One, two, skip a few....

Yep, I skipped a couple of days. I have been busy. Seriously.

Guess what? I finished my Christmas shopping for the girls!! Minus a couple stocking stuffers and Brave (which doesn't come out for 3 more days), I am DONE!!! I must admit, it is so hard not to go CRaZy. They are girls and they are at such FuN ages, ya know?!??!!! Question, do you shop with your spouse? I know I have mentioned this, but Jade doesn't like to shop. I do not take him. It would be torture for both of us. He doesn't even know I have gone. He just prefers it that way and so do I. Weird, I know.

I have been purchasing a few things here and there for the house. My mom & I went to Ikea several weeks ago and I bought a lot for the house. New frames, curtains, plates, silverware, lamps, placemats and ton of other stuff I cannot even remember. The saying in the picture above is from a party I went to a couple of weeks ago called Simply Said. It was such a fun party. I have new pictures for the frames on their way, as well. It was definitely time to change them since the girls do not look like that anymore. Next up is the girls room. They are getting bunks this winter. I cannot wait to pick out new bedding, curtains and do some fun things to their bedroom.

Tonight, is the daddy/daughter dance at the school. Reyna is SO excited. Roobs & I are going to spend the evening with my grandma.


Day #10
Today I am thankful for the sister bond. Whether they are playing with each other or arguing over a piece of dress up clothing, I love that God blessed us with two beautiful little ladies.

• Reyna and I played hopscotch yesterday, while Ruby frollicked around in the yard with a freeze pop.
• I am in party planning mode right now. Two more days until 2.
• Ruby went to bed wearing a crown tonight. She has such a personality.
• I appreciate Jade's aunt so much. I had a really great conversation with her today and I am just lucky to have her.
• I looked out my window tonight (mind you it's pitch black) and Jade was outside with a flash light picking corn. I adore his random-ness.
• It is so quiet in my living room, I can hear Kramer purring. Jade is reading and Pug is passed out on the couch. There is nothing better than a quiet night.

Pictures can say so much

These pictures tell quite a story about a typical day around our house. Just in case you couldn't tell:

• Reyna wears the craziest outfits and I just really do not care. I let her get herself dressed. As long as she is dressed for the weather when heading outdoors, I am fine in whatever. She is being herself. I have picked my battles and I am choosing not to fight her on this one. Plus, I love watching her walk out of her room seeing what she looks like. You never know what she may look like. :)
• Ruby LOVES the outdoors. If there is a pair of shoes sitting next to the side door (hence, the Uggs), she wiggles her little piggies into them and thinks that it is time to go "side."
• When things do not necessarily go Miss Ruby's way, she tends melt to the floor as if the world is going to end. I do get a kick out of watching her sometimes as long as I know she is safe....meaning she isn't going to throw herself into a piece of hard furniture etc....
• Quite often, Ruby's hair is just one hot mess. She has been such a little stinker about letting me touching it. If I let her play with her toothbrush in the bathroom sink, she will let me do whatever to it. So, that is what I have been doing.
• Sometimes, pants are just not an option. For Ruby, not for me. Just in case you were curious! haha.
• On this particular day, we did end up taking a walk. We just went out with more clothing, different shoes & improved attitudes.

Top Ten Tuesday-

1. I have been cleaning out and weeding out and throwing out random stuff around the house that no longer needs a place in our house anymore. Old cleaning products, old linens, old meds, toys with missing pieces, misc. stuff that was no longer needed. So, if you happen to come over, I will no longer apologize ahead of time for my coat closet, medicine chest, linen closet or under the kitchen sink. I guess you could say spring cleaning, maybe?
2. I am tired. Like, really tired. And I know moms that have busy little babes are supposed to be tired, so it sounds normal, but my tired that I am feeling, does not feel normal. Following?? I am not worried that it is something major, but I do think that it is my new meds my Neurologist put me on for my migraine preventitive. He wanted me @ 75, but I think 50 is working @ it is the max my body can handle. Also, Em made a good point today. She asked about my vitamin intake and water intake. Uhm...I am guilty on both. My response? Water has no caffeine. Yes, I have been awful about drinking agua during the day. SO, I made a promise to myself to drink more water during the day and I am going to start taking an Iron supplement on top of my Multi.
3. We had lunch with my mom and dad today. That in itself made for a good day. :)
4. Ruby's new phrase is, "oh, dosh." (oh gosh) When she drops something, she says it. So cute.
5. Uncle Bobby came home from work today a little sleepy and thought he might catch a little nap on the couch before dinner with my crazy ladies running around. I just had to laugh. It was a good thought anyway.
6. Reyna, Aunt Em & I made something today and I can't wait to show you all tomorrow.
7. Reyna has informed me that Santa is bringing her a new bunny & a hampster for Christmas. So.not.happening.
8. I LOVE Bethenny Frankel. The second I am done typing this, I have a date with her and Hulu. :)
9. I was so ticked, I was driving to my parents today and got a tiny chip in my windshield. Reyna (she notices EVERYTHING) noticed it right away and when she did she told me that I better start shopping for a new van. (She calls the Suburban a van b/c she never wanted to get rid of the van in the first place. She gets sentimental about things.) I tried to explain to her that cars were very expensive and that a tiny chip in the windshield can be fixed, but she was not so convinced.
10. I went to CVS this past Sunday and scored a few free things thanks to the help of a very dear friend. I must admit, I am really excited for the ads to make their debut on Sunday. Uhm, nerd?

