Where Oh Where Art Thou?

In my short and ever so brief blogging break, I feel some things were a little glazed over that I should quickly recap. I will do it in bullets to move things along and let the pictures actually be worth "a thousand words".
1. Garage Sale
Boy, oh boy, am I so glad that is over. I am never, ever, ever doing it again. The garage sale was to begin at 8 and people were camped outside my house at 6:45 am trying to see things. To top it all off, it was FREEZING outside. The kind of cold where you have to bounce to keep warm and hover over your Starbucks begging for mercy.
Papa Joe and Honey were troopers though. They came in for Papa Joe's 60th birthday and helped me survive the onslaught of deal seekers. Honey worked the sale and Papa Joe helped my hubby, Joe III {family nickname and to help clarify things} watch all three munchkins. This worked out great until the threesome was allowed outside to experience the "fun" and found their beloved little treasures being sold. The boys tried rescuing a few items but they eventually made their way back to the sale or goodwill donations. Thanks for everybody's help. Please remind me to never do this again though. It was a lot of work!

The droves of treasure hunters

my scary hoarder room now in the driveway for all the world to see

a couple of jammie clad twins interested in all the action with posing with Honey

now properly attired posing with Papa Joe and Honey before a jaunt to the park

Cute picture but seriously....never again!

treasures reclaimed by Fenley

Bear finding his old bath toy

 2. Big Kid Beds
Mary Ellie and Fenley got into a habit of escaping from their iron cribs and scaling the plantation shutters. This caused lots of problems: they were practicing nastics on our shutters, pretty sure the neighbors did not like being spied on all the time, they were going to break something while climbing out if we did not take action, and we would find them wandering all over the house and making trouble. So, garage sale profits went to big kid beds.
This was a very exciting move for them and us. Mommy kind of forgot that new mattresses needed sheets, blankets, and rails so I had to dash off after the delivery, run to Target and Babies R Us for the items, run home to wash everything, and make it back to school by noon for pickup. The twins were thrilled with the new beds but they still escape. They have had them a little over a week now and they are getting better but the new found freedom is still creating a little chaos.
Now we need bed frames or headboards or something but more on that decorating project later!

Bye bye cribs

Mamie home from school and excited about new polka dot sheets

Car sheets!!

the lambs are so very sleepy after school but so excited about these strange new beds

Hello Big Kid Beds

Think we need to get a decorator in here to solve the blandness but ahh...no more twins escaping and climbing out of iron cribs

 3. Into Everything
The children have been exploring and getting into everything at our house lately. Climbing on the kitchen counters, opening the fridge, emptying linen cabinets, emptying an entire box of wipes, and so on and so forth. The most noteworthy explorations go to Bear and Fenley.
Bear decided to climb the hearth and explore the inside of the fireplace. He was covered in SOOT. To make this even grosser, we have lived here almost 4 years and never have lit a fire there. Eewwww and not to mention a disaster to clean up. This little man was so proud of himself he was beaming and bouncing in delight by the time I captured him off the hearth. I decided to inwardly scream and pause to take the baby's picture.
We cleaned him off and rushed him out the door to a play date but I will never forget the look on his delighted face and the soot.
Fenley gets second prize for finding diaper rash cream and pretending to be like Daddy and shave with it while he was supposed to be napping. Also, not fun to clean up but he was a little more sheepish when I found him. I took a picture or two to show his father. Rascals have literally been getting into everything. Say a quick prayer for my sanity!

4. Date with Bear
I took Bear on a quick date after dropping off our trunk at my partner, Brooke's house, I knew we would never make it to bible study, so I spent the morning with the little guy. He is such a sweet boy and I loved every minute of just the two of us. Thank you for a great date, Baby Bear!

Bear is always on the move so a lot of my date he played hard to get

the sweetest toddler park

Such a great date!

