Sledding!!

Over break this year we went to Ohio as usual and the kids were blessed with snow (and freezing cold temps.) Is was fun to get them all bundled up and head outside. I loved seeing them all dressed up with hats, snow bibs, gloves, scarves, boots... quite a process to get it all on but they looked like cute little snow people! And just like Skylar was last year, Jimmy could only walk a few feet before the weight of it all would make him fall over!!

Skylar was a rock star at sledding right away. She instinctively knew to put her hand out to steer and she even tried some trick moves like going down on her belly a few times. Jimmy was less sure but he loved it all the same. He went down with Jim several times and didn't seem to mind when they would wipe out! It is a good thing they have a strong daddy! Once they got to the bottom of the hill they wanted him to carry them and their sleds back to the top over and over again. We can't wait to do it again next year!

Retangled?

Over Christmas break Gogo took us (me, Jim, Gogo, and Skylar) to see Tangled. We got popcorn and candy too. I hope she knows she won't get those when mommy's paying the bill :) Anyway, Skylar loved every minute of it and all the rest of us did too! I even cried... shhhhh, don't tell! Skylar sat still and quiet the whole movie except to ask a few key questions. "Is that a mean witch?" "Why her so mean?" things like that. When the anticipation started to build, Skylar crawled up onto her daddy's lap and watched the rest from there.

Later that night and the next night and the next night she recapped the whole movie for us. It is so funny to me that she continues to tell me the story as if I wasn't there. "Mommy, remember when the old lady loved the girl just for her magical hair?" Mommy, do you remember that girl's boyfriend helped saved her?" Since Skylar kept calling her, that girl, I mentioned her name was Rapunzel. Well, this obviously got mixed up with the fact that the movie is called Tangled so now, Skylar refers to her as, Retangled!! Oh so cute. It is all she can talk about and I love that she loved her very first movie. We even got her a nice Tangled ornament to hang on the tree each year as a reminder of our first ever movie theatre trip!

Things I want to blog about

It seems every time I think about something I want to blog about I am no where near a computer. Then, later, I forget to write about whatever it was. So here is my list of things to write about someday!!

1. Skylar can now swing all by herself! (when did she get so big??)

2. Pidoccio (our visiting elf)

3. Foot bawwwwl (Jimmy is obsessed with football)

4. Santa's Wonderland (and all the funny quotes that go with it)

5. Dare Devil Jimmy (seriously, how does he get on top of the table that quickly?)

6. Obsessed (why does my daughter think she is a cat?)

And of course, there are a million other little day to day things that I never want to forget. The way both Skylar and Jimmy says certain words. The questions Skylar thinks to ask and the way Jimmy is so stubborn and sweet at the same time. I am loving this stage.... even if I am exhausted :) So, here's hopping I can actually blog about all these things in the next few days and that you will actually be interested enough to read them!

Learning new stuff

It is amazing how fast children learn new stuff. Everyday Jimmy does something he couldn't do the day before! He is starting to make more and more sounds, follow directions, climb on top of anything and everything, and show us just how smart he is. He is such a sweet boy... always hugging everyone and he loves to climb up into my lap to snuggle! Make no mistake though, he is ALL boy (as noted by the climbing) He is so in love with the young girl who works in his room at school. Apparently he follows her around and if she walks by him he stops what he is doing to watch her! The other day when daddy went to pick him up, Jim told Jimmy to say goodbye. To one teacher he waved. When Jim told him to say goodbye to Miss Emily, he blushed and hid his head on Jim's shoulder.... what a flirt!

Jimmy is a little over 18 months and he can say: momma, dadda, bye, gingi (Ginger), ball and bath which sound strangely similar. I can't wait to see how his little personality grows and changes in the coming months.

Sleeping in our bed

I am not sure when it happened exactly but somewhere along the way Skylar starting coming into our bed in the middle of the night. Some nights I am so tired I just snuggle up with her and other nights she is so restless we move her back into her own bed. Recently she has taken to falling asleep in our bed and then we move her into her own when we go to bed for the night. I am not sure why she started wanting to fall asleep in our bed but I don't see it as a big deal. She is still going right to sleep on her own, just in a new location! Anyway, it has its perks. I can now give her snuggles and kisses before I go to sleep. It is the most amazing thing to watch your babies sleep... there is NOTHING more sweet, calm, innocent.... perfect. I can't help but wonder what we will do when Jimmy reaches this stage. Will Skylar have outgrown it by then or will there be 4 in the bed?? I want my children to have good sleep habits. That is why we did the "cry it out' that is why we "retrained" them to sleep on their own after every set back, that is why we pick up a sleeping 3 1/2 year old to move her into her own bed even though we love to have her share ours. Still, I can't help but feel a little happy every time I get in those few minutes of extra snuggles. Here's to hoping both my babies will always want some night time snuggles with their mommy!

Singing in the Choir

Today was a fun day! Skylar and her friends at school have been working hard to learn some church songs. Today all their hard work paid off and they got to share those songs at the 11:00 contemporary service!

