A day in the life of an Ames

In order to accomplish all that we need to on any given day, Daniel and I have had to become very efficient. This means our days are packed full and require nonstop action. First let me start off by saying we've decided to try homeschooling Andrew. Just when I thought life couldn't get any more stressful :) This might make you think...."why would you do that to yourself...add more stress to a very stresssful situation?"...well most of you already know...I sent out a sort of manifesto on why we're homeschooling. Essentially we've decided it'd be best for our kids and so we have to at least try it....so trying it we are....successful I hope we'll be...and other yoda thoughts. We may not, however, succeed....we'll see how it goes. So let me give you an idea of what our days are like.

To start....Max and Henry are ready for daylight savings. They get grouchy and demand to go to sleep around 7...7:30 these days and are waking us up at something like 5 every day. They must love the sun like their parents. Too bad we've doomed them to a life of gray skies in Bloomington, IL. :) Don't let these innocent looking guys fool you...Ohh and try to guess who's who...I'll let you know at the end.

So we wake up at 5.....try to get them to sleep until 6:15ish and then finally get up and change both of their diapers and clothes. We then get breakfast around for Andrew and Ashley who luckily dress themselves. I feed both babies and we both hold one baby while we try to eat our breakfasts. Then Holly wanders out of bed around 7 and one of us will change her and get her dressed. Then we get her breakfast and start cleaning up all of the kids mess from breakfast.

I just realized this could be the longest most boring post ever so I'll try to speed it up. We've scheduled 4 45min blocks for "school time"...one being language and reading...one being math...one being art...and the last one being science/history. So we have those dispersed throughout the day. At 9:30 every day I've started going to the gym and taking all 5 kids with me where they have childcare included in the family membership. I know they didn't have us in mind when they made up that deal. Oh well....Seller beware. My gym time will eventually become the kids' "P.E. time" as well. They also get 1 hour of tv time every day around 1 pm. One day a week we go to the children's museum from 11:00-1....and 1 day we have playgroup.

Then Daniel gets home at 4 and we "relax"...like that ever happens...for a little bit and then start dinner and have it around 5....then clean the dinner mess... and then Jammie time at 6. Then we have a school/reading time until about 7 and then it's teethbrushing and scripture readin time. Next, the older 3 go to bed. Keep in mind all of this is done while holding a baby...each of us. In addition, we are following each kid around picking up their various messes along the way. Phew....it exhausts me just thinking about our days sometimes. Daniel and I then watch a movie(or fold laundry) and then I get all the kids outfits out for in the morning and my gym bag ready...anything to make the morning easier..etc. And that's our day in a nutshell. I find that I'm happier when my life is nonstop and have less time to waste on surfing the net and shopping...my two favorite time wasters....so there you go.

In conclusion I've decided to make a t-shirt....that way I can cut down on all of my courteous responses and just point to the shirt. It will read "Yes, I DO have my hands full!" and maybe I'll add..."And I'm HAPPY about it!" By the way Henry was on the left and Maxwell was on the right. Henry has a wider head...but his isn't as funny shaped in the back...ahh well. They're the cutest babies ever as far as I'm concerned.

Our changing family

Here's a post just to remind people that we still exist and we're ever changing...some of us for the better even...like the following cuties. Max is a big big smiler these days. He's the more dramatic one between the two of them. He smiles bigger and also gets bigger frownie faces. I prefer the smiles...but can't help but think the frowns are adorable too.


Henry though seems to be a little more mellow...good-natured most of the time....though not a pushover...he lets us know when he's had enough. Also he's somewhat of a comedian like his father....just look at the nametag he made out for himself at a social event. I think it fits him perfectly.

My sister's getting married in September and so we went to a bridal expo where we got all kinds of free goodies....a feather boa included. Holly was less than amused when I asked her to pose with this boa. She's a no nonsense kind of gal.

I thought this picture was really cute of Holly. She's wearing a dress Ash wore a year ago....they're 2 years apart....hmmm. Kind of looks like she has a wig on though...I dunno why. Anyway, what a sweetheart.

