A good night's rest #3

My sweet Rachel...almost 4!

Where has the time gone?

I'm trying to post a pic of Bradley, but having

trouble, as usual!

Yesterday, I took the kids to their grandparent's house to spend the night. Nick and I didn't have anything planned, just wanted to go out to eat, rent a movie and then come home and get a good night's rest. I have to admit, I'm still sad every time I take them and leave them for a night. I know they always have a good time and I enjoy the break, but it just doesn't feel natural to me. I got home yesterday and did some cleaning and laundry and stuff and then decided to just watch some mindless tv. I always wonder what I would be watching if we weren't watching Noggin or PBS or a kid's movie during the day. It turns out, I'm not missing much. I flipped between a few boring shows and then decided nothing decent was on. I ended up watching a couple of makeover shows, but I really wasn't that into them. I remember I used to watch those all the time when Rachel was an infant (and before she was born). Now they just don't have the same appeal. I also realized that I really don't feel comfortable not being "needed". I just kept looking around the house feeling lonely and unneeded. It was strange. Of course, there was PLENTY to be cleaned, since I rarely take the time to give anything a deep clean. And, there's always plenty of things that go ignored because I'm busy with the kids. But, I just felt a little empty without my two little babies calling me, needing me, wanting me to play with them or sit with them or hold them or fix them a snack. On the other hand, when they're here all the time and I feel tired and frustrated, I long for a break where I won't feel needed! What a wishy-washy, emotional person I am! Anyway, I DID end up enjoying my break. I reminded myself that all of us needed a break from each other. And, the kids thought it was special to get to spend the night at Gege and Papa's house. And, it WAS nice going out and then coming home with no additional little responsibilities to listen out for. Of course, Nick and I enjoyed sleeping in this morning till 9 and then running some errands that would have definitely interfered with Bradley's nap. But, at 4:00 this afternoon, I couldn't wait to see, hold and hug my little babies! I admit that my life is very much defined by being a mom and it's hard to be without my kids. I feel so blessed that God has given me such wonderful, precious children to care for and love!!!

Portraits by Selena

This is the only decent picture we were able to get of
both kids together. The rest are awesome, but they are all
individuals. I'm trying desperately to get them to upload.
Hopefully, I can post the rest later.

Rollin' Rachel and puddles

Sometimes we get a little messy around here. We went out this morning to enjoy the beautiful weather. Rachel is on a roller skating kick, so she wanted to practice skating on the driveway. She uses her baby doll stroller as a prop in front of her so she has an easier time balancing. It helps her roll forward and get the feel of how to move her skates. Anyway, we started out doing that and Rachel was having so much fun. Then, I decided to water the plants and ferns. Unfortunately, the kids have come to enjoy the HUGE puddles that form around the pine islands. I allowed them to jump, run through them the first few times the puddles formed and they have gotten increasingly more comfortable making the biggest splashes that they can. Today they were so soaked with mud that it was in their hair. We ended up going in and taking a bath before lunch. It was pretty fun to watch them having so much fun with a mud puddle. Rachel would run from as far as she could and jump trying to make the biggest splash. Bradley thought she was hilarious and tried to do the same thing. Of course, his jump into the puddle was more like a giant step. But, he was still very amused and proud of himself. What was really funny to watch was the kid's running becoming slower and slower as their pants, socks and shoes got heavier and heavier with muddy water. Especially Bradley...he could barely walk towards the end of their fun because he was so weighed down. It was hilarious. Of course, allowing all this "fun" is actually just way more work for me since their clothes had to be rinsed and then soaked and then washed to get all the Georgia red clay out. Also, we had to add the pre-lunch bath. But, at least the kids enjoyed themselves. From now on, I think I'll start watering in the morning (or during Bradley's nap) before the kids go out so it has enough time to absorb into the ground before we go out to play. At least that will eliminate the great appeal of the messy, muddy puddle!

I wish I could post some pictures from today, but I'm having trouble uploading to blogger. Maybe another day when I figure out what the problem is. :)

Favorite Hiding Places

Both my kids love to hide. Rachel has loved her closet ever since she was young and realized it was cool to close the door and take her flashlight in there. She has made everyone play with her in there from JuJu to Papa. Bradley caught onto this quickly and now loves playing in Rachel's closet too.
It never fails that they hide in the same spots around the house when they're trying not to be found. Bradley's favorite place is under the kitchen table. It's obviously not a good hiding place since everyone can see him from every angle. But, he thinks it's great and that he's so clever when he hides there. It's fun to play his game and ask, "where's Bradley?" He thinks it's funny and loves being "found." Rachel has a little less obvious hiding place, but she goes there EVERYtime we play hide and seek. She loves our foyer closet where the vacuum cleaner is stored. Any time she hides, that's where she goes. And, even if we pretend like we don't know where she's hiding and say, "where's Rachel...I can't find her...." Rachel always announces, "I'm in here". It's cute playing those little innocent games with them. They love the simplest games!

Little worshipper

Today we got up and went to our dear friend's church in Athens. We've visited there when Bradley was 8 months or so, but not since then. I knew it would be difficult for the kids(and me) since they are never left with strangers. But, I know we can't get used to new people and new things unless we try it. The church is contemporary and it's very casual. The first half of the service is spent in worship; singing and praying. All the kids are allowed to stay in there and hear the music. Rachel and Bradley did remarkably well. Rachel was so cute and noticed everything. She was listening to the worship songs, looked at me with big eyes and said, "they said, Jesus". She also wanted to clap when other people were clapping and even raised her little arm when other people were raising their hands in praise. It was very sweet and heartwarming to see. She was very excited about being in church and although I know she wasn't grasping the meaning of everything, she was absorbing so much. After the singing ended, she asked me, "where's Jesus?" Her natural curiosity and innocence was just so precious and such a reminder to me as her mommy the importance of raising her to know about Jesus. I know how important church was in our lives when I was a child and I want my kids to have that same foundation.

Anyway, back to the service. After the worship ended, I took both kids to the nursery and Rachel was fine. She jumped right in and played with some of the other kids. Bradley did well at first. He walked right in and started exploring the toys. I told the nursery worker where Bay was and to please come get me if he got upset. I went back to the service. About 20 minutes later, the worker came to get me. She said Bradley had gotten okay with Bay, but he was "fragile". When I got in there, one of the workers was holding him and he was sniffling and doing the pitiful "can't catch a breath" sighs after a big crying bout. So, I stayed in there for the rest of the service. He was fine after a few minutes and even played some on the floor. But, if I approached the door, he panicked. So, I may be in for that for several weeks, but that's okay as long as we get adjusted. It was still a great experience overall. I can't wait to go back!