Monday, April 5, 2010

So much to do; so little time to post....

Time sure does fly. I have been back at work almost 3 months. In that 3 months a few of the highlights have been that Dylan has learned to roll over and is close to sitting, Brendan has started to read, Tim has gotten a promotion that will have him home more, our church launched it's West Seattle service, we went to Texas, the Sounders season has started and I have been frantic.

I haven't done any posting in the past 3 months because I have been too overwhelmed to put some thoughts together. I figured no one wants to read about the struggles that come with balancing a full time job, being a full time mom, full time wife, and trying to be a good friend and family member. I was trying to live by Thumper's mom's principle that if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all. Then I remembered misery loves company. I hope you know I say that with a chuckle. I am NOT really miserable and I have had plenty of "nice things" to say about the past 3 months but have come to the realization that things do not have to be perfect and it's ok if I'm not perfectly balancing it all.

God has blessed in many ways. Brendan and Dylan are so delightful and it has been so awesome to watch them interact. I am so lucky that Tim understands my neurotic ways and is willing to pitch in when I need help despite his full plate. I also have wonderful supportive friends that have been good listeners when my stress came spilling over (thanks Chris, Jules and Erica.) We got to spend a fun-filled week in Austin Texas seeing several members of our family who graciously drove a few hours to see us at Lake Travis. The boys had an amazing time with everyone and I think they had a good time too. It seemed that parking ourselves in the middle of the state proved to be successful and it made for a good vacation.

The latest installment in the Bosworth saga occurred tonight when I thought I would be a "fun" and lenient mom. I went grocery shopping after work with the boys. As we were heading toward the checkout Brendan wanted to get on the lower rack of the cart (something I did numerous times as a kid). He decided to go belly down. Well - I forgot to tell him to keep his hands in and as I headed off from the deli counter thinking what a "cool" mom I was letting him do something fun, I managed to run over his little finger as it got caught between the wheel and the floor. OUCH!! (as I exited the store they handed me my "mom of the year" award) Brendan was such a trooper. That is one tough kid. He whimpered a bit and simply said "I want to go home and tell daddy." We determined it was probably just really bruised, not broken and by the end of the night - after a bag of ice, grilled cheese sandwich, tater tots, an episode of Mickey Mouse Club House and a band-aid , he was in much better spirits. Just praying that it heals quickly.

In short, Tim reminded me we have a lifetime ahead of this. I did say I wanted boys, didn't I?

Monday, January 18, 2010

The things I learned on Maternity Leave

When my maternity ended after having Brendan, I wrote about "What I Did On My Summer Vacation" on our website. This time, I suppose I could have titled my "theme" "What I Did On My Christmas Vacation", however I decided to talk about the things I learned this time around. I'm sure I learned more than I have listed but these are just a few.

1. Having an infant the second time around really is easier
2. There IS enough love to go around for a second baby
3. Baby Wise DOES work and helped our children to sleep through the night
4. Three months goes by much faster the second time around
5. I can successfully go grocery shopping with two kids
6. I make a mean cappuccino (if the recruiting thing doesn't work out, I'll always have something else to fall back on)
7. Life in a house full of boys is perfect for me - I love cars and Legos
8. My three year old picks up computer games much quicker than I do
9. It's time to give up a Jetta for a bigger vehicle - no, I will not be opting for a minivan
10. I still can't stand daytime talk shows - sorry Oprah, it's not personal
11. Reruns of Alias and The OC are still great to watch
12. I thought I would have time to read a book - didn't crack one once
13. There are few things more wonderful than seeing my two children and husband play together
14. The magic swing is still magical
15. The thought of going back to work isn't as difficult as it was the first time knowing that I have a wonderful woman who takes care of the boys and a supportive husband that helps me balance it all

Maternity leave was great. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...