 5. Severe Weather
As I mentioned in the last blog, we have been having some severe weather, freezing winds, and all over stay-inside and bundle up weather. This is a little hard to do with the two lambs and bear because they go stir crazy. I grabbed a few "new" toys or "out-of-rotation" toys from the closet and they entertained themselves for a couple of days.
The weather has cleared and the pipe newly capped {the one that flooded the backyard}, and Sunday has been sunnier and warmer. We got to take the kids to the park and on a picnic. What a treat for us all to get outdoors and the children love getting to run off some energy. Enjoy the park pictures. The munchkins look SO big to me in jeans and tee-shirts it reminds me why I keep them so baby and old-fashioned most of the time despite loving their tee-shirts. They love their tee-shirts too and proudly pointed to the new pictures on them and had a great day. Back to normalcy {relative term around here} and a new week ahead.

Fenley has a small obsession with diggers. This was a gift for Christmas that is quite noisy so it lives in the corner of a closet and makes appearances when Fenley really needs cheering up or the weather is too awful to play outdoors. Fenley loves it! Such a treat for him when the digger comes out to play.

Barbie and Barbie corvette were also gifts that live in the closet to entertain the twins. We play with mostly wooden toys so the kids think these toys are a riot when they get to play with them {we rotate toys as to not get bored around here}. I was a little concerned about Barbie and her lack of clothes so Pinkalicious has a new car that is pink-a-fabulous!

Fenley looks like a little boy here and not my baby. Boo hoo.

Bear also looks like a little boy. :(

Always running in the opposite direction, my little man. I love this picture because it captures his little toddler-trying-to-be-a-big-boy gait

He turned around. So thrilled to have a handful of gravel.

Happy Sunday and enjoy the Super Bowl!

Walk a Mile in Our Shoes

To walk a mile in our shoes would add a good dose of hilarium and humility to any one's life. We have had a great week so to choose this week to begin your adventure would start you off on the right path even if it is the road less traveled for most families with the two lambs and bear in tow.

