8 Years Ago Today

I met the little girl who would change my life forever and teach me all the ropes to becoming a Mom.

Although I have so much to say about this little girl,

I am rendered speechless

with a flood of emotions.

(mostly good as I am in awe of the little person she has become,

a little sad because she is another year older and closer to getting a licence).

Instead of the usual slew of my favorite pictures,

 I managed to gather some of my favorite sleeping positions.

It has always been a long running joke that the girl is

half narcoleptic, as she would fall asleep-

almost anywhere

anytime.

Really.

(see evidence below)

Barely 3 month shoot and barely awake.

Never quite managed to sleep on a chair the "right way"

My all time favorite!

Yes- she fell asleep like this at the dinner table!

(it hurt my teeth to watch her)

 I think the last sentence was-

"I not sleepy Mommy"

B was planking long before it was a fad.

In her bedroom.

On the hardwood floors.

(oof)

Because didn't we all fall asleep on the fireplace?

Girlfriend can even sleep standing up!

 All of her legs and arms are out of the sleeves.

I think she is half bat.

Trying to look awake.

(and this was a few months ago).

Happy happy Birthday to my sweet  Bryn Elise.

May you always have happy dreams!

Kool Aid Lip Balm? Oh, that's Pinteresting...

Yeah, like a crackhead, I am addicted to Pinterest.

I love all the crafty ideas, although I  feel like a slacker Mom compared to some of these homeschooling/crafting/baking fanatics.

However, in spirit of Valentine's Day and just Love in general, we thought it would be fun to try the

Kool Aid LipGloss- inspired from HERE.

It truly was super easy.

I wish I could say we slaved away for hours, but I can't.

We just melted the Vaseline in the microwave, and then stirred in our choice of KoolAid flavors. 

We decided to go with Cherry and Strawberry.

There is barely any color and just a hint of taste/scent, but the girls were over the moon with their efforts.

We even gave some away as small gifts.

Instant hit!

I didn't think I would really use them, but I carry one with me everywhere!

We will definately try making these again.

Thank you Pinterest!

Love.

Today is a day dedicated to love.
I wasn't sure how to post about all the love I feel for my family, without it becoming a trilogy, so I am going to make a list of the things I love about them right now. Today. This minute.  - Every one of my loves are fast asleep, which means the house is quiet and I have this silence all to myself. - Bryn's awkward smile as her two front "Big teeth" are growing in (and I can see we will need to start saving for braces) - Ava's desire to read to her brother and try to get him to calm down so he would fall asleep in her bed and they could have a "sleepover" - Eric's definition of a Dalmation = "Cow Dog" - Sid's snores. I like the extra presence in the house (despite his slow potty training ways) - Tom's want to be the "cool Dad". He always wants to go somewhere on a whim with the kids...and although we may have not made it to Colorado tonight, we did make it to "Cherry Berry- the frozen yogurt place" - My too-cool teenaged brother was extra kind and thoughtful to our Mom...she was grateful, so in turn, I am too - Ava's need to know "how many days" until anything we do (did you know there are only 314 days until Christmas?). - Bryn's tender heart. She is truly one of the most compassionate girls I know. - Eric's desire to "go to cool" (as he fills his leetle backpack with about 20 pounds of HotWheels cars) - A hug from my honey. I love how a hug or kiss makes us reconnect. - Sid's tornado of a tail when he sees the kids in the morning. - Having a grateful heart.  I love my lovies and all the joy, frustration, chaos and contentment it brings. I look forward to what tomorrow brings, but for today I am so thankful for these little things. The little things that often get lost in the daily shuffle of life. Happy Valentine's Day my Loves!

Oh- I also love these Monster Valentine boxes that the girls made.

They make me smile.

27 pounds

This is what I am told my sweet biddy Siddy weighs at 13 weeks.
I am also told he will do the most amount of growing in the NEXT couple months...as if his current faster-than-the-speed-of-light rate of growth has not been enough.
I shutter...
at the thought of my Not-so-Biddy-Siddy.
He is still one sweet little pup.
(and very healthy according my our vet).

This is obviously his happy face.

And this is his pensive face..

G'ah!! How can you not just adore that sweet face?
That gives me an idea. I should totally do a post with the many faces of Sidney! ;)

No winter blahs here...

It has been so unseasonably warm this winter, that we may not have to go to Florida during Spring Break for the annual winter warm up! Last week the highs were in the 50s all week...and we even hit a high of 63 degrees one day. Since T had the day off, we decided to go to a local park to try and tire these kids out enjoy the weather.
Although it was still a greyish day, it was kind of neat to see the winter-side of the walking trails...
Ava was all about posing for pictures. (which is odd for her, but a welcome change)