Changes in 2014

I've gotten some flack the last month or so for not having updated the blog since October 2013. It's not that I haven't thought about it; it's just that my time is so limited during the day with everything else going on that the blog gets pushed to the back back back burner in my juggling act of life. In an effort to redeem myself, I will try to update more this year. 

I'll start with some of the changes we've had already 1.5 months into 2014. The first of which is that I am no longer watching the neighbor baby. That ended just last week as I am starting a new venture this week (more in a bit). Now that I'm done watching the extra baby and her brother, I'm going to go ahead and say that I'm glad those days are done. One of the biggest pitfalls in my returning to work has always been childcare and finding someone who would be willing to help out for free or next to nothing. Having been on the other side of that now, I fully appreciate and understand the sacrifice you are asking someone to make in watching your children on a regular committed basis. I lost the ability to easily run errands, get in workouts, and even get housework done with the extra baby around. Her schedule was different from the schedule I had worked so hard to get our little girls on and I was never able to make the two coincide. I basically felt like my entire day was spent caring for littles with few or no breaks and very little time to get projects or cleaning done. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to watch an extra and make a little money to contribute to the family finances, but am glad to move on to new things now.

Which brings me to my newest venture. This week I started a full time job at a nearby casino. I will not name it as all that policy and privacy business was covered during orientation yesterday but it's close to where we live. You figure it out! My position is a casino floor server, which includes short black shorts and a black jacket that can be slightly revealing if you tip forward just right. While this isn't anything related to my degree or anything I plan to do long term, it fits the bill for our family right now. My shift is 6 pm-2:30 am 5 nights a week so we do not have to worry about childcare for the kids. Being full-time, I have the option to use that enterprise's benefits. And while the pay is low, working a night time shift with some weekend evenings brings the option of some decent tips. The place now serves liquor so hopefully that will help me to bring home more money! Life will be crazy for the duration of this job as I will not get as much sleep as I should and Jake will be alone in running children to all their activities in the evenings but per my previous paragraph, it's what we need right now so we don't have to find childcare. I'm excited to get out of the house, really start contributing to the family finances again instead of feeling like a free-loader, and to have the opportunity to position myself for that degree-utilizing position I want to find in a couple years when Hannah starts Kindergarten and we can afford daycare for only one child. This is a large enterprise with 3500 employees and a multitude of positions so I hope to switch over into an area with favorable hours that will utilize my degree in another year or so. My foot is in the door right now, which is sometimes all you need!

Another thing I've added to my plate in January is that I also tutor part-time. I was hired by a company that specializes in ACT/SAT test prep and does some academic tutoring as well. Right now I only have one student that I tutor academically but it is something I hope to continue doing as it pays really well and is flexible in fitting into my current schedule.

So I hope that can somewhat explain some of the blog's absence lately! Add in to Jake working full-time, all the various things I've been delving into lately, having three kids in school and all the homework and things that come with balancing that, Ellie's weekly dance class, a 3 year old who still needs to be potty trained, a 13 month old who needs to be bottle weaned, various doctor and dentist appointments for 5 children, and trying to figure out when to add swimming lessons and what spring activities to sign the kids up for without overextending ourselves mentally and physically and you can see where the time goes for us! I'm looking forward to getting settled into my new schedule and having some order in our life soon. Along with warm weather so we can all get outside and run off several months worth of steam. Soon enough!

Shall I wrap up 2013?!

Wow! Shall I start with some excuses or just go right to the update?! Suffice it to say, life has been busy, busy, busy for the Wendorff Bunch.

Being a bit OCD and Type A, I can't just start with 2014 pictures and news. I must wrap up 2013. So here is three months of updates in one long post. 

Halloween

Carter is a lion, Ellie- Dorthy, Ava- Rapunzel, Sophia- baby princess. Hannah was Belle but this was while she was in her cast so she wasn't in a good mood to take pictures that night. The skeleton is our neighbor friend Dane.

I took these two pictures one Sunday morning in November. Obviously she watches me drink my hot chocolate and read the paper as she did this on her own, totally unprompted!

