My last birth story...

My poor little blog, I looked back and I actually started this post in February, edited in July. But now I am forcing myself to actually hit publish.

*Disclaimer: This birth story will have details about the actual birth. If that makes you uncomfortable or offends you, I suggest you do not read this post.

One month ago (now 3 and a half months as I finally edit and post this, now 6 months ago..EDIT 1 year ago) we welcomed our last baby into the family. As with all four of my children, this pregnancy was anything but relaxing. With Sofia, Tim was in the midst of his third year of optometry school and I was teaching full time and working on my Master's degree at night. We also sold our first house and moved a week before she was born. With the boys, we moved from Tennessee to Wisconsin when I was 30 weeks pregnant and moved in with my in-laws while we waited for Tim's license to become "official" and to find a house. With Baby 4, we moved into a major project house (never doing that again) while I was in the throes of the worst morning (all-day) sickness of any pregnancy. We moved into the house when there was literally no flooring. We had ripped out the carpet to put in hardwood floors but the project took longer than anticipated because we had to replace all of the subfloor. The previous subfloor was only suitable for carpet, not hardwood. As I type, I'm sitting in the room that I pounded planks of maple flooring into while pregnant, we chose a beautiful wide planked maple floor and it really helped to update the house. But we mostly like to get rid of carpet for allergies/cleanliness.

Our goal was to finish major projects before baby arrived, and I would say that goal was mostly attained. We still have to do the kitchen and redo trim on the main level but overall the house is much more comfortable and pleasant to live in than when we first bought it. This pregnancy was also different because we chose to keep the gender a surprise. Tim and I really enjoyed the thrill of the surprise, but I think we drove our extended family crazy.

I should have known this birth was going to be different because the pregnancy was so different. From the very start (probably 3-4 weeks gestation) I knew something was off with my body when I was at one of Sofia's soccer games and I left the game doubled over in pain. That was actually the day after my 30th birthday. Tim and I were supposed to spend the day biking to New Glarus to spend an afternoon at the brewery and then head up to Eau Claire for my nephew's baby dedication. Based on my pain and the bad weather, we skipped the birthday outing and drove straight to Eau Claire. The weekend was a bit rough for me because I was feeling nauseous and was cramping the entire time, I figured I was about to have a really rough period or something. The next weekend we were scheduled to drive to Florida for a week at the beach with two other families and their kids. The day before we left I went to the grocery store to get Wisconsin goodies to share with our Southern friends (cheese curds, local beer and wine). That afternoon I thought it was strange I hadn't started my period yet so I took a pregnancy test. I took it and promptly forgot about it for 3 hours as I went into my crazy packing and cleaning mode before our bedtime departure for Florida. When I went to the bathroom later to pack I noticed the pregnancy test still sitting on the vanity and I didn't think much of it because I fully expected it to be negative. Within seconds my eyes really zoomed in and noticed the double line! I couldn't believe it. I was beyond thrilled and I couldn't wait to share the news with Tim. I didn't want to tell him over the phone so I had to wait for him to come home from work. Before Tim came home his brother and their family came, as well as Tim's parents who were sharing the condo with us while we both waited to close on our respective homes. So I couldn't have the big run and jump in your arms moment. But I was able to pry Tim into a secret spot when he came home and share the exciting news. We were both so excited but we've always been ones to wait before sharing such big news. We finished our packing and had 20 exciting hours of driving to talk and dream about the little one that would be joining our family. We were also extremely curious about whether or not we were having twins or more again. We also shared our pregnancy news with friends much earlier than we normally would.

The summer went by quickly with another big trip out west with Tim's family. The trip was amazing, we spent time in Colorado and Utah but poor Tim had to drive the entire time because I was still feeling sick. Thankfully we flew to Denver but from Denver we still had a ton of driving to do throughout the trip. After the trip we returned to our "home" that was basically total chaos of projects and unpacked boxes. Again, I will never take on another project house. This is our third one and the projects become much more difficult with more kids around.

