860 miles...

The gold purse

2010-09-09T08:27:00.001-07:00

One of Sabrina’s favorite things to do is dress up. She will dress up in play clothes and costumes, but better than actual play clothes are MY shoes—usually heels. She will prance around the entire house with one pair of shoes on, then go back for another. At the young age of three, she has developed a love of shoes that took me years to develop. I can only imagine what I am in for when she gets older.

It’s not just shoes, though shoes are her favorite. She loves accessorizing as well—from hats, to jewelry, to purses.

We went to an antique mall awhile back—I was looking for vintage type hats to add as props for photography and Sabrina was looking for something else. I didn’t know what at the time. But while perusing the aisles, she came across a small gold fancy purse and asked if she could have it. I didn’t think much about the gold purse until last night.

She takes it with her darn near everywhere. But that’s not what surprises me—she always wants an accessory of some sort. What surprises me is how I could possibly have missed the very reason for her picking out the gold purse.

I had a couple of errands to run last night, so Sam stayed back with Jason and Sabrina got to come with me. This child never ceases to amaze me—and last night was no exception. First, while we were walking through the “fragile” store as I call it (Pier One), she had to point out all the things that were not, in fact, fragile….such as wicker baskets. Too smart that one is.

She surprised me more. We had our items picked out and we were walking to the register. She stopped, I turned, reminding her that we were done. She shook her head, opened her gold purse, and took out a small memo flip pad. She then informed me that we needed to purchase this shiny gold ball because it was on her list. I stood there, trying not to double over and laugh, and told her that we got everything we needed on mommy’s list. She sighed, but with a smile and headed with me over to checkout.

As we were checking out, the cashier made note of Sabrina’s cute little gold purse. Sabrina smiled and looked over at me.

The cashier said to me, “And how cute, it matches yours.”

She has had this purse for well over a month. I looked down at her and at her purse, then back at mine. The cashier was right. I smiled. It had never occurred to me that was the reason that she chose that gold purse. But at that moment it was so clear, so endearing. And so unbelievably innocent and sweet.

Preschool

2010-09-07T12:32:00.001-07:00

It’s been months since I last blogged and I have realized I have been neglecting it, so I figured the twins first day of preschool is as good a day as any to start writing in it again. I started the blog in hopes of keeping loved ones back home up to date with our lives here in Arkansas, but over time my entries started stretching apart. My apologizes for that, I will try to do better.

With today being their first day of preschool, I of course, had mixed emotions. Lot’s of happiness for them—their excitement was apparent and they willing went into the room, as excited as they could be. Happiness mixed with some sadness, of course, as well. After I dropped them off, I wondered why I felt so sad.

The best answer I can come up with is simple—they are my babies. No matter what they do, how big they get, what grade they go into next—they will always be my babies. Part of my job as a mother is to not only protect and love them, but also to let them grow. I guess it saddens me because as exciting as the future is and how wonderful it is to see them do new things, I will always remember holding my little six pound babies in my arms. I just cannot believe they are now three and a half years old.

And as much as I resist change sometimes—I embrace it just the same (well, try). This change is good. It’s as good for them as it is for me, just a little tougher on my heart than it is on theirs. To them, it was a day full of learning new things and playing with new friends.

But to me, it was so much more.

Five years…

2010-04-28T07:02:00.001-07:00

Last night, as I was pushing myself through the last of my cardio session a song came on my Zune, Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Greenday. Sometimes when I hear this song I smile. Sometimes when I hear this song I cry. But always when I hear this song, I think of my mom.

Today is the fifth anniversary of her death and tomorrow would have been her fifty-fourth birthday. So it wasn't any surprise to me when I felt my eyes welling up a little with tears. I finished up my session, went to my car, and had a moment to myself.

When I got home from the gym and saw Jason, he gave me a strong hug. He saw my eyes and he knows me that well. These two days of the year I am a little more emotional and I love that he knows me well enough to just know that about me. He helps me get through these two days by making me laugh, or bringing up a funny memory, or simply hugging me and letting me know that it is okay to cry.

I'll admit that in the five years since her passing, the idea of her being gone has gotten "easier", but I don't think it will ever be "easy". It's just something that I unfortunately have to live with. It isn't going to change, she isn't coming back, and I have to live my life. She would want it this way, I know. But sometimes...I have to remind myself she is gone. It could be some random thing, like washing the dishes, and I will think of something that I want to tell her and realize that I can't.

