day with your best friend and baby girls? Yes, please.

 friends in general

 friends who bring scrumptious food in particular:
A wonderful friend brought by dinner for our little family and it was  just so great. Great to see her, great to eat her delicious food. She also brought her handsome baby boy. And he was wearing tiny, little baby TOMS. I die. Which leads me to...

 baby TOMS:
I meant to get a picture of Adler with the girls but he is a mover and shaker and also I completely forgot. His little TOMS were so stinking cute. The girls saw his TOMS and now they want some, too. Plus, they would like to match their dad. Interestingly enough, TOMS (at the ripe old age of 7 months) also double as teethers. I think it's worth the investment.

 Regis & Kelly:
Well, I guess it's just Kelly right now.  {Miss Regis a lot.} I used to LOVE teacher workdays (which, by the way, I considered a 'day off' ha!) because while I was working in my room I would have Regis and Kelly on in the background. Now I can have it on everyday in the background. Today, Kelly was talking about how she spends too much on coffee mostly because, while she could brew her own at home, she loves the 'pageantry' of it all...the cup with the sleeve and everything. I feel like we would be friends because that's exactly how I feel. Life's just grand with a Starbucks cup in your hand.

 quiet moments:
The girls don't really nap on the same schedule yet. I kind of like this because I get alone time with each of them. But it leaves me with almost zero time for anything else. When they are somehow miraculously overlapping in their sleep, I get to have a few moments to think, read, and pray. Fuel for the rest of the day.

 two babes and one hunk:
Seriously. Couldn't love them more.

Oh, and Howard. Of course.

beet and goat cheese salad

What I Ate Wednesday 
So after I wrote about the oats that changed my life last week, I promptly ate half a jar of Nutella. So much for getting back on the healthy eating bandwagon. Nutella is just so good. And I'm a firm believer it goes with pretty much anything (which is why it's so dangerous). But the next day I went to my sister-in-law's for lunch and she spoiled me with some homemade chicken orzo soup and an arugula-beet-goat cheese salad. And I thought those oats changed my life. This salad was amazing. I've never liked beets but, paired with the goat cheese, arugula, and the dressing she made, they were scrumptious. I highly recommend anyone needing a salad makeover try this.

 The original recipe is from Giada. I love her. I would like to be her when I grow up. And to make this salad even better...my sister-in-law put chia seeds {!} in the dressing because she's healthy like that. {She's also wonderful and sent me home with my own little bit of chia seeds to try. I'm definitely going to try the banana oats with the chia seeds and see if there's a difference.}

Miriam's not only healthy but fancy, too.

In other food related news, my sister has started eating gluten free. She's had some random health issues over the last few years and I've definitely noticed a difference in her skin when she's eating g-free. {At one point, she was convinced she was allergic to the sun. And grass.} You can read about her journey here. When she came over for a breakfast date and to watch some recorded highly educational and edifying television shows that may or may not involve certain leanings toward reality TV, I tried my hand at making gluten free waffles. Despite having a more sponge-y consistency than regular waffles, these suckers were really good and really flavorful. Thank goodness for almond flour.Try 'em out. You won't regret it. 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/almond-flour-waffles/detail.aspx

And that jar of Nutella is long gone making it safe for me to jump back on the healthy eating wagon. 

motherhood by the numbers

2: babies 

2: parents. Thank goodness. Two babes, two parents. Two babes, two hands. This is doable. I don't know how parents of triplets do it. I don't know anyone with three hands. Or three parents under the same roof. (Unless you count Sister Wives. But I don't really know know them.) If I had triplets, my sister would just have to move in permanently. Sorry, Gabey-baby.

24ish: number of diaper changes in a day...give or take.

5: the average number of times I heat up my {decaf} coffee before sipping on it cold or giving up on it entirely.

8: average number of times I nurse each baby in a 24 hour period. That means 16 total. Yikes.