Fast forward and the second trimester of the pregnancy was enjoyable and it finally felt like our family was getting settled and into a bit of a routine. The third trimester was rough, but honestly I never enjoyed the third trimester in any of my pregnancies. Around 35 weeks Tim and I hosted over 22 people at our house for Thanksgiving and a day full of cooking brought on swollen ankles and Braxton Hicks contractions so we thought the baby may arrive early. The twins arrived at 35 weeks. Thankfully the baby stayed put through a couple more weeks and through Christmas. When I went to the doctor for my 39 week appointment I was only dilated to 2/3 with irregular Braxton Hicks contractions. My sister arrived that week to help me with the school drop offs/pick ups. I was SO thankful for her company and help. On Tuesday of that week my sister and I were running errands with the kids and I started to feel extremely uncomfortable and nauseous. She was amazing and took over the lunch time and nap time duties so I could rest. Later that day I noticed blood when I went to the bathroom and that's a big "red flag" phrase with pregnancy so I was ordered to go to the hospital immediately. I was annoyed because I knew it was early labor and there was no way I was going to be admitted, but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry. I was checked over and everything seemed safe and my contractions were starting to come at a more regular pace but they said I could go home. That night the contractions grew in strength and frequency. I spent the night grading and working on paperwork and emails for work so I could hopefully leave things at home without worrying about getting behind. I teach part time online and part time work does not allow for maternity leave and we have very strict deadlines when it comes to grading and feedback. Anyways, I tried to sleep and rest as much as I could. Around 1:30am the contractions turned and were becoming much more uncomfortable. I thought that was odd because it was still so early, turns out it was lovely back labor and a sunny side up/twisting and turning baby! We decided to go to the hospital around 2am and we had a horrible experience with a resident doctor. He checked my progress (and after checking was counting and recounting his hand before he finally said, "Uh, I think you're a 3".) and we were sent home around 4:30am. Tim decided to go to work and thankfully Tim's mom took the kids to preschool while I tried to rest. The contractions were uncomfortable but I was mostly just exhausted from not sleeping all night. The contractions started to increase in pain a bit and I noticed more fluid when I went to the bathroom. With the boys I had a sudden gush when my water broke so I was waiting for that. Tim's Mom came to check on me and after a quick check in phone call my doctor sent me back to the hospital. Thankfully I didn't have to drive myself this time because the contractions were much stronger. Tim met me at the hospital and a nurse tested my fluid and determined that my water had been broken the entire time I was at the hospital hours earlier. But this time I was admitted.

