2017: FIRST DAYS OF KINDERGARTEN & FIRST GRADE

It was a busy, emotional and exciting week this past week for the Hajduch house. Well, busier and more emotional than normal, I should say.

On Wednesday, Emma started her first day of first grade, and Finley, her first day of kindergarten. Seriously ... how is this even possible?!

Monday night, we went to Open House Night to meet their teachers and check out their rooms. Can I just tell you how badly Finley's room made me want to go back to kindergarten?! The room was decorated so dang cute, and she hit the teacher jackpot and got the one she wanted, and she (and I) couldn't have been more thrilled about that. I am so excited for her this year ... and she is so excited to learn to read!

After checking out Finley's room and dropping off her school supplies, we headed to Emma's room. We found her locker, her desk, dropped off her supplies, read the names of the other kids' desks to see if any of her friends from last year were in there, and introduced ourselves to her teacher. I could tell she was nervously excited as she began to process being with a new group of kids and having a new teacher (she LOVED her kindergarten teacher, so her expectations are high!). It will probably sound silly given it's only first grade, but her room just felt older. I got a little teary thinking about how old she has gotten so quickly ... but I'm so excited for another great year for her!

E & F holding hands as they checked things out. How can they look so big yet so little at the same time?
Oh how these two know how to melt my mama heart!

Tuesday afternoon I took them shopping to pick out their back-to-school outfits (nothing like waiting until the last minute, I know). I really tried to let them pick whatever they wanted (within reason) ... when you see Finley's outfit, you will see I'm telling the truth ;)

I also let them pick out chapstick, hand lotion and hand sanitizer to keep in their backpacks -- life of being the kids of a germaphobe mom! The week prior, I took them to get back-to-school 'do's (Fin got seven inches taken off!), so they were now totally ready to rock their first days!

Ready for school with our fresh cuts!

And rock their first days, they did!

Everyone was up bright and early, early enough for us to be able to walk to school (it's a little less than a mile). Walking with all seven of us makes us look like we're an in-home daycare, but I love it :)

Daddy walking with his girls.

Mama's sunglasses hid the sun (and the tears) while dropping this little kindergartner off. Time slow down!

We had some first day adjustments (more by F than E), but by the end of the week, neither one could tell us what their favorite parts were because "it was all so much fun!" I think that's a pretty good sign :)

Emma and Finley,

You make mommy and daddy so proud. We love watching you discover new things, make new friends, and grow in new ways. You are such special little girls -- I know you were brought into the world to accomplish big things! We pray that your love for learning never dies, that you are always good friends to others, and that you remember that no matter what is thrown your way, you are so very loved by your family, and most of all, Jesus! Here's to a great year of school, and exciting new beginnings!

Love,
MOM

* * *

For all you other mamas, how did your first days of school go this week?!

TWINNING AT THE FAIR

I am fairly certain that after Christmas, my second favorite day of the year is the day we go to the Iowa State Fair.

Yes, I realize that to some of you, including my husband, this may sound completely and utterly ridiculous. But, it's T R U E!

I get crazy excited just walking in to those gates, and I love staying sun up to sun down. This year, we "only" lasted nine hours (not too shabby for a family of seven if you ask me!).

I grew up in a family that loved the fair, so I think it's an inherited thing. Like a good husband, Joey appeases me and tags along every year. Happy wife, happy life!

Given my deep love of the fair, imagine my excitement when I learned there was a Twin Contest! My friends at work told me about it when I was newly pregnant with the twins, and from that moment on, I knew we were destined to participate.

Naturally, like any good contest, I thought long and hard about what they should wear. And, then it hit me: if we were going to be "in the fair" we were going to dress the part! And, since they are still pretty much bald, I knew twinning mullets were out, so I decided butter cow onesies were the next best thing!

Ironically, we got Emma and Finley butter cow T-shirts at the fair last year and I thought it would be really fun if I could track down the baby version. That's when I stumbled across John Bosley and Bozz Prints, a local illustrator and artist who just so happens to be the designer of the butter cow shirts we bought E and F. I told him about the contest, and he generously mailed us two onesies for the twins to wear ... and they R O C K E D them!

Yes, I realize those bows are bigger than their heads. I couldn't help it!

