Because I'm a little late on my cards...

This season is a crazy time of year for everyone...especially if you're a mommy, teacher, musician, wife, or director (worse, if you combine all of the above). Needless to say, December flew by in a whirl for me this year. We did order our Christmas cards on time (mid-December), but I have to finish stamping and labeling them. We're a little behind this year, like usual.

Here's a sneak peek at our card several days after Christmas. I hope to get a blog up about having this picture taken. It was done by a friend of mine, Erica, who is FABULOUS.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. I hope you had a wonderful holiday season with Christ at the center.

Quotables

Some cute quotes from Asher to start a week off right...

Asher: "Hey Mom. Did you know that dogs bark when tomatoes are coming? It's true."
Me: "Um, are you sure you don't mean tornadoes?"


Asher: "Why when people lose their jobs do they catch on fire?"
Mommy: "What? Why would they catch on fire?"
Asher: "Daddy says that when someone doesn't have a job they are fired. I hope they put their shoes on."


Don't you just love what they say when they are little?

It's arrived!

Fall has arrived in full force. I LOVE the season of fall. It is my absolute favorite. The beautiful colors, the cooler air, football season, pumpkins, and the clothes are just a few of my favorite things during fall...did I mention that I LOVE fall clothes?

Due to this love, Mike and I were on the hunt in the pouring rain last night to find the perfect fall coat for Ash and Ave. They both have grown so much since last spring that their coats were up to their forearms. We were wet and cold, but it was very much needed for two freezing toddlers.

I am so excited with our cute finds. I got Ave's coat and hat at Target again this year (love that store!). They make the cutest little girl fall coats. I also found an adorable hat/mitten set to go with it and her winter coat. I can't believe that she is two and still wears 18 months though. Craziness. She is so easy to dress because she looks so darn stinkin' cute in everything! Shopping with her was a whole other story. I need advice from all you moms when it comes to shopping for toddlers (especially girls...). I had to bribe Avery with new pacies just to get her to try on the coats. If she liked them, so would walk around and tell me "Oh, mommy, Abey cute." However, if she didn't approve she would make her little pouty face and say "No, not cute for Abey." It's already starting.

Mike doubted my abilities to find a suitable coat for Ash, so he joined me at Old Navy to find this adorable coat. Mike hated it on the rack and said it looked too much like mine, but Asher looked so cute in it, he couldn't refuse. I can't believe my little boy is already wearing a 5T! He's so big!
I am certain that when he showed up for picture day at preschool today he was the cutest kid there! Mission accomplished. :)

Asher's Coat...so cute, right?

I Have a Very Happy Little Girl!

Ya'll (yes I said ya'll...digging into my southern roots) would be very depressed for my children if you saw their toy stash. I "limit" the amount of toys they are aloud to have to a bookshelf in the loft. I can't stand having a bunch of toys lying around being useless. Mike will often hide them to see if Ash or Ave ask for them, and if not, they go to Goodwill. I know, I'm a mean parent.

With this rule, poor Ave has not gotten much in the "girly" toy department. She is happy to play with her brother's trains and cars...even if he is not so thrilled. Lately, she has been getting extremely girly and loving her play stroller and babies. I felt bad that she had nothing girly, but I wasn't about to go out a spend a bunch of money on toys for no reason. So when I received an email this week from a wonderful mother at my school for girls toys, I jumped on it...not even knowing what they were. I was thinking a few dolls, maybe another little stroller or baby clothes would be more than fabulous. When she said she had a kitchen, baby station, and vacuum I was through the roof! Avery would LOOOVVEEE it!

I went over and picked it all up yesterday and brought it home before I picked the kids up at the sitter's house. I wanted to have it all set up for when Ave got home. I wish I would have had my camera for when Avery saw everything! It was like Christmas morning. Come to think of it, I should have saved it...oh well, it was worth the hours spent playing with it.

What a blessing to receive all of this! Thank you!

