A Truly NEW Year

I hope you don't mind but I am going to write my "New Year" post today, December 30, 2011.  I know it's a bit premature but I fear this may be my last opportunity to sit down and write for quite some time.

Today is Friday.  This weekend we are running some errands, visiting a few friends, and tying up loose ends.  Tuesday the movers arrive and the show begins.  By Friday, we will be in our new (but temporary) home in Moses Lake. 

Talk about out with the old and in with the new.

That is one thing I know for sure: this really is a TOTALLY NEW year.  A new home, new school for Ellie, new job for Dan, new town (I've never actually lived in a small town...should be interesting!) and new friends, neighbors, etc.  

But for right now, I am waiting.  I feel very busy in this holding pattern we have maintained for the last two months and yet there is really nothing I can do for the next few days.  I definitely feel like I am in the calm before the storm; a lot like how I felt before each of our daughters were born.  I know I should be taking advantage of this time and doing something to be more "ready" and yet, I can only sit and wait.

This will be a difficult, wonderful, transitional, exciting, full of possibility kind of a new year.  It will be lonely at first, but hopefully will soon fill in with new friends and life happenings. Otherwise, I don't know what to expect.  Will we stay in Moses Lake?  Move on to Spokane?  Sell our Buckley home and buy another in Eastern Washington or continue to rent for awhile?  Will God bless us with another baby or not? Will I go back to work?  It's funny how everyone is asking me all these questions and I really have no answer, although I feel like I am expected to know something.  If I have learned anything in these past few months (and really, it's a lesson I continue to learn over and over again) it is that God's plan always supersedes my own, and that I must have faith that everything will unfold exactly as it should (and always has).

As the new year approaches, I know we are all contemplating resolutions.  I don't know that I have resolutions per say, but I have three quotes/prayers/words of wisdom that I feel will guide me through 2012.  I am at the very least vowing to say them over and over again in my mind and heart. Here they are:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  Amen

Bloom where you are planted.

Be positive.

It is my hope that my words will become my thoughts and my thoughts will become my action and my life will be better for it.  I know I have lots of room for improvement!

So if you are "of the old" and we are soon moving away from you, then please know that you have been very special in our lives and we greatly appreciate how you have supported and shaped our family and life.  If you are "of the new" and we are soon moving toward you, then to you I say "Hello!" and we are excited to begin a new phase of life with you in it.  And to all our family and friends, old and new, we may be in a small rental home but the sun shines in Moses Lake and our door is open!  :) We hope to see all of you in 2012!

Happy New Year!

Here Comes Santa Claus...

Let the festivities begin!  Today we kicked off our family Christmas with our annual celebration at Nana and Papa's house.  We started with a delicious brunch and then let the kiddos dig in to their stockings.  This year was Cole's first Christmas so it was so sweet to watch him experience everything for the first time.  I think overall, his new play cell phones and ball drop toy were his favorites.  Kate picked up on the whole "unwrapping" concept and really loved opening presents.  She has just recently started the "oh wow!" inhale and made sure to expertly demonstrate this new skill at every possible opportunity.  Ellie's excitement was enormous and just filled the room with joy.  Of course, the highlight for Ellie was her new American Girl stuff.  For Kate, I think she was most excited about Cole.  :)  Those three kids sure do love each other!  Kate has a pretty impressive rendition of Jingle Bells that she will sing when she feels up to it and is also counting to ten with decent consistency.  Looks like we might have another smarty pants on our hands!  When all the gifts were unwrapped, I think we all sort of took a moment at the same time to just stand in awe of how blessed we are at this moment in time...with family, health, home and yes, even presents.  I felt the love in the room and I know that we really knew the spirit of the holiday today.  I think the love of Jesus on that first Christmas was magnified and it really was special.