Like, for example, last week when Sabrina fell and had to get stitches. We were winding down after a busy day and I was in Sammy's room with both of the twins. I was stacking some books right next to the bed and the twins were jumping. Of course I told them, "No jumping on the bed", but my warning was not heeded instantly and being the end of the day I was tired, knew I would be finishing up my task in a moment and be able to get them down....I let it slide just that one time. And that is when Sabrina fell. Go figures, the ONE time I'm not super firm on safety. What followed after was a little bit of chaos (okay, maybe a lot), a lot of worry, plenty of tears from me and Sabrina, and finally, at the hospital, calmness after knowing she would be okay after having some stitches.

While I was at the hospital I talked to Jason of course, a friend that was coming to help us and pick us up, and a few family members, either by text or phone. On such a night, I know I would have talked to my mom, if she had been here. I would have expressed all of my worry and emotions to her...."will there be a be scar?, I can't believe I didn't get them down, I ALWAYS do, OMG mom, waaaaaaay too much blood for me, remember when I had stitches?". These would have been among the things I would talk to her about. She would have made me feel better. She would have pointed out that kids fall at one point or another, that the scar won't be that visible because it is on her eyebrow, and yes, she remembered when I had to have stitches. She would have said everything to me that everyone else said to make me feel better about the situation, but it would have been my mom saying it. It doesn't make what anyone else said less important. It just makes it one more conversation with her that I will never get to have.

Not on the phone, anyways. ;)

And yet, I'm okay. Really, I am. I have my moments of sadness, my moments of happy memories, and yes, on occasion, my moments of anger. But the moments of anger and sadness are far, far fewer than they used to be. Though we had our tough times together, the fact is that I had twenty-eight years with my mother. Twenty-eight years is a lot more than some people ever get.

One of my "cliché" quotes is, "If I didn't laugh, I'd cry". For me that is so true. So most often than not, I'll try and find the humor in a memory when thinking about my mother. The times she laughed and smiled....for who really wants to remember sadness and bad times about a person who is no longer here? Isn't it the good memories that we want to reflect upon anyways? The ones that we will always remember, always cherish, and want to duplicate?

The memory that came to me this morning was on her birthday…well, it had to be the year 2001. We had a BBQ over my brother’s house for her birthday and I think we were getting ready to open some gifts. Michelle disappeared into the back bedroom with Lenny for a few minutes and I remember thinking, “Well, that is odd.” But when they came out everything seemed fine. My mom started opening gifts and her response to one was, “This is just what I wanted!”. Michelle laughed and said, “Wait, I thought you wanted a grandbaby?”

“Well, yeah, sure…..” my mom started. And then realized what news was being told. I think she asked if they were serious (which they were!) and what followed was excitement, joy, probably a few tears, but sheer happiness. And nine months later Alexis Danielle made her debut. She loved her to pieces, as we all did. Not too long after came along lil’ Lenny, who she adored as well.

That day is just one that brings a smile to my face. We were always having some impromptu BBQ over my parents (and later my brothers). I could talk of a hundred different good memories on here that would make me smile, but that could take a while.

Instead, I invite anyone reading this who actually knew my mom to think about a memory of her that makes you smile or makes you laugh. Share if you like. If you cry too, well that is okay. Laughter through tears is a good emotion as well. I’ve already cried today, but I’ve already laughed. I’m sure I will repeat both through out the day.

One more thing….I am so bummed I don’t have any pictures to share of my mom. The most recent ones of her would have been from 2005 or 2004 and I believe I still had pictures printed off then and I never scanned them in. It feels odd not attaching a picture to my blog though…..

Here is a picture that would make her smile, without a doubt.

Her four grandbabies:

Love you mom. Always.

Gram Gram

2010-04-18T13:19:00.001-07:00

I’ve been neglecting my blog, I know. Life is busy as always, but I know I need to make a better effort to get over here. I’ll do my best.

For the past few weeks my grandma has been visiting us from Michigan. I can’t even believe I actually got her here…I think she wanted to visit, but doesn’t like the idea of traveling too much anymore. But anyways, we did get her here.