3 and 1/2: hours Sweet C sleeps at a time each night. Actually, last night both girls slept for 6 and 1/2 hours before waking up for their first nighttime feeding. But I didn't want to mention it for fear of jinxing it.

8: D batteries we have used to keep the baby whisperer {swing} functioning. Batteries running out=catastrophe. We really need to get rechargeable batteries. They make those, right?

12ish: loads of laundry a week. Does that seem like a lot? Now that I think about it, that seems like a lot...

1: times I've gone to the mall by myself with the girls. I've been plenty of places with the girls and P-dubs or the girls and my sister-but last week was the first time I busted out the double stroller all by myself. {Which is kind of tricky...do I leave the car running while I set up the stroller so they don't get cold? BUT WHAT IF SOMEONE JUMPS IN THE CAR AND DRIVES OFF WITH BOTH OF THEM (obviously running over me in the process)?? And then, when I roll on over to one side of the car to get Baby A, do I lock the doors so no one can grab Baby B? This is only tricky because my key fob doesn't work right now and the car only locks from the driver's side because the passenger side door wasn't fixed correctly after it was broken into in NYC last year. So dramatic, right? But my mind literally goes through all these scenarios.} Anyways. The ladies in line behind me at Bed, Bath, and Beyond were very impressed. One was there with her mom and baby. And the lady behind them told us that she still hadn't gone anywhere alone with her 5 month old. Now, to me, that is just silly. And, if I were her, I probably wouldn't have admitted that. But to each their own. I just know I would go crazy if I didn't feel like I could go anywhere.

9: days before Christmas our Christmas tree was up.

29: days after Christmas our Christmas tree has been up. This is embarrassing. The first few weeks we insisted it was still up because we were gonna get our money's worth out of it. Now we have no excuse. But please don't judge. 

2: people close to me that have had dreams I was already pregnant. Again. Funny. But not that funny.

32 million: times I put Sweet C's pacifier in during the night. The day that girl learns how to put her own pacifier back in will be AH=mazing.

3: pairs of yoga pants I own.

7: number of yoga pants I WISH I owned. One for each day of the week. Is that bad?

11: meals I've made since having these girls. But three of those were all last week. So I'm getting better. {And if you count all the 'meals' I make for the girls it's actually a lot. See above.} Maybe I'll cook five times this week. Maybe.

0: things I would change about my life since October 26th. {Except maybe hiring a person to do the dishes and laundry. A girl can dream. }

moose hats?!!

Nothing makes your Friday better than getting surprise moose hats in the mail. {Never would have imagined that would make my Friday. Just goes to show ya what my life is like now. LUH-ove it.}

Thanks, Eva. We love you and think you should come visit soon!!

banana oats

What I Ate Wednesday...
(really, what I ate on Monday)

I see a lot of people on blogs that do "What I Wore Wednesdays" but, believe me, you don't want to be privy to what I'm wearing. Pajamas just aren't that much to talk about. I have been making a better effort in the food department, though. The holidays hit me hard and I just wanted to eat gingerbread cookies everyday for the rest of my life. Sugar is so sneaky. The more you eat it, the more you want it. BUT I'm now responsible for sustaining two little babies (whoa responsibility) and, sadly, I think gingerbread is lacking a few vital nutrients.  So I give you...whipped banana oats. These things are amazing. They take oatmeal to a whole other level. 

{Disclaimer: P-dubs does not think so. You may not either...} I love them. I got the original recipe from Kath Eats Real Food and modified it a little bit.{As if modifying oatmeal is difficult. Ha.} But definitely go visit her 'tribute to oatmeal.' That girl has a hundred ways to eat it. 


Whipped Banana Oats

• 1/3 c. oats
• 1/3 c. milk
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 tbs. flax
• 1 small banana

In a saucepan, stir together the oats, milk, water, and flax seeds over medium heat. Thinly slice the banana into the mixture. When it starts bubbling, stir vigorously to whip the banana into the oats. Top with whatever wholesome deliciousness you fancy. I topped mine with almond butter, almonds, and chocolate chips. Do the chocolate chips cancel out the health factor of this meal? It's just SO good. 

