2015 - Week 1

Here we are. The first few days of 2015. There’s something so wondrous about a new year. I don’t know why really…I mean, today is no different than yesterday. But somehow the thought of a new year, starting from scratch, is just always so appealing. I don’t have any resolutions for the year, we don’t have any huge goals, but it’s still exciting nonetheless.

The “week” started on Thursday, with all of us home for the day. Christian and I were home from the day, Olivia is still on winter break and daycare was closed, so we had a nice family day at home. After the late night, everybody was happy to sleep in this morning…the big girls slept until 9:30, and even little Eliza slept until about 8:30. WOOOOOOOOT!!! Now that’s a way to kick off the new year. But, she was rather crabby and very clingy most of the day, so we really didn’t get too much done. We were all pretty happy to enjoy a quiet, low key day.

Sister Kisses

Lazy Day with a Crabby Baby

Friday. Well, let’s start with the basics…Christian and I were off to work (seriously, going back to work for one day, after a day off, is dumb. Definitely should’ve taken today off!). My mom was over to watch Eliza and the big girls were off to daycare. It was pajama day, which is always a big hit.

In more important new….OUR BIGGEST BABY TURNS 6 YEARS OLD TODAY!!! Oh my God, seriously, I don’t know how this is even possible. Our sweet, independent, mature, shy baby is growing way too fast. I can’t believe how fast these last 6 years have gone. I can remember everything about the day she was born like it was yesterday. All of the emotions, all of the chaos. Feeling more love than I ever thought were possible. Being able to watch her grow over these last 6 years has been truly amazing – it’s a gift I could never appreciate enough. She’s so smart, so responsible. She’s rough and tough and a wee bit cruel to her sister, but will stick up for her under any and all circumstances. She is independent and helpful and loves her baby sister like nothing else. We’re so lucky. So, so, so blessed. She was pretty excited to celebrate her big day with all of her friends, and brought some cookies to share with everybody. After school/work, my dad and stepmom, along with Christian’s parents stopped over to celebrate with us. We had pizza, a little cake and she opened her gifts from us. The day was over in the blink of an eye, but we had two very excited girls, ready to party the next day!

Roses from Daddy, for Olivia Rose

Saturday started off pretty typical. We had some breakfast, I did a little picking up around the house. We got all of the girls bathed, dressed and ready for the day. We showered and got ready. I made a quick run to Target to pick up the birthday cake and a few final birthday party needs, grabbed some lunch and headed home. We quickly ate, packed up the van and we were off to Olivia’s birthday party. This year we held her party at “Good Times Park” in Eagan. It’s an indoor playground…like a REAL playground, inside. It’s pretty cheap for parties…there’s no rental fee or anything, you just pay per kid, use a table in the picnic area for 2 hours, and bring in whatever you want pretty much, so it worked well. We did a middle of the afternoon party to avoid a need for lunch or dinner, so we just had cake and ice cream after playing for a while and opening gifts. She of course got lots of new Shopkins (her new obsession) for her birthday, along with a few puzzles, some clothes and some cold, hard cash! After the party, all of the kids returned to playing, and slowly left, one by one. Her best friend Bella and her dad stopped over after the party for a while…we had some leftover pizza for dinner, I tried out the glitter tattoos we bought Olivia on each of the girls and they played for a while before they left for the night. We all settled in for bed and the girls definitely passed right out. What an exhausting day!

Sunday was fairly busy, but also kind of a lazy day. Eliza has not been a happy camper lately – I think her teeth are really bothering her. Seriously, I can’t say it enough – teething is the pits! Christian made some breakfast and the girls played on their tablets for a while, while I dealt with the crabby one. When I finally got her down for a nap, I got to work on my tasks for the day. I started collecting all of the Christmas decorations onto the dining room table to start packing it away, and took the Christmas tree down. It’s always kind of sad taking down the Christmas stuff….it adds so much color and magic to the house. But, it is definitely nice to get the space back and get back to reality a little bit. Don’t get me wrong – it will take FOREVER to actually get everything put away, we all know that. Finally I vacuum up the living room and tree mess, cleaned up the kitchen and called it quits for the day. Christian hung out with the girls most of the day, before heading out for a haircut and dinner with his friend, Lorenzo. The girls had a pretty lazy day, watching movies, playing games, taking nice long naps. Once I got them to bed for the night I settled in to watch some TV…didn’t make it long before passing out, but at least I got a little quiet, alone time in.

