time flies

Wow- almost two month since my last post- its amazing what can happen in an instant and how fast time can pass you by.

Our home computer decided to die on us Halloween night (well actually- it was murdered- by Kevin - trying to fix something else on it LOL - I tried to tell him he's NOT a computer guy and that I think made him try even harder to fix it- which failed miserably!) So we have been on and off with computer access for the last two months - sharing my moms laptop (thanks mom!) and crashing peoples homes to use their computers - we finally have one that is kinda working - but I have an inkling its not going to be able to do all I need it to do ;)

Have you ever had a phone call that took your breath away and made your head spin? Our family got that call in the begining of November- from my brother. He was at work (2 hours from home) and he got a call from his wife that she had just come home to see that their home had burned down- completly to the ground - nothing left at all! After the shock of that they were now without anything but the clothes they had on and relieved they had all been out of the house for the day (they also have 4 kids)- we became extra thankfull a few days later when we learned that not only was it burned down- but it wasnt just a typical house fire- there had been an explosion- an explosion that was heard for miles around - an explosion that had anyone been home, well..... lets just say I said an extra prayer thanking Jehovah that they were all out of the house.

Sometimes it takes a tragedy to realize what we have- even in the little things - things like cleaning supplies, cereal or a toothbrush. We use them everyday without thinking, we throw them in the trash without a second thought, but what would it take for you to replace it all? You soon realize it takes an outpouring of love and compassion- from family and friends - even long lost and unknown - and its that outpouring that takes your breath away- only in a good way - it makes you see that there is good left in this world and that Jehovah will always care for his flock by any means possible. In the end - a tragedy can strengthen your faith, your love, and also your courage- because it takes a lot of courage to stay strong and move forward from something like that!

In our own house- we have been busy. We had friends out to visit from NY (who should be moving out here very soon *hint hint*) and loved seeing them again. Myles and Molly have been on the fast track for growing (Myles has grown over an in in the last few months, and Molly has grown almost 2 inches in the same amoutn of time!) and they have been learning new things ar alarming rates (I say alarming because if they keep it up- they will be smarter then me in just a couple years- if not sooner LOL). Molly wowed us by suddenly coutning in spanish (thanks Dora!) and Myles has become quite good at reading and writing his letters and numbers (thanks Super Why) - if you spell something out for him- he can write it - and he can figure out how to spell a lot more small words by sounding them out on his own! He will be 5 in just a couple weeks (in which I am in shock over - I will have a FIVE YEAR OLD- ack!!!) and I am debating putting him in early kindergarden or waiting it out till next September- he is really wanting to start school - but Im not yet ready to let him go.

When I lasted posted- I was wanting to basically gut our house and start over- get totally organized. Well, Im still working on it (though Kevin Im sure thinks it will never be done) but we did get all the bedrooms swapped around. The kids had been sharing the master bed room and they were really needing their own space- Myles needed somewhere he could go and play quietly without being bothered, and Molly needed to learn to sleep on her own - which meant possibly crying it out. So I made the choice to give up my office (so sad) and let Molly move into there and Myles took the other small bedroom (where Kevin and I had been for the last year) and we took the master bedroom back. The final things are still being shifted around and I cant wait to decorate the kids rooms, but I think this will be a very good change (Im still trying to convince Kevin it will be worth all the work and chaos). Its causing us to downsize stuff we dont need and rethink how we use things (A nightstand is currently being used as my printer stand with the office stuff stored in the drawers!). I am excited about it and hope it will be done within the next couple weeks!

So since moving into her own room- Molly has been learning to sleep in hew own bed and has been sleeping in there longer and longer every night! It will be SO nice to finally have my bed back to just me and Kevin- its amazing how much room a 2 yo can take up! Something that I thnk has helped learn to start sleeping longer at night on her own is I at long last got her weaned from nursing. Yes - I let her nurse for over 2 years - but I am glad I did, she loved it, and for the most part - I loved it too. I never in a million years expected her to nurse for such a long time, but she is stubborn and determined and she just did not want to give it up. It was a good run- but I am glad to be done now.

