dec 5

some weeks advent and calligraphy take priority over showers and blowdryers and sometimes it's the best decision you could make for yourself. 

dec 4

In contrast to a tough day yesterday with the kids, today was a breeze - thankful for a morning where no one needed a spanking - that's a huge thing around here!

dec 3

there is nothing more fun than having to carry an almost four year old to the car because he's throwing the biggest temper tantrum about putting on his hat before leaving a store - luckily this time my mom was with me to carry nyla out behind me - but that isn't always the case - more than once I've had to carry them both out together - no wonder i have neck problems.

dec 2

errands in the cold sleeting rain with two littles isn't the most fun in the world, but it feels good to get some things accomplished well before christmas.

dec 1

I've never been much of an online shopper but this year, with two adorable toddlers, online holiday shopping is my new fave thing - free shipping and today's cyber monday sales helped me knock out a chunk of my christmas shopping from the comfort of my couch.

nov 30

how in the world is it already december tomorrow? i am not ready, but ready or not, our house is now decorated for the holidays and our tree has an adorable ring of ornaments around the bottom where micah and nyla gently hung them all.

nov 29

it's not every day you get a front row seat of an unlikely love story and get to watch it begin and reach it's culmination through marriage - but today micah got to sport the cutest bowtie and suspenders to help celebrate a special wedding of special friends.

nov 28

made the mistake of hitting up the mall for ONE THING on black friday - such a mistake as i had to wait in line for an hour and  a half while curtis took the kids to the lego store - this is the first and only time i feel like i got the bum deal on not taking the kids.

nov 27

when we go away for the holidays we spend the whole day with curt's family - but being home for the holidays means being able to spend the whole day with my family this year - an early breakfast, the parade, even a lazy afternoon of nap time and dinner with my fan - it was perfectly boring and relaxed with my peeps.

nov 26

tomorrow is thanksgiving, and i was asked to bring two veggie sides, which feels like nothing compared to last week's cooking marathon - so today i prep roasted garlicky brussel sprouts and maple cinnamon roasted sweet potatoes.

nov 25

despite a lingering headache, i haven't gotten nauseated this round of climbed - and i just remembered it's a short three-day work week for curtis - hip hip hooray!

nov 24

with fear and trembling i swallowed that bitter climbed pill, but this time i took an anti-nausea a couple hours before and made sure i ate breakfast well before i took it and thank you Jesus it didn't make me sick like it did last month - deep sigh of relief.

nov 23

and just like that, a week of prep has come to an end and as we prepare for thanksgiving i also prepare to start month two of climbed tomorrow morning.

nov 22

today i spent almost 10 hours in the kitchen sweating and stirring - i have a whole new respect for my mom who does this kind of holiday meal often - but it's over and i pulled it off and it was delicious (if i do say so myself) and we had a great night with our friends.

nov 21

tomorrow is our friendsgiving so today i prep gravy and cut potatoes and toast bread for stuffing, and chop veggies and make cranberry sauce and on and on - i am going to dominate this dinner.

nov 20

this is the time of year that goes exceptionally fast and i always feel far behind - friendsgiving then thanksgiving then nyla's birthday then christmas then curtis' birthday then new years then micah's birthday - then before i know it it's february.

nov 19

along with prepping an almost all vegan thanksgiving (besides the turkey and gravy of course) i'm also in charge of bringing a dairy and gluten free snack to our community group tonight - whew, the creative cooking juices are definitely flowing.

nov 18

and then there are some weeks we really don't leave the house much - instead we clean and chop vegetables and make lists to prepare our home for a holiday.

nov 17

another monday, another week to start again - beginning with working out and cleaning my dang house.

nov 16

today begins a week of friendsgiving prep starting with grocery shopping for everything besides the turkey - it's a lot of pressure to make the whole meal solo - but i always like a good challenge.

nov 15

brought nyla with me to a wedding shower today - she was so adorable, the way she sat like a big girl and ate her food, gave everybody hugs and played so nicely with another little guest while the bride opened her gifts - it could have went either way so I'm relieved. 

nov 14

You know what's worse than Curtis leavingm for another two days? Curtis leaving in the middle of a snowstorm. 

nov 13

let it be documented that this morning we started "teaching your child to read in 100 easy lessons" with micah - let's just say he's a healthy mix of quick and smart and as stubborn as his momma.

nov 12

days where we don't leave the house all day make me dread the thought of the coming winter months.

nov 11

we took our last trip to the zoo for the year on the most beautiful day in the history of novembers (65 and sunny) and it was heavenly.

nov 10

after nearly two weeks off from working out due to the the cruelty of clomid, i'm back to my regularly scheduled programing, and feeling the pain of my atrophied muscles.

nov 9

after a too-short visit with friends, we had a nice, productive drive home talking about "schooling" and parenting and what it means to teach and train our kids.

nov 8

i just love the time we spend with the zeune's in dayton - but every visit makes me wish we were raising our kids in closer proximity to each other.

nov 7

Taking our yearly trek to see the zeune's in Dayton this weekend - can't wait to see some of my favorite people!

nov 6

in a few weeks micah is in his first wedding for friends - all the little boys get to wear bow ties and suspenders, I'm so excited to see it!

nov 5

After over a year and a half it was time to lighten my load and chop my hair - 8 inches gone is a bit of a shock, but I does feel really good.

nov 4

It took a while but we finally finished our 12-week study through the book of mark - with a bunch of little kids, I'm pretty proud of us.

nov 3

Keep wondering if this drug will work as quickly as it did last time when we got pregnant with micah - part of me hopes it does and part of me wouldn't mind waiting a while longer.

nov 2

Thank you Jesus that I didn't have to feel sick all week - tomorrow is the last day (of this cycle of clomid) then the fun begins.

nov 1

Had our first preschool visit this morning and it was so cute I kinda wanted to cry.

oct 31

This year was the first time

Micah asked us why we don't celebrate Halloween - so we had an honest talk about convictions and how every family does what they think is right for their own family - and his little three year old brain seemed to get it just enough and the Lord protected his heart from jealousy, this year at least. 

oct 30

luckily today hasn't been nearly as bad as yesterday but it really isn't cool to have to be nauseaus just to try to get pregnant, ugh.

oct 29

today is day one of clomid and while last time I had no side effects, this go around had me sick as a dog within two hours - Lord help me please!

oct 28

already thinking and planning for the new year - although I probably shouldn't because I have a ton to do before 2015 begins.

oct 27

Just another manic Monday trying to excercise and clean my house with my two tornados underfoot.

oct 26

My mom had my sister only 17 months after she had me, I can't imagine bit now I'm glad we're so close in age.

oct 25

family dinner for jen's birthday at our favorite siam cafe - a birthday tradition.

oct 24

one of the smartest financial decisions we've made has been to save money for Christmas every year from September to December so we can make all our purchases in cash - and although it tightens our budget for a few months a year, not using credit cards has many rewards, and this definitely is one.

oct 23

it's amazing how much stress is relieved for me through doodling - think I might start a doodle a day - at least for pms week.

oct 22

I think for the first time since college I only put a few bucks of gas into my tank to hold off til payday on Friday - ironic because gas is cheaper than its been in a while.

