Life Lately

Is BUSY BUSY BUSY. Too busy if you ask me. All good things but I have been running on all cylinders. Any “free time” has been taken up by other projects, and if I truly have spare time, I’m back to my old ways and have been prioritizing rest and squeezing in a nap when I can. I had to do a double take yesterday when I looked at our calendar and saw that tomorrow is the last day of September! And October is looking just as busy, if not more so.

Here is a little update, with more pictures than words because my nappers will probably be up soon.

We celebrated Eloise's third birthday! Her school invites parents to have birthday carrot cake (that the kids bake at school) so Mimi Jeanne and I attended that this week and we sang to her and her sweet friend Lilly in English and Spanish.

(Eloise on her birth day)

Mimi Jeanne loved her sister's birthday gift, too. Eloise is still getting the hang of steering but it seems like it's going to be a hit. I agonized over color selection for fear of making a grave mistake, but the teal seems to have been well received.

This little nugget is cutting a bunch of teeth and I don't think I've put her down in two weeks. Don't let this picture fool you, she is usually on my hip or trying to climb my leg, crying.

If we are being honest, I haven't been in much of a celebratory mood lately. I don't want to use this space to complain, especially for people who don't know me or don't know me well. I think so much gets lost in translation on the internet, and my primary goal for this space is preserving memories and connecting with friends and family who we don't see as much as we'd like. But navigating our busy days with two toddlers, one "spirited" and one fully mobile, has been extra challenging lately.

The other night I was supposed to be cooking Eloise's birthday dinner and instead I was crying. Nick got home and told the girls, who were also crying, not to worry because "dinner is almost ready" and I looked at him and shook my head, because the lump of ground beef was still sitting on our stove top in the package, semi-frozen. We pulled the plug and walked the girls down to one of our favorite casual restaurants in town, ate dinner outside next to the stream, the owner came out and put on some Bob Marley music for us, and the girls ran around the patio dancing. And Nick and I may have split a bottle of wine. It was good for the soul.

We have two healthy beautiful gifts, and lately I'm frustrated even more about my internal monologue of complaints than I am about the behavioral things going on, because babies will be babies and it's my job to create an atmosphere of peace in our home and model good behavior. How can I expect anything more than explosive behavior from my children if I'm always snapping at them explosively? I don't have too many more insights into this matter but I'm a little burned out right now, so I might not have as many posts until I'm recharged again.

Trying to remember that everything is fleeting--good times and hard times--and this too shall pass. It's all a phase! And as soon as we adapt, it will change again. As Eloise told me today, "You just need to work out whatever you need to know, Mom." (3 going on 30, from day one.)

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7