blah blah blog

This week has been like groundhog's day for me...not much to write about. Kids up at the crack of dawn, starving and begging for breakfast, school, gym, errands, lunch, naps, homework, dinner, kids to bed, me fast asleep on the couch, blah, blah , blah. I am in need of either a night out, a morning to sleep in, or both!!

We started our annual advent calendar this week....so much fun for the kids and sooo festive, so of course I love it, too :) Each day, someone gets a gift out of the calendar. This is the first year that I have really had to put a lot of thought into who gets what on which day, because I am anticipating lots of sibling rivalry, aka "mad gets EVERYTHING", or "that's not fair...how come emma gets that and I don't?!!?!". Day three, and so far so good...the girls have been pretty gracious with each other and there has been no drama yet :)

We are getting into full Christmas swing around here. I love every second of it!! Last weekend, I took the kids to the play area at Gulf Coast and it was the perfect night...55 degrees outside, kids all bundled up, Christmas carols playing through the speakers at the playground, a peppermint mocha for me and cookies for the kids....I didn't want the night to end! The next day, we took the kids to see Santa. This was maybe the first year that nobody was afraid of him...Claire and Mad hopped right up on his lap and Emma got to snuggle by his side. Em asked him for "paperoni" and Mad asked for a bike. "Santa" had no idea that Mad wanted a bike, so we'll see what happens with that ;) Emma, who I am pretty sure has been questioning whether Santa is real or not for her entire life, has been talking ever since about how the workers there better do a really good job or else nobody will believe in the magic of Christmas?!?! She puts way toooo much thought into everything, if you ask me!

Well, I hear Mickey Mouse Clubhouse starting in the background (again!), so I know that I've got about 15 minutes before we need to leave for school!

so many faves....i had to post them all :) thank you, maria!!!!

turkey day eve

We just got back from another photo shoot....Maria and I took the kids to Koreshan State Park today for a playdate behind the camera. I am so excited to see how the shots turned out!!! Maria is so talented and the kids were pretty cooperative today, so I think we were able to get some good ones. There is something so precious about frilly, girly outfits combined with rustic old buildings, dirty, rainy woods....and playful laughter. It was a great morning spent with great friends and I'll be happy to have the picutres to capture the day :)



We are loving having Nate and Alex in town for the holiday. Yesterday was Nate's birthday, so we went over to Ryan's parents' house to celebrate. The kids wiped Grandpa out....they had him in the pool all afternoon and night...thankfully, they wiped themselves out too. I got to grill Nate about his new girlfriend who seems absolutely adorable and who I can't wait to meet!!! The girls can't get enough of Alex..Emma got all dressed up for him yesterday...I don't think she gets the fact that he is her cousin and that he will never be her boyfriend ;) Now we are off to the circus with the whole gang.....life is good and I have so much to be thankful for! :)

taking it easy

Claire has strep throat and she's pretty miserable, so today we are staying home just taking it easy. Of course, I want her to feel better, but I am thankful for a day where I am forced to stay home and get things done. Claire is like a zombie in front of the TV, Mad is playing in her room, and I am savoring the peace and quiet....still in my pajamas....cleaning and catching up on laundry. It's funny and sad at the same time that cleaning is such a rare thing in my life that it's actually post-worthy :)

Did I mention that while we were home taking it easy, Madeline decided to cut herself some bangs? Apparently, her hair was in her eyes while she was coloring and she needed to get it out of the way...what better way than to cut it off?!?!!? Thankfully, clips and headbands do wonders :)

that's my girl

sooo...after much begging, i finally set emma up with her own blog. you'll be able to tell by the phonics that she's doing this all on her own (and that she's just a bit egotistical!). hopefully over time it will be a good way to see how much she's growing, learning and changing. enjoy ;)

emmasadventuresone.blogspot.com

family photo shoot

I thought of something that I forgot to add to my list of favorites....maria glassford photography (and maria, herself for that matter!). Today we had our second photo shoot with Maria....so much fun!! It is always hard to get everyone to do what they need to be doing at the same time, but Maria is always able to get some great shots in spite of us :) The girls were pretty good for the most part...we even got a few smiles out of Emma this time. Madeline, of course was hamming it up for the camera....posing a little TOO much. I think we spent half the time trying to get her to just smile normally and stay still. Claire was tired and miserable and pretty hard to manage, but surprisingly, some of my favorite pics are of her...even though she was a terror during the shoot! We jammed to "Party in the USA", explored downtown and got to spend the evening as a family....such a great night!