We lucked out and had an amazing nurse in our labor and delivery room. I also had the support of a life long friend of mine who I invited to come and take pictures and help support Tim. I progressed well and by 3:30/4 in the afternoon I was at 10 centimeters and ready to push. I'll be honest, I was so excited to be at 10cm and pushing in the afternoon because with Sofia I wasn't able to eat for about 48 hours because of the timing of things, so I was hoping I could earn myself a big dinner. After an hour of pushing things just didn't feel at all like they did with Sofia. I pushed for about an hour with her and she was my first baby. I really thought things were going to go quicker with this baby. I should mention that throughout the entire labor I was still convinced the baby was a girl. After hour 2 of pushing the doctor on call said I wasn't making enough progress and I should consider a cesarean. I was confused because my nurse said I was making great progress and Tim and my friend were getting glimpses of baby's head with every push. I am stubborn and fully expected that I was going to have a successful VBAC so I thanked the doctor but insisted I could work harder and try to get the baby out. I felt like I was so close I didn't want to give up. The doctor respected my stubborn wishes and let me push for two more hours. Finally after four hours a different doctor was on call and said we needed to pull the plug on pushing and deliver the baby. Baby's heart rate was starting to become more irregular, I was utterly exhausted and puking, and although we could see a head, baby just wasn't coming out. I felt like a complete failure and totally defeated. I was exhausted, sad, and just not at all prepared for a c-section. I felt like I had let this baby down and was not going to get the birth experience I wanted. I also immediately was worried about how I would recover from this "almost birth experience" plus a c-section while caring for my big three kids.  But, I was also SO SO ready to meet my baby. I pushed out all of the negative thoughts and focused on what was to come. I had a c-section with my twin boys so I felt like I knew what to expect. I shared my wishes of having baby placed on my chest. And wow, I am so impressed with the staff at our hospital because they went above and beyond to make things happen for us. As I was being wheeled away I got a lot of looks of pity, "There goes the one that's been pushing for four hours...". I remember I was absolutely freezing cold and my teeth were chattering. The nurses brought me lots of warm blankets and I settled in for the surgery. It's such a strange sensation to be awake for such a major surgery. Tim was incredibly sweet and I remember him steadily stroking my hair in the same pattern, it was such a small act but so calming and helpful. I was expecting to wait about 20 minutes to meet my baby. But thirty minutes in there was still nothing. I finally asked why things were taking so long. The doctor said once they opened me up they immediately discovered why baby was stuck and didn't come after 4 hours of pushing. After my c-section with the boys, lots of scar tissue had formed. Scar tissue had also formed in such a way that my bladder was adhered to my uterus and with the contractions and baby's movements, the baby was twisted and stuck. So she wanted to safely clean out the scar tissue and that was going to take some time. They actually had to inflate my bladder with another liquid because she wanted to make sure that she didn't cut my bladder (thank you). So it turned out to be over an hour of surgery before I finally met my baby. When the baby was delivered I heard a reassuring cry before they whisked baby away for a quick assessment. Tim told me it was a boy, I was completely surprised and completely focused on getting that baby on my chest. Baby was un-named at that point, but within minutes he was brought back to me and placed on my upper chest and neck area. It was an absolutely amazing moment. As soon as he was on my chest all of my vital signs stabilized and the two of us made eye contact and I felt that rush of love that only happens a couple of times in life. I remember the feel of his soft skin and his beautiful eyes locked on mine and the sweet sounds he made. He also started rooting on my cheeks and chin. I was able to keep him on me the entire time I was being "closed up". Since it was such an ordeal I thought Tim might let me have my first choice of names but he felt very certain that this little boy was to be named August. So on January 7, 2015 August John Ruder entered the world and our family weighing in at 8lbs 4 oz and 21 inches long. When we were in the recovery room I was able to try to nurse him and to my surprise I didn't even have to try. He found his way to the breast and immediately latched and stayed there for an hour before we were moved to our actual recovery room. It was close to midnight by the time we reached the room so the big kids had to wait until the next morning to come and meet their new baby brother.

Gus started as a great nurser and continued on to this day. The rest of the recovery was rough. It was my second c-section, but completely unplanned because we thought I was going to have a successful VBAC (the best laid plans...hahaha). I was avoiding a cesarean because I knew I had 3 other kids at home to take care of and drive around and I knew Tim would only have 1 week off. A few days into recovery my incision opened up which made things even more complicated. But sitting here one year later, I am grateful for my current health. I definitely still have weight to lost and I am working on building back my core strength. Gus was born with a very determined personality. For the first six weeks he only slept if he was in the Boba wrap, or being held, or lying on my chest. And he nursed every 45 minutes to hour and a half. When you're in that phase, it's incredibly challenging, but as I write today I know I am so grateful for all of the time I spent snuggling that baby and cuddled up with all of his big siblings.

The big kids fell completely in love with Gus upon meeting him. Their first reaction was to ask his name, and then they suggested the name Jackson. We still aren't sure where that came from but we had already decided on the name August John. The other close contenders for first names included Gabriel, Finnegan, Wesley, and Theodore. Gus definitely fits his name, we call him Gus the majority of the time, but we love his full name. And now we are getting ready to celebrate our beautiful baby boy's first birthday!

Settling down (Part I)

This blog has been on my mind lately but I haven't written much because our family has gone through so many changes lately. I feel like I can finally sit down and explain what has been going on over the past 6 months. I debated whether or not to even write about all of this but I want to remember that even when times are tough, God is faithful and takes care of us and does have a plan for our family.

