"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: whatever you call it,
whoever you are, you need one." -Jane Howard

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Christmas in Dixie

Plasma cars from Santa!  


Sweet babies at Great Grandma's house.

Not a horrible picture, but I swear, it takes a miracle to get them to smile together on command.  Little rascals...




Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Over-freakin'-whelmed


There is so much happening at light-speed that I feel like I'm a dog hanging out of a car window. So what happened this month?
  1. We decided to sell our house (Endured a roller coaster ride with a crappy Realtor, then had tons of fun battling with two very messy toddlers to keep the house show-ready, then had to find a competent new Realtor).  
  2. Then we searched for houses, found a house and are in the process of moving to said home (which will culminate in a Uhaul cluster-F tomorrow).  
  3. I started searching for jobs, stopped watching the two infants, went on interviews and found a (great) job.
  4. Jimmy worked so much that he has been a walking, sleep deprived zombie and I have been a single parent.
  5. While searching for a job and new home, I found a new daycare for our children--hereafter referred to as Child Heaven.  
So yeah, things have been a bit hectic, a statement in contention for the title of "understatement of the century."  I am proud to say that through all of this craziness, our family has been stronger than ever.  It would be natural to bicker and meltdown during this time of uncertainty and exhaustion, but not one moment of tension occurred.  For this, we are blessed.  

At every turn, things keep going our way.  I am starting to believe that this month is a product of divine design, but totally against how I imagined the month unfolding-- you know, holiday cheer and spiked  eggnog as the only highlights. 

The game changer was my reentry into the paid workforce.  (Hell yes, I said "paid workforce!" This year has been lots of work and a constant reminder of how ignorant I was when I viewed stay at home moms as dumb and ultimately a drain on their family's resources.  The egg's on my face on that one...)  The job search was intimidating, but I had great success in landing interviews and had four companies interested in hiring me.  I accepted the job with Ryan Homes, as complete departure from my previous experience.  I am thrilled about the opportunity to learn and grow professionally.  Event planning, something I've always loved, has lost its luster, and staying at home this last year has given me the clarity and confidence to step into uncharted waters.  But there's a sacrifice in every situation, the money's going to be great, but our family schedule is going to be down-right confusing. 



I'm looking forward to our children's new adventure at Child Heaven.  We're all good at something, but my something was not staying at home.  I've done my best at teaching them and giving them social interaction with kids their ages, but I love the learning environment they're going to experience in daycare.  I gave it a good run, but they're going to be better off there.

Our new home is very different from what we're used to.  The most obvious difference is our .14 acres versus 1 acre on a 75 acre farm.  Growing around our house will  be corn and soybean, which is like a living science project for our little ones.  The farm equipment, the bugs, the plants are all going to teach them something.  The house is older, so it is going to be a challenge to go from our ginormous bathroom to a bathroom fit for a field mouse.  At some point, I'll stop missing my soaking tub, but for now, I'm in tears.



Wednesday, December 7, 2011

caps, caPS, CAPS!

Had a great time at a Caps game with old and new friends last month.  It was our first Caps game since I was pregnant with Ashton.  In fact, at our last Caps game, I found out I was having a boy.  I could give you the long story, but for simplicity sake, Jimmy has a big mouth!  

Anyway, back to 2011.  Here are pics!















Tuesday, December 6, 2011

So much change.

Our family is going through many changes.  Some positive, like Ashton and Reagan being so loving, and some negative, like the threat of moving, job searching, and Jimmy working so hard that it makes me want to cry.  We're just like almost every American household struggling to survive.  I'm happy to be looking for a job, quite frankly.  I love staying at home with the kids, but I was also born to work.  I think both being a stay at home parent and a working parent has advantages and disadvantages.  Bottom line: parenting is hard; life is hard.  Through all of this, I feel so fortunate to have a loving, hardworking husband and two amazing children.  Without those two things, all of this change would be crippling.

But don't worry.  Our spirits are high and we know this time of uncertainty is short.  So no pity party.  Just enjoy the pictures of our kids.  They're smile-inducing :-D

ABOUT THE PICTURES:

Per a friend's suggestion, I took the kids out on a walk to gather leaves and do a project with them.  They L O V E D it.  It was fun because it was cold and I strapped on their backpacks, so it was an adventure.  





Reagan loves to have her picture taken.  Ashton doesn't mind, but he doesn't do a good job of looking at the camera, so most pictures lack luster.  But here's little peanut brittle cheesin':



Toddler conversations at the hospital.  For some reason, Reagan has inherited Ashton's breathing problems and was wheezing like crazy.  So off to the hospital we go!


Fun visit from our friend Sarah.  She did a great job of wearing out the kids... and herself too.





Monday, December 5, 2011

Fashions by Ashton, Continued

Poop or chocolate?

Clothing optional in this hospital.

Fashion forward pairings, mixing seasons and occasions.

No costume makeup necessary when you're a gangsta.