A dream come true - front and center on the Billy Reilly Stage!

Just the onesies without the bows and tutus ;)

The contest is broken down by age, and then "Least Alike" and "Most Alike." I entered them into the under the age of one, most alike category.

How'd they do, you ask?

Well, what I will tell them is that they earned themselves a white ribbon (third place, woo-hoo)! What they don't need to know is that there were three sets of twins in their category ;)

Here's a little video recapping the contest (skip to 1:45 if you want to see these two munchkins!).

It was so much fun. And the super fun thing was that all day, we saw so many twins walking around, and it almost made me feel like we were a part of this exclusive little club ... all of these people knew the joys and challenges of raising multiples. It was pretty cool, and a new tradition for us for sure!

Now, here's a little photo dump from our fair day!

What's your favorite thing(s) about the fair?!

Watching a calf being born (this spurred all sorts of questions!)

Corn dog... check!

Spin art (something I did every year when I was their age!)

 ***

Thanks again to Bozz Prints for the onesies! Stock up on your State Fair shirts for next year, or they also have some super cool Des Moines and KC shirts if you're ever looking! You can check them out here.

MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO

"Children may close their ears to advice, but they keep their eyes open to an example."

You may recall from a previous post, that after having the twins, I finally decided to make exercise a priority in my life (pretty much the first time since being "an adult"). And, I'm happy to report that I'm still making the time for it (I'm even currently training for my first half marathon)! 

Shortly after deciding to do the half marathon, I signed Joey and I up for a 5K run at our church. He and I hardly get any quality time with one another, so the idea of 3.2 dedicated miles of time together sounded G R E A T!

In addition to the 5K, there were also youth fun runs, so I signed Emma and Finley up for those, too. 

But, that still left three other kiddos to account for that morning ...

So, my mom, who has pretty much worked out every day of her life, happily volunteered to walk the 5K while pushing the twins in their stroller, and Joey and I decided to push Beckett in our jogger while we ran. Oh the planning that's necessary to do anything or go anywhere when you have five kids! My dad was able and willing to keep track of Emma and Finley and get them to where they needed to be while we ran (Emma's run happened at the same time as the 5K).

We arrived for "race day" 15 minutes early, which is worthy to mention because I don't think we have been early for anything since the twins were born. We checked everyone in, got our race bibs, the three babies in their designated strollers and were ready to go.

And, it was so much fun!

Emma's race was 3/4 of a mile.

Love her smile at the start!

And, still a smile at the end! I think running may be in her future :)

Even Joey and I were (somewhat) smiling at the end!
Beckett kept asking for his water the whole run, so clearly riding was exhausting for him...

Gigi coming across the finish line with the youngest competitors of the 5K ;)

Mama, Emma and Finley before their 5 & 6-year-old race.
Finley was a little (or a lot) nervous about it, but she did it (with mommy running next to her).

Beckett even got in on the fun! Love my dad's face in the background cheering him on.

Something I didn't realize was that there was a race Beckett could participate in! Clearly, because what kind of mom dresses her boy in crocs for a race?! There was a very short "sprint" for kids, broken up by age groups ... the youngest "heat" was ages 2 and under. This video is too funny not to share (hopefully by next year he can run in a straight line, and actually crosses the finish line before going to get his participation ribbon!):

It really was a great morning.

My favorite part was knowing we were helping teach our kids the importance of being healthy and active, that exercise can be fun, and that we need to take good care of these bodies that God has gifted us with! I hope that we can continue to do things like this, and that being active is something that is second nature for them.

The crew!

I'm already looking forward to next year ... crazy to think that Campbelle and Sutton will hopefully be "sprinting" in it, too!

***

Any family runs that I should add to our list? 

In what ways do you help promote a healthy lifestyle at your house?

THE ONE ABOUT THE PLANT

OK, so you see this plant? No, not the three fake succulents to the right -- and yes, I don't even trust myself to keep a plant that hardly ever needs watered alive. I'm talking about the tall one in the plastic cup. 

Yes, so that plant is amazing to me.

No it's not because of it's fancy container or the fact that it has a kabob skewer holding it up straight. It's because of this ...