On the KERF blog, she uses chia seeds which I've never bought in my life. I keep seeing those little suckers included in all sorts of recipes though. In fact, I never had wheat germ or flaxseed in my house either until my sweet college roommate read about this amazing homemade granola and sent me a box chock full of healthy goodies. All the way from New Mexico. Love her. 

And guess who is 12 weeks old today?!

This little face.

And this one, too. 

 Happy Wednesday!

words to live by

Some quotes I've been a-pondering today: {Not sure where I read them or who said them. They may, in fact, all be Facebook statuses I read at one point or another. (Which might make my life seem a little sad. But I promise I read other things like books, too.)I deemed them worthy to be written in my journal...and I think they are wise.}

There are no more good or bad days-just days of grace.

Comparison is the thief of joy.

There's a difference between excellence and perfection.

So contemplative...rockin' my mom cut.

things i've learned since having twins

We've learned a lot in this household in the past two months. Two babies will do that to you.  I've learned a lot about P-dubs. And I'm sure he's learned a heck of a lot more about me than he could ever possibly wish to know. But all's fair in love, war, and nursing {which can sometimes feel like war}. We've learned how two babies can be so different. And Howard, poor Howard, has learned to share the love and be VERY patient when he needs to go out. {Thank you, Howie.}

Some other things we've learned...

1. Don't press your luck.  If you have time to take a shower, don't press your luck and try to shave too. Come on now. And if you've been walking a fussy baby around the house during the dreaded and so aptly named 'witching hour' and you THINK she's asleep/calm enough to be put down--don't do it. Just don't. Don't put her down. Don't even SIT down. KEEP WALKING. 

2.  Teaching is way more exhausting than caring for twins. Some people might not agree with me. But it's been my experience that being a 24/7 mom, milk-bar, and entertainer is not nearly as exhausting or draining as teaching was. And that's all on very little sleep. {If sweet C would just learn to sleep like her sister that factor would be eliminated entirely.} Seriously, when I was teaching I would fall asleep EVERYWHERE. In the car (anytime P-dubs drove me anywhere). At the movies. On my sister-in-law's couch every time we went there. It was a little ridiculous. But I think this says a lot about teachers and the work they do. 

3.  We're special but not THAT special. Twins are definitely special and a little rare. But not that rare. Just last weekend while we were shopping at BJ's we saw three other sets of twins around the same age as the girls. Every where we go I hear, 'Oh, my daughter is pregnant with twins. What kind of stroller is that?' or 'I'm a twin!' or 'We have 11 week old twins. We hate our stroller. Where'd you get yours?' or 'My mom's third cousin twice removed had nieces that were twins.' Twins are way more common than you think. Or maybe I just notice them more now that we have them? Also, twin mommas are always asking about our stroller. It's pretty amazing. I could write a whole post about it. Maybe I will.

4.  It's so easy to be just me. When we were traveling back from the holidays in NH, I watched a twenty-something girl going through security and heading to her gate . She was all sorts of frazzled. I wanted to go up to her and take her frantic little hands and say,'Honey, it's so easy to be just you. Just relax. You have yourself, your computer bag, and your carry-on.  Your shoes are already back on. You are JUST fine.' Try having a baby strapped to you {and one to your husband}, a diaper bag on your back, pumped breast milk to get screened, a carry on, and your husband's gift box of Hickory Farms summer sausage and cheese because it wouldn't fit anywhere else.  Then you can be frantic. And even then, it's really not that bad. 

5.  Sometimes, when almost everything else is in the wash, your babies will wear Christmas pajamas in the middle of January. And that's ok.  