oct 21

another day that curtis won't get home until well after the kids are in bed - someone please put me out of my misery stat.

oct 20

micah has been having a problem with back talking lately (ex: "please be quiet, micah." "no YOU be quiet!") so after being disciplined for one such episode this morning he then said, "mom, can we try a do over, and this time i won't back talk, i'll FORWARDS talk!" hahah!!!

oct 19

although she isn't two yet, we let nyla try to go to the 2 and 3 year old sunday school class with micah  this morning - and to our disbelief, she made it almost 40 minutes without crying, she even said bye bye mommy when i dropped her off, but then they said it just hit her that we weren't there and she started freaking out - but hey, we almost got to sit in the whole sermon - TOGETHER - so we'll take it.

oct 18

who would've thought having a music teacher at a two year old's birthday party would be such a hit - and then there was nyla, dancing in the middle of all the little toddlers without a care in the world.

oct 17

before leaving the art museum after lunch today, we stopped to use the potty and while washing our hands micah said, "mommy, if i'm so so good and quiet and obedient can we look at some art before we leave?"so we did, and he walked holding my one hand as i pushed nyla in the stroller with my other and as we walked through one gallery he kept whispering "wow, look at that sunset, it's so beautiful, mom, isn't that sunrise one so pretty." it was so adorable and i'm so glad we took the time to do it.

oct 16

the days (like yesterday) when curtis isn't home all day, then has to go do something at night are the longest days of my life.

oct 15

I bought my first christmas gift online this morning - this might be the earliest ever.

oct 14

This week is turning into another never leave home week and I'm already going stir crazy.

oct 13

it is not good for my mental health to stay in my house with the kids all day - luckily we spent some time outside but the impending winter really frightens me. 

oct 12

it took me almost two years of motherhood before I realized I should take advantage of weekend nap times when Curtis is home to get away by myself - since then, I have found that even a couple of hours alone each weekend does a wonder for my state of mind in the coming week. 

oct 11

kids have fevers so date night got cancelled, but we made up for it with a homemade apple crisp and shark tank date night at home. 

oct 10

it's a Friday with a wide open weekend ahead of us - sometimes that's the best kind of weekend. 

oct 9

i know this probably doesn't matter to anyone but me, but this morning as micah was eating cheerios, nyla started asking for some - i was hesitant because they've made her gag and vomit since she was six months old, but we hadn't tried in a while so i gave her one and she ate it right up no problem - so i gave her a handful and she was fine - it took almost two years, but my girl can finally eat a cheerio like a normal toddler, and you don't know how happy that makes me.

oct 8

one more bible study left to finish out our mark bible study - now that there are six kids running around us (two for each of us and two being watched by her), it's probably better that we're done with our study for a while, but i'm glad we saw it through to the end.

oct 7

the plus side of not having an actual job anymore is that i'm flexible enough to take a friend to an early morning doctor's appointment and to go to the store for him (and us) all before lunch time.

oct 6

chilly mondays were made for cleaning the house and working out and folding a million loads of laundry and cooking and reading - so glad the sunday night blues are a thing of my past.

oct 5

we have a new sunday school system for the once a month when curtis teaches micah's class of two and three year olds - nyla goes in there with them - and then i don't have to miss the service too because she still screams like a crazy person when she gets left in the nursery.

oct 4

what do you do when your husband leaves on a saturday evening for a men's clambake? we make macaroni and cheese and watch a movie all cuddled up in blankets on the floor until bedtime.

oct 3

when curtis got home from work tonight i said, just take us anywhere, i don't even care - so we went to the mall to replace a tiny little lego guy's helmet that micah's been begging for since he lost it a month ago - and the sweetest part was seeing micah's face when the nice guy gave it to him for free - the best.

oct 2

oh man, we need to get out of this house today - i'm already dreading winter.

oct 1

met nyla's birth mom for a random lunch date today - her kids were at school so it was me, her and my kids and was a healthy mix of crazy (the kids) and relaxing just getting to chat girl to girl.

sep 30

i have a feeling it's going to be a long week - not enough plans and two ornery kiddos.

sep 29

this weekend we so enjoyed an evening getting to know three international students from China - we made homemade pizza and apple pie and spent the evening looking at each other's wedding pictures which were surprisingly similar despite the thousands of miles between our locations.

sep 28

sometimes keeping nyla in the service at church is just easier than trying to force her into Sunday school

sep 27

in my happy place today - picking almost twenty pounds of apples with the fam.

sep 26

looking forward to celebrating my mom's birthday tonight, apple picking tomorrow morning then hosting three international students tomorrow for dinner then hanging with curtis' family this weekend - all in 75 degree weather - bring on the weekend!

sep 25

Grandmapalooza was full of all the best things: moms & sisters & babies & botanical gardens & warms weather & patio lunches - happy 59 moomers!!!

sep 24

this is my typical morning dilemma: do p90x without having time for a shower before the kids wake up, or shower now and do p90x later while the kids run circles around me - i switch on and off depending how long it's been since my last shower - today, the shower won out.

sep 23

there is something unexplainably wonderful about leaving the house after dinner, alone, for an hour or two while your husband is on daddy duty - although i did have to bribe him to stay out past the kids' bed times, which of course he happily accepted.

sep 22

nothing like starting your day with the same head and stomach pain that lasted all day yesterday - on the plus side was a mom who would play with my kids all morning as i moaned like i was in labor - not quite but that's how i felt.

sep 21

you know what's bad, having a migraine and horrible tummy troubles on the same day - but you know what's so, so good - having a husband that will bath, feed and take the kids to church solo (and teach micah's sunday school class, with nyla since here separation anxiety is at an all time high at church these days), then make lunch and take them to our neighbor's birthday party while i recoup.

sep 20

we drove almost an hour to meet our friends to go apple picking this morning just to learn that they weren't picking this year and all the games and rides where $12 a person, including adults - um, no thank you - so we enjoyed a little stroll around the farm and then went to eat our packed lunch at the nearby mall haha!

sep 19

last time we met up with nyla's birthmom and siblings at the zoo, her biological sister asked if she could come over to hang out one day - i said as long as her mom was cool with it - so tonight is the night - they're coming over for a bbq in a few hour and we are super excited to have them over - i feel like this is the natural next step in our relationship - open adoption is nothing like i thought it would be.

sep 18

a fluke runny nose (nyla) had us canceling plans to take dinner to a recuperating friend, leaving me with a TON of veggie stir fry - i guess i won't be cooking for a few days.

sep 17

it was our second community group meeting of the year and although a few people were missing, i have a feeling i'm going to really enjoy this group of people, and this bible study.

sep 16

sometimes i enjoy strapping my kids in the car to do errands for the simple fact that they can't touch each other while they're in their respective carseats - less physical contact means much less tears and discipline.

sep 15

you know, just another monday of cleaning and p90x and making meals and wiping booties and teaching my children how to be sane and kind.

sep 14

my mantra for the Sunday morning Sunday school freak out: it's only a phase, it's only a phase.

sep 13

it's crazy to think about the fact that it was two years ago that they held this fundraiser for us - and now here we are and our girl is almost two years old.

sep 12

after being cooped up all week we went to visit aunt Jenni at the mall - the first of many visits as the weather turns colder. 

