TEN ON TUESDAY

1. Hello Tuesday..I almost forgot you were here. oops!

2. Throughout the week, I think of random tidbits to include on this TOT posts and I always intend on writing them down, but of course I never do...so I sit here and say helllllloooooo!   

Good thing my daughter has a good memory, at least for the things she likes to remember, that I can only hope that she will help her momma in her old age.

3. Although---MC does have a habit of putting her shoes on the wrong feet.  Each and every time.  How does that happen with a 50% success rate?? Not sure...so maybe I should work on that memory thing.

4. It almost doesn't feel like spring break here since it is..uhhh..winter COLD weather outside!  Enough already..pleassseee...my budding tulips are asking for cover already.

5. Scott is gearing up for travel in a few days. Or should I say I am the one preparing for him to be gone?  He will be gone for a week, home for two, and then gone for a few more.   Hello skype phone calls, pizza parties because mommy really doesn't care to cook and snuggle pajama days!  Well, maybe one PJ day in there...  I am sure we'll be fine but we will certainly miss him!

6. I have still been a little scrappy happy.  Of course I am a little behind in 365's now.. but so be it!  

Happy LOVE day up first.

7. And go back in time a bit more to remember THE blizzard of our lifetime the year.

8. Both of our kids are sweet cuddle bugs. They'll give you all the spontaneous hugs one needs, the 'i love you''s from MC are heard at many random moments and little Rylan even kisses his toys, books and cherished items good bye when he parts ways with them.  It's those moments that stop our world and wonder how we got so lucky to parent these two precious beings.

While Rylan naps, it is special MC and momma time.  We color, we paint, we read her books, we'll play games, or even just cuddle on the couch, watch a movie and snuggle.  

This picture  captured one of those moments.  

A picture I adore today and I think it'll be a favorite of mine for a long, long, forever time.

be still this momma's heart!

9.  Any here's one with Rylan and Daddy.  We both are lucky recipients of their loving affection.

10.  And why not leave you with a few more everyday moments.  Some of these iphone pics are my favorites!

 

For my little girl...

Who thinks the whole wide world is in her hands.

Who wants to try anything and everything.

Who hugs the world.

Who wants to be a doctor one day, a veterinarian another, and a dancer on another.

Who is willing to take that chance.

Who sees only the good in people.

Who doesn't see the differences, only the similarities.

Who doesn't even know that the word impossible exists.

Who we as a nation, and as individuals, can learn so much from her example.

Who wants to run right up that hill, and inspires others to do the same.

Who is that little girl, with great big plans.

Love you Makenna Claire, more than you ever know. There is no doubt that you will go far in life.  The whole wide world is in your hands. Don't ever forget that, ever.  love, momma xoxo

and thank you Mindy Gledhill, for a beautiful song.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Spring Break comes to us next week!  Well, actually a bit early today since M has off for parent conferences, but next week she is off all week.  What shall we do??  We'll definitely be out and about on at least 3 of those days. Let's hope for spring like weather to be our companion.

2.  If it was up to MC, she would be involved in everything a little girl could dream of.  Dance, ballet, gymnastics, German class, Spanish class, sign language, swimming....honestly, her list goes on and on.  I certainly don't have a child who likes to be stagnant.

3.  Hence, the need to "go, go, go" as Rylan saids. Especially when we take school out of the equation.

4. I have found a bit of time to do a few scrapbook pages.  Makes my heart and soul smile. Big.
Heres a little scrap share for highlighting MC's recent birthday.

5. and another..

6. Sweet little M loves to play with her little brother. And Rylan adores his big sister and wants to be 4 years old rather than 1 in a half.
Case in point..while I was stealing a few minutes to get something done yesterday, I heard M sweetly talk Rylan into following her into the bathroom.  As you can imagine, he eagerly accompanied her.

Ok..not so bad I thought since they were both giggling delightfully and M was acting as a mother hen. And it gave me a minute to finish doing my task.

Then I heard the water.  And the splashing.  And the glees of delight.
Not so good I thought.

I walk to the door, only to find it locked.  (stinker)
"Makenna open the door please"....and she opens it without hesitation.

Can you guess what I found?
And of course Makenna saids very quickly..."Rylan did it!" not mentioning her assistance.

What else to do but chuckle,especially since after handing MC two towels she eagerly soaked up all the water from the walls and the floor.

