Winter Wonder Hell

I think everyone in the Midwest is probably feeling the winter slump right now. I was excited for the first 2 snows, and I was happy we got enough to play in the snow, sled, and make a snowman. But, I am SO over it! I can barely see across he street of my house right now, and I'm nervous my husband has to drive in this from the city. We have had so much snow this year!  It's crazy, and I'm getting really sick of shoveling, driving on snowy and icy streets, and having to put 10 layers on myself and the kids so we don't freeze!

So, that's really it. My yearly complaint on the weather. Honestly, our vacation is coming at a perfect time. I know Spring will be here at some point, but it seems pretty far away right now. We've been doing lots of fun indoor stuff, but I am so ready to get outside! Stay safe and warm everyone!

Dance Mom

I'm freezing cold even though I just chugged some coffee and I am sitting by my space heater. This morning it took about 20 minutes just to bundle up the kids and get he car packed to get to the gym, and then Kenley slipped on a patch of ice on our way in. Days like this are making me wish for warm weather, but even though I won't be getting it here in Chicago anytime soon, I am so excited because Ray and I booked a trip to Mexico coming up in just a few short weeks! I can't wait to be in the sunshine and spend some time with my husband. We chose an all inclusive adults only resort, and I think we are both looking forward to some time alone. This will be my first trip away from Charlie, and I know I will miss him and Kenley, (I already warned Ray at there may be some tears)  but I am also ready for some uninterrupted meals, SLEEP!, and quality time with my husband.

Kenley had her first ballet class this week, and it was one of those moments I always wished for with having a girl. She was happy to see one of her preschool friends was in her class, and they held hands and went right into class together. I wasn't able to see anything that happens in class, but she showed me some of her moves when she got home, and she has a recital in May. I also feel that I am becoming part of the "stay at home moms club" since I knew 3 other moms there and stayed and chatted while the girls were in class. It is also nice that we all have young babies around the same age too, and 2 out of the 3 are boys so Charlie will be making some friends while Kenley is in ballet. I forgot to mention my friend, Joan, had her baby boy, Jackson, about 2 weeks ago. He is adorable, and I know him and  Charlie will have fun playing together in the future! I'm also excited that I recently found out 2 of my other very close friends are expecting babies in the summer.

I am also SO happy Kenley is officially potty trained!  It helped a few weeks ago during the extreme cold that we were kind of stuck in the house, so I used those days to obsessively remind her to use the bathroom. I also finally found something that worked as an incentive, which was to give her quarters to use in our gumball machine each time she was successful. For some reason, she really liked that and it motivated her those first few days. We made a huge deal about her transition out of diapers and took her out for ice cream this weekend to celebrate.Charlie turned 5 months old and it really seems to agree with him. He has been sleeping much better, and has been much "easier" these past few weeks. We have even been getting through most car rides without crying, which is great! I think it has helped that he also started getting food, and he seems to love it. Kenley has been very excited to help feed him, and it's fun to watch them together. She really entertains him and he loves laughing with his big sister.

2014!

We celebrated our New Year with our friends Jim and Melissa and their 2 boys. This was our 4th New Year with them, and each year it has grown a little bigger with each of our families growing.  We had a good time and even managed to get all 4 kids asleep by about 10:30, and we enjoyed the rest of the night just hanging out and with a toast at midnight. We also started off 2014 with freezing cold and a lot of snow! Temperatures were so cold for a few days we didn't even leave the house. Luckily, before it got extremely cold we were able to take Kenley and my niece sledding. It was really fun even though Kayla was not a fan of the snow. I'm hoping to take Kenley again this week once it warms up a bit.

2013 was a great year for our family. The obvious highlight was welcoming Charlie into our family. My number one memory from the year was when Kenley got to meet and hold Charlie at the hospital.  I know I will never forget that moment, and I will reminisce about it for years to come.  I can't wait to see what this year has ahead for us as we continue watching the kids grow. I know we have lots of fun to come!

I finally got down our Christmas decorations, and I was half happy half sad to see them go. We had a great holiday season, but I also kind of feel a sense of order back in the house with everything down and the majority of the new toys have found a spot. I'm also ready to get a bit of a head start on some spring cleaning, which isn't quite as overwhelming this year since I have been able to stay much more organized since I'm not working. But, of course, I have a few closets to tackle and drawers to declutter. After all this cold weather, I'm ready for an early Spring, but I won't hold my breath.

Did I mention that I signed up for a half marathon in May? I guess this is the first time I'm going public with it so it's official!  I'm really excited and nervous about it, but it's kind of a "bucket list" thing, and I figured I might as well go for it since I am working out regularly, and so I can have a goal to help me lose the rest of the weight I gained during my pregnancy.

Happy New Year Everyone!