{surprise, surprise....i'm back}

Well hello there!  It has been too long. Waaaaaaaaay toooooooo long.  After several months of people asking me when I was going to start blogging again, the dreaded weekly blog stat emails {that I couldn't bear to open because I felt awful knowing that even a single person was logging on only to see the same annoying post staring back at them} and a little too much caffeine today,  here I am.  At 2am on a Wednesday.  After logging onto the blog for the first time in nearly a year, I was instantly reminded of why I started it in the first place.  Time moves much too quickly and the time I have with my girls is SO fleeting.  Heartbreakingly fleeting.  It is beyond precious for me to look back at the little every day-isms and phases & stages of their lives that always pass before I'm ready {ok, not ALWAYS before I'm ready...truth be told, some phases should end before they even start like 5am wake up habits} and to be reminded of the little things that I would've otherwise forgotten.  So I'm back to document our ordinary life and my attempts to see the beauty in it all.  Because any way you look at it, there's no denying it: life is a gift and IT IS BEAUTIFUL.

xoxo,
ali

p.s.  It's birthday season around here!  For the first time, M & C will be celebrating separately which means back to back bashes and twice the obsessing for me over the next two months.  I am so excited about each of their themes....I can't decide which one I love more!  Can't wait to post my finding as they come....many stolen {thanks Pinterest}, some original.....and all making me way more excited than they should ;-)

"May The Lord bless you and keep you.  May his face shine upon you and be gracious."  Numbers 6:24

{two feet running}

I have a little problem. For the better part of eight years, I haven't really slept. And it tends to make me a little grumpy. I used to daydream about being a stay at home mom and not needing an alarm clock because I wouldn't have any job to have to run off to. My time would be all my own and life would be like a permanent vacation. (In case you didn't know this by now, I tend to lean more towards the lazy side than the driven side...I prefer to think I'm just more fun than serious:)). What I didn't realize was that my need for no alarm clock would not be because I would be sleeping in until my heart desires and then drinking a lazy cup of coffee while my little angels played quietly in a sunlit room. Exactly the opposite in fact. The reason one does not need an alarm clock when living with young children is because they wake up EARLY. And if they are my children, they wake up more on the crack of dawn/borderline insane side of early. Oh, and there is no lazy cup of coffee but rather a cup that gets reheated ten times a morning before finally throwing the towel in on the idea all together. And have I mentioned that they don't wake up and play quietly in a sunlit room because 1. it is still dark when they wake up during most months of the year and 2. they are hungry and they want breakfast and they want it like NOW. For years, I have tried my hardest to deny this problem. Although my girls are up early, I set them up in front of the TV and crawl back into my bed and fool myself into thinking I can squeeze in an hour more sleep. What really happens is that someone is hungry or thirsty or fighting over what show they will watch or turning the volume up so loudly that sleeping isn't an option even for our neighbors. And so my day starts...with me being tired, annoyed, and disappointed that my best efforts have failed. Lately, I've decided to attack the problem head on and it has worked wonders. The new me bounces out of bed after the first girl (who am I kidding, it's always Claire) rises and jumps in the shower. We are talking full hair and makeup before 7am. Sometimes waaaaay before 7am. It's kind of amazing how a good hair day can change one's mood and outlook on the day. I am much nicer these mornings with a good blowout than with a bad case of bed head. I'm pretty sure the bus driver and everyone else I come across on the walk to the bus stop appreciates my lack of pajamas and bed head too. I've learned to just embrace the fact that while my girls are precious, adorable, great sleepers, just not great sleeper-inners I need to roll with the punches and sacrifice that extra hour of sleep so that I can give the best of myself to them. And on the days when I'm scatterbrained and forget that I have a parent teacher conference until ten minutes before it's set to start it kind of helps to be all dressed and ready to too. Oh...and my hubby gets to kiss a normal looking wife goodbye in the mornings rather than a sleep induced zombie. It's a win all around:) xoxo, ali

{for the love of COFFEE}

Today, all I want is a cup of coffee. A warm cup in my hands; a chance to wake myself up, clear my head and start my day. Preferably in peace. Not. Gonna. Happen. It's one of those days (ok, with three small children in the house everyday is one of those days) where it takes me two hours in to morning before I even have a moment to myself to actually make the coffee. Then it's a matter of finding the time to actually drink it. Typically, I have the first sip or two before I go off helping someone with this or cleaning that and the next thing I know another two hours has passed and I'm reheating the coffee over and over again before I finally give up. Or, like today, I sit down and actually try to down a few sips when Claire comes and kicks the mug over and spills the said coffee all over the living room floor. Agh!!!! One day my house will be empty and I'll have hour upon hour to drink my coffee in peace and quiet. I'm sure it won't be nearly as great as it sounds. Until then, I'm embracing the busyness and remembering the ones who are keeping me so busy are far greater than a cup of coffee ever will be. Happy caffeinating....hopefully you're coffee fix today goes better than mine did!

xoxo,

ali

{forever reign}

It's Easter week and this year I'm focusing on quieting my heart, slowing down my life a little and taking the time to reflect on what the death, burial and resurrection really and truly mean in my life. This is my favorite song of the moment and it perfectly depicts just why the work done on the cross is so essential to all aspects of my life.