New Study

School has started, which means two things: I'm busy and exhausted. So I am needing a kick in the seat of my pants lately to really dig into God's Word and put it into practice. Getting back into the school year routine is always exciting, but the excitement wore off quickly this year. I think it is because I wasn't really able to be home with my kids this summer, so the few weeks I had went by VERY quickly. I am so thankful for the sitter that God has provided for us and Asher's preschool though, which made the transition easier. However, time is precious and oh so limited. I will be the first to admit that when I am tired, my priorities are not always right. Needless to say, I have been slacking in the Bible studying depart for a few weeks. So when I found out there is a Bible study meeting at church on the night that Ash has Awana, I jumped at the opportunity to not only study but also meet women in my church.

This semester we are doing the study Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed: A Study of David by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur. I have always found David so interesting, and I'm looking forward to digging deeper into and learning about his life. Plus, nothing beats a study by these three women! I am also hoping that having accountability will get me going. So, if you see me, ask me about it...or come and join if you're free on Monday nights!

Preschool and Homework

Ash started preschool on Monday and absolutely loves it. He is going to a Christian preschool right by my in-laws house two afternoons a week. I am extremely excited because there are only 5 children in the class, so he'll have lots of teacher time. Pictures to come later, I promise!

This particular preschool has these adorable bags that have the school's name embroidered on them. Asher brought his home on Monday super excited and filled to the max. He had made a picture out of paint and stamps, had LOTS of calendars for snacks, curriculum, etc, and had homework. Homework! Each child was to fill out a little book about themselves such as: I am 3, My favorite food is..., my favorite color is blue. Some of his answers surprised me to say the least. Who knew his favorite food is watermelon (I think is was because we had just had it for dinner)? I carefully with my best teacher handwriting filled in each of the blanks for him (and of course I didn't change anything). He then set out to color each little page and picture...all three of them. He kept reminding me that he was staying in the lines. I kept reminding in that flowers are not brown. Maybe we should choose a "happy" color. Of course, at no time, did I "assist" him by drawing a watermelon or coloring a crayon blue. Okay, at least I went out of the lines a few times to make it look like a preschooler had done it. Give me some credit.

However, the big project was the little man we, I mean he, had to decorate. You would be so proud of our, I mean his, work. You see, the school sent home a little man that we were supposed to decorate to look like Asher. Let's be realistic people, if Ash had done it on his own, it would have resembled an alien, so I gladly took it upon myself to help him in this task. I cut out little construction paper clothes (don't worry, he picked the colors!) and made a little construction paper Cubs hat complete with the C. Asher picked out a little Lightning McQueen sticker for the shirt, and we placed googly eyes on him. We topped the face off with an adorable little glitter mouth. Let me tell you that I...I mean Ash...did a wonderful job on his little man. It only took an hour and a half!

If only Ash agreed. When I showed him, he made a funny, unimpressed face and said, "Yeah, sure." when asked if he like it.

Bring it on preschool...I'm ready for any homework you may have for us! (Meaning Asher of course...)

Happy Anniversary!

Five years ago today I married an amazing guy! Happy Anniversary Mike!

We love you!

You are a wonderful husband and an amazing father. I love the passion that you have for serving the Lord and how excited you get when you get to do it! I would never have imagined we would be where we are today with two children and a fun-filled life, but I would never change any of it. Here's to many more years together!


I walked downstairs this morning to see a bouquet of my favorite flowers and a card with the sweetest things in side. He is always so very thoughtful.

Tonight we went to one of my favorite restaurants The Cheesecake Factory. We ordered amazing meals and very good cheesecake to celebrate!

I'm extremely excited for tomorrow. My sweet husband has reservations at a steakhouse he has wanted to try called Texas de Brazil followed by a night at the Avenue Hotel in Chicago. Super excited for a night on the town!

A few oldies

My friend Rowie has become the kids personal photographer. If she's there, she has her camera which is good because I probably don't. Last week she gave us a bunch of pictures that date back since we first knew her (July 06). I thought I would post a few of them in the next couple of posts. Enjoy!

Baby Avery August 2007

Fall 2008

Happy baby Avery, April 2008

Asher June 2006
He has curly hair that we have to now keep tame. :)



Asher making his "racing face."

