The Spinning Chair

Eli and Jude LOVE Alex's old office chair; they're naturally intrigued by spinning!

Autumn in the Park

I'm trying to get more posts out, but this time of year (holidays, end of classes) is always a difficult one for me, so I apologize in advance for the spaced out posts. Here's a video we took though yesterday of the boys; they're getting so smart!

A mid-autumn night's roll

So, despite the fact we've been a bit MIA recently, I've got a nice little video as a cure for the Mondays! Enjoy!

Best. Joke. Ever.

Jude: Knock knock!
Mommy: Who's there?
Jude: MOO!!!!  HAHAHAHAHA!!!

I think someone has been watching too many of Yo Gabba Gabba's Knock-Knock joke of the day... : )

omg, blogger is working!

Really, I think I just tricked my computer into letting me log on.  Sorry for the complete and total lack of posts this month.  First of all, things have been super crazy busy what with me going back to work full time and trying to get into the new swing of things.  Then, once I was actually ready and able to write posts my computer decided it no longer wanted to log in to blogger.  I have some kind of virus or adware or something, and I'm working on correcting the problem.  I switched browsers (woohoo google chrome!) and some of the websites that I couldn't access before magically work again.  Hopefully my computer will be feeling better soon though and I can make up for lost time with lots and lots of posts.  : )

The month of October has been incredibly packed full of events and awesomeness.  First of course, we started preschool/work and things are going great.  Eli and Jude are pretty well adjusted but still have some trouble here and there.  The worst part though is trying to go home because they never want to leave!  Second thing we did was first haircuts!  Both boys were real troopers and were pretty good at sitting still.  Eli stared at Dora the Explorer and didn't move at all.  Jude was a little squirmier and did not like them spraying his hair with water at all.  He also thought the buzzer tickled and kept scooting away from it.  Third, we went to Washington D.C. for my cousin Laura's wedding.  The flights were pretty uneventful - except for on the way up, the flight attendant was totally crazy and had me put both car seats next to each other which I'm pretty sure is against FAA rules - and the trip was a lot of fun.  It was great for Travis and the boys to get to meet the bulk of my Freeman family.  And the fourth (and fifth, carrying into November) event will be this weekend.  We are super excited for Halloween/Kristin and Brian's Wedding/The Election!  I'm sure there will be plenty to talk about as the week goes on.

I am exhausted right now, otherwise I would post a bazillion photos from this month.  I will try to add some in here and there as the week progresses.  Once again, I'm sorry for the lack of posts and I will do my best to make up for it now!

First Day of Preschool

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As I mentioned yesterday, Eli and Jude had their first day of preschool this morning.  It was actually super duper easy to drop them off.  I was expecting some tears or clinging to my legs as has been their new favorite "dont leave me" tactic but I got none.  Jude ran right into the room with an "OMG-TOYS!" look on his face and that was it for him.  Eli was a little more nervous and shy.  He didn't quite know how he felt about the room, there being so many kids, a new teacher, etc.  He slowly warmed up and gave me a little hug goodbye.  I guess disappointed isn't the right word to describe how I felt about our drop-off this morning because I'm glad that Eli and Jude were so excited to play and be with new people but I couldn't help but feel like it should have been more difficult.  I thought that they might miss me a little bit!  Obviously they did not.

Their teacher - Miss Brooke - told me that she was shocked to learn that they had never been to preschool or daycare before.  She said they were fantastically well behaved, played with other kids, and are only slightly behind the other children in the class (who are all more than 6 months older).  She asked us to work on drinking from a cup without a lid and using spoons at meal times.  She said that Jude loved the little shaker toys and wouldn't put them down.  Both boys were the envy of the other teachers and everyone loves them.  The older kids all wanted to play with them and show them all of the coolest things to play with.  They also had music class today and Miss Brooke said that both boys had a ball.  I'm so pleased to hear that they're adjusting so well.

I even peeked in on them via security camera in the school's office and they actually slept on the nap mats during nap time!  Miss Brooke was able to keep them in normal chairs around a table at snack time.  They listened and played like pros.  I'm actually kind of jealous because they are not even close to that well behaved at home!

Training for me was good and I have my first "real" day on the job in the morning.  I'll be in the kitchen all day learning the ropes and making food.  I'm really excited to get my hands dirty but I'm finding that I'm having a hard time adjusting to being a working mom.  Even though being a stay-at-home mom was frustrating and I often found myself questioning if it was the right choice for me, I'm finding now that I wish I had enjoyed it a little more.  I already miss getting hugs and kisses all day.  I'm sure it will get easier as I get into a routine and actually spend more time at the school where I'll be working - most of my day was spent at the off-site administrative offices.  Even if I am having a hard time transitioning, it is comforting to know that Eli and Jude seem to love the new situation.

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Things have changed quite a bit in the last couple of days here.  To make a long story sort of short, Travis and I decided that in order to make our budget a little less tight and leave some money to save towards a house that it was time for me to start looking for work.  I started out casually looking for a part time situation in the evenings so I could still stay home with the boys and Travis could be with them while I worked.  But then I stumbled across a want-ad that seemed to be written just for me.  I applied for the job and less than three days later, I have been offered the position.  And I start tomorrow.  I had no idea that it would happen so fast.  I'm still kind of reeling from how quickly things have changed.

The new job is a Nutritional Chef position with a local preschool.  I'll be responsible for making all snacks and meals for all of the students and be in charge of purchasing for the kitchen.  Because I'll be working at a preschool, part of my benefits is discounted childcare.  Eli and Jude start school tomorrow too.  They'll be in the two year old class and they'll be the second set of twins at the school.  We stopped by the school earlier today to pick up the enrollment forms and Eli and Jude did not want to leave.  I'm hoping this is a good omen for tomorrow and our first drop-off will not be too heart-wrenching for me.

I'm a little nervous about tomorrow - partly because it will be Eli and Jude's first day of preschool, partly for my first day of training - but I'm trying to think of the bigger picture.  The extra money I will bring in will make the very very distant dream of owning a house slightly closer.  It's just suddenly hitting me that they're starting preschool and I didn't expect to get so emotional.  I feel silly because it's just preschool!  But still, I guess it feels like the baby days are really gone and now it's time for toddlerhood and childhood.

Wish us luck!