Forever Reign by Hillsong United

You are good, you are good

When there's nothing good in me

You are love, you are love

On display for all to see

You are light, you are light

When the darkness closes in

You are hope, you are hope

You have covered all my sin

You are peace, you are peace

When my fear is crippling

You are true, you are true

Even in my wandering

You are joy, you are joy

You're the reason that I sing

You are life, you are life

In you death has lost its sting

You are more, you are more

Than my words will ever say

You are Lord, you are Lord

All creation will proclaim

You are here, you are here

In your presence I'm made whole

You are God, you are God

Of all else I'm letting go

This is Jesus. He is good, loving, my light and my hope. He is peace, he is true...he is my joy and my life. I can't think of a day that goes by when I don't need the Lord to show up and take over because I've got it all wrong and he's sufficient to meet my every need and shortcoming. If it weren't for Easter Sunday.....if he really didn't conquer death.....then he would've just been a mere man and I wouldn't have this indescribable gift. But He IS risen. And I will never be the same because of it.

xoxo,

ali

{egg hunt}

This morning I took Claire and Madeline to the MOPS Easter egg hunt. SO. MUCH. FUN! There is a sweet couple that has a gorgeous property that they graciously lend out each year to put on this event for the kiddos. It was absolutely adorable. The girls decorated their bags for the hunt and then had the best time scouring the beautiful grounds to find their eggs. Once they collected their eggs, they got to crack them open, collect their candy and turn the empty eggs in for a prize! Next, they took a tractor ride around the yard and then we played games on the lawn (three legged races and spoon&egg races)....this was their favorite part. The mommies all had to race as well and it melted my heart to see the kids all cheering their moms on from the sidelines. PRECIOUS. I'm pretty sure Madeline wanted nothing in the world more than for me to win and I'm pretty sure a big gust of wind knocked my egg off the spoon and I lost at the last minute. Oh well! The very best part of the morning was when the sweet hostess gathered all of the kids inside her living room to share the Easter story with them and to give them a sticker craft on the resurrection to bring home. Such a precious morning celebrating our risen savior with my precious little girls. I am so thankful for the generosity of the Rementov family and for all the effort they put into making such a special time for our kids. I can only hope that when I'm older and my kids are grown I will make an effort to bless other the way they bless us. Lots of pics to follow!

xoxo,

ali

{day trip}

Today, Ryan constructed a playhouse for the girls (yay!!). We wanted it to be a surprise, so the deal was that he would spend the day assembling it and I would take off with the girls. How do I kill 8 hours on a cold, rainy day? The Pottery Barn outlet, of course! The girls were less than thrilled to be taking the long ride to "horse and buggy town", but we decided to make the most of it. We spoke in English accents for a good part of the ride, looked out the window at the beautiful farmlands while girls dreamed up what their farm would be like if they had one, browsed around our favorite antique store to scope out treasures "older than grandma mimi", we stopped to play at the playground and then it was kid's choice for the restaurant for dinner. It was a fabulous day filled with so many adorable memories with my gang. And the shrieks of joy when they saw their new playhouse was so, so worth it!

Oh, and one of my very favorite parts of the day was this: As we were heading out to leave for the day, I pulled up to the drive through to grab lunch for the girls. Emma informed me that she had already packed everyone's lunch. Sure enough, I looked in the back seat and there were three little lunch boxes complete with pb&j sandwiches, juice boxes, bottled water, a snack and a piece of candy for dessert. Ha! I love that girl. I better watch out or before I know it I'll be out of a job!

xoxo,

ali

p.s. I'm not a huge fan of the "orangey cedar look" so I'm really pushing to have the playhouse painted pale yellow to match our real house. Wish me luck!;-)

{almost that time again}

I just came across this picture of my two littles at their 3 & 5 year old check ups. Yesterday I ordered the invitations for their birthday party which means that party planning has officially begun....which also means that before I know it we will be sitting in Dr. Dorn's office again in those adorable little gowns and my adorable (and silly!) little girls will be a whole year older. Boooooo:( Dear time, please. stand. STILL. Or at the very least...slow down just a little?

xoxo,

ali