Childhood fun can be found everywhere. Thanks for the reminder kiddos!

7. I can't leave my little boy out of my scrapbooking happiness.
Here's a little scrappy treat of Rylan at one in a half.

It's so much fun to be able to do both girly and boy layouts!  Wasn't sure where I was going with this layout, but with a little bit of play, I love how it all came together.

8. And doing these layouts only makes me want to do more.  I certainly have many thoughts, stories and pictures waiting in the cue.

9. We went bowling on Sunday for Mom's birthday.  So much fun!  Makenna had a blast as did all of us.  Hmmm..maybe that'll be the next layout.  :)  (One track mind speaking.)

10. Is there anything better than snuggling with my baby at the end the day.  Pure heaven and momma contentness.

I sold my very loved camera...happy but I am surprised I am kinda sad to see it go.  I feel like I am saying good bye to a great friend since it has been my companion since I became a momma 4 years ago.  Time to say goodbye and move onto my next loved camera, right???  :)

Spreading the love of the irish

Hope you had a wonderful Happy St. Patrick's Day and had just a bit of green in your day!

Ten on Tuesday

1. First things First..
Happy, Happy Birthday to my sweet Mom!
We were so very excited to celebrate your special day with you and to Celebrate YOU!
You are an amazing Mom, a wonderful friend and the best Nana to MC and R.
We love you so very much and wish you the happiest of days and an amazing, happy, healthy year!  xo

2. Do you Groupon??  If not, check it out...it truly is a great site with awesome deals.  Today's deal at Shutterfly?  Sweet!!  And yes please..

3. Hmmm...thinking of "tri-ing".  Do I cross over?  Need to decide soon...

4. These were my babies last year.  Wow..how much they grow in one year.
 Happy St. Patrick's Day 2011 is almost here.


























5. Spring weather is teasing us and it has been so nice.  I can't wait to spend hours at the parks, long walks with the kids and with Cass, and to have open windows with the house filling with fresh spring air.  Ahhh.. thank goodness this upcoming week looks like we might of won the weather jackpot, at least for a bit.

6. Bye bye Uggs..hello Flips ( and I need to line up that pedicure! ).

7. Rylan is all about playing with his trains, cars and these little animals.  We play with them every day.  And now he picks up his helicopter and plane and zooms it through the air with the sweetest sound.  It's the cutest thing, and this momma is really enjoying experiencing life with this special little boy.  I definitely notice different things between the two kids, not just as individuals but the differences between a boy and a girl..and it's so much fun!

8. And little miss Makenna Claire is all girl.  All glamour, all chic, all sass {ha..sometimes!! :)}, and all about the look!

 Lately she is insistant about picking her outfits and of course, needs all the accessories to match.  It is all about that anyways, right?  Necklace..check.  Bracelets...check.  Earrings...check.  (mom's) High heels..yep, those too..check.

Who would of known that this day was 30 degrees and a bit windy?
Who would of known that this top is really a bathing suit cover up?
Who would've known.

As long as it looks good.

9.  This weekend we have a double date night with our awesome friends (can't wait you two!!) and mom's birthday celebration continues on Sunday with a family bowl.  Should be fun!!

10.  And this post cannot be closed without thoughts and prayers for all in and around Japan.  Our world is so amazing and so awesome, but at times it is a very cruel place.  This tragedy makes me hold my family tighter and enjoy all the ordinary moments of the everyday all the more.  I can't shake the feeling that across the Pacific, there is  a mom just like me who can’t feed her kids, or worse, might not even know where her children are.    I can only imagine the thoughts, the fears, the anxieties, the unknowns, and the horrific scenes they have witnessed and are experiencing...all that and so much more.....and here I sit with my children sleeping safely in their nice warm beds, in our sweet home without a care in the world.  How grateful and lucky we are...and we can only wish peace and strength for them to  preserver.  


There really is no words.

SUCCESS! for a runner wanna be..

Today I put my training to the test and ran my first 5k this season.
It was actually a lot of fun despite the hills (don't we live in illinois?) and the wind gusts of 20 mph.
I shaved off minutes off my previous times, enjoyed it and didn't have any GI problems which have plagued me in the past. Yippee Yahoo!  I am so excited and even more thrilled to rock those hills of Galena in May.