sep 11

my ability to wake up early enough to workout and shower before the kids wake up has been decreasing week by week - so i'm left with the option to work out after breakfast while they play/fight or work out during nap time - both of which are better than not doing it at all i guess - i'm just surprised i've finished week 8 and have stuck with it - dare i wonder if i've created a habit here?

sep 10

here's what we've been up to this week when daddy's at work: errands, p90x, bible studying, playing, spanking, cooking, eating, naps.

sep 9

I live that we can take an evening walk and end up at my parents' house.

sep 8

because waking up on mondays has never been my favorite, i skipped a shower in lieu of coffee and did my workout (core synergistics) while my kids ran circles around me - but now it's not even 10am and we're going to do some bible studying and then enjoy this beautiful weather that dances the line between summer and fall.

sep 7

he took over nyla duty at church so i could listen to the sermon, so by default i guess, he enjoyed lunch out with friends while i got stuck with kid duty - he laughter and got to talk while i fed kids and made trips to the potty and disciplined - in this case, i think i got the short end of the stick today.

sep 6

they all left by lunchtime after a packed house for brunch - six adults and five kids in our little home - they left and we smiled - we love having us all together, us and our kids and them and theirs - it's chaos, definitely not serene, but it's the best kind of crazy - the way it's supposed to be.

sep 5

there goes my workout for the day after eating an italian feast with my family tonight - the best part - fitting our whole family (minus sam & D) in our minivan!

sep 4

started our new community group last night - i'm excited to get to build some new friendships and forge through the book of romans together this year.

sep 3

oh hump day, i love how fast you come when it's a long weekend, but i hate how slow the rest of the week usually goes.

sep 2

I do not particularly enjoy baking, so I took the easy route to make 10 dozen chocolate chip cookies for our first bible study of the year tomorrow night - frozen cookie dough from gfs. 

sep 1

I don't mind the drive home from a trip as much as the unpacking - and the laundry and the grocery shopping (that I'm putting off until tomorrow) because I just can't do it tonight. 

aug 31

a sunny summer day in Chicago calls for a sweaty stroll around the Lincoln Park Zoo. 

aug 30

Took the kids to their first movie theatre movie this afternoon - planes fire & rescue - and just as expected Micah was enthralled and in heaven and Nyla wiggled and whined until she screamed and cried and had to be taken out - and lucky for me I was on Micah-duty. 

aug 29

you know what's nice, having Curtis around in the mornings to let me work out AND shower AND get dressed AND put on makeup AND do my hair while he hangs with the kiddos. 

aug 28

5:30 workout, 6:30 pack up the car, 7:30 get kids up and drive Curtis to work - now to waste seven hours until we pick up Curtis from work and leave for Chicago. 

aug 27

starting p90x back up again after almost a week off because I was sick - still not 100% but what's a little coughing fit during kenpo gonna hurt me?!

aug 26

it's amazing how much you can get done  before 10 when you wake up at 5, i wish I didn't love to sleep so much. 

aug 25

sometimes you just have procrastinate on the cleaning and go have a picnic at the park with friends on a Monday instead. 

aug 24

a good Sunday night starts with kids bathed and in bed by 7:30 - boom.

aug 23

a Saturday that started at the pool and ended with frozen yogurt is a very good day. 

aug 22

another miserable night's sleep where every breath of air i took caused a coughing fit that made me want to vomit and cry - now coffee's helping, coffee and jesus.

aug 21

i forgot how not-fun it is to be sick while the kids are also sick - luckily they both seem to just have runny noses and i seem to have gotten every other possible symptom - sore throat, bloody noses, hacking cough, body aches and general annoyance at fighting children - why don't they realize id feel better faster if they could just play nice.

aug 20

the moment in the pool yesterday when nyla sneezed right in my face was the moment i knew i was going to get sick, and yep, my bedtime my throat was burning worse than it has ever burned before, to the point where curtis said i was moaning as i tried to sleep.

aug 19

when your mom texts to see if you want to go to the pool, you forget about your need to grocery shop, make some pbj's and throw on your swimsuits, because summer's almost over and who needs to eat anyways.

aug 18

getting back to my typical monday schedule where i clean my house from top to bottom - feels good to start a week with a clean house, i had forgotten that in my summer laziness.

aug 17

sat in the sermon this morning for the first time in many weeks thanks to my dear husband who took over nyla duty with a smile.

aug 16

had a great saturday wandering the metro parks with my little family then having dinner with some good friends in the evening.

aug 15

i'm praying that somehow the Lord will grant me some pain free days to help my medicine stretch through the next couple weeks - so far so good.

aug 14

lucky for me they had an open appointment at the neurologist this morning instead of having to wait until october to go - also lucky for me my mom could watch the kids for the 8am apt // unlucky for me i only have three pills to last me the next 14 days - ugh.

aug 13

in the middle of my workout this morning i get a notification that they have declined my refill request for my migraine medicine - needless to say i pressed pause and spent the next few hours trying to figure out why - there's nothing worse than being told you aren't being given the medicine to keep the pain away.

aug 12

another tuesday, another day of coffee and p90x and sesame street and lunch and naps - the best kinds of tuesdays.

aug 11

starting week 6 of p90x - upping my weights and really enjoying the stress reliever that it is every day - dare i say i am liking this whole work out thing after all.

aug 10

i have to keep reminding myself that nyla screaming in the nursery at church is just a phase, one day she will let me listen to a sermon - one day.

aug 9

family date night to the county fair was so fun - corn dogs and lemonade, a pony ride (for micah), petting a million sweet animals, watching brave kids ride crazy rides, sharing late night ice cream and getting home well past 10 - the perfect summer night.

aug 8

we ended Thursday with an evening swim and started Friday the same - another day another pool - man, I'm already getting sad that sunmer's nearly over. 

aug 7

i cannot seem to get up early for my workouts this week, so my punishment is having to do them while being bossed around by my two little personal trainers: "mommy, straighten your legs more like they are! higher mommy! you can do it mommy! good job!" maybe it's not punishment as much as a little extra encouragement to get through it.

aug 6

sick kids meant no bible study this morning so instead, despite a headache, we got an oil change and ran some other errands before rewarding myself with my weekly iced chai.

aug 5

spent the morning at my sister's fancy pants gym pool this morning, then spent nap time doing an hour and a half of yoga before heading to my parent's house for dinner - i'd call that a good summer day.

aug 4

just a normal day spent at home, doing typical monday things like spending 1 hr and 45 min having a breakfast showdown with my firstborn son.

aug 3

i try not to get bummed out that i am always in the nursery with nyla - i don't know how to break her of this attachment thing that seems to only happen at church, it doesn't help that she's scared everyone off from helping her because she's vomitted in there so often.

aug 2

met nyla's tummy mommy and bio siblings at the zoo this morning, and again, the rain sent us all running to the rainforest - either way it was a great day spent with this special branch of our family tree.

aug 1

we ate dinner fast so we could go for a friday night swim, but when we pulled in it started to thunder and rain, so instead we got ice cream; micah even still had his goggles on his head.

jul 31

then there are days that I wake up at 7:30 with the kids and scrounge up breakfast for all before working out with kids swarming my ankles and barely missing being kicked in the face, then Sesame Street while I grab a shower at 10 am - these are good days too.

