January...

We are going to be heading to the first of FOUR birthday parties this afternoon that the kiddos have coming up in the next couple of weeks. Apparently, they are very popular... or maybe everyone at daycare was born in the same month. One of the two.
:-) They are very excited about it. January also held my beloved family Girls' Weekend! I was able to head to the beach with Mama and Ivy for a weekend of relaxing. It was VERY nice, and I am so thankful for my sweet Phil who was willing to hold down the fort for a few days while I took a much needed break. I look forward to it ALL year long!

Don't mind if I do...

Frannie has been enjoying her bike. She went to the "Fitness Trail" with me one day. She rode her bike about two miles. :-)

We also enjoyed the ice cream "van" that comes by our house. It makes me laugh because it is definitely in the sketchy category. Let's just say that I wouldn't let my kids run up to it for ice cream on their own... even if they were twelve. There is actually ice cream in the back of it, though. I know because I decided on a Choco-Taco for myself. :-) Rush is always my messy man.

Fran wanted a picture of her "messy mouth", too. Ummm... you aren't messy little lady. She rarely is... which is the exact opposite of Rush. Rush had grass stains on his pants on Friday. He told me it was because he had been to Degobah (Star Wars reference for those of you that are clueless like I am). He got dirty in Degobah, and he was sorry. His imagination is limitless right now. I love it!

Speaking of imaginations... Did any of you make "rooms" out of pine straw when you were little? Ivy and I did. I was raking the yard a couple of weekends ago, and the kids started screaming all of a sudden about how I made a castle for them out of straw. So, I left it and took a trip down memory lane with Ivy. For the record, it still looks like this. What a great excuse to not finish raking the yard!

Can you tell I was grasping at straws for things to write about this morning? February holds our Kate Kate's birthday and the Daddy-Daughter Dance, so that should make for interesting posting. I bought a dress for the dance for Frannie. She and I have different taste. I bought what I thought she would love. I was successful because she declared it a "Princess Dress" as soon as I pulled it out of the bag. That is the reaction I was going for, so who cares if it is slightly tacky. She loves the dress and her Daddy, so I am sure it will be a successful night. I will be taking my Rush on a date that night, so I am looking forward to that. :-) Pictures to come...

Hectic Life

Things have been a little hectic in my life lately, and I have not found much time for blogging or picture taking for that matter. We are going to take it easy this weekend because we will busy with some fun things for the next few weekends.

The weather here has been less than enjoyable the last week or so... on and off rain... just enough to make it too wet to play outside. Rush improvised and asked to play in the "gawage". So, we put the cars in the driveway, and it gives them a nice open space to get some energy out on rainy days. He made a little beach party with our beach toys that he found the other day. It is actually a pretty good plan because they can ride their scooters in there and I can hear them from the kitchen while I am cooking dinner. Everybody is happy!

She can't get enough of this scooter! While Rush LOVES all toys, Frannie has never really been "in" to anything. She loves princesses, but she doesn't play with toys a lot. She seriously loves her scooter, though. I mean loves it.

I was greeted by this Jedi when I came home from a run last weekend. He was wielding a sword and a drill. A multi-talented Jedi for sure! He got two light sabers for Christmas. He and I had a battle last weekend. He turns off all the lights in his room where you can only see the light sabers. He was giving me instructions on how to use my light saber so it would be like the movie. I had to swing it above my head and turn in circles. The rules for the "battle" changed a couple of times as it progressed... usually when I got a jab in. Rush won in the end. I accepted defeat graciously. I am still learning how to play boy stuff, but this was pretty fun. :-)

I was just thinking the other day how much I love four year olds. I think my kids are fun... and funny... and so cute right now. I can admit now that three was possibly not my favorite age. It had its good points. They learn and change so much at three. The fits and sassiness were at a high point for my two, though. For some, I think that phase comes at two, but it was definitely three for us. I feel like we are seeing more of their true personalities now. Are there still fits and meltdowns? Ummm... yes. They are fewer and farther between now, though. I love seeing how these two kiddos are growing up. I was holding Frannie in the kitchen a few nights ago. As her long legs dangled down to my knees. I told her not to grow up too fast. She pulled her head back from my shoulder and smiled at me. "I am, Mama." I know. Just wear that princess gown a little longer, ok?

I need for time to slow down a little. I think the fact that I registered them for Pre-K this past Monday might have me a little nostalgic for the baby days. I just really can't believe it.

2013... Here We come!

Have you had your black eyed peas and greens yet? Thanks to my sweet Mama, I have. I went back for seconds. It was worth it. Phil and I actually made it to midnight last night. It wasn't intentional. We just stayed up to watch a movie, and before we knew it, it was 11:48! It has been a few years since we have made it to the CST New Year. We usually like to celebrate with our Eastern Time Zone neighbors. :-)

Got any resolutions? I am NOT good at keeping resolutions. I am keeping it simple this year. Drink water. This is not as easy as it sounds since I do not like water. I think it will be pretty easy to keep, though, because I am only going to require myself to drink at least a little water every day. Some days, maybe I will turn that into a lot. No pressure.

I also plan to focus on this a little more this year.

I think about this all the time, but sometimes I am so guilty of getting into the daily grind that I find myself going through the motions of everything. I am going to stop and pay attention. I am not going to worry about having the cleanest or cutest house on the block. (Not that I ever really have...) I am not going to worry about making sure everything is just so. I am just going to try to be better at the stuff that matters most.
(I don't know this Mama or the little cutie sitting next to her. For all I know, they may not know each other either. I got the picture from Pinterest.)

I do, however, know these two. :-) Gonna make sure I am making the most of my time with them!

So there you have it. I know for sure that 2013 will be a year of change. All years are in some ways, aren't they? I'll be back soon. I have water to drink and children to cherish. Can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for us! Happy 2013!