Back to Work

I apologize for neglecting the blog this week- I had been on a three week break from my online classes and they started again this past Sunday night. I enjoy teaching online and the 'extra' money is nice, but those three weeks without the obligation were pretty nice, too!

Anyway, the kids are great. We had a special visit from Lily and a sleepover last week. The girls, led by their aunt, had a very nice little tea party. I love that the girls spend a lot of time together and I hope they grow up to be very close. I know how important my sisters are to me, and since Mairead doesn't have a sister, a cousin is the next best thing!

On a recent trip to Target (is anyone else concerned about the number of times I mention Target in this blog? I am...). Anyway, Mairead had been to the doctor and Nana gave her some money for her pocketbook, and we went to Target where she was allowed to choose a small toy. She fell in love with a stuffed dog (it is pretty cute) and immediately hugged it and called it 'Rosie,' which is the name of Grandma and Grandpa's border collie. It was so sweet to see her eyes light up and literally watch her fall in love with this little dog as she cuddled it in the shopping cart. She even willingly placed it on the conveyer belt for the cashier to ring it up. Actually, she has been very good about this, even placing items we already own, such as my wallet or keys, on the conveyer belt.

For a few days, this dog never left her side. He also was fitted for some boots and sneakers.

The boys are so much fun right now. So much mischief, but so much fun. Their language is amazing- they say new words and phrases every day. The newest include, "I got it/you, Elmo, where's Daddy?, Nana, potty, and c'mon. It's funny- when one twin is sleeping and I have one-on-one time with the other, I hear a lot more words. Especially with Ben- if Jack is around, Jack is definitely the more verbal boy, but when Jack is sleeping and Ben is up, Ben talks a lot more.

The newest fun activity in our house is to play ring around the rosy. Mairead LOVES this game and if you were to look in our windows, you would see four adults and three little kids singing and moving in a circle several times each evening. Ben mostly likes the 'all fall down' part, throwing himself down several times in the course of the song. Jack LOVES the singing and swaying. He actually sings this song and 'twinkle twinkle little star.' A lot of the words are hard to understand, but he has the tune and inflection down pat!

He and Ben invented some sort of game that involves standing on and subsequently jumping off of throw pillows.

But there are rests in between.

Mairead is doing really well. She is also quite the singer as she knows all the words to several songs. Her favorite right now is 'Wheels on the Bus.' We listen to it on the way to school. I hope it helps her prepare to actually ride a bus, which is a big step for both of us tomorrow. The van will pick her up at the house to take her to speech (literally 5 minutes away) and then return her home after the session. I am very anxious about it- I have no idea how she will react. More honestly, I am dreading it. I hate the idea of her crying and not understanding why I am sending her away with a stranger instead of letting her stay with us at the purple house. I wish it were not a van but a real bus- I think that would help her be more excited since she likes school buses. Wish us luck, please!

I take her to preschool myself, but speech is only an hour, and the idea of dressing three kids, loading them into the car, driving to school, loading them into the stroller, then dropping her off, loading the boys and stroller back into the car, getting them back into the house, taking their coats off, and then going to pick her up 45 minutes later is just not something that is fair to the boys. I did it for the first two sessions, but the weather is just going to get colder and the bus is just a better solution. Let's hope she likes it!