I am thankful for days that go smooth like today. The girls woke up in happy moods, we ran errands early in the day and had a fun playdate.

I am thankful for days where Ruby takes a great nap and Reyna helps me with stuff around the house. It's fun spending one on one time with her. It was the kind of day where making dinner went smooth, the house stayed clean, there were no major meltdowns, lots of laughter & play.



I am thankful for the days where the girls enjoy each others company and I hear the words, "Mama, I love Ruby. She is my sister and I do not want to return her." 

I am thankful.

Yes.

So, very thankful.

Would you like fries with that?

Today was the day where I considered flipping burgers @ McDonalds just to get out of the house. We invited We were invited over ourselves over to Maeve & Henry's this morning, so the kiddos could run around and us mama's well, we could chit chat and have coffee. Reyna woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. She was being difficult from the moment her tootsies hit the ground. I fixed breakfast, got the girls settled in watching PBS and took a shower. During my 5 minute shower, Ruby had enough time to waddle her way back to the backroom and flood the water cooler and floor. Great.

Note to self, clean water up later.

As I am getting ready and struggling to get Reyna dressed, Ruby has discovered a full garbage in the bathroom and starts picking thru feminine hygeine (sorry people they were used) products. Gawd! I could have died at this point. After I sanitized the hell out of my child, I still had another that was running around stark naked.

After several failed attempts, I threw in the towel. I cancelled our playdate. It about killed me too because I needed to get out of this house more than the girls.

It's February. We have loads of snow. We're cooped up. Spring can get here, like anytime now.

I made Reyna nap today. I firmly told her it was not an option. She fell asleep pretty quick and the rest of the afternoon went smooth. The girls played well. I left @ went to aerobics and had sushi afterwards with Em.

When I walked in the door tonight, I heard Reyna sneak out of her room and ask Jade if I was home. She ran to me, threw her arms around my legs and told me how much she missed me and loved me.
It was pretty darn sweet.

I guess being a stay at home mom outweighs flipping burgers.

2 of my favorite things.

My fave coffee mug.

Because I have mentioned it before, coffee tastes way better out of this cup. I swear!

My Kindle. Jade surprised me with it for Christmas and since then, I cannot put it down. I take it everywhere.

Our (belated) 6th anniversary

I have said it a lot lately, but I am behind on life. Oh, well. This is my blog and I am allowed to write about whatever/whenver, right?

 Our anniversary was December 18th & we always make time for at least dinner out w/out the girls. This year, we went to Lansing. I came home that night and pulled out a picture from our wedding and scanned it. It is amazing how fast time has gone by.

In the past six years we have:

-had one truck, one car, two vans & 1 SUV that we have now

-not moved, even though we are praying someone will buy our house so we can

-had two amazing, gorgeous, healthy babies

-mourned the loss of one grandmother, one grandfather and two animals

-gone to Florida, Canada, New York & many parts of Michigan for vacation

-been struck by lightning. Not many can say that, right?   

-weathered the ups and downs of marriage, job stress/loss & daily life

-adopted an adorable pug

There are so many other things to add to this list, but these were the first ones that came to my head.

I am one lucky gal to have a guy like Jade. I don't talk about just him too often, but he is amazing. I love him as a husband, daddy & my best friend. I love him for the way he loves me. I love him for always doing random acts of kindness such as: driving to the store on Sunday to pick me up a newspaper. I love him for being the protective guy he is. I love him for putting up with me everyday. I love him for his patience he shows to the girls. I love him for starting my car up when I am leaving to go somewhere AND remembering to turn on the seat warmers. I love him for his hard work & good work ethics. I love him for the provider that he is. I love him for being as OCD as I am. Heck, the guy even scrubs out the microwave when something blows up! I just love him.  

1.11.11

Happy New Year, ya'll.

 We had a great night dining with our family @ Olive Garden + spending time with our friends that have three girls. It was low-key and perfect. Jade & I are not big New Year's people. In fact, we came home last night about 10:30 & rang in the new year with reading (me) & watching the hunting channel (jade). Don't we lead exciting lives?????

I thought I would share a few pictures this morning. Reyna has been having such a ball with Hanky bun aka our rabbit. She has been putting him into her grocery basket and pretending to grocery shop while Hank just rides along. I am telling you, we have a darn good bunny. He never goes to the bathroom, except in his cage & he is so gentle with the girls as they are pretty gentle with him, too. I definitely feel a scrap page coming out of this.

Unfortunately, Jade had to work this morning, so it's just the girls & I hanging out at home watching movies, lounging in our pj's & playing with Christmas toys. Both girls will definitely be napping today, since they had a late night. I am also leaning towards a little afternoon snooze before we head to my Grandma's to enjoy my Aunt's company before she leaves to go back to Buffalo tomorrow. Boo.

