Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Date Night "K"

"K" is for Krazy.  Yep.  That's what we are.  Even our house was nicknamed "Krazytown."
I know that fostering twins is not a date, but since everything in our life including Date Nights came to a screeching halt while we had those sweet little baby girls, we decided our "K" Date Night was really "K" Krazy Kid Month.  For sure it met one of the requirements of Date Night as in we constantly strived to put the other first (even when we were exhausted.)  I say when we were exhausted, not if, because from the moment those babies entered our home it seemed they never stopped moving, and therefore, neither did we!
Everyone loves babies, and everyone loves twins.  Yes, they are adorable.  But, may I state the obvious?  There are TWO of them!  Two that needed to be fed breakfast, lunch dinner, snacks... Two that needed to be held, kissed, and sometimes rocked before each nap and bedtime. Two that needed reassurance during the night.  Two whose feet and hands moved constantly. Two to bathe and in this case twice the screams when we washed their hair! Twice the diaper changes.  And my personal favorite--Two to wrestle into and out of car seats.  I know they are necessary but seriously, what is WITH all those buckles and straps?  And could someone pleeaaaaasssssseeee invent a car seat that can be faced forward so that when babies and toddlers need to be attended to it does not require the skill of an Olympic gymnast?

Having said that, we honestly enjoyed our time with the girls.  It was truly a blessing to be a part of their lives and to see the outpouring of support from our family and friends was amazing.  Within two days of bringing the twins home, Beautiful Daughter #1 and friends had located and delivered to us:
2 pack-n-plays, 2 high chairs, 2 baby gates, 1 double stroller, toys, clothing, blankets, bibs....all accompanied by genuine interest, concern, and prayers!

It took us awhile to get settled but eventually things calmed down (a little) and we did have respite care on three of the four weekends they were with us.  We took advantage of that time by doing a quick clean sweep of the house, running to the grocery store to reload, and yes, napping!  And best of all....relishing in knowing we would be getting an uninterrupted night's sleep.  The month sped by in a blur. Typically we awoke to soaking wet diapers, moved quickly on to breakfast, playtime, looking at books, lunch, nap, walks, looking at books, swim outings, trips to the park, looking at books, dinner, bottles, baths, and....bedtime!  When hubby came home from work, he spent hours playing with the girls and reading to them.
Did I mention how much these girls loved books?  Anyone who knows me knows how much I love to read.  Ever since I was a child one of my favorite places to go was to the library!  Take me to a bookstore and I'm in heaven....but I admit that I actually found myself stuffing books under our couch just to get a short reprieve!
It's been a long time since we've parented small children and wowser, did our bodies ever remind us of that!  Imagine coming downstairs with one baby, sprinting upstairs to get the other, only to find the first has climbed halfway back up and then multiply that fun little exercise x oh, 20-100 per day.  This particular exercise lessened considerably after acquiring the aforementioned baby gates.  Here's another fun one:  "Oh, I'll just carry them both at once."  Twenty one pounds perched on each hip?  That's forty-two pounds of extra weight to balance.  Ummm...that's a lot. Needless to say, that idea was used only in times of desperation.
And yes. I know. We're old.
But in my defense, in less than two hours they wore out our little 9 year old friend who came to help for a day.  In addition, my 11 and 14 year old nieces were in town visiting and they also wilted after one afternoon. I will forever be in awe of any parent of multiples.

Evidently we are Krazy, because, yes, we'd do it again.  Even willingly give up another Date Night.  Why?

We were so blessed.  Twice the smiles.  Twice the hugs.  Twice the snuggles.  On the topic of blessings it is not lost on me that for a long time my heart ached with the truth that my own children were all grown up, and because of Date Nights, especially Date Night "I," God made a way for both of us to once again enjoy the marvelous experience of loving and being loved by babies.  These girls will always have a place in our heart.
    Totally worth it.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Date Night "J"



On Procrastination:  "Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday." ~Author Unknown  


So..........we went on our "J" date way back in June, but shortly after that we accepted our first request from Lydia Home to care for fourteen month old twins! Looking back, I see it may have been wiser for me to have been caught up on blogging but how was I to know my life was about to be turned upside down?  I can procrastinate fine all by myself but aided by caring for the constant needs of two toddlers things went downhill in that area quickly!   I have only recently regained control of bills, laundry, cleaning etc....  There.  Explanation given. Procrastination over.  And now that I'm two weeks post-twins, I'm actually starting to get a little bored!


This Date Night was a little unconventional.  It was more of a "family" date and it wasn't at "night" but when Beautiful Daughter #2 invited us to meet up with her, Beautiful Daughter #1, sons-in-law and the Sweetest Grandson Ever on Father's day, we quickly agreed it would be fun to go on a little jaunt. ( It didn't hurt that it also bailed out hubby who couldn't come up with a "J" idea to save his soul.)  And anyway, who could resist a day with hubby, daughters, sons-in-law, and the SGE? Hence, Date Night "J" turned into Date Day "Jaunt."  


About two hours from us is a place called Sandwich, Illinois where they have an enormous flea market.  We had been there before--years ago--and it was truly a sight to behold.  
Tons of quality exhibitors and food vendors were spread out all over the Sandwich Fairgrounds and we easily spent the whole day there. There was so much to see it was almost overwhelming.  When we arrived this June, the Market was considerably smaller and not much was offered in the way of food. We were told that the economy had drastically effected the participation of vendors. Between this and the lack of food vendors we were a bit underwhelmed but we still enjoyed our time there. But, really, what's an outdoor flea market without some yummy treat like onion rings? funnel cake?  I know it's not the State Fair but I can get a pretzel or nachos at my local community pool!  Well, since it was HOT-and by hot I mean sweltering--even in the shade, it ended up being just dandy that we were only there for a little while.  When we ran out of things to look at there, we headed into town and found a couple of air-conditioned antique malls to meander around in. 


Seeing as it was a combination Date Night with Family, a Father's Day celebration and son-in-law #1's birthday, we ended our day having dinner together. We opened some presents and shared some desert in honor of the day.  All in all, it was a great date made all the more special because we got to spend it with these wonderful people!
A little jaunt = a LOT of joy!
BD#2 and Son-in-Law #2

BD#1 and Son-in-Law #1 with Sweetest-Grandson-Ever
Hubby and Me/Father's Day 2011