While We Were Waiting...

It's been a looonnnggg time since we've seen a warm, sunny 75 degree day, but today (and for the next few) we're lucky enough to bask in the awesomeness of fabulous weather.  It's funny how great weather changes people...
So, in the meantime, while we have been hibernating for the past few months, we thought we'd give you a glimpse of what we've been up to while we've been patiently awaiting the arrival of this gorgeous weather...

Back in January, we spent a few days in Tampa with some dear friends...needless to say, we could have stayed there forever.






In February, we celebrated some big birthdays and Kater-tot decided she was done with diapers..completely...zero. none. nada.  Praise the lord. I had no idea that when I bought that box back in December that I would never have to buy another. Not even pull-ups for at night. But then it happened.  Just like that.  (!!!)  

And as Kater-tot hurdled a major milestone, so did her sister...we got the official letter that Bug will be Kindergartener come August.  I can't talk much more about this at this point without getting sappy about my baby...only that I am thrilled for her and so excited for what is ahead...

So instead, we will move on...Bug's new favorite hobby is singing. Everywhere she goes, she sings. In the car, at church, falling asleep, etc.  Unfortunately, I can't say we've got a future 'The Voice' contestant on our hands...God help my ears.  (love her!)  But I will say she provides some good laughs..one of her favorites is 'Moves Like Jagger'...which you all know you dance to when it comes on too...

The girls have turned into teenagers overnight.  I remember writing about how well they got along just a short time ago and how someone warned me it would be short-lived...well...the time has arrived.  From the best of friends to the exact opposite in a matter of seconds.  Granted, it only lasts a few minutes, but wow, I need to prepare myself now for what is to come.  I will tell you the honest truth though, I would not change having two girls for one second.  I love that they have each other...it's something I always wanted and could not be more excited for them to have. 

Officially entered my 'mid-30s' last week.  No complaints. Lots of love. Lots to be thankful for.

The girls baked me a delicious dessert...

While I took a well-deserved (and well-taken!) 'time-out'....

Followed by an amazing dinner with some of my closests....


(minus one, of course!)

A few days later, I worked on my crafty side and came up with this little creation for a friend's little girl's birthday gift...(of course, you can guess where I got my inspiration...)

And to top off the last of those gloomy winter days, we hit up the infamous B&B Circus...I mean, what is more of a kick-off to spring that some elephants and clowns?!


So, there it is...the end of winter-yay!  Spring is going to be the calm before the storm, as this summer has already been almost completely planned out...from Memorial Day to after Labor Day, we only have 3 open weekends....???  Lots to celebrate and lots to look forward to!

What's Yours?

Heights? Snakes? Small spaces? Everyone has one. Mine just so happens to be something that is out of my control.  And today, I came as close to it as I ever hope to be. Call me Dorothy. Yes, sparkle shoes.  I have (and have had since I was tiny) a huge fear of severe storms/tornadoes.  I know-I even feel weird typing it.  Some people fear that they will die in a car wreck. Some fear they will drown. Me? I see myself going up like the evil old lady on the bike with Toto in her basket.  Maybe I just watched the movie way too many times, but every time the sky goes gray, my nerves go crazy. 
They were forecasting 'severe' weather for our area for a few days. I strategically planned our playdate at a friend's house today who has an amazing basement full of cable, bathroom facilities, and lots of entertainment for the kids=thinking ahead.  I didn't put the girls down for naps today in fear that I would have to tear them out of bed and drag them to the basement. I had them watch a movie on the computer while I was glued to the TV/Weather channel all afternoon/evening.  I was clearly out of my mind. 
The tornado sirens went off at 4:30pm...to the basement we went.  Phone, bottles of water, food, candles, flashlights, blankets, baby dolls, and this time, even mementos tucked into my pocket...I was prepared for the worst as I listened to the newscasters declare this was the worst they had seen in over 20 years...

This is not my idea of big fun on a Friday night, but this is where we were for a majority of the evening.  Luckily though, all of your prayers worked, because we were spared...only by a few miles, but most importantly, we are safe.  I will tell you that I was terrified.  More so than I think ever have been before. And I think TOH was actually a little spooked by this one too as he warned me numerous times to stay downstairs and to stop coming up to check the TV.  There was something in his voice that made me know this time was different. Maybe it was the fact that the reporters on TV were saying there was flying debris falling from the sky in our county and people were finding stuff from the state of Indiana in their front yards...

