I need to really get into the habit of posting more often. Well, the girls are almost a year-old now and they have really matured and grown. I love being at home with all of the kids, even as Nick gets ready to head out into the world of public school (he starts kindergarten in the fall).

The girls continue to amaze as the grow and mature. Twins are magical and wonderful to watch. These two infants interact in so many ways that single children their age have trouble with. They are already sharing and playing together. They still have their moments of egocentricity but more often than not they sit together and move together and just have a blast checking out their toy boxes.

The new thing now is pulling everything out and standing up behind their play table then pushing it around the room. We initially had some concerns about their fine motor and gross motor development. The girls were delayed crawlers; they had developed a very nice low crawl or soldiers crawl, but they have now decided that they can move so much faster on hands and knees. They are pulling up on everything and are cruising along the couch and other furniture.

Well so much for the update on the girls growth. I still cannot find a job to save my life ( a job that pays enough for me to afford day care for two one-year-olds) and we might now have to move out of this house we have been in for 5 years due to such a substantial loss of value over the last few years. We bought at $89,000 and the last thing we were told was that this house would sell for about $51,000. Our mortgage company will not deal with us until we are at least 60 days past due. We would like to see if a write down is possible or if we can even do a short-sale. Things are really up in the air for us right now and that is a very uncomfortable place to be.

Staying home with the kids...

I have been a stay-at home father now for the last 4 years. I was the primary care-giver for my son Nicholas and now I am primary care-giver for my new daughters Lilianna and Gabriella. I love the time that I get to spend with them and I love watching the changes as they grow.

That being said, I really am starting to miss the conversations of adults that don't revolve around children and their issues. I need to get back into the work force and of course I have chosen the worst time since the Great Depression to try and find gainful employ. This is very depressing. I find it very difficult to sit here day after day and realize that we, as a family, are slipping further and further into debt; that even affording the simple roof over our heads has become a challenge.

Angela, my wife is still not really in primary wage earner mode I think. She seems very comfortable in her 35k a year job. She has to start thinking about moving up in some way and making more money. If I was the wage earner I would be expected to advance myself as much as possible to maximize the money i was taking home to increase the buying ability of the family. I don't begrudge her, her satisfaction at her current position, but I do worry that things are going to get even worse very soon for us.

I need to find a job. My masters in library and information science was completed in May and I can't find anything here. The local university is not hiring a recent graduate with zero library experience. And, I can't afford to go and get a job making less than 34k a year in order to pay the ridiculous prices for child care for 2 infants (actually more than our entire mortgage).

My rant is done for now.

First trip with the girls to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

When we had Nick it was easy as pie to load him in and get going. You make sure that you have all of the stuff that might possibly be needed if something happens. Cloths, diapers, formula and bottles, wipes, bibs, burp cloths, etc. A real laundry list. But, this was manageable with one baby. We now have two little girls that require twice the stuff and twice the planning and it is very hard for just one parent to get them ready and organized and out the door in a reasonable amount of time.

I think the bottom line here is that we will effectively be late for the foreseeable future. Sorry to all who expect visits from us.

They are worth it though that's for sure. They make me feel more complete.