The Road Not Taken Robert Frost

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;         5 Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,         10 And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.         15 I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.         20 Say for instance you were Mary Ellie's navy blue Mary Jane. It began it's journey in the closet snoozing (probably quite happily) and hiding from the winter wonderland outside. A navy blue Sea Wee had taken it's place. It did not matter to Mary Ellie that it was around 20 degrees outside. She found Fenley's summer Sea Wee Sandal and decided that was what she was going to wear with her new skinny jeans (a gift!). I decided to let her be since she was not going anywhere. Navy Blue Mary Jane got the better deal getting to sleep in a bit longer as did the navy blue Saddle Oxfords because Fenley, in his two-year-old might, choose the navy blue Crocs. We had to keep walking on because life cannot stop for silly shoe choices. I can say that this week concluded where we all learned a little and walked away a bit wiser and more educated. Only the navy blue Mary Jane got a brief vacation and down time.... The twins' precious preschool is headed by a wonderful and intelligent woman, Ms. Hooper. She arranged to have a presentation by a psychologist to visit the school to give a lecture entitled "Raising Responsible Children in an Era of Indulgence and Entitlement". I needed to hear this and learn from this presentation. The psychologist, Dr. Goonan, touched on topics such as Developing Positive Self Concept, Protecting Self Esteem, Obstacles to Development, and Developing Potential. Dr. Goonan broke down these to the most basic level to understand everything perfectly (this sleepy shepherd was much obliged to the slow momma version). I took pages and pages of notes and the bottom line is I walked away a more educated parent and so thankful God placed my twins in this preschool with a caring Director of School that shares our values and presents opportunities to the children and parents to learn. Dr. Goonan also teaches Parenting with Love and Logic (which is on my nightstand "to-read" pile I showed in an earlier blog. I started and it is an easy-to-understand and approachable method to child rearing.) Taking the book one step further, I am arranging with Dr. Goonan and a group of friends, for him to teach us more about this book and how to apply it to your children and parenting methods. I think the lambs and bear need their momma to know this. Here is a helpful link: http://www.loveandlogic.com/ Parenting with Love & Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay The Mary Jane still warm and safe in the closet. I also got serious about one of my New Year's resolutions and got back to bible study. Here is how the introduction to Daniel began which is all awesome food for thought, spiritual reflection, and spending time with God. Remembering what we learned about knowing and doing God's will and that "if we don't know where we are going, we are sure to get there". Let's take some time to set up some personal goals and objectives for the New Year that line up with his purposes for our lives. Consider the Lord's command to each us in Luke 10:27 "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and all thy soul, and all thy strength, with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thy self". Let's use these God directed goals and set objectives for reaching the goal. Objectives need to be something you have control over and something that can be measured. Remember we are not vowing to do these things, but purposing in the Lord, looking to Him to help us accomplish these objectives..... Goal I: To love the Lord with all thy heart and soul. Prayerfully consider, what are some strategies that will encourage you to love the Lord with all your hear and soul? Goal II; To love the Lord with all my strength. What are your objectives to love the Lord with your body/strength? Goal III: To love the Lord with all my mind. What are your objectives to love the Lord with all your mind? (Thank about books, movies, Bible studies, etc you want to pursue (or not) that will help you accomplish this) Goal IV: To love thy neighbor as myself. What tangible ways do you want to show love for your neighbor this year? How will you do this? (Your neighbor may be your family, friends, or anyone you feel the Lord wants you to reach out to. Write out what you want to accomplish and how you plan to do this. If you have small children, you may also want to work through these goals with them in mind, for example: to encourage my children to love the Lord with all their hear and soul, I will set aside a time to pray with them at bedtime, or I will read (name the specific) books out loud to them each week or atleast three times. *This bible study small group questions is directly from Kathy Phillip's Prepare for Life study. Thanks to God for putting me exactly where I need to be for bible study too! This was a much more God-centered and thought provoking approach to setting goals for the new year. I mentioned before some silly goals and not getting too personal about my New Year's resolutions so the blog does not take on a checklist of objectives quality, this was a wonderful way to begin bible study for me as I try to complete one resolution: get back in bible study!! These questions are a great way for anyone setting goals and objectives for the year because it sets a road (less traveled or heavily trodden) for your personal relationship with God and His purposes for you! Jeremiah 29:11-13  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Sea Wee out. Mary Jane in.

After seizing the opportunity to learn and become a smidgen better parent via the school lecture and presentation, drawing closer to God, fellowship with friends, and evaluating my personal objectives, we did a lot of playing this week. Playing with friends at home inside because it was freezing!! Thanks to Reed and Reese our twin buddies to for coming over (big thanks to momma Kendell for getting them here and being my friend). Thanks to Will and Campbell for coming over, and momma Chelsea for entertaining me and teaching me more cool things. She told me about Habitually Chic. Hop on over to that for some eye candy fun.
http://habituallychic.blogspot.com/

As I am in crazy get-rid-of-the-cribs-because-the-twins-are-escaping mode, found this picture on Habitually Chic of a big-kid room really inspiring



This is in My Library right now because it has beautiful pictures of space for children:
Rooms for Children Stylish Spaces for Sleep and Play by Susanna Salk



Love this room! I really want to recreate some elements for our new big-kid room

Loving these linens too

AND Chelsea told me about NAPO. National Association of Professional Organizers
http://www.napo.net/default.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
Check out this dream organizer she found!
http://www.squaredaway.com/

If anyone saw my scary hoarders room, you would know how much I need this person in my life. My sweet friend, Kate S., had told me she hired a professional organizer, and after this beautiful and inspiring link, I am SOLD {Or at least motivated}. I had no idea in my mania it was officially National Get Organized Month. Thanks, Chelsea, for all the fun new information.