This plant was brought home by Emma from Sunday School a month or two ago. Well, I should say, this cup, some dirt and a planted seed came home with her. She was bound and determined to find the best spot in the house for it, and we landed on right by the window in the kitchen so it could get some sunlight (her first choice was her bed so she could sleep by it at night, but mama ixnayed that one -- fun hater, I know). 

Once the plant had a spot in our home, I didn't really give it much thought. Like most things, I figured she'd lose interest in it after a few days and I'd end up tossing it.

But, I couldn't have been more wrong.

That little girl has watered it meticulously each and every day since. So much so, that one morning when I was up before everyone else, I looked at it and thought it could use a little water. So, I watered it. Seems reasonable, right? Well, later on that morning once everyone was awake, Emma came marching into my room and very accusatory asked, "Mommy, did you water my plant?" When I told her I had, she proceeded to scold me on the fact that I put too much water in it (it's like she knew I've killed no less than 10 house plants in my life and wanted my nowhere-to-be-found-green-thumb faaaar from her pride and joy). 

I haven't touched it since.

But, she most definitely has! And, she is so darn proud of this thing. I even overheard her talking to her neighborhood buddies when they were playing outside the other day about how big her green bean plant is getting.

I must admit, I had no idea that's what this thing is.

As I was cleaning the kitchen counters tonight for the 900th time today, the plant caught my eye for some reason, and while I'm ashamed to admit it, I finally read what was printed on the cup:

"But if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently."

- Romans 8:25

So perfect.

I don't know about any of you, but patience is something I find myself reminding my kids to have multiple times throughout the day -- the twins are by far the worst at this ;) Up until that moment though, I hadn't really thought about what great patience she was practicing by loving, caring and sustaining the life of this little green bean plant.

It made me so proud of her. And, it also reminded me of just how quickly she is growing up. She didn't need me to teach her, or show her, or grow this thing for her (clearly, I couldn't even water it properly!). She did it all by herself, and, just like the verse reads, she has done it "patiently" and "confidently."

And, when I started to think about it further, I realized that the patience I practice could use a little reality check ...

I have never been very good about living in the moment -- I'm always looking to the next thing. Lately, I find myself saying things like, "I can't wait until this time next year when the twins won't need to eat every three hours!" Or, "a year from now, life will be so much easier!"

And, while these things are very much things I look forward to a year from now, that also means that Emma will be SEVEN, Finley will be SIX and Beckett will almost be THREE. And, once next summer gets here, I'm sure I'll have a new set of things "I can't wait until (fill in the blank)." 

Where does it end? With that mindset, before I know it, the twins will be graduating from high school and I'll be in the corner balling my eyes out reminiscing about the times when all of my kids used to live at home, and most definitely having a selective memory as to the amount of chaos that all entailed :) 

There's a whole lot of life and fun to be had between right now and a year from now. And, I don't want to wish all of that away!

So, here's to living in the present. Embracing the current. Showing patience in the hear and now. The good, the bad and the ugly. The grass isn't always greener (but this green bean plant sure is). 

***

Just one question this time to all of my gardening friends: is this really a green bean plant?!

  

WHEN BEDTIMES DON'T MATTER

Some days go as planned. Others (like today) straight up don't.

I woke up this morning determined to make it a great day. It's been a tough couple of weeks around here -- every single person in our family has been sick (minus daddy, that lucky duck), and when sickness hits, that adds just one more layer of stress to our already chaotic lives.

Today, we were all finally feeling better (or so I thought), and then Beckett all of a sudden got the stomach bug (I'll spare you the details). Dear God, please please PLEASE let it start and stop with him. 

Needless to say, it's been tough.

And, due to the craziness, the little quality time I usually have with my two oldest babies has suffered (except for when they were the ones who were sick). The twins demand so much of my time (and rightfully so -- I realize they are only five months old!), but I just really have been missing my time with Emma and Finley ...

For example, they've been asking me to paint their nails now for two weeks. And, I keep promising I'll do it -- "Yep, once your brother goes down for his nap we'll do it." And, then once he goes down, the twins are hungry. Or, "Yes, as soon as I get your sisters to sleep we'll do it." And then it takes an hour to get them to sleep and we run out of time. Every night I find myself saying, "We'll do it tomorrow, OK?"

