Twelve Posts Crammed Into One

I'm. so. behind.

Behind in blogging, behind in reading with my kids, behind, behind, behind. Will I ever complete this race to catch up?

I'm exhausted.

I've missed so much in my absence from posting, and it's weird to me. Weird how my perspective on blogging has changed from merely being a fun outlet for mama to becoming a full fledged family journal. When I don't take the time to put pen to page (or finger to keyboard in this case) I feel a sense of urgency like I'm so worried about journaling what's going on that I'm often forgetting to enjoy what's going on.

Another nail in the busy mama's coffin.

I told myself in my negotiations at the start of the year that I would work on posting more regularly so that if, and when, this little bloggy becomes a Blurb for my kids, there will be a nice amount of fluidity and consistency to it. Unlike their scrapbooks which are in complete disarray and cover the first year of their life and then abruptly stop, this blog was for all intents and purposes supposed to be a daily look at the workings of family life here in P-town. For all intents and purposes. Somewhere along the way, between cleaning out the pantry and making my 27th trip up the stairs, my all intents and purposes went flying out my not-so-clean windows.

To make myself feel better, here's a recap of what we've been up to:

::The little babe that could became a 7-month-old love bug. I don't know how it happened, but he has morphed into a wittle man (as the kids call him) that is the center of our universe. He is smiley and rolley and chubby and dreamy. We are all completely taken by him. He has started to giggle and tonight, for the very first time, real tears rolled down his cheeks as I was delayed in getting him his dinner. He is following in the footsteps of, well, the entire family with his voracious appetite. He is 20 lbs of perfection and I can't believe his birthday is right around the corner. Kind of.



::Spence participated in his first pine wood derby and loved. every. second. Thanks to the stickler for details that his his dad, his car weighed in perfectly since daddy had brought home a chemistry scale from school to make sure they were spot on. He was so proud of his car, proud that he won 5 different races, proud that he paid homage to his favorite team, and proud that he is still skinny enough to pull his pants up to his nipples. Seriously. What is it with that boy? Belt cinched as tight as it will go, pants serving as a boy-bra, ankles clearly showing. He may struggle as a fashion plate but that kid still has a heart of gold. And the dimples? Seriously.



::Hannah is thriving! After many a battle about, well, her personality in general, I am happy to report that my oldest daughter is making huge strides in becoming likable! She has learned some tough lessons in the past few months but the results are amazing and I am so proud of her. She has matured and grown in leaps and bounds and our time together is a lot more fun. She has finally figured out how to share her adorable heart with everyone and not just a select few and it makes me so happy to see. She has been asked to join an invitation-only gymnastics team which is so exciting for her. My dreams of her becoming a ballet dancer have officially been sidelined as her hind quarters dominate the gymnastics mat. Baby. Got. Back. But it's working for her and she's loving every second of it.


::Sienna is following in Hannah's footsteps which is both good and bad. Good because she is learning her life lessons a bit quicker than Hannah but bad because she seems determined to make me work for it just as hard. She has found her voice and independence and likes to use both in complete contradiction to whatever I'm saying/doing/asking. At the same time, she continues to be the best big sister to Austin and still loves me most of all which warms my heart. She is lovable and sweet and is such a beautiful girl.

::The Rizz is the same as always. Best husband, best father, completely chill, lovin' life.

::As for me, I am pooped. I'm making a serious effort to slow down and enjoy the life we've created but I admit it's hard. My determination to have things in complete control at all times has often forced me to loose control of what's most important and I'm desperately trying to change that. I'm spending more time in the moment and less time getting to the next moment and I think everyone has noticed. I'm still being compulsively anal about random things but luckily, the kids don't know any different. My latest kick has been complete cleaning and organization of all closets and under-sink areas and I often open them up just because it makes me feel so good. The pantry is in tip top shape after today and I'm officially giving myself the weekend off. People, remember? Not things.

(Photo courtesy of Squish)

Here's to February. Here's to slowing down, posting more, and feeling the pressure less. Can't wait.