Saturday, January 31, 2015

Goodbye January




Yesterday I left the house at exactly 5:28pm and there was still light left in the sky.  We're ready to tuck January behind us and welcome February with open arms.  Bring on the Groundhog, the Birthdays, the Valentine's, the Travel Plans, and all 28 days of ever increasing daylight!  
 
The picture on my phone was taken last fall.  We ventured back to this location the other day.  The old cars were covered in snow and the cold wind gave us rosy cheeks and runny noses as we made our way through the deep snow.  
 
 
 
 
 
The girls are out on the snow machine every chance they get.  And it's always more fun with friends. They go around and around and around again.   Up and down and around some more.  But I think what they love most about going outside in the winter is the hot chocolate that awaits them when they get inside.
 


 
 
 
 

 


Especially when it's gormet hot chocolate topped with whip cream, marshmallows, chocolate chip, Skor bits, and sprinkles!  Now doesn't that look like the perfect way to send January packing?  Goodbye January.  See you next year.  Cheers!

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Four Year Mark


Today is the four year mark for this little blog page that I've got going here.  I clicked back to that first January when I started documenting our lives to see how much has changed in four years.  The funny thing is, besides growing bodies and longer hair, most things have remained the same.  The themes in our life seem to remain constant despite the slight changes in the characters due to age. 
 
Tonight I am lying in my bed typing these words and next to me lies two sleeping girls.  I love having them close to me.  That hasn't changed.  But instead of fresh bathed babies I have hot, sweaty little bodies, breathing deeply, recharging their batteries for another day.  I can see their faces from the glow of the computer screen, I kiss their cheeks and run my fingers through their hair and I look at them just as I did when they were babies and I still get that feeling that I can't believe these are my girls. 
 
Four years ago in January, we were getting ready for a fourth birthday and now we are preparing to celebrate number eight!  Fours years ago we were talking about babies growing teeth and now we talk about visits from the tooth fairy.  Four years ago I decided that blogging would be a way for me to celebrate the inbetween days, to take the time to acknowledge and appreciate life's little details.  To write about life's regular events and to not end up with a photo albums full of pictures from a camera that only got taken out for "special" occasions.  And here I am, four years later, posting pictures of our trip to Wal-Mart.  The girls wanted to buy something with the gift cards they received at Christmas.  So off we went to see what treasures could be found.
 





In case you were wondering, Lexi settled on glitter because the Barbie section was empty and Callie chose temporary hair color.  They both still have money left on their gift cards which also makes them very happy.  Oh, I must mention that Lexi asked if she could just buy chocolate with all her money but mom overruled that decision.  They each bought one treat.  Chocolate Mini Eggs for Lexi and Sour Patch Gummies for Callie.




On Monday nights, one girl dances and one girl goes to gymnastics.  And this past Monday I made it to both classes with my camera under my arm.  Just a regular Monday night, no big show or competition.  Just finding the beauty in the everyday.






 
 

The number of posts to this blog has been slowing decreasing over the past four years.  But I'm going to do my best to keep going.  To keep reminding myself that even though the overall theme of loving my family doesn't change, so many of the little details in life do change with time.  I want keep celebrating the little things and take the time to notice them as they are happening.  And that means pausing every once in a while to tell about them in this space.  
Year five of From the Heart, to be continued... 

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Kitchen View

Well, I have not much to say today.  We still have our heads down, pushing through January but we made it around the first turn, surviving the first week back to routine.  We are digging deep to find the beauty in the everyday, so here it is...
 
The view from the kitchen...

 

 

 


 

Lemon water, clean eating, Pictionary drawings and Mustache smashing.
It's a pretty good view. 
Almost as good as the ocean view I've been dreaming about... almost.   

Sunday, January 4, 2015

One Turn at a Time

Tomorrow we enter back into the real world.  This is a tough holiday to recover from.  Returning to school and work after the Christmas break lacks the excitement of returning after summer holidays and the dark mornings make it less thrilling to get up and go compared to after the Spring break when we're blessed with more daylight.  January is the time we put our heads down and trudge through the next six weeks of winter.  And I say six weeks not because that's the end of winter but it at least gets us to a long weekend!
 
I'm not one for resolutions so much.  I didn't make any goals even though they say goal setting is important.  What I'd really love to do is hibernate until spring.  You know, drink some coffee, read some good books beside a crackling fireplace.  But I don't figure hibernating would make a very good resolution so I will set my alarm, get the lunches made, and put the back packs by the door.
 

Years ago I went downhill skiing in the mountains.  Since it was my first time ever downhill skiing I started with some lessons like a sensible person would.  I remember getting of the chair lift and looking down the mountain wondering how I was ever going to make it back down to the bottom.  The instructor told us not to look at the bottom but to say to ourselves "just one turn at a time".  And then a group of four year olds skied past me with no poles, following their instructor, just one turn at a time down the side of the mountain. 
 
Instead of looking down the entire mountain of what's left of winter, I'm going to take it one turn at a time. And hey, if I hibernated I would miss all this...
 










One turn at a time. Good Night.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Remnants of the Holidays.


I've been thinking about the past two weeks and was wondering if there is any other time of year that can pack in as many emotions in such a short time.  It begins with the hustle of preparing and getting things ready.  Cookies baking, candles burning, company coming, presents to wrap, fridge is stocked, the bar is open and anticipation hangs thick in the air.  With each Christmas concert and Christmas craft and candy put an the gingerbread house we wind up the excitement  meter just a little bit more.

And Christmas morning comes with a bang.  There is a new feeling.  A feeling of joy and love. And the true realization that it really didn't matter what was under the tree but who was around it that mattered most.  Everyone is relaxed.  There is no more waiting.  Coffee is brewing.  Carols are playing.  The dark of the morning turns into the light of the day. The house is a happy mess and no one is worried about cleaning it up.  And after a few days of rest time, lingering in torn wrapping paper and empty boxes, trying out all the new gadgets, lazing around in our jammies, I take a look at the tree and the needles on the floor and make a decision that it's time to move on from Christmas and prepare for a new year. 

Jon and I celebrated our ninth anniversary.  I started the morning looking at our wedding album and texting random pictures to people from nine years ago beginning the flood of well wishes from family and friends.  Having an anniversary on New Year's Eve is pretty awesome.  It's like looking back and looking forward at the same time.  We stayed home and watched the ball drop in New York.  And yes we celebrated the New Year at eleven instead of midnight because of the time difference between here and the big apple just like old married folks would.  Because we like being old, married folks. 

And now, Christmas is all packed up.  The last of the gingerbread is being dipped in my morning coffee.  The fridge has been restocked with healthy, clean eating food. We are talking about Monday morning, next month's birthday girl, and passport renewals. Getting ready and winding up for next round of excitement.

The remnants of the holidays...

Happy New Year.  2015 here we come!