Last spring Tim and I had a lot of big discussions about where our hearts were with our family and careers. These discussions started because of the awful work schedule Tim had. He was working Tuesday-Friday from 9:30am-7:30pm (but almost never finished on time) and every Saturday from 8 or 9am-2pm. Tim and I felt like he was seeing the kids for less than two hours per day and that time wasn't really quality time because it was either getting them ready to go to our neighbor's house (I taught in Port until 9:45am so the kids spent about 30 min to an hour at our neighbor's house until I was done) or getting them ready for bed. We didn't eat a single meal together unless Tim had the day off. And the company Tim worked for was a practice that valued quantity versus quality. We discussed several options but one exciting idea we had was for Tim to practice optometry in the Navy. It's something we've talked about before and Tim was very excited for the opportunity to serve his country and we were both excited about the possibilities of being able to live in a variety of locations and expose our children to different states/countries. The process was slow, but Tim interviewed in the summer and received the highest marks and we thought we were headed to the Navy. We were both thrilled. Our families were sad and nervous about our decision. Fast forward to the sequester and government shutdown and all of sudden everything was put on hold indefinitely. In the middle of this Tim started getting strange spots and welts all over his body. It took him weeks to go the doctor and when he finally did we found out that he had Lyme's disease. A few months earlier Tim's brother and I spotted a tick on Tim's neck at a waterpark and Tim's brother quickly removed it. Tim even went to the doctor the next day since he had been bit and took antibiotics but he still was exposed to Lyme's disease. 

In the mean time I had stumbled across an optometry job that sounded like an absolute dream job. It was a non-profit clinic in Madison, Wisconsin. Their goals/mission were directly in line with what Tim and I both value. Tim didn't become an optometrist to "get rich". Tim was interested in career that challenged him while also allowing him to provide quality care to his patients while also giving our family a nice quality of life. Tim applied and I also applied for a part time Spanish job in the area thinking if Tim got the job I would also be set up with a part time job. I was called for an interview within a week and during the interview the committee asked about my Master's degree in Instructional Technology and asked me what my "dream job" would be. I explained that I wasn't interested in anything full time right now but eventually my dream job would be teaching a couple of Spanish classes but also spending time helping teachers integrate technology into their classrooms. I was elated when the district called me later that day to offer me 3 different jobs. They said I could either teach Spanish part time, provide IT support part time, or work full time with half of each (my dream job). I was thrilled but unfortunately the job Tim applied for wasn't interviewing for 3 more weeks. Madison is a two hour drive from where we were currently living so I made the difficult decision to decline the position because the school could not wait 3 weeks (school was starting in 4 weeks) and I did not want to commute 4 hours per day and we definitely could not afford to move our family to Madison without Tim having a full time job. 

So we decided to continue our lives as they were with hopes that either the Navy would call or Tim would be offered a position at the non-profit clinic. A couple of weeks later Tim interviewed and came home so happy. He said the clinic was amazing but he didn't want to get his hopes up because it seemed like such an incredible career opportunity. Tim was offered the position the next day. Unfortunately this all happened two weeks into the start of the school year while I was teaching Spanish part time. Tim's previous employer also decided they would not let Tim resign without 90 days of notice. Long story short, the non-profit said they were willing to wait for Tim (wow!). Tim offered to work at the clinic every Monday (his "Saturday" day off) so he could really hit the ground running in December. This started 90 very busy and stressful days. Tim had to leave the house by 4:30am every Monday to get to the clinic in time and would generally make it home by 7:30pm or so (the kids' bedtime). Then he would work the next five days at his other job while also trying to fit in doctors appointments to properly evaluate his exposure to Lyme's disease. I tried to keep life as normal as possible for the kids. I continued teaching, which was incredibly heart breaking. This was my second year and my eighth grade students had been with me the year before and I felt like I had an amazing class. The most heart breaking part of all of this was that Sofia had started her first year of preschool. It was a preschool that I knew I wanted her to go to since the day we moved to the area, the Schlitz Audubon Nature Preschool. She was in the lottery a year before to even get a spot and we all were thrilled to see just how amazing the program was. So it really was difficult for me to take her to preschool knowing that she would only be able to spend a semester there. Her teachers, my friends, neighbors and my Principal were all extremely gracious and understanding during this process. 