My Little Rule Follower

Asher loves soccer. So when we watched my little brother Josiah play two games this weekend, he was lovin' it! He jumped right in to cheer the players on including this:

(After the goalie got a save)

A very worried Ash: Mom, you can't use your hands in soccer!
Me: It's okay buddy, he's the goalie.

To which Ash turns an yells at the goalie:

"NO HANDS IN SOCCER, DUDE!"

Yep, my son heckled the goalie and called him a dude.

We may have problems this fall when we start soccer. :)

Never say never

So I've always prided myself on being a good driver. I've never been pulled over (or should I say I've never received a ticket), never been in an accident and never run out of gas. My husband has done two of the three, so I have always been so proud that my record was spotless, to say the least.

Until recently.

That's changed.

A few weeks ago my sister asked me to play softball up in Milwaukee with them. They have a co-ed team made of doctors and their wives (appropriately named "Scrubs"). They were short a few players, so I decide why not...I don't know any of them, so I can make a fool of myself.

Needless to say, I got two hits, was on base several times, and actually played okay. Pat on the back for me. So the following week I decided to go back for another round. I was now their star female player and could make any play in right field. Right.

*Side note* Didn't have the best game that week (and the coach...my BIL...has not asked me back. Wonder why?).

The reason I didn't have a good game is all blamed on what happened beforehand. I had a little bit of a stressful day and was going to be getting on the road a little late. My Honda had 1/4 of a tank left...plenty to get to Milwaukee.

On the way up I called our sitter for next year. We can talk and talk when we get started. Love her! So I got her started on some conversation and I was just listening when my car started to jerk funny. That's odd. Mike and I had just been talking about "cash for clunkers" and thinking how we should ditch both our 1998's. I pulled to the side of 294 just in time for my car to die. Great.

Said a little pray (while still on the phone) and thankfully it started. Alrighty then. Kristy was still talking away when less then 2 minutes later the same thing happened. Mind you, I had a 1/4 of a tank and no gas light!

Long story short, after a good freak out, about 40 calls to my sister who was not answering the phone, and 50 crying to my husband. Jan and Ry came to rescue me!

Thankfully, it was just needing gas and not something else. If only I could get over the embarrassment.

Lesson learned: Always keep your tank ABOVE the half way mark.

How about you? Any embarrassing things happen to you lately?

Crackin' Down

It's been a little brutal around here to say the least. I think my kids are having a hard transition to mommy (a.k.a the enforcer) being home. I'm crackin' down on the fighting and fits that I might have let slide while I was in school. Time outs are our new best friend; well mine at least. You can easily tell if you walk in my house who is used to them. My sensitive little man Ash cries everytime (maybe once a week) he gets in trouble. Sass-master Ave just sits and dutifully puts her time in since it is multiple times a day. I think she doesn't mind time outs since she had fun getting there. I'll need LOTS of prayer in 13 years!

I'm doing it!!!

Well, we have had two major accomplishments from my kids in the past few weeks. One of which I knew, another I did not.

I am a very, very happy mommy when I say that Asher is potty trained! He finally caught on after a week and has only had two accidents (because pants just get in the way sometimes). We've had NO bed wetting yet, but I might have just jinxed it by actually saying it out loud! Now if I can only get him to stop shouting "I'm doing it" everytime he goes (regardless of where he is), I will truly be thrilled.

Avery gave me a little surprise yesterday when she randomly started counting to ten. I was counting to three for her to do something and she looked at me and innocently counted to ten for me! I was baffled. I didn't know that she could do that! I wonder if she can secretly read or cook or do the laundry. I should test her on that.

Easily Distracted

I'm having one of those days today. We all have them, I'm sure. Some just more than others. You know the day...where nothing goes right regardless of what you do. I've somewhat given up on salvaging the day and I'm blogging to avoid homework. Imagine that.

I guess getting up at 5:00 is finally starting to wear me down. I feel exhausted! I am definitely NOT a morning person. I envy all you morning people. The problem is I'm not a night person either. Go figure.