She stayed for about three weeks and left just this morning. Jason had to travel to Las Vegas for work so he took a layover in Detroit so she wouldn’t have to fly alone. They had to take the early flight out—very early—they left the house at 4:30 am today. As I went to hug her good-bye, the sadness I felt about her departure all came pouring out as did hers. I love you’s were exchanged and tears fell down on my cheeks as I watched her walk to the car. Jason gave me the kind of hug he knew I needed in that moment in time, kissed me good-bye, and he headed out also.

I went back to bed.

Upon awakening I realized today was going to be one of those lazy days. I felt deserving of it, but still a little guilty nonetheless. I will allow myself to feel a little sad today, but not tomorrow or the days after. Because even though I am missing Jason and my grandma, staying in my PJ’s doesn’t really help me in the long run.

Instead, I’d rather remember the extra special time spent with my grandma while she was here: How the twins wake up now everyone morning asking if Gram Gram is still asleep. Sammy excitedly telling her that he went on the potty while Sabrina models an endless display of clothing and my shoes. How both of the twins have gotten exceptionally good at putting toys away—or at least out of the way of a walking path so “Gram Gram doesn’t trip”. The joy she took in simple pleasures like making them french toast for breakfast and showing them how to do a word search puzzle.

One of the best memories (which I didn’t get a video or picture off, but I will remember nonetheless). We were eating something for dinner (can’t remember), and Sabrina was eating away at her plate while Sammy was kind of picking at his.

Grandma: “Oh Sabrina, you’re going to town on your dinner!”

Sabrina smiles and keeps eating dinner.

Sammy, wanting to get involved, starts eating his dinner and exclaims, “Look Gram Gram! I go to town!”

Grandma: “Oh yes Sammy, you go to town too!”

Every meal thereafter both the twins would exclaim to Gram Gram how they were “going to town” on their meals. So cute.

I was able to capture a few pics here and there:

Love you Gram Gram. We shall see you soon….

It doesn’t always go as planned.

2010-03-08T13:31:00.001-08:00

Life, that is.

But in this instance, I’m talking about photography.

As stated in my last blog post, the twins turned three last Tuesday. They both had picked up coughs and colds a couple of days beforehand, so we were stuck in the house for quite a few days. That’s okay. I’m a fun mom. We built forts, played games, and generally made the time pass by quickly.

We also made cupcakes on the twins birthday.

I had a wonderful vision of the twins eating their birthday cupcakes on the (clean!) floor….with messy faces and big smiles. Something that I could preserve on paper. Something beautiful and fun at the same time.

But, life doesn’t always go as planned.

Sammy, my normally sweet boy, has been testing the limits lately…..what he can get away with, how much can he whine….ya know, being your typical three year old boy. Add into that that he wasn’t feeling quite up to par, so a photo shoot was the last of his list of fun things to do.

I still tried. I have lot’s of patience. I’m a mom of twins!

And I had cupcakes!

These images could best display his emotions about having his picture taken:

And this could describe Sabrina’s:

I assessed the situation. Hugs and cuddles were given to Sam. I understood. He didn’t want his picture taken. He wanted mama yes, but more so, he just wanted his cupcake so he could eat it and go relax.

Could I blame him? Nope, not at all.

Cupcakes were given out.

Moods improved.

And I even caught some smiles:

Are they perfect pictures? No.

But I think the display of emotions….from tears and protests to laughter and smiles (within moments) could accurately describe a typical three year old child on any given day.

So nope, it didn’t go as planned. But that’s okay. That’s life. And life is sometimes made up of bad moods and grumpiness…. and perhaps if we didn’t have the bad days, the good ones wouldn’t seem so great.

Three.

2010-03-02T05:28:00.001-08:00

Three.

Three.

I guess I have to say it three times before it sinks in. My babies are turning three today.

Three!

Thr….oh, you get the point.

Time flies. This is such a cliché, but so true at the same time. I don’t think I really *got* how much time does truly fly by until I had children. I can remember in absolute clarity the day that my babies were born, the night we brought them home, and when visitors came to see our new little family.

Big milestones stand out, of course. When Sabrina rolled over for the first time around three months….and when Sammy cut his first tooth at six months. That first year of their lives was filled with new things happening every single day, it seemed like. I would hear people say, “Remember this, because time goes by so fast.”

It does.

But for me, it’s not just the big milestones that I have engraved in my head. Not even close. It’s everyday moments that are even more special to me. Moments and memories that are so special and close to my heart that I will never ever forget them.

But, I will miss them one day.

