Hard

It is the weekends like this, when Brian works night shift, that I find to be the hardest. It is these weekends that I find myself wondering why we were so determined to have the girls so close together in age. I sit and think that it would have been so much easier if we had waited until Mary Claire was two, or even three, to start trying for another baby. I see now how mature she is and how much easier she is now at three. And Molly, on the other hand, is at the age of being a HANDFUL! She constantly is hitting Mary Claire, opening cabinets and drawers and pulling stuff out, throwing things and just, well, being a toddler. I think that if I had Mary Claire now at three and a little baby that things would be so much easier. But who knows?

All this is not to say that I regret my Molly girl, just that on these stressful weekends I sit and wonder.

Best friends......or not?!?!

I can not tell you how many times a day I hear this, "You're not my best friend!" This usually follows Mary Claire getting corrected for something. I usually respond with telling her that it's okay that I'm not her best friend, that I'm still her mom and will always be her mom! She then changes her story immediately and I am her best friend again. :)

This past Wednesday Brian and I picked the girls up from day care and Mary Claire immediately went into this conversation over something and out of the blue she says, "I'm Nicholas' BOYfriend!" I had to laugh at two things; one, that she got the terminology mixed up and, two, that she was talking about boyfriends!

I talked to her day care provider about this and she says that this is the age it starts and they hear it all day long at school from all the kids!

Silly girl!

Fun in the sun!!

We had some really warm days this past week and we took full advantage of them!

Happy Mardi Gras!!

Okay, I chose the wrong picture to upload, but you can see from the two that are actually of the girls that they had a great time at the Mardi Gras parade we attended!

Happy Mardi Gras!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Lent

I've been thinking a lot about Lent and what I am going to sacrifice and do extra.

1. Brian and I have decided to give up fried foods. This won't be hard on the meals we eat at home because we rarely fry anything, but this will be very difficult when we eat at Nannie's and when we go out to eat. I'm secretly hoping to lose a few pounds with this one.

2. I am going to attend daily mass once a week. This will probably occur on the days I am off during the week.

3. I am aiming to exercise during Lent. I think I'm going to have to keep an exercise journal to hold myself accountable for this one.

I think I'm going to forgo my standard giving up carbonated drinks and chocolate/sweets to try to start a new lifestyle during this Lent.

Hurt

Last night I went into Mary Claire's room to put some clothes up. Toys were everywhere strewn out onto the floor. This conversation ensued:

Me: Mary Claire!
MC: Yes ma'am (I silently pat myself on the back with this response!)
Me: Start cleaning up this room. It is a mess.
MC: Somebody's gonna get hurt!

A few minutes later Brian gets home and comes in to see us. Mary Claire looks up at him and says, "We busy. We cleaning up?"

Love this age so much!!

Silly girl

Saturday this conversation occurred between Mary Claire and me:

Me: I'm going to take a shower
MC: Where we going?
Me: I don't know. Where do you want to go?
MC: Disneyworld!!!

Guess we might have to plan a trip!

Another funny from her...I told her we needed a lot of money to go to Disneyworld and she told me that Poppa had a lot of money at his house!

Grace

My Poppa's wife, Grace, died this past Thursday. The visitation was held today in Jena. Brian was working so the girls and I went to the funeral home with Nannie and Poppa. The girls were both really good - really shy actually - for the first hour and fifteen or so minutes. Then, when people started clearing out they began to get a little jumpy and loud so we left.

My Poppa is one of my favorite people in this world. He and I had our own special language when I was younger. He always supported David and myself in everything we did. This is the third wife he's lost to cancer. He was a very sad man today. I wish he would move back to Alex, but we don't know his intentions just yet.

I know the picture I am posting is silly, but I took it at the funeral home.

Working it

I'm linking up to another blog for the first time ever tonight!

Kelly's Korner (www.kellyskornerblog.com) is featuring working mothers today for her Show Us Your Life feature.

A little background on myself:

I am a shift-working hospital staff pharmacist married to a shift-working city police sergeant. We have two beautiful girls (Mary Claire is 3 and Molly is almost 17 months). I have dreams of one day being a stay-at-home mom and read lots of stay-at-home mom blogs that, unfortunately, turn me a little green with envy. However, I am a working mom and I will always be a working mom! I have a job I love working with some wonderful people. I am proud of the career I've created for myself and hope to be a role model to my daughters!

My girls are my life. Mary Claire has my personality and attitude. I get complimented daily on her good behavior at day care and then deal with Ms. Attitude when she gets home. (I was exactly the same when I was younger!) I am proud of her accomplishments at day care and know she will be a wonderful student. Molly must have her daddy's personality and attitude! It is either her way or no way. She gets mad and will throw things or hit things. She has attitude all day long!

We are co-sleepers. Never in my life did I think I would be a co-sleeper. But when your husband works nights every other hitch (at least 2 days a week!) and you have to be at work before 7am, you do what you've got to do! We've finally gotten Mary Claire in her own bed, but it is still in our room. I'm enjoying it now because I know that in just a few short years she'll want to be in her own room and I'll miss having her so close to me.

This blog was really just started for my family to keep up with my girls' lives, but I sometimes have aspirations of it being bigger than it is. Thanks for stopping by!

~Rebecca

Proud!

So proud of my girls and so thankful for a wonderful day care they attend!!

Mary Claire (3)
Molly (16 months)

Mary Claire is growing up too fast!

Mary Claire has been pretty funny lately!

The other day we passed a house trailer. She pointed to it and told me that was a "trailer park!" Where this child learned of a trailer park I have no idea!

She tells me a on regular basis that "I'm not her best friend anymore." :(

Mary Claire has also been sleeping all night in her own bed, and, more importantly, has been going to sleep in her own bed on her own without us laying with her.

Mary Claire's now in the "4's" at school. Her papers include coloring and tracing letters and dotted lines. She's doing extremely well for just turning three and just moving up. Let's hope she takes after me! :)

This age is probably my most favorite so far!

Photo credited to Lillie Feliciano (she has taken family pictures for us twice and also taken pictures at Molly's first birthday and we have loved them all!)