New Routine

So you would think after 3 months of having twin newborns and a toddler we would have a routine worked out....WRONG....we are still working out the kinks but I think we FINALLY have a system worked out!!!

To go back a ways when I was working I felt very guilty for leaving Morgan in daycare which resulted in me enjoying my time with her when I could get it, so sleep time I never did the crying out method, it was time I got to spend with her and make her feel special, well that just bit me in my rear end because as she got older she realized it!!!

When we got pregnant the next time I put it into high gear, she was still in her crib but she understood that she got 10 minutes of cuddle time with me and off to bed she went, she took to that easy, then when we converted her crib to a bed, she transitioned just fine......when the toddler bed came to play which was May she HATED it, so I was a sucker and let her fall asleep in my bed and moved her. The only problem with this was it could take up to an hour and w/o any other children it was fine, no problem.....then July 20Th happened

The babies came and all of sudden I realized my mistake with Morgan's sleeping and it was too late to take back what I had done. So we had to make a decision and that decision was Morgan is a big girl and needs to be treated like one. For the last 4 weeks we have been doing the "crying" it out method except she doesn't cry she just gets out of her bed. She does really well some nights and other nights it takes us over an hour to get her down.

We have also been struggling with the twins because when we would sit down for dinner at 630 they would want to eat but we weren't ready for them to eat because we still had to deal with Morgan, so I proposed a new schedule to Tyson which is dinner ready at 530, he does bath time and playtime with Morgan while I feed and change the girls, then when she is ready to go to bed at 730-8 the girls will be falling asleep and then when I get Morgan down I can move the girls to bed. What do you know for the last 2 days that has worked!!!! I am hoping this is our last schedule change, I know that as the twins get older there will be a few changes but I am only one person vs. 3 so one step at a time :)


The lesson in all of this, I now know that with the twins it WILL NOT be this way and we will do the "cry" it out method with them.

Weekly Menu

Oops again I forgot to post this, but I have been busy as you all can understand :) here is my menu for the week:

Sunday: Tilapia w/ a lime marinade and salsa, roasted potatoes and salad
Monday: Chicken fried in panko bread crumbs, rice, and corn
Tuesday: Homemade Chili and Bread
Wednesday: Tuna Casserole, corn and biscuits
Thursday: Pork chops, noodles and green beans
Friday: Mexican Shrimp
Saturday: Wings, potatoes and quesadillas

SMILES, SMILES, SMILES

Finally after 3 months of being overwhelmed by not only taking care of two newborns but also a toddler, we are rewarded with smiles! It is the best feeling in the world, especially when they start to fuss and I go up to them and they give me the biggest grin in the world. Cameryn has been smiling about 3 weeks longer than Jaidyn, who tends to be the fussy baby, it is just so nice to know that they are happy where they are at! Cameryn is even "giggling" a little bit. Here are some smile pics!

Jaidyn on the left (love how chunky she is finally getting) and Cameryn on the right:

Cameryn

Jaidyn

Weekly Menu

I have to say that I am much happier now that I have had a chance to grocery shop and we now have food in the house again!! I am loving more and more to be creative and try new things so here is my menu:

Sunday: Carne Azada
Monday: Meatball subs and Tator tots
Tuesday: Beer marinated chicken, noodles and corn
Wednesday: Kielbasa w/ mushrooms and onions, rice, and green beans
Thursday: Spaghetti and Garlic Toast
Friday: Chuck Steak slow roasted w/ gravy, potatoes and mixed veggies
Saturday: Appetizers

The only new menu item for this week is the meatball subs, everything else I have made before but I have to say it is nice to have time to cook and be creative and save money all at the same time!

Big Sister Morgan Jo

Morgan has been slowly adjusting to our new lifestyle of having to share Mommy and Daddy with not one but two baby sisters. Right before we had the twins she had just started the "terrible two" stage and the first month of being home with the babies it was apparent that her rebellious stage had doubled!!!

So many changes happened to her so fast so I can't say that I don't blame her but it does make it hard to get through the day sometimes!! First she was pulled out of Daycare because with me not working we couldn't afford the $700 price tag that her day to day entertainment came to. 2nd, she had to now stay home with me where I had to divide my time between the babies and her. It would be so much easier with just one baby but that is not the case, now that the babies are getting bigger we have more time to spend with her since I am not constantly feeding one, burping, changing, feed another, burp, and change and then you have about 1 hour before you start all over again. They are now spaced out to about eating every 3-4 hours in the day so we have been getting a lot of play time in.

Which brings our next hurdle....boredom, she is bored with her toys and bored with the house, so now I am having to get creative with what we do. The times that I was busy she spent a lot of time with the dogs Abbie and Camas and they are truly her best friends at this point. She talks about them all the time, shows them her new things she gets, she even gets upset if she goes out back to play and they don't follow her. I have to say that is pretty creative for her and I am glad that she has them for some companionship.

With the babies, she is helpful when she wants to be. Which you never know when she will be willing to help. She is for the most part very sweet to them and loves to hold them and give them kisses, however she has had a few times gotten mad that I was taking care of them and hit them, which I guess is going to continue for the next 16 years of her life!!! She gets really proud when she goes upstairs and brings diapers down to me, and she really, really wants to pick them up out of their bouncy seats.

I have to say that I know it would of been easier for all of us had we gotten pregnant either before she turned 2 or when she was older but that is not the case and she is adjusting as well as she can. Our next hurdle that I haven't had time to devote 100% to is potty training. If we can get her potty trained then we can get her in a preschool part time and that will give her kid to kid interaction, which I want so badly for her, plus it gives mom some down time :)

She has gotten to spend quite a bit of time with her cousin Maggie which has been great, since Dan and Jamie have Tuesdays and Wednesdays off it is perfect, so I am excited to see their relationship blossom!! As well as it breaks up our day to day routine so she doesn't get as bored.

Her bedtime routine has gotten better, for the most part she stays in her room at night, however I have woken up and her door has been opened so I think she comes out to see if we are up and then goes back to bed. We have been doing the "cry" it out method for her, which is more hard for me then for her but she has responded well to that for nighttime, nap time is a different story, it has only worked once for me. I know she just wants to be part of the action but at the same time if she doesn't take a nap she gets really crabby.

Upcoming for her is I am enrolling her in a community dance class with her cousin Maggie, it is every Thursday from 11-1145 and I am so excited for her. I hope she comes out of her "shy" shell and will interact, plus it breaks up our day to day routine. I am also really going to start on the potty training so I am hoping for her to be done by her 3rd birthday. Another goal I have is to get rid of her "mimi" which is her pacifier, she has really clung to it over the last few months and it is time it goes!!

Here's to potty training!!

Late Menu

I know I am already into this week but I still need to post my menu!! We are due for grocery shopping so we didn't have too many choices of what to make so I had to get creative this week!!! Plus we ended up going camping this weekend so there were a few things that I didn't make this weekend that I could shift to this week.

Sunday: Wings, Quesadilla's and Queso dip
Monday: Meatloaf, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes with caramelized onion and mushroom gravy
Tuesday: Hoisin Chicken (first time using this marinade), Scalloped potatoes and Corn
Wednesday: Taco Soup (I haven't made this but I have eaten others so I am excited!)
Thursday: Pork Chops, Stuffing and Green Beans
Friday: Grocery shopping hopefully so dinner is a ?

I have already planned my menu for the month, so that way I can make sure that I get everything I need at the grocery store so 1. I don't make another trip and spend more money than planned and 2. it is really hard to go to the store with 3 kids. I am really enjoying staying home and coming up with new recipe ideas and I am addicted to watching Food Network so I have a ton of new ideas that I am going to be trying this month and I am very excited. I hated cooking this last year because I would get home around 530 from work and it just seemed like a chore to cook, so I think Tyson is enjoying have good food again as well rather than what we can throw together quickly. Stay Tuned for my next menu!!

Weekly Menu

I know it has been awhile since I posted a menu, but I do have a good excuse, my hands are full with 3 kids under the age of 3, so now I am trying really hard to keep updated. We have been doing great sticking to our menu, in fact we don't have another choice because minus my income we don't get to eat out that much!! Here is my menu for this week:

Sunday: Chicken, potatoes, and green beans
Monday: Pork Chops, cheesy noodles, and corn
Tuesday: Brauts, pasta salad, and tator tots
Wednesday: Spaghetti and Garlic Toast
Thursday: Chicken tenders, scalloped potatoes and green beans
Friday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, mixed veggies and biscuits
Saturday: Appetizer day

This just help me keep motivated to stick with our menu, I don't plan on grocery shopping till after the 15th so it is nice to have a plan so I am not tempted to go to the store and spend money that I shouldn't be spending. Have a great week!!