Out the door by 5:45 to miss rush hour traffic. On the south side by 7:30. Quick nap in the car since I almost fell asleep driving. Not good. It didn't help that my favorite radio show is off this week! Classes actually did go well today and I was brave enough to volunteer to conduct in front of the class. I must have started the day well...

I have a hard time focusing once I get home to and need to do my homework. Asher and Avery need my attention (and I want to give it to them 100%). The house needs tending to, the dog needs walking, and dinner needs cooking. Needless to say, when Ash asking to go to Culver's for dinner, I didn't fight him. I'll justify it as a potty reward. Culvers was another story considering I spilled my drink and had a little mental break down.

Now babies are sleeping and I'm working on the master's project revising, revising, revising. Okay, now I'm blogging, but I'll be back at work on the project. Then arranging, then choir reflection paper....then BED! Oh pillow, my head can not hit you soon enough.

Sorry for the complaining. At least the weather was BEAUTIFUL today. Praise the Lord for giving us gorgeous weather!

Current scores...

Potty training is finally starting to take off! Avery pretty much goes as long as you put her on the potty. She is highly motivated by M&M's (I wonder where she gets that from!)...Asher likes all the stickers that Jaime brought him with cars. She has a little system for him where he gets a car if he gets 3 stickers. We've almost made it to two cars...hopefully we'll have a garage full soon. Hopefully!

Any potty training wisdom you all have would be fabulous. I'm just looking forward to the extra money in the budget with the diapers column gone! :)

I know...I know.

So life has been crazy in the Tiojanco household these past five weeks since I blogged. My deepest apologies. I'm sure you have all checked it daily waiting to see what we have been doing in our neck of the woods...right.

Anyway. Like I said, life has been crazy. We have some major happenings around here! I started grad school full-time last week. This consists of me leaving the house everyday around 6 a.m. to commute downtown (yes, 50 miles) to school. I'm done around 3:30 everyday, but don't grace my doorstep until 5 or 6. Due to this, if you visit my house, you will find mass chaos, a dog needing to be walked, a laundry pile that is as tall as Avery, and much more. Shout out to my honey for picking up on my slack! I couldn't do life without that man. On the plus side, this is hopefully my last summer in school since I'll be graduating on July 25th. See you all there, I'm sure.

If you have a second, please pray that I finish my project. I'm up to 65 pages and counting and have been informed that "it never hurts" to add more. Never hurts who, I ask.

Next up...National Boards next year. I just got my box today and I'm actually excited. I think I have a sickness when it comes to degrees and certification.

Our other BIG news is that we are POTTY TRAINING! Maybe this is where we really need the prayer warriors. Asher is stubborn. I take full credit for that one. He gets playing and does not care a bit about the rest of the world. My 16 year old sister Jaime is staying with us for three weeks. She is babysitting them during the day...and she accepted the potty training challenge head on. In fact, I think she initiated it (perhaps the monetary incentive that goes along with it helped...you'll do anything for money at that age). She arrived Sunday armed with ideas, M&M's, and a great attitude.

The current PTS (Potty Training Score) is....

***Drum role please***

Asher: 1

Avery: 2

Yeah for the 22 month old that gets it...that child will do anything for food!

Where has the time gone?

Last night after my choir concert, I turned around to see to little toddlers playing on the risers on stage. Initially, I thought who is letting their little ones run on the stage! Quickly, I realized they were mine. Oops! The thing that really got me was that it dawned on me that Avery isn't a baby anymore. She's not falling over her feet when she walks, and that child definitely has no problems running! She has a larger vocabulary then Asher had at that age (all girls love to talk) and she has no problem holding her own. She's not a baby. She's a toddler. Where has that time gone? Isn't it crazy how fast they grow up. I jokingly tell Mike it's time for another one...except she is still a sassy pants that I can't keep up with, so that next baby is long off (if ever).

