Life Lately

I've not been as good at blogging as I told myself I was going to be in 2014. And as I plan to have blog books made for both of my boys one of these days, I had better straighten up my act! Maybe it's the whole full time job/I have a 3 year old/I have a 1 year old thing. Who knows.

So, let's scoot back a couple of weeks to my birthday! I had a fabulous birthday! I think it might have even been my best birthday EVER! When I said that to one of my friend's at church, he said, "Hey, Emily, it was in Virginia, wasn't it!?" Yes, yes it was. :)

The hubbs took me to Frankie Rowland's for dinner. Yum! I ordered the shrimp cocktail for an appetizer with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc I'd never tried before. Then for dinner, I had the pecan-glazed salmon. And for dessert, I had creme brulee with a bellini. Heaven!

But way more heavenly than the food was the fact that I got to go on a date with my husband!

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We attended three, yes three, Easter egg hunts before Easter! So fun! I'm not loving the fact that suddenly I have allergies and so being outside equals not feeling great, but c'est la vie. I'm hoping my body will adjust to the new environment in Virginia, and maybe next year I'll be okay. Maybe?

Nonetheless, any occasion to stick Jack in a smocked outfit, put Nathan in his Easter hat (story to follow), and to put on lipstick. . . well, sign me up! {By the way, Roanoke, VA is quite possibly the preppiest place on planet earth. The boys have Kentucky Derby Day at school. Everyone is smocked, appliqued, and monogrammed to death. Have I found my people. . . !?!}

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The weather is finally turning warm-ish. Yay! We still have some cold/chilly days scattered about here and there, but for the most part, I can at least put the boys in short sleeves. Or, in the instance of finger painting, their underwear!

Balancing a full-time job and two little ones is hard. No doubt about it. Although working from home is nothing new to me, I still struggle with giving my boys attention vs. giving my work attention. I try to focus on the littles when they're not in school and not napping. :) So, finger painting it is! {I'm kicking my "OCD" to the curb.}

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The Easter hat. Oy.

So, Nathan's preschool has the "Annual Easter Bonnet Parade."

Forget it. We tossed the word "bonnet" out ASAP.

But Nathan still told me, "Mom, Easter hats are for girls!"

And can I make a confession? I sort of agreed! We went to Michael's. {We don't have a Hobby Lobby. I know. It's tragic.} We looked around. Pink ribbon! Pom poms! Little chicks! Tulle! 

This was going to be a challenge.

And then Nathan offered up the perfect solution. That one missing element that made the "Easter bonnet" the "Cool Easter hat."

Sharks, of course.

"Mom!" he shouted, "I found some shark stickers! Can I put them on my Easter hat?"

Well of course you can!

So we bought the shark stickers, and the Easter hat was a hit!

Could he be any cuter? Nope!

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Swim lessons have started back up. I really regret stopping them in December, because I can tell that Nathan has lost some of his ability. Oh, well! It's crazy to think that little brother will be taking them next summer! Geesh!

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And Easter? I would love to tell you that I had friends over, served a beautiful meal, took cute pictures before church. . . but none of that actually happened.

I woke up sick (cold/allergies), frantically quickly got myself and my children ready for church, slogged my way through "teaching" Sunday school, came home and put on my jammies, ate baked Ritz chips for lunch, and that evening made my husband pick up Papa John's (which we ate standing up in our messy kitchen for dinner). Isn't my life glamorous!? :)

The toddler was super excited that the Easter Bunny brought him and baby brother the movie "Frozen!" And baby brother ate ALL the candy from ALL the eggs. Of course, if you know Nathan, you know he couldn't have cared less about the candy!

They both did look super adorable for church, I promise. I just didn't take any pictures. Mom of the Year!!

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These days are long. Long. Long. The age of three. . . how shall I say it?. . . stinks. I've heard four is better, and I'm pinning all my hopes on that. But having a three year old and a toddler who's just getting to the terrible two stage is sort of like the perfect storm.

I'm issuing a challenge to myself. I'm going to try to set my alarm a little earlier and get up before my littles, so that I can really, truly commit myself to prayer before the day begins. We need God all the time, of course, but there are seasons of life where we can just feel how desperately we need His help. I'm in one of those stages right now with the boys.

I love them more than my life and they bring me more joy than anything else in this world. But, parenting is hard. Lord, help me! :)

They might really, truly be stink pots right now. But aren't they cute stink pots?! I certainly think so!

"This is the day the Lord has made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!" - Psalm 118:24