Until Next Week! XOXO

2014 - The End...

Well, this is it guys. The final days of 2014. Keeping up with the blog seems to get harder and harder with each passing week. Why? I have no idea. It’s just a matter of finding the time to just ramble off what we’ve been up to, what we have going on, what we’re dealing with. For some reason, that time just seems to escape me with each passing day. But, I’m going to do my best to keep plugging through, and keep sharing our lives with the world (well, with the person or two who may actually still check in on this thing). I still get in random moods to login and look at my blogging over the years…see what we were up to, compare what we’re going through with one child to what we went through with the others, I do it often, and I can’t explain how awesome it is being able to look back at things at the click of the mouse. My own personal time machine.

On Monday, we woke up miserable. Eliza slept horribly, and woke up feeling so hot, just burning up. I was so exhausted, but I HAD to go to work. Luckily, she goes to my in-laws on Monday’s, so sick or not, she’ll get cuddles and TLC no matter where she is. I’m hoping her teeth are just making her miserable…all of the symptoms are there, so fingers crossed it isn’t anything more than that. Christian and I were off to work, the big girls off to daycare. So far Olivia seems to be coping well with being stuck at daycare all day. Though, I shouldn’t be surprised. Olivia is so funny, so smart, very friendly and way goofy – but she is a bit shy. She never talks about anybody at school, it doesn’t appear that she’s making any real friends there. I think the problem is that she’s so attached to her daycare friends though. Those are the friend she plays with, when I drop her off and pick her up, she squeals and runs to her friends like a normal little girl. Those  are the friends she wants to invite to her birthday party…it’s like she doesn’t realize that it’s OK to make MORE friends, she’s just clinging to her daycare friends. I’ve been hoping since school started that she would get over that, and branch out, but here we are, almost 4-months into the schoolyear, and still nothing. We’ll have to talk to her teacher about it again at her next conferences…just make sure there isn’t anything more going on. Other than that, I’m seriously just super happy that the Christmas season is over, and after Olivia’s birthday/party this weekend, life will finally slow down for a bit. YES!!

Well, they're loving their new trampoline...I don't think this is what it's meant for though. Quite the opposite actually.

Tuesday brought more teething misery. Teething is seriously the pits…it’s just the WORST!!! They say a woman’s body/mind is meant to forget the pain of childbirth…likely because nobody would have more than one kid if you honest to God remember what it felt like. I’m pretty sure parents are also meant to forget how horrible teething is. To bring fact to that point, I posted this on facebook and mother after mother chimed in about just how miserable the whole thing is. But, we do indeed have a tooth poking through, so I’m hoping that brings a little relief. Other than that, the day was pretty standard. She did well at daycare…I think the distraction tends to help. Work went well. Pretty much the usual. Looking forward to a day off again Thursday, and ringing in the new year tomorrow! 2014 – you have one day left, make it a good one!

My poor, miserable, teething baby.

Wednesday was a pretty busy day, a busy end to the year. The girls were all off to daycare, Chrsitian off to work, and it was my work from home day as usual. Over my lunch break, I made a quick run to Walmart to get some food for the evening's New Years Eve celebrations. I started a crockpot of lil' smokies/meastballs when I got home, and got a pan of brownies in the oven. Then, back to work for the afternoon. I picked the girls up and we all met Christian at home...he was able to get off a little earlier than usual, thankfully. So, we got the house picked up, I made some deviled eggs (OMG, my fave!). Then, we had some friends over to snack the night away. Olivia's little BFF Bella spent the night with the girls, downstairs, watching movies and making a mess. Eliza's boyfriend Connor hung out with her for the evening while we adults laughed and chatted and watched all of the New Years Eve shows. Bella's dad picked her up around 10:00...Olivia's passed out a little while later watching their movies in the basement. So, the big girls were off to bed. Eliza took a brief nap during the party, but the babies were up to ring in the new year with us. It turned out to be a very fun night, a great way to ring in the new year!

