Always juggling

Some days I feel like Super Mom, like when I've successfully managed to get both boys dressed, fed and out of the house without anyone having a major meltdown (myself included) and I'm able to take care of errands, put the laundry away and get dinner on the table before Captain Husband comes home from work.  And then there are the days when everyone is still in their pajamas at three o' clock in the afternoon and Nick Jr. has been playing non-stop because that's the only way I can get Sammy to take the whining down to a level that doesn't make me want to scream while I'm stuck on the couch with Charlie latched on to me every half hour...this sort of day happens more than I'd care to admit.  Of course, it doesn't help that there's a huge part of me that's convinced that I'm neglecting the boys in some way, so I just hope that at the very least I'm neglecting them equally.  Gotta keep things fair, right?

I've got so many balls in the air and I know that unless things change in some way I'm in serious danger of dropping them all; I spend so much time taking care of the boys' wants and needs that there's really no time for myself.  And don't get me started on my relationship with CH: to say that it's strained would be pretty accurate and the demands of his job haven't exactly made things any easier.  There just aren't enough hours in the day for me to satisfy everyone and since Sammy and Charlie still can't really fend for themselves, that means CH drops to the bottom of my priority list...well, actually I'm at the bottom of my priority list, which really isn't much better to admit.  If anyone has any advice for me, I'd really appreciate it.  I'm trying to find a sitter (the sitter that we loved moved back to Michigan this summer) and am looking into daycare options that would at least give me a morning or two when I'm down to only one kid to look after, but so far that's all I've got.

Charlie's two-month update

Charlie turned two-months old on the twelfth but thanks to a combination of procrastination and forgetfulness I wasn't able to take him in for his well-baby appointment until last week.  I knew he had been growing but even I was rather surprised by his stats: 14 pounds, 7 ounces and 24" long (I think I can now say with some certainty that breastfeeding is going well).  Now I know why he's barely squeezing into his 3-6 month clothing!

Charlie is such a happy and easy-going baby; he always greets me with a big gummy smile and coos of happiness.  He's recently started laughing out loud and seems to enjoy being tickled and surprised.  One of Charlie's favorite things in the whole wide world is watching the ceiling fan followed closely by some good ol' fashioned nekkid time whenever he gets his diaper changed.  Charlie has also recently discovered how to splash in the bath and has started to grasp for toys and such just within his reach.  In other news, Charlie has been sleeping through the night since he was about five and a half weeks old and has recently given up night feedings entirely, which is awesome albeit kind of uncomfortable for me as I usually wake up feeling like a soggy Dolly Parton impersonator.

Grandpa to the rescue

Due to a tragic accident involving one of Captain Husband's soldiers two weeks ago, CH had to attend a funeral out of town for four days last week, which meant I was going to be on my own with the two boys.  I've got the day-to-day routine of juggling the two of them at once down pretty well, but I admit that I am far from confident in my abilities to handle both boys on my own once the evening rolls around--that's when CH and I deploy the divide and conquer tactic; he tackles the toddler while I handle the baby.  Thankfully CH's dad had some vacation time burning a hole in his pocket, so he offered to fly down and help out around the house while CH was gone--plus it gave him the perfect excuse to come and meet his new grandson.

Sammy immediately warmed right up to his Pop-Pop and was very happy to have someone to play with while I was dealing with Charlie; and Charlie definitely seemed to enjoy all of the attention that his grandfather lavished upon him, especially whenever Grandpa would sing or speak to him in Italian.

The four days were up before I knew it and soon it was time for my father-in-law to return to New Jersey; CH returned home Saturday afternoon and his dad was leaving Sunday morning, so they didn't have a lot of overlap time to spend together, but I was at least able to grab a few photos of the three generations before my father-in-law had to leave for the airport.  With any luck, we'll be able to visit with CH's grandparents over Thanksgiving and then I'll be able to take a photo that captures four generations all at once.

The first glimpses of Fall

The temperatures are finally making their long-awaited dip downwards around these parts and the days are getting shorter, which means that fall is almost here.  I don't know about you guys, but fall is my favorite season of all; there's just something about that crisp feel to the air that I can't help but love.  We don't get a lot of fall love here in El Paso--it's a very short season and it won't be long before things have transitioned completely from summer to winter, so I'm trying to make the very best of the short window of gorgeous fall days that we have (though to be perfectly honest, the winters are pretty nice, too).

The cooler temperatures means breaking out the warm footie pajamas for the boys and spending most of the morning lounging about in them while the house slowly warms up from the previous night's chill.

The rose bush in the backyard is making one last colorful hurrah before it hibernates for the winter.

And of course there's an abundance of fall produce, like these Granny Smith apples that a sweet friend was kind enough to share with us.  I tried my hand at making apple crisp from scratch last night and while it was a bit labor intensive (I definitely need to invest in an apple peeler and corer if I ever want to make it again), it was definitely worth every minute spent slaving in the kitchen.  Has fall arrived in your neck of the woods?

Our first rodeo

The rodeo came to town last week so Captain Husband and I decided to round up the boys and check it out; I had never been to a rodeo before, so I was pretty excited to see what it was all about.

The horses managed to hold Sammy's attention for a bit, but he was soon distracted by all of the other kids in attendance and spent the rest of the evening trying to play with them; as for Charlie...well, he slept through the entire thing, which made it easier for me to wander around and take some photos of the action.

We wound up leaving after only an hour (it was past both boys' bedtimes at that point), but it was a nice introduction to the world of rodeo nonetheless.  Now all I need to do is find the boys some cowboy boots so they'll be appropriately attired the next time the rodeo comes to town.