3 months.....

I can't believe it's been over 3 months since my last post.  Thought I'd take a moment to post an update, in case anyone is still hangin' around?

We've all been doing great.  The twins are 4 1/2 now and we're gearing up for kindergarten.  Well, Junior Kindergarten.  They miss the age cutoff for public school so we'll have to put them in a private elementary school for a Junior Kindergarten program.

Did you catch the magic word?

Private = $$$$$$

It will cost a little more than what we're paying now but it's a full day program and the curriculum is very similar to the kindergarten program in public schools.  I have several friends in the public school system and they have all told me really great things about the JK program so I feel better about our choice.

Developmentally, the twins are doing great.  Kendall is still a little ahead of Chris with some things but I really think that's just typical with boys and girls.  She can count up to 50 by herself and is starting to recognize sight words.  They can both write their first names.  Chris is still my athlete.  He has gotten really good at dribbling a soccer ball and can hit a ball with a bat.  He's also my lover and I think he's going to have quite "the game" with the ladies when he's older.

I was putting them to bed the other night and he said, "Mommy, you get an extra hug and kiss because you deserve it".

Playa' all the way.

I mentioned in my last post that I was starting a new job.  Still with the same company but other than that, all new.  I am enjoying it so far but I have yet to see the fruits of my labor.  I'm managing 2 teams, one of which is the event planning team.  I have a small local event next weekend and then my first BIG event will be in June.

In ARUBA!!!!!

I know I'll be working my butt off but who cares?  I'll be in paradise!  

I'll be gone about 10 days so I'm not super happy about being away from the kids for so long but they'll all survive.

Definitely happy the weather has started to cooperate recently.  We've had the never-ending winter around here, including snow last week!  We've been getting outside as much as possible and taking advantage of the warmer days and sun!

We'll be travelling to my parents' house in North Carolina for Easter and taking a much needed break from school and work.  We haven't seen them since Christmas so it's a long overdue visit.  Hoping we have nice, warm weather so we can hit the beach a day or two.

I wish I had a more exciting update but the truth is that we're just moving through the days in a regular, boring routine.

Hope you all are doing great!

Holidays 2013

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family!

For us, this Christmas was the best yet.  It couldn't have been more perfect.  The month of December started with me accepting a promotion at my job.  It's a BIG promotion with a lot more responsibility and some traveling involved.  Hubby and I discussed it and decided it was the best thing for our family - the initial increase in workload and time away from the family (only a few times per year) will be worth it in the long run.  I start my new responsibilities next week.

The kids' Pre-K class did a Christmas musical this year and it was a big production.  They practiced for weeks.  I can already tell that I'm going to be one of those mom's who gets teary eyed over everything.  I just can't help it.  As soon as I saw them walk in, my eyes got all watery.  I'm just so proud of them.

My parents came up from North Carolina on Christmas Eve and stayed with us through Friday (12/27).  It was just so great having them here and really made it feel like Christmas.  I have such fond memories of my mom's parents coming for 2 weeks over Christmas and it makes me so happy to create those memories for my kids.

We all went to my SIL house for Christmas Eve - our yearly tradition.  We had fun catching up with everyone and the twins had a blast playing with their cousins.  We got home around 10:30 and started playing Santa.  Luckily, I was organized this year and already had the twins' gifts wrapped and there was nothing to put together so we got off easy.

The kids truly understood the whole Santa concept this year and it just made it SO much fun.  Their excitement was so contagious.  I just love Christmas.

Christmas morning, the kids woke up around 7:00 am.  I tried an overnight crock pot breakfast casserole recipe that I found on Pinterest so we came downstairs to wonderful smells and no pressure to cook breakfast right away.  The kids opened their presents while the adults sat back and enjoyed coffee.

Oh, and cocktails.

Christmas afternoon, we went over to my BIL's mother's house to spend time with my sister and her family. They drove up from Nashville on the 23rd and were busy visiting with my BIL's side of the family.  By the end of dinner, I think we were all feeling the effects of the day and we came home around 8:30.

I coordinated a happy hour on the 26th so local friends could visit with my sister and that was a great time. My sister and BIL stayed the night with me that night so it gave us some extra time to catch up.

I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for us!

It's All About Family

On this Thanksgiving Eve, I know many of us are pondering the year and thinking of things we are thankful for.

When I think back over the year, there are many things that come to mind.  It was a pretty crappy year.

My husband lost his job.  Twice.
We needed expensive and unexpected car repairs.  Three times.
My entire family moved out of state, leaving me "alone" for the first time.  Ever.
My job has been unrewarding and there were many mornings where I hated to get out of bed.