Lovebirds!

And, with that, we are officially done with 2014. So crazy....it feels like we were just ringing the year in, and here we are, already saying goodbye. In 2014, Olivia turned 5, Amelia 4 and we welcomed sweet Eliza Jane into our family. Christian and I celebrated 13 years together, and our 7th wedding anniversary. We purchased my very first NEW automobile, that I love beyond belief. Other than that small payment, and our mortgage of course, we've remained debt free. While we didn't have many adventures or any vacations this year, it was really devoted to family, adjusting to our new dynamic as a family of 5 and spending time together. Olivia played her first year of baseball, both girls played soccer and both continued their swimming lessons. While Olivia was shy and nervous when baseball began, she became a shining star in no time, and really started getting the hang of it. She jumped right back into soccer, and advanced her skills quite a bit this year, while Amelia was a a bit more slow going. She wasn't sure what to make of the whole thing for the first few weeks, but eventually became a complete ball hog and really started getting into it. Amelia is still pretty green in the water, and REALLY needs to learn on her listening skills (and safety), while Olivia has become quite the fish...she swim from one side of the pool to the other with little issue, especially on her back (I'm actually quite impressed). Watching them grow, learn and advance is so incredibly rewarding, even if I have little to do with it. Speaking of learning and growing...Miss Olivia graduated from Pre-K and begin her school journey, entering kindergarten in September. She was SO excited, and has been doing amazing. She comes home with some new and incredible every day, I just can't believe it. Meanwhile, Amelia began the Pre-K program, and has been doing very well. As for Christian and myself...well, not much has changed. Our relationship is actually quite great, probably better this last year or so than it ever has been, which feels pretty great. Or jobs are going well and we continue to advance where, and when, possible. While I do have to admit, returning to work after my maternity leave this past summer was very hard....VERY hard, I'm starting to get into a little bit more of a rhythm. Christian's family expanded with his sister marrying her boyfriend, Leo, and welcoming him and his two kids into the family. While my family felt the loss of our final grandparent, and with it, a giant tear in our family. There's definitely a rift, that I'm afraid won't be mended now. My what a hear can bring.

Now, we're ready to hit the ground running in 2015. Our goal for 2015 is to continue focusing on our family, and growing as a unit. Remaining debt free, and saving up for a new vehicle for Christian. Next fall we'll be sending Amelia off to kindergarten, and Eliza will be starting the full time toddler program at the center. I'm hoping with all of my might we can fit in a trip at some point this year...Wisconsin Dells or up north somewhere. Fingers crossed. Other than that, I'm looking forward to a pretty low key year. But, you just never know where life will take you....

Until Next Week! XOXO

2014 - Week 52

Monday, back to reality, off into another week. But, being Christmas week, at least it was a super short one! Work was pretty standard, but it was pretty quiet around the building. While the hustle and bustle usually helps make the days go faster, sometimes the quiet is nice. Helps you focus a little bit more, I think. Even though I have a short week, I did leave a little early today to do a Target/grocery run. I picked up the big girls on my way home and we settled in for the night. Put everything away, made dinner. Christian arrived home with Eliza and we had a quiet night before bed. With Christmas a few days away, it’s leaving me a little torn. Christmas has always been my favorite time of year…the decorations, the music, the family time, the general feel and magic of the season. Since having kids, I feel like it gets more magical and meaningful each year. This year, I just haven’t been in the spirit. I this being stressed and overwhelmed plays a big part in it, and it’s our first Christmas since my last grandparent passed away, so the thought if not spending Christmas day with them, and my family, is hard. Cut I think it’s also just the drama surrounding it gets more and more every year. We don’t spend enough time with this person, we spend too much time with that person, this person doesn’t appreciate their gift(s), that person is too drunk…it’s amazing most years if we can even fit in our own Christmas at home we’re so busy trying to make everybody else happy. This year will be no different…there’s always something. But, we WILL have our own Christmas here at home, Christmas morning, and I’m super excited about that. And, it’s or last “first Christmas”, so we definitely have to take that in. I think we just need to accept that no matter how old we are, the drama is never going to go away.

