Ballet!

I had been thinking about signing Morgan up for soccer or little league but all she could talk about was ballet. She started asking every day if she could do ballet again so I gave in. There's always next year to introduce her to something new. It really doesn't matter to me. I just like exposing her to different things and watching her enjoy herself. And who am I kidding? What mother doesn't enjoy seeing their little girl in tutus doing sweet little ballet moves!

My little ballerina.

 Charlotte likes to watch her sister do ballet. I think she's a bit young so we'll start introducing her to activities when she's a little older. 

 Love this child's hair.

Recently Enjoyed Things!

Okay, I feel really bad because I stole this title from my favorite blog I'm currently enjoying. For a couple of years now I've been looking for a title for the things that we enjoy but don't necessarily have anything to do with anything. After seeing this title on this great blog, I had a "ah-ha" moment. This was the perfect title for the random pictures I want to post!

My dad lovingly bought me the bullet which I use to "juice" in the mornings. I like to start my morning off with a juice consisting of fruits and veggies like kale, berries, apples, carrots, etc. Even the girls love what they refer to as "smoothies".

 Love Charlotte's bear back pack. 

 I walked by Charlotte's room one morning to see the girls watching the Kindle together. I love the soft hue her teal curtains give off in the room. These were the curtains we used in the old house and they WERE long enough but this house requires a minimum of 96 inch curtains which I have yet to buy. 

 I have a hard time of getting Morgan to stand "normal" for a picture. Dusty made a good point that this IS normal for her. 

 Later that day we went to have dinner with Uncle Frank, Aunt Dusty and Cousin Chase. Chase made a fort for the little ones!

 I love our bath! Actually, both Daniel and I do. During the week, I love looking over and seeing our simple yet beautiful bath equipped with reading materials and bubble bath all ready to go. Gives me a rush of good feelings anticipating the next time I'll get to enjoy this little slice of heaven.

Often times Morgan likes to sit on the edge of the bath and talk to me when I'm getting ready. It's moments like this that make me realize what a little girl she's turning into. I love moments like these and hope they continue even when she's grown with a life of her own.

Morgan and I made some chocolate pudding together.

 And Charlotte REALLY enjoyed it!

Ugh! Charlotte still really needs work on her table manners.

Charlotte took it upon herself to redecorate our play room. How did a little two year old accomplish something so big? I guess describing Charlotte as "mighty" is accurate.

I'm still working on my culinary skills. My goal is healthier and I think I'm moving in the right direction. Granted, the top was beef but the below was a veggie burger that I made and it was delicious! They both were!

I found myself feeling so grateful the other night as I laid with Morgan in her bed reading to her. I felt so honored to be laying there and experiencing this moment. It truly is the little things.

 As you know, decorating our house is an ongoing project. I had found this frame at Aaron Brothers a few months back and finally printed a picture to put in it so Daniel could hang it. It's a picture a good friend of mine took one day while we did a little photo shoot in a field of flowers with the girls. Love the way it turned out!

Conversations With A 5 Year Old

Last night, Morgan was already eating at the dinner table when I sat down with my plate of food and glass of tea. She was sitting across from me, with her back straight, properly holding her fork and her head held high. With a prim and proper look on her face, she looked at me and said, “So mom, how was your day?” A smile spread across my face and I let a giggle slip out. This made her cutely smile but she quickly recovered and stayed in character long enough for my reply.

I can’t believe that was a conversation I was having with my 5 year old. She floors me. She loves to do this English accent and she’s surprisingly good at it. I’m horrible at accents and don’t understand how she picked up one so easily or accurately. She brings joy to my soul.

This morning I dropped Charlotte off at daycare and then drove to Morgan’s school to drop her off. In between dropping off Charlotte and dropping off Morgan, for whatever reason I asked Morgan if she wanted to have children some day and if she was going to drop them off at school too. She happily said yes and said she wanted a girl OR boy. I liked that thought. She continued to say in a very adult tone, that she’d have to pick out a very good daycare for them to attend. She said maybe they could attend the daycare that Charlotte goes to and then they could go to the same school she currently goes to. She went on to say that she’d enjoy saying hi to Kaycee (the current daycare provider) as an adult. I feel honored to get to share her thoughts.
I still look at my girls with amazement and can't believe Daniel and I made these two little people.

Watching Videos!

The girls really don't watch tv during the week. We're so busy that we often  don't have time to turn it on. However, we do find ourselves watching You Tube music videos when we can. It's just something fun we like to do together.

About The Journey

I try to surround myself with books, blogs, facebook pages, and quotes that help me to remember to slow down and enjoy the moment. Life isn’t about the destination it’s about the journey. I read a facebook post the other day that said, “What if one day you realized the best moments in life come in the mundane, everyday moments? But you were only fully present on special occasions.” 

Wow! These kinds of things always hit home for me. This is exactly what I want out of life. I’ve been realizing lately that I AM present and that I’m not failing at this at all. All these reminders are paying off. I will snuggle on the couch with my girls even though the sink is overflowing with dirty dishes and I have a ton of stuff that needs to be done before the sun rises again. I find myself gazing into my 2 year olds face as she gently strokes my cheek, my eyes and points to my nose. I listen to her deep deliberate breaths, the ones that come when she’s concentrating. I watch her study my face as she investigates how hard she can press on my eye before I react. I routinely find myself staring at Morgan as she speaks to me. Her beauty is striking as she sits there, this little person with a huge personality. I enjoy her facial expressions and notice how delicate and stunning her dark eyelashes look as they lower and touch her cheek. I stop and breath in these moments every-single-day. I try to let them happen during the hustle and bustle of our morning routine (if you can call it that). I want them to happen as we’re racing in the door late in the evening after work and school. Even in those moments when the dog is howling at us to feed her, Charlotte is crying because she’s hungry, Morgan is asking what’s for dinner and I haven’t even taken off my shoes yet. I’m thankful for it all. Gratitude is key and I’ve been trying to embrace it for the last couple of years.

Being a mother is a role I’m most proud of so far. It’s the one I’ve worked the hardest at and am most passionate about. If nothing else, I’m trying my best and that feels really, really good. 

Scenic Walk!

Daniel had a weekend day off the other day so we decided to take what we refer to as "our scenic walk". It's this area in our city that has a walking path among some pretty scenery.

First though, we started out with some brunch.

 As I've said, time and time again, I live for these kind of days.