Busy, busy, busy

Our life is SUPER busy lately. 

• Autumn just finished two weeks of swim lessons everyday (Mon-Fri).  That really messed with our evening routine (not that we really have an evening routine, but it did make the evenings rough).
• We have swim lessons once a week (for O, and soon for A too) and gymnastics once a week, so our weekday evenings are getting very busy.
• Andrew has been working CRAZY hours lately, AND he's NOT in busy season anymore.  He doesn't get home until after 10pm most nights (Mon-Thurs), many nights not until after 12am.  He is usually home on the weekends and Friday evenings, although he does often work from home on the weekends.  We've been joking that I am a single Mom Monday - Friday.  I think we've both handled the crazy hours pretty well this year, but it really does wear on you after a while.  I haven't had any major breakdowns about him not being around (like I did when I was prego with O).  I think we're mostly surviving because my Mom is around ALL the time to help.  It also helps that Andrew is very aware of how much I am doing and he is appreciative of my efforts with the girls and around the house.
• We have plans every weekend from now until after July 4th.  Most of these plans are out of town.  We're going to POC 3 times (Memorial Day Weekend, the weekend of June 8th, and again on the 4th of July), DFW once to visit Nana and CA to visit Aunt Alli and go to DISNEYLAND.

I don't say all this to complain, ok maybe a little complaining, but just to say that I am exhausted.  I love our crazy busy life and all of the fun that it brings, but sometimes Mommy needs a break.  I feel like I need a week at home, ALONE, to clean the house and organize.  Our "guest room" (I use that term VERY loosely) is officially a junk room full of Easter decorations, clothes the girls have outgrown, Christmas presents that have never been played with, a bike and trainer, 40+ bottles of wine/beer, beer brewing supplies, and lots of other junk.  You can hardly even walk in there.  I REALLY want to tackle this room, but I don't have the time.  By the time the girls are in bed (9PM if I'm lucky) I am exhausted and the thought of going in there to clean is the last thing on my mind.  The first thing on my mind is typically dinner and a glass of wine/beer to relax.

Ok, I'm done venting.  Someday, when my kids are grown my house will be clean and organized and minimized.  For now it is a mess of princesses, shopping carts, strollers, castles, and everything else girly.  I feel sorry for Autumn and Olivia's little brother if he ever comes along.

In other news, I just bought these matching PJ's (the starts/stripes ones) for the 4th of July weekend in POC.  All of the grand kids will be wearing them.  So freakin cute!!

I am also working on planning for our Disneyland trip.  I keep going back and forth on a few things, like which stroller to bring (do I borrow a double BOB or bring the sit and stand) and do we take Autumn's car seat on the plane or not.  I am trying to be super organized about the trip.  I think I will have to be or things could get kind of crazy.  Any suggestions on flying with an infant and a toddler or on doing Disney would be greatly appreciated.

Speaking of BUSY, Autumn is super busy.  That child has so much energy.  I don't know what to do with her.  At night she stays up for 30 minutes to 2 hours after I put her down.  I've tried taking away baby dolls, threatening all sorts of bad things, but nothing can make this child go to sleep until she is ready.  Autumn is a handful, but she is also the cutest thing EVER.  She is really developing quite a personality, and it is a big one.  She seems to be extroverted, which is funny, because Andrew was convinced about a year ago that she was an introvert because she played by herself at school.  I think it was just the age/stage she was in and the fact that she doesn't have any older siblings.  Now she plays all the time with other kids and she usually initiates the play too.  She is pretty vocal and we can usually carry on a pretty decent conversation.  The one thing she hasn't started yet is asking "why?"  I am pretty sure that is coming very soon, and then things will get CRAZY.  Autumn is so much fun; she makes me smile everyday.

Olivia is also getting busy.  She is talking a lot.  No "mama's" or "dada's" yet, but I think her first "word" will be "bubba".  She LOVES her bubba.  Whenever she sees Cooper she just smiles and reaches for him.  She puts her lips together and tries to make a sound when I call him Bubba, as if she is trying to say it too.  Olivia is such a happy baby.  She is all smiles most of the time.  I'm hoping she is crawling by 4th of July.  That would be fun for all the little cousins to be crawling all over the place.