A big THANK YOU to my awesome fans, Scott and Rylan, who braved the winds and the cold to cheer me on. (Makenna was having a fun weekend at her grandparents house)  I couldn't wait to see you 2 at the finish line!! xo

(almost) Wordless Wednesday

Scissors...hidden.

Markers....keeping the scissors company.

Ten on Tuesday

Ten of my daily observations as of late...

1.  OK.. I have to admit.  This wasn't all a bad thing.  Pretty cute I must say!

2. This=cute. not so much.

Thankfully this nasty viral rash is on the way out the door.

3. I have a love hate relationship with pacifiers.  They provide lots of soothing for lil Ry but seriously...I either have 10 of them or I am looking all around for 1.  They are like socks..where do they all go?

4. Every weekend, just about, we take a family trip to get these at our local Costco.

Yes...the four of us consume it all, and it never, ever, lasts all week.

5.  My vice lately is dark chocolate.  Not a bad thing, unless you eat a half of the bar.  Probably won't buy another one for at least a week or two.

6. Why do kids always seem to put things on backwards.  They have a 50 50 chance of getting it right..but statistically, it doesn't pan out that way.  Sunglasses on upside down, Shoes on the wrong feet.  Things that make us go hmmm...and laugh too of course.

7. I'm back on eBay..currently selling some weight watchers stuff that I don't use but apparently there is a huge market currently for their new stuff.  Seizing  the moment and taking advantage of the demand..you bet!  Now I just need to get my old camera listed so I can pay for that photography class I bought!

8. I need some motivation to start making dinners again instead of relying on those standbys.  It seems like such a chore to me on most days.  Need to work on that.

9. Lately MC emulates us working out.  She exercises with my weights, runs in place and saids she can't wait to go bike riding with us this spring.  I think we as parents are doing something right by leading by example.  Healthy, active parental lifestyle=happy, healthy little people.

10.  I just signed up for a 5K St Paddy's Day run and I am excited!  Seriously..did I just say that?  Something must of changed around here.

Accomplished!

Project 2011, capturing a day in our life each and every day, is up to date!  WOOT WOOT.
Whew...now to stay on top of it... but that will be a much easier task.
Here are a few of my favorites.
{And of course you can look to the flickr photostream on the side bar to see them all.}

And this cup of goodness eased my stresses of yesterday...

Off to get the little lady a proper hair cut.

Hair today, gone tomorrow

This is my day.  How's yours?

I am sure you can guess where we are going tomorrow.
KIDS....they certainly know how to throw a few curve balls, don't they.?

Ten on Tuesday

1. Makenna Claire's birthday party was a complete success.  The knights and princesses had so much fun playing in the castle, getting their face painted and being crafty by making jewelry and shields that the 3 hours flew by.  "This was the best day ever!", was all I needed to hear to know that we did good!  =) Thank you to everyone who helped create this magical birthday party!

2.  And after last week's very busy days, it's nice to just take it easy this week and get back to our normal day to day things.  Ahhhh..

3.  Makenna started taking german classes at Language Stars this week and had so much fun she is eager to go back next week.  I better watch out...soon her and Daddy will start having their own conversations and I'll have no clue what they are saying!

4. Rylan has decided he is a big boy now in another way.  I can't say I was sad to put the high chair away, since keeping it clean is certainly the worst mommy job and is never an easy task.

5.  Last night I watched this movie.  What an eye opening, scary-to-think movie that has me contemplating a lot of things.  It left me feeling very sad, and disturbed, but at the same time awareness and knowledge = power.

6. Does every kid do this or just ours?? lol

7.  My goal this week is to get ALL caught up on my capturing a photo/memory a day project.  I can do it, I can do it, I can do it....

8. Makenna is having a sleep over at Nana's tonight.  She was so excited and very eager to leave this afternoon that her departure couldn't have happened a moment too soon.

I remember spending many a days and nights with my Nana and I am so glad that M also has such a special bond and relationship with her Nana.  Nothing in life is more important than spending quality time with those you love and treasure.  Nothing.

9. Now if only I can get my momma's boy to lighten up a bit and not get so distressed when I leave the room, even if it is only for a few moments.  Separation Anxiety is definitely peaking.  Boo.

10.  Do you believe I don't have one picture of MC with her momma and daddy, or even her brother, on her birthday or on the day of her birthday party?? Ughh...I need to be better at that.  Major boo...