I wasn't sure if she would be scared or too shy to preform. When we first got there, she wouldn't let go of my leg but then she found some familiar faces and was okay to let me go find a seat inside the church. Next thing I know, she is standing right in front dancing to her own beat like she doesn't have a shy bone in her body... who would have thought?? At any rate, I was really glad we went. Few things sound as sweet as children singing.

Homecoming 2010

Skylar went to her first homecoming game and with it came her first mum!! As usual, I could not get her to hold still for a cute picture :( It was fun to make her a mini mum and I look forward to making them for years to come... I think I am going to have to go TEXAS in a few years though. You know, the bigger, the better???

We had a great time cheering on the Coogs!!

GO Coogs!!!
With one of our favorite cheerleaders!!

Skylar and Jimmy watching the action!

Turning around to get her picture taken!

Daddy and Skylar before the game
I wanted her to stand still to show off her mum -- She had other plans

Go. Fight. Win!

Jim has taken Skylar to the past two "home" football games. She looks so big wearing her Cougar gear!! Skylar gets to hang out on the track and run around with friends. I get to stay home and watch the little guy. Jim says Skylar has TONS of fun. She stands in front of the Cheerleaders and copies their moves!! Of course, she gets lots of attention too! Tonight she came home with a water bottle, a candy necklace, and some skittles... all things people gave her for being "so cute" HA. Tomball is off to an amazing start this year too... 4- 0! Go Coogs :)

Listening.... or not

Skylar dumped out all the toys and hopped inside. Brother was soon to follow!
We have been getting notes home from school about Skylar not listening. It breaks my heart! Part of me knows she is just 3 and this comes with the territory. The other part of me wants her to be the best kid in the class. You know, the one all the teachers love. She is so sweet and funny and loving. I worry that these aspects will be overlooked if she continues to test her limits. We read books about listening. We have conversations, we role play different scenarios, we give her ideas of what she can do in different situations. We have even taken away toys and one time we wouldn't allow her TV time for her night time Dora fix. We don't know what else to do... I am probably making the situation sound worse than it is. Fact of the matter is that she usually has one good day, one bad day, then back to a good day. I just want them to all be good days. I hope this is a phase and it passes as quickly as it arrived. I love her so much and I can't stand the thought of her teacher disliking her.

Amazing photography

One day some girl is going to love those eyes as much as I do...
Not exactly a smile but I love it!
Love the background! This is as close as we were going to get the 2 of them... Is it so hard to sit down next to each other???
One of my favorite pictures from our mini session!! I love the b&w but I ordered it in color for her room....

Thank you Maggie, we love ALL the pictures!! Her company is My Ideal Photography

These are a few of my favorite things...

1. Skylar and Jimmy running to give me a hugwhen they see me after school.

2. Listening to Skylar sing all her new songs. Current favorites include I just wanna be a sheep, You are my sunshine, and He's got the whole world in His hands.

3. The way Skylar LOVES to read books and acquire new ones. I love that she learns new things everyday.

4. The way Jimmy is all boy and can climb anything in 2 seconds flat.

5. The way Jimmy loves his MOMMY more than anyone else :)

6. Snuggling in bed with Skylar in the mornings before school.

7. Watching both of my kids develop a sense of humor and very distinct personalities.

8. Watching Skylar be a caring and sweet big sister to Jimmy and watching Jimmy just adore her so.

9. Seeing Jimmy's big smile when I come to get him out of his bed in the morning.

10. Watching my husband run around and play with the kids!

There are so many things I love, but these are the ones I was thinking about tonight!!

Kisses and Giggles

Jimmy has now learned to give "kisses" on command. You simply ask, "Jimmy, can I have a kiss?" and he charges at you with a WIDE open mouth and proceeds to suck on your face. While I know this would be gross if he were not only one (or my own child) but to me, it is so sweet!!

Both of my children are extremely ticklish. So with a good belly, thigh, or neck squeeze they both squeal in delight. I absolutely love the sound of these giggles. They are the quintessential precious moments when I am reminded how young and full of life they are. My favorite is when I am in the kitchen cooking and then from the other room I just hear the eruption of laughter as Jim plays with them. What a sweet sound. Life is good!

Labor Day

Ready, Set, Juuuuummmmp I managed to get my picture taken too!

We had tons of fun over Tom and Nancy's for Labor Day. There was LOTS of yummy food and plenty of pool time! All summer long Jimmy has preferred to stay outside the pool and run around while we swam. That all changed yesterday though. He just walked right over the to the diving rock and jumped in... luckily he was wearing floaties and Jim was there in time to get him. He LOVED it though and proceeded to jump or get thrown off the rock at least 50 times!! I have to admit. I was a little unsure of Jim's technique as it appeared one of our children would lose a limb at any moment. Despite my reservations they kept on laughing and running to do it all over again. I can't imagine what they'll be up for by next summer!

First Day of School

Sorry about the panties showing... :(

She has to wear tennis shoes to her new school and

she insisted on wearing her new dress... such a fashion faux pas

Skylar started her new school on Monday and Jimmy started in a new classroom. They are both growing SO fast. Boo! It was hard to drop Skylar off at the new school.. I was worried she would be sad. Turns out she loves it there!! She came home singing 3 new songs and told us stories at dinner about her day. Jimmy didn't say much about his new classroom (hehehe) but I think he likes it too! He sleeps on a nap mat now and eats at a table...it is so cute!

