attack of the sickos!

Ok, well not really quite the attack of the sickos, but are some raging colds in my house right now. Alie had a cough and a stuffy nose and a fever last week, gave that lovely mixture to her sister and then Carl and I caught it minus the fever...lucky us :) Now, my poor little Alie-nut has her fever back and some pretty painful ears it seems. She's headed to the doctor with her daddy as I type. Hopefully Dr. Lake will be able to help her feel better. I feel so badly for my little lady.

In other news, I finally did it! I finally found my working out groove. I have been feeling miserable lately. I have been having trouble sleeping, I can't seem to shake the stress of work and I have been gaining weight. But I finally got into a workout routine (which my dog can't seem to love enough because it means he gets to go on more long walks with me). I have been working out and lifting almost everyday and increasing the number of long walks i take Slate on. Since we live at the bottom of a massive hill, I'm guessing that's good, right? I have definitely felt a difference, even in this short time.

Sewing Sewing....

My brand new sewing machine arrived in the mail this past Friday, just in time for the long weekend. I was SO excited!!! I spent a while reading the directions as the bobbin is much different than my moms machine. I did a few smaller projects (napkins, bookmarks, etc) just to try it out and I'm in love. I love how I am able to better control the stitch lengths and the machine just runs much more smoothly (my moms does get some credit though as she purchased it in the early 70s).

I have a number of bigger projects in mind...i'm starting with a dressy scarf for myself and then I'm deciding between a dress for me or dresses for the girls. There are also a few home things that I have been looking forward to making as well. I have my eye on a book full of patterns...although Carl may never separate me from my office when I decide to purchase that.

A mini trip planned!

Carl and I have planned a mini trip for February. Already living up to those new years resolutions of getting out there! We are headed to Pittsburgh to celebrate Carl's friend Cliff's 30th birthday. We are so excited. We had been hoping for a get away and I've never been to Pittsburgh...

We are also getting ready to celebrate Carl's 30th birthday. February is turning out to be a full month for us!

New Years Resolutions

Still working on these...I'm totally late this year.

I am definitely going to continue to work on my communication with close friends who I may not see as often. This is obviously not a measurable resolution (I tried to make it measurable last year, and it ended up not working).

As the weather is warmer, I resolve that Carl and I will do a better job introducing Laney and Alie to what we love to do...camp! We need to introduce them to the camping bug...and hopefully we can plan at least two or three camping weekends this summer.

I resolve to spend a complete week in NC with Auntie Wen...hopefully in July or August.

I resolve to not be as lazy...such a loser-y one I know, but ever since I finished my masters degree, I have found myself to be a slightly lazy bum! Yes, I have been keeping up with the kiddos, reading, walking the dog, etc. but I have been sleeping in and heading off to bed early. I haven't felt as motivated to be my normal active self. No more though! I resolve to get back in touch with the old, 24 year old me!

I resolve to get up to NY to visit Travis and Nicole more. Hopefully the girlies and I can make it at least 3 times this year...hopefully four. We don't need to do anything New York-y, just spend time together.

I resolve to finish the two big projects on our list (the family room/office and the backyard) in a timely fashion. I resolve to put the fence in to the backyard as soon as the ground thaws and to finish the landscaping in time to enjoy it this summer. I resolve to get the family room finished by the end of the summer and the fireplace ready to heat up in time for the onset of chilly weather next fall.

I resolve to do a better job of taking things as they come this year. I want to be more spotaneous (well as spontaneous as you can be with four year olds).

I think these resolutions are small lifestyle changes and will make the fam and me more happy at the end of next year. Instead of looking back and saying we should have, I hope to look back and say we did!

i'm back...

Well, in fact, I didn't actually go anywhere, but since I don't have internet access at home right now (insert gasp from Brian M and others here), I am just getting back into the online world. I had almost an entire two week break from work, and of course it was wonderful! The beginning was filled with Christmas excitement...Christmas eve at church, Travis spending the night and Santa's visit. Both fams met up at Sue and Carl's house later that evening for dinner...I'm not sure that Laney and Alie knew what to do with themselves since they had both their uncles at their disposal for the evening. Santa and others were quite generous this year, and for that well are all quite appreciative.

The rest of my break was filled with girly time. We didn't go anywhere or do anything special, we just spent time together. We tested out all of their new toys...I put together Littlest pet shop homes and cut Barbie clothes out of boxes. We loved on our dog and drank hot chocolate. We slept in and watched movies. We ate chocolates and read stories on the couch, and explored our new wii games. We had pizza for dinner and wore our pjs all day. Carl and I were able to sneak away to have a nice dinner out at the Cheesecake Factory with the SPSG girls who were in town. We were also able to make it to the adults-only dinner party at Dan and Mindy's for new years eve. It was so nice to have someplace to go on new years and the party was so nice, lots of chatting with friends, it was great!

One thing I didn't do was ponder my new years resolutions. Last year was filled with lots of friends and laughter. There were so many things to be thankful for. Wendy was married. I graduated from grad school. Carl started a new, family-friendly job. Delaney and Alison started school. We went to Disney World. We spent a few days in Rehobeth with Carl's entire family. We watched Laney and Alie perform in their first school holiday show and we celebrated their 4th birthday with their new friends from school. We adopted Slate. We purchased a new car. We almost have our weekday routines down....Although I didn't meet all of last years resolutions, I'm still working on them. I will have to stop and truly think about what I hope for in 2010!