I don't know about you, but I am so excited for a fresh year. I am looking foward to Reyna's birthday this month, more Ruby milestons, visits from family, possibly a vacation, weekends in Ludington & staying home with the girls. I cannot wait to see what twenty eleven has in store for us. Each year, I think how lucky Jade & I are to have our health, the girls & their health, our family & friends. When it comes down to it, there isn't anything else I could possibly need/want at this point in time....okay maybe a vacay to Mexico, but you know. :)

{the girls enjoyed a pretend tea party while watching Stuart Little this morning}

tree blankets & good convo

Reyna had tumbling tonight and while we were on our way there, Reyna started asking questions about Christmas. Last Christmas was a lot of fun having two little ones, but this year is so different. It seems so much more magical. The feelings I am having about the holidays this year are similar to the ones I remember having as a little girl.

Everyday we talk about how many more days until Christmas. At the end of the day, she chooses a few Christmas stories to read. The past couple of days, she has requested to watch The Polar Express and she talks about our tree quite often.

Anyway, on our way to tumbling, she questioned where Santa was going to leave her gifts. I explained they would be placed under the tree while she was sleeping. I could see in my rear view mirror, she was really taking time to process her thoughts. I also reminded her that Christmas is celebrated because of Jesus. She asked me a few more questions mostly about what others were asking for. She was also kind enough to remind me that we needed to spread that "blanket" under the tree so her gifts could be placed on it. I have not placed our tree skirt down yet. I need to buy a few more lights and have not put our tree in the corner yet. She still corrects me when I call it a skirt. It is a blanket, duh!

After our convo, Kenny Chesney's Don't Blink came on. Have you heard it? Reallly listened to the words?

My babies are growing up. They are not babies, they are little girls. I have deep conversations with Reyna & Ruby can answer simple questions with a no or a mmhmm. Reyna asked Jade today if we could go to Africa and Ruby amazes me by making her animal sounds.

Some days I wish time didn't have to pass us by so quickly.

I have said this every dang year, but I REFUSE to be a last minute Christmas shopper. I have made my list of who is getting what & I have purchased a couple of gifts for family (Hi daddy-o) members. Today, I met up with Ash in one of our favorite stores (locally owned, as well), which happens to be the place where we met and became friends!!! Guess what??? I started & finished shopping for the girls today. I must admit, I was so proud of myself. It was just Ruby & I and we kicked butt in shopping early.

I can hardly wait for Santa to bring Reyna this  & the stable to go with. She is really into horses right now, so I think she is at the perfect age to start enjoying Breyer. I did not go wild on either girl, but I also picked her up a few books, art supplies, a Melissa & Doug princess stamp set and a few goodies for her stocking.

Ruby was a lot of fun to shop for, as well. I think both of them are at really good ages to buy for. Santa will be delivering a mower , a few Karen Katz' books, a wooden Melissa & Doug toy & a new set of building blocks.

Both of the girls are getting Pj's on Christmas Eve and I have purchased Ruby's, but not Reyna's. Other than that, the girls are done. It feels so good typing that.


I would love to know, what are you kiddos receiving this year? Do you set a budget or a number of gifts that he/she will receive?
******

On my way home, I was passing St. Vincent de Paul and they had a sign outside that said, "Now Accepting Toy Donations." I was curious if that was for new or used. I called and they are now accepting gently used. It had me thinking about how blessed we are. I am swooning over Classic Cardy Uggs right now, while there are many out there wondering how they are going to feed their children. I enjoy a warm home, while there are so many out there who do not have a roof over their head.

Tonight I started cleaning out the girls' toy collection. We have quite a few things in near perfect condition that need them far more than we do right now. Tomorrow, I will be dropping them off.

****
11.4.10
Today, I am thankful for the warm roof over my head.

My thoughts this Thursday

I never thought I would be the person to get into organic foods, but things have changed. Jade & I had been discussing the hormones & such that they pump into milk, eggs, meats etc.... and it had me change my tune. Have you seen some of the girls and the size of their tatas lately??? Sorry to be so forward, but good grief, girls these days are getting their periods earlier, developing when they are still in elementary. What gives? Added hormones to food? There has to be a link there.

When Ruby turned a year and started chugging whole milk, I switched our milk to organic. Yes, it is a little more expensive, but worth every penny. After the milk, I started buying organic eggs, then started focusing on meat. We are not big red meat eaters to begin with, but I am trying my hardest to stay away from a lot of red meats or anything that has been processed.

We are not in a financial position to switch everything over to organic, but I think switching dairy & meats can make a huge difference.

My question for you is: Do you buy organic foods? If so, what do you buy organic? Everything? Just a few things?

I have set up a poll and it allows you to make more than one choice. I would love to see what everything thinks. If you do not want to leave a comment, that is fine, but if you have a chance, could you take the time to weigh in on the poll?

Remember, this is a judgement free zone. :) I am just curious where you stand.