How Mary Poppins Changed My Life

Okay, not entirely, but my last post was in July so it's taken me this long to get my act together again.  I'm back at work now and I love my job!  My school is so much fun and I am really enjoying not having to deal with counting credits and the high level stressful situations that come with being a high school counselor.  Yesterday, the most serious situation I dealt with was two girls fighting over a purple hair band.  (Yes, you read that right.)  Everyone worked it out, apologized, and left as friends. 

Lily and Chloe are eight months old now.  I can't believe it.  We're already planning Halloween (they will be fairies) and booking our Christmas photo shoot with the same photographer who did our engagement photos, Al Torres.  We just love Al.  He is so creative and I know he'll come up with something cool to do with these two.

Yes, that's Chloe on the left and Lily on the right.  It's hard to tell them apart sometimes!  They're now eating cereal and some Gerber meals along with their milk and are getting really close to crawling.  I just know any day they're going to take off and can't wait for that moment, but then I realize they will probably be going in two different directions.

Mary Poppins came into our life in the form of our nanny named Lea.  We took the girls out of daycare because there were too many babies in that room for only two teachers.  The ratio was 4:1 and I know how hard it is to just take care of the girls alone.  We took several weeks to interview nannies, both away from our home and then for final working interviews in our home.  Lea really stood out.  She was calm with them, smiled and laughed a lot, and came with 15 years of experience.  Plus, Sunnie, our dog, LOVES her which is a plus and she loves Sunnie.  Now when I come home from work, the girls have been fed, bathed, and are happy.  My living room and kitchen are clean, the girls clothes have all been washed and magically put away, and I have so much peace of mind.  I cannot imagine what we would do without her.  She is teaching the girls French, does English flash cards, plays with them, takes them on daily walks to feed the ducks at the lake, and does art projects with them.  It's truly amazing.

One of their favorite times of the day is story time just before bedtime.  Brice and I take turns reading with them, although lately, they have also enjoyed grabbing and chewing on the books, as well.  I think we're teething.

Lily has really filled out.  She is the same size as her sister.  You almost would not recognize her if you look back on previous pictures.  She laughs a lot and is really into music.  I think we're getting her a kids piano for Christmas.

I have to take a minute and talk about this friendship that has developed between Chloe and Sunnie.  Lily loves Sunnie, too, but I have never quite seen anything like this.  Sunnie truly takes care of the girls.  If they are crying she will lie down next to them and calm them.  She always sits near them when they are playing to watch over them.  When Chloe sees Sunnie for the first time in the morning she giggles so loudly her whole body shakes.  We are so fortunate to have found such a special dog at the SPCA.

The most wonderful thing to me is to watch these girls become friends.  Every morning when they wake up, we do a diaper change and put them together in Lily's crib.  They hang out, play, and giggle while we make their breakfast.  My friend Lisa told me that she had a similar experience with her twin girls.  She said she'd hear them babbling together on the monitor and it has already started with us.  It's so much fun to watch them grow and see them develop their friendship.  I don't know if they understand that they are sisters, but they continue to amaze me every day.