Story Time

Our Friday night turned out to be a little different then I expected. I needed to purchase a suit for my upcoming choir competitions (and found a really cute one! If only I could afford these to go with it...hint, hint I wear a 7.5 honey). So Mike and Asher decided they would join me on this quest. Before we even got started, Mike and Asher wanted to go to the "library" (Barnes & Noble) to look for books and play with the trains. They were having a children's author reading his story this particular night. Just as we were preparing to leave, they announced it. Feeling mother's guilt for never taking Ash to story time before, I grudgingly said he could go. So we slowly walked back to the story corner.

Now, I don't know how most story times go, but usually there are children to read books to. I felt horrible for this man since Asher was the only child to show up! To make things worse, it was a book meant for 3rd-5th graders entitled Even the Dead Get up for Milk. "Great, the child is going to have nightmares," was what I kept thinking to myself. I couldn't just get up and take Asher though since he was the only little one there!

Thankfully, Asher sat like a champ (and the book had pictures!) through the entire 60+ pages. He answered the authors letters and even looked at the interpreter as she read it in Spanish (it is a bi-lingual book). Everyone kept telling me how well behaved he was, and he even thanked the man after he finished reading. Luckily, he left the comment "That was a strange mystery book" for after we left the store.

The bonus is that he made it on their webpage. Check Asher out here with the author and translator! He's referred to as the little fan!

Change

So we are redoing our house. Not in the sense of ripping things out and putting in new, but we are definitely painting, rearranging and freecycling. We have had a light blue kitchen and gray-blue living room for the past two years. I love the color, but it was time for a change. We are going with a rust color with some lighter tan tones, which I am hoping look good. We'll see...it's a change for sure.

I have a hard time with change. I am a very scheduled and routine oriented person. I often hear my husband or fellow teachers telling me to just relax...right. I like when people are dependable and do what is expected of them. I need to map things out and write to do lists. Is that odd? Honestly, who doesn't thrive in marking off a to do list. But really, the fun is making one!

Maybe my fear of change is the unknown. Not knowing if the new with fit with the old. Not finding a place to fit in. I think one of the hardest changes to make is in churches. Finding a new church can be so difficult. Busting in to the circles at church can be exhausting. I know that it shouldn't be like grade school, but many times I feel like it is. We are comfortable with the people around us, not wanting to change the groups that we run with. Mike and I have been at our church almost four years now. We love our church, the people, the ministries. But in many ways, I feel as if I am still busting into the circles and trying to find somewhere to belong. I've been frustrated lately and trying to know where I fit in. Maybe I just need change. I need to reach out of my comfort zone and change my surrounding. I can't always depend on others to reach out or take the first step. Thankfully, God is in control of the unknown. He is in control of the changes. Luckily, I am not.

Move over Beyoncé...

Julie's in the house.

This past week I had a chance to bring out my inner star at school. I busted out my very rusty dance moves and even learned the words to Beyoncé's current hit thanks to our second lip sync contest. Last year I was asked to sponsor our lip sync contest, offering the kids advice on songs, dance moves, or how to make it seem like they were really singing. So again, I had this fun task of co-directing the show. Sounds fun, right? So how was I a star you might ask...well, a few brave (or should I say roped in) teachers last year performed a song by Destiny's Child entitled "Survivor." I recieved the short end of the straw and was chosen as the lead for lip syncing the song. This year, in order to keep with tradition, three of the original four teachers did "Single Ladies" complete with choreography. We even took the time to watch the video on youtube and learn the cleaner version of the dance moves. It's never good though when you look out and see half your students with their cell phones or parents with camcorders out recording your performance. Just look for me as the next youtube star...and please comment nicely!

Quote of the Day

"I hate this camera...God ended it!"

--Asher after he finished the pictures on the disposable camera he found with 7 pictures left.

On another note, if you like the way the blog looks now, you can thank my personal blog designer, Asher. He chose all the new layouts and pictures himself. With the economy the way it is, I'm thinking of making him available for house calls per a small fee to afford his diaper fix. I suppose I could just really focus on potty training and not break child labor laws.

Survey Says...