jul 30

started my day at 5:30 with an hour of kenpo, then a bowl of Cheerios, a cup of coffee, a shower and some makeup all before my kids woke up - I can't always fit it all in but today I did and it was wonderful.

jul 29

woke up feeling head-achy so i skipped working out before the kids woke up, but by the time i got kids up and dressed and fed i was feeling better, so i did an hour of kenpo in the living room while the kids ran around me and played on the sunporch - while i don't have the luxury of going to a gym or working out with just the sound of my music in my ears, this kind of flexibility makes me happy to be a stay-at-homer.

jul 28

you know what makes easing back into real life that much better: when your mom texts and says, "if you need to go grocery shopping this morning i can come over and watch the babies." um, okay!

jul 27

after 12 hours of driving (for an 8 hour trip) yesterday, we spent the night in west virginia before finishing our trek this morning - our kids could not be better little travelers, i am so proud of them and so thankful.

jul 26

and just like that, our time at the beach is over, now to start the million hour drive back home.

jul 25

it's so interesting to watch our kids distinct personalities come out at the beach; micah is timid and nervous at first, but given time to warm up to the water and the waves he becomes a splashing, happy guy; nyla however runs headfirst into the ocean without a drop of fear or timidity and splashes and plays until we force her to take a break on the sand.

jul 24

you know what feels good - completing week three of p90x while on vacation - and you know what makes it even better, that when i don't wake up early to do it, i can still get it done at nap time - an hour and a half of yoga after spending the morning at the beach is quite a nice way to spend the day if i do say so myself.

jul 23

yesterday everyone watched our kids so we could have a date day - so it's only right that everyone else had a date night tonight while we stayed back and watched a movie with our kids.

jul 22

charleston date day included putting the kids down for a nap then escaping to charleston with my man to walk and shop and eat seafood overlooking the water and holding hands until (our) bedtime.

jul 21

pool and beach, the beach and the pool - this is what my dreams are made of - what my dreams are not made of: kids sharing a room and waking up at the crack of dawn, then trying to keep them quiet so they don't wake up the rest of our non-kid-having house.

jul 20

starting our first full day at the beach with p90x - took a break on our travel days, but now it's back on.

jul 19

the kids spent their first night ever in a hotel last night & loved everything about it: the big bed, watching planes take off from the airport next door, the huge tub - we then made our way to charleston, south carolina for a week with my family, a week that began with my first shrimp po boy at hyman's seafood co.

jul 18

except for one crazy hour of Nyla screaming at the beginning of our drive, I must say, it was a pleasant drive to North Carolina today.

jul 17

I'm in full blown get-er-done mode today - p90x at 6, shower at 7, kids up at 8, packing nearly done by 10 and now just about 20 hours until we hit the road!

jul 16

you know what's funny - doing p90x yoga in the middle of a morning filled with packing for vacation and fight-breaking-upping - so much for clearing my mind :) a good workout nonetheless, even though it was followed by a bribed episode of sesame street.

jul 15

even on days I can't get my butt out of bed early to work out before the kids get up, there's always nap time - so a two o'clock workout and shower it was.

jul 14

it has been a heck of a week with headaches/migraines - today I woke up at 12:45pm from one I got at 4am to my aunt barb in the backyard with the kids - so lucky to have extended family closeby. 

jul 13

eventually this whole working out/ p90x thing will become second nature, right? in the words of tony horton, "I hate it, but I love it," (when it's over).

jul 12

we slept in this morning and instead of starting week 2 of p90x today, we walked the almost two miles to get the boys some fresh haircuts and almost two miles back, then because i'm a glutton for punishment, while the boys took showers, i ended up doing p90x anyways, with nyla by my side trying to mimic all the moves, and she only got elbowed in the face once, which from the size of our living room isn't so bad.

jul 11

despite pretty much a nagging headache all week, i sucked it up and brought the kids to nana's pool today - sun and water are my happy place, and by the looks of it, my kid's happy place too - i can't wait to bring them to the beach on friday.

jul 10

micah finally sang along with grace, the college girl that comes once a week for music time with the kids thanks to my sweet aunt and uncle around the corner - he loves his time with her but gets really shy when she wants him to sing along - when he finally did he got so excited he hugged me and then her, and as she was leaving he yelled out, "bye grace, i love you!"

jul 9

i woke up really late from a horrible migraine that hit me at 4am and my kids and husband were gone - i thought he had to stay home from work but there was a note in the kitchen that said, i dropped the kids off at your mom's on the way to work, use my car to get them when you're better - love that man, and my mom too.

july 8

thank goodness i didn't have to bring my kids to my annual gyno appointment this morning - i'm not ready to answer all THOSE questions quite yet.

jul 7

day three of p90x and i am h.u.r.t.i.n.g.

jul 6

i guess i'm paying for all that sun yesterday because right in the middle of church i got the most killer migraine, didn't creep up on me, just BAM.

jul 5

two pools in one day - somebody pinch me - it's my dream summer day!

jul 4

the tradition continues: donuts, then the playground, then finding a free basketball hoop for the kids on someone's tree lawn on our to go garage saleing for the very same thing.

jul 3

a morning spent at the library and the park is a good morning.

jul 2

i really hate grocery shopping, but i love the feeling of a fridge stocked, especially in time for a holiday weekend.

jul 1

met a friend from out of town to swim at her hotel - with five kids three years old and younger i think we did pretty well!

jun 30

sometimes you have to put off house cleaning and grocery shopping for a last minute zoo trip with friends on a 90 degree day.

jun 29

sometimes rainy summer days are only good for one thing - naps.

jun 28

some days don't exactly go as planned, but maybe that's not so bad after all - after a fight, there's usually a great opportunity to talk and resolve.

jun 27

we swam at nana's pool in the morning and then went to the city pool after dinner until bedtime - this is what summer days are made of.

jun 26

there are some days when nothing memorable happens, where one day blends into another, sometimes it's a good thing and sometimes not.

jun 25

sometimes you just need to stay in pj's on a rainy day and chill at home. 

jun 24

nyla work up this morning with her eye swollen shut from a reaction to some kind of bug bite or sting  - sad but so darn cute.

jun 23

grocery shopping with kids is probably my least favorite thing to do in the history of adulthood.

jun 22

you know what's long - a sunday morning working in the nursery when they do baby dedications AND baptisms in the same morning - Lord help me!

jun 21

having dinner with friends we haven't seen since well before we had kids - What a strange paradigm shift it will be - I used to babysit for their kids who are now teenagers. 

jun 20

we had our first trip to the pool this summer - two words have changed my life: puddle jumper.  

jun 19

I will be a happy woman when allergy season is over. 

jun 18

this evening a friend of a friend is coming over and having a mini music class with micah (and probably nyla too) thanks to my super cute and generous aunt who always has the most adorable plans up her sleeve.

jun 17

8 years ago we said our vows, having no idea where the next almost a decade would take us - to parenthood through two different paths especially - but now that we're here we can barely remember a life without these little humans - so we spent our anniversary together, the four of us, eating chipotle and licking ice cream cones and laughing, lots of laughing.