Today, we found Buddy on a romantic bike ride with Barbie.

Tuesday was a pretty low key day, before kicking off all of the Christmas chaos. The most exciting part of the day is that our new parking ramp at work is FINALLY done, and today was our first day parking in it. Seriously, I cannot even explain how exciting this is. No more parking in our, literally, dangerous parking lot…my work is not in the best of neighborhoods, and I can’t tell you how many muggings, car break-ins, assaults, etc. there have been in our parking lot over the years. No more trekking it from the lot to the building, especially if you start/go in later. No more snow or having the car sit in the brutal winter wind anymore. The van is literally right outside of our building,  in a covered ramp, waiting for me. I LOVE it! In other exciting news, Eliza is still not crawling or rolling, but she is starting to support herself for short times when standing up next to furniture/tables. Not that I want her to grow up anymore, or any faster, but it’s pretty exciting. I’m still pretty convinced that she’ll just skip crawling all together.

Tonight we found buddy curled up with Barbie on a movie date - two dates in a row, must be love!

Getting so big!

Wednesday, a busy, busy day. Christmas Eve! The girls were all of to daycare – they closed at 2:00 for the holiday. Christian was off to work, and while he didn’t get off early, he got off “on time”, so that was nice. It was my work from home day. It’s always kind of a mystery if we’ll be sent home early on Christmas Eve…it’s not “required”, so it’s up to each individual office director to decide if, and when, they’ll let us go. Well, today I got the note at noon we could log off for the day. AWESOME!!! I think that’s the earliest we’ve ever been let off. It’s unfortunate for those to actually take the day off, they lose out on the “free time”, but I’ll definitely take it! After I logged off, I did some final cleaning up in preparation for the evening, and wrapped Buddy’s last gift for the girls. I picked them from daycare just before close…they spent the day watching movies and having a pretty laid back day. Once home, I got them into their Christmas dresses and looking all cute. My mom arrived around 3:00…we hung out and chatted, played with the girls, she wanted to get a good picture with them in their dresses. She brought some ribs over for us to have for dinner, which Christian started cooking when he arrived home. While those cooked, we all opened presents. For some reason, my mom decided she wanted to keep a few of their gifts at her place, so they won’t be getting those until the next time they go over there for a visit, but she had gotten them some clothes, a couple toys for Eliza, and a couple small things for the big girls. After cleaning up from present opening, we got the girls changed (white, sparkly dresses and BBQ ribs don’t mix well), had some dessert and my mom was on her way home shortly after. The girls found Buddy shortly after she left, so we have them baths and they got into their new pajamas. Then, Christian’s friend Lorenzo stopped over. He’s Eliza’s godfather, so he wanted to bring her a Christmas gift…but, he didn’t feel like he could just get her something, so he also got the big girls gifts too. They went crazy, had a blast playing with their new stuff. They are so spoiled, but it’s fun watching them. Finally, they were off to bed. We completely forgot to make Santa’s cookies this year, oops! Once they were tucked away, I packed their stockings while the boys put together their trampoline – their Santa gift. With that, we were officially ready for Christmas Day. Ready to celebrate our final “first Christmas” with little Eliza.

My little gifts, ready for the day.

Christmas fun!

Santa is a good guy!

