Wednesday, January 27, 2010

3 Blessings in 1 Picture!!


Not very often are we quick enough to capture a picture like this...priceless!


Tuesday, January 19, 2010

I'm Gonna Miss This...

Do you ever have a moment where you hear or read something and could swear you had just been thinking the very same thing?  The strangest and most wonderful example of that happened to me tonight. 

Most nights, Brynn is carried or walks into her bedroom at bedtime.  She's either so tired that a kiss and squeeze is all it takes, or maybe a book or two in the rocking chair.  Tonight, for whatever reason (or teeth perhaps!) she needed to be rocked....and rocked again...and rocked again after crying for several minutes!  Each time I went in to relieve her tears, I rocked with her in the chair and thought to myself...how incredibly lucky am I that this little person (who is quickly growing and developing quite the personality) needs my lap to sit in and my fingers to run through her freshly washed curls?  I can't imagine being any luckier that I was chosen to be her mommy and get to rock her and comfort her on the nights when she'd rather fall asleep in my lap than on her own (which, don't get me wrong, I am very thankful she's able to do!). 

As I sat and rocked Brynn tonight, I also thougth about her little sister, Molly.  This tiny human has only been in our world for 3 1/2 months and yet she stretches her neck and head to meet my eyes when she hears my voice in the room....what a miracle! 

Then I began to think about the nights when I kiss the girls goodnight, put Brynn to bed after reading one less book than usual, or put Molly in her swing so that I can get some things done around the house.  How sad to think that these opportunities will one day (sooner than later) not be available to Kevin and I anymore.  One day (sooner than later) our babies will be little girls who would rather snuggle their stuffed animals and read their chapter books than snuggle and read in our laps.  Brings tears to my eyes to think about it! 

I thought about how lucky I am to have every moment with my babies and how some day, I'm going to miss this...



The ironic part about tonight happened when I sat down at the computer, both girls sleeping, and came upon a new blog I plan to follow....a fellow mommy.  A recent post she had on her blog was titled "I'm Gonna Miss This..." and hit me like a ton of bricks!
http://www.mycharmingkids.net/2010/01/im-gonna-miss-this.html

Monday, January 18, 2010

Seize the Day...

Wow....I'm feeling a little bit...ok, maybe a lot a bit ...guilty that I haven't posted anything in 2 weeks.  Although I know we have some family and friends that read our news and look at pictures on here, I think the biggest reason I feel guilty is that I haven't taken the time to reflect on (in words) the little and big joys that have happened since January 5th (my last post).  I feel that I've cheated my girls and my memory by not taking too many pictures or sharing any mini-milestones and happy moments they have given us in the last 2 weeks.


So, here I go...back on track! 

Life....
....has been more hectic since I've been back at work.  I think the feeling of "hecticness" comes from the fact that I'm trying to cram in so much more "logistical" things about our home/family into each day on top of wanting to spend my spare minutes playing in our "play" kitchen (much more than the real one!!), reading books, and listening to brand new giggles.  

I'm amazed...
...that today (even though we didn't have school) would have been the start of my 3rd week back.  Although it is going "fine", I'm still missing like crazy being home every and all day with my girls.  Although I'm thankful for the evenings and weekend days we spend together, those same days also are a humbling reminder of how precious our time together, at home as a family is and make me appreciate them that much more every morning I'm driving to work.

Time...
...has continued to fly by at lightning speed. This is both good and bad.  I'm happy that the days come and go so fast because it means that our trip to the Dells (Valentine's Weekend), Spring Break, a good friend's wedding, warm weather, and the end of the school year will be here before we know it.  However, the fast pace of life lately also bums me out a little because it means the girls will be growing that much quicker and these present moments of Brynn's discovery of new words everyday and hearing Molly's giggles become more frequent will soon be a thing of the past. 

I'm trying to...
....not get so stressed out about the little things because I'm realizing that they are very minor, and I don't have time to waste being annoyed!  There are way too many other reasons to be happy and  picking up messes every night, getting the laundry put away, and having a cleaned off counter at the end of the night just aren't that important!  After all, I need to remember to be thankful that I even have a home to make messes in.

I'm praying...
....that all of the people of Haiti find a small ray of hope in their days ahead.  I can't imagine what they are experiencing.  It is frustrating for me to think that it takes something catastrophic to happen to people for others (including me) to realize just how lucky and blessed we are. 