jun 16

with five kids under five it was the most relaxing playdate we've had in a while - no tears or fighting, just sunshine and swimming and playing and talking - more weeks should start with playdates like this one.

jun 15

curtis said there was no place he'd rather spend father's day than at the kids rehab center where nyla's biological brother (age 3) is staying right now - we talked and played on the playground and forgot just for a couple hours how serious the outcome could have been for him.

jun 14

after haircuts for the boys we braved the crowds and had a fun day at parade the circle downtown, complete with kids crafts, kettle corn and the parade of course.

jun 13

it's funny how a day spent at home sometimes can be so miserable but a day spent gallivanting around can be so fun and easy - spent the day at the natural history museum and the art museum with the kids and my mom, then home for naps for almost four hours - I think we need busy days like this more often. 

jun 12

it's a sad day when the cottonwood is so bad we have to shut the windows and crank the air on an otherwise beautiful day. 

jun 11

my aunt, mom & dad all randomly stopped by today - at dinner Curtis said, "I think that was God reminding you that you'll have support when we have a third kid."

jun 10

it's strange how nice my kids have been playing this morning - don't get me wrong - it's nice, but strange. 

jun 9

I must say, we all kinda love having my sister living around the corner - we had a last minute playground and picnic date today. 

jun 8

an on-again-off-again fever (Micah) had us playing church hooky once we realized Curtis didn't have to teach Sunday school - this led to a rainy book-reading, train-playing, solo grocery shopping kind of day. 

jun 7

we got our pool passes this afternoon - let the summer commence!

jun 6

spent the morning outside coloring with chalk and trying to feed the tiniest baby bunny little pieces of carrot - today is a good day despite runny noses. 

jun 5

other than Curtis, when I have a migraine  there is no one who I'd rather spend the day with my kids than my mom - thank you mom for dropping everything and lovin my babies today, oh and for pulling my weeds. 

jun 4

oh, kids and their colds - they certainly keep our social calendar pretty empty some weeks.

jun 3

i love that my sister now lives close enough to show up at our back door during a run - yay for summer and for being within walking distance to my parents and my sister!

jun 2

enjoyed a much-needed girls night out with some of my favorite girls tonight over ice cream cones - talked of birth and babies and marriage and all the feelings that entangle all of that - it was just what this tired mom needed.

jun 1

church then the first after church bbq of the summer meant all of us took an afternoon nap until dinnertime when we got home.

may 31

our friends left after breakfast eaten outside, and then we spent the rest of the day eating meals outside and laying in the sun and splashing in the kiddie pool - the ideal summer saturday

may 30

had some of our very best friends (and their three kids) stay over for the night and i loved watching them all run around the backyard and play, but it made me sad that we don't live around the block from them, i would love them to be together every week.

may 29

all my blogs have been hacked despite multiple changes in my passwords, i'm still getting spam posts every day - any advice besides shutting them down? :(

may 28

my kids go between hugging and kissing best friends to enemies of war within a minute left unattended - micah screams and nyla has taken to biting (hard) and spitting when she's angry - Lord help me.

may 27

it's a nice feeling not to have to remember to take out the stroller from the trunk in order to go to the store - i sure am liking this whole minivan thing.

may 26

hooray for three-day weekends filled with sunshine and parades and cousins and friends and playgrounds and bbq's and allergies - lots and lots of allergies.

may 25

i pretty much held my breath and prayed through curtis' whole sermon - he did great and spoke some very wonderful words, and now we're both just very glad it's over - i get my husband back now.

may 24

although i wasn't quite expecting to spend my birthday at the car dealership, it turned out to be a lovely day spent buying our first minivan and going out to lunch without the kids and just driving around town with the windows down enjoying the perfect weather - then we ended the day with margaritas and tacos and ice cream with my family - getting older ain't half bad!

may 23

It's looking like I'll be getting a minivan on my 32nd birthday tomorrow - when in the heck did I get so grown up?

may 22

I found the upside to driving Curtis to work at 7:30 in the morning - an empty trader joes where Micah can push the mini cart without injuring many (or any) ankles.

may 21

so, our 1991 toyota corolla finally bit the dust for the last time this week - so now, minivan shopping has commenced - i might just get a minivan for my birthday this weekend.

may 20

i love that the weather is now warm enough to spend hours in the backyard with my kids - and they're at a great age for me to bring out a book and watch them play instead of chasing them around the whole time.

may 19

i love a good monday when i clean my house, make dinner and prep food for the week all before lunch.

may 18

i think sunday afternoon naps are going to become my new normal - after a morning spent in the nursery i need one.

may 17

and we did it - the shower was lovely and went off without a hitch and even better was the fact that my parents took the kids to day out with thomas which was micah's dream come true.

may 16

our church - where we were going to host the shower - flooded this week, so now we are planning the shower at a party center where we will only have a half hour to set up and decorate - can we do it?

may 15

i've never done so much planning or emailing (except for my own wedding) than i've done for the baby shower i'm helping to plan - two days and counting until we find out if we can pull this off.

may 14

sometimes we take for granted that our families are around and we always have people to celebrate with - tonight we celebrated a friend's birthday at bible study and he was just so thrilled to have people celebrate him - challenged me to really make celebrating people (in big and small ways ) just a part of our everyday life - this coming from someone who doesn't even remember to send cards to family members half the time.

may 13

just a tuesday that felt more like a monday since we didn't leave the house and we had playmates yesterday.

may 12

spent the morning watching my friend's three girls - and i must say, five kids is pretty darn easy when two are pre-teens.

may 11

mothers day found us actually sitting in the service at church together for the first time in months - and then nap time for me - happy mothers day to myself.

may 10

homemade pizzas and our first fire pit night of the year with friends who are a few steps behind us in the adoption process - it's cool to talk it out with a couple so open about this crazy journey they're about to begin.

may 9

allergies are in full swing today complete with watery eyes and sinus headaches - before Curtis put Micah to bed tonight he said, "sorry you have a headache tonight mommy."

may 8

of course Nyla has a fever on the nicest, warmest day of the year so far - wahhh.

may 7

it's hard to explain how crazy we look trying to do a bible study surrounded by four loud and crazy kids three and under - but we do and it's always, always worth it.

may 6

I'm liking this two day cinco de mayo celebration, tonight with the fam at lopez - and equally excited for my first margarita of the year - or really, my first drink since last may I think.

may 5

another monday, another home day - spent the morning doing the cleaning i neglected last week and the afternoon prepping a cinch de mayo feast we decided to share with a friend, you know, why waste a clean house!

may 4

sometimes i can get all riled up about nyla freaking out in the church nursery when she loves just about every other foreign place and stranger in her path - however, when i just sit back and relax and enjoy my time in there with her, it's really not that bad.

may 3

after 9 days without tv or internet i have to say i didn't really mind TOO much - i found a good book and have been enjoying the quiet and my old faithful hobby from days gone by.

may 2

started and ended the week with a day where we didn't leave the house - and still haven't cleaned for the week.

may 1

the days are long when curtis doesn't get home until after (my) bedtime, but we sucked it up and even got a free dinner out of the deal thanks to my bro being home from school.

