Big goals, little goals...somewhere in between goals.

I love this time of year and the breath of fresh air it brings. Optimism that with the start of a new year you can revamp things and make you life better.

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Quite often I find myself never achieving the goals that I so confidently set out for, but for at least a month I ride that "I am going to be a new me" high.

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Some of my many goals wandering around in my brain are as follows:

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HEALTH:: I really want to eat more healthily. I was able to lose a b-load of weight last year (New Year's goal that I actually accomplished...like first time EVA!). And for the most part I have maintained that... maybe up 5 or 7 or 10 lbs during the never ending buffet of amazing goodness that surrounds the holidays. So even though my weight has stayed relatively the same, the inches all over have increased since the fall. Who knew eating Ramen noodles EVERY SINGLE DAY could make your stomach bigger by 4 inches?? (That is just on my stomach...also gained inches every where else. The only place that it is welcome is in the boob department---(losing weight = flat as a board.)

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So I don't have drastic things I want to change there... Just incorporate more veggies and fruits (like as in actually eat some during a given day). And probably have my girls eat more of them too. We are on entirely too friendly of terms with Ramen in our house.

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MOMMYHOOD:: Read at least a story each day to the girls. Try to have one on one time with each of them daily.

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WIFEHOOD:: Every time I talk to Marcus I almost ALWAYS start it out with how frustrated I am about something. There are times when it is warranted...there are a lot of times where I could start the conversation in a positive nature instead. So essentially not be so naggy. Or so "woe is me". A little optimism never hurt anybody.

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ME-HOOD:: Try to limit my pretend swear words to "Oh my goodness!" Or "shoot!". Right now they are mostly "frick", "flip", "frack"...just sounds kinda crass. Sounds even worse when you 3 year old starts pretend cussing with them too. Like in a real pretend-cuss word situation.

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ALSO:: Procrastinate a little less. If I feel the urge to call so and so about this or that, or I need to set up that or the other before X date arrives.... JUST DO IT. Don't let it hang over me forever before I actually get off my duff to do it.

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Just a little smattering of all the thoughts running through my head! Hurray for goals!!

Christmas. A Recap.

We had a wonderful Christmas. I love this age of kids because the toys are totally magical and not that expensive. They felt like they won the lottery and it didn't hurt our pocket book. One of their toys was a Doctor kit. Olivia proceeded to administer a physical evaluation on Bianca as soon as we got it out of the box.

Bianca loved the unwrapping and could care less what the item was once the paper was off. I had to be on red alert with her through the whole holidays whenever we were around presents under a tree because she always wanted to demolish them.

We spent the morning hanging out and watching the new movies the girls got (Wall-E and the first Toy Story). Olivia is in love with Toy Story and she has only seen the first two. Right when she opened the first one on Christmas she exclaimed "Yea! Toy Story One!". It was kinda creepy that she knew it was the first in the series when we hadn't even told her about it. Watch a little too much TV??

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After a little bit Grandma Wanda came over and decorated gingerbread cookies with Olivia. We also had a Christmas Party with Teri's side of the family. Those get togethers are always a blast! The whole day was totally perfect!

Flying Solo

These last few weeks flew by crazy fast for me, just like I figured they would. Today was the first day of swinging into our old routines.
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On the way to the airport, Marcus and I both talked about how him leaving was a little bit of a relief. Since the day after Christmas, I could feel a dark cloud hanging over head. No matter how much fun we had, or what kind of magical family time there was, it was always lurking in the back of my mind that it was soon going to be over.
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It built up and built up and by the last day it was a full force typhoon, with all the strong winds and rain manifesting itself into tears that would leak down my face. I am a cry-er by nature. Happy, sad, frustrated, surprised. You name the emotion and I can name a time I have cried with it. So needless to say my already sensitive crying gene busted into over time, and all that weeping and seeping really takes a toll on a lady.
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Anytime that I let the tears fall, it always ended with a reassuring warmth that we are doing what we need to be doing and that would calm my troubled heart. We never were on a real life schedule while he was here, so that feeling that you feel after a vacation, being ready to get back to a routine and normalcy, we both felt it. Which is weird that, for right now, being apart is our new normal. I have no doubts that when we are together again that we can fit back in place like we used to.
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So today I was ready. Ready to do my normal morning routine with the girls. Pancake breakfasts, working out, running errands, tucking their sweet little spirits into bed at night. I know I can do this, which gives me comfort. But I also know just how hard it can be, which makes me a little sad. So I just try not to think about the hard stuff and focus on good stuff. Like when Olivia tells me she sees an "opticopter" flying in the sky. Or her asking me to go to "chicken nuggets house" for lunch (AKA McDonald's).
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My heart aches to be with my Marcus, but I know that I just need to be patient and we will soon be together again. For now skyping with him and listening to him read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to the girls will help fill that void.