We are now looking forward to my sister coming to visit for the week- so I am sure that in addition to all our regular stuff that keeps us busy- we will have a lot of added activities that will keep us occupied. But hopefully- I will be able to post again soon and not take 2 months to get back on here!

Hope everyone is having an enjoyable winter

whats not to love

I L-O-V-E fall. Really, I do. Its by far my favorite time of year! The air is softly cooled and crisp and smells of baking or fresh rain, the leaves turn a gorgeous array of deep velvety reds and oranges and buttery yellows or chocolate browns. There is getting ready for school with new pencils and backpacks and stacks of paper. Pumpkins in all sorts of sizes. Apples to pick. Sweaters and mittens. Its just perfect. And Myles loves it as much as I do!!

He is SO excited that it is Fall, he will tell strangers in the store lol. He gets excited over getting to crunch leaves beneath his feet as we walk up the sidewalk. He loves the clouds and the chance that it might rain. He loves it so much that he has been waiting for Fall since about mid July - begging to wear his sweatshirts and longsleeve shirts when it was still 100 degrees outside (and inside!)

Today it was perfect- grey clouds and lots of wind! So much wind in fact that it came through and blew his new playhouse (one of the fabric ones) right up off the patio, over the roof and down three levels to the street below in front of the house! He started crying thinking the wind took it away but was all better when a few minutes later I returned to the house with it in hand! (its now staying IN the house because I dont need the wind trying to steal it anymore!) And later in the day- you would have thought he won the lottery because for a few very brief moments- it sprinkled. Sprinkled as in it barely hit the ground. But it was enough to send him running for the umbrella and rain boots!

I believe if he were only allowed to talk about 3 things for the rest of his life- his topics of choice would be - disneyland, toy story, and Fall

I love seeing the joy he gets out of the little things in life- especially when its something that I also love!

stats

Myles- 4 years, 9 months, 2 weeks and 2 days old ~ 43 inches and 40 lbs

Molly - 2 years, 3 weeks and 5 days old ~ 34 inches and 28.5 lbs

another week

Saturday night and yet another week that has gone by too quickly- where in the world did it go- I wish it would slow down a little and let us soak it in. Im trying to think of what we did.... for starters my wireless Internet went ka-put for the better part of two days- makes you (or at least me) realize all the other things that can be done while NOT on the computer lol- for instance the house got totally cleaned (not yet fully organized as is the plan- but cleaned non the less)- that lasted for oh about 2 days!

Kevin and I stole a mid-week date night on Tuesday and we enjoyed every minute of it. Picked hi up from work, drove north a bit to a brewery where the local mountain bike association was previewing a new movie on the lawn. Had a super yummy dinner with some of the hardest beer you will ever taste (Stone anniversary 13 I think is what it was) and got to spend a great amount of time alone! Thursday the kids and I joined some friends on their field trip to a local dairy farm that had a pumpkin patch- Myles got to see his first real cowboy- that was his highlight- not the baby calf or goats - but the REAL cowboy lol. Oh and got some things for myself done this week- bought myself some new clothes and finally got a haircut- yay me!!!!

But the best part of the week has been the kids- yes Molly has been a bit whiny/ clingy (try weening a 2yo from nursing w/out her being fussy about it) and the kids and I are all getting sick- again.....but still, the kids have been fun to play with and watch play together. And Myles, oh man, Myles has been coming up with some things that just makes you stop and laugh! A few nights he has tried his best to find reasons to stay up later- one night- he had a headache in his chin hehe - another night- he wrote me a 'note' on his magna doodle that said "kids stay up all night- no bed", he even had the circles with writing in them that were suppose to be those cross out/ banned signs and one was to say - No bed and the other No sleeping LOL oh my..that kid!

