Life from the Carpool Line

After listening to the girls babble and cry for over an hour from their cribs, I realized that their naps were not going to happen. I decided to pack them up and head out early to get the boys, knowing they would fall asleep in the car. As I sit in carpool line waiting for 3 o'clock, I wanted to take some time to reflect on this year.

I try to always respond to people with a glass "half full" but this post is going to be a little more raw, simply to document for years to come our life this year as we transitioned to a family of six.

Yes, life has changed. Yes, things are much harder. Yes, we do have our hands full. That being said, we are very blessed and cannot go a day without a grateful heart. I always wanted a big family and Greg and I said from pre-marital counseling forward that we either wanted two or four kids, not three (we both grew up with three - nothing wrong with it - just already lived it).

As of now, Greg and I have not slept through the night in over a year. The girls still wake 1-2 times a night each. We have tried to let them cry it out but after two hours and still crying and the boys waking as well, we threw that idea out the window for now. It's easier for us to get the girls up, fed them and put them back down. I know we will not do this forever but it works best for now.

Our daily schedule begins around 6:15. We wake up, Greg showers, I tend to the girls and their bottles, the boys dress, and then we head downstairs for breakfast. Mornings can be chaos especially when everyone does not sleep well. Greg and the boys head out for school and work, while I start to feed the girls their breakfast.

We continue through the day with two naps for the girls, house tiding, LAUNDRY, and carpool. The girls get fussy around 5 pm, in part because they are tired but have given up that third nap. I attempt to make dinner - if the girls are content long enough to start it and if I have made it to the grocery store. From that point our night flies - dinner, then baths, bottles, reading, and bed for the kids. Then its off to clean the kitchen and sterilize all the bottles and pacis (which takes one hour each night).

Trips to the store and to run errands continue. I still try to do the weekly grocery shopping and Greg just picks up things as we need them through the week. At the store, the girls sit in their stroller that I push and then I pull a shopping cart behind me. I love our Publix - the employees ALWAYS offer to help and are so great.

Because Greg and I were the oldest in our families and remember our youngest siblings' births, we were very intentional about trying to not use the girls as an excuse for the boys not doing something. They continued with basketball, baseball, flag football and swim team this year. We have spent lots of nights on the ballfields.

For the most part, the boys have adjusted well this year. We definitely struggle with sibling rivalry more and there are times when the boys get frustrated when the girls' needs come first. We have separated the boys into their own rooms for the first time since Landon was a toddler. I think the rivalry was actually better before they had their own rooms. We may rearrange the rooms again at the first of the year.

We have definitely been carried by God's grace this year. There are many days when Greg and I get in bed at the end of the day and wonder how in the world we did all we had to do. We are tired. We are so done with bottles. But . . . we LOVE our life and our family.

For the year to come, we have purposefully scaled back. No winter sports for the boys. Commitments cancelled as we stop, reflect and get a fresh vision and direction for our family. God has given us our family and we want to glorify Him within it. We feel like we are exiting survival mode and heading into life with a little more intent.

Life in the carpool line, a little chaotic, a little loud, lots of crazy times, but full of grace, life and lots more ahead.