Let's Compare

I've been meaning to post the girls' hospital photos for a while, and finally remembered to do it. It's just fun to look at them side by side. It's also how funny these photos look nothing like them. And when I say that, I don't mean as compared to now, because that's pretty obvious. I mean they didn't look like that in the photos we took of them at the hospital on the same day! I've always joked that these photos are almost always horrible, but you just have to buy them!


Even more amazing to me is how much Ashleigh has changed! I think she'll be the person that nobody can tell their baby pictures are theirs. Wonder if Abby will change as dramatically...


That's about all for today...Kenneth and I have the crud, AGAIN. Abby has a bit of a runny nose and Ashleigh is over her runny nose and going wide open, as usual.

WEEKEND PHOTOS

Took some photos of the girls Saturday morning and like how they turned out.






Had a birthday party Sunday afternoon. Ashleigh's first skating party and Abby's first party ever. Ashleigh skated from one end of the rink to the other after telling me to "let her do it!" meaning I didn't need to cramp her style by holding her hand; then sat down, took the skates off and told me she was finished. She liked the big pit of balls much better. And Kenneth also got several cute shots of Abby in her little crown. This probably isn't the best photo of them overall, but something about her expression just draws me to this one.



Had a good weekend, but Monday was interesting. In a bad way. Abby started shreiking and wailing right after I got to Diane's house to drop her and Ashleigh off. I stayed awhile and thought I'd gotten her calmed down, but I wasn't 10 miles away before I was called back home. I took her to the doctor and she couldn't find anything wrong with her. And I'm really not a freak-out-over-nothing type person, not even when it comes to my babies. This was some serious screaming going on. Worse than when she had thrush and that was horrible. She's cried more today, but not as bad. Wish us luck!

Little Things...

Sometimes the smallest things make me feel good. Things like:

: Waxing my eyebrows
: Buying new lipstick
: Buying new eyeshadow
: Having my nails freshly trimmed and painted-all nice and neat!
: No dirty dishes in the sink
: Hearing Ashleigh laugh
: Seeing Abby smile
: Joking around with Kenneth
: Having my Mom come visit
: Getting a call from Kenneth during the day just to see how I'm feeling
: Wearing a comfy t-shirt and PJ pants
: Getting a few uninterrupted moments to read or watch tv
: New songs on my MP3 player
: Painting
: Prozac (gotta be honest!!!)


What are some little things that make you happy?
Have a WONDERFUL weekend!!!!

Cutie Pies

Here are a few pics of the girls from this past week:




I love my babies!! I just can't get enough of them. (OK, maybe I can when we're all tired and cranky, but you've got to take the good with the bad, right?)

Here's a little bit of truth I've found the past few weeks. Isn't it Murphy's Law that anything that can go wrong will? Well, when you are a parent of small children, it's a little different. When you are pressed for time, anything that can go wrong will. The more time-crunched you are, the more things go wrong. HOWEVER, if you allow yourself an extra 2 hours, EVERYTHING will go smoothly.

I have a great husband

{Note: Last night was much better than the one before. Crying and whining was minimal-and none from me! That's always a good thing.}

Kenneth is home with the girls today, that lucky duck! Even if they can be a handful, I'd rather be home with my babies. But there is a benefit for me to him being home: the laundry should be done! It's mostly clean and dry and just needs to be put away.

The first day he kept the girls he told me (and my coworkers) that he didn't know how I did it, meaning keeping them all the time and not losing my sanity. And then cleaning, cooking, etc. too! But he doesn't hesitate to take time off to keep them when needed. This is a really good thing considering I don't have any paid time off left & he has PLENTY.

He helps with the girls baths (well, Ashleigh's-I haven't asked him to handle a slippery wiggling baby yet! He vaccuums, straightens up and even made dinner one day last week.

When we've talked about things before, he's admitted he should do more and I'm not going to pretend I don't agree. But, I also know that he does more than many husbands/daddys do. For example, he picks the girls up every day and has them by himself for an hour or more every day.

He's a good Daddy and that means everything to me. I couldn't stay married to him if he weren't. And being a good Daddy is part of what makes him a good husband.