Sweet little Sophia. She started taking her first steps days after she turned 10 months and was completely walking by Thanksgiving. Our youngest walker yet. She obviously won't let the others leave her behind, now and for the years to come.

Lillian's baptism. 

Double trouble, also known as Hannah and Isabella

I saw this cute picture idea on Pinterest so decided to give it a try with Sophia. It turned out ok, not quite how I planned, but still cute.

Of course Hannah had to be involved too!

Hannah loves to play dress up.

 These two are best friends and love to play together.

Messed around with my camera and it's settings one day and got these two gems.

Grammy and Grampy came back to visit  Dec 11-16. We had Grammy help with baking and decorating cookies.

This one didn't decorate but she did like the handouts she got from the table!

This was probably the most amusing game of Clue I have ever and will ever play in my life. Some Carter-isms: after looking at a card Ellie showed him, "Grandma, it was the ballroom" (they were a team but he told the whole table the card!). And "It was the weapon." When we laughed, he responded "well I didn't say what weapon it was!"

Multiples' Christmas party picture with Mr. and Mrs. Claus

She was hesitant to sit on Santa's lap until I put Sophia up there. Then she stuck around afterwards for a few minutes.

Walking around with her rag doll from Grammy in one hand and her lovey in the other

The Wendorff Bunch on Christmas Eve

Oldest 5 cousins

Papa and the whole crew!

Santa dropped a bag off at Papa & Grandma's on Christmas Eve and it had an iPod shuffle in it for Ellie! (along with stuff for the others of course)

The 2013 babies on their first Christmas

Christmas Morning

And here ends 2013. A busy and eventful year but another done in the books! Bring on 2014.

Twins Turn 6!

The twins turned 6 in October! It's hard to believe that they are six years old already. I still remember holding tiny little Ava in my arms and being afraid of hurting her since she was such a little peanut.

We did the twins' family party the weekend before their birthday.

They both got tons of presents that they loved. Carter's theme was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He is obsessed with getting all things Turtles. He's well on his way there with all the Turtle stuff he got for his birthday. We let Ava get her ears pierced as her gift so she got earrings, stationary for mailing letters, and a Ken to counter all her Barbies, along with some other things too.

Someone else loves the Turtles in our house too! She was overjoyed to see all the new stuff Carter got. Don't know many 2 year olds who love Mickey Mouse and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

The weekend after their birthday, we did the twins' first friend party at Lifetime with a bounce house. The kids had a blast. As the party is limited to 12 children, including the birthday child(ren), we let each kid pick 5 friends. Ava's friends are a mix of preschool friends, soccer team friends, and an old neighborhood friend she still sees at school.

Carter's mix was a neighborhood friend, a soccer teammate, two friends from school, and a preschool friend's brother (who came in Ava's bunch. They go over there for playdates and he's only 1.5 years older so the four all play together).

They had lots of fun jumping in the bounce house, running around the gym on scooters, playing games, eating pizza and cupcakes and opening presents. Jake and I enjoyed doing nothing! After holding parties for Ellie on my own, it was a treat to not have to plan every activity. There were 3 girls in charge of running the show and they did everything except put my gift bags together. I think they would have but I had tossed everything in a bag to bring with and they didn't know how I planned to divide things up. To Jake and I, it was worth every penny to not have the mess and the planning!

It's hard to believe these two are getting so old and grown up. They had their 6 year check up this week. Ava weighs 44 lbs and is 43 inches tall. Carter is 54 lbs and 46 inches tall. Both tall enough to go on rides and waterslides! They sailed through their vision and hearing tests and are both perfectly healthy. It's such a blessing to have these two and to see the bond between them. I can't pretend to fathom what it must be like to be a twin. That connection is something no one else can understand. Despite their regular sibling spats, they love to snuggle with each other and I still find the two of them sleeping together on the weekends. Always touching in some way when they sleep together too. I can't wait to watch how their connection develops as they get older! 

Love you both Ava Marie and Carter Jacob!