apr 30

you know what's sweet, looking over during bible study to see your little three year old laying on a futon like a teenager, in the dark room next to us watching a movie on the iPad - it gave me a glimpse of micah in like 10 years - then he fell asleep on the way home and i got to carry his heavy, limp body to bed and my little baby was back.

apr 29

sometimes i like staying home all day, and other days i want to leave the minute we finish breakfast - so we did some early morning errands and were back by mid-morning, but that urge to escape had left as quick as it came.

apr 28

should have spent the day cleaning, but instead we painted and played and lounged in our jambes all. day. long.

apr 27

and just like that it happens, you get thrown back into real life after a short forgetting.

apr 26

when you're away from your kids people love to ask how you're doing and if you miss them - and i always, somewhat embarrassingly say, not really - see, i honestly love being with my husband more than i love being with my kids - and i love being with my kids a lot.

apr 25

as we drove away for a quick 36 hour getaway/marriage retreat, we realized we hadn't had a true night away since before nyla was born - and she's almost 17 months old.

apr 24

last minute prepping to leave for a couple days with my man - I keep reminding myself as I pack for myself, and both kids, that all the work to prepare will be worth it come tomorrow at noon.

apr 23

these are some long days when Curtis doesn't come home until after bedtime - lucky for me my mom let's me invite ourselves over for dinner.

apr 22

making lists and doing dishes and laundry and food prep for the short week before we leave our kids to go on our first marriage retreat - super excited to get away, but preparing to leave always comes with its share of stress.

apr 21

it was too nice to clean today (75 degrees and sunny) so we grabbed an iced chai, grabbed grandma and played all morning at the playground (found out the hard way how hard it is to get sand out of a black girl's hair/scalp), then i sat outside reading a book while the kids napped before heading to a friends house for dinner and fire pit smores in their backyard until almost 9:30pm - it was the perfect spring day if you ask me, even if the kids didn't go to bed until after 10pm.

apr 20

although nyla was too sniffly to go to sunday school on easter, i actually got to sit through my first sermon in months, albeit while entertaining a wiggly 16 month old.

apr 19

finally feeling better enough to celebrate our niece at her jumpy house birthday party - we all left sweaty and exhausted but it was so good to get out of the house and actually interact with people again.

apr 18

ahhhhh - the man of the house is off today and i feel like i can breathe again (figuratively, not literally as my allergies are killing me!) - or at least take an uninterrupted shower at my leisure.

apr 17

it's the second night in a row that he isn't home until after bedtime and boy am i exhausted taking care of these little whiney sickies all by myself.

apr 16

no one wants to babysit sick kids, so i stay home with two hacking, dripping kids as he goes to lead bible study - just another motherly sacrifice i guess.

apr 15

finally got some antibiotics for my kids - sinus infections all around and an ear infection for nyla - hoping this kicks the last of a month of sickness to the curb.

apr 14

some mondays are just best spent at home - catching up on life and nursing us all to health.

apr 13

there's nothing like driving all the way to church with two semi-sick kids and feeling crummy yourself to keep your man company because he had to be there to give the before worship greeting during the service just to arrive and learn that he doesn't have to do it anymore - needless to say we stayed for worship and then we trucked it back home.

apr 12

it was a beautiful day for a small, simple and quiet baby shower - what a difference the baby shower next month will be compared to today.

apr 11

i keep thinking about something one of the ladies from the county said to me last night - she said, "promise me you won't go the private adoption route again." now, i know what she meant, i mean, her job is to help recruit foster parents and i know the need she sees every day is so large, but why does there have to be this tension between private and 'public' adoption or domestic vs. international? we're talking about kids here - whether in county or out of country, every child deserves a family that loves them, how great that some people are led to foster a neighbor or adopt from around the globe - but i'm still processing through this one today.

apr 10

tonight we went to a "foster awareness party" hosted by friends and put on by the cuyahoga county children and family services department - what an interesting evening meeting their social workers and employees and some of their current foster parents - our hearts are so drawn to children without families and yet, although we went totally open to whatever God has next for us we both left not feeling pulled one way or the other to specifically pursue this route - right now at least.

apr 9

both my kids slept til almost 9 today (what?! this has never happened before!) which would've been enough to have a good day but it was sunny and 45 degrees out (but it felt like 60 in the sun) so we spent until lunch playing outside - now naps & then a visit from our favorite (and only) social worker to finish up our home study update - it's been a good day.

apr 8

on Sunday I treated myself to a chai after a retched morning with the kids at church and as I was turning the corner onto our street it fell out of the cupholder and every last drop spilled at my feet - so today I got another and guarded that baby with my life until we got home from our errands.

apr 7

every week i try to stay home for at least one full day - we usually stay in our cozies and do a lot of playing and cleaning and planning and cooking and reading and coffee drinking - today was that day for this week - start off slow and ahead of the game and hopefully the rest of the week won't feel as hectic.

apr 6

want to know what really frustrates me - the one sunday in months that i was going to be able to sit in the sermon at church and both kids throw hissy fits when it's time to go to sunday school which led to each of us having an angry/stubborn child and neither of us heard the sermon - but on a brighter note - all the tears and drama led to two very exhausted kids when it came to nap time.

apr 5

you know what's cute - going to dinner in chinatown with friends and micah and their youngest daughter ask to sit next to each other - then proceed to "read" books together until our food came - first date?

apr 4

after a couple sick weeks for all of us, I'm looking forward to a nice, healthy weekend spent with friends.

apr 3

when it comes to baby #3 i'm pretty much the holdout - not that i don't want another, but i'm not sure if i'm ready - but today was one of the few days lately when i looked at both kids playing and thought to myself, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to throw a baby into this mix - but shhhh, don't tell curtis i said that.

apr 2

call us crazy but we really love when our kids go to bed at night - i do at least - some days i even have a countdown to bedtime - but it sure was cute when we told micah he wouldn't have to go to bed at bible study and he could stay up and watch planes on the laptop while nyla slept upstairs at our friend's house.

apr 1

60 degrees and sunny means a walk with grandma after running errands and a brand new baseball hat for my coolest little dude.

mar 31

sometimes after a week of sickness you stay home one more day in your sweats just to play catch-up on life.

mar 30

we went to church even though nyla was still snotty - so when it was time for sunday school me and the lady had our first mother-daughter starbucks date in which she squeezed her whole box of milk all over herself (and me) like a milky fountain overhead.

mar 29

i've never had a 24-hour bug where the nausea lingered so long - i actually made curtis go get me a pregnancy test even though i knew it would be negative - which is was.

mar 28

you know what's not fun - hearing a 15-month old scream bloody murder for two hours in the middle of the night despite getting medicine, being rocked, threatened and ignored - so to the doctor we go to check for an ear infection.

mar 27

and today is a fresh new day - where curtis leaves for work and i am showered and dressed and sipping coffee and no one feels like they want to die.

mar 26

thank you Jesus for vacation days that can be used for sick days and for a husband who is much kinder to me when i'm sick than i am towards him - i lucked out in the kind husband department.

mar 25

and exactly 24 hours after curtis got hit, i found myself with my head on the table where his had been at dinner the night before - and my head in the toilet in the middle of the night too.

