How time flies

So, yesterday was my son's first birthday. Nothing like a child's birthday to help you reflect. I realized how much has happened in the past year. DD has become quite her own littel person. She's terribly independent and bossy to boot. But she's cute as the dickens and gets away with (almost) everything. DS has gone from, well, being in my belly, to walking all over it! It's just amazing to watch them change and grow.

Since both kid's birthdays are this month and they're still quite young, we are having a combined party in two weeks. So, bearing that, yesterday's birthday celebration was pretty low key. We sang to him first thing in the morning. And then it was just like any other day. We did go out to dinner at Friendly's - and boy was that an experience! When we were seated, apparently we were seated in "no man's zone" - we had no waitress. After about 15 minutes of no service at all (and multiple people arriving after us getting their meals already), we caught someone and asked if they could find us a waitress. That's when we found out we had none. No worries, they took care of us - we had a great waiter and the manager gave us any appetizer we wanted for free. Good deal. Our drinks come and DD spills my ice (cold) water all over the table and my lap. Good time! DS smears his macaroni and cheese EVERYWHERE. (Did I mention he discovered his belly button yesterday?) DS enjoyed his ice cream and whipped cream (meaning, he got it everywhere, too) So, basically, we left a war zone behind when we left. But we also left a nice tip. In all, it was a nice birthday - what do you expect for a one-year-old? :-)

I'm sure the big party in two weeks will be quite different (meaning there will be multiple kids leaving a war zone behind!)

Did I mention we are having new floors put down on the first floor of the house? Yeah, so we're packing (again - didn't we just do this 18 months ago?) And we've decided to move the play room from the dining room to the bonus room above the garage. Never a dull day here!

Overwhelmed? No, just overextended

Okay, so I realize now that I have committed myself to too many projects. Again. I am directing the church's handbell choir, which doesn't require a whole LOT of time, but does require that I am ON time, and somewhat prepared. I am helping out with the church's CLUBS program, with the 5th and 6th grade girls and I'm going to be planning craft projects and I'm feeling kinda clueless right now. Hopefully after a couple of meetings, I will have a better idea of what to plan. I am also a Discussion Group Leader for my local MOPS group, which I thought would be really cool, and truely I am looking forward to it, but it's going to require a lot of my time. Granted that time is predominantely when DD is in preschool, but that requires dropping her off and racing to MOPS, getting DS out of childcare there in enough time to race back to school to get DD again. I want to participate in the women's bible study Tuesday mornings at our church - but that again is a drop, run, race event. And Tuesday afternoons are DD's ballet lessons.

As much as I was looking forward to things starting up again and having planned activities, I'm already kind of missing the lazy days of summer!

Feeling overwhelmed

I'm feeling overwhelmed. Today was daughter's first day of preschool. Tomorrow is my first Handbell choir meeting as director and a meeting for Clubs. Thursday is a MOPS meeting. Next week, DD has school M,T, and Th; ballet on Tues. I have Bible Study Tues AM; Handbells and Clubs on Wed. The following week we are having new floors put in on the first floor. Which means that sometime between now and then we need to pack up and move everything that is in or on a shelf/cabinet in the living room, dining room, foyer and powder room.

We've also decided that after the new floors go down, we are going to move the play room from the dining room to the bonus room over the garage. Which means moving the office and craft supplies from that room down to the dining room, installing doors to the dining room, and painting both rooms. I'm really excited about the end result - the actual work to accomplish it, though - not so much.

Every night before bed I start to feel like I haven't accomplished enough in the day. I am hoping that now that DD is in school 3 mornings a week, and DS is still naping during that time, I can get some things checked off the old "to-do" list. Tomorrow the plan is simple: get up, eat breakfast, dress the kids, go to the gym, be back before 10:30 when Grandma arrives, hang with Grandma, go to church to prepare for Handbells, figure out dinner plans - when the heck to eat when one needs to be at church from 5:30 - 8:00pm - come home, put kids to bed, follow soon thereafter. Maybe having a game plan for tomorrow will help me relax enough to sleep tonight. One must always think positive!

It ain't easy being 3

I know it's not easy to be a 3-year old, but it ain't easy being the momma, either. After many repeated requests to go outside and play in the sand box, I agreed and we all trouped out. Dear daughter refuses to wear shoes outside in her play yard. So, the two kids played nicely in the sand box for a while (daughter burying son in sand - hmm, guess it's a bath night now) then she wanted to play in her play house. Son follows. He tries to push the door and she sticks her foot in it (remember - no shoes) and gets a toe pinched. Now she wants to go inside. Ugh. We managed to play outside for about 7 minutes. Might be a record for us!

New Quote of the Day

It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.

- e.e. cummings