Super Long Overdue Post

Hi Everyone! I'm so sorry I haven't been updating everyone with all the happenings in our household!

A lot has happened over the past few months. Andrew and Patrick have now decided to enter the terrible 2s. They are slowly learning some new words, of which "shoes", "sweatshirt" and "outside" are clearly their favorites.

I personally have completed the Chicago Marathon with a 45 min PR! I also travelled to Ethiopia for 2 weeks to visit with my best friend, Morgan, who is in the Peace Corps there.

I'll just let the videos do the talking for me, but man oh man, where is the time going????

Playing peek-a-boo with each other a couple months ago. They definitely DO NOT fit in these outfits anymore!

Playing soccer a couple weeks ago before it got REALLY cold

Did I mention we have chickens??

Two Months Later...

I'm sorry it has been so long since I posted! I have been working 4 days a week at the restaurant, and then spending every spare minute I can with all my guys.

Patrick, left; Andrew, right; Sitting and playing together :)

Here is a quick recap of everything that has gone on. I took the boys for a weekend up to Presque Isle, where my mom was from, and saw my great aunt and uncle, and all of my cousins who I haven't seen in over a decade. It was just Andrew, Patrick and me. It was our first hotel stay, and of course that is when I discovered we can never let Andrew sleep without a onesie on. He took off his pajama pants and played with his poopie diaper and proceeded to pee into his brother's pack n play. That was certainly a fun morning!

Some more playing 

As for the visit itself, it was one of the most amazing experiences I have had with them. I still need to write to or call my family to let them know how much it meant to see them, but I honestly have had trouble finding the words to truly express how amazing it was. Ever since the boys were born, for the most part, they have been surrounded by Dave's family. I am so grateful to have them in our lives, but sometimes it is really hard on me that I don't have more to offer them on my end. They have their amazing and crazy Uncle Eddie, and my two aunts and uncle, but no little cousins or other family on my side.

Patrick likes to hug his stuffed animals

While we were up there, my entire family got together on Saturday evening for a dinner at the family farm. For everyone to be willing to come together to see us meant so much. That after over ten years, everyone was willing to let the past be the past and welcome my boys and me with open arms was fantastic. But it was so much more. Receiving little rocking chairs that were once my mom's and her brother's for the boys to have, and then seeing them running around all night with their cousins and surrounded by my family brought me to tears.

The rocking chairs!

We ended up leaving in a rush because the skies opened up. I would have liked to say goodbye in a more meaningful way, but I'm not sure I could have held it together. I am so excited to go up there more often and to know that now, only a few hours north of home, there is a huge family for Andrew and Patrick to visit full of blue eyed people just like them.

Andrew likes to hug his stuffed animals too

As for the rest of the time since then, the boys have started speaking more and more. Not just the babble, but actual English! "Shoes" is Andrew's favorite word, and Patrick loves to say "bath tub" and "backpack". It seems like almost every day they are learning a new word. It is amazing, and wonderful to see!

That's all for now! I will try to keep it from being another two months before I update again!

Hardest Thing To Date

Just a few minutes ago I woke my children up, changed diapers, got them dressed and immediately had to put them in the car and kiss them goodbye for their first full day in daycare. The hardest part, that is the only time I will definitely see them today. I am sitting here completely heart broken and trying to figure out what to do with myself for the next two hours until I leave for work.

Yup, that's right. I'm working again. When they told us of the price drops for the summer at our daycare, we did the math. It will only cost us $10/wk more than it was already for us to switch the boys to two full days of daycare rather than two half days. We decided that for the season, it just made sense to make the switch and have me go back to serving for a little while.

What I forgot to factor in until right now is the fact that those few minutes before daddy had to run out the door with them to make it to his job on time were the only ones I would see them. That is mostly because while I'm training, I am working some double shifts and most likely won't be home until after they have gone to bed. Once I start working a more regular schedule, my getting to spend only a few minutes with them will stop, and I will always have weekend mornings to hang out even if I have to work in the afternoon or evening.

To be honest, I now for the first time completely understand what one of my mom friends means when she says she already feels guilty because she works so much, but then she gets home at 6 pm, puts them to bed at 6:30pm and then sits and cries outside their door. It is what is best for her family and her children, but that doesn't mean it's easy. I have a feeling I will be doing the same thing when I get home tonight after a quick sneak into their room to give them each a kiss. I am trying to focus on how blessed and lucky I am that this is the first time I've had to do this.

I miss those adorable little faces! I guess now I'm going to go on a whole house cleaning rampage to kill time. Keep your fingers crossed that today goes by quickly and is busy so I don't have time to think about how much I miss my babies. I will give a better update soon which includes the first time both Dave and I have left the boys overnight!

I know I've posted this video before (or at least I think I have), but this is what I am thinking of today. They love each other!

***UPDATE***I just spoke to Dave, and the boys didn't cry when he dropped them off, which they still do sometimes, so I now at least feel better that they are happy there!