The final piece was selling our house. The spring before we felt like we had really finished the house. We completed several big projects (hardwood floors, basement, painting every single room, fenced in yard, deck_ in the two years we lived in it and we were really enjoying living in the house as a finished project. Our house had multiple offers just days after we listed it. Fortunately we had one offer that was willing to wait to close until we officially moved to Madison. Once we sold the house we started to look at possible houses in Madison hoping that we could move directly to a house instead of renting. We were shocked to see how little inventory there was in the Madison area. Because of the low inventory and popularity of the area, the prices were much higher than Port Washington. We decided we would rent so we could actually look at homes in person and see if I was able to get a job. We moved the first week of December. Tim's parents had both taken new jobs in the Madison area so we were actually hoping to live with them but their house had not sold so they were renting a duplex. They very graciously said we could live with them in the duplex while we were house hunting. We expected that we would find a house quickly so we decided to move into the duplex with them. Tim's parents are two of the most genuine, kind and giving people you'll ever meet. The duplex only had three bedrooms and we couldn't have all 3 kids share a room because Sofia isn't a consistent napper anymore. So the boys took one room, Sofia another, and we offered to stay in the basement. Tim's parents again showed just how amazing they are by allowing us to stay in the bedroom near the kids instead of being two floors away in the basement. 

Moving in December, in Wisconsin, is not ideal. It was extremely hard for me to say goodbye to the community and friends I loved, the job I loved, and to take Sofia away from such an amazing preschool experience. But I was willing to do it with the hopes of having Tim around more and allowing our family to really live a life that allows us to maintain our hopes and dreams. After the move I made the two hour drive each way back to the SANC preschool so Sofia could finish the semester. I only had to do this for about two weeks but it was challenging because of the winter weather and asking all three of the kids to sit in the car for four hours on Mondays and Wednesdays. I think what made everything even more challenging was not having our own home. It's wonderful to have family around but it changes the dynamics of our own family. And we didn't unpack anything but the essentials since we thought we would be moving fairly quickly. The most difficult thing was the weather. This was the coldest/harshest winter Wisconsin has faced in over 50 years and suddenly we found ourselves sharing 1500 sq feet with 7 people. And I lost all of the resources I had with play date friends and places for the kids to run and play inside when the weather is too cold outside. Christmas came very quickly and Tim's brother, his wife and son came to visit for Christmas. We love them dearly but it was even more challenging to fit an extra three people in the house for a week over Christmas. I felt like my world flipped upside down within a matter of 3 weeks. The shining light throughout this time was that Tim absolutely LOVED and still loves his new position and the organization he works for. On the other hand the kids and I had lost our entire routine and community that we were thriving in. I knew it would just take time to adjust. We started house hunting and unfortunately every house we put an offer in on we lost due to multiple bidders driving the price way over asking. Normally there are 6,000 homes on the market in the Dane County area and one realtor told us that there are only about 2,500 homes on the market which is sparking higher prices, intense competition, and bidding wars. In order to get a house you basically have to see it and bid on it the day it comes on the market. This was difficult for Tim and I to do since he works and we still didn't feel entirely familiar with the area or where we wanted to live. 

Babies are awake so time to sign off. Hopefully Part II will come tomorrow. 

Back to school!

Decided to check back in on my blog and found this post that I never published. My oh my how things have changed since this post. It will likely take a while for me to catch up but I'll finally publish the post I wrote back in August!


Ok, I gave myself a one week break from blogging so I could get ready for the school year. Between Sofia's preschool orientations and my inservice and classroom move things were busy around here. It's amazing how the past few weeks we've had amazing summer weather and just yesterday you could feel a bit of crisp weather in the air. My favorite season, fall, is right around the corner. I'm happy to report our little family hit everything on our bucket list.

2013 Summer Bucket List
-Milwaukee County Zoo: We were lucky to do this almost every single week. Of course we rode the zoo train every time we were there, thank goodness the boys still ride for free.

-Bookworm Gardens: And amazing garden that is set up as a natural and free play area for children. Each area represents a different story. Words don't do this place justice, it's a hidden gem in Sheboygan.

-Pirates Hollow Pool & Area Splash Pads: This is our community pool and we debated buying a pool pass for the summer but the boys still swim for free and this is the one place I don't feel comfortable taking all three kids to by myself. So we usually went for the night swims with Tim. We had quite a few hot weather weeks this summer so we definitely took advantage of this awesome pool. I don't feel comfortable taking the kids to the pool by myself yet so when Tim wasn't around we spent a lot of time at area splash pads to cool off.