And, I just hate that disappointment in their eyes.

I don't EVER want them to feel like mommy doesn't have time for them. It breaks my heart a million times over just thinking that they could feel that way.

So, tonight, after finally getting the three youngest members of our family to bed at 8:45 pm ... I scooped those sweet six-and-five-year-old's up and took them on a surprise, spur-of-the-moment date to Dairy Queen.

It was perfect.

It was exactly what my heart needed.

And, I think exactly what their hearts needed, too.

Was it my best parenting move to take my kids to ice cream at 9:00 at night? Probably not. But, some days, bedtimes simply don't matter. For the first time in quite some time, the three of us just snuggled up on a bench, ate ice cream, talked and enjoyed our girl time.

I think the smiles speak for themselves ...

As we were sitting their eating, I was overwhelmed with how much I love them, and thinking about how many directions my heart is constantly pulled in as I juggle being a mom to five little kids who all want attention in their own individual ways. And, as tears started to fill in my eyes, I felt a nudge to listen to the song that was playing ...

Ooh-oo child

Things are gonna get easier

Ooh-oo child

Things'll get brighter

Ooh-oo child

Things are gonna get easier

Ooh-oo child

Things'll get brighter

Some day, yeah

We'll get it together and we'll get it all done

Some day

When your head is much lighter

Some day, yeah

We'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun

Some day

When the world is much brighter

(Listen here)

Once again, exactly what I needed (thanks, God, for the nudge). I know in my head that things will get easier. Heck, someday all five of my kiddos will likely be out of the house and I'll have nothing but time to myself. But sometimes, when everything seems hard, it's not easy to see.

I'm thankful tonight as I head to bed for the little moments that remind me of how blessed of a mama I am. And for the gentle nudges that let me know I'm doing OK, and that everything is going to be just fine.

But, most of all, I'm thankful that sometimes, bedtimes simply must be broken.

***

How do you juggle quality time with your kiddos? 

WHEN PARENTING IS HARD

Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be a mom. I remember just always feeling like it was what I was made to be. I always loved babysitting and couldn't wait for the day I had a little munchkin of my own!

Well, flash forward to present day, and I suppose one could say I was "right" with that intuition :) Mom of Five -- never a title I thought I'd have, but most certainly the one I am most proud of.

AND, most certainly the most difficult one I ever think I'll have, too.

Emma is now six (and almost a half, as she'll remind you) and, thus, I have that many years and months parenting experience. And still, each day challenges me in new ways, most of the time making me feel like I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. How old do your kids have to be for you to feel like you finally have all of the answers? Oh, never, you say? OK, great. 

I know I am an abundantly blessed mom. My kids are healthy, and, more times than not, they are polite, well-behaved, loving and fun to be around.

BUT, then there are the times that, well ... they're not. And that's hard. Which, in return, makes parenting really hard.

At our house currently, we seem to be in the midst of a season with an excessive amount of whining (oh the whining! Why can't you just go away forever?!), bickering, back-talking, and boundary-testing. Fun, huh? I'm sure you all are going to be lining up to want to hang out with us now!

I've found myself short on patience, and have lost my temper more times than I care to admit. Simply put, I've just kind of felt a bit overwhelmed lately.

Now, this isn't to say that there aren't pieces of sunshine amidst all of that rain -- like Finley and Beckett randomly holding hands just because, or peaking in to find Emma and Finley snuggling like this (after a full day of arguing with one another, mind you) in the middle of the night:

When you're in the thick of it (parenting) it's sometimes hard to stop and see the blessings right in front of your eyes. It can feel like a constant cycle of cleaning up messes, loads of laundry, dirty diapers, dishes in the sink, snotty noses, crying, and (fill in the blank).

But, if you can stop and take a closer look, it's also the little voice who spills her glass of milk to add to that mess, but looks and innocently says, "Sorry, mama!" and runs to get a paper towel to help clean it up; it's the almost two-year-old boy who, amidst the countless loads of laundry, sees you loading the dryer with wet clothes and runs in and says "I 'elp!'"; or the soon-to-be first grader who tries to help out with those dirty dishes by eagerly rinsing her dinner plate in the sink and successfully places it in the dishwasher; the baby with that snotty nose who gives you a big smile once you've finally sucked it out; or the giggles you can sometimes get out of any one of them when they start to fuss, and you start tickling them under their chin and turn that frown upside down.

