I was a good Mom today...

It was the same as any other day; same wake-up time, same breakfast, same hours of sleep prior to wake up, same hours passed since the last meal. But why on earth did both of my children wake up SO CRANKY!?!? Within an hour of time spent with my two beautiuful little munchkins, both were sent directly to their rooms for mommy-enforced "quiet time". They were both wailing and carrying on. I stood my ground, literally half spaced between both bedroom doors and proclaimed, "You two need time to yourselves! Mommy needs time to herself! You will sit QUIETLY in your beds, doing whatever it is you need to do to become your SELVES again. I will be spending 30 minutes by myself, excercising, because that is what I need to do to feel like my SELF again. GOT IT?" Silence. Good. Let's roll.

The rest of the day was peaceful and lovely, just like my two girls!

Happy Birthday Reagan??

While I know I am overreacting (shock), I feel terrible that I failed to account for Reagan's "4" Birthday celebration. It was sandwiched in between so many additional activities that I simply floundered. My apology, dearest Reagan. Here are some pics of her "4" Birthday. We surprised her with a bounce house to go along with her Mermaid themed soiree! We had a lovely time, cleaned up from the party and then jumped in the car only hours later; stealing away in the wee hours of the morn.

Happy Birthday Evelyn!

We simply cannot believe that our baby is 2 today! Evelyn has been such a joy in our lives. She is a total comedian and enjoys stirring up laughter amongst our family members. Few people are allowed to see this side of her, keeping those of us "on the list" feeling ever more special. She is cuddly, loving, sweet as pie and the biggest little stinker pants all wrapped into one. She is courageous and fearless and considers herself to be a four-year-old, just like her sister. She copies everything we say (good and bad), she is sassy and silly. I love her. Even when she is crabby and screaming...I really, really love her. Did I mention how cute she is? Adorable. A true beauty in our eyes. Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Happy Anniversary Ben!

7 Years ago, today, Ben and I were married. I cannot believe what an adventure it has been. Depending on who you talk to, seven years is or is not a lot of time. All I know is that seven years has completely zipped by. We have managed to cram quite a bit into this little adventure (or "life" as some call it) of ours and I wouldn't have it any other way. Love you babe! Thank you for being such a wonderful, loving, supportive and generally understanding husband. :-)

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Normally, I don't buy into this commonly overused phrase. It makes no sense whatsoever. How heartless are we if we need to remove ourselves from our "loved" ones? However, in the case of Leah vs. blogging - absence does in fact make the heart grow fonder.

We have been busy. We have had a 4 year old birthday party, a two week vacation to the Midwest, hosted Thanksgiving, prepared for Christmas, hosted our first family Christmas celebration early, took a day trip to D.C., took a day trip to Perkasie, continued working (Ben) and continued chasing these crazy children around. Did I mention that our computer died at the height of the holiday shopping season? My online shopping was limited and my online photo gifts will be VERY late. It never even occurred to me to find a way to blog. I was pretty sure that I was enjoying playing "rebel blogger", missing every one of my self-inflicted, unrecorded deadlines. I didn't miss it for one second. Until today.

I sat down at our new computer to load up my favorites. I started searching for all of my "go to" blogs. I then came to our family blog - my favorite. My purpose was lost for a moment. I need to chronicle these days or they will be forgotten. My very own modern day journal. Written for my children, family and our friends.

The McRib is BACK!

I have been dreaming about a McRib sandwich on and off for years. Several McRib fantasy scenarios were due to pregnancy. Most were due to just loving and longing for the McRib. I still recall the last time that I tasted this delicious BBQ sauce monstrosity (some refer to it as "meat" but the jury clearly is still out). The McRib arrived in 1981 and remained a hot item for millions of pseudo-pork loving fans, for several years. The person that I remember loving the McRib the most was my Dad. He ate them as often as he could. The dude loved them. As a youngster (probably 8 or 9) the McRib went on "special". I was allowed to order one too! I sat next to my Dad, with my super-gigantic, Dad-sized-mammoth, mouth-watering, fake-meat delight. It. Was. A.W.E.S.O.M.E. I had only one fake meat, bbq swamped, pickle and onion topped sandwich. That was it. For years, I have been waiting. I suppose the McRib may have come back to McDonald's at some point in between then and now. And I would also suppose that I was a little busy doing things such as, growing up? I probably missed the last few opportunities. Regardless. The McRib is BACK!
When my darling Reagan (who really hasn't been that "darling" or delightful, not even pleasant the last few weeks) asked to go to McDonald's after school, what do you suppose I said? Heck ya - we were first in line at the drive-thru for the opening of the lunch hour! The lady at the window thought I was Caaaaraaaazy when I grab my McRib from her hand and shouted, "The McRib is BAAAAAAAAACK!" We raced home, threw our luggage from the morning onto the ground and dived right in to our "meals".
Guess what? The McRib is absolutely revolting. I suppose if I share the experience with my Dad, it would taste just as I remembered it - unforgettable deliciousness. They are coming to visit for Christmas. If the cards fall in our favor, the McRib will still be available. We will be first in line for lunch, by way of drive-thru, naturally!

Here is a picture of the real "McRib" Man!
**Memory by Barry Manilow was one of his favorite songs, back then. He also loved Neil Diamond. For your listening pleasure, Dad!!!**

Vote for God!

Today is Election Day 2010. I was explaining to Reagan what "voting" means. After I finished my statements with, "As a voter, I get to choose who will help President Obama to make good decisions for all of us." Reagan replied, "You should choose God." She couldn't be more correct!!!