A Big Move

Wow, it's been a while since my last post. Life has been busy, as it always is. But, I wanted to make sure I got a post on here today about a big move for our little girl, Olivia. From the time the twins were born, they've shared a room. However, since they are quickly approaching their third birthdays, I thought it was time that they get their own bedrooms. Plus, I must admit that I was/am looking forward to decorating with something other than a gender neutral theme. So, tonight is the first night that they will sleep in their own rooms!

We've been doing some rearranging of furniture and have turned our office/guest room into a bedroom for Olivia. My very talented mother in law helped me paint her room earlier this week and it is nothing short of very girly! :) There is still a lot to do in her room as we have curtains hang, a big girl bed to paint, and my mother in law is coming back next week to paint butterflies and flowers on the walls. I'm sure it will look fabulous! But, in the meantime, there is no reason we can't move her crib into the room and allow her to start using it. She loves her "big girl room", as she affectionately calls here. Here are some photos of the work in progress..

Flying Solo

So, the kids and I took Gene to the airport this morning to catch his flight to Denver. He will be there through Thursday at a conference for work so I will be flying solo with the kids. It's weeks like these when you appreciate what life is like for a single mother! The last time Gene was at a conference the kids and I all caught the stomach flu. It was a LONG week and I was counting down the days until he came home. Lets hope this one runs much smoother!

March is finally here and I'm so excited about that! Spring is just around the corner. I love that it stays lighter longer in the evening and we'll be moving the clocks ahead shortly, which will be even better! I love Spring. It's my favorite season and am looking forward to getting back outside for some fresh air!

Since it's been so cold, I try to find things to keep the kids occupied indoors. Eugene has taken to drawing on the chalkboard (or at least he wants me to draw pictures for him on the chalkboard). So, we usually do that at least twice a day. Check out our artwork:





There are only ever two things that he wants me to draw, woodpeckers and spiders. So, if you weren't able to tell based on my lack of artistic ability, that's what they are.

And of course we can't leave out little miss Olivia. She's not into spiders or woodpeckers but is still into her purses! Here's a few shots of her sporting her pigtails and purse!

How is it Sunday?

Wow, it's Sunday already. This busy weekend has flown by. After shoveling snow, Friday night we had dinner with our neighbors and last night went to a party for my cousin, Beth's family, who is leaving PA for CA. They have a daughter, Lindsay, who is only 6 months older than the twins and I know that they are going to miss her! I'm going to miss Beth as she has been my swimming partner for the 6 a.m. swims on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the high school pool. I can't seem to get out of bed without her!

The Verdict

I had a call with my boss yesterday afternoon and the compromise is that I will go to part time status at work. I will continue to work in the office my regularly scheduled three days, but the other two days that I'm home, I will just be home! No more working from home - which I'm excited about. I'm taking a cut in pay to do this and giving up my bonuses and insurance, but it is worth it. Besides, we're on Gene's insurance anyway.

The work from home schedule has been nice because I've gotten to spend those days at home with the kids, but it is very hectic. First, we are tied to the house and tied to my laptop b/c I need to be available. So, it is difficult to balance the kids needs with work. Now, I can go out and do the stay at home mom things that I've always wanted to do on those days at home. I'm really excited about it and looking forward to it. The change is effective March 1st, so I only have one more week!

Job Woes

For almost three years now (since the twins were born), I've worked in the office only three days a week. The other two days I work from home so that the kids can be home with me as well. It was always important to Gene and I that our kids were not in full time daycare. I know that this is a reality for many families and a few years ago, might have been for us as well had I not had a very accomodating boss. But, I did have an accomodating boss who let me try a part time, work from home schedule on a trial basis. After a few months of the new schedule, he was confident that I could continue to get my job done and my schedule was made permenant.

Fast forward to last June. I end up with a new boss as my old boss left the company. I was immediately concerned that my schedule would be brought under review and I would be asked to return to work in the office on a full time basis. Thankfully, this did not happen and I was relieved. Now, fast forward to this past Friday night. I get an email from my boss with a summary of my annual performance review. Included in that review was the comment that given my current arrangements, my profile in the office is not as high as he would like it to be. Basically, he wants me back in the office five days a week. Ugh.

I've spent all weekend struggling to find the best solution to the situation. I do not want my kids in full time daycare and neither does Gene. So, we ran the numbers to see if we could swing it without my income and basically, we'd have just enough to cover our bills and the necessities but not much else. The twins only have two more years before they will start school and we feel that, especially at this age, they don't care about Mom and Dad's salaries and what that money can buy for them. They care about spending time with us. Right now, we are rockstars in their lives and honestly, on the days that I'm home with them, they want nothing more than to spend time with me. Their faces light up when I walk into a room. You can't put a price tag on that.

So, I have told my boss that I am not in a position to come back into the office five days a week. And, that if he feels strongly that the position needs to be held by someone who can be in the office full time, then I'm not the right person for the job. I'm not sure what the outcome of this will be but I will update as I know more. I'm sure this week will be very interesting.

First Post and a Happy Valentines Day!

So, this is my first post on my first blog! I decided to start my own in an attempt to do a better job documenting our lives. I'm terrible at writing things down and after the twins were born, I vowed to be better. Unfortunately, it didn't really happen. Don't get me wrong, I wrote down the important stuff - first smiles, first teeth, crawling, walking, etc. But, beyond their first year I really haven't kept up with it and it's unfortunate because in the blink of an eye they are grown. And, all of the things that you thought you would remember, you don't. Gene did a great job with our old blog, the twin invasion, for the first year but it's kind of lost its luster, I guess. So, hopefully this blog will serve to preserve some of those memories as they happen!

Today was Valentine's Day! I picked up some goodies at the $1 bins at Target (gotta love the dollar bins) for V-Day. Olivia is really into purses and I was excited to have found one there. I bought Eugene a Spider Man backpack but Olivia (the accessory loving girl that she is) claimed it as her own. So, she wore the backpack and purse around the house all day today. Eugene didn't seem to care. I think he thought that the backpack was just a gift bag because once he emptied the stash of goodies I had in the bag for him, he handed it to me and told me to take it.

Unfortunately, our house has been full of sickies this week. Gene and the kids both caught a cold so we have been going thru a lot of tissues and motrin like crazy. Surprisingly, I have somehow, at least as of today, been spared.

Here are some shots of the kids opening their v-day gifts this morning...




Well, it's late and I have to work in the morning but I wanted to get my first post published before the day was over! Hopefully, I'll be back again tomorrow and every day thereafter!