You see, what I'm learning is parenting is all about attitudes - and no, I'm not just talking about the attitudes of the kids (although good attitudes definitely help!). It's about the attitudes of us as parents.

I believe, that if you look deep enough, you can find a blessing in just about everything that happens. It's kind of like that Mr. Rogers quote:

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."

The "helpers," in that scenario are the blessings. And, in tough times of parenting, I think it's important to look for those little helpers/blessings. They aren't always easy to see, or won't necessarily be the thing you want to focus on. But ... They. Are. There.

I am so crazy thankful to be a mom, and I don't ever want to take that for granted. I once read that the way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice. I try to remind myself of this when my patience is low (like it has been as of late). How I choose to respond to their behavior has a direct impact on who they become. They practice what they see, and how they are treated, and become what we make them feel they are. 

I don't know about any of you, but I want that inner voice of theirs to be one that is full of love, grace and confidence. Today's world is a tough one, and if there's two things I hope my kiddos never forget is that:

1. God loves them. Always!
2. Mommy and daddy love them. Always!

So, if any of you, like me, are in a season where parenting is challenging you a little more than usual -- hang in there. Look for those little blessings wherever you can, no matter what those may be. And, when in the thick of it, try to sprinkle in a little grace, and a whole heck of a lot of love (and I'll be right there trying to do the same!).

***

Anyone else being challenged lately? What are your parenting tips when in the thick of it?!

BREASTFEEDING FOR TWO

"Breast is great, fed is best."

I remember reading that on one of my friends' Instagram posts awhile back, and I definitely believe it to be true (she's a totally awesome mommy blogger, too - check her out if you haven't already!).

One really common question I get from people is, "Are you still breastfeeding?" And, when I say that I am, most people are shocked. I'd be lying if it didn't shock me sometimes, too ... 

I've been lucky in that I've been able to breastfeed each one of our kiddos; Emma for six months, Finley for nine months and Beckett for 11 months (I joke that he'd still be breastfeeding had we not gotten pregnant with the twins -- that kid refused a bottle as hard as he could!). However, I realize this isn't the case for a lot of mamas, and there are many great reasons as to why a mom simply can't, or doesn't choose, to breastfeed.

When we found out about the twins, after my initial worry of how I'd ever learn how to hold two babies at once (this makes me chuckle now), my anxiety quickly shifted (and remained focused) on how I'd possibly ever breastfeed two babies at once?! Despite all of the anxiety, I really wanted to try.

I set a goal of six months. Somehow, I was going to make it six months -- whether that was through exclusively pumping, or breastfeeding, or a combo of both. I've had my eyes set on the six month goal, and even though I know it's not true, I feel like if I "give up" before then, I'd receive a failing grade in the nonexistent 'feeding category' (I'm a pretty competitive person, and this time, I think I'm competing with myself).

Initially, right after Campbelle and Sutton were born, I exclusively nursed them in the hospital. But, they were SO tiny ... well tiny to us anyway (in case you missed how large our previous babies were, you can catch up here). That, along with being sent to the NICU almost exactly 24 hours after their birth, the logistics and pressure in knowing exactly how many ML's they were taking in at each feed began to take a toll on me. So, I made the decision to no longer nurse, but to pump and bottle feed so we knew exactly what they were taking in, and could work towards getting home ...

And, it worked!

I got into a really good rhythm of pumping while feeding both babies (thanks to a hands-free pumping bra AND a Twin Z Pillow -- seriously twin moms, these are MUST HAVES!).

Every three hours like clockwork, I'd prep all of the bottles, hook myself up to the pump and feed. Feeding would take about a half hour to 45 minutes, then I'd detach, clean pump parts, get the bottles ready and put them in the fridge for the next feed and store the rest.

And, then ... repeat.

If this sounds exhausting, it's because it was. Full disclosure, I've always hated pumping. So, I really grew to resent my pump and every single feeding session. Pumping for six solid weeks around the clock made me feel isolated. Looking back, I think it was because I mourned that same bonding experience I had while nursing my other three.