And, as I type this list of crappy things that happened, I'm also reminded that some pretty good things happened too.

My husband found a job.  Twice.
Our cars are still running and for the time being, we have avoided taking on new car payments.
I've adjusted to my family moving away and surprisingly, I talk to my mom more now than when she lived close by.
While I'm still stuck in a dead-end job, at least I have a job.  Right?

Of course I'm thankful for my children.  They are my true purpose in life.  If we could afford it, I would love nothing more than to be home with them.  Thinking ahead, I'm hoping to have some flexibility with my work hours so I can be home after school when they start kindergarten.

There is not a day that goes by that I don't thank the Lord for my babies.  It's so funny how perspective changes. Before kids, I was very career-driven.   I wanted to take on more and didn't care what I had to do.
Now, my job doesn't seem to matter.  Don't get me wrong.  I still work hard and I'm dedicated to what I do. But, I'm not willing to travel or relocate like I used to be.  I just want the day to end so I can see my babies and snuggle with them on the couch.

Oh, those snuggles.  They never get old, do they?   No matter how stressed I feel, it all goes away as soon as I feel their body relax into mine.  I still rest my head on theirs and take in their smell just like when they were babies.

That's not weird, right?

So, let's talk about Thanksgiving dinner.  In the first time EVER, we didn't have plans.  I was happy and sad.  Maybe it would be fun to have a small dinner with just my little family?  But, Thanksgiving is about family and I was a little bummed that we wouldn't be seeing anyone.

My sister-in-law is now hosting and to put this in perspective, I'll just call her Hoity and my brother-in-law Toity.  They are very odd.  They live in a million dollar house but they act like they are poor.  Until they want to buy Pottery Barn furniture.  She hosted last year and I think it's pretty standard that people bring different dishes to share.  Last year, I brought mashed potatoes and a broccoli side dish.

Now, my SIL is very nice but she's not always the brightest bulb in the pack.  As I was preparing my dishes, it occurred to me that she might not think to make gravy.  And, how horrible would that be to have to eat mashed potatoes without gravy?!

So, me being the planner, I rolled up in there with my mashed potatoes and gravy packets in my purse.  Just in case.

This year, I again offered to bring a dish or two.  I again got mashed potatoes and this time, green bean casserole.  She told me her mom was bringing dessert and that my MIL was bringing the meat.

Um, what?

Isn't it standard that the host typically makes the main course?  Who the hell asks a guest to bring MEAT?

Oh!  It gets better!  My MIL came over last weekend to visit the kids and said she needed to leave by 3:00 so she could make it to the Honey Baked Ham store.

OK, stupid question.  Do they sell...... turkey?  Because the last time I checked, T-U-R-K-E-Y was the meat of choice for Thanksgiving.

I asked her about it and she said she was planning to buy a turkey breast.  Doesn't that feed like, 3 people?

So, now I'm gonna to have to roll up in there with mashed potatoes, gravy packets and turkey legs in my purse!

But hey - at least we'll be with family.

Bye Bye Blog?

I, like many of the bloggers I follow, have had a difficult time finding the time and energy to keep up with my blog. 

I've given it some thought and I keep asking one question:   Are blogs a thing of the past?

I originally started this blog back in 2008.  It was an outlet to help me grieve the loss of a pregnancy and I found great friends and comfort over the years.  As the kids have grown, the blog has moved away from me and is now more about the kids and what they are doing. 

It's not that I have less downtime than I did before.  If anything, I probably have more.  The kids are able to play by themselves now, requiring less supervision.  In the evenings when I do sit down to relax, I find myself grabbing my iPhone.  Not my laptop.

I use my phone WAY more than I ever thought I would.  I do almost everything with it, including reading other people's blogs.  (I miss you guys when you haven't written in awhile).

If I want to browse Pinterest, I do it on my phone.
Email?   Phone.
Facebook?   Phone.
Instagram?  Phone.

But, when it comes to writing a blog post, my phone isn't very convenient.  And, OMG.   What a pain to wait an extra 30 seconds while my laptop boots up, right?

I think we all go for the "quick fix" these days.  It's so much easier to write a quick blurb on Facebook or to post a picture on Instagram.  You're done in less than a minute and still able to effectively communicate with friends and family.

I'm wondering if this is happening with some of you too? 

This blog will always have a special place in my heart.  I still go back and read some of my older posts and I don't think I'm ready to say goodbye quite yet. 

So, in the meantime, I'll continue to keep my little piece of the blogosphere.

