Hot Mess Mommy Express

I'm going to call 2015, the fastest year of our lives thus far! We made so many amazing memories and we are looking forward to 2016 and what's to come!  Last January, I returned to work at Melrose after an amazing fourteen week leave to take care of my babies. I thought that returning to work was going to be incredibly difficult, but honestly, the work/family balance just fell into place. It also helps to be in a field that I enjoy. My Grandma jumped right in to her role as full-time caregiver for the twins and Rhylan. Knowing that we have her support and my girls are being taken care of by her made the transition easy as well.  Last February, we celebrated the 90th birthday of my Great Grandma Vincent! It's hard to believe that she's 90 and will soon be 91. Events like that really put things into perspective for you. It's so important to never take things for granted and I'm thankful that my kids have gotten to meet their Great Great Grandma. Not many ca

My husband and I were eating dinner the other night, with our two lively girls and big brother too. To this day, I still find myself staring at my precious baby girls in absolute awe. I always wonder what God had in mind when he gave me these two baby girls. The memory of the day we discovered that we were having twins still replays in my mind. And with that, I turned to my husband and said "What was I so afraid of?" He wondered the same thing. There was never a doubt in his mind that we could do this and I'm so thankful for his confidence.  Part of my fear was financial and the fact that I couldn't imagine myself caring for two newborns at once. I might be bragging a little bit, but I feel like my husband and I are twin parent rockstars. The best way to describe caring for twins when someone asks is that you just do it. What choice do you have? These two little babies are counting on you and you do your best.  Having two toddlers now is the norm at the Zehnle hou

Sometimes I ask myself how I keep it together. To be frank, how on earth do I keep from losing my sh*t on daily basis? Life is chaotic right now to say the least. Try two one year olds who are into everything while always going in opposite directions plus a super active five year old! Add in a full-time job, meals to be prepped and cleaned up, never ending laundry piles, dishes and the constant repetitive motions of picking up toys and you'll gain an idea of why I'm so tired!  That is until....8:00. Is it awful that I find myself looking forward to the 8:00 bedtime? It's at that moment, that I usually find myself again. I take a deep breath, sit down and just relax. Yes there is laundry to be done, floors to be swept and toys to pick up (again), but sometimes I just let all of those things escape my mind and recharge.  The crazy thing is that no matter how crazy my little ones make me, I still find myself missing them when I'm away. I never want to rush my kids when

For the love of God, my twins are GIRLS! I've come to the conclusion that most of the general public is color blind. Or do they do it on purpose? The girls are 14 months old and I've gotten use to the twin  "celebrity" status that comes along with taking twins out in public. Some days it can be a lot to handle, especially if I'm by myself with them. But most of time, I am fine with it.  What I am not fine with is the 90% assumption that my girls are boys. My girls are most of time dressed in some shade of pink or purple, often sporting the girliest of attire, in a pink stroller and accompanied by a large PINK diaper bag! Sometimes I have to stop and look at the person to see if they are serious. And as they stand there waiting for my response, it's hard not to snap at them. Luckily I'm a pretty patient person and have learned to handle it, but I almost think we need to carry a sign that says, "Before you ask my mom, we are girls. Now what is your ne

It's almost two months later and I still haven't mailed the Thank You cards from Emersyn & Everly's first birthday! We are going to their one year well check at 14 months old! I used to be on top of things like this. After my firstborn's birthday parties, I'd have the thank you cards out within the following week and he went to his well-check appointments at the exact age that he was supposed to.  This last year having added twins to the bunch has been a learning experience. Not just learning to care for two, but I've also had to let go of the OCD side of myself and let some things go. It's okay if things don't go exactly as planned. It's okay if my dishes wait until morning. It's okay if my girls' clothes are not organized by sleeve length and size or that laundry is piled high. Don't get me wrong as I'll never use my kids as an excuse to let my house fall apart, but I know that if I don't get to something right away, it&#

They're growing and there's no stopping them now! The girls are just shy of 14 months old (seriously where is this time going?) and it feels like they are changing every single day!  We just celebrated Halloween! The girls were the cutest owls around and safely accompanied by Big Brother as the Hulk! We went trick or treating with the sweetest family - The Ritters. They're boys were superheroes too, so the owls were extra safe! While walking the neighborhood, the girls loved taking it all in. Emersyn kept clapping her hands and yelling "YAY!" where Everly decided that a nap was better fitting for the occasion.  Everly is walking everywhere and as often as she can! She's still a bit wobbly, which is one of the cutest things ever, but she is determined to take off running. Emersyn not so much! Anyone who knows Emersyn knows that she likes to take things at her own pace. Just because her sister is doing it, doesn't mean that she will. She likes to surpris

