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!!!

peanuts

I am in love with the ages of my kids right now and wish that I could freeze time. I love having a six year old who is on the brink of being a big kid, on the brink of learning big things, on the brink of showing me what scary responsibilities lie ahead for me as a mother. I love having a three year old that is old enough to say big words yet little enough to mispronounce them in her adorably cute little voice. I love having a one year old that makes my day with every kiss, every new word and every new mannerism. It is so bittersweet for me to love where they are now, while knowing how quickly time flies and how these days won't last forever. The days are long, the battles are many, the reality of the responsibility in raising them is often overwhelming, but being blessed enough to be their mom is worth every lost hour of sleep, every shred of my patience that's lost and every fear of what the future holds and who they will become. I love my little peanuts.

march madness

March has been a crazy, busy month for us....two big trips for Ryan and one golf event here that he hosted for a few days....and a stomach bug for the whole family in between.

We are in full swing now of Claire's physical therapy on tuesday and thursday mornings. It actually is so much fun for both of the girls....they are essentially in a big room with all new and different toys and balls and while Claire is playing in specific ways that are strengthening her muscles, Madeline is just running around going crazy! Claire is talking up a storm now and listening to her talk is by far my favorite part of the day....like when she walks around the house saying, "come on mommy" whenever she needs something :) She is so excited to be walking now and it's just so sweet to see how proud she is. She walks around the house saying, "I walk, I walk" over and over again. She refuses to let me carry her anymore (though it's often a battle because it's sooooo much easier for me to just pick her up!) so it takes us forever to get from point A to point B, but she is so proud and so happy to be walking that it's just too cute to resist.

Madeline just started gymnastics and she's not sure yet if she likes it "a little bit" or "a lot a bit", but her best friend Layla is there and that's really all that matters. As Madeline told me the other day, she is "a lipstick girl, a candy girl, a gum girl, a Jane girl and a Layla girl"....that pretty much sums it up....those five things are the loves of her life. She's still in her "down arms" phase and will only wear spaghetti straps....I am about to burn a certain orange dress that she has been wearing for the past three months. She'll spill food all over it, sleep in it and then insist on putting it on again the next day. I think everyone we know is sick of seeing it!

Em is loving being in Sparkles club with the girls from church and loves having that to look forward to after school. Last week, they met and had a tea party and made jewelry and took home a bag full of chocolate....just her style :) I can't believe how quickly she's learning how to read. She can pick up a book and read to her sisters...so cute. She's still obsessed with becoming a teacher and she tries so hard to teach Madeline everything she learns in school and doesn't quite get it when Mad's attention span is gone after the first two minutes. She's such a little mom with Claire....the relationship between them is precious. She jumps at the chance to get Claire a drink or snack or help putting her in her carseat, etc. If only she felt the same way about Madeline my days would be much smoother ;)
Ryan just left to go snowboarding today, so I've got a long week ahead of me. When he is out of town, I tend to keep my schedule completely full so that I don't have to think about how much I miss him. We've got an entire week of playdates, lunch dates and dinner dates to look forward to and hopefully it will seem like he's home in no time!