My little cuties

My girl, full of smiles. 

My happy boy, full of energy and a zest for life. (Thanks for the picture Gramma!)

"I'm a snail inside my shell, Mama"

Cole pretty much plays pretend round the clock. He can frequently be heard uttering nonsensical things that only make sense to him. The imaginative play comes to a height around dinner and bath time, conveniently enough, so that he is too busy to eat dinner and too busy to start or continue his bedtime routine. When I say too busy, I mean it. We'll talk  to him and he's so focused on what he's doing that he often ignores us and goes about his business. Last night he was a snail in his shell and just couldn't get out of the shell to eat dinner. That was pretty disappointing, especially since Keith had cooked the most phenomenal pork and vegetable fried rice. 

Keith making the fried rice that just about blew my mind it tasted so good. 

Cole in his snail shell

From where I pump.

My workday pumping space. 

Sick room. Nurse's office. 4th period. Only I'm not sick. Just making milk for my baby. 

Back to work

I've posted on this blog twice in the past month. That is despicable. What's even more despicable is that I leave my house before 6 a.m. every morning - when it's still pitch black outside - and don't return home until after 3 p.m. - on a good day. Sometimes it's not until 4 p.m. I'm still trying to find my groove of working full-time, commuting two hours a day, and being a mom of two amazing littles and wife to my best friend.

Keith and I knew my going back to work would be a huge change. Of epic porportions. We thought it would take an entire month for the kids to adapt. We thought there would be meltdowns and endless crying. We thought it would be so hard and that, maybe, by October we'd get into a regular routine.

We thought. We thought. We thought. It turns out? The kids adapted without so much as a sideways glance. This is Cole's 4th September, so he is now used to the drill. Sure, he's sad, and sometimes he shows that sadness by telling me he doesn't love me with a mean fake look or vice grips my leg in an effort to "hug" me. But, otherwise, he gets it. Mommy works in a school far from home. And Bevin? I thought it would take her at least a month to get used to the idea that her all-you-can-eat dining option closed at 4:30 a.m. Instead, she falls back to sleep in Daddy's arms with little fanfare. Of course there was a day or two of crying. But that was all. That was all!!! I thought I was going to have to run from the house every morning at 5:15 because the crying on that first day was so terrible. But she surprised me and stopped making a big deal of it.

Keith and I are adjusting, also. I'm used to pumping at work (though now I have a pumping buddy - who knew that was possible?!); I'm used to rushing around all day trying to fill up my one free period with all of the teacher-like tasks I thought of on the drive to work; I'm used to the commuting. I'm used to being away from my babies all day long. But, it doesn't mean I like any of it.  Work is work.  I'm trying very hard to leave work at work and keep my family life free from the negativity that can follow me home.  It's not always easy. Case in point: the other day I was so upset by a conversation I had with a colleague that I would not rest until I shared it with Keith. Hopefully I can learn from this and create a nice balance between work and life. Though I still have to get work done at home, it does not mean I have to allow the troubles of work enter my home.

The best part about our working situation is that when it's my turn to take over, I'm in it with them. I'm done for the day. No late night grading or planning. I even leave my bag at work, only bringing it home on the weekends or if I'm planning to do an hour's worth of work as soon as I get home, when Keith is still home. Pre-bath fun is spent outside soaking up the September sun, getting in one last bike ride, or one last bug investigation. Baths are filled with splashing and giggles and story time is filled with more cuddles and smiles.

I wish I had an awesome candid picture of our time together, but the photographer of the family is busy working during that time, so I'll leave you with these parting shots...

Bevin Jean: 8 Months

Bevin at 8 months...

is the happiest baby you will ever meet. Seriously! People are constantly wondering what makes her tick. The most common thing I hear - "How old is that baby? She's sooooo happy!"

is currently trying to stand up on her own without assistance from Mommy (but with definite encouragement!). She did it for half a second the other night and then plopped back down.

took her first ride in a real swing this month and loved every minute of it. If it's even possible, it made this happy baby even happier...

continues to love eating what we're eating and doing so in her improved seating arrangement (see below). Her favorite food by far are anything with tomatoes in it, including (and especially) just tomatoes. 

keeps lovin' on her Daddy more and more every day.

This month she is also cutting her first teeth - the cute little pair on the bottom. Can't wait for those suckers to arrive!

And finally, today she took her first real solid turd. No photo folks. Just imagine...

My behavior

Around here we talk a lot about "behavior." Good vs bad. What defines good (listening, following directions, responding) and what qualifies as bad (ignoring, not listening, doing the exact opposite of what was asked, etc). 

Tonight I read Cole an extra story before bed. He had stayed home with Daddy who was sick all day with a terrible cold that we are all still suffering from to some degree; Daddy just had the misfortune of coming down with it days before a doubleheader (two weddings in a row for a photographer.) So I didn't mind reading that extra story. It was Goodnight Gorilla.

And of course Cole wanted yet another one. 

But I have to draw the line somewhere. 

So I encouraged him to get off the rocker and go to bed.  

Cole: "But I want to stay in the rocker."

Mama: "You have to go into bed so you can go to sleep."

Cole (head down): "I'm disappointed."

Mama: "You're disappointed? Why are you disappointed?"

Cole: "In your behavior."

Mama: "You're disappointed in my behavior? What did I do?"

Cole: "Your behavior. I'm just disappointed in your behavior. "

He could, of course, produce no examples. 

Cole rides a bike

If you don't follow us on Instagram or Facebook you may not have seen the awesome video of Cole riding a bike. You've got that right. Today Cole rode a two wheeled pedal bicycle with no training wheels. All of that practice and repetition on the balance bicycle paid off. His balance is awesome and he is not afraid, even when he does take a fall. And the pedaling practice on the tricycle helped him understand how to use his feet to push the bicycle. We are so unbelievably proud of our little boy for accomplishing this milestone. I mean, I can still remember the moment I began using a two- wheeler. That freedom. That independence. Good feelings.

He loves watching his feet pedal and I love saying "Look ahead!"  (no I really don't)....

And there he goes, getting faster each time he goes for a ride...

And here's the 7 second video of him turning like a pro...