Fall, 2013

The twins' birthday always kicks off fall for us.   We've had some wacky weather here but I think it's finally taking a turn for colder temperatures now.  The leaves are turning and falling to the ground.

Making for PERFECT piles.

The last 2 years, we went to my sister's neighborhood for Halloween.  Since they moved, we got to see our neighborhood this year.  The kids had a Halloween parade and Trunk or Treat event that afternoon at school.  When I picked them up, they were already ahead of the game with 2 bags full of candy.

We ate pizza for dinner and they were so anxious to get their costumes back on.

It's always that fine line of waiting for people to finish dinner and getting out so we have enough time to get home for bedtime.  We started out about 6:45 pm and within 5 minutes, it started sprinkling and then turned into a very light rain.

No stopping us!  I grabbed an umbrella and off we went!   It's just water, right?   I had to leave my good camera at home so I only got a few photos with my phone.

We also received the kids' school pictures this week.  Such a difference over the last few years.  We've gone from dreading them because the kids would never smile to dreading them because we can't decide on which ones to buy!

The did 3 poses of each child individually and then 3 poses of them together.  
LOVE the larger black and white photo and the one of them hugging each other.  They look so grown up, don't they?

For the first time in FOREVER, we don't have plans for Thanksgiving.  I'm so conflicted about it.  Part of me is happy that we'll get to spend the day together as just our small little family.  And then the other part of me is sad because it's supposed to be a day to spend with family, meaning everyone.  Creating new memories, I guess.

And, before we know it,  Christmas will be here!  We received a catalog from Target last week that was all about toys.  I caught the kids looking through it and their sheer innocence and excitement was so contagious.  It brought back such great memories from my own childhood. 

I can't wait for the fun to begin!

Happy Ectopiversary

I'm fairly certain Hallmark doesn't make a card for Ectopiversaries.  

Roses are red
Violets are blue
You almost had a baby
But, we fooled you!

October 29, 2007 is the day I had the surgery to remove the baby that was growing in my left fallopian tube.  It had a heartbeat and aside from it's poor sense of direction, it was a healthy baby. 

I'm not proud of where I went after that "event".   I blogged about it so if you are so inclined, just take a gander through oh, almost all of 2008 and you'll get a pretty good sense of where I was. 

The words ANGRY and BITTER pretty much sum it up. 

But, as they say, things happen for a reason, right?

That event also gave me a kick in the ass and once I was lifted out of that dark hole, I was more determined than ever to have a child. 

Or, children.   LOL!   What can I say?   I'm an overachiever. 

October 29th will always be a reminder of the sacrifice to be where we are today.  So very thankful. 

The Evil that Lurks in the Shadows

Last year, my husband and I got hooked on the TV series, "The Walking Dead".  If you haven't seen it, it's a show about zombies.  This season, it has taken a new twist and there is now a hemorrhagic plaque circulating around the survivor's compound.

Like some evil being, it lurks in the shadows and no one knows when or who it will choose as its next victim.
I've begun to think of cancer as this evil.  We all go about our lives not knowing that cancer is lurking in the shadows.  Will it choose me?  You?  Your son or daughter?   Your best friend?

Over the last year, I've learned of several young children (ages 2-10) who have been struck by this horrible disease.  They all live within 10 minutes of my house and I learned about all of them through the miracle of social media.

I've often asked myself, "Are there more cases of childhood cancer now or am I just hearing about it more because of social media's prevalence in our everyday lives"?

After learning about every single one of the children, I have followed their stories.  Some are still battling that dark evil and some, sadly, have lost.

And, with every story, the heaviness of sorrow and fear weighs on my heart.

Last month, I attended a fundraiser for a little boy who has battled 3 different cancers in his short 10 years of life. He is now partially paralyzed but he's alive.  At the event, the mother of a remarkable young girl got up and spoke to the crowd.  Her 10-year old daughter was scheduled to speak and the mother apologized that Gabby recently had a treatment and was exhausted after attending a Girl Scouts' retreat the day before.

I learned yesterday that Gabriella passed away Saturday night. I never met her and for all intents and purposes, her life had no link to mine.  Yet, I can't stop thinking about her.

Now that I have 2 children of my own, the thought of that evil choosing one of them scares me to pieces.  I can't imagine being a parent and watching your child have to endure the horrors of chemo, radiation and endless drugs.  And, then watching your child take his/her last breaths on this earth.

Part of me wishes that I never learned about those children and their stories.  Part of me would rather live in a world of oblivion where nothing bad happens to children.

And, the other part of me is glad that I got to "know" them.  Without their stories, there would be no research, no awareness, no purpose for their lives.

Life is so precious.