Tomorrow marks the first day of Fall, are you ready?

This year has been completely crazy. Is it just me or did spring and summer fly by too fast? One of my friends just informed me tomorrow marks the first day of Fall, one of my favorite times of the year. Why, you ask, would a time when dreary rainy days, cold temperatures and enormous amounts of leaves finding their way into the yard, be a wonderful time? Having spent my first 18 years on an island off the coast of Florida, where there is absolutely NO changing of seasons at all, (I guess you could count when it gets a bit cold and everything turns brown, and then green in spring, brown and burned in summer and then more brown for winter, a seasonal change..) when I finally lived in places like Tennessee and Ohio, where brilliant oranges, reds and yellows seem to explode across the trees, I was instantly in awe of the awesome splendor of God's creation.

 New and wonderful smells seem to charm the very essence of your being when Fall comes. Out come the Pumpkin Latte's, spiced apple cider and corn mazes. The smell of burning leaves wafts pleasantly on the cool, crisp morning air, with the promise of roasted marshmellows and hot chocolate to warm the chilly evenings. Close your eyes and you can almost hear the sweet whisper of the wind as it swirls the leaves in an endless waltz of glorious colors.
 My favorite Fall sound is the laughter of children and adults alike, when all the leaves have been raked into huge piles and the first adventurer takes a running start to begin the fun of leaf pile smashing! So much fun to be had and such little time to do it in before the snows come.

So this Fall, make sure to take full advantage of ALL the wonderful local activities around you such as corn mazes, taffy pulls, late season farmer's markets and harvest parties. The memories will keep you warm on winter's coldest days.

Two for the price of one...

  The other day I was trying to remember what it felt like to just have one little baby at home. Just hubby, lil J and me. Seems like I was more stressed out and irritable back then, feeling sorry for myself when I had just one to feed, diaper, entertain and get ready. This past June all of that changed... times two! 

  Now it seems so much easier with two little babies and an almost three year old, than just one. I know that sounds completely crazy. Although I am doing formula with the twins instead of breastfeeding like I did with J, everything seems to be running smoother and less chaotic now that we have been down the baby road once before. If you have multiples and older or younger siblings as well, you'll understand completely :) How do I do it? Quite honestly, I dont know,,, but here is our typical routine to get ready for Sunday.

On Saturday nights:

1. J gets his Saturday bath before his 9pm bedtime (unless we do something that keeps us out late,,, then he gets it early Sunday morning)

2. Around 11pm I get out the baby's tub and set up camp on our kitchen table... I set out the sleepers, towels, washcloths, diapers, baby wash and lotion within reach and then dive in bathing one while the other is in the swing. It usually takes me 20-30 min tops depending on how squirmy and happy or upset they are.

3. I try and figure out what all the boys will wear to church in the morning and make sure its clean and laid out with socks, shoes and ties all present and accounted for. (nothing in the WORLD drives me off the deep end on a Sunday morning than having to change pants or shoes for J if they are too short, too long, too big or too small!)

4. My biggest thing is trying to keep track of when the twins need their bottles. Since they are gaining weight and doing really well growth - wise, I have just been doing demand feeding with them (although I never let them go over three hours) That being said, I try and time their feeding time to be right after bath time, that way   they are usually done eating before 12 and ready to sleep. Since they have been sleeping four to five hours a night for the past week, I'll only have to feed them once during the morning usually at 4:30am or 5am. 

Sunday Morning:

  J usually wakes us up around 7am which gives me plenty of time to get a shower and feed J and the twins before waking up hubby. By then I usually have J dressed and ready for Church and then hubby dresses the babies while I get myself ready. Its so wonderful to be married to a man who jumps right in and helps whenever he sees me struggle and because of that we are usually early to Church and have time to calm down from the morning rush before Sunday School.

   The Sundays hubby has to work are definitely a struggle for me. Seemingly everything goes wrong on those days! J gets an attitude and wont obey, the twins seem ultra fussy, I'll forget to get MY Sunday clothes together and stress out.

    But somehow, with the Lord's help, we make it work. Putting together our own flexible routine has saved us a lot of problems and frustration. It also helps that occasionally on Saturdays my wonderful friends will drop over and help with the twins bath time and that is ALWAYS a great help and blessing to us!