All together!

To say this weekend has been magical would be a gross understatement! I has been total perfection. We have got in some really fun family time with extended family and we have also had some wonderful time just to ourselves.
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We had a little photo op before church started while we were all in our fancy dancies! (Do you like my sweater....it makes me feel all fancy and international because it came from LONDON! Thanks Kaitlyn!).
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We have been making candies, eating a ton of food, going out for dinner to a Korean restaurant, watching The Fighter, playing Settlers of Catan, watching movies, have parties, eating brunch, taking a bazillion pictures, laughing so hard it hurts, learning Korean nursery songs and cuddling.
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The girls have been wonderful! Acting like he has always been here, no weirdness or anything. I expected there to be more of a transition but so far we have just snapped right back into full family mode. It has only been a few days and my heart is so full!

EEEEEEEK!

So I am so hyped up that I can hardly contain myself. I don't know how in the world I am going to get any sleep tonight!

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Marcus comes home TOMORROW! He left in July and I only saw him a day in a half in September. The girls haven't seen him (besides skyping) since July.

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I CAN'T WAIT! Plus I am also major scattered brained right now and can't really focus on anything long enough to get anything accomplished (IE uploading any pictures to do a decent posting).

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Oh well, you can't really blame a girl for going out of her mind in excitement....right?

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Do you like how I published in extra large text so you could REALLY feel the excitement through your computer screen?

Getting our Christmas On!

Olivia was confused when I told her we were making a star for the Christmas tree. My friend Rachel did her Christmas tree über cheaply and I incorporated her ideas when doing ours. Except I didn't do it as fabulously as she did.

My little Konks loved all the Christmas decorating action!

They had just eaten lunch and Bianca is especially messy in all things including and not limited to meal times. Her clothes got trashed...hence naked baby running around.

Here is our little 35 dollar prelit Walmart tree we bought a few years back. Works like a charm.

Except when you can't find the legs to the base. In which case you just pull rice from your food storage and load them in a stock pot to stable it. Which then you also fasten securely to the wall with string and tacks. All of which will not stop you bebe from tearing the whole dang thing down!

3 dollar tree decorations! Just two boxes of candy canes. I cannot take credit for this idea either, Kaitlyn already did this style to her tree. And as all the evidence proves thusly... I follow my friends blindly and with wild abandon. (Can you see my nifty string in the background??)

Candy on a tree?? Awesome idea Mommy!

Thank goodness Grandma Teri was there to be our picture taker! You know you are a SAHM when wearing anything other than yoga/exercise pants makes you feel terribly uncomfortable and constricted. Thank goodness leggins are in fashion or I would walk around looking like a homeless person!

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Surprisingly no one has eaten the candy canes yet! And I am not the least bothered that they break when they fall off because they are so cheap!

concerned...

I was folding and putting away clothes and I realized something. I have, somehow, taken over the entire closet. We boxed up a lot of Marcus' clothes before he left and all that is really in the closet is his suits.
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I have the whole rack, on both sides, full of my clothes. I haven't been shopping, besides a very limited few new purchases, all my stuff has somehow oozed all over the whole place. Then I realized I was very content with my closet conquering. Which isn't a problem right now.....but it will be when I eventually will have to share closet space again.
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Also I am a very light sleeper by nature and I think I have gotten used to sleeping solo. Olivia had a nightmare and slept with me the other night and I woke up with every roll over that she made. Ruh, roh. Me thinks I might be in trouble!
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On a happy note, I found the camera! Yeah! Pictorial posts soon!