-Beach: When you live on Lake Michigan it's impossible to not enjoy the beach. We enjoy it year round with hikes but the kids love it the most in the summer when they can use sand toys. We spent a few days at North Beach in Port but our favorite is still South Beach and Harrington Beach. I took the kids to the beach a couple of times per week for day time fun with swimming and sand toys but a lot of evening picnics as well. We also enjoyed the beaches of Door County with a few camping trips there.

-Camping: We took three camping trips this summer, two to Door County (Peninsula State Park) and one to Kettle Moraine North. Camping definitely takes some work and organization but it's so worth it. The kids love living in the woods for a few days.

-Bike rides: We took a ton of family bike rides this summer. I tend to avoid driving around town as much as I can. I'd rather bike and enjoy the nice weather and get a tremendous workout pulling almost 100 pounds of kids and the bike trailer. Our favorite destination is the ice cream shop, without a doubt. I love the simultaneous ice cream cheers when the kids start to realize where we are heading on the bike.

-Summer Festivals: In the Midwest there are literally tons of festivals and activities from May-September because people are dying to enjoy the gorgeous weather before winter strikes. We took the kids to quite a few good festivals this year but sadly we missed Irish Fest because we were camping.

-Bay Beach Amusement Park- This is an old amusement park near Green Bay and every ride is a quarter. We stopped here on our way home from a camping trip with Tim's parents and his brother. The kids had a great time. Sully rode a few rides but he wasn't quite as adventurous as Sofia and Everett who rode absolutely everything they could with no fear.

We probably picked the worse "first ride" possible for Sully.

-Door County Half Iron- This was my personal highlight of the summer. I trained for this event for 9 months and the actual race was simply amazing. It consisted of a 1.2 mile swim in Lake Michigan, 56 mile bike ride and 13.1 mile run. My original goal was 7 hours but I finished in just over 6 hours! More importantly, it was a breathtaking course and it was an amazing feeling to cross the finish line.

-Summer Sounds- This is one of the many outdoor concert series in our area. We went to a couple concerts in Port as well but Summer Sounds is the closest we've come to the Levitt Shell experience we loved so much in Memphis. Granted, Summer Sounds is about 5 times the size and is perfect for families because it's surrounded by 2 huge playgrounds.

Did you put that in the blog??

Our summer has been tons of fun and as a result I haven't been very active on the family blog. When Tim and I swap stories at night and I tell him about all of the hilarious things our kids did all day he always asks me, "Aww, did you put that in the blog?" I really wish I could say yes but the unfortunate truth is I haven't really updated since May. Our original intent with this blog was to have a place to record some of the events of our family (since we lived far away when the blog started) and to have a place to record all of the funny and sweet things our kids do in baby/toddlerhood. So my new goal is to post at least once a week to share and record some of the events in our family.

Sofia is almost 3.5 years old now and is a full blown little girl. She is sweet, polite, charming, inquisitive, sensitive, and loves her brothers fiercely. She refers to them as "my boys". She generally wakes up/gets up (doesn't nap much these days) from her "rest time" and asks when we can go get her boys.  Sofia loves to dance, read, create art projects, help cook, run, participate in gymnastics, swim, bike, sing and garden. Yes, you read that correctly, she gardens. Sometimes we joke that Sofia has an old soul. She pulls out a knee pad and will sit and garden (pick off dead flowers, harvest ripe vegetables from the garden). Tim and I have noticed that she is also becoming very social with other kids. She is less interested in playing with us at the playground if there are other kids her age there.

The boys are at such a fun stage. They are into anything and everything and have shown me how different raising boys can be from raising girls. Many people called me crazy for taking my kids out alone with me as much as I did in their first two years of life but boy has my risk paid off. I can now take everyone out by myself confidently. Of course we still have a melt down from one child every now and then but for the most part, it always goes really well because I know when my "windows of opportunity" are and when I need to pack it up. 