Love you sweetie! (If you ever read this)

And no, I don't want anything!

Not so great...

but doing better.

Quick recap of last night:
Started out pretty well, but went quickly downhill within an hour. After dinner, Kenneth left the house to work on a project and I started trying to get a few things done around the house. HA!!! Abby was fussy. OK, not so bad-that happens. Ashleigh was very high maintenance last night, probably partly because of a nap that lasted only 20 minutes yesterday. I finally gave up on trying to accomplish anything, so I tried to just console Abby and watch a little tv. Hard to do with a 2 year old trying to climb you like you're a mountain. All the while singing/talking VERY loudly. By 9pm, I was just about at the end of my rope. Did I mention my sinuses are all messed up, I'm still VERY tired and I had a headache?

I turned out the lights, put Abby in bed, Ashleigh in bed with me-with instruction to be still and quiet, I didn't care if she slept or not! About the time Abby decided she would NOT be ignored, Kenneth got home and I told him to "get her" and very shortly after that, I was blissfully asleep.

Tonight's plans are for things to go much differently that last night! Hope Kenneth feels like helping with everything, because we're going to be busy bees. I just cannot stand for my house to be in disarray. And man, is it ever in disarray right now.

Wish us luck!

Easter Weekend

Well, it was really cold this weekend, not exactly "Easter weather." Especially since last week we've had highs in the upper 80's! Hard to get used to highs in the 40's just a couple of days later. Had a really nice visit with my family though. Got to see almost everyone, which was a nice change. I ate way too much, but that's OK. I'm "back on the wagon" this week and hopefully with the help of several new workout DVD's (courtesy of my sister, Cory) I'll start dropping this excess padding. I sure hope so because I'm not feeling too happy with myself these days-appearance wise.

Here are a few pictures of the important people from this weekend:

My sweet girls in their matching dresses that "Mommy Dale" bought them. Ashleigh's hair was just a mess Easter morning! But that just adds a little humor to the memory, right?


There sure were alot of eggs for just Ashleigh and Jayden to hunt! We'll be stepping on plastic eggs for months, I'm sure...


I decided this would do for Abby's "2 month" photo. Yes, I'll be doing photos of Abby each month on the 8th, just like I did with Ashleigh. Maybe for her 3rd month I'll get a really good one with her eyes open.

Over a month?

Has it really been over a month since I posted? I just can't believe it's been that long, but apparently it has been.

This is the end of my second week back at work. : / It's nice to get out of the house more and have more adult interaction. Not long before I came back, Kenneth said he'd be glad when I came back to work because we'd have stuff to talk about! As far as being back at work, I pretty much fell back in like I never was gone. Everyone seemed happy that I was back and it's always nice to feel needed!

Of course, now the housework is starting to pile up. I do a little each night, but it's almost 6pm when I get home. There's dinner and baths for the girls and you know I have to fit in some time with all the family! I try to sneak in a few tv shows a week (Thank God again for DVR!) and I try to be in bed by 9pm. Needless to say, my evenings fly by.

The girls are both doing well. Abby will be 2 months old Sunday! And Easter is also my Mom's birthday. We're going up for the weekend, so wish me luck. I'm always nervous about spending the night away from home with little ones. It puts us both out of our comfort zone. And Lord knows, it's going to look like we're moving with all the stuff I'll pack. And there's the little matter of the Easter Bunny coming to see them at "Papaw & Mommy Dale's" house. But I think I have that figured out too. It will be fun.

Ashleigh is just as cute as ever. The things she says and does are an endless source of amusement for us. And an endless since of frustration. Pretty much everything is a battle with our strong-willed little 2 year old. BUT I'm currently reading "Happiest Toddler on the Block" by Harvey Karp. If it helps me as much as the "baby" version, our lives will get much easier pretty soon. I should have finished it by now, but it's hard to find the time! (I can't imagine why)

Photos!

{See another post below!}

My sweet little Abby. Photo taken by Angela Jett:


LOVE this one of the girls. Also taken by AJ:


Ashleigh and her cousin, Jayden:


Took this one of Abby a few days ago:


One of my all time favorites of Ashleigh, also by AJ: