Need to know basis

In 13 days we get some really BIG news. It is news that I, personally, have been waiting 3 1/2 years to hear. We find out what residency, if any, Joseph will be getting into. For those of you that are lucky enough to not know medical lingo, let me break this down for you.

Joseph wants to be an Emergency Medicine Doctor, so he needs to get into the ER residency program. (After you go to 4 years of medical school, then you do a residency for the specialty you are interested in.) We are going through the military, and like with most things, it is very different than the civilian world. The air force ER program is very competitive. And although Joseph is in the top 10% of his medical class, has board scores that are above average and was invited to be in the Medical Honor Society as a third year medical student (impressive) it doesn't guarantee that he will get into residency. The air force has 2 program locations - Texas and Ohio. We find out December 12 if we got into either. The waiting is killing me! I'm terrible at waiting. Especially when the time is SO close, yet so far away.

Joseph's first choice is Texas, second choice is Ohio and if he gets neither of those, there still are options. He could go and be a flight doctor for 3 years or he could do his intern year and reapply to the program. I just want to know! I'm a control freak and want to know NOW!

Being the optimist that he is, Joseph is feeling positive that he is going to get into a program. Being the ever pessimist, I am sure that he is not. Either way, I just want to know!!

2 Peas in a Pod

My little sweet peas are so cute! They are really starting to look different, don't you think?

The Mad Budget

I went to the grocery store today and spent $200. There were only 15 things on my list. And they didn't cost $10 each.

I have no idea how in the world I always spend $200. It doesn't matter if there are 15 or 50 things on my list or if I am cooking for 3 or 6 people - I still spend $200! So frustrating. The most frustrating part is that my budget is only $150, so I continually go over budget. Every month.

So, I call my loving husband to complain discuss the situation. He had NO interest in my mini-drama. In his opinion, food is an essential, we need it, it doesn't matter how much it cost...we need it so buy it and get over it. "Find something else to be dramatic about," was his thought. Well, since he wasn't going to feed my drama, I did what I always do. Called a friend. They always humor me and listen to my melodrama's about nothing.

As I was discussing the situation with my friend, I realized something that made us laugh. $150 has been my grocery budget for the past 6 years! Before the thought of 4 kids entered our minds. Before the price of milk was $4.00 a gallon. Before we started medical school. Before I was trying to eat healthier. Did I mention before we had 4 more mouths to feed?!? And then as I began to go through the budget in my head I laughed when I realized that all the categories in our budget are the same as they were 6 years ago.

LOTS has changed in 6 years, maybe our budget should too!

Capturing our family memories

I seriously crack myself up sometimes. I was downloading pictures from the past couple of weeks off of my camera, when I noticed that the only pictures that I took of our Thanksgiving day were...

The placecards and napkin holders that the kids made for the table.
Our set table.
An upclose of the tablecloth so that you could see the kids handprints and footprints that we do each year.
And the turkey before, but no after picture! What is that? Forget the fact that I have not a single picture of a person that was at the table (Joseph's grandparents, my parents and sister) I can hardly believe that I don't have a picture of my beautiful bird after it came out of the oven. It really was a beauty...

Little Miss Piggy's

The girls are eating now!

Over the weekend we started the girls on cereal. I have been putting it off because I knew that it would be stressful and make my mornings crazy (and they are already crazy enough!) and sure enough, it has! I'm working on establishing a new routine, but until them I have the boys buzzing around me like bees (that I would love to swat hard...kidding...sort of) wanting food, something to drink, asking 1000 questions and all around making me crazy. Nursing the girls, feeding them cereal, and changing their diapers takes about an hour. One crazy, busy hour! Then I have to feed and water the boys, make sure they do their morning chores, do my morning chores, put the girls back down for their morning nap and before I know it, it is 9 am and I still haven't eaten breakfast. Yeah, it's crazy around here!



Above is a picture of Miss Ella Piggy, who at first wasn't really sure what to do with the mush I shoved in her mouth, but got the hang of it fast! She loves the cereal and will make loud grunting noises until you shove the spoon in her mouth.

Sweet, Silly Lily Piggy hasn't picked up eating as quickly as her sister. I have to pry her mouth open to get the cereal in it. And then she spits 90% of it back out at me.

After feeding them in their chairs, we decided that it was imperative that we get them in high chairs. My mom and I went shopping and found these great high chairs that I really like. They fold up super slim so that they aren't in the way when we aren't using them.

Once we get a routine down, and Lily figures out what to do with the mush I am shoving in her mouth, I think that things will start to go significantly smoother!

New Toys!

The girls got some new toys...exersaucers! I got 1 a couple of months ago at the Mother's of Multiples (SAMOM) sale, but needed another one. Joseph kept telling me that we left the one we had for the boys back in DC when we moved (long story as to why we would leave things behind). So I have been checking Craigslist, garage sales and the SAMOM newsletter. Well, when Joseph was up in the attic getting out the Christmas decorations he found a box marked "exersaucer"! And there was the one that we had for the boys!
Here are my little princesses enjoying their new toy.

The funny thing is, they look like they were having more fun sharing one!

Photo Meme

Anna over at Sincerely Anna tagged her readers with this meme. I have never participated in a meme before and am excited to play along! If you want to play, just answer the question in your head, google an image of it, then choose one of the pics from the first page of results. This will be fun...let me know if you play!

1. Age at next birthday (that is if I decide to have another birthday!)...

2. Places I'd like to travel (one place with kids and one without - betcha' can guess which is which!!)...

3. Favorite Place (where I got married!!)...

4. Favorite Object (surprise, surprise, surprise)...

5. Favorite Food...

6. Favorite Color (Isn't that purdy?)...

7. Nickname (Seriously, if you can guess what this is you win a prize!)...

8. Place you were born...

This one is for you Daddy!

If only I could get them to smile at the same time! Ella has been super easy going and happy lately. Lily Kate on the other hand is quite...delicate these days. She requires more holding and attention. I am really glad that they take turns with their mood swings.

Our Nana was here this past weekend for Thanksgiving and we hit some of the sales. The girls were in need of some new duds and our Nana was more than willing to go shopping for some. We hit the sales Friday and got lots of new outfits for the girls.

What do you think? So cute or what?!

I am totally into these bows. Love 'em! I desperately want to learn to make them, but first have a few Christmas projects to work on. As soon as I am done though, I will be all about bow making!

Caleb's Hero

I love that Caleb loves his Daddy and wants to be just like him. And I pray that when he grows up, he is.

Siblings

The kids are at this very fun age where they are all interacting- in their own ways. Luke and Caleb wrestle each other, play football together, make up fun games with one another, get in each others bed's and giggle, race one another, and of course fight! Lately Luke has been asking Caleb all sorts of questions; "Do polar bears live in forests?", "What state do we live in?", "How old is Daddy?", "Do warthogs live in Texas?" and so on and so forth. And of course, Caleb (being the miniature of his father) loves to be the expert in all things and answers Luke's questions completely (with more information than Luke has attention for) and sweetly. It's pretty adorable!

Below are some picture of the boys "surfing" in the kitchen on their "surf boards" (I happen to call them pillows, but whatever) attempting to avoid the sharks on the kitchen floor! They made up this game and were playing together marvelously for at least an hour. And brothers playing together for an hour without any fights breaking out is marvelous!

Now, here are my sweet little angels watching their brothers be wild:

Below is a picture of what my table looks like before dinner. Now, please do not email me to inform me that Bumbo seats have been recalled. I am fully aware of that and the recall is in order to place a sticker on the seats to remind parents not to put them on tables or in high places they could fall off of. I am a seasoned mother and know better than that!

I'm so thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

It seems like every year I have more and more to be thankful for: My incredible hubby who adores his family and is so involved in our lives, 2 amazing little boys that make me laugh, bring me such joy and give me more laundry than any human should ever have to do, and let's not forget about my two gorgeous twin girls that make our family complete! Okay, okay and then there is Titan Dog Mad who...sheds so much hair that it makes me more thankful for my DYSON! So many blessings in my sweet life!

Joseph and I went on a lunch date yesterday and were talking about the great friends we have in our lives. It was such a great talk (so thankful that my hubby and I have deep meaningful talk) and he brought up some good points. One thing that he helped me remember is that I have some amazing friendships. I have 3 best friends and although they are all so different from one another, they have one thing in common -they each have such depth to their lives. Because I crave depth, I walk away from each conversation feeling refeshed and inspired. They know everything about me and love me nonetheless. They are like a comfy old t-shirt that I can be myself in with no pretense. Love, love, love them! Thank you God for Amy, M, and KatieK. I am SO thankful for them - for our history and our future. They are all amazing!

ps. Here is a great fact about them - none of them read my blog regularly!

Just call him...Fabio!

My dream has come true!
I am now ready to reveal my super great and awesome news.

His name is Fabio and he is my new love slave. I control him, he does exactly what I want, doesn't talk back, doesn't complain about having to work, and is easy on the eyes.



Oh baby, he is everything I thought he would be and more!






I seriously couldn't take him out of the box for the first week. I just couldn't do it. I knew once he was unleashed my whole world would change. It has and so has my carpet! I just wish that I could vacuum all day long. Lovey thinks I am p-s-y-c-h-o-t-i-c...I just love to clean. Love it! Love it! Love it! Maybe that will be my job in heaven...a girl can wish can't she?

Now to all of you that have been wondering for weeks what my great news is, I'm sure you are disappointed and I warned you that you would be. I also know that there are many of you out there that are feeling quite sorry for me, that this is currently the most exciting news in my life. I recognize that I am both boring and pathetic. Okay, maybe boring isn't the right word, but pathetic rings some bells.

I do wish that I could report that the little boy who loves trains, is quite sassy and cracks me up is using the potty, but nope I cannot report that news. (You all have such high expectations of me!) We have definitely digressed in the potty training department. As a matter of fact, today I caught him taking off a very wet pull-up to put a dry one on. Apparently he doesn't like to be wet and instead of going to the bathroom he would prefer just to put on a new pull-up! Seriously, that child better be glad that he is so stinkin' cute! He is still convinced that, "it's not working" and gets super excited at bath time when Caleb goes to the potty and will tell him, "Yours works Caleb!" But, I'm not going to get crazy about this situation. Someday he has to figure it out right? Maybe when the girls learn, they can teach him as well.

If only Fabio could teach Luke to use the bathroom...

Operation Christmas Child

Before Caleb was born we started doing Operation Christmas Child and being able to participate is something that I look forward to all year long. Obviously the first couple of years of Caleb's life he wasn't able to comprehend what we were doing. Then, when he turned 3, he threw the biggest fit in Target because he wanted all the stuff in the box and didn't want somebody else to get anything. He has come so far in a few short years. This year he was so excited to buy something for his "friend" and picked out all the things that he would want if he were getting a shoebox. I was so proud of my boys - neither one of them asked for anything when we went shopping for their "friends" (that's what they kept calling them!). Okay, Lukie did ask once for a motorcycle, but when I told him "no", he didn't make a peep. That has to count for something, especially around here. They were both SO excited about their shoeboxes and Caleb packed his with such loving care.

This is Luke's new pose when you ask him to smile. I have no idea why his arm shoots straight into the air, but every time you say "smile" it does!

As an end note, Joseph was out of town when we went to the store to buy all the things for our shoeboxes. So, I took all 4 kids to the Dollar Store to go shopping. Please learn from my mistakes. When they built the double stroller, they weren't thinking about the aisles at the Dollar Store! I left a trail of things that were knocked over by the stroller! Oh, and we walked out of the store with a whole bunch of red cloth napkins that we didn't want or pay for. I was using them to prop up the girls bottles. I didn't notice until I had everyone loaded in the car. We were (and are!) a sight to behold!

6 Months Old!

My little girls are 6 months old today! I know, can you even believe it? (huge sigh) It seriously feels like yesterday that I was complaining blogging about my pregnancy with them and now I am sobbing blogging about their big 6 month birthday. I really need to get a grip! My friends think I'm nuts. But in all fairness to myself, none of them are done having kids. They are still in the phase of very young children, know that they are having more, and overwhelmed with the stages that their kids are now. This is most likely the end of the road for the Mads. And Sab Mad is hanging on desperately. Instead of rejoicing the new milestone, I am mourning the end of one.


I need to get a grip.


One good (or maybe not so good) thing is that the girls are so petite, and at the rate they are going, I will be able to pretend they are newborns until they are 1! At their last Dr.'s appointment they weighed almost 11 and almost 12 pounds. I know, they are tiny! It's been hard to find them clothes that fit because 3mo clothing fits in the waist, but are way too short. 6-9mo clothes fit in the length, but could fit both of them in the waist! So this winter they will be wearing lots of dresses and tights. They are long and slender little ballerina's, just like their...yeah.