So I was sent this adorable survey on Facebook to give to your kids. I decided it would be a cute post for all you non-facebookers (really, do you exist?). Obviously, Asher filled out the answers to the following questions since Avery has, shall we say, a select vocabulary. I would love to see what your kiddos say about you!


My Mommy: by Asher, age 3

1. What is something mom always says to you?
"something funny"

2. What makes mom happy?
"Going peep in the potty"

3. What makes mom sad?
"not peeping in the potty, pooping in the diaper" (can you tell we're potty training?)

4. How does your mom do to make you laugh?
"when you say funny things"

5. What was your mom like as a child?
"you had a sister like avery"

6. How old is your mom?
"two...you're very old"

7. How tall is your mom?
Pointed to my head..."that tall"

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
"play with toys, drink diet coke"

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
"goes to work"

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
"driving a car"

11. What is your mom really good at?
"teaching kids"

12. What is your mom not very good at?
"not playing with toys"

13. What does your mom do for a job?
"you go to your school"

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
"diet cok"

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
"because I love you'"

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
"Tasha and I will be Tyrone" (from the Backyardigans)

17. What do you and your mom do together?
"Make banana bread"

18. How are you and your mom the same?
"we both like to make songs and concerts"

19. How are you and your mom different?
"your clothes are not matching and you put makeup on" (thanks)

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
"teaches mes, walks around with me, hugs me"

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
"you give a new kiss"

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
"the gym"

Gotta love a three year old

I love the phase that Asher is in. He's constantly learning new words, picking up phrases, and constantly making me laugh.

Yesterday he was playing in the loft with Avery when I managed to overhear them "talking." Avery had put Ash's car underneath the couch by accident, to which he replied in a very manly voice:

"Stand back Avy, I hope I am strong enough to push this couch."

To which Avery replied, "Yeah" in her deep raspy voice. I definitely laughed at that one.

On another note, Asher learned the hard way that cotton balls are NOT marshmallows. While unloading the bags from our trip the store, Asher held up the bag of cotton balls we had just purchased. He quickly exclaimed, "Thank you mommy for buying marshmallows!" I placed the bag on the counter and let him know they were cotton balls, not marshmallows.

Fast forward to 30 minutes later. Mike and I came downstairs to Ash sitting at the counter holding two cotton balls and wet cotton stuck to his chin. With disgust, he looked at us and proclaimed, "These are funny tasting marshmallows mommy." Luckily, he had only had a few bites. Maybe next time I should buy real marshmallows at the store for the poor kid.

Day Brighteners

So I've been in this weird funk lately. I know that everyone has them, but I usually don't, which makes it frustrating. Do you ever feel like a failure? I think part of my problem is that I feel as if I am never good enough, never quick enough, never on top of things. As long as I can remember, someone has always out done me in something. I am a people pleaser and hate knowing that I always come in second. People tell me I fail my children by working, but I fail my financial responsibilities by not. I fail at my talents by not taking the time I need to cultivate them to be the best I can be. I fail my duties at home by not constantly keeping up with my house. I fail myself by lacking discipline. I am always good, but never the best. I fail often.

It is frustrating to always strive to be perfect in the things you do, especially when we are only human and cannot attain perfection. I am thankful through it all that I do not have to the best in God's eyes. I can fail. But am I honoring Him by not being the best, or are the things that I thought I was good at not my true talent? I do know this: I will strive to be the best that I can in the situation I am in to glorify Him. I will be thankful for the day brighteners he has given me each day through my children. My children may not be the best at everything but they are mine and are precious to me. They are may day brighteners...and a reason I have not failed.

Sushi Baby

The other night Asher was at my in-laws, so Mike and I decided to take Ave out to dinner for a special treat (for us, really). We were heading up to Chili's when we passed this little Korean (I think)/ sushi restaurant that I always to go to with my fellow teachers. If you know Mike, you know that he has quite a taste for...shall we say...bland and boring foods. After convincing him that there was bound to be something he liked on the menu, he okayed the choice.

