Holiday-ed out!

Wow, I really do get holiday-ed out. I have been an emotional wreck ever since Christmas. Poor Shane. I hope that I can recover over the weekend. I really am an introvert. I have mild anxiety and I can get really overwhelmed when I spend too much time with people or get behind/unorganized. Fortunately I got all my returns done today and I have started to organize all the kids' new toys and fit them into the toy room. I have three bags of toys for Goodwill. It is hard to get rid of toys that the kids do play with. It is just that we don't have room for them all. Maybe if we turned our entire house into a playroom!

My new life changing "idea" is to start getting up earlier. I am so tired at night and don't have the energy to get things done. I used to be a night person and I could stay up late and get things done when Shane was working or in bed. I can't do that anymore. I am wiped by 9 p.m. So I am going to start getting up two hours earlier in the morning (5:30 a.m.). I am starting out with one hour (6:30 a.m.). This way I can get everything done before the kids even wake up. Then I can relax and be lazy in the evenings when I am tired and feel like sitting around and reading. I'll let you know how it goes :).

Kid Update: Carrera took her first step on the 22nd!! Calvin got his laptop that he wanted and Colton got a Vikings jersey and helmet for Christmas!

Hair

The pink... and now, the blue.

Unsettled

I have been feeling so "unsettled." I want to be free to go and do whatever I want. I am sure that it is an inner conflict of every married woman with children. I got to go out with the girls on Friday night. It was so much fun (I had a little too much tequila)! Last night I got to get coffee and read for about 45 minutes. I treasure my moments alone. And yet I feel guilty for not wanting to spend all my time with my kids, or not being grateful that I get to stay home with them. I am grateful. I really am doing what I want to. I love doing daycare and I love being a mother. And Shane is the best husband in the world. I guess I just have a damn independent spirit and wish I could be everything that I want to be. Perhaps if I didn't have to clean and organize all the time then I could have "me" time after the kids went to bed. I keep reminding myself that the kids will soon be grown up enough to help with all the chores. Part of the problem may be that it is winter and cold and we ALL feel cooped up. In the summer I can send the kids outside or sit on the deck and read while they play. Sigh...

Immigration

http://immigrationforum.org/documents/TheJourney/MythsandFacts.pdf

What's New

So, people keep e-mailing me asking "What's new?" or "How are you doing?" I never know what to say. My life doesn't change much from day to day. I am a mom or stand-in mom all day long (24 hours a day). Which means I make sure that no one kills each other. Oh, and also I have to make sure that the kids have educational experiences. My priorities are knowing what kids should learn for school readiness and try to incorporate those things in our everyday play. I need to know a little about nutrition so that the kids are getting the right nutrition to promote optimal mental and physical development. And then there is the emotional aspect. I have the responsibility of doing whatever I can to assure that the kids feel comfortable, safe and loved. When I am not focusing on those things I am trying to be a "woman." EXAMPLE: have a little fun, shower, shave, accessorize, have some sort of sex life, and intellectual stimulation, like reading. Then there is always "Shane maintenance." He needs quality time with me, and all the other things that a wife gives to her husband. Oh, and then I squeeze in coffee with my very closest friends. Do I feel overwhelmed? Constantly! So, that is how I am doing.

For My Wedding

For My Wedding

Don Henley/Larry John McNally

For my wedding, I will dress in black
And never again will I look back
Ah, my dark angels we must part
For Ive made a sanctuary of my heart

To want what I have
To take what Im given with grace
For this I pray
On my wedding day

For my wedding, I dont want violins
Or sentimental songs about thick and thin
I want a moment of silence and a moment of prayer
For the love well need to make it in the world out there

To want what I have
To take what Im given with grace
For this I pray
On my wedding day
On my wedding day

I dream, and my dreams are all glory and light
Thats what Ive wanted for my life
And if it hasnt always been that way
Well, I can dream and I can pray
On my wedding day

So what makes us any different from all the others
Who have tried and failed before us
Maybe nothing, maybe nothing at all
But I pray were the lucky ones; I pray we never fall

To want what we have
To take what were given with grace
For these things I pray
On my wedding day
On my wedding day

Paris

So We Never Got To Paris
Written by Scott Denté and Christine Denté

Young lovers, without much
Save each other, isn't that enough
Paint the future, a little day by day
Making plans with no regard for what might come our way

This cup fills up so quickly
There's so much on our plate
Between the living and the learning
Some things must wait

So we never got to Paris
And found the cafe of our dreams
But our table holds a whole world of memories
No, we never went to Venice
And strolled the streets alone
But we built our worlds together and we got the best of both

There's still wonder in our eyes
But we see each other in a different light
Yet the future isn't always clear
Now the question is where do we go from here

This cup filled up so quickly
There's too much on our plate
Between the living and the dying
Some things must wait

So we never got to Paris
And found the cafe of our dreams
But our table holds a whole world of memories
No, we never went to Venice
And strolled the streets alone
But we built our worlds together and we got the best of both

This cup filled up so quickly
There's too much on our plate
Between the living and the dying
Some things must wait

So we never got to Paris
And found the cafe of our dreams
But our table holds a whole wide world of memories
No, we never went to Venice
And strolled the streets alone
But we built our worlds together and we got the best

We may never get to Paris
And find the cafe of our dreams
But our table still will hold a world of memories
If we never get to Venice
And roam the streets alone
We'll hold our worlds together and we'll keep the best of both

Drums: Todd Turkisher; Bass: Paul Socolow; Acoustic Guitar: Scott Denté; Electric Guitars: Gordon Kennedy;Keyboards: Tim Lauer, Charlie Peacock; Accordian & Pump Organ: Tim Lauer; Percussion: Eric Darken;Background Vocals: Scott and Christine Denté

Elfed

Have yourself a good laugh!!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1195211758
(You might need to copy and paste it, sorry!)
(Yes, I know Colton is not in on the action, but I could only pick four so I chose the first pictures I saw in our folder.)

Standing Girl

Wow, is it ever a busy time of year. Between being sick and the Thanksgiving holiday and trying to get ready for Christmas, I haven't even checked my e-mail in about five days.
Carrera stood up all by herself yesterday for the first time! It was very exciting! We were all hanging out in Carrera's room. I was putting her clean clothes away and Shane, Colton, Calvin and Carrera were all wrestling and playing in her room. It was past her bedtime. We all know how courageous I become when it is past my bedtime, well Carrera is like her mother. She just keep standing up all by herself and we would all applaud and she would fall and stand up again. I think it was so amazing because it was completely out of the blue. She has never balanced next to furniture without holding on. She has had no interest in walking. It was a really fun experience to share as a family. I hope we have many more like it.