It's June already!

Like all parents, we have been on the go non-stop the past few weeks. I guess we better get used to it with two little boys!
We have established a nice routine for our weekdays. Up at 4:30 in the morning to get around for work, feed the boys, and take them to daycare. Work is from 7:30 to 4:30 each day, then we rush to get the boys (we don't have to rush, but we can't wait to go spend time with them!). The fun definitely begins once we pick them up from daycare. They greet us with a smile, then cry once we put them in the car and get on the road. They are usually very tired, but try so hard to stay awake! About half way home, they finally give in to a short nap. This is partly great, as it gives us an opportunity to run errands, or to do a few things up around the house before they wake up (like laundry, washing bottles, making dinner, etc.). However, they have a knack of waking up just about the time that Brian and I try to eat our dinner. How do kids know when your plate is fixed???
The rest of the evening we spend playing with the boys, giving baths, feeding and putting them to bed. We squeeze in a few more chores, then it is off to get our beauty sleep.
Weekends are very busy as we try to visit with family and friends, and also catch up on things around the house.
We made the trip to Grandma Hart's on May 15th to celebrate her birthday.
The next weekend we were preparing for all of the many visitors we were expecting the next week for Grandma Hart's surgery. Grandma arrived on Monday night, Aunt Lori and Aunt Lisa arrived on Tuesday. Aunt Rachelle, Aunt Lyn, Lylah and Knox arrived Wednesday evening to help watch the boys so I could spend time at the hospital with Brian. Uncle RJ came Friday afternoon, and Mawma and Pawpa Muehlfeld arrived on Friday evening, but stayed at Uncle Aaron's house, as "there was no room" at the Hart Inn.
Grandma's surgery went very well. She has had a few setbacks since the surgery, but we are hoping that her breathing tube can be removed today, and that she will continue to grow stronger and stronger in the coming weeks.
Unfortunately, the week was such a blur that we nearly forgot it was a holiday weekend! With family in town, we balanced spending time at the hospital and visiting and enjoying the beautiful weather. Visiting hours are somewhat limited in the SICU, so we usually made 2 trips a day to the hospital, coming home to eat, spend time with the boys, and once in a while...NAP.
Aside from visiting the hospital, Friday afternoon, the boys and I spent some time catching up with some friends. Friday evening included a wonderful meal that Aunt Lyn and Uncle RJ made for us, and winding down from the stressful week. Saturday included a delicious lunch of grilled pork medallions (thanks Mawma) in the middle of the afternoon, then some yummy snacks later in the evening. Sunday morning we made our weekly trip to church, then we ALL headed the hospital. The boys aren't allowed in the hospital to visit, but Great Uncle Bud and Great Aunt Lorae came to visit Grandma, and wanted to meet our little guys. We enjoyed visiting with them!
After visiting hours were over for the morning, we went downtown to enjoy some local cuisine and a few adult beverages at the Taste of Cincinnati. It was a great afternoon, other than it was VERY warm. After a few hours, it was time to take everyone home to cool off and relax.
Brian returned to the hospital to visit, while I took the boys home. That evening, we did the traditional "grill-out" for Memorial day, and made homemade ice cream.
Monday brought the close of the holiday weekend. :-(
Unfortunately, it was time for all of the family to return home, and our house suddenly was very quiet. Brian went to the hospital to visit his mom, while I stayed at home with the boys. Great Uncle Ralph and Great Aunt Janet stopped by in the afternoon to meet the boys before going to the hospital. It was wonderful to share our little guys with them, and we hope we can do it again soon!
Unfortunately, it was time for Brian and I to return to work on Tuesday, and back to our regular routine. Brian went to the hospital to visit his mom after we had dinner that night, and Uncle Aaron came over to help me with baths, and getting the boys to bed.
With the limited visiting hours, Brian was only able to spend about 45 minutes at the hospital on Tuesday. So, we thought we would try another plan on Wednesday to allow him to spend more time with his mom. We dropped his truck off at the hospital on our way to work, then I took him back to the hospital after work. We thought he could visit from 5-6:30, then come home and spend the evening with the boys. Unfortunately, I had to call Brian and he had to leave the hospital around 6:00. You see, after I picked up the boys from daycare, had them all strapped in their car seats ready to go, my truck wouldn't start! Uncle Aaron came to our rescue (again), and drove the 3 of us home. Brian spent the evening calling AAA, meeting the tow truck driver, and then driving to Auto Zone to get a new battery put in my truck. Wasn't exactly what we needed this week, but my mom keeps reminding me that God doesn't give us any more than we can handle. I understand that, but hope we agree that my bucket is about full.
Thankfully, Thursday night went as planned, and Brian was able to visit with his mom more than the other nights this week. He even made it home in time to help me get the boys settled into their cribs for the very first time! Overall, they did well - I only had to get up once in the night to settle Lincoln down. Now, we just have to rearrange all the baby stuff (again), but in the end, Brian and I will get our bedroom back!
Tonight, Brian is heading back to the hospital to see how the breathing tube removal is going, so I'm on baby duty again. Hopefully we can spend some quality time together as a family later this evening/this weekend, but also get some items checked off our "to-do" list.
We hope everyone has a great weekend, and enjoys the start of June! We will write more soon!
Love,
Kate, Brian, Lincoln, and Jackson