One week...

We made it through the first week of Steve's new job.  In so many ways it felt like the first day for both of us, although, at least I was already well acquainted with my job.  Steve's job schedule is the standard 8-5 Monday through Friday which we really feel blessed having.  He gets to be with us in the evenings and the weekends!  It's perfect because he takes Preston to school on his way which saves me a trip to the school.  I have to take Kaley and the twins with me to take Abby to kindergarten at about 11:20 everyday, which has been ok so far as long as I pay attention to the time getting ready.  My friend down the street kindly offered to bring Preston and Abby home since she has to get her kids anyways.  Once again saving me from another trip to the school and I don't have to worry about the babies or Kaley sleeping while I need to pick up kids.  It made my afternoons so much smoother!

I really felt like I had a good first week on my own.  The days went by quicker with Preston being gone and Abby gone for part of it.  I was able to have dinner ready for when Steve got home by about 5:30 which felt nice.  I took the twins and Kaley out by myself for the first time on Tuesday.  We went to Sams Club because I knew I could fit them all in the big cart.  I only needed a handful of things and thankfully nothing too big which was good since my cart was practically full with just kids.  As easy as it might sound to go to Sams Club to grab a few things when there are two babies and a toddler tagging along it's a whole lot harder.  Things like this cause me to have some really bad anxiety and really overwhelm me.  It actually went pretty well but I was still nervous the entire time.  I had finished my shopping and was in line for some lunch for Kaley and I (a must for Sams Club!) and the older woman in front of me asked about the babies and quickly told me that she is an identical twin and that she talks to her twin every day even though she lives across the country.  She was so nice and kept oohing and ahhing at the babies and Kaley.  I get up to the front and she turns to me to tell me that she is buying my lunch for me.  After trying to refuse, she insisted and I thanked her profusely.  I was beyond touched and was actually choking up a little.  She had no idea this was my first real outing and my anxiety or how overwhelmed I felt.  It was such a tender mercy and felt like it was Heavenly Father's way of telling me, "You can do this, I've got you."  At the end of our eating her husband came up to my cart and starting talking to me and the twins, he was so nice also.  So nice to know there are such nice people out there.

Preston is my go-er and do-er and every day after school he would ask to go somewhere.  Of course that isn't so easy with Steve at work now.  So we got to Friday and Preston was still begging to get out of the house so I was crazy and decided to go to Walmart on a Friday afternoon, by myself, with all 5 kids!!  It felt like a personal challenge to go and do it and I knew that it could easily blow up in my face and be a disaster.  So I pushed a cart that had Kaley in the small part and Abby in the big part and then Preston pushed the double stroller with the twins.  We were quite the spectacle!  I bribed all of the kids with donuts, I only got about 20 things and we looked at the toys.  It was busy but all of the kids did SO well, I was amazed!  Especially Preston, he did so great listening and following right along with me.  We got a lot of comments about having our hands full or Preston being a good big brother but everyone was really nice about it.  I'm not going to lie but I felt like a super hero!  I'm obviously not going to do that all of the time and definitely not with a full grocery list but it felt good to actually do it and know that if I need to I can.  (I have since gone to Walmart and Kohls... but after the kids go to bed because that is just a heck of a lot easier!)

Steve had a good first week at work!  He is getting in there and learning and they have started him out learning some more basic stuff and will be just adding to that from here.  He seems to like the people he works with and has a good feeling about it so far.  He is definitely a whole lot more tired and going to bed a lot earlier than he is used to but that is just part of the adjustment.  In so many ways I feel like we can't believe that he actually got a job (not that he wasn't capable, just more that we waited so long.) and that this is the new normal.

We are on our second week and both Preston and Abby are out of school all week so I have had to figure out how to keep them entertained.  On Monday we all worked together to clean the basement which desperately needed it.  Then we used storage totes to have the three kids decorate their "cars" for our family room drive-in.  They ate lunch in their cars and we watched Free Birds which was perfect for this week.  It was so fun and the kids loved it!  Tuesday and today (Wednesday) we have kept busy with play dates which the kids love and they get worn out! I love it!  We are excited for Thanksgiving and that Steve has both Thursday and Friday off, yay!