Thanksgiving Thursday: Thanksgiving Edition

Every week I list the things that I am thankful for, and since today is Thanksgiving the list may be a little bit longer.

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for:

• Scott who has been my rock this year. He has helped me transition from stay at home Mom to full-time working Mom. I am so lucky to have a husband that does as much as he does. I love you so much and am excited to see what this next year holds for us.

• Scott who supports my running. Did you know he keeps all of my race times and tracks them every year? He's my biggest (and most handsome) cheerleader.

• Aaron who has the best sense of humor and can always make me laugh, even when I don't need to laugh. 

• Aaron who can give the best hugs when you need them. 

• Aaron who genuinely loves, cares and shows concern for everyone around him. Some girl is going to be very lucky to have him one day in the very very distant future.

• Jillian who reminds me so much of myself at this age. Sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes this is the thing that nightmares are made of. 

• Jillian who comes up with some of the funniest observations I've ever heard. 

• Jillian who also genuinely loves, cares and shows concern for everyone around her. I would say some boy is going to be very lucky, but he also gets her "stubborn" streak too. It will take a very strong man.

• My parents who are always there for me when I need them. I am so lucky to have the family that I have and honestly wouldn't change it for anything. 

• My in-laws who are an amazing support system for us. They help us in so many ways and I don't know if I can ever say thank you enough to them. 

• My brothers and sisters who have helped shape into the person I am today. This includes all traumatic experiences that have led to phobias in my life.

• My amazing friend Dawn. She's like my sister from another mister, I love her!

• My friend Jenn who I can truly be myself with. Seriously, who else can you crack a bottle of wine open with and lounge in your sweats?

• 2nd chances.

• The success I've had at Multiples and More. It has given me so many opportunities and has just been an overall blessing. 

• A job that I love and coworkers that I love just as much. Not many people can go right into a job they have their degree in and then immediately love it. I'm very lucky and blessed!

• Having a roof over our heads when so many people are losing theirs. We are blessed and lucky to still be where we are.

• Our church family. We are lucky to have found a great group of people in our parish.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? Link up over at Multiples and More!

Somethings Gotta Give...

I received a text from my best friend, Dawn, this morning asking if I was meeting at her house or going straight to her shower. I told her I was just going to meet her there and then told her I was so excited for tomorrow. She asked what tomorrow was. My heart sank into my stomach and I realized in that very moment her shower is not tomorrow, it was in fact today. Best friend of the year I am not. 

In that moment the reality that I've been doing too much and, quite honestly,  at half the quality finally sank in. It has been quite an adjustment since I went back to work full time. I didn't ease into work, I went full steam ahead. I still run Multiples and More and am involved in other activities. Somethings gotta give. No, it's not Multiples and More, so all of my readers from there can breathe a sigh of relief.

I hate that it took me forgetting my friends shower to realize I'm being pulled in too many directions. I think as women we tend to feel like we have to be superwoman. We have to be able to have the career, have the family, have the house and have the social life. What we fail to realize is that the more we say "yes" to things the more we are saying "no" to something else. That something else is usually our family or our own time. We end up running ourselves into the ground and then really, what good are we? 

It's time to take a step back, take a deep breath, pull up my big girl pants and prioritize. After all, my cuties are only young for so long. I can't miss out on any more of these moments. 

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

Did you know today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day? Well, you do now! In honor of this truly fantastic holiday, I'm going to share my triple chocolate chip cookie recipe. I put it on Multiples and More's Facebook page this morning and squealed with excitement when one of the readers posted a photo of her triplets making the recipe. I mean, does it get any cuter than that?

Here's what you need:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
 1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter, softened
 3/4 cup Sugar
 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 2 eggs 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1/2 cup Milk Chocolate Morsels
1/2 cup White Chocolate Morsels

And here's how you make them:

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture.
Stir in morsels.
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
Hand beater to husband so he can try the dough and, as my Mom says, get worms.
Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.
I usually switch them on the racks halfway between (that is if one if on the bottom rack and one is on the top)
Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Circle of Moms

Multiples and More is part of the Circle of Moms Top 25 Moms of Multiples Blogs.  Right now we are sitting in the Top 10, but being the Monica Gellar that I am, I would love to be #1. If you could just take a moment to click on the photo above, which will take you to the site, and then click the thumbs up button next to the Multiples and More logo, which looks like this:

You can vote every 24 hours until May 23rd. The top three blogs right now have over 1300 votes and we are way behind with just over 200. I would appreciate it if you voted and helped spread the word! 

Life's Little Moments

The post Rebecca wrote yesterday on Multiples and More had me rereading it several times throughout the day. A post that started out of a tragedy ended up inspiring one of the best posts I read in a very long time, and inspired me to write down my own moments, good and bad, from the past 4 years with the kiddos.