OK, so here are a few pictures from our day.  Some of these are also on Facebook but I really wanted them here too.  We have yet to celebrate with the Ciabattari's and our own little McDonald Christmas morning is yet to be discovered.  Stay tuned for more!  Enjoy and Merry Christmas! (and if you are reading this, leave a little message for me...I'd like to know who is still out there!)

The McDonalds...tee hee

 American Girl NEVER disappoints!

 Great picture of the three kids...check out the seriously cute pig tails on Kate!

 Handmade with love from Ellie to Cole

 FANTASTIC game for the family with kids...actually, we adults played this all afternoon!  SO FUN!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

Daddy is Home!

We LOVE the weekends because Dan is home! I thought this picture was so sweet. You can just see how much Ellie adores her daddy!

Time

It's Thanksgiving week and so I am of course like many of you, reflecting on my blessings.  I am grateful for the obvious and most important:  a loving God, good health, a warm home, good family/friends, and security.  But I am especially grateful for time.

This morning I woke up to Ellie at 5:55 complaining of a bad dream.  After my futile attempt to get us both back to sleep, Kate woke up crying from a wet diaper.   I was so tired so I put both girls in my bed with me and tried desperately to sneak 10 more minutes of sleep before greeting my day.  The three of us girls lay there in the dark all snuggled up together.  Ellie and Kate were holding hands.  It was the sweetest moment and it made me think ahead to just a few short years from now when my girls will not be with me all the time, every moment of the day.  I want to have the appreciation now, not later.  So I just lay there very still and tried to absorb every second of that perfection before both girls were climbing on me, impatiently waiting and whining for one thing or another (although that too is also a blessing in it's own right).

A couple days ago, a cousin posted on Facebook:  My boys and hubby are home, dinner is cooking, and we are all playing a game together while watching football.  Life is good.
She then went on to lament how few and far between those days are for her and I could tell by her words that really was her great sadness. And then I was struck by something profound:  her happiness is the description of my every day.  I am SO blessed to spend my time cooking and sharing meals with my family, snuggling up in the family room, and just laughing and playing and being silly.  I don't have anywhere else to be.  My job is to love my family.  Are you kidding me?  I am so lucky and this is the time I have right now and I appreciate so fully.

My friends who are fighting for a few more hours/days with their families before they leave this earth... your picture makes me appreciate mine so completely.  This Thanksgiving, let us not be thankful for things, stuff, places to go, things to do.  Let's just be thankful for the day, the hour, the minute we have with those we love most. 


And here is a picture I took of Ellie tonight.  I still see her as my tiny little baby girl but I know she is growing up now at lighting speed.  This picture reminds me of a teenager in her room texting on her phone!  AHHH!

Have a wonderful and grateful week!  Happy Thanksgiving!

For 2012

Trick or Treat

A wonderful Halloween 2011!  We were all together, all healthy, and all smiling.  Can't ask for much better than that! Ellie rocked the trick-or-treating with the "big kids" until well past 9 o'clock.  Kate was asleep by 6pm which worked out best for all of us.  :)  We have such a fun neighborhood.  There were two hot chocolate stations, three haunted houses, and even a bonfire!  Hope everyone else had a great night!

Bad Day.

This is how we spent most of our day. I don't know what to do with Kate. I've tried to "fix" her behavior by ignoring it, dealing with it, changing the environment, sticking to routine, explaining why that's a "no-no" and not saying anything at all. I've done the whole "Just love her through it" method. Well, I'm done with all of that. I'm now trying the "Merlot" method...Kate is still a monster but Mommy is feeling MUCH better. :)

Daddy's Home

It's been a loooooong week without Dan!  The girls and I really missed him and we are so glad he is home!

