Thanksgiving Highlights

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving filled with lots of family, friends, love and laughter. The feast was Delicious and definitely worth all of the many hours that went into the preparation and cooking. My mom is the best cook ever! It was great seeing family and catching up. Later that night, some of us stayed up late and played games. It was a lot of fun to get to do things that you don't get to do very often and to spend time with those you treasure and don't get the opportunity to see as much as you like. I am very thankful for Thanksgiving and for the opportunity it gives us to be with those we love :)

On another note, it is a tradition in my family to wake up early on Black Friday to go shopping. So, crack of dawn at 4am, my mother, sister and I braved the stampede at Walmart at 4:30am. It was cccrrraazzy,but I got some cool deals. Then we booked it over to Target at 6am and got some steals there too. People can seriously go nuts to get the things that they want. Fortunately, we all came out of it without a scratch (although Melinda, my sister, did drop a doll on someone else's head) and were done shopping by 8am! Fun stuff!

Xmas Photos!

Bridget took our Christmas portraits a couple of weekends ago. I have just been too lazy to post them. The kids did very well considering and I was very happy that we got lots of adorable ones! Here are some of the ones I love. Sorry there are so many, but hey, I narrowed it down from over 200!!! :P


















P.S. I am counting down the days 'til Christmas already! Can't wait!

Here's to you. . .

Yesterday was my best friend Bridget's big 25th birthday. Thinking about her, I had the opportunity to reflect upon our friendship. Bridget is such an amazing, beautiful person and friend. We have known each other and have been close friends since the 5th grade. We have a lot of history and a lot of great shared memories. I am so grateful to have her in my life. She loves me and my family unconditionally. We have had our moments, but a few minutes later we are back to being inseparable again. There is nothing big enough to ever be able to come between us. Bridget is the most unselfish, giving, understanding, positive, reliable, humorous, and loving person. She has always been there for me and has always offered her honest opinions, and selfless time. She has always offered her help and has gone to great lengths to give it. She is great with my kids and my girls just adore her. She loves them like a "true" aunt. In turn for her loyalty, I have always tried to be the best friend to her that I can possibly be, though I don't think that I will ever be able to measure up. It is funny when people see us together because they sometimes get this look of shock or misunderstanding on their faces. You see, in appearance, we are as different as two can possibly be and others find it hard to believe that we could possibly get along and get along enough to be best friends. Bridget takes on a rougher outer appearance with her tattoos and punk clothing, whereas I have a much softer look with my curls and colorful wardrobe. It's a joke to us and makes us laugh to see and hear people's reactions. But we pay no mind to the opinions of others because only we know the deeper connection that is at the core of our friendship. We are more alike than people think and it is not our looks that our close bond is based upon. One of our greatest shared interests is our love of photography. Her photos are so incredible and she gives me much to look up to. In many ways I hope to be able to be more like her. I thank God for the true friend I have found in her and those who know her know what I mean. She can turn the most sour days sunny and the most troublesome circumstances positive. So, here's to you Best Friend! Thank you for all that you are and all that you do. You have no idea how much you impact and influence the lives of others for the better! Just do your thing, be who you are and do what you do best: SHINE, SHINE, SHINE! I heart you!

I am an OVERWHELMED mom.

So, I have come to admit to myself that I am an Overwhelmed mom. Yesterday on Oprah, the show was about overwhelmed moms and crisis that have happened due to being so overwhlemed. If you didn't catch it, it was a great show. I was really surprised to see how many other moms feel the way I do. It is really nice to know that I am not alone and that other moms experience the feelings of inadequacy when it comes to parenting their children. Recently, I have felt at my wits end. The last few weeks have been a blur of stress and frustration and losing my patience more than I should. The worst part comes at the end of the day when I look back on its events and cry because I wasn't and am not the mom I want to be. I feel like my children deserve better. There must be some unwritten rule somewhere that states all moms feel the need to be a "Supermom." When my children were born, I just thought that this ideal image was the way I was supposed to be. I should be able to handle everything with grace and ease. I should be able to juggle work, the laundry, the dishes, diaper changes, feedings, cleaning and sleep times all at once. I should be able to run a smooth day off of 5 hours of sleep at night easily. It should be a piece of cake because it is my role. It is what I am supposed to do and do well. Then throw two other children into the mix that I care for daily, all four under the age of two and life is swell and dandy! All of them screaming at the same time and wanting to eat at the same time is a daily occurrence. I just want to shut myself up in my room at times just so I can get a break and breathe. I need to learn how to slow down, but I feel like I juggle too much and have the weight of everything on my shoulders. I love my girls so much and I want to be a great mom, but I have been feeling so horrible and alone lately. I don't want to yell at Lily. I want to have fun times and make great memories with the girls. I just get so frustrated at times that I want to just scream! I just feel like there is never enough time to do everything and I am always rushing. How do I stop being overwhelmed? I am not Supermom. I admit it that I tried to be, but I am not. I need help. How do I deal with and discipline a 2 year old who thinks that getting in trouble is funny? I feel like I've tried everything. Nothing has seemed to phase her! She has started throwing the worst tantrums and they are so awful! She is just so frustrating. I know a lot of it is her age, but when does it stop! I try to find things that will keep her busy, but it only lasts for so long. Alex has been teething and so hard to be around. She's been so whiny and clingy and up 3-5 times at night. I haven't slept a full night in 9 months. Her naps are short and she is up screaming again. I feel like I am going crazy! Husbands can be really hard to deal with at times because they don't understand. He probably believes I am supposed to be Supermom too. I feel like such a let down at times. I want to be a better parent, but I am not sure how. Talking doesn't seem to really help. I need to be in control again, of my life and myself. I really am an OVERWHELMED MOM!