One of the biggest milestones of all - September 19th, 2015  Welcome to Paris, well our own version of it anyway! When I started planning the girls' first birthday, I couldn't imagine celebrating any other way than with a Parisian themed party with family and friends. Black, white & pink everything!  We had an amazing turnout and though they won't remember it someday, these pictures will be cherished forever. One piece of advice, from one mom to another - HIRE A PHOTOGRAPHER! Not only did I get to focus on enjoying the party, but the photographer captured all of the little details that I may have missed among the excitement. A huge thank you to Ann Reed for taking the time to come and capture this memory for us!  We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! The weather was perfectly mild, the sun was shining and the kids got to run around and play! I had so much fun making the party decor and setting everything up as well.  We decided to jump right int

At this time last year, this day felt so far away! My girls are turning one in just two days! Some might say "We made it!" And while I'm so incredibly proud of not only myself and my husband for raising two precious baby girls at the same time, I'm also so proud of these two beauties and who they are becoming. This time last year I couldn't wait for them to arrive. I was miserably pregnant, hot and just ready for the next phase in our lives. Now I look back and think to myself, that was the last time that I would ever experience pregnancy. Everything that we've experienced over this last whirlwind of a year was for the last time. I remember leaving the maternity ward in a wheelchair with our new bundles in tow. I looked back and my eyes filled with tears, because having spent so much time there last year for testing, I got to know the nurses and I realized that I wouldn't be back.  Everyone told us how challenging this would be; that raising two babies w

You may have noticed the viral photo of two twin girls in a stroller. Attached to the stroller is a sign showing the mother's response to the most common questions that she receives while out and about. I found it hilarious, because I totally understand where she's coming from. It also inspired me to make my own list! We're approaching the one year mark and I've heard it all! Here are the responses to the most common questions/statements that I get on a regular basis.  "Yes they are twins." "Yes they are mine." "Yes I am old enough to have kids." "No I did not use IVF." "They were conceived naturally." "No I was not trying to get pregnant with twins." "Yes I was surprised." "Yes my hands are full."  "Yes I am busy, but I love it!"  "Yes I DO have a job and do not stay home."   "They are not boys." "I am not exhausted or miserable at all. I lov

It goes without saying that a lot can change in just 10 (short) years. It's been 10 years since I graduated high school. It's made me really reflect on my life thus far and how I'm nowhere near the person I was back then. Back then I set huge goals for myself:  1. Go to College 2. Find a Husband 3. Travel the World 4. Get Married 5. Find a Career 6. Start a Family  I came from a small town full of people who either thought they were better than you, a class full of peers who always fought, several teachers who put us down instead of encouraging and a school board full of well-connected parents. All of that equals a recipe for disaster. It's had an effect on me that weighs well into my adult years. I tell people how much I disliked high school and they just can't believe it. Let me tell you how it has shaped me as a person and a parent.  I'm taking you back to my sophomore year. The assignment was to research colleges. This assignment excited me as I k

Dear Rhy Guy,  Over the last year, it goes without saying that your life has drastically changed! It used to be you and me against the world. I just want you to know that even though you are big brother now, my love for you will never change. You will always be my first baby and I am so very proud of the little boy you are and the man that you will become.  I'm sorry that I am not always readily available like I was in the past. But know that your needs are still among my top priorities and even though I can't always be right there, right now, that I'm always doing my best to give you and your sisters the best care possible. I love our little moments; our evening snuggles when the babies are asleep, our movie dates, our games of tag and I love taking you with me on my outings.  I promise to always make that extra time for you, just you. It's important for us to reconnect whenever possible. Thank you for being my little helper with the babies and for loving them wi

"Twins....what's that like?" This is a very common question from many strangers when I'm out and about. My response is always "It's great!" But there is so much that goes into that statement!  What's it like from my experience? Well let me tell you! Overwhelming Amounts of Love Working full-time means that I'm missing my babies for 8 hours every day. But the moment that I walk into the door, those two little faces light up and suddenly it's like the weight of the world disappears. Walking into their room first thing in the morning and seeing those early morning, sleepy smiles....there's nothing like it! I could go on and on! Everything Times TWO  Yep, everything! Two bottles first thing in the morning, two servings of baby food, two burp cloths, two diapers at a time, two baths, you get the idea! It really is not that much different than caring for a single baby, just do everything twice!  Crying It Out Have you heard those

Seven months old and SITTING! To some this may not seem to be all that exciting, but to any mom, it's a huge milestone! It's one of those things where you don't want to rush the baby stage, because it's so wonderful, but once they start sitting up, it becomes a whole new adventure. I love seeing them taking in the new perspective; no longer staring at the ceiling, but really taking their surroundings in. And of course, this opens up a whole new world of toys! I love that cute little wobble too; that cute little dance that they do while trying to maintain their balance. Thanks to the new carpet, which we installed just in time, we are spending a lot more time on the floor playing. Now that they are sitting up, they interact a lot more, converse and can watch their big brother with much amazement.  The next phase will be crawling, so at this point, everything can definitely slow down. We all know, that it's going to be a challenge chasing these two, but we are

