Theo made a smooth transition to home. The girls really stepped up in those first couple of weeks, which were a blur of doctor visits, well-wishes from friends and family, and emotional processing. I almost fell over one night when the girls volunteered to brush their teeth and get ready for bed by themselves while we settled Theo! Their helpfulness has continued through the months.

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First look at new baby brother

We managed to find time to throw a coming home party for Theo. It was so special, with birth mom, birth dad, and Jack Jack’s birth dad all in attendance! I had to head back to work after only two weeks because of our busy season schedule, with the understanding that I would take the rest of my leave at a later time. Jack Jack turned into a threenager just days later, and just had a quick birthday celebration and a promise for a party at a later date.

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Easter was a blur, but we did manage to throw together a joint birthday party for the girls at the Natural History Museum. The theme was bugs–they actually got to handle snails, worms, cockroaches and various other creepy crawlies. This was a dream come true for my girls– though not every kid felt the same way!

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Exploring at the Natural History Museum after the party

School ended and Little Jacks danced in Don Quixote.

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Summer camp began and ended.  During this time we played fairies and princesses a lot!

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Theo grew.  I’ll also have to update you on his health issues, of which we have several. You wouldn’t know it from how happy he is though!

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We finished the Little House on the Prairie series together on the night before Kindergarten started. When we started reading the books, I was reading to the girls. By the end, Little Jacks was reading to me and Jack Jack. I wept as we read the ending, where Laura leaves her home to go marry Almanzo. All I could think of was how soon my sweet little ones would be setting out on their own. Little Jacks wiped the tears from my face and said, “Don’t worry mama. I’ll always come home to visit you!”  Right then, I realized that THESE are the Happy Golden Years!

Now you are completely up to speed on my time away.