Everett is all boy all the time but is also a sweet and sensitive guy. He loves tractors, trains, trucks, balls, and jumping off of anything that is elevated. We can't go anywhere without Ev finding something to jump from. He definitely falls, but he doesn't cry much. He dusts himself off and gets ready to try again. Everett loves to experiment around the house with rolling cars off of various things. Above all, he loves trains. He spends a good hour every day setting up different sets of train tracks or categorizing his trains and cars by color and shape. Everett sings all day long and has a knack for memorizing songs rather quickly. He prefers to sing by himself though so any attempt to videotape him is usually busted when he sees us watching him. Everett isn't a huge talker but he's getting more confident every day.

Sullivan is definitely the comedian of the family. He is also the biggest talker. He talks all day long and asks me, "Mama, what's that?" at least 60 times per day, no joke. Sully is also a very affectionate little guy. He spends a lot of time hugging and kissing his siblings and Tim and I. Whenever someone leaves he always says goodbye and loves to say "Love you, Miss me!" when he means to say "Miss you". Sully can frequently be found in yoga positions or doing push ups or pull ups. Sullivan also repeats things a lot and can easily repeat new words after only hearing them once. He calls his brother Everett, Evie, Evie J, or when he's mad he says, "Everett James!"

And just for Tim, here's a story he wanted to include. Last night Sully and Sofia were under the weather so after quite a few wake ups from both children I ended up sleeping with Sully in our bedroom and Tim snuggled Sofia while Everett slept through the whole thing. When Sully woke up this morning I said good morning to him and gave him some snuggles and kisses. He said a quick "Hi" and snapped up and said "Where's Evie?". Then he quickly hopped off the bed and ran into his bedroom to check on his brother. Raising twins is definitely a lot of work but moments like these are so awesome to see. The bond these guys have at age 2 is just incredible. I can't even imagine what it would be like to have someone in your life who has been with you since conception and you've never been apart for more than an hour or two. It's amazing to watch them grow up.

Mix of emotions

As a family, four out of five of us are in a really good place right now. We absolutely adore the town we are in, our friendships with other people and families in the community are growing, I'm really enjoying my part time job, and Sofia is all set for next year (she won a lottery spot for a place in the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center preschool 2 days a week, I have wanted Sofia to attend this preschool since I first heard about it years ago). Last fall Tim took a new job due to stress with his old one, mainly from working every Saturday. This new job was supposed to relieve some of that by giving Tim every third Saturday off but after 8 months of the new job we both feel like we are even more drained than before. The Saturday thing hasn't worked out as well as we hoped and Tim has to work until 7 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening. Tim is also seeing a ton more patients than he used to and rarely gets to eat lunch. This optometry practice is also further away (30 minutes each way, one hour a day wasted in the car) which means he isn't home until 7:30 but realistically more like 7:40 most nights. Our kids used to go to bed at 7:30 but I let them stay up because they ask about him all day long and I like going through the bedtime routine as a family. But starting the bedtime routine so late (as well as the house cleaning that happens after bedtime) has led to Tim and I not able to sit down and breathe until 9 or 9:30 at night. During the week I honestly feel like a single parent. I attend all activities by myself with the kids, which can be challenging with three under three. And, I'm training for a half ironman and most of the group workouts happen around 5:30 or 6pm. I know this sounds insignificant, but working out is my stress relief and my social hour. If I have free time I'd much rather go on a run or bike ride with one of my friends than go out for a drink. I think it's really important to keep myself physically healthy. We don't have any family close enough to help out so lately I just feel really alone during the week. I'd like to spend quality time with my husband during the week but with him working so late we are both just exhausted by the time we're done with bedtime and clean up. And I get up at 5 most mornings to swim/work out and I work at 7 so I really need to go to bed at a reasonable hour whereas Tim doesn't work until 10am. All in all, I predict some kind of change on the horizon. This makes Tim and I both sad because we both realize that 4/5 of us are doing well, but we as a family really want and need Tim around more. Time will tell what God's plan is for our family.

Sorry for the boring complaint post, I just needed to vent.

Quick update

I didn't mean to neglect my blog. Here's my attempt at a quick update. Almost every day when one of the kids says something cute Tim asks me if I put it in the blog, to which my response is usually "No, but I will!"

Since I've last updated here are some of the major events of our family....

