musical beds

We're not usually a family of bed-switchers. In general, everyone goes to sleep in their own bed...and wakes up there in the morning.

However, last night, *everyone* was on the move.

• C went to bed in her crib
  
• A fell asleep in our bed watching a movie
  
• E couldn't fall asleep in our bed, so she came down to hang out with us. We both fell asleep on the couch.
  
• John carried her up to bed.
  
• I moved A into her bed.
  
• I went to sleep in my bed.
  
• John fell asleep on the couch watching the World Series celebrations.
  
• John came up to bed.
  
• At 4:30AM, E came into our bed claiming she had a nightmare.
  
• At 5AM, I heard C. I rocked her back to sleep and then carried her into C's room where we both slept.
  
• When C woke up at a more reasonable hour, I handed her off to John and crawled back into bed for a little nap.
  

Confused yet? I drew a litte diagram so you could follow along:

Man, I'm getting tired just looking at that.

seven, seven and under

Last weekend, the O family came to visit. It was so great for all the girls to get together. This time 6 of 7 joined the big slumber party in the basement. It won't be long before C joins in I'm sure.

 

On Saturday, we headed down to Charlottesville for the NC State game. We tailgated in a random driveway near the stadium. It was not nearly the prime spot like we had last time we went down, but it was fun nonetheless. The guys' whose house it was were so patient with the girls...running down their soccer and lacrosse balls in the street so our girls wouldn't get run over.

 

On the way to the stadium, we had the girls walk in "duckling formation" from oldest to youngest. It caused quite a stir. People were even taking pictures of them. We made it a full half before heading on home.

It's always great to see the O's...can't wait to do it again soon!

a day in the life

Ever wonder what my life is like? Well, then...it's your lucky day! Here's a typical day in my life!

5:26 AM - Get up and work out

Okay, so this doesn't happen everyday, but I am trying to get up in the morning to work out. Right now, I'm doing The 30 Day Shred...it's short and effective. I just try not to get too depressed about how much harder it is than it used to be because I'm soooo out of shape.

6:03 AM - Rise and shine, sleepyhead

By the time I'm done working out, C is up and hanging out in her crib. She was getting up at 5:30-ish...but hopefully we've turned the corner. So, I get her up and she hangs out in a bouncy chair playing with toys while we get ready.

6:56 AM - Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go

John and I try to take turns doing waiting for the nanny to come or getting home in the afternoon. (And, don't worry, I was at a full and complete stop when I took this picture. Ah, traffic.)

8:15 AM - Cube Sweet Cube

 

It usually takes me about an hour to get to work, sometimes more with traffic. I get in, log on and grab a cup of coffee. And then, I start my day.


3:32 PM - Coffee break

 

Sometimes, a little latte is all you need as an afternoon pick me up. Luckily, there's a Starbucks across the street from our office.


4:32 - On the road again

 

On the days that I relieve the nanny, I'm out the door at 4:30. And stuck in traffic, again.


5:34 PM - Home again
When I walk through the door, it's crazy. Hence, no pictures. In the next two hours, I have to:

• Get dinner ready (in general, we eat at home Sunday through Thursday).
• Eat dinner.
• Clean up.
• Pack my lunch and the girls' lunches.
• Relax with the fam.

7:45 PM - Good night, sweethearts
The bedtime routine starts at 7:45. C is first. She gets a bottle and some songs. Sometimes, she can't wait until she's in her jammies to start in on the bottle.

 

Up next is A. Sometimes, I read her stories. Sometimes, she reads them to me. Sometimes, she just wants a good night song.

 

Finally, it's E's turn. Most nights, she reads by herself after I kiss her good night. But, we'll also read together. We're currently reading Ralph S. Mouse.

 

8:33 PM - A little R&R

 

Once the girls are in bed, I come downstairs. Usually, I get online and watch a little TV. Sometimes, I prep dinner for the next day. Or finish up some laundry. It's a glamorous life, yo.

But, before too long, it's time for bed. Where I'm headed now, in fact.

the week in photos

Mmmmmm....carrots!

 

Reason #2,348 to have children...
your own personal bartender

 

Interims came home...
A is *so* smart, she knows 11 more letters than I do!

 

At the Fall Festival

 

Someone's a stomach sleeper now

 

check (her) out

Grocery shopping with C (and A & E) - June 25

 

Grocery shopping with C - October 10

 

It won't be long before she starts begging for candy in the checkout line, just like her sisters.

i'd say i'm going to start posting more...but i'm sure you won't believe me

So...it's been 32 days since I last posted here. There's so much that's been going on!

I've been meaning to recap E's 7th Birthday, and the maiden voyage to the American Girl store she and A took with Nonna and Pop-pop...

I wanted to tell you all about the first day of school and how E and A are doing in 2nd grade and Kindergarten, respectively.

Then there was A's birthday and the story of how you should never let your husband order the birthday cake because he will order a cake that feeds 30 to 36 people, on the off chance that the neighborhood kids will come over and eat cake. Luckily, some kids did come over, including the 5th grader that A has a crush on.

A's boy craziness is a post on it's own.

And our little caboose baby just had a (half) birthday, too. She turned 6 months yesterday!

She's been doing great! She's sitting up these days. She's also an eating machine. She's a very adventerous eater...here she is trying octopus!

Okay, really she's only up to Stage 2 foods...I think Octopus is Stage 3.

But the point is, I got so far behind with all the stuff I wanted to post that I was too just overwhelmed to post anything. And, quite frankly, I haven't found much free time to post. So I figure that I'm going to pretend like I wrote much longer, wittier, and heartful posts on each of these subjects and then move on. Hopefully, that will cure my "blog paralysis" and I can write something a bit more frequently.

I've got some good stuff I want to tell you:

• what "a day in the life" looks like around these parts
• pictures of E and A at their ballet class
• stories of how C would be the world's most perfect baby if she would stop waking herself up from pooping at 5:30 in the morning
• and riveting updates on my hair (two words that changed my life: dry shampoo) and whether or not I fit in any pants (Spoiler Alert! Not really.)

And, of course, gratuitous shots of all three girls.

But, before all that can happen, I must sleep.