All I know is that I am a girl who was raised in Pennsylvania where there were only 2 tornadoes on record in my 22 years of living there...we've only been here for 4 years and I have been in my basement at least 22 times...and for someone who is beyond scared of this crazy force of nature, that is way more than enough...I would say this is definitely a sign that we need to relocate, right?

Looks Don't Last Forever.

Funny. Kind. Good looking. Compassionate. High, yet realistic goals in life. From a good family.  Isn't this what we all hope for when looking for a significant other? If you read the post before this one, it's pretty evident that I have been blessed enough to find all of these in TOH.  But the one I was most concerned with wasn't any of those. And almost 13 years later, I don't regret my (what some may consider) unordinary choice one bit.
You know when you're young and you start to really think about what you want in your 'perfect guy?' ...well, (WAY back) when I was in my early 20's, of course all of those standard qualities ran through my mind.  But for me...I wanted him to be from a big family.  Weird, I know.  Here's the deal. I am an only child. And as glamorous and wonderful as all of those who aren't think it is, it does have some negatives.  I wanted to be an aunt. An aunt to many, many neices and nephews.  I wanted my future kids to have a ton of cousins to play with.  I wanted the holidays to be full of chaos.
I do not lie when I tell you that on one of our first few dates, I made sure I found out all about the family. 
And I literally hit the jackpot.  Not only did I find out he had two brothers, but also two sisters. I could have sisters. Younger sisters.  It was fabulous.  And two weeks later, I invited myself to their house. It was crazy...crazy good. It was loud. People were wrestling. It was perfect.
The next summer, I lived with their entire family for the whole summer.  I shared a bedroom with both of his sisters.  It was the best summer ever.  And to this day, I am thankful.  We were just together two weeks ago, and it was awesome.  We had a huge family dinner, game night, birthday celebrations, and I spent my Friday night out with his parents and sisters-just me, no TOH (he had been up since 2am, so he and the girls were all asleep by 8pm!) - which I know for a fact is something many of my married friends would never even consider, let alone having a blast doing so.
I have different relationships with each of them and I love them all as if they were with me from the start.  I have seen all of them through happy, sad, and monumental moments in their lives and it is exactly what I had always hoped for.  Not only did I find an awesome husband with to-kill-for in-laws, but also four siblings who I wouldn't trade for the world (and to add to the fun, they each have spouses/significant others of their own who I love...like I said, jackpot).

Good looks usually pass with time.  Humor may lessen over the years.  But family, they're not going anywhere.  The memories you make with them are the ones that will last.  We've made some great ones so far, and we're only getting started.

(almost!) The whole crew...love you guys!

Believe It.

And he is.

I couldn't be luckier.

Happy Valentine's Day, DPW...

you make my world a better place.

Perspective

I've been told that after doing something for two weeks, it turns into a habit. Take not working out for example...(what is my obsession with this lately? Can you tell I haven't been doing it and feel guilty?)...after not exercising for quite awhile, you get into the habit of being lazy and don't have much motivation to get off your butt and move.  But once you finally realize that it's time, and more importantly, you get the energy to do so, the chances that you will suddenly change the way you think about the dreaded  'E-word' are pretty good. 
This post isn't about exercise.  I mean, after reading the post before this one, yes, it absolutely should be, but it's not.  Instead, it's about the other thing that has been taking up a lot of my time lately other than the cooking and the little ladies. 
After being at home with the girls for over a year, it was time for me to find something to do.  TOH's schedule had changed and it allowed me some free time in the afternoons and evenings.  So, to help keep up the old resume, my choice was to do some after-school tutoring.  I thought it would be easy, low-key, and something that would kick-start the 'teacher-brain' again.  And luckily, I found it to be all of the above...and more...
Before deciding to stay home with the girls, I taught for nine years.  That included Special Ed. (elementary, middle school, and high school) and a year of plain old, regular 2nd grade.  I saw a lot.  I taught at low-income schools, schools where a large majority of the population were farmers, and schools were kids were like the students on 90210.  Wow, dated myself on that one.  I was always the teacher.  I worked with the students for the 7 hours they were in school, assigned the homework, corrected the tests, and gave the feedback to the parents.  As a teacher, you always picture what it's like at home for each student, and you may know their parents and what their house looks like from the exterior, but you don't usually get the opportunity to really see how it 'works' on the inside each and every day. 
Being a tutor is eye-opening.  It's like nothing I would have ever imagined.  The company that I work for provides in-home tutoring and it has been a real game-changer for me.  I now see the students in their element..the ins and outs of their days..what they deal with each afternoon when they leave that school building.  Some don't get home until 6:00 at night.  Some have eight to ten people living in their home. I now understand why homework doesn't get finished, why it gets lost, why some students aren't prepared for the test, and why some come to school exhausted and hungry. 
This has been a life-lesson for me.  The perspective I have gained is invaluable. When I do return to the classroom as the teacher again, I will be different.  All of those little scenarios will be considered a bit more and I will be putting a little more heart into that 'picture' I have of each of my students.