I have found a new likeness in sushi lately. No, I'm not having pregnancy cravings. I just like sushi.I love this restaurant's California rolls...I get them everytime I go. I think about them daily, crave them, and splurge every in-service day on them. Naturally, I ordered them. As quick as they came, they were gone! My little 18 month old hoarded and finished the entire roll by herself...seaweed and all. I jokingly guessed it was the Asian in her...even though it isn't her Asian parent that like them. Next time, I'll order two.

Who knew...?

Preschool. I can't believe I'm even blogging about that yet, but the time has arrived. I started exploring preschool options. After having a small mental breakdown (is my little guy really that old...AM I really that old!), I bit the bullet and started calling around. Now mind you, this is February and I'm calling for NEXT fall. February, people! Yet, much to my surprise, two of the schools recommended to me were full. Man, am I slacking on my child's education! Who knew that you had to sign them up for a good preschool program six months in advance...for a program that they need to be potty trained for even before they are completely potty trained...for a program I still don't know how I'm going to get him to three days a week. They definitely do not tell you this when you bring the child home for the hospital. I consider myself a planner. I was wrong.

Maybe I'll just sign Avery up too while I'm at it. It seems that is the age.

I'll keep you posted if I, I mean, Asher gets into the preschool I am wanting. Cross your fingers...

They just get better...

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays, if you can call it one. I love telling my friends and family that I love them and showing it. Obviously, it's not just something I do once a year, but I love the idea of it. My Granny (yes, Granny..we are southern) always sends me a Valentine's Day gift/card. She always remembers us all. On Thursday we all received our cards, Asher and Avery included. Growing up my dad always bought me and my sister a box of chocolate or something special. I loved making the little mailboxes for the school Valentine's...and making sure to not give the boys one that said something like "to my honey" or "Be Mine, Valentine."

My husband is a hopeless romantic and always remembers my favorite things for this day. I LOVE tulips, and Mike usually tries to get them for me. On Thursday, the secretary walked in my classroom with a vase of tulips for me from him. I am very impatient and love getting things early (I know, you would never guess)...this was my early gift. So thank you hubby for the romance. I was envied my many at school. :)

But the real blessing was the actual day this year. I was supposed to take a class all day, but we could not find a sitter. I wonder why! So my day started with my sweet toddlers waking us up. Asher and I then made some yummy chocolate chip banana bread for our gift to daddy (even though he still has not eaten any!). While we were waiting for some ingredients, Mike surprised me with my favorite breakfast...Burger King. (I know, I have such expensive taste.) Mike went to work for the afternoon and me and my sweet babies got to just hang out and play. Matt stopped by to play with the kiddos for a while too, which was a nice surprise for them. After going to church on Saturday night, we went out to dinner at Moe's for burritos. Yes, such the Valentine's Day delicacy. We ended our evening all watching Ash and Ave's new Backyardigans movie that got for the special day.


Yes, I've had romantic dates with my hubby for Valentine's Day and, yes, this was not something that I would consider romantic...but it was a perfect day with my beautiful children and amazing hubby. I am one happy, blessed, and lucky person. I think family day will be the new Valentine's theme. There's plenty of time throughout the year for romance, but never enough time with my family.

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

We all have one...

Whether you're a workin' outside the home momma or stay at home mommy, we all have one...a household chore that we put last on the list and manage to fall behind on. For some of us, it's bathrooms, others dusting. For me, it is laundry! I have tried everything to make it "fun." Cute organizers, great smelling laundry detergents, a little lint collection cleaner. My hubster even went as far as to buy me the flip fold.But still, I hate laundry. I am sadly going to admit that there are even times when I have to run the wash twice due to forgetting about putting it in the dryer. Currently, it is backed up three or four loads...and folding is another story. I fold, then forget to put away. I put away, but spend an hour reorganizing every drawer that has been messed up.

So this workin' momma is honestly thinking of an outside service. It all started when I saw that our local dry cleaner offers laundry washed and folded for $1/pound. Granted, I could never stoop as far as to bring my undies to them...but maybe the hubby's. I think I may go as far as to weigh my next load, just to see if it is realistic. Although if I do this, the next thing would be to get a maid...and I'm thinking the hubster will give me a big no on that one. I can't imagine why...;)

So what about you? What chore do you hate doing...or in my case let pile up? Or how do you manage to get all your laundry done...any fun tips?

