Happy birthday Hudson! It sounds like you all had a great day. I remember reading his 1st bday post and you were still pregnant with twins, and my own babies weren't mini-teenagers yet. And I was still in my 20s with significantly less wrinkles. ::sigh::

Happy New Year! I can't believe Truman and Sawyer are going to be 1 in a few months. I started reading here when you were pregnant with them, it just doesn't seem like that much time has gone by!

I am LIVING this post. Daily. We have two black labs who deep down I love dearly, but recently...well, lets just say it's been a little less lovely. No accidents in the house or eating clothes or baby toys, but the barking is out of control! They became super crazy territorial after Mary and Lila were born and I swear they bark if any living creature walks within a 50 yard radius of our house.

I keep my sanity because they're kennel trained so when I'm fed up they take a little nap in their kennels. We also use babygates to corral them in the house so if I'm annoyed I can just gate them into the other room. It sounds terrible, but it keeps me from going ape shit on them.

And I know that you're pissed right now, but I have to tell you that I was literally laughing out loud SO hard as I read this post that I know have the hiccups.

how awful! I'm glad to hear that Harper's feeling better and that you're all back home now. She looks so tiny and brave in the picture of her in the hospital bed.

Is it just me, or was Hudson totally teaching that 9 year old girl some moves? She started copying him! Love this video!

1. Why the hell am I on this damn computer and not in bed?!? I think I'm going to ban myself from using the computer tomorrow. This is becoming a problem.

2. I combat my inner-laziness with the clock. For example, when I finally get M&L down for their nap I'm so frickin' tired of DOING stuff all morning that all I want to do is sit on the couch and read a book, watch TV, use the computer, etc. But instead, I'll look at the clock and tell myself, "OK. It's 12:45. I need to be accomplishing things until 1:30, and then however much longer they nap I can be totally lazy and useless." Then I rush around like a mad person for 45 minutes cleaning, doing random crap that needs to be done, and it actually turns into kind of a game because it's like, "HOW MUCH can I get done before my time is up?" Yes. I'm that big of a dork.

I think the reason this works for me is that I feel like I'm entitled to lazy time after I've been productive.

Another thing that works well for me is "daily outing." When I'm home with M&L, I'm out the door of our house by 10 am at the latest. If we don't have plans with friends or errands to run, we're getting in the stroller and walking to the park. How do I make myself leave the house (because I, too, am a total homebody and I hate getting dressed, brushing my hair, pretending I know how to use makeup, etc.)? I bribe myself. I don't ever make coffee at home, I have to leave my house and buy it. Maybe not the most economical solution, but for a few bucks a day I get my ass out into the world and my kids get to go places and do fun things. Plus, I've found that the morning goes by way faster and I end up having more fun to.

Whew! That was long. Maybe now I'm tired enough to actually get some slllleeeeep! We're going to a petting zoo tomorrow. I might need a coffee before AND after that experience.

Missed your voice on the webs! Glad you're doing well and I can't believe that Truman and Sawyer are 5 months already...how's Hudson doing with "big-brotherhood"?

Look at those huge blue eyes! That with her brown hair totally reminds me of Lila at that age. Love.

I got Kevin one for father's day and he loves it! Me too! And Mary and Lila. :)

Love that pic!

Based on my experience...it'll be tough to leave, and tough being away, but you'll be fine. And after a day or so you'll really start to appreciate how nice it is to not be constantly hyper-aware and on the lookout, as you are when you're out and about with Harper. You'll appreciate the "adult-ness" of your time away, but H will probably be in the back of your mind at all times. You'll constantly think, "Oh, wouldn't Harper love this? What would she do if she was here? Wouldn't it be fun to bring her some day?" During the two trips I've taken away from M&L, I also found that I was much more aware of babies and little kids everywhere we went, watching them play, guessing their age, listening to their babble, even striking up conversations with their parents.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that she'll be with you the whole time, you're not ever really going to "leave" here, you'll just be in a different physical location for a few days.

And the thing I enjoyed most about our trips away? Not having the think about mealtimes w/ M&L. Seriously, it is the most stressful time of the day for me. What will they eat? Will they throw this on the floor? How big of a mess will this be? Are we out of blueberries? Can my child survive on only blueberries and milk? Should we try taking them out to eat? Can you get thrown out of Red Robin if your child screams too loudly?

Have a great time in NYC, one of my favorite places!

Playdate before or after blogher? Let me know and we'll set something up!

-Kirsten