A Machine

Treadmill. Elliptical. Stationary Bike. Weights. That's what most people would associate 'machine' with at the beginning of a new year.  Well, not this girl.  While everyone else is out there getting their skinny on, I have been busting my butt cooking up a whole lotta good eats at the casa.  So much so that Bug came into the kitchen tonight and her exact words were, 'Mama, you have been making SO many recipes lately!!'  (with a definite emphasis on So!)  So there you have it. When a 4 year old recognizes it, you know you're in trouble.  Most are trying to lose the calories and we are here enjoying every last one of them.  So I thought, why not share all the goodness that I have found (and tried) recently?  And these are different from my usual Pinterest posts because I can honestly tell you that I have personally made and tried devoured each and every one..and as a side note, I don't do difficult or lots of ingredients, so these are all low-maintenance, few-ingredients pieces of heaven.

Source:  Pinterest

Chicken Bundles...Crescent rolls filled with chicken, cream cheese and whatever else you please.  We had these tonight and they were a huge hit with the whole family...which is saying a lot with the girls.

Source:  Pinterest

Italian Chicken...This was Monday's dinner.

Made it in the crock pot,

and the picture does not do it any justice.

So, so good.

Source:  Pinterest

Almonds are my all-time favorite snack.

Add some cinnamon and sugar and that takes it to a whole other level.

Made these this week...they didn't last a day.

Source: Pinterest

For those of you who know me, you know I am a crazy person for buffalo chicken dip.

This buffalo chicken toasted sandwich is the dip

times ten.

 

Source: Pinterest

Love pasta? Meatballs? Cheese? Garlic bread?

Yeah, me too.

Hello, Spaghetti Stuffed Garlic Bread.

The family response..delicious..just add more cheese and more sauce.

Now if only my New Year's resolution was to cook more...and eat more carbs...

Roar

They say your year begins/ends like a lion or a lamb.  The end of our year was anything but Mary's little friend. That lion was big. It was loud. It was adventurous. We have to go back-like end of October back-to get the full picture (and also see why I was invisible in the blogging world).

We threw Grandma her first surprise birthday party, best friend's baby was showered, and the girls stocked up on enough sugar to get them (and us) through the rest of the year.  Novemeber...while most were filling up on turkey, we filled up our tanks and drove over 1400 miles in 10 days.  Grandparents birthdays, soaked up time with friends who now live way too far, TOH's big #33, job interviews, a beautiful wedding, three friends welcomed three new baby boys, and oh, Thanksgiving was in there too.  Onto mid-December...finally got to catch up and enjoy some much needed friend time with those around home, Nutcracker Round II (and this time with Kater-tot who loved it and did awesome!), built gingerbread houses, played at the park because it is apparently March here, celebrated Christmas week with both sets of grandparents, and welcomed in the New Year at home. It was wonderful.

..trying to get 6 girls under 4 to look..not even worried about smiling..

Now the decorations have been packed away, the snow is obviously taking a year off, the house has been organized from top to bottom in the event of a quick move (that's all the info I can give as far as expanding on the interviews!), and the holiday pounds have been oh-so-nicely packed on. 
2011 was good.  No complaints.  Odd years have always seemed to be better for us for some 'odd' reason, but I just have a feeling 2012 is going to be pretty great.  It's already off to a good start with my best friend becoming a mom to a perfect, amazing little boy...we just booked our summer vacation at the beach...and my brother and sister-in-law found out they are expecting again!! 

Oh yeah, and in a few short weeks, we are Florida-bound.  Like I said, pretty great.  Here's to a very happy 2012!