Time does fly. And so I know that one day, not many years from now, Sammy won’t want me to sing “Over the Rainbow” to him or want me to play trains. Sabrina will go from being the girl who is almost literally attached to my hip to a sassy adolescent who doesn’t want to have anything to do with me.

In the future, “mama” will turn into “mom”. Hugs and kisses won’t be so easily received. And time will be more sparse than it is in our present day.

I try not to think about things “yet to come” too much.

Instead, I savor.

I hug.

I kiss.

I play.

I enjoy.

For surely, time does fly by.

Happy Third Birthday to my wonderful, beautiful babies. You have changed my life in more ways than you will ever know.

Yeah...

2010-01-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

Yeah...I did not complete my Twenty-Five days of Christmas.

I traveled back home to Michigan for about three weeks for the holidays, so blogging was last on my list of things to do.

But I will be back. Soon.

Day Four:

2009-12-05T18:41:00.001-08:00

Today in the midst of errand running to prepare for our trip back home, we needed to stop by the mall. The twins were treated to special chocolate covered pretzels from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. They each had a small one and we figured there was no harm in letting them eat the pretzels on the ride home.

Lesson learned: Chocolate covered pretzels are meant to be eaten ONLY at the kitchen table under proper supervision.

Otherwise, here is the fun result:

It’s alright though….with smiles like that, it was worth the clean up.

Day Three

2009-12-04T21:10:00.001-08:00

On occasion, I can catch moments like this:

Day Two

2009-12-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

I'm really trying people, really, I am.

Right now my computer is being reloaded by my dear husband. Which also means I can't get to my pics that I downloaded yesterday. Which means no Christmas picture for today.

Instead, I'll share a link of a Christmas video that I used to watch. I was almost positive that only me and one other person knew about this little movie, loved it, and laughed about it. When I got to YouTube I was proved wrong. There are apparently many people out there that remember this from their childhood as well.

To this one person, all I would have to say is, "The Christmas tree branch". No doubt this person would know what I am talking about.

Hope this brings a smile to all today. If you've never seen the full version, just give it a try. Yes, it was made in 1977 with muppets, but it still makes me laugh.

I'll be surely looking for a full version for the twins to try out.

Twenty-Five Days of Christmas: A song and a memory

2009-12-02T13:52:00.001-08:00

So it begins, my twenty-five days of Christmas. In years past, I have tried to capture a photo every day pertaining to Christmas. This year, I will attempt the same...which will be interesting because I will be traveling back home and not have my handy computer. I'm one of those weird people that actually prefers my desktop to my laptop. But that’s a whole other topic.

I love Christmas and this time of year and not because of presents. Yes, Santa will visit the twins and they will more than love everything they receive, I am sure. But it's more about family and loved ones for me, remembering fond traditions and making new ones with our little family.

This weekend we put up our tree and decorations. The twins both loved helping decorate, although Sabrina wanted to take part in every part of decorating--the lights, the beads, and everything in between. I was finishing up some stuff yesterday and we had Christmas music playing in the background. A song came on that instantly sent me back in time.

If there is anything that I have precious memories of when I was growing up, it was Christmas. My family knew how to do right--and we also did it BIG. You've seen the Christmas vacation movie, I'm sure? Well, that was us. Literally. We didn't go into town and pick a tree from a lot. Nope. We trekked somewhere about an hour away from home and picked out a tree from a farm. But it was never, ever small. My parents had a large ceiling in the family room and a petite tree was never a possibility.

I remember always feeling excitement when we went to get the tree. It was an adventure to me and loved being a part of it. We would all bundle up in some warm clothing (it was Michigan of course, and sometimes unpredictable) and head off to the farm.

It was always the same routine, though I wonder if my parents ever noticed that. We would all spread out looking for that "perfect" tree, though it was usually my mom who had the final say so. We would find one and walk all around it for inspection. At one point my dad would tell my mother that this tree was way too big and it would never fit into our family room. She would disagree and convince him to get the tree. And so he did.

This one year in particular we had a whopper of a tree. There were no words to describe it. It wasn't just tall, it was WIDE. We didn't realize how wide until we tried to bring it in the front door.
It didn't fit. Literally, it was stuck within the door. Now, you just need to get a visual here. Imagine more than half of the tree hanging outside the front of the door. And we couldn't really push it back out because some of the branches could fall off--plus there was just no where else to bring this tree in. We certainly couldn’t return it either.

