I'm Baaackkkk....

So I haven't blogged in quite a while...

Several contributing factors caused my deliquency... First having two kids and working full time is extremely exhausting! I don't know how women do it! Some women make it look so easy, but don't be fooled! My house is a constant wreck! I haven't worn make up since the baby was born!

Also, my computer died! I have debated endlessly whether to get my laptop fixed, but Joe ended up getting a new laptop, I got the hand me down. So as silly as it sounds, I don't have my old bookmarks on this one, so I just kind of forgot about blogging!

At work, my responsibilities keep growing! I keep trying to cram triple the work into the same amount of time (who wants to spend more time at work- especially when I don't get paid for overtime!). That means I bring some stuff home to do after the kiddos are in bed.

Jordan now stays with my mom during the week (Claire does too) rather than daycare (separate post on this later), so when we get him home I take him out to play with the neighbor kids a lot more. I am still trying to keep him social! That means when I get home, I am outside pretty much nonstop playing. On the plus side, I have lost weight and am back to a size 6...but the house is falling apart.

Joe started school in January. He studies like a maniac all week. Poor guy can not multi-task to save his life. He does his best, but it isn't like before when he cleaned and cooked...That is mostly me these days. On Mondays and Fridays when he is home, he still does everything, which is wonderful!

Vacation Is Wonderful!!

This last week, I had off! And it was just wonderful!

My best friend, Jennifer, came down to visit and meet Baby Claire. After a week of screaming children, temper tantrums, diaper changes, and night terrors, I think she has already scheduled her hysterectomy. She did great though handling all the chaos that is my family!

We started out the week in St. Augustine. Joe started his PT (physical therapy) program there. To save on hotels, I found a hostel called Casa Yallaha, and we all stayed there. I thought it was okay, but Joe nicknamed it Casa No-way-in-hella. It was very clean, but the people there looked like homeless people and kind of reminded him of a house for people just getting out of prison. Everyone was nice enough, and I really enjoyed the experience. It was fun talking with the other guests and hearing about their travels. One guy was riding his bike with a friend from Key West to California!

While Joe was at school, Jenn and I took the kids on the dreaded Red Train. The Red Train is a tour tram that goes through 22 stops through St. Augustine. Jordan loves it and pitches the hugest fit everytime we got off. Jennifer was good sport and tolerated the damn train. We stopped for lunch, and Jennifer drank her weight in beer. After we were juiced up we resumed the train riding. After damn near six hours riding the train, Jordan still wanted more. I could take no more, and Jennifer threatened to jump out of the moving train. We returned to the hostel and then met up with Joe for dinner.

The next day, Jenn and I packed up screaming children and headed for home. I thought that Jordan would drive us all insane asking for the Red Train!

During the week we went on an air boat ride, which was really fun. Jordan saw lots of alligators!

We rounded out the week of fun by all getting sick. Jordan keeps telling us that
his nose is "raining".

I was sad to see Jenn go back home. Hopefully she won't swear off having children due to my temper tantrum terror named Jordan!

Never say Never

Yesterday as I was pacing around the hospital in full chemical warfare gear, huffing and puffing in my gas mask, I can't believe my life has taken me here.

I remember in high school there were three things I knew I would never do. Number one was get married. Marriage signified the end. Once you were married you were locked in, no more variety, no more fun. A husband would only hold me down, keep me from achieving my goals, and overall make me miserable. Turns out I was wrong on that one. Once I found Joe, I didn't know instantly he was the one. But after he stood by me through some really hard times, I still didn't know. Luckily Joe didn't give up easy and after cancelling our wedding- not once, but twice....we finally did it! I couldn't be happier. Being married hasn't stopped me from achieving anything. Joe has only made my dreams possible. Without him I don't think I would have finished medical school, or residency.

The second thing I was sure I would never do was have children. If getting married locked you down, children were a million times worse. I didn't want to worry about kids and raising them properly. When Joe and I finally got married we agreed- absolutely no children! Then after delivering several babies at work, I started to think more and more about it. Then I think biology took over and then I really wanted them. Fortunately Joe really likes kids and was willing to compromise on the issue. Now that we have Jordan, I can't imagine life without him.

Everyday I look forward to seeing what new tricks Jordan has learned, what new thing he will do, and what he will destroy. The funny thing about it is that I don't even care what he breaks-most of the time!

The third and final thing I would do was join the military. I was sure that this would be an awful decision and I would regret it terribly. And pretty much I was wrong about everything, except this rule. The military does suck completely. I can't wait to get out.