These pictures were taken today...as opposed to the one above that was actually taken at CHRISTMAStime.

a true story

I wrote today over at Naptime Diaries while Jessi (who is one of the most bombdotcom people I know) is away. Check it out for a genuine heart to heart story about how these sweet little girls came to be and the struggle I've had since then. 

i'm gonna miss this

On Friday, I packed up my precious little gummy bears and took them to school. It only took us practically the whole day to make sure we were all dressed in real clothes. I went in to tell my principal that I wouldn't be returning at the end of my maternity leave. {Did I mention it took almost all day to get us out of the house?} This is honestly bittersweet for me. I love teaching. I LOVE my kids. Yes, the nature of public education these days has worn on me just like every other teacher I know...but I know I will miss it. There are definitely some things I won't miss, too. Like not being able to use the bathroom when I need to  or scarfing my lunch down so fast I don't taste it. {Wait a second...my days are still like that.} Top three things I will miss?

1. Being a rock star. Ask any teacher. Walking through the lunchroom is like being the most famous celebrity on the red carpet. {Kind of. Ok, not really.} Kids calling out your name left and right...waving to get your attention. It helps if you teach a younger grade because then you have previously-taught students sprinkled throughout the older grades that just MISS you and get so excited at a mere glimpse if you. By the time they reach 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade they have conveniently forgotten how 'mean' you were when you made them behave and forced them to work their little booties off.

2. Twenty-two good morning hugs and 22 good-bye hugs (with a few in between).

3. The things they say. Like this. And this. And stories like this. And this. I found this little gem on my phone.

'The badger is a very dangerous animal cause...'

 

Did you get all that? Good. That's a pretty good report for a second grader. And a pretty good story, too.

I will miss this. And to be honest, it's scary going from two incomes to one. These next few years will be a lesson in trust every single day. But we're up for it because we serve a God who already has a plan for this little family.

Also a lesson: Badgers will eat you alive. Be careful out there.

Cheerwine

 

So I have a funny story from the other night. But it's embarrassing. Almost as embarrassing as the outfit I was wearing the other day. Fleece with snowflakes, geesh. Well, maybe more embarrassing because I was wearing an outfit much like that when this happened. Anyways. P-dubs arrived home from work to two beautiful babies but no dinner. {This happens a lot. Fail.} So I headed out into the night to pick something up for him. I may not cook you dinner but, by golly, I'll hop in my car and get you Taco Bell at 9:45 at night. I'm a good wife like that. {I brought Howie along for the ride because he went from 'Only Child' to 'What? I'm not even really a child?!' in a very short amount of time. I think he needed a little one on one time.}

As I was leaving Taco Bell, the bright and cheerful lights of Cookout beckoned for me to come on over for some hush puppies and a Cheerwine float. Don't mind if I do. {Nothing like eating right while breastfeeding. Fail.} 

Well, the little high school boy leans out the window to take my card and says 'Pretty dog' as he hands me my float. But then as he hands back my card he says, 'Prettier driver.' Huh? I literally thought, 'Who's the driver?' and almost looked around the car for someone who could be worthy of this compliment. Oh but he was talking about ME. {At least in comparison to the dog...} Ha. Let me remind you, it was 10:00 at night. It was very dark. Very. Poor kid. He had no clue what he was really complimenting. But then it got worse. I laughed a meek, little uncomfortable laugh and started to pull away. 'Ma'am you're waiting on your hush puppies.' Shoot. So I had to put the car in reverse to go back to the window. I should have just left then. I already had my Cheerwine float. Clearly, I have not been complimented by anyone in a long time. I just didn't even know what to do with myself. {P-dubs does compliment me but that's part of his job.}  Anyways. It cracked me up. I called Paul to tell him and he said, 'Ha. You made that up.' I wish that were true, buddy. I wish that were true. All in all, it was a good experience though because Howie was told he was pretty . And he liked that. We think you're pretty too, Howard. Yes, we do. 

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