Stop and Remember

Happy October! I can't believe it is already the 18th and we haven't made it to a pumpkin patch yet! I think our trip to Vegas distracted us but we are home now and back to all things fall. Tomorrow I am making pumpkin spice bread, going for a long morning walk, and starting a new book! Tonight, I stumbled upon some old pictures of Ellie. She was two years old and it surprised me how much I forgot about her at that age. Little things really but special to a Mommy. Her hair was much thinner than Kate's and she could fall asleep in a stroller. She was afraid of a lot of things and didn't mind wearing coats. I looked at the pictures for a long time and realized there were many things about Kate that I notice in a day but haven't put into words. I am so aware of them now but I know they too will fade in my memory. So I added these pictures from today. I want to remember that she has beautiful hair that never holds in a barrette. She has pudgy hands and feet and likes to wiggle her toes. She often looks out the top and sides of her eyes with purpose and attitude. She never smiles for the camera unless I trick her and HATES to wear anything bulky. She learns everything from her sister including how to care for baby dolls. She doesn't like when her hands are "icky" and will only eat apples when they are whole. She is beautiful and likes to be helpful. Her. Eyes. Are. Awesome. So that is Kate in October of 2011. Our tough, snuggly, smart, funny, independent little Mama's girl. <3

18 Months Old

(Kate watching and waiting for Ellie to come home from school)

Oh happy day! Our Kate bug is 18 months old. Wow. Seems like she has been with us forever. Kate- you get cuter, smarter, and more stubborn every day. :) We love you so much. Thank you for filling our lives with LOTS and LOTS of laughter and sweet snuggly moments. Love, Mommy, Daddy, Ellie and Jaxie

Leaning Tower of Ellie

A New Day

This late afternoon, I took the girls to the park. We had a rather grumpy, whiny, disjointed kind of day and I was at the end of my rope so I thought the fresh air and room to run might help. Lucky for me, it did. We played hard for a long time and then went home for spinach and cheese pizza (Ellie's favorite), books and bedtime for Kate, and a popcorn and movie night for me and Ellie. Not a bad way to end the day!

I Don't Want to Grow Up...

...I'm a Toy R Us kid!

I am Not a Runner

I am not a runner. I have always said this and despite finishing a 10K race this weekend, I still believe it to be true. I don't "train" for races and I have no aspirations for running anything longer than 10K. I hate running "just for fun" on the treadmill or even at home. But I have to admit, I love being part of 5/10K races. I like feeling part of something healthy and positive. I like being "out there" in the community. I like the mental toughness I have to rely on to get me through the run. I like not being too comfortable in my comfort zone. Admittedly, I like being the cheered rather than the cheer-er every once and awhile. And I like knowing I am strong for my girls. Finishing anything difficult is always empowering and I definitely like that. Here are some pictures from my recent race. I ran with my great friend, Tabitha. Despite the fact that the first 4 miles were uphill, we had an awesome time!

Ellie Turns 5!

Some of my favorite pictures from this past week, and quite the week it was! First day of school, school birthday celebration, trip to American Girl Store, her first race and a visit from all her aunties, uncles, grandparents, etc. We had a wonderful "small" family celebration at our house with just the grandparents and aunts, uncles, and cousins. I am continually amazed at how awesome our family is. They drive from all corners of the state (some just coming in from LONDON!...ahem, Auntie Tara) just to celebrate our special little girl. Ellie said the highlight of her actual birthday party was playing with her cousins... "Even better than presents" she said. :) It truly moves me to think how blessed we are.

My favorite picture overall

Ellie's "Pretty Woman" moment!

How much "girl" can you pack into one picture?! Ha!

Yep, it's love.

Not the ensemble I had in mind for her party but somehow she ended up in this interesting Mexican sarong. I swear she makes anything look adorable. :)

Joy

Ellie's requested special lunch on our way to American Girl store!

Seriously. Look at that face.

Even better that Mema joined us!

Dan made this cake as he does every year for his girls' birthdays but this one was by far his best!

The cousins (minus Kate and Cole sleeping upstairs)...for the record, we had a 0,1,2,3,5,6 and almost 7 year old represented! So cool!

Race Day

You go girl!

A big THANK YOU, to everyone who made Ellie feel so special this week! It was very much appreciated. XOXO