Thursday, February 7, 2013

January

Luckily, January was a bit less hectic than December! Rusty and I were able to get away (with baby in tow) one night to the Royal Pacific resort. We went to dinner at Outback then to the hotel. We slept on and off until almost 11am! It was short and sweet and much needed.

The following weekend I returned to work. It went well and I'm glad to be back. As much as I love to stay home with my kids and be "mom" you start to feel like you are loosing a piece of your identity. It's nice to be a professional and use the other side of my brain one day a week :) So grateful that I have a job that allows me such flexibility...nursing is the perfect profession for mommies!

Although I'm finally back making some money, it's half of what I was making before Elana came along. So we are back on a tight budget, Dave Ramsey style. It feels good to get back on track and even though things are tighter than they were, we are comfortable. Living this way makes you so much more mindful about each dollar you spend. I've started shopping smarter at the grocery store, clipping coupons and eating out less. I've also (ambitiously) started making some shirts for the girls instead of buying. Really? Like I have time for that, but it is a good outlet for me. Crafting has taken a back seat the last few years!!!

The girls started preschool this month at the First Congregational Church in Winter Park. I'm so glad to be able to have a place for them to grow and learn in so many areas! Audrey could care less if I'm there or not but Madison is very shy and gets upset when I leave. It only lasts a few minutes (thankfully) and when I come back they are hugging their teacher Ms. Sue! They do this every Friday from 9-12 except when they are sick which seems to be all. the. time.

In other major news, we've started time out in our house. Joy. They can no longer be re-directed to avoid confrontations, temper tantrums are getting plain ridiculous and the hitting and pinching is at an all time high. Welcome to toddlerhood! The time-outs have seemed to help with some of these behavior problems but it certainly makes the house LOUD at times, if you know what I mean!

Madison is our drama queen. Lots of temper tantrums, throwing herself on the ground, screaming and kicking. She pinches and pushes Audrey and is always taking her toys. On the other hand, she LOVES her sister! Every time I give them a drink, she tells me "sissy!" takes the first cup and runs it over to Audrey. Every time! So sweet! She remains a great eater and napper (thank god!)


Audrey is very social and did well the the transition to school. At home, she's a clinger! She loves her momma! And oh my, she is a chatter bug! Talk, talk, talk. She's saying something all the time but we can't always understand. Her newest thing is to say "No, uh-uh." Charming. We are also struggling on and off with nap times and lately she has decided that she doesn't want to eat much other than bread and fruit. Carb queen!

Elana is becoming much more aware and likes to watch her big sisters run around the house. We got our first giggles this month also :) She has rolled over back to front and front to back. She now reaches for toys and lets you know when something is not to her liking. Thankfully, she is better about taking a bottle now! Rusty figured out a trick: she has to be in her swing, with the mobile running and the white noise on. I guess it's just distracting enough...? She is still up several times in the night and I'm hoping that this month she starts taking some longer stretches of sleep!!! Here's hoping.



In February, we are looking forward to starting our co-op with 5 other mommy-baby pairs. We all take turns "teaching" a lesson at our house. I'll be teaching the letter "D" later in the month.

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