mar 24

it's never a good sign when curtis walks in the door from work saying he feels shaky and nauseas - and it's an even worse sign when a couple hours after going to bed i hear retching in the bathroom.

mar 23

whenever we go to another church on a sunday it always leaves us so thankful that we landed where we did.

mar 22

penickpalooza is in full swing with a morning spent strolling the natural history museum and having lunch at the art museum.

mar 21

thank God for a husband who doesn't get mad when i wake up with a killer migraine and he has to take a vacation day to take care of the kids.

mar 20

when curtis finds me curled up in a ball whimpering on the couch as the kids play around me when he comes home from work because my neck is in so much pain you know i carry too much crap/kids around every day - luckily an icy-hot patch worked miracles and i didn't have to stay in the fetal position for the rest of my life.

mar 19

you know the best kinds of hump days - the ones that start with my bible study with katie and end with dropping the kids off at my parents for our community group at the chen's.

mar 18

when mondays are hectic, i certainly don't mind a laid back tuesday to ease us back into the week.

mar 17

our itty bitty baby just had her 15-month checkup and is now 75% in height and weighs 22 pounds - not so itty bitty anymore.

mar 16

the only downside of curtis teaching the two and three year old class at church is that i'm then stuck with little miss cry-until-she-pukes in the nursery because she is petrified of being in there without us.

mar 15

you know what's nice about having a zoo membership, when there's nothing to do on a saturday in the winter, we head to the rainforest for a couple hours.

mar 14

early morning errands then 10am bible study with katie then lunch with the kids at nestle makes for some pooped-out kids - just the way i like it.

mar 13

spent the day hanging at the only other house in the world i'd want to spent 10 hours at other than my own - my mom's.

mar 12

55 degrees yesterday so we ended the day taking a family walk after dinner - and a snowstorm today so we cancelled plans and haven't left the house - Micah told me he loves to be cold in the snow, but personally I'm ready for spring.

mar 11

i'm almost to the point of being able to think about baby #3 now that nyla isn't puking on a daily basis and actually napping again.

mar 10

today i am letting my kids watch too much bps kids as i try desperately to catch up on some emails and baby shower planning that i've been trying to get to - the benefits of not watching a lot of tv usually is they literally don't move and turn into zombies when it's on - which is just what i needed this morning.

mar 9

35 degrees felt so nice today after so many below zero days that we brought the kids to the park to run off some energy - in the end we ended up leaving because curtis was cold!

mar 8

brunch with friends was their gift to us for curtis helping them pick out a new computer - the perks of having a computer geek as a husband.

mar 7

we had two new friends over for dinner tonight from the ESL program at Cleveland State as part of our friend's new international student ministry - one was from Thailand and the other from Columbia and we had such a fun night micah woke up the next morning asking if his new friends were coming over again today.

mar 6

curtis took the day off run around and do some things to keep our home study updated: we got our fbi/bci and local background checks and micah and nyla got patches and badges from both police departments we went to - the police officers and detectives were so nice to micah, i think he wants to be a cop now.

mar 5

i don't know why we didn't think of this before, but our bible study goes much more efficiently when we do the actual study before we get together, then four kids aren't so distracting.

mar 4

today i brought micah to his three year pediatrician appointment in underwear - at his 2.5 year apt i never thought he'd be potty trained by three - oh, but this crappy winter gave us one gift while housebound - the gift of only one child in diapers - thank you Jesus.

mar 3

last monday (february 24th) nyla started walking, and although she is slow and still prefers her strange one legged crawl, it seems she is becoming a little lady right in front of our eyes.

mar 2

migraines suck, but what makes it suck less is when i get a bad one on the weekend, when curtis is home and more than happy to take over all parenting duties while i try to sleep it off - today was no different, he even took both kids to church giving me a silent house to recoup.

mar 1

haircuts for the boys and grocery shopping for the girls followed by a trip to the rainforest all before nap time - then because we lead a wild life, dinner and a stroll around the mall in the evening.

feb 28

sometimes just a little change of scenery helps turn the day around - played and lounged at my mom's house this morning instead of our house - it was nice to just get out of the house for once.

feb 27

literally left the house just for a loaf of bread to go with the beef stew i made this morning - that's how stir crazy i feel after days in the house.

feb 26

dang snow storms always putting a wrench in our plans - more than ready for spring.

feb 25

sometimes days are so uneventful (which is sometimes a good thing) that at dinner curtis asks me how the day went and i just look at him with a blank stare - then he turns to micah and asks what we did today.

feb 24

i needed a day to stay in my sweats and get random stuff done that i've been putting off - the kids played together beautifully this morning, the house looked like a tornado by lunch but lucky for me we've taught them how to clean up after themselves so i wasn't sweating it.

feb 23

from the time that worship was ending and people were taking their kids to sunday school we somehow lost micah - after a few minutes of searching in all the classrooms i stuck my head into the girl's bathroom and said, "micah, are you in here?" to which he responded, "yeah mom, i'm peeing." he had went in the bathroom by himself, locked himself in a stall, pulled down his pants and peed by himself but then couldn't pull his pants back up or unlock the door so he said he was just waiting for me to come help him. hahah!

feb 22

a playdate with some cousins we never see and then a curry and scrabble night with friends makes for a fun - and full - saturday.

feb 21

after a morning spent running errands with two singing, happy, hand-holding angels (which isn't always the case) i broke down and got them wendys for lunch (micah's been asking for french fries for like two weeks.

feb 20

nyla's now seen the occupational therapist twice and i just thought to check if it's covered by our insurance - upside: it is, downside: the weekly copays are more than we'd spend on a minivan payment every month.

feb 19

back to the grind, but i must say, after a week without curtis and then him having four days off, i'm ready to get back into the swing of normal life again.

feb 18

two things my birthday boy wanted to know today: "since i'm three now do i get to be a daddy?"and, "now that i'm three do i get to go to heaven now?" bless his three-year-old heart.

feb 17

a monday holiday took us to the donut shop for breakfast and the natural history museum for a day of dinosaurs and the sesame street planetarium show for a little celebration of micah's last day being two.

feb 16

i try to remind myself that one day i'll miss soothing my girl in the nursery at church - one. day.

feb 15

spent the morning at the main library downtown, a beautiful building but our kids section beats theirs hands down - luckily our kids are easily entertained with dusty old toys from the 80's.

feb 14

you know what's nice, curtis taking off valentine's day after being gone all week and a family mexican date night with all three of my loves.

feb 13

you know what's fun - running into your mom at target in the morning, then she takes the little guy to her house while you drop off your loot & meet her there for a random morning play date; and you know what's even better - when husbands come home after almost a week of being gone - 3 hours and counting.

feb 12

i sure miss my bunkmate but i do also kind of like wrapping myself up like a burrito with all. the. blankets.

feb 11

last night we had a slumber party at my mom's while all the guys were out of town, I let Micah stay up til 10 watching the old Dumbo & Robin Hood while eating gummy worms and mini cupcakes, then we shared a bed and a pretty lousy night's sleep before waking up for the second annual micahpalooza with aunt Jenni today.

feb 10

day #1 of Curtis being gone and day #1 out of the last 14 that my girl has napped longer than 45 minutes without screaming and puking - thank you Jesus for these three hours of grace.