So, we brainstormed. What my dad (and my brother, I think) came up with was pulling my dad's huge work truck around the house by the back door, putting a rope around the hitch of the truck and then attaching the other end of the rope to the tree. Are you with me yet?

Then, driving the truck (slowly) a few feet to just get that darn tree in. They did.

The rope broke.

Seriously. Even now, when I think of this memory I laugh out loud. How did we ever think we would get that tree in the front door?

More brainstorming.

A cable. A cable can't break! Wait…can it? Now I’m not so sure…

So a cable was attached between the hitch and the tree....and slowly, very slowly, the truck was pulled forward and finally, the tree was in and the cable didn’t break! I could hear the tree squeezing against the door and I swear the door was going to break from the pressure.

The rest of the night consisted of actually getting the tree up--which included wrapping a rope around the base and discreetly tying it around a beam so the tree wouldn't fall over. And forget a regular tree stand. Nope, we used a five gallon bucket to water that beauty.

And if memory serves, my mom never did admit that tree was too big.

The song I heard the other day that made me go back in time, was Charlie Pride's "Christmas in my Hometown". We always had Charlie Pride on while we decorated the tree. So I stood there and listened to the song and let my head take me back. While the song was on I looked at my children, happily decorating, dancing, and smiling. They were loving every second of it.

I smiled at them.

I smiled at my memories.

I thought about my mom. She surely wouldn’t think this tree was big enough, I thought as I laughed to myself.

But that’s okay. It’s the memories that count, right?

To make you smile

2009-11-11T19:42:00.001-08:00

Just in case I made you cry yesterday… ;)

Last week I took the twins to a Wilderness Safari drive-thru with the mom’s group that I belong to. You drive through the park and get to see most of the animals up close and personal. There was also a petting zoo and other animals that the twins enjoyed seeing.

If you’ve never been to one of these you should try! It was really fun to have animals come right up to your car and the twins LOVED it!

I have sooooo many more pictures to go through (and yes, I still need to put up some Halloween ones). But this is a start…and it was really hard to get a picture of Sabrina (as you can tell). She liked the animals, but not as much as Sammy!

Somewhere….over the rainbow

2009-11-10T20:45:00.001-08:00

Fair warning: This may make you cry if you are one of my long-lost relatives or friends in Michigan. Apparently, I have the ability to make people drop some tears (even when I don’t mean to). So, my apologies to all beforehand…

I love the Wizard of Oz. Yep, I do. I realize that not everyone feels the same way, and I could see someone getting freaked out or scared by some of the characters. I get it. But I still love it.

One of my most favorites parts is when Judy Garland sings Over the Rainbow. I just love the song and her voice…just do.

I have a point, so bear with me.

This song has special meaning to my heart because not only do I love it, but it is a song that I just randomly started singing to my niece when she was little.

Then my nephew.

Then my babies.

In fact, when the twins were still small infants I was singing this song to Sabrina one time and Lexi looked kind of sad. I remember even blogging about this back then….I realized that it was a special song to her and asked her if I could sing it to her. She told me yes, she didn’t mind sharing her rainbow song with Sabrina. Even now, the memory of that display of affection brings tears to my eyes.

So tonight was my night with Sammy. Jason and I take turns after story time tucking each twin in and then switch back to hug and kiss the other goodnight. Sammy still enjoys “rocking a minute” before bedtime, and to be quite honest, mama does too. Usually, we just rock for a few minutes before he is ready to lay in bed. I cherish those moments because I know they won’t last for long.

Tonight I sang the rainbow song to him and he peacefully drifted off to sleep within about ten minutes. I was holding him there while he slept, still singing the rainbow song when I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

I didn’t really know at first why I was crying. I do get emotional over the babies getting bigger…and I cherish small moments like that. But while I was rocking Sammy I was overwhelmed with a flood of memories from back home…mostly centered around my niece and nephew and I realized that’s why I started to cry.

I miss them.

It’s a no brainer that I miss everyone but that life must go on as always. And we are really doing okay…getting to know people, getting the house settled…everything.

But even the most optimistic person has a moment every now and then.

Today was mine.

Lexi and Lenny, I know you might not be able to read this, but I know your mama will. So I know mama will give you both a big ole’ hug from Chochi, Uncle Jay and the twins. We love you so very much.