We now have to pray before every meal (thank you SWDS) and our prayer begins, "tick tock says the clock, now it's time to pray!" which is followed by the sign of the cross. Most nights Skylar skips at least one part of the Trinity but sometimes she manages to get it all. She mumbles through the "bless us oh Lord......" and catches up with a loud, "AMEN!" Then she reminds us Jimmy is too little to pray because he can't talk. I love this family time (until the screaming to get away from the table begins!)

Dancing King

So tonight I was catching up on So You Think You Can Dance and Jimmy just couldn't help himself, he had to dance to the music. So sweet! He just stood right in front of the TV and bounced up and down. When Skylar started spinning in circles and dancing all around Jimmy, he just laughed and laughed. I love this age... everything they say and do is just so stinkin' cute (IMHO)!

Big Girl Room

It's official, Skylar is a big girl! She now has a Big Girl room to prove it! She wanted a princess theme and pink, pink, pink!! When we finished painting and put all her stuff back into the room Skylar gasped and declared, "my room is precious!!" I think Skylar is precious!

Oh the places we went!

We had a busy few weeks traveling. First we hit St. Augustine and enjoyed the oil-free beaches of the Atlantic. Then we moved onto Ohio. First we visited my parents in Cleveland, then Jim's dad in Youngstown and wrapped up the vacation with at his mom' house in Columbus! Never a dull moment! We got to visit the Fountain of Youth were we saw a peacock. Skylar insisted on calling it Price Azul because there is a peacock in Barbie: Island Princess with that name! She chased him around calling his name expecting him to respond!! Jimmy also found a friend in the form of a white peacock we quickly named Prince Blanco.

We got to spend time at different parks with different grandparents and even got to experience the summer in all it glory (with windows open and air conditioning off!!) It was a cool 55 degrees some nights during our stay up North!!! All in all it was an awesome vacation and I wouldn't trade that time with our extended family for anything in the world. It is so amazing to watch my children interact with their aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. I feel so blessed to have a schedule that allows us the freedom to make this trip each year. Coming home is always bitter sweet. We miss our family greatly and really miss the help they provide but we are always eager to get back into a routine and stop living out of a suitcase!! If only all the grandparents would pack up and move here, then life would be perfect!!

Popsicles and Lizards!!

Wednesday night was a perfect night to be outside. It was cooler than it has been in awhile and we were waiting for the storms to roll in. It was a perfect night for popsicles and it was Jimmy's first one to eat by himself! I think Jimmy's did more melting than anything else but it was cute to watch him try. Half way though our popsicle eating Skylar spoted a lizard on the basketball hoop. We have seen a brown one out there everyday this week but the one we spottedd last night was bright green. Skylar of course wanted to catch it and Jimmy thought this was hillarious. I have told her all week to not get too close to the lizard, that we scare them because they think we are going to hurt them. Well, when Jim starting to shoot baskets (while the lizard was in the net) Skylar got protective. So awesome to see her sympathize and want to protect the little lizard...

Baby Book Blues

So tonight I decided to fill in some missing information in the kids baby books. I have so enjoyed opening these from time to time and looking back on what they could or couldn't do and different ages. I quickly added some details in Jimmy's book and then opened up Skylar's. The book we had gotten for her had enough space and questions to go through the 2nd year and ends asking about their favorite things as a 3-year old. As I filled in all the details and reflected I became sad. Time has gone so quickly and they are already so grown in so many ways. I want to keep them little and innocent for as long as I can. I am so proud of all the wonderful things they have learned to do but yet there is still the sadness too. I think the hardest part was filling out the last page in her book. The last page in her BABY book?? Seems like yesterday I wrote on the first page and the last page seemed impossibly far away. So, there it is - the constant conflict that is mothering. Allowing these precious little people the room and space to grow even when we want to keep them little forever.

Big Boy!

We transitioned Jimmy from his high chair into a big boy chair at the kitchen table tonight. Moments like these are happy and sad. He is growing so fast. He holds his own fork, he can feed himself yogurt, and he gets into anything he wants to much to my chagrin.

Here We Go...

Hear it goes, my first "official" blog!! I had a hard time picking a name for the blog and I am still not entirely convinced I got it right but I LOVE these words. Some of you will know it comes from Darryl Worley song. The chorus if the songs says , "I love this crazy, tragic, sometimes almost magic, awful, beautiful life." Isn't life just that way? In one day you can be up then down, then mad than sad then up and down again. Having kids and watching them learn and grow everyday makes this an awful, beautiful life. I am so blessed to have my loving husband, my beautiful children, my gracious friends, and my supportive family. I hope through blogging I can stay even more connected to those people I care for so deeply but who live so far away. I hope this blog also serves as a tangible reminder of just how fast life moves... everyday the kids say and do stuff that I hope to remember forever and ever. Everyone tells you to "write this stuff down" but I have not listened. Already some memories seem so faded. Here's to hoping from now on these stories that seem so unforgettable in the moment will now truly become unforgettable. Hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy sharing!!