Paris and Rome...I need him home.

I am fully aware of how much Adam does for us; for goodness sake, my mom reminds me daily that I'm spoiled. However, nothing like 5 days apart to renew that appreciation! Thankfully, my mother-in-law spent the long weekend with us, watching the boys Thursday and Friday while I was at work. She cooked, cleaned, and even took a few middle of the night feedings with Jace (gotta love those growth spurts). She stayed until Monday so I could take Jace to the doctor for his shots without Jackson. Don't know what I would have done without her because the few short hours between her leaving and Adam arriving proved to be rather exhausting! She was on the road headed home by noon, leaving me and the boys to wait for Daddy to arrive home around 11pm. I spent the afternoon catching up on lesson plans while Jace took a long nap and Jackson played. I had a long list of things I hoped to get accomplished before the busy week got underway. Laundry, bathrooms, lunches for the week, baths for the boys... About the time Jace woke up a little on the fussy side, Jackson started in full force with Grandma withdraws. Jace was not satisfied with any of his usual toys or distractions and decided only being held by mommy would do. Only, I had to put him down to begin dinner for Jackson. Jace was, of course, hungry at the same time. (I look forward to the days when they can eat the same dinner!) Jace screamed in his bumbo seat while I quickly shuffled around the kitchen making Jackson's dinner and putting mine back in the fridge. Let's face it. I wouldn't be eating any time soon. Jackson is bouncing after me repeating, "I need a straw!" over and over and over. A bottle soon solved all Jace's problems, but getting Jackson to eat was another matter. With dinner over and Jace down for a quick nap, I shifted focus to bath time. Jace woke up just in time for me to stick him in the tub with Jackson. Putting Jace down long enough to get Jackson dried off and jammies on was tricky. Catching Jackson aka "Spiderman" to put him in his "pajammies" was also tricky, especially when he suddenly turned into Iceman and froze me, then spun into Firestar and put a ring of fire around me. Luckily, mommy's powers are stronger than all superheroes', and she was able to use her strong magnetic force to drag Spiderman/Iceman/Firestar close enough to her to grab him and force him into his nightwear. After teeth brushing, book reading, and song singing Jackson was asleep by 8:00 thank-you-very-much. And, drum roll please, Jace was asleep by 8:40!!

 Starting a new year always brings out the list maker/organization side of me. And, this year, I've got quite the list! In addition to more exercise and healthy eating habits, less TV and procrastination, I've added BLOGGING to my goals! Time is always an issue-- two kids (one being an infant), grading, lesson plans, and working on a master's degree occupies a lot of it, and I've got to sleep at some point. Therefore, my blogging goal is an easy one (hopefully!). So fellow bloggers and readers of blogs, I will attempt to blog twice a month. And you better believe this entry counts as one of my two posts for the month of January!

I'm a little sad that Christmas over. It was such a fun holiday season with the boys. I look forward to next year as much as Jackson, who has been asking everyday since Christmas "how close is Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas?" I showed him a calendar this morning, and I wish I could have captured the look on his face as I kept turning page after page. Maybe he understands now? 

I've included a few of my favorite pictures (snapped with my iPhone, which is another goal--Take more pictures!).

Jackson and Jace watching the favorite movie of this season-
"Polar Express"

Jackson accompanied Daddy to work on his last day before
Christmas break. They took a coffee/chocolate milk break.

We had to visit the "North Pole Express" this year. It was a fun, decorated little town with a train ride to the North Pole. The elves sang Christmas song favorites, and Santa made an appearance on the train! Jackson wanted to know why we didn't get all the way to North Pole. Of course, the tracks were too icy to get there. Here are a few pictures from our fun night!