They are great sleepers. They still nap 3 times a day and go to bed at 7:30p and don't wake for breakfast until 7:30a. A mother of twins couldn't ask for anything more!


And I guess now that they are 6 months old it is time to start real food. It's funny - with the boys, the day they turned 4 months old I was giving them cereal. With the girls I have waited until the very last minute because I can't imagine how much longer it is going to take to feed them now. I'm going to have to work on a new routine because this is going to really slow things down. That and pediatricians are saying to wait a little longer these days. That reason definitely makes me sound like a better mom and not the, oh-my-how-in-the-world-am-I-going-to-feed-2-babies-table-food-and-still-get-anything-else-done, mommy that I really am!


The boys are in love with their sisters. Joseph and I were just discussing, last night, how neither of the boys have ever shown any jealousy or hostility towards the girls. They both just love all over them! And the girls just light up whenever the boys are around. The one exception to that is when the boys and I are wrestling Daddy...the girls will start crying. I don't think they care for the noise and I can't blame them!


A few random things about the girls:

• They recognize the bottle and boppy and know that if either come out it's time to eat. That makes them quite excited!


• They sleep in the car only if it is moving. There have been many times that I have wished for a tank in rush hour traffic.


• They are still sleeping in the same bed.


• They suck their thumbs only when they are tired.


• It doesn't seem like they really notice (or care about) the other one yet.


• The exception to the above is when we are holding one baby. The other seems to notice and then will fuss to be held. This could be my imagination and guilt.


• The girls are still being swaddled and when you start to swaddle them they immediately put their thumbs in their mouths.


• They are both very ticklish!


• When I am nursing them, they hold hands!

We are so thankful for these two little beauties that have brought so much joy into our lives. Time is really flying by in our lives and these little milestones remind me to stop and take time to enjoy my babies.

Here are my baby girls! Ella is on the left and Lily is on the right. Shockingly enough, I couldn't find a picture of them both smiling at the same time! I am so blessed!

The girls sure are blessed!

Both Caleb and Luke love their little sisters. It still takes me by surprise how much they both dote on them. They always want to hold them and kiss them. As soon as they see the girls for the first time in the morning, they both say, "Good morning girls" to them. And the girls are fascinated with the boys. I would love to know what they think of their brothers. They see lots of drama, up close and personal, and I always wonder what they think of it all. One thing is for sure, they watch the boys with a great deal of interest.

Aunt Hannah!

Aunt Hannah came for a visit last week and we all know why I am just now posting these pictures! (If you need a memory jogger, here is one.) We hadn't seen Aunt Hannah in a couple of years and were thrilled that she came all the way down from Alaska to hang out with the kids!


Our family is the best!


Whenever they come, they never ask to see the sights or expect to vacation, but are always willing to help out and give Joseph and I time alone.


Aunt Hannah was smitten with the little girls (and in all honesty, who could blame her?!) and I was so excited that she got to hold them while they were still babies!



Hannah, I have to admit...I looked in the Christmas present closet! I couldn't help myself! You should know me by now, I have NO self-control! I'm sorry. Please don't tell Santa. (you did a good job and spoiled us entirely way too much!!)




Aunt Hannah and all the kids! Titan tried to sneak into the picture as well. Titan loves Hannah. Somehow she finds a way to give him attention, too, when she visits. Oh, and she lets him sleep with her. Titan's best friend!







The nurse and (future) doctor! Isn't Lovey so cute?! I sure do love my man!!

Airing My Dirty Laundry!

I have tons of pictures that I want to post, but haven't had time because of this:

This picture is in no way doctored to make it look like there is more laundry than there really is. As a matter of fact, there were still 2 (maybe 3) loads that were in the laundry room. The laundry is out of control! I usually make Friday and Monday laundry days, but last Friday I had MOPS, we were busy over the weekend and Monday we went to the Botanical Gardens. So above is what happens when I miss 2 laundry days. 4 kids, 2 adults and many outfits a day...sometimes I wish we lived in a nudist colony. What am I thinking? No I DON'T!!

Ahhhh...here is what it looked like after Joseph came home and put away all the laundry (I wash, fold and he puts away)!