So, it has been awhile . . . I really have no good excuse. I will try to justify it by saying I got a new Iphone for Christmas, and the technical side of me is yet to figure out how to update the blog from my Iphone. Still, no good excuse, I know. I was told yesterday by the (probably only) reader of this blog - my sweet mom - she checks often and hasn't seen anything new. So here you go mom!:)I have a new obsession. I actually will call it "fondness for". Obsession sounds so negative, and I don't want to sound negative about something I am going to try to justify financially! No, in all seriousness, I love wall vinyl scripts. I just put one above our door that says, " May our home be filled with laughter, family, and friends and the life togetherness brings." I just love them. So my new search is to find scripture wall clings. I definitely want one for each of the girls' rooms, as well as the playroom. My tendency is to go overboard. (I used to have a "fondness for" bedding. Luckily, that passed. However, I have passed several along to others so that wasn't such a waste. Back to topic-) If anyone knows of a great location where to find those, let me know. I have seen some on Etsy, so that's probably where I will head with the credit card. Pictures to follow, of course, since I'm sure you are dying to witness the finish products!
On another note, our home seems to be the catching ground for sickness so far in 2011. The girls and I had the stomach bug on Christmas Eve, then Ronnie caught it on New Year's. Kinsley followed up with a pretty severe respiratory virus that knocked her down for about a week. Ronnie closed out that week with H1N1, and now Ella has a new stomach virus. I did have a moment of truth this morning, though. In my frustration of sickness, overwhelming laundry piles, and altered plans, I was quickly reminded that these viruses pass. I know there are many families who struggle with sickness and disease on an unending basis. It was a quick, and needed, reminder to be thankful . . and "this too shall pass".
We had a fantastic Christmas with the girls. Probably one of my favorite events of the holiday was our Happy Birthday Jesus Birthday party that we had a couple of days before Christmas. We invited our playgroup friends and had a great time together. Kinsley loved rearranging the manger scene so all the people and animals could see baby Jesus (precious!). We read books, made a craft, had cupcakes, and brought new toys to share with less fortunate children in the name of Jesus. It was probably one of my favorites because I felt that morning we were getting Christmas right, and helping others to do the same. I'm sure we just started an annual tradition (until the girls complain they are way too old for such a thing and don't want to invite their 17 year old friends, I will stand by this tradition!!) Santa did an awesome job of bringing the girls some special things, without going overboard. That is something we really hoped he would do, as we are trying to instill gratefulness in the girls and not entitlement. (I'm sure that will definitely be more challenging as Ella starts school.) We left Christmas night for several days in Gatlinburg. We had a great time, but came home a day early. The New Years crowd began to get a little overwhelming. It has been back to work, PDO, gymnastics lessons, and our standard routine (other than all the sickness) ever since! I will admit, this creature of habit thrives in routine. I love having our mornings to either go to school or do something fun, lunch, naptime for Kinsley and playtime for Ella, cooking dinner, and family time usually in the evenings. Having a simple schedule has been a bit more challenging since Ronnie took a new role at church, but something we feel is worth fighting for while the girls are still young. I already feel they are growing too fast. I teared up the other day at a Toy Story 3 commercial - the emotional ride of motherhood!
Finally, in this post of nothing, I will close out. I will try not to let time get away from me, and keep the blog more updated (mom)