• The moment I found out there were two. This qualifies as a good and bad moment all at the same time. Bad because I essentially freaked out but good because at the same moment I was freaking out I was already in love with the two little beans on the screen.
• The moment I heard each of them cry for the first time. I will never forget those sounds.
• My first day on my own with both of them...alone. I was scared to death and not confident at all, but I survived and it got easier with each day that followed.
• Their first smiles and giggles.
• The first time Aaron peed on me because I was not fast enough with the towel after baths.
• Our first ER visit when Jill had RSV. 
• Our second ER visit when Aaron pulled a chair down on his head.
• Graduating to solids and watching them take in all the new flavors.
• First steps that quickly turned to running while wildly laughing.
• Their twin speak and how terrified I was because I was convinced they were plotting against me.
• The sheer terror I felt when Aaron seized in my arms, the look on his face, the shade of blue his mouth was, and the temperature he was.  
• The clicking sound Jill made each time she seized, how hot she was when her temp hit 105, and how helpless I felt watching it unfold.
• The first time they went down a slide and went on a swing.
• Their first time in the pool and how excited they were.
• Their first time at Disney World, and any time since.
• The moments when you truly see how much they love each other.
• The way Aaron would say "watermelon"
• The way they fight, and boy can they fight.
• Mornings with my Jilly snuggling.
• Watching them read "The Hungry Caterpillar" to each other.
• Laying on the hide-a-bed with Aaron when he had the stomach flu.
• Nighttime prayers.
• Listening to them singing in the back seat of the car, specifically Rainbow Connection.

There are so many more moments that I just can't think of at this moment. What are your favorite moments with your kids?

Thanksgiving Thursday

For those of you that don't know what Thanksgiving Thursday is, it is the one time during the week where you stop and basically count your blessings. Even if you've had one of those weeks, I promise you can find at least one thing to be thankful for, no matter how big or small.

This week I am thankful for:

• Scott being super amazing this week by letting me hole myself up in the bedroom so I could get all of the blog party posts done for the week. What blog party you ask? Oh, just the Multiples and More 3rd Blog Anniversary Party.

• Aaron being a sweet big brother when Jill wasn't feeling that well earlier this week.

• Jill making me laugh to the point of tears last night.

• An amazing opportunity to Cruze the City Beautiful. Check us out on GM in the Southeast's website and YouTube page!

• Amazing family that is always there whenever you need them.

• Annual passes, it makes going into the parks for just a few hours totally justifiable.

• 3 amazing years with Multiples and More. I feel like the site just started, and even though I hoped it would be the site it is today, I wasn't totally sure it would happen. Thank you to everyone that reads the site and has supported me along the way!

What are you thankful for this week?

Oh 3.....

I posted a comment yesterday on Multiples and More's Facebook page and it was this: "What is it about 3 that makes you want to laugh and simultaneously pull your hair out?" Thankfully, I am not the only one that feels this, as many MoM's posted that they agreed. It's so true though, I absolutely love this age and cannot stand it all in the same moment.

Here's some of the pro's:

• They are so creative and imaginative at this age. I am absolutely amazed when they play together (nicely, more on that in a minute). Anything can be a musical instrument, or whatever they want it to be. I love this, absolutely love it!
• They talk so much more and it's alleviating a lot of the frustrating we had at 2.
  
• They help out more because they want to, not because they have to. Aaron is always in the laundry room with me helping and I love it.
• They put on shows and they're pretty good. They even have microphones made out of markers (see that imagination!).
• They sleep in big kid beds (even though they've slept in big kid beds for a while) and will come wake you up instead of scream for you to come get them.

Here's some of the cons:

• They are totally bipolar when they play. One second they love each other and the next minute it's like a scene from the Exorcist. No lie....
• They talk SO much more, like every five seconds and repeat everything until you acknowledge it. Even then they don't stop. This is why I keep stock of headache medicine.
• They sleep in big kid beds and come visit you at all hours of the night and ask to watch cartoons.
  
• They talk back and make valid points.
  
• They ask "why" for everything....seriously.

Please tell me it's not just me....

I've got cabin fever

Sorry for the lack of posting on here, things, obviously, have been busy. I finally get my splints out tomorrow and will find out what the rest of my recovery plan is. My nose seems to be healing fine and is only slightly swollen. My MOM has kindly reminded me that I, in fact, inherited my Father's nose. She also said this when my nose was fully swollen, so what does that say about my Dad's nose? Exactly....

I cannot wait to get the all clear from the doctor tomorrow because seriously I'm suffering from cabin fever like you would not believe. I like my house and all but when the highlight of my day is walking to get the mail, that's a problem. Plus the kids are getting some serious cabin fever as well. Hopefully we will be able to start doing things tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

If you haven't yet, check out the new Multiples and More site, I'm seriously in love! Hope all is well by you!