And Molly- in all her head-strong stubbornness is still just one of the cutest kids you will ever see - quick to say thank you or sorry or come running with hugs and kisses - and her ability to learn new things never stops- every day its something new- and its just so awesome to watch!

So here is hoping that the coming week goes a bit slower and lingers awhile. I have no idea whats planned yet but I am sure there will be a trip to the park or zoo or museum in there somewhere, probably some shopping, definitely some cleaning and organizing, Lots of playing with the kids, and most likely- less time on the computer ;)

Hope you all have a great week- oh, and I still need to organize the living room- so thats the room still on the list!

Sanctuary

Most people would probably be surprised to know that most nights- I lay in bed dreaming of organizing my house. Sad? Maybe. But its true. I would give anything to be organized. To look around you would think I have either given up or just dont care - but neither is true. I clean daily - always the kitchen before I eat anything for breakfast and laundry is always going, but it just never adds up to a fully clean house. Some days its so bad- I could have a third child and not know it because it could be lost somewhere in the chaos lol.

But I have a little secret - I have a small spot in my house that is almost always clean and organized and that on some days when I just need a break- I will go sit. No, its not the bathroom! Its my kids closet! Really, its my one area that within less then an hour- can be completely cleaned and beautiful- and its here where I like to sit (and sometimes hide) and just look at all the wonderful colors, patterns, textures and shapes that make up my kids clothing! And why not? I spend more then I should on them, they have more then they need, but their clothing is part of my daily therapy, my place to clear my head, to organize my thoughts, to plan for whats next.

............................................................

So now what I long for, all I worship and adore (hehe) is to have the rest of my house be this peaceful. I want to stop being woken in the mornings by Kevin because he is looking for something. I want my kids to play with the toys they have because they can find all the pieces. I want more peace and time spent with my family. So it is my goal to conqure one room in the house per week. Totally rid each room, closet and drawer of junk and useless stuff, organize what we need to keep and get everything totally clean. Oh, and I want to slightly decorate as I go!!!!

I figure if I have you all watching me- I will be more likely to make it thru- so here is the plan- at the start of the week- I will post pictures of the room I will be working on in its current 'bomb exploded save yourself' state - feel free to make recommendations based on what you see or just check back later in the week for updated pictures- but if you dont see an update- bug me, push me, make me finish it - cause we all know- Im kinda the type of person that gets started and then flakes or decides I dont really have the time

This week- we tackle the ......................................................... living room! Bye bye little couch - hello floor pillows and less mess!

Impressions

Impressions. There are lots of variables to them. There are 'first impressions', 'lasting impressions', 'bad impressions' and more. And lately I find myself thinking and wondering about peoples impressions of me. Are they good? Are they bad? Have people I once knew forgotten about me?
I am pretty certain of some of the impressions some people out there have of me- my dad thinks I eat mounds of chocolate everyday and that I sleep till noon (I dont), my sisters think I never cook or dont care to cook (I do), pretty sure my mom thinks I never clean my house lol (just about everyday). Then there are those who I wonder- people I see in passing while out with my kids- do they see my kids being polite and loving to eachother and people around them- or have they caught us on a bad day and therefore think my kids are rotten and I am a bad mother? Better yet- does that old man I encountered in the Trader Joes parking lot who thinks I purposely allowed my car door to bump into his truck and went all out yelling at me- really think that I am a rude inconciderate person like he said?

I know that in the end- none of these impressions really matter (sorry mom) because my future isnt up to them- thankfully none of these people choose whether I live or I die in the end. I have to trust that I am a good person. I have to trust that Jehovah sees me trying and is able to read all my thoughts of what I want to be doing and that I want to do better - for me and for my kids. My life is an organized chaos at best- sometimes it is just utter chaos and I find that I am dropping the ball and possibly disappointing people- I hope that they see it as temporary and that I am always trying- trying to be and to do better.