i love when....

madeline turns her notebook upside down to write a "w", because she knows that a "w" is an upside down "m" and she's not sure how else to make it.

emma picks out claire's outfit in the morning, changes her diaper and gets her dressed for the day.

claire repeats every single thing I say...the combination of big words and a baby voice is waaaay too cute.

the girls go absolutely crazy when ryan walks in the door after work....and feeling that our family is finally complete because he's home.

claire...in a nutshell

Claire has been TERRIBLE this past week. Absolutely, positively terrible. I don't know if she's not feeling well (though I did take her to the doctor and no illness was found!), teething, or just merely approaching two and ready to raise hell. She screeches and screams all day long and begs for something and then once she gets it, she screams that she doesn't want it. She holds onto my legs constantly, crying and whining and then she'll go into flip out mode and bite or hit the closest person to her (or thing for that matter....yesterday the chair in chick fil a got a big chomp from her). She is absolutely insane right now, and I'm just praying that this phase won't be long lived. The good news is that we have a babysitter coming tonight and she gets to deal with it for a few hours....sorry Amber! ;)

sibling rivalry

Sibling rivalry is at it's worst in our house this morning and I want to SCREAM!!! Emma and Madeline both got Nintendo DS's for Christmas. Emma got a cute little plaid purse/carrying case for hers and Santa did not bring Madeline a case...guess he just couldn't find the right one ;) For the past four months, this has been absolutely fine. Emma has loved her case and Madeline has not even thought twice about the fact that she didn't have one. WELL.....yesterday I found a kit for the DS's that had a car charger (huge bonus....never seen a car charger for a DS before and much needed!), some backup stylus's in case the girls lose theirs, screen protectors, ear buds and a NOT EVEN REMOTELY CUTE CASE. I bought the kit for the accessories and the case was just along for the ride. This morning, I divied up the accessories for the girls and offered the case to Madeline as an afterthought...an ugly case is better than no case, right? That's what Madeline thought. Emma, on the other hand, discovered that Madeline's case had a wristlet strap, therefore making it cool, and it's been war ever since. Seriously????? She's had her own adorable little case for months and her sister has had this cheesy little one for five minutes and the emotions are out of control. Ah, this is just a little taste of why everything has to be even steven around here or little girls will lose their minds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the art of doing NOTHING

Life for us is usually crazy busy and I love that. I love always having somewhere to go, some fun activity planned for the kids and great friends to share our days with. That being said, the girls have taken turns being sick for the past week and I have absolutely LOVED every second of the solace. I don't think that my house has ever been this clean, my closets this organized, my laundry this caught up, my fridge this stocked (or my blog this up to date!). I'm like a real housewife ;) Seriously, though....it's been so relaxing to be able to stay on top of the household chores and jusy really enjoy downtime with my girls. We've been swimming, coloring, playing in the backyard, making a mess with playdough....it's been quiet and easy and great. The big girls have been getting along great, too, which is a HUGE plus! It's also so nice in the midst of it all to have some peace and quiet during naptime where I can go outside and soak in some sun and spend some time in the word. I'm sure before long, we'll be back to busy-ness with school, doctors appointments, gymnastics, sparkles, small group, bible study, playdates, beach days, park outings, shopping trips, date nights, girls night out, etc...but for now...I'm doing nothing and I'm loving it!!

old soul

Pretty much her entire life, everyone has always referred to Emma as an old soul. She has always tended to be more serious and inquisitive rather than silly and carefree like most kids. This morning, she's reading the newspaper and checking out the local real estate to see if she can find a new house for us. The funny thing is that she is totally serious about it and whenever she finds something noteworthy, she calls me in and lists all of the selling points....she cracks me up!! Love that girl :)

friends!

The weather is getting warmer and we've been having so much fun enjoying spending time with friends!

super boots

Claire's braces finally came in last week. The therapist told us to put them on her for an hour a day at first and then eventually work up to her wearing them 5-6 hours a day. It's incredible how much stronger and more stable she is when she's wearing them. I can tell that she loves it too, because she gets so excited when I put them on her and once they are on, she's wants to keep them on all day! I found some little plaid sneakers for her to wear them with....could've been waaay worse...with pants, you can't even tell that she's wearing them ;)

madeline's world

What happens when you are stuck in the house with sick kids for the day? Your 3 year old ends up with her own "log"! As ridiculous as it sounds....it's true. Madeline's world is the newest blog to hit the boyd family :) Little bit of typing herself, little bit of help from mommy and she's on her way...check it out at madelinesworldone.blogspot.com! ;)

favorites :)

It's favorites time again! Here's what I'm loving right now....

1. neon colors. Hello 80's! I'm loving little pops of neon color for the spring. My absolute favorite is when they are paired with dull, drab colors...so unexpected and so cute :)

2. The Flat Belly Diet....soooo nice to have a quick and easy routine to follow when I've over done it on the birthday cake and need to get my body back to normal....and the best part is that it really works!!!

3. Proverbs. I have been captivated by the book of Proverbs lately. It holds so much wisdom and such a clear example of what it looks like to live righteously. I can't not read it.

4. weekends. Cliche, I know. But, I love this time of year when we don't have soccer games or football sunday to close in on our weekends...we can be doing everything or nothing, but the point is that we are doing it all together as a family and I live for that!!

5. denim shorts. I am slightly obsessed with my distressed boyfriend jean shorts right now....probably means I'm wearing them a little too often ;)

6. sunshine! I forgot how beautiful springtime in Florida really is. I'm loving every minute of beach time and pool time that we are able to squeeze in...and I'm loving the little bitty tan lines that come along with it!

7. sisterly love . The way that the girls love each other is so adorable I can hardly stand it!! Claire clings to her older sisters and they think she is the most precious thing in the world. It's so sweet to see Emma try to meet every one of Claire's needs....wanting to get her out of her crib in the morning, change her diaper, feed her, dress her, pack a diaper bag for when we go out....soooo sweet!

8. cruising. The easiest, cheapest, best vacation EVER!!!

9. running. Still one of my true loves...if only there were more hours in the day...

10. Getting a babysitter on a random weekday and going out to lunch and shopping with girlfriends......it's like a mini break from reality and leaves me feeling sooooo renewed :)

11. my husband. I feel overwhelmingly blessed that after this many years, I am still absolutely crazy about him.

12. party planning. Since I've had kids, party planning has become my hobby and my outlet for creativity. Madeline and Claire's June birthday party has quickly become my favorite event of the year to plan. June is soon approaching and I am starting to get in full party planning mode...I'm thinking circus theme with pony rides, face painting, popcorn machines....can't wait!!!