Dudes... I just sat down to blog, and I couldn't remember the name of the blog. This tells me a few things:
A) I'm stupid.
B) It's been waaaay too long since I've done this, and I really love it so I'm going to turn this bus around and make a promise RIGHT NOW to blog. A LOT.Starting NOW!
I feel like I've been putting it off because there's SO MUCH that's happened and how do I possibly catch up since November?!?! I keep this blog mostly for my babies. So one day they can read about who we are as a family, who I am as their mama and a lady, and what they were like as little babies. It tells our story. And, now, I've left out a ton a chapters and feel overwhelmed trying to fill them all in when I know there's no way I can do that. We've been busy living. Living a full, fabulously busy life, just like any other young family trying to take in all there is to do and see and learn and know about this life. We are doing, which means I am not writing. But, I should be. For them. Because I want these babies to know about who we are and what we are like. The mundane, the special, the successes, the obstacles.... it all adds up to create our story. One they need to know and hopefully one they will tell to their babies many years from now. So, as I do my best to capture who we are through the blog, I hope to fill in the holes I've left gaping open while we were out...
I am the author of my children's stories, both literally and figuratively... One of my greatest fears is that they'll look back and won't have tales to tell. That's why we do what we do. We explore, and create, and search for the splendid in the ordinary... I want them to remember their childhoods as fascinating... Because, life is so wonderful. And, as long as I'm in charge, their stories will be grand...
This winter has brought wonder to these babies lives...
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year season spent with family and friends. We remembered to focus on the traditions we love so much and packed up with the Dowlings for coffee, cookies and Christmas lights in our festive jammies. The babies made their teacher gifts together, loved searching for our Elf on a Shelf, hosted our Gingerbread house making party with lovely friends and drank cocoa and spiked spiced cider, went and sat on Santa's lap, attended our town's Christmas tree lighting, saw a few Christmasy movies in the theater including Arthur Christmas, visited Jolly Days with our amazing neighbors at the Children's Museum, attended Regan's field trip to hunt for the Gingerbread Man at Connor Prairie, Regan learned Deck the Halls and Jingle Bells at piano lessons and played them for two months straight, we decked our halls and decorated the tree, we made Christmas tree and Santa crafts, and began a new tradition of a brother and sister gift exchange. HELLO....BURST MY HEART INTO A MILLION FLAMING PIECES!!! Tyler got Regan red furry slippers, and Regan gifted Tyler with an airplane. It was pure magic. They exchanged in front of the tree on the eve of Christmas Eve. They hugged. I got teary eyed.
Of course Christmas was a whilwind of Loopies, and LeapPads, and "bad guys," and drums, and princess, and wrapping paper flying, but we did our best to focus on family, tradition, and Jesus. The babes know Christmas is Jesus' birthday, and that we are blessed by our Savior.
My most favorite memory of this winter was by far taking Regan to Chicago with my Mom. It was the most perfect, beautiful girl's trip ever. We had an absolute blast.The trip delivered three visits to American girl, a new doll named Piper and a dog that changes names every few days, a fancy dinner at Rosebud, Garrett's popcorn, shopping, pizza, the Raffaello, Sprinkles cupcakes, an amazing brunch in a quaint cafe, the Signature Room of the John Hancock... Regan now wants to live in Chicago when she's a "growm-up."
Regan also performed in her Christmas program at school. I cried when she sang Deck the Halls with hand motions. I swear, I'm not pregnant or depressed with all this crying.... it was just so cute I lost my mind. She chose to be a lamb in the play. She wore little cotton ball ears and sat in the front row like the most adorable little thing I've ever laid eyes on. I'm sure every mother felt that way that night. The program was VERY well organized and was standing room only. Our town has got some MAJOR parent involvement going on! Mike and I waved and clapped and photographed and videoed and laughed and pointed like two freaking idiots, and it was great. She felt so special and of course we had an entire crew backing her up with all of our amazing aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. We are blessed. I can't believe it's going to be Tyler up on that stage next year as he goes to preschool this fall!! Crazy! I can't wait to see what God has in store for our little man and see how he reacts to his new adventures. My bet is he'll run off the stage.
Tyler has been up to lots of wonderful things as well. He is working hard with his speech and is almost done! He now sings his ABC's, is asking, "How do you spell?", which is hilarious because he only does this because of Regan, is starting to count, likes movies, and puzzles, and still truly believes he is a superhero. The kids and I went to the new SkyZone trampoline park last week with Sara, Mika, and Alek, and Tyler had a BLAST trying out all of his "Piderman" moves on the trampoline. He even was shooting his webs at the other kids. They were ignoring him, which is probably best. :)
I'm sure I'm leaving out important details, but the moral of our story is that we are blessed. We are granted opportunities to soak up what life has to offer. Sure, there are days that we stay at home and clean, and feel sorry for ourselves, and forget to be thankful, and fight, and look really bad. There are days when we do nothing but sit by the fire and watch television and eat cereal for dinner. Writing our story isn't about making it sound or seem perfect. It's about making it ours. It's about relishing in the wonderful moments, and learning from the not so great ones. It's about accepting the fact that some days aren't going to be as great as others. It's about being real, not putting on a show, and allowing ourselves the opportunity to just be who we are and have that be okay. And, letting our kids learn that from you so that one day they will learn how to write their own story about who they really are and be totally, comfortably happy with that. Because that is enough.