A Parent's Prayer

They're only little once.

Grant me the wisdom to guide them

down the path that their feet should take.
For I know that they can never turn back and

walk those paths with me again.
Give me the wisdom to guide their feet so that

someday they'll be able to walk alone.

They're only little once.

Give me the time I need to enjoy them.
For I know that after they're grown, I'll never have

another chance to tell stories and

pretend at those tea parties.

I'll never have another chance to watch

them in a school play or sing in church,

or to see them catch that first fish

or score that first goal

or hit that first home run ball.
Give me the time in life's busy schedule to

have fun with my children.

They're only little once.

Let me be a loving parent.
Let me correct and not just punish,

explain and not merely scold.
Let me know when to correct, and how often,

and when it's best to just look the other way.
Help me be patient and give me a gentle hand to

mold them into better people.

They're only little once.

Let me be a good teacher and

an even better example.
Give me the right words and deeds to teach them.
Help me to teach them about You

and how to walk in Your ways
so that when they are older

they will not depart from Your ways.

For they're only little one time,

only innocent and trusting and

pliable for a space of time,

one minute in an eternity.
Let me do my best for them

while I have the chance.

Amen

~Anonymous~

Milestones

As of yesterday, Alex has reached a new milestone. She is now pulling herself up to stand! She is so proud of herself and her accomplishment. It's funny to watch her do it because after awhile she will start hollering because she can't figure out how to get back down. Then it's Mommy to the rescue! It is so bittersweet to watch her grow. I love watching her do new things and flourish, but at the same time I see my baby getting bigger and bigger and becoming more independent already. I am not ready for her to grow so fast. Time seems to just fly by all the time. I would give anything to slow it down. I have realized in the past couple of days that I really need to focus more on spending time with my children rather than fussing about the house and cleaning up all the time. These precious moments pass to quickly and I need to enjoy them while I can. I have made it a personal goal to take each day one at a time and to deal with things as they come. I want to live in the moment and enjoy it with my girls. I want to love on them as much as possible and play until exhaustion. I want to have no regrets. I have come to realize these are the things that matter most and that I don't have all the time in the world to enjoy them.

Lilyana has become so independent in her 2 years. She is 2 going on 16 already! She wants to do everything herself and she prides herself in it. She is also my little drama queen. She makes me laugh all the time when something happens and she needs to tell me about it. She runs up to me with both palms pressed against her cheeks saying, "oh, no! oh, no!" in her most dramatic voice. I try not to laugh while she is telling me what is wrong, but afterwards I always do. She has become so dramatic about everything! I love it! She is totally into dressing up and playing with her baby dolls. She loves to pretend to read to them. She also likes to dress herself and undress herself for that matter. She usually doesn't like to have her picture taken, but lately she has become somewhat of a supermodel; always flashing her cheesy smile when a camera is pulled out. I think she just likes to see the pictures of herself on the digital camera. She loves to cuddle and just sit in my lap while she watches her cartoons. She enjoys horsey rides from daddy. She loves washing her hands over and over and over again and playing with the soap. She loves to brush her teeth and she LOVES lotion. She likes to watch me in the bathroom while I'm doing my hair and mimic me. She likes mousse and hairspray and ponies. It is so cute and funny. She is such a girl and I love everything about it. At the same time, she loves to run around outside and play and get dirty! She loves bedtime stories and to be read to and she freaks out if she doesn't get her "lovies" before being tucked into bed at night. I definately have my hands full with her, but I look forward to everything that life with her brings.

Alex is my angel baby. She is already a mama's girl. She loves to be cuddled and held and she loves it when daddy tickles her! She is pulling herself up to sit now, is crawling a little and scooting everywhere and now she is standing. Next comes walking! Arrgg!!! Not yet! She is always full of smiles and wild, crazy laughter and delightful screams. She loves animals and will laugh the most heartwarming laugh just upon seeing them. She likes to attack them with her "love" leaving behind a slobbery trail of matted fur. Alex loves her sister and thinks that she is the funniest thing to ever walk to planet. All Lily has to do is put her face close to hers and Alex just gets rolling. Alex is so easy to love and she is so patient. She rarely is crabby and just loves to play with toys. Her recent favorite is a small little tikes piano. She just loves to bang on that thing! She also loves to be pushed around on one of those toddler push cars. The grin on her face just spreads ear to ear when she goes for a spin. Gosh, I love her. I am so grateful to have such wonderful, loving little girls! God has truly blessed me and I am so thankful he has entrusted me and chosen me to be the mother of two of his precious daughters.