my faves

Since it's been so long since I've blogged, I wanted to do a post on my favorite things right now. Here they are in no particular order.....

1. Ryan. I know it sounds sooo cheesy and totally cliche, but I feel like I have been falling in love with him all over again. I LOVE being with him, and just can't get enough of him lately. I love that (except for the ocassional Eagles game!), he always puts our family first. I love eating three meals a day with him...and talking to him or texting him in between. I love that he is so quick to recognize my need for time away from the kids and is always willing to help out so I can get out. I love that he is totally capable of taking the three girls by himself anywhere and everywhere and that he is such a hands on dad. I love that he is a sports buff, a businessman, a handyman and a family man....at that he's good at all of those things. I love that he cares, thinks and prays deeply about what is best for our family and that I feel confident in following his lead.

2. My bible study on Ruth. I love that God is speaking so clearly to me through this study and that is pertains to exactly where I am in my life right now...and I'm just at the beginning.....I can't wait to see what else He has in store for me to learn.

3. Running...I love to run, especially running outside, whenever I get the chance. I also love that I can run a race with 500 women and beat almost all of them. It brings out the competitive side in me big time! I thrive on the nervous anxiety before a race :)

4. I love how the most exciting time of Claire's day is when she sees Ryan's car or hears his voice. She immediately gets a huge smile on her face and starts screaming, "Dada, Dada!" over and over again....and jumps out of my arms to crawl across the house to find him. Such a daddy's girl already!

5. I love that Madeline is a mini-me. Not only does she look the most like me of our kids, but she is sooo me as a little girl. She's a boy crazy, people pleasing, mommy's girl. Because of this, she is so easy to get along with and be around....she is so eager to please that most things I only have to ask of her once and her response is, "Ok, mom. I will do that." Gotta love it!

6. I love that Emma asks for a flashlight at bedtime so that she can read her bible in bed....even though at this point, that consists mostly of her underlining the word "God" and any sight words that she recognizes. Hopefully when she can really read, she will continue the habit that she is starting.

7. Target Cake. The "white" kind, made with almond extract and buttercream frosting. Mmmm....enough said!

8. Spray tanning. I am still addicted enough to believe that if it has been almost a week since my last tan, I am the ugliest person on this earth.

9. Christmastime!! Although it is hard to feel like it is really Christmas when it's 85 degrees outside, I am starting to get excited!! I love putting thought into gifts for the kids....and getting them things that they really want as well as some things that are super cute and sentimental.

10. crewcuts. I admit that I am addicted enough to go online every single morning when I wake up to see what their sale items of the day are. To my defense, the sales change daily, so how could I not check?! It's a good thing that shipping is free....I see the UPS man most days :) Unfortunately, I think that Ryan is on to me and this might be coming to and end soon :( (at least until next season!)

11. my girlfriends. I love that we can always make up an excuse to just get together and spend time with each other...even if it means going to target or costco for the tenth time that week :)

12. My iPhone. I don't know how I survived before it and I never want to live without it!!

13. The name Lola. When I was pregnant with Madeline, her name was supposed to be Lola. When she was born, I looked at her and thought she looked nothing like a Lola to me and backed out of the name....she is TOTALLY a Lola and it bugs me every day that I didn't name her it!!! I love the name enough to almost want another girl just so I get to use it....too bad Ryan would NEVER go for it. Another baby, that is. :)