More pictures to come but for now this will have to do. Our lives are still crazy as ever...but when you think about it...what better way is there to spend your time? Raising kids....helping them to survive...and helping them become hopefully good and nice people.....investing in a family...kids that visit us when we're older and harrass us the way we harrass our parents now....how fun. Life is good.

Our crazy lives

Here's where I try to recap the last 2 months of our lives and then some. Let's get right to it. Maxwell Scott and Henry William were born on October 28, 2009...in that order weighing 6lbs 13oz and 6lbs 12oz...respectively .....and things haven't been the same since. We were told they're identical so technically I only need to post a pic of ONE of them right? Here's a picture that shows both a front view and a profile shot. Daniel would argue he shares the same hairline with the twins.

Here's a front shot...of I think Henry. Usually I can tell the difference ...Henry seems to have a longer forehead.

What's life like with 5 kids 5 and under?.....it's what you'd imagine and then 10 x's harder. Daniel and I sleep in shifts to survive. He gets the 7 pm-2am shift and I sleep from 2am-8am. If we're lucky we get some sleep during the other one's shift...if the babies happen to sleep at the same time....a rare thing. It's not all bad though. These little guys are adorable....and sweet....we love them....we just wish we had a little more time to enjoy them.....we're running around with chickens with their heads cut off usually(I later noticed I wrote...we were running around WITH headless chickens instead of LIKE....and thought about correcting it...but it provides some hilarious imagery I don't want to rob anyone of)...from one crisis to the next....everything is a "crisis" with children you know. As I type 3 of our 5 children are crying....we're getting ready to go to the store and this guaranteed will be an ORDEAL. I can only imagine what people will be thinking when we come rolling in with 5 under 5....requiring at least 2 shopping carts to carry the children and food we'll be purchasing.

What could be crazier than having 5 kids under 5? Trying to homeschool them. Yeah that's right...after lots of thinking and research we're leaning towards homeschooling. I'd be happy to defend this decision to anyone who's thinking...oh great they're going to raise a bunch of social weirdos. I disagree. Anyway that's all I can manage for now.....things are melting down.

twins at 30 weeks

The following will be a glimpse into the life of someone who will soon have had 5 kids in 5(yes that's right 5) years. So I'm at the point ...let's be honest I have been for a while....where everyone I meet looks at me with pity and says something along the lines of "Any day now, huh?" In fact a lady at church today told me I "look miserable"....I'll just assume she meant that I look like I FEEL miserable. I told her I'd try to look more chipper in the future. Anyway, after going through the speech about no I'm not due anytime soon but I'm having twins and oh yes I already have 3 ages 5, 3.5, and, 20mos.....the pitying looks turn to .....you are completely crazy and I get a lot of "I know you can do it...but there's no way I could/would do that to myself." Then I feel I must reassure whoever it is that "Yes,it'll be crazy....but we'll make it"....(I can't say for sure that I know how at this point....but I still feel obligated to reassure these poor pitying souls) So on top of these endless encounters as far as how I'm physically feeling let's just say I'm seriously considering using the motorized carts at the grocery stores. I feel like a big slug and it's quite possible I will lean over for the last time one of these days ....I simply won't come back up.....my toes have become very coordinated and serve me well. A good gift idea at this point would be one of those pincher things with the long stick attached for reaching things on high shelves or for people who can't recover from leaning over like myself. On the upside people say you can't tell I'm prego from the back. In fact, while placing sprinklers around the lawn the other day I was honked at by some classy construction workers....who I'm sure as they turned the corner and got a profile shot realized they got more than they bargained for...perhaps they sped up at this point. Anyway, I'm so excited for 2 adorable little babies to come but I'm also scared...and I do appreciate words of encouragment.....however no one honestly knows whether I can do it and do it well....not even me till I get there...but then what else are you going to say?...something like "gee you'll probably have a nervous breakdown....or yeah you may not be able to handle it with the 5 there....sure glad I'm not you". Each week I think...can I really get any bigger?...sure enough ....I do.....The babies are approximately 4 lbs a piece right now....that's a good size single baby right there. Did I mention I'm only 30 weeks. :) So there're my crazy thoughts for the day. We're in for quite an adventure to say the least. I just have to hold on to that original feeling of winning the lottery that I had when I first found out we were having twins....I do really feel that way....it's just mixed in with lots of other thoughts.