I'm thankful...
...that we've had many great days recently. The girls have been doing well at their new daycare. Every day I race to pick them up after school so I can hear what I missed out on, but smile knowing they're happy. We've gotten to see our families pretty often in the last few weeks/days. We've celebrated birthdays, visited with family from out-of-state, shared great meals with parents/grandparents, and have made plans for more fun days with important people in our lives.

I have to...
....continue to seize the day...seize whatever I can because life slips away just like hourglass sand.....seize the day and pray for grace from God's hands, and nothing will stand in my way.....

One of my top 3 favorite songs ever....Seize the Day by Carolyn Arends.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lmqtYR5tJo

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Copycat

I have to steal another idea from one of my favorite blogs I check-in with on a daily basis (love ya Rach!)...
Because I don't have anything profound to post, a few recent "tidbits" of our life will have to do!

I am so happy that my first day back at work came and went.  My heart ached the whole night before and all morning before I dropped the girls off.  However, I was surprised to discover that once the school bell rang, it felt like I had never left...minus the fact that my students called me Mrs. Anderson (my sub's name) all day and I couldn't stop wishing 4:00 would roll around (although the day flew by).  Don't get me wrong, I miss (like crazy) spending 8 am- 4pm with my girls, but am thankful that the days pass quickly, so far!

Our new daycare will be a good fit...as long as Brynn decides to eat and nap while she's there.  On Day 1, she didn't eat anything and on Day 2, she didn't nap.  Hoping she decides to try both on Day 3!  Although I hated it to do it, putting her to bed at 6:30 instead of 7:15ish tonight was a must....and I know we'll still have to wake her in the morning.  She is her mother's daughter...she likes her early-to-bed, late-to-rise sleep schedule!  So far Miss Molly has had great reports....she even gets a written "report card" of her day- what treasures for her baby book (only a Mom would think so!).

I'm amazed at how only 2 days has totally changed my outlook on household chores, supper, and laundry priorities.  Although I've never been great at these things, I can already feel that the weekends will be used for catching up on them....playing on the floor, cuddling, and holding my babies will take precedence over all else!

Speaking of enjoying every second I have at home, something wonderful happened today.  We had only been home after school for about 10 minutes...Brynn was in a silly mood and kept coming up to Molly and I...Molly was watching her like a hawk (which she has started to do more recently) and when Brynn laughed at Ben, Molly giggled her first "true giggle"...it brought tears of joy to my eyes...not only because it was a "milestone" that I was able to witness, but because it was her sister who caused the giggle...the first of many exchanges of laughter between 2 sisters! 

Knowing that this week would arrive was difficult, getting through the first day was strange, and knowing that I'll be leaving my babies in someone else's care five days a week until June is a bit sad...but I am so thankful to have healthy, happy kids that are okay without me while I'm at work. 

My life is wonderful...I am so blessed!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Today...

Outside my window...not sure...the curtains are drawn hoping to keep the frigid cold out!

I am listening to...Molly grunting on my lap and House Hunters on TV!

I am wearing...sweats...enjoying my last day of lounge-wear til next weekend!!

I am thankful for...having 2 babies who are healthy enough to allow me to work (it's easy to take for granted of how good we have it).

I am pondering...how the new morning routine will start off tomorrow....I'm sure it will take a few days/weeks to get everyone on the same schedule...so long to our waking up at 9:30 and lounging in jammies all day!

I am reading...a few new books to Brynn that she got for Christmas...she loves the books that have flaps to lift!

In the kitchen...my lunch (salad) is prepared for tomorrow so I have one less thing to worry about in the morning...the only question is whether I'll remember to grab it out of the fridge?!

I am creating...a new "eating" plan.  Now that the holiday celebrations are over, hopefully there will be fewer days to get off track (although I love those days!) and more days when the healthy options are easy to choose!

I am thinking...that it is ironic how I've spent the last 3 months wishing time would stand still.  And now, the night before returning to work, I'm wishing it were June and I was home with the girls again! 

I am going...to survive and ache a little less as the coming days go by!  I know it will all be okay, it's just going to be a tough change on this mommy!

Around the house...it's nice to have things picked up- always hate starting a new week with a mess!  The laundry room....that's another story...there are organized piles- but just too many of them!!!

One of my favorite things...getting to hear/watch Brynn discover that she can say many more words everyday!  Some of them are SO hilarious to hear her say!  I think it's amazing that as Brynn's language expands everyday, Molly's babbling is also increasing....both are music to my ears!! 
A picture thought to share...

The "Addington" cousins at our Christmas celebration!  What fun memories our family made over this Christmas Break...looking forward to more!