Loving these two little boys is incredible... truly. They are each so full of life and thus inspiring to me, as a parent, and they are vastly different and unique from one another. Sometimes I feel like I've been given my own life-size Science experiment to watch and participate in! And sometimes the responsibility of raising, loving, training and caring for these beautiful people is daunting/terrifying. I wouldn't be honest with myself if I didn't admit that there are incredibly difficult parts of this role (as parent). It seems that the things that bring us the greatest delight/fulfillment in life also bring us the greatest challenges and emotional stretchmarks.

Helping Madigan to understand that his role in our family and in life is so valuable and his contribution important while simultaneously guiding him through this realization that he is not the center of the universe (ours, his or anyone else's - tough on a first born!).

Teaching an 18 month "older" brother how to be gentle when patting and kissing on his little brother.

Trying to get Declan on some sort of eating schedule so that I am not feeding him every 20 minutes (a starving boy's preference).

Encouraging Madigan to play robustly and enthusiastically with his toys while simultaneously watching my once orderly living room turn into something decidedly less orderly.

Then there's:
Dual dirty diaper duty - love it when they BOTH take a dump at the same time.
Bundle keeping up the crying choir upstairs while Declan managing it simultaneously downstairs. That can be so unnerving!
Getting both boys in/out of their carseats - this is truly an art! If it weren't for Auntie Virginia, I'm not sure how many places I would go to throughout the week.
Lack of sleep. That might be the hardest part.

So, yes, a day in McGaryville isn't always a walk in the park - sometimes it's more of a hike in the beautiful Colorado Rockies. Totally worth everything!