2013?

Hello, out there!
Almost two years since I last posted here.  Where has the time gone?  Is anyone still checking in?  I doubt it!  Thinking about starting it up again, but I've said that before...

Flowers!

It finally warmed up enough for me to feel confident about having some plants outside! I was able to pick out a few, and while Jay was out of town last weekend, the kids and I planted them. One kid was more helpful than the other, but overall they were both interested in it. Mara loves flowers and plants, and was excited about being able to water them once they were planted!

Hopefully we'll be able to enjoy them all summer!

Changes

Well, so far 2011 has been a crazy year, to say the least. In January I gained a nephew and lost a grandmother. What a rollercoaster of emotions! It has been a rough time, but we're thankful for the sweet new baby!

The kids were sick a lot, and Jay's schedule was always changing. Winter seemed never-ending.

It seems like things might finally be settling down though. Last month, Jay started working 2nd shift, and we started the kids in part-time daycare instead of full days. Jay is home with them in the mornings, and takes them in to daycare around 11:15. This gives him a couple hours of downtime before work (he works 3-11:30pm). The kids spend the afternoon at daycare, and I pick them up after work (by 4:15) and then have them in the evenings on my own. So far it's been working out pretty well. The downside is that Jay and I don't really see each other during the week. The upsides are that the kids get to see us both (sometimes before they wouldn't see Jay all week depending on his schedule), and we are saving quite a bit in daycare costs. It's been very strange not having to get them ready every morning before work. Kind of nice to be able to 'sleep in' a bit, and still get to work on time or earlier than I used to! We see this as a temporary situation, but so far, so good!

I've been attempting to lose a few pounds. I never lost all of my pregnancy weight after having Mara. I gained a bit less with EJ and it came off without me really doing much...but then I was still holding on to the weight from Mara. It's a slow process, but I'm hopeful I can get it off and be a bit more healthy. Before my wedding, I had lost weight doing Weight Watchers, but I don't have the time or money to do that program, so I'm attempting to just count calories on my own, and get some quick workouts in when I can. Hopefully I can stay motivated!

My baby boy turned ONE on March 16th. I can't believe how fast his first year went! He is such a little BOY now. He is running around, climbing, babbling, pointing, waving, and eating us out of house and home! He switched from bottle to cup and formula to milk without batting an eye, which was SO different from the war Mara started with us over that transition! He loves eating and loves pushing cars and trucks around. He is starting to really like reading books with us too. He is still quite a drama queen about things though. He's more needy than Mara was. She was always very independent. EJ needs more reassurance that we're there, and has been known to throw himself on the ground crying if he feels like we're not giving him what he needs at any given moment! But his grin could melt icebergs! He's a sweetheart.

Mara is almost three and driving us nuts. I say that with love, but it's true! She questions everything, pushes EJ around, and refuses to nap at daycare. She's also hilarious and smart. Too smart for her own good, most of the time. She keeps us on our toes, for sure. She loves playing outside and reading books, and is also a big fan of cars and trucks. She loves arts and crafts. And fruit snacks. ;)

It seems like winter is finally winding down (knock on wood!) and I'm hopeful that spring and summer with be calm and quiet times for our family! Well, calm and quiet might be too much to ask...

I promise...

...that I'm not giving up on my blog! I hope to start posting regularly again, very soon! I am not sure if anyone is still checking in or not, but I'll be back, I promise!

Hundreds of Pictures...

I literally have hundreds of pictures from the holidays...but, they aren't on this computer anymore, and I'm kind of lazy...

Eventually, maybe I will post some. Oh and EJ's 9 month pictures...since he is almost 10 months now. Sigh. Where does the time go?

For now, I'm taking a shot of Nyquil and heading to bed with my book...we'll see how long I last!

Happy New Year?

Life is getting in the way of my personal time lately!

I won't lie...I've been stressed out a lot lately. There is always something to worry about it seems (or maybe I just worry too much?).

Having two kids is so much more work than just one. Mara is in a difficult stage right now a lot of the time too, which doesn't help.

I feel like I'd like to get away from everything for a week of peace and quiet...but it would all be here waiting for me when I got back (plus more!), so it's probably not worth it.

Oh well...that's life I guess. It's hard to complain when we're all healthy and even if the kids are frustrating sometimes, the sweet things they do makes up for some of it ;)

Hopefully 2011 will be a great year for us, and for all of you!

Snow!

7:30am, Saturday December 11th. The car got stuck in front of our house for awhile.

11am, Saturday 12/11

3pm, 12/11

3pm, 12/11

Sunday morning, 12/12 - this is what we saw when we opened our front door.

Looking out our front door, 12/12

Yep, that's a huge drift of snow on our patio! 12/12

We've been stuck in a huge snowstorm all weekend! It started Friday night, and didn't let up until Sunday morning. It snowed all day Saturday, and the wind was really strong, blowing the snow around and creating blizzard conditions. We were very happy to stay tucked snugly in at home! We were supposed to go to a Christmas party on Saturday afternoon/evening, but that didn't happen! And on Sunday we were supposed to have a baby shower for my sister, but that didn't happen either!

It was definitely the biggest storm that I can remember for a long time, and to be honest, I still haven't been outside, and it's now Sunday evening! One perk of living in a townhouse is that we aren't responsible for snow removal! We finally got plowed out around 5pm tonight. It's very very cold outside, so I was glad to not have to be the one out there doing the work!

Hopefully roads will be ok in the morning and we won't see any more snow for awhile!!