Organic anyone...?

I'm turning to all you in the "blogosphere" to see if you you have any tips on eating organic. As part of our New Year's resolutions (which I am so far..a whole 7 days into..am keeping), we are trying to be more healthy which includes our eating. We already purchase organic items, but have never gone fully organic. I try to buy things for the kids such as their juice, produce, or veggies. I LOVE the organic beef that we buy. It is only about $1 more at Target and tastes amazing! You can tell just by looking at it that it is healthier. If you haven't tried it, you should just once!

Anyway, do any of you eat organic? If so, how do you afford it? Where do you shop? Share your wealth of info...pretty please with a cherry on top! I'll be your best friend (as my first graders use to get the mallets for the Orff instruments next).

So he won't win the spelling bee...

So Asher knows all his letters and numbers (and has since last Christmas when he got a letter puzzle). Sometimes knowing things backfires on us though. I was changing his diaper the other day and he looked up at the T.V. and smiled. He looked at me extremely proud of himself and said, "Hey mommy, I know how to spell T.V. S-O-N-Y. T.V.!"

He was so impressed with himself I didn't have the heart to tell him it was Sony. So he might not win the spelling bee one day...but at least he has his looks. :)

A New Year...

I've never really been one for New Year's resolutions. I say that most likely to make myself feel better since I always make them, but never really keep them. Isn't that the point of making them in the first place?

On New Year's day, Mike and I sat down and decided what our goals were for our family. We did not agree on all of them...but did get a few of them accomplished. I went as far as to make them for my children. Is that weird? Asher's goal (that he made himself of course) include being potty trained, attending preschool in the fall, and learning basic chores around the house like making his bed in the morning. He even told me that he wanted to start on the cello (with NO coaching from me of course). Avery even took the time to make her own too (isn't she a brilliant 16 month old?). She would like to work on potty training by Christmas next year, recognize her letters, and be nicer to her brother. Okay, after typing all this I feel like one of those crazy mothers, but oh well. My children will be accomplished (right...).

Now for my resolutions....drum roll please:
1. Get into the Word daily, even if just for a few minutes.
2. Lose 35 pounds.
3. Slow down.

For all those that read my blog (which is probably no one since I NEVER update), I am hoping that you will keep me accountable to my resolutions this year. The first resolution I am making is to lose weight. I know that I have made this one MANY times over, but I am officially on board since my time at the gym. I was rocking it out running on the treadmill when I caught a glimpse of something that was also running in the mirror. In my mind I thought, "It's a great thing that person is here...check out that big butt." Well, you guessed it...it was MY big butt running on the treadmill. That is when, while wiping away a tear (that I can't have chocolate anymore), I vowed to KEEP my resolution. This officially means that you all have the permission to say to me "Hey big butt, get to the gym." Enjoy it while you can...hopefully by this summer I'll be down 35 pounds and you won't be able to say that! On the bright side, I'll be able to fit into all my clothes from before having Asher, although they are probably out of style now.

I am also hoping to slow my life down some, which I think will help with my other goals. I am someone who thrives on getting things accomplished, being apart of activities, and seeing end results. I love everything I do, but I love my family and sanity more. After a crazy month of December, which included singing at church every weekend and Christmas Eve, going out of town for a conference for a week, Christmas shopping, traveling, and directing the school play of Snow White, I have had it. Thankfully I've had the last two weeks at home with my children to slow down and just be there for them. Mike and I were able to come up with several ideas on how I might be able to work part-time or just teach several lessons a week for some extra money. Please pray that this might work out so I can slow my life down and really put more time and investment into my children. I know that I am not one to be cut out for staying at home full time, but if I honestly feel that this is what the Lord wills for right now, then who am I to say otherwise. I know that this will all work out in the end the way it should whether or not I work...I just need to learn the work NO. Maybe that should be resolution number four.

Hope you all had a fabulous holiday season...pictures to come soon.