So, one day, I just decided to try to get them to latch ... and Sutton did! She ate for a few minutes and then conked out ... but she latched! I was thrilled. And, from that moment on, we pretty much exclusively made the switch to breastfeeding.

Now, to say the road has been all roses and rainbows would be a lie. It's been hard. Really hard at times. But, I've stuck it out. And, I've really enjoyed bonding with my girls in this way.

I knew in order for me to be successful with breastfeeding the twins, that I needed to learn how to tandem feed (ie: feed both babies at once). It simply wasn't going to work for me, given the other three kiddos in the house, to feed one for a half hour, then feed the other for a half hour. I needed to get them fed at the same time, in as little amount of time as possible.

In the hospital (prior to the NICU) the babies were simply too small for me to do this. But, at six weeks, I learned how to football hold them at the same time (again, thank you Twin Z Pillow!). I joined a 'Breastfeeding of Multiples' Facebook group, and it has been really helpful and a nice virtual support system to be connected to a bunch of women who are going through the same things. I am amazed at how many of them have breastfed twins for over a year. Seriously. So. Much. Respect.

Side note: Many people ask how you breastfeed twins, since when you are breastfeeding a singleton, you feed them on one side, then switch and feed on the other all in one feeding. With twins, you don't switch sides, they take in what they need just off of the one side per feeding. Some twin moms designate a twin a certain side, but I switch back and forth -- I don't need another thing to try and keep track of!  

I am happy to report that the girls are now five months old, and are happy and thriving! Dare I even say, a little chunky?! It makes my mama heart SO happy seeing those chunky thighs and cheeks -- those skin rolls are proof of all of our hard work!

And, it's all been thanks to that "liquid gold" as it's often referred to :)

However, it's been just over two weeks now, that I made the decision to start supplementing with formula twice a day.

For the few weeks prior to that, I felt like allllll they wanted to do was eat every hour (that is also as exhausting as it sounds). I just felt like I couldn't keep up. Now that they are bigger, they also are becoming more easily distracted, and logistically are just plain harder to hold in a feeding position at the same time!

Exhibit A: Sutton trying to eat, while Campbelle is distracted and messing around.

Almost immediately after making this decision, I felt this immense pressure lift. I didn't really realize how much stress being the sole food source for two little humans was causing me! It was a balance I didn't know I needed.

I'm not ready to be done breastfeeding, but I also recognize that sustaining the life of two babies at once is no easy task ... and it's OK to get some help :)

I'm not quite sure when my breastfeeding journey will end with these two, but I'm really proud of how far we've made it, and really proud of them for how well they have done.

Here's to all you other mamas out there! Whether breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, formula or breastmilk ... none of it is easy. Fed really is best.

Mama's little buddy! This is his favorite place to sit while I'm feeding the twins.

Snuggles with Finley while feeding Campbelle.

* * *

What made feeding your little ones easier on you? What were your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? I'd love to hear! 

'DONUT' MIND IF I DO

As you know, Miss Finley turned five just a couple of days ago! But, what you may not, is that she has been mentally preparing for her birthday party since Christmas.

I kid you not.

She'd talk about the theme, the friends she wanted to invite, what they were going to do at her party ... She would color on notecards and put them in envelopes and want to go drop them in the mail saying they were her party invitations. I love the innocence of a child and how writing "Levi's House" and putting it in the mail is going to obviously go where it needs to. 

So, needless to say, there was some pressure to make sure this thing was a hit! After much deliberation, she finally landed on a 'PJs and Donuts' theme. And, I'm happy to report, it was a success!

Finley's PJ's read: "DONUT MIND IF I DO"

Her friends came over in their PJs and ...

We made "donut" necklaces and bracelets.

Donut Jewlery: Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks, pipe cleaners and yarn.

We decorated pillow cases.

We did Cereal Box puzzles.

And, of course, we ate donuts!

It was a great morning, and it's always fun to watch your children play with their friends and see how their little personalities come alive.

The three musketeers - daycare buddies since they were littles!

Thanks so much to everyone who celebrated with us! She is one blessed five-year-old to have such great friends. Happy Birthday, Finnie!