Momma got to sneak away and play too. Joe came home and I went across the street to hang with Nesi and Christi. Believe it or not, three women got to hang out chat design, life, parties, and fun girly-things for 3 hours and not once did we really discuss our kids. What a break from the normal mommy chatter. These women are cool and have kids and are not your crazy-helicopter-hovering mommas, what a combo. Nesi is an interior decorator (designer? not sure the difference or term, sorry, N) that has her own company Chateau Chic. She is also way kind to email pictures of things she discovers that I may like. Awesome! Thank you, Nesi. And I will show everyone pictures when I get it all together. Christi has an incredible blog for party planning with stunning and inspiring ideas so hop over to her blog:
http://pisforparty.blogspot.com/
For more pictures of her own son's party go here:
http://katelandersevents.blogspot.com/2011/01/stylish-guest-party-feature.html
 AND, she shared with me this fun blog:
http://hiphiphoorayblog.com/
Here are a few pictures from Christi's youngest son's party.





Thanks, girls, for the girl time and fun chat. Best of luck to Christi who hosted her other, son Nicklaus' birthday party today. Cannot wait to see those pictures because we all put together her party favors and looks adorable!

Mary Jane discovered but needed to be on the correct feet  because they originally and most definitely were NOT.


Where was I.....guest lecturer {check}, bible study {check}, playdates and fabulous new blog info {check}, time for just us grown up girls {check}.....ah...TGIF. Friday Night around our house is usually a "can you believe we survived another week" where Joe comes home at a decent hour and we get take-out or whip up something quick and try to catch up on our DVR collection of shows from the week we never get around to watching in the chaos. Not this Friday! We were invited to the home of a man Joe works with for a nice old-school dinner party. We had a wonderful time, as Ned and Sue are a great couple, so smart and fun, and wonderful hosts!
You know in the movies where people have grown-up dinner parties with interesting guests?? For once, we shed our sneakers or work loafers in the hubby's case, and put on our going-out shoes. The crowd included no less than 5 attorneys (okay, probably does not sound hopping at this point but they are great men and woman!), 1 blogger (haha, me), 1 queen of the proper entertaining (that would be Sue), 3 marathoners, 1 doctoral student for Immunology focusing on viral infection and the link to aging (keep us updated, Emily!), 8 documentary lovers, 8 book fiends, and no less than 6 Food Network/Jeffrey Garten fans. It was so fun and a nice adult-outing for us sheperds with worn out shoe leather. We almost panicked when we looked at our watch and realized it was 11 pm and our babysitter was expecting us an hour ago! I learned so much about new documentaries to see and a few more good-reads that rounded off the week of learning to a nice closing point. I will keep you updated on that as we check those off. Thanks to Ned and Sue for the wonderful dinner party! {also, stay tuned because Katherine is sending me new foodie blogs and Sue ,her Tres Leche recipe}.

Okay, back to the Lambs and the Bear....

Saturday: Navy Mary Jane takes a much needed break and fancy Red Mary Jane comes out for Chick-Fil-A and the park day trip. The week is over and the weekend off to an awesome start. Kicking it off was a park trip because it finally warmed up and lunch at Chick-Fil-A. The twins are chick-a-holics. You can overhear them actually talking to themselves in their rooms "french fries...yum" and Mary Ellie chimed in to Fenley "and chickey nuggets, Fenny". It was the most hysterical conversation I have heard between two two year olds. Topped ONLY by the fact Fenley refused to leave the play scape today and Joe had to climb in to retrieve the rascal. Enjoy the pictures.

Bear watching is complete shock that Daddy had to climb in the playscape

Joe to the rescue

rascal retrieved

Thank goodness tonight is date night. Whew. What a week. Hope you find it all as information filled and fun as I did! Blog heaven. Thanks for walking a mile in our shoes {particularly our beloved navy Mary Jane}

Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

PS Oh, and poor navy Mary Jane....by Friday night, tuckered our from her week of work, Fenley fed her a few chicken nuggets when he finished with his. I am sure NMJ (navy Mary Jane) is so glad it was Saturday and red Mary Jane was on duty.




Enjoy the rest of your weekend fellow travelers!