The Transition

2009-10-29T12:26:00.001-07:00

Every big "transition" the twins have gone through has made my heart ache.

Every single one.

From bottles to sippy cups, baby carriers to big car seats, binky to none, heck even when I was potty training Sabrina it was still a little sad for me.

That's how I knew I wasn't going to much enjoy the transition from cribs to big beds. Before this happened, I swore up and down that they would be in their cribs until they were crawling out. And with one exception of Sammy doing that at one point, they never dared. Climbing out just wasn't on their list of priorities.

I wanted to wait until we were here and settled for some time before embarking on another big change. You know us moms; "Don't want to do too much at once! I don't want to overwhelm them with changes!" Or maybe it's just me.

But Jason had pointed out that poor Sammy rolled around a lot and kept knocking into the rails on the crib....he just didn't seem comfortable in there anymore. Sabrina might have stayed....but we couldn't just move one. It would have to be both.

I contemplated. I worried. I cried. And then, I relented. We still had the cribs, we could still go back if we needed to. We still had options.

So, off to the furniture store we went. We picked out their bedroom sets and within a week we were ready.

I contemplated. I worried. I cried--though not in front of them.

I put on my brave mommy face and did our nighttime ritual as always. Brushing teeth, reading books, family kisses, and tucking in.

And I waited. Or I should say, we waited.

Nothing happened. Nothing bad any ways. They went to sleep, peacefully, just had they always done. They jabbered for a little while, reading their own books in their own beds, listening to their own music.

And I cried some more.

My babies are only 2 1/2 years old....and I knew that this day would come. This is a good thing, I guess. But I think it does sadden me that they are "growing up"....even if they are far from that. Kids seem in such a rush these days to grow up (or maybe it was always this way?) but I don't want them to ever rush. I want them to take their time and enjoy life as it comes....and these changes are a part of life.

It's been well over a week and everything has still gone smoothly. They love their beds and they love their rooms.

And apparently, they know much better than their mama did that they would be alright.

I love you, my babies.

Be patient with me as I take a walk down memory lane. As I usually do when these things happen...

We've gone from this:

To this:

And now this:

Sigh.

Too long.....

2009-10-27T12:23:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know....it's been too long since I have last posted. Too be fair, we have been super busy...and finding time to blog is only after the twins have went to bed for the night...or when they are napping during the day.

I had a nasty bout of something, but I am feeling somewhat better...better enough anyways to sit instead of lay down and go through the 300 plus photo's I took this week when Jason's mom was here.

It was SO great having someone here from home! We absolutely loved it and can't wait until Grandma comes back again! We kept her pretty busy here--last Friday we went to a little town called Eureka Springs. It is on a mountain and there are lots of shops to look at and browse. The twins did GREAT, even considering it was much more cold here then it usually is.

Saturday we went to a pumpkin patch in Missouri and the twins loved that as well. They had lots of things for kids to do other than just a wagon ride....hay jumping, slides, and a place for them to shoot some hoops, and even more for the little ones to do. They also have a HUGE corn maze there, but we really didn't have time to do that.

So, here are just a few pics of our time together here:

At the park with Grandma:

Eureka Springs:

Pumpkin Patch:

Just Because...

2009-10-12T19:55:00.001-07:00

They are too darn cute. And they darn well know it!

Autumn

2009-10-12T19:53:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the crisp chill in the air, the smell of fresh cider made from apples, and the warmth of a favorite sweatshirt.

I've heard from many that the Arkansas fall season is beautiful and so it is on our agenda to do some scenic driving to catch some good pictures. As well as the pumpkin patch, corn maze, and Halloween parade.

In between all of those festivities, we like to do crafts at home as well, no matter the season. Fall just makes it more fun!

Today we made leaves:

The best part of the day wasn't when Sammy told me, "Good job mama!" or when Sabrina did good outline of her very own leaf. Those were mere highlights.

The best part?

When daddy came home and they rushed to the door....and then rushed him to the window to show him their proud work.

"Look at my green leaf, dada!"

"I made one too dada!"

I've missed this...

They've missed this...

But not anymore...

After...

2009-10-07T21:17:00.001-07:00

After a day of unpacking...

After a day of toddlers times two...

Tantrums times two...well, everything times two...

And craziness in general

I am reminded

That I have this times two every night

And that makes it all more than worth it

Our new home...