feb 9

last night i was having some anxiety about curtis leaving for the week while the kids are sick and i've felt like poo for the last week - but then i read psalm 68:19 while the boys were at church and i was encouraged: "Blessed be the Lord who daily bears us up!"

feb 8

if i didn't just have my period i would be tempted to think i might be pregnant with how tired i've been the last few days and how icky i've been feeling - another 8pm bedtime tonight for me and the kids - sorry curtis.

feb 7

tonight we introduced micah to both the warmth of the electric blanket and the olympics, and then i fell asleep even before he did.

feb 6

i can't tell you how nice it is to do errand with my mom - two sets of hands to get kids buckled and unbuckled and the kids in separate carts - so nice.

feb 5

i really should have went out yesterday - darn snow is making me majorly stir crazy - these snow days really make our house feel small - cannot wait for spring and sun porches and backyards to expand our boundaries a bit.

feb 4

i really should head out to do errands before the snow starts tonight but instead we're staying in and making valentines and hanging hearts and making curry for dinner.

feb 3

headed downtown for my once-a-year neurologist apt at the cleveland clinic with both kids in tow this morning - the highlight of the morning was when micah sat next to me in the waiting room asking in a loud voice, "is that guy sick? is that lady sick too? is she sick mommy?" the sweet girl sitting next to me who obviously heard him asking and me explaining that people come to the pain management center are usually coming to see a doctor or coming with someone else told him, "i'm not sick right now, cutie, i'm just going to talk to my doctor," to which he responded, "just like you mommy, you're not sick right now either, right mommy?" i love my honest, blunt and friendly kid.

feb 2

honestly, no parties or hanging out with friends or anything for that matter is really, truly relaxing anymore with two kids in tow - fun, yes, but definitely not relaxing - long gone are the days that i sat with a blanket on a couch and knitted a football game away.

feb 1

couldn't be happier to be starting a fresh, new month today - which is a shame because I'm usually a big fan of January.

jan 31

attempted to fix the great nap dilemma by moving an up an hour with tylenol for her teeth - but nope, still up after an hour screaming bloody murder - so I gave her a blankie and a stuffed animal to see if that would help her self soothe, but nope, she puked on both - staying chill for once but I'm at a loss here people.

jan 30

how does someone so cute & tiny scream & cry for this long without just giving up & going to sleep?

jan 29

I'm trying to practice my deep breathing as Nyla has another nap time freak attack right now - I can honestly only take so much stress in one day before I just curl up in a ball with a migraine & cry.

jan 28

the hits just keep on coming this week - praying for a soft heart and extra grace to get us through the week.

jan 27

not the best way to start a week, but encouraged by the truth in the gospels this morning (luke 6:22-23, john 15: 18-19).

jan 26

i haven't sat through a sermon in well over three months, so this one was especially timely for me: "...he prepares a table before ME..." this table, this plate, this life, he set it there himself, with my name on it.

jan 25

the best way to end a date night is by picking up your kids...the. next. morning.

jan 24

there's not much better than a spontaneous offer to babysit for the evening - date night for us!

jan 23

so thankful for a very real group of friends that we get to do bible study with a couple times a month, and parents that don't mind watching our little people so I can be all there as well.

jan 22

my night in shining armor came home early and literally forced me out the door, alone, for the evening & said, "don't come back before the kids are in bed," - it's funny what a few hours alone can do for my perspective on parenting through the hard days (and nights).

jan 21

it's hard to imagine a day when i won't have to give m&m's and do the poop dance for ever trip to the potty.

jan 20

i sure do love mondays spent at home, making dinner in the morning, taking showers while kids watch cartoons and never leaving our pajamas.

jan 19

whenever i work in the nursery at church i leave feeling like i was hit by a mac truck - a billion crying babies (including my own) trapped in a tiny room for just one song too long.

jan 18

it was the perfect weekend day: a slow start then a trip to the art museum for some play, culture and lunch, long naps and dinner with friends to top it all off - just a great winter day all around.

jan 17

i had such funny little errand companions today - laughing at each other down every aisle and holding hands in the car.

jan 16

despite how the day could have turned out with curtis being gone from sun up to sundown, it was a rather enjoyable day - naps and bedtime were painless and they were pretty pleasant and entertaining during waking hours - thank you Lord.

jan 15

this morning I made a small to do list of four things to get done while out today (because we never leave the house anymore!) and by 1pm we were home and my list was all checked off - now to take a shower while the babies nap and we're in business.

jan 14

me and jenni are going to attempt to bring micah ice skating for the first time this morning - he will either love it or hate it and i cannot wait to see which it is.

jan 13

i have never experienced a blow out like i did this afternoon - poop on me and her so much so that even i had to change my jeans, sweater, shirt and even my socks.

jan 12

all in all i think potty training is going better than i expected, the part i don't love is the part where we barely leave the house.

jan 11

and just like that Micah realized there is a little opening in the front of his underwear that is perfect to stick his pee pee through, at very odd moments - lord help me.

jan 10

yesterday afternoon something clicked with Micah & he started telling me when he had to pee on the potty instead of me reminding him every 15 minutes - and since then he's had zero accidents - we're making progress people!

jan 9

momma didn't want to go play out in the snow so I brought a sink full of snow in the house to play in - best part, the cute little buns in undies standing at the sink.

jan 8

i'm not sure how long potty training actually lasts but i don't think hearing this after a poop on the potty will ever get old, "mommy, that was EASYYYYY!!!" then we proceeded to clog the dang toilet trying to flush down his man-sized BM - thus his first lesson in using the plunger!

jan 7

a migraine on a day when curtis is already working from home is the best kind of migraine - if there is such a thing - there's always a silver lining.

jan 6

it wasn't the best start of the day - got my little monthly friend complete with cramps and a headache at 6am, but then micah woke up dry for the first time ever and proceeded to pee on the potty four times throughout the morning with only one accident, we cuddled under blankets and watched planes and then as the kids were going down for a nap curtis called to say they were sending them all home due to the extreme temps outside, allowing them to work from home for the rest of the day and tomorrow - it's shaping up to be a pretty good monday after all.

jan 5

after not being able to sit through a sermon (due to my lovely/needy children) in months, nyla actually kept her sick little self quiet enough for me to sit in the back and listen while curtis taught micah's sunday school class - ironically our pastor spoke partially on the verse about the will of God being for us to be joyful, thankful and content in all circumstances - yeah, i needed to hear that one today.

jan 4

ended a long day by taking my parents out to dinner as a thank you for watching the kids during our retreat, however right before we got our food nyla gagged on her own snot and projectile vomitted across the whole table exorcist-style - that's one way to get out of paying the bill as curtis joked!

jan 3

it must be documented: this morning micah pooped on the potty after holding it for over 24 hours - afterwords he squealed and hugged me and said, "mommy i did it! it didn't hurt and it wasn't scary!" and i was so happy for him (and for me) i wanted to cry.

jan 2

this snowy day is the ideal morning for some serious potty training - no diaper = two accidents + three successes from 8am until nap time at 2pm; he still won't poop but we're getting there I think.

jan 1

big plans to start out 2014: wake up, drink copious amounts of coffee, stay in our jammies all day long and start a new journal - i told you, big plans.