They Were Fine...And So Was I

The girls weekend was wonderful. We had a great time and laughed more than I thought was humanly possible. I have returned to the real world, revitalized and ready to go. And, as I had suppected all along, the children were great. They played. They swam. They even helped their great-grandmother make a cake. When Clay asked Charlie if he was ready for Mommy to come home, he said "No. I'm just fine." At least he acted happy to see me when I got home. So, my mother's guilt has faded and now I've started the countdown to next year's trip.

A Mother's Guilt

I will be the first to admit that I am extremely attached to my children. We wanted to have children for so long and we have gone through so much to have them. Now that they are here, I don't like to leave them very often. I have been blessed with 2 beautiful, healthy, happy, smart, funny, adorable (and the list goes on and on) children. I have also been blessed with the fact that I am able to stay home with them. I have enjoyed these past 2 years more than I could ever express. I say all this to say that, while I love being a mother, even moms need a break. Everyone will tell you that a little time away is good for a mother's soul. It gives us time to "re-boot." We need time to just be, without someone needing juice or a diaper or his tractor or her lipgloss. It is good for us to take time to relax and have adult conversation. That is what is happening this weekend. A group of girlfriends are headed to the beach for a 2nd annual getaway. It is something that we have all been eagerly anticipating since we came home last year. We are all looking forward to talking, lying on the beach, sleeping late, and laughing (a lot of laughing). My brain knows I need this. As for my heart, well, I must confess it is not so sure. The truth is that, even though there are times when I want to pull my hair out, I love being with my kids. I love that they want to lay with me on the couch to go to sleep. I love that they want me to build a fort with chairs and blankets so that we can crawl inside and watch Sesame Street. Bedtime and early mornings will be the hardest. I will have to figure out how to drink my coffee without 2 kids in my lap. I will miss them terribly.

Other Powder Pics

Getting back 10 fold...

What's that Bible verse that talks about getting things back "ten fold?" Well, I'm not sure it was quite ten fold, but my kids "got me back" for one of my childhood mishaps on Tuesday. I have been told all my life that when I was around 3 years old, I decided to re-enact a commercial using a bottle of baby powder. Mom tells that we were at Mamaw's house and they noticed I had gotten very quite. They walked in one of the bed rooms (the one with the dark teal carpet) and found me in a cloud of baby powder singing "Just and sprinkle a day helps keep odors away! Carpet Fresh! Carpet Fresh!" Well, Tuesday morning, Elmo was on and so, with my children focused on learning about violins, I stepped into my room. I was there no more than 10 minutes when I came out and was met with the smell of baby powder. The children were not watching Elmo as I had left them and, to make mater worse, their bedroom door was shut. There is only one word to describe 2 two and a half year olds in their room with the door shut - TROUBLE! Well, people, I opened the door and could barely see Caroline and Charlie. They had managed to pour out 2 full bottles of baby powder onto their beds, the floor, the changing table, and there was even some up the wall. They were covered! Everything was covered! Charlie kept repeating "It's broken. Mama, it's just broken." Caroline, however, wanted to make sure that I knew that this was all Charlie's idea. Once I was able to move without busting out into laughter, I took some pictures to use against them when they are teenagers (one of my favorite things to do). Then I started to think, surely all the things I did growing up won't come back on me ten fold. I have always heard that God has a sense of humor, but come on Lord, work with me here! Anyway, hope you all enjoy the pictures of one of the biggest messes I have cleaned since becoming a mother.

A First Time For Everything

Well, here I am attempting to blog. I never thought I'd be doing this, but, as I read an old friend's blog, I thought, "If Lori can do this, surely I can figure it out." Those of you who know Lori will understand and, Lori, I mean no offense. I thought this would be a great way to keep in touch with friends and family. That task is proving more and more difficult as the twins get in to more and more things. I am sure that most of my posts will be focused on them and things they have done. As a stay-at-home mom, what else am I going to write about? And, let's face it, most people want to know about them anyway. Please be patient with me as I try to figure out this tech stuff. I hope I can get pictures on tonight and I hope you check this site often for updates.