Wonderful Wednesday

What a great day! Fall is my favorite season but since we were living in Memphis for the past four years I didn't feel like we ever had a true fall. I love a cool, crisp fall with magnificent colors. Today the weather was in the mid 60s and the sun was shining. Our day started in a wonderful way because the boys actually slept in 3 hour chunks so we were only up at 12, 3 and 6am. Tim took Sofia on their morning run and he told me she sang to him the entire way. I love Wednesdays because Tim's office is only 10 minutes away so he is with us longer. We made a great breakfast and sent Tim off with lots of love and kisses. I'm starting to really get the hang of being home alone with all three kids. The key is for me to prepare as much as possible the night before and to stick to Sofia's eating and napping schedule. I enjoy the afternoons the most because that's when we typically have our outings. Today we took a nice long walk to the lake and Possibility Playground. I tried to take a picture of myself but I was unsuccessful. I put Sully in the Ergo carrier and Sofia and Everett share the double BOB. We get a lot of looks but we get to where we want to go :)

I have to confess that I was really worried about how I would handle staying at home. I even applied for a 50% teaching job in the area. The scary thing is that I made the cut, interviewed and was offered the job. I was really excited because it seemed like a perfect match for me, the school is very invested in technology and the largest class size I would have would be 15 students. I decided to take the job thinking 50% would be the best of both worlds. After taking the job and driving home I felt excited but I also felt kind of sick to my stomach. I started to think about dropping off my boys in daycare, they would have been 7 weeks the first day I would have had to drop them off. I know Sofia would have done well since she had been at FLICC last year, but even she didn't start that until she was almost 6 months old. I prayed about my decision and spent a lot of time talking with Tim. I ended up declining the job and the next day I was offered an online teaching job. I decided to decline this job as well and truly devote myself whole heartedly to the job of Mom for the next year (besides Fridays when I may sub at the school I used to teach at in Milwaukee, Tim will be home though because that is his day off since he has to work every Saturday). I am excited and still a bit nervous about how the whole year, especially since babies routines constantly change as they grow and mature. I also finally figured out why I felt like I even needed a job. I felt guilty about not contributing financially to our family, especially since I have student loans from undergrad and my Master's program. Anyways, after five years of being the breadwinner my life has changed a lot. I am ready for the challenge and I have enjoyed it a ton so far. My kids will only be babies once in their life and I'm grateful for the opportunity to care for them in such an amazing way. I can't tell you how much credit I give to working Moms too. I've been in that position and it is just as hard as staying at home, just in different ways. I had to do it so we had health insurance and I cried for the first month. Anyways, I am looking forward to this year's adventure! I can't wait to see how the lovely people below grow and change.

Sofia stole my dark chocolate but quickly spit it out because it was so bitter. No, I don't feed my kids sweets or chocolate, she found it while I was preparing her lunch and I wanted to see her reaction.

Everett helping Dad with the dishes.

Sully chilling in his chair.