As promised

Here Andrew is on his first day of kindergarten. Everyone asks "Was that hard for you?" No...not really because he was sooo excited to go....he loves school....I was busy just being happy for him. Sure I miss him and all of his questions....but just look at that genuine smile ;)

And of course here is my little trooper Holly with her dirty(we've had a dirt yard for the last week or so) purple cast. She never whines about her cast and acts as if she always had a purple arm of steel....what a girl!

Here's Ashley in what I think is a great color for her....she's gorgeous. So, I decided not to have her go to preschool this year. I thought I should ask her first before officially backing out.

Me: Ashley, would it be okay if you stayed home with Mommy this year and went to preschool next year?

Ashley: Why?

Me: Because Holly and I would miss you and I need your help with Holly and the new babies.

Ashley: Okay, I'll go to preschool next year.

That's seriously how it went...no sugar-coating whatsoever. What a sweetheart huh?....thanks Ash.

Here's the front of our new house...and newly sodded lawn(Yay!)

A kitchen shot

A dark family room shot

The many things life brings

I know....I've fallen off the face of the earth....but without regular internet access I just don't blog anymore. I thought though there were a few things of note worth mentioning. First, Holly fell last Friday and had been sort of favoring her right arm....though she had really no other symptoms...hardly any swelling....no constant whining....etc. But, here we are one E.R. visit later with a daughter who has a broken arm....fracture on both her ulna and radius. Needless to say Daniel and I were shocked and felt horrible for waiting 5 days to take her to the doctor. So just a heads up....toddlers/babies....don't usually get sprains...and when they do ...they don't usually complain after 5 days or longer....news to me. It seemed like any other fall and so after this I'm wondering how my other kids have survived this long without any broken bones....they fall all the time. Luckily Holly is a trooper and her only complaint seems to be about the big cast she's lugging around....a perfect weapon in case her brother or sister gets out of line. :) Also, Andrew, Ashley and I have a virus that makes our eyes bloodshot. So as a family we look pretty run down these days. The kids also have runny noses. Imagine us walking into...well anywhere...the toddler with the arm in a cast the 3 of us with bloodshot watery eyes.....noses running wild....me looking like a cow that ran away from the farm.

In other news I signed Ashley up for preschool at a local church...it will be 3 days a week for 2 hours at a time. I'm conflicted over this decision...since she still has 2 years before kindergarten based on her bday being in November. Any advice? I AM about to have twins and I have a toddler....so I'm afraid I won't have the energy to provide her with playgroups and entertainment like Andrew and Ash used to get....but I realize now's my chance to influence her the most and do I want to hand that off to someone else? I think I might try it for a week or 2 and see how she seems to like it and respond to it. They assured me I can back out at any time. Well that's all I have time for. Our house will be done in 16 days...and it's gorgeous so far....I love it. I'll post pictures soon.

Wii fit...or Wii fat?

Today was a low point in the old twin pregnancy. I periodically get on my Wii fit...only when Holly's not around....she fancies herself a Wii fit master and won't let anyone on the board when she's around. Anyway, anyone who has tried a Wii fit knows that the Wii fit can get pretty sassy. For example, when you haven't been on in a few days or weeks it asks stuff like "Too tired to work out yesterday, Erin?" It also doesn't have a pregnant setting and so it can't seem to understand why I keep gaining weight. It usually weighs you first thing and every time I get on it asks me to explain why I keep gaining weight...some options are....eating too much....not exercizing enough....being lazy...etc. Back to today....I weighed myself in the morning and was pleased to see I had lost a few pounds since last time...this never happens. Then around 12 I decided to get on again and the Wii fit started flipping out and asked if I was holding a heavy object. Apparently I had gained so much weight since the morning that it didn't think it was humanly possible and assumed I was holding a cat or something. I hoped it was broken but then Daniel's weight was perfectly normal and all my hopes were crushed. I'll chalk this one up to water weight ....but I mean my goodness. Slowly watching your figure go down the toilet is no fun at all....wondering if you'll ever find it again...even less fun. It'll be worth it....I know.