Thursday was the big day. MERRY CHRISTMAS!! I swear, growing up, it felt like Christmas would never come, like each one was years between the next. Now, it seems like it’s Christmas every time I turn around! The girls were up bright and early, and were SO excited to find their new trampoline from Santa. They  LOVED it. They opened their stocking, and help Eliza go through hers. Amelia was so funny – she wanted to take a picture with every single thing she pulled out. Olivia couldn’t believe Santa knew what all of her favorite things were. It was pretty funny. We all opened the rest of our gifts, I made some French toast for breakfast, and we proceeded to get ready for the day, one by one. Once we were all cleaned up, and packed up, we were off. First up, we stopped at my Dad’s for Christmas with my stepfamily. Normally, Christmas day is spent at my Dad’s parents’ house, with his whole family. But, apparently, with the passing of my Grandpa earlier this year, that tradition is no longer. So, now the stepfamily Christmas is being held on Christmas day. We got there, the girls played the day away, we chatted, ate some lunch, opened presents. We don’t see that side of the family too often, so it’s always fun to get together and catch up. Next up, we were off to finish the day at my in-laws. Now the girls went SUPER crazy, running around with their cousins like a pack of wild girls. We had dinner, lots of laughs opened WAY too many presents and had a wonderful night. We had to call it a day earlier than usual…the girls had daycare the next day, so we made our way home around 9:00 and we were all off to bed. I can’t believe another Christmas is in the books. While I might not have been in my cheeriest most spirited of moods, it ended up being a wonderful Christmas. Regardless of the chaos, the drama or anything that might be going on, I have my husband and 3 amazing little girls I get to celebrate with and I really couldn’t ask for more.

Christmas Day, wonderful!

My new charm

Dressed and ready - we decided to spare our parents houses the glitterbomb that is their Christmas dresses.

Friday was a very low key day. Christian was off to work, the big girls were off to daycare and it was my Friday off with the girls. I worked a little bit on unpackaging toys and gifts for the girls, and doing a tad bit of cleaning up, but I spent most of the day binge watching on Netflix. I finished catching up on “The 100” (seriously, LOVE it!) and started watching “The 4400” – apparently I’m on a sci-fi kick! I picked up the big girls at daycare at closing, we had some dinner, and we had a (much needed) quiet night at home. Christian and I did start watching the latest “Transformer” movie, but I didn’t make it long before passing out. Old lady alert!

While the big girls were away, Eliza got to play with ALL the new toys. She was a fan.

On Saturday, Christian was off to work and the girls and I settled in for the day. I finished unpackaging toys while the girls played and relaxed. Amelia woke up feeling tired and a little rundown, so she rested for a while. Otherwise, they spent most of the day trying out all of their new stuff, and watching their new tablets to their little hearts content. Eliza took a nice loooooong nap, otherwise, she was not in a very chipper mood. We think we see two little tooth holes on her bottom gum, but we don’t see anything coming through yet. She does seem to be showing a lot of signs lately. As the girls went to bed, Christian and I settled in for a movie night. We watched “Lawless” and “The Wolf of Wallstreet”...as the night progressed, I developed a headache that just got worse and worse. I missed parts of the movies while I rested on an ice pack, but both were quite good – the night was fairly successful.

My babies, I just love them to pieces.

Sunday was another quiet day. Eliza was beyond crabby all day long, poor thing. While she napped on and off, I did manage to get a few loads of laundry done. She is most definitely teething, I can officially feel a tooth popping through! YES, hopefully this will give us a little relief. In addition, it seems to be causing her some nursing issues, which just adds to all of the frustrations. Christian and I managed to take a little nap while all of the girls were down, which does not happen often. I swear, napping just makes me even more tired though. I got a little bit of cleaning done between the crabbiness and the napping. Our friend Sara stopped over with Olivia’s BFF, Bella, and Eliza’s boyfriend, Connor, for a visit before bed. Another week has come to an end, another weekend ticked down and we were heading into the final days of 2014. I can’t believe we’re actually about to ring in another year. Amazing.

Until Next Week! XOXO