-Sofia turned 3! I simply cannot believe she is 3, the time flew by and she is such an amazing little girl. Three does come with some challenges as she is increasingly independent and sometimes a bit stubborn (no idea where that comes from ;)). Overall though, I'm just in awe of this little human in our lives. She is so well spoken and has such a kind and generous heart. She loves to take care of everyone. Her other interests include reading, riding her new bike, swimming, art projects, baking with Mom or one of her Grandmas, gardening, and singing. She is an excellent reader and we frequently find her reading on her own or reading a book out loud to her brothers or stuffed animals. Sofia loves her preschool program and she will be sad to see it end in a few weeks. Sofia also broke her arm this month. It happened at a local playground when she was riding a spinning circle (that's the best description I can give). I was actually on it with her but I wasn't holding her. Tim came over and spun it a little too fast, she got scared and tried to get off but landed awkwardly on her arm. Sofia was such a trooper with her x-rays and cast and hopefully will be back to normal in about 3-4 weeks.

The six layer cake that Sofia and I baked together.

-We drove (23 hours each way) to Florida with the kids for a spring break trip. We stopped in Tennessee on the way down and way back to give the kids a break and visit with old friends in Knoxville and Nashville. The trip was just awesome, the kids did so well during the drive and they just loved the beach.

Sofia got a special day trip with Tim and I to a wildlife park while the boys spent the day with Uncle Russ & Aunt Peg.

Sofia the kite master!

Sullivan refuses to ever be a part of a sibling picture.

The kids even got to hang out with second cousins Ryker and Slade.

-Everett & Sully are two months away from their 2nd birthday! Their lives seem to be going by twice as fast as Sofia's. They are at such a fun yet challenging age. They are really starting to develop some strong interests and personalities. The main thing that is challenging about their age isn't really their age but the fact that there are two of them. They aren't interested in riding in the stroller unless we are running. And I can't run with them and leave Sofia alone on her bike. So I hunted around for weeks on Craigslist and found an amazing double bike for the boys that I can strap them into (so they can't run into the street) so we can bike to the parks in our area.

Sofia before her first soccer practice.

At the Kalahari in the Dells.

Sully bear!

Evie!

An attempt at a group picture.

Wave pool!

Shaving cream cars (a desperate attempt for entertainment on a cold winter/spring day)

The boys favorite part, the car wash.

Betty Brinn Children's Museum

Sullivan shopping at the Sendiks inside the museum

Sofia in action at soccer practice.

Small yet memorable moments
-Reading books three or four times in a row to my Everett who seems to love reading as much as his big sister.
-Listening to Sofia sing all three verses of our "Our Father" song that we sing to the kids every night at bedtime. We usually sing it while Tim and I rub the boys' backs. Sofia stands in the middle of us and sneaks her arm through the crib and rubs one of her brothers' backs and sings. The love she has for her family and brothers is so pure, innocent and beautiful.
-Watching the boys race back and forth down the board walk in Florida.
-Sullivan is starting to talk a lot more now. His voice is simply adorable and he is very curious about body parts. He spends a lot of time pointing at various things saying, "What's that?"
-Dance parties with the kids. Our kids are exposed to a lot of different types of music, we definitely play a lot of children's music but we also throw in a strong dose of dance music, classic rock, oldies, indie etc. It is so much fun to dance with the kids.
-The boys are so adventurous and daring, they literally jump off of everything. Thankfully they give us a bit of a warning so we can catch them but they jump off of steps, curbs, couches, chairs without a thought.
-Sullivan's night time "talk down". He's at the phase where he repeats things he's heard during the day before he goes to sleep. I'm usually rocking Everett when he does this. The other night he said "Night night" to everyone in our family and then he started saying the most bizarre things. He said, "Hi Dada, Dada no!". Then he started growling like a lion for 20 seconds before laughing hysterically. Then I looked up and he was staring at me from his crib standing and sliding back and forth chewing on the crib rail like it was corn on the cob. I tried not to laugh but he heard me and then started jumping up in down. Out of nowhere he stopped, laid down and was silent. He seriously does some version of this every night. Everett usually sleeps through it or I'm rocking him.