2009-10-07T21:08:00.001-07:00

Well, we are moved into our new home...for the most part. Everything is here, it's just a matter of finding and unpacking. Which, I won't lie, is a little daunting. But while we have been unpacking we have also been throwing stuff away that we realized we no longer need (or maybe ever needed ;) ). It is amazing to me how much *stuff* we accumulated over only nine years of being married. And how much more we accumulated in the past two years after the twins being born. So it is a good thing that we can now basically go through it all.

Anyways, we are still in major unpacking mode. But I decided to at least post some pics of the house while it was still empty, before we moved in.

View of the front door

View to the right, where the three extra bedrooms are. Also an extra bathroom.

View of first bedroom that was supposed to be Sammy's, but we decided to make this the guest room.

What will be Sabrina's room. She loves the color and paint, so we got lucky there!

This will be Sammy's room. (Which we will repaint....eventually!)

View into the extra bathroom. Nice good space in there!

View from hallway into the foyer and dining room

View from dining room (that door in the back is to our bedroom)

View into kitchen and nook area. The kitchen is really nice and spacious with lots of counter room and cabinets...

(Excuse the little mess!)

Fireplace in family room

Looking over to dining room....the family is actually a really good size

View into our bedroom

Another view from our bedroom

Master bathroom

Garage

Extra storage space in garage

So I think this will do us just fine. It's a really nice house and we didn't even lose any square footage....we just went from a colonial to a ranch. The storage will be really nice in the garage...we had a two car garage in Michigan so the extra space is really nice!

I forgot to take pictures of the deck off the back and plus the backyard is actually really big for this area. So the kids will have fun running around out there!

And for fun.....

The twins having some fun on moving day!

Family Fun Day

2009-09-29T12:43:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday we took the twins to the park to play and feed the ducks. One of their favorite things to do in Michigan was to visit their Papa and feed the ducks....so it was only natural when we told them what they were doing they asked to go to Papa's.

It was very sweet. We weren't able to make the fourteen hour long drive home to Michigan, but we fed the ducks nonetheless.

Thanks Papa, for teaching them not to be afraid of ducks. :)

Well, there were ducks AND geese! ;)

Wordless (walk-back) Wednesday

2009-09-23T12:41:00.001-07:00

2007

2008

2009

Don't worry everyone. Sam and Lil' Lenny will get their turns too.

Typical Tuesday

2009-09-22T18:52:00.001-07:00

Well any day, really.

A day in the life of two year old twins. Correction: ten minutes on any given day in the life of twin two year olds.

We are coloring nicely.

There is trouble brewing.

And it begins.

And the victor!

FYI: This was more of a tickle match then a wrestling match. I condone no violence....just like to sit back and take pictures. :)

860 miles...

2009-09-20T19:11:00.001-07:00

Away from home.

That is about how many miles are now put between our little family and the rest of our family and friends.

For at least two years.

I wanted to start this blog to chronicle our journey and to share with our friends and family back home stories, pictures, and basically our well being. So, seeing as it has been our first week here, it has been...well....

Hard.

It's not easy moving hundreds of miles away from a place you've only known as home. I should know this better than anyone. Ya see, I was one of those people that actually lived in only one house for twenty-three years before I got married. I was born at the hospital, brought home and, well, stayed there. Yes, eventually I moved out obviously--first to a home three minutes away and then a couple of years later to a home fifteen minutes away.

And now to a home about fourteen hours away.

It's hard.

I hope that it will get easier.

It's odd that when before we left I felt like I was in some sort of denial mode--I really couldn't think about being so far away and when people asked me about it I told them the truth--"I don't think it has sunk in yet."

Well, it's starting to sink in.

It starting to sink in that I can't just hop in my car and drive to see my grandma and be there in twenty minutes. Or my niece and nephew. Or the same for anyone else important in our lives.

So, it's gonna be hard.

But rather than making this whole entry full of sadness and despair, I'm gonna try and turn it around.

I know it's going to be okay.

I know it's going to be okay because we have wonderful people in our life. We have wonderful friends and family that went out of their way to show us love and support when we left and will continue to show us love and support from fourteen hours away. If you're reading this, you all know who you are. You may have helped me through an upsetting phone call this week, or sent me a nice email, or made me laugh.

And that is how I know it is going to be okay.

Because when you have people like that in your life they come through for you.

Even if it's fourteen hours away.

These pics couldn't possibly cover everyone....just a few to share!