6 Months! We've hit the 1/2 birthday milestone in what feels like the blink of an eye! Adjusting to life as a twin mom over the past 1/2 year has not only been smooth, but FUN! We have been absolutely, 110% blessed beyond measure to have two happy, healthy baby girls.  At their 6 month check-up, both girls' measurements were identical! It absolutely blew my mind, because Emersyn has always been smaller and Everly has always been referred to as "the bigger one", which makes me crazy! Well Emersyn decided to catch up to her sis. They both weigh 13 lbs, 12 oz and are 23 1/2 inches long.  Introducing solid foods has been easy and the girls LOVE to eat! Most of the time, they like to eat faster than this mommy can keep up, while going back and forth between baby bites. They're looks have drastically changed over 6 months and compared to their newborn pictures, they are unrecognizable. They have the cutest puffy cheeks that you just can't help but kiss, sque

I hardly blog anymore! That's probably a good thing as it means that I have much more important things to be focusing on. However, I've come to the realization lately that life is in hyper speed and I don't want to forget things. I definitely want to make just a little more time to document my thoughts, experiences and feelings.  We've been told what feels like thousands of times how fast life will fly by once we have kids. I can truly attest to this! Throw twins into the mix and (WHOA) it just goes even faster. My days consist of getting up before the sun, getting myself ready quickly, taking a few sips of coffee while trying to somehow mimic the energy that my four year old has first thing in the morning, changing and feeding our babies, loading/unloading the dishwasher, feeding the dog, trying to squeeze in some laundry, kiss my kiddos and out the door I go to head to work. I feel like my work day flies and before I know it, it's back home I go! Supper on the s

I've been thinking about this post and whether I should put this out there. Then I realized, that I really hope that it affects anyone that has been in our situation. For the last two years, Michael and I have been thrown curveball after curveball after CURVEBALL. There were times when I just wanted to give up!  Recently I took to Facebook asking for positive thoughts and prayers regarding our tax appointment to which I received endless tax tips, which I don't need. Anyone who truly knows me knows that I generally have my "ducks in a row," so to speak. Two years ago my employer caused a massive error with my taxes, resulting in Michael and I having to pay in thousands (and I do mean thousands) of dollars. It was devastating to our little family. You just don't realize how important a savings is until it is ripped from you; everything you've worked to build GONE in an instant!  Fast forward to last year at tax time. Same scenario....another error! It

During the pregnancy, I did a blog post all about cloth diapering and everything that I was learning! I've received a lot of questions and I felt it necessary to do a follow-up on how it's going. We've been cloth diapering our girls for three months now and so far we are loving it! It has been unbelievably easy for us and I am so glad that we decided to make the investment. We knew that we were taking a large (and pricey) risk by purchasing enough cloth diapers for two babies. I wouldn't change it (no pun intended) for anything!  If you don't mind a few extra laundry loads here and there, then I highly encourage you to give it a try. Purchase a few and try it out. If it doesn't work for you, then there are tons of moms out there looking to buy the diapers secondhand. My biggest concern was cleaning them in my HE front loader wash machine. It gets the job done! And once you find a washing routine that works for you, it's a breeze. I'm getting ready t

At almost 4 months old, it's time to really meet the girls and their personalities!  Night and day.....that's exactly what these two girls are! We have our little miss Everly; she is the most laid back baby on the planet. She literally just goes with the flow each and every day. She's so content and always happy. We have our little miss Emersyn; she's who we call the boss! If she wants something, she wants it right now! Is it bad that we can already sense future mischief from her?  It's amazing how their personalities from inside the womb remain outside. During my pregnancy, Emersyn was on my left side and she was constantly active, kicking all day long! I felt like a boxing match was going on in there! And during ultrasounds, she would always throw a limb into Everly's picture! Everly hardly moved, just hanging out in there. She did find a comfortable spot for her foot (my ribcage) and left it there for the last couple of months. It caused me so much dis

.....of being a career mom. I always knew without a doubt that I'd be returning to work. Part of me wishes that we could afford for me to stay home with my kids, but the other part enjoys working and adult interaction. I feel like I worked really hard to earn my degree to go into marketing, plus I have a job that I enjoy with wonderful co-workers. Not everyone is that lucky! I'm very proud that I've made it through my first day without any tears and it actually feels really good to be working again. I am able to go home on my lunch break to snuggle and feed the babies, which is definitely helpful. I couldn't wait to pick them up when I got home! Forget lunch! I just want my babies! I'm enjoying getting myself back into a routine as well. I feel like when I'm not working, I forget to maintain my planner, my checkbook balance, menu planning, etc. I didn't realize how much of a structure is incorporated into my every day life just by going to work.  Every m