One of the many things I worried about when Anjelica left was whether or not the kids would suffer because I could not handle doing as much without her. Turns out that not having Anjelica has made me realize the opposite. I can do most things with four kids that I did with just two.

It hasn’t changed my routine. But now the twins join me all afternoon. I tell them it’s time to pick up Jack and Ben and they go running to the door, walking themselves to the car. It is a lot more work, but it’s so nice not to leave them crying at the door as I left every afternoon. That was always such a painful part of the day for me.

When my older kids get out of school, I pick Ben up, then Jack. A lot of afternoons we play at Jack’s school. I’m pleased that I can still do this every afternoon. It’s different, no more sitting down with the other moms and chatting. But it’s doable.

Surprisingly, a lot of other parents, sitters, and kids want to help with the twins. Human nature must be that people want to hug and protect little ones, because I know a lot of these kids are not being taught this at home.

Just this week alone I caught these pictures, and there were many more that helped as well…