cuteness to the max...

Mah-y (Mommy with a slur), I marry Flynn Rider. I braid my hair and marry him. Flynn Rider love me.

Mom: Oh Margaret, I love you so much.
Margie: I love you too.
Mom: I love you more.
Margie: Oh.

my boy...

He's a teenager. An actual teenager. 13 years old. He said he didn't really feel much difference today though. He still feels 12. I took him on a date yesterday after school. We went out to lunch first. Anywhere he wanted in this whole valley and he chose The Pizza Factory for their breadsticks. Alex and I have great conversations together. I really enjoy being around him. Just him. I was excited all morning waiting for our time together. I'm not sure that he was as excited as me, but I'd like to think so.

After lunch, we went to his first (aside from HP) pg-13 movie. Sherlock Holmes. I knew he would love it...and he did. He has already downloaded the theme song. I love that about Alex. He gets REALLY passionate and obsessive about things. I think it is so great that he loves instrumental/soundtrack stuff. He likes to listen while he writes his stories. I think they help his imagination feel more free. We walked around Walmart for a little while after the movie. He had received money from my parents and a friend at school and wanted to see if there was anything he felt like buying. He was bummed that there wasn't. He was almost willing to spend it on anything...just to spend it. We ran into a (girl) friend from school while we were there. Kessley. Cute, little Kessley. He was too embarrassed to talk to her, so I did. Then I told him that even if he was embarrassed, he still needed to say hi. I wanted him to understand that it could be seen as rude or potentially hurt her feelings. Then we talked about saving your money until you find something you REALLY want. Alex is reasonable. He and I can discuss things like this and he understands. He really does. He wants to be nicer. He wants to be more responsible. He wants to be good.

I think the happiest thing of the day for me was seeing him light up when he got home to his sisters. We all watched Tin-Tin together and had homemade cazookies. :) We never got around to pictures. I felt sad about it for a few minutes, then let it go. He has balloons, and next week, when the weather is nicer, we'll go out together without them, and have our own little teenage photoshoot. What a handsome, great kid. I am so blessed.  

sad margs...

Margaret had a melt down in the car today. A total come-apart. She's a 2 year old of very little tantrums. The thing with Margaret is that I can trick her out of a fit. She can be sidetracked and the fit never really ends up happening. Today in the car, it was less of a fit, and more of a seriously sad little girl. She had just eaten a Hershey's Kiss, we were finishing up a few things around town...and it started. I thought she was sick to her stomach, so Molly handed her a Target bag. She kept crying that she wanted to go home and that she wanted her Daddy. It was one of those times where I just couldn't figure out the problem and the more upset she got, the more sad I got. We decided to call Daddy on the speaker phone. Once she calmed herself down enough to speak, she told him, through the tears..."Daddy, I have chocolate on my neengers!" Poor, poor girl. I will no longer drive around without wipies in my car.

shadow...

remember this...

I know...my 2nd post of the month. I am really on a roll. Life goes on, I feel like I have nothing worthwhile to say, then realize my children are changing so quickly and there are things I want to remember. I NEED to remember. Margie is a doll right now. She is happy and easy and so freaking adorable. She has a pretty intense naptime/bedtime routine though. Sometimes if I'm in a hurry, it makes me nuts, but if I go into it knowing EXACTLY what to expect, it can be pretty darn sweet.

1. Blankets covering the sides of her crib must be turned right.

2. Blankets on HER must be in the right order. Not upside down, not sideways. Rag quilt first, then flannel bear blanket on top.

3. Pacie in her mouth and bottle set just to the side of her face. YES, she still has a pacie and a bottle and that's just the way it is. The end.

4. Everything must be taken out of her hair. Braids, ponies, clips.

5. She wants 3 songs, in the same order every.single.time. There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Teach Me To Walk In The Light, I Love To See The Temple. Old Lady can get really, really long, so I start at the end and hurry through to the fly part as fast as I can. She tells me to slow down. She likes to be tickled on the "spider...that wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her" part. We sing one verse of Teach Me To Walk, but at the end, after "teach me, teach me, to walk in the light" she wants me to repeat the last line, but "always, always" then "gladly, gladly". Finally we get to our last song. She usually removes her pacie for this part. She holds my left hand with her right and moves it like we are leading the song..."I'll prepare myself while I am YUM". Oh, her lisp, and her tiny squeeky little voice. Once we finish, she says, "Say goodnight Margaret. Say love you." So...I do. I really, really do.

E squared...

I am not quite sure how the entire month of January got away from me. It was ridiculously busy, but so great. In all the madness, I failed to write down my thoughts about these girls. I feel so blessed to have thema s my daughters. I wonder how our relationship was before we ever came here. Was I a mother figure? Were we dear friends? If I were 11, I would want them to be my pals. I really would. They are just so good. We are working a little on them being friendlier...less timid. Other than that, they are nearly perfect.

I think it is completely adorable that Elizabeth is so giant and Emily is so tiny. Their size difference seems to be getting bigger and bigger. Lizzy can actually wear some of my things. Her feet are boats. I wonder just how tall she will end up. All I know is that she is elegant and beautiful. Her bones are dainty, her features are little. Her hair is FABulous. Emily worries about being so small. I think it is adorable and totally "her". Her personality more than makes up for her stature. She's bouncy, quick, loud, and happy. They both are. Just so happy. They know how to make ME happy too, and they do it. I think they like to. I think it makes them feel good. They are driven. They want to do a great job at anything they try. They are completely responsible. Little mothers.  

For their party this year, they each wanted to take a friend skating. Oh, how I love their friends. There is just a group of really good, happy, nice girls. It was so great to watch them skating. Eliza and Corinne were bold and fearless. The twins were cautious. They wanted to do it without the "walkers" this time. Emily got it pretty fast, but Lizzy struggled. I kid you not, every time she lagged behind, someone, one of the other 3 girls, would be waiting just ahead with their hand out to help her along. I spent a lot of my time watching being teary, and thankful.

My niece Christy came for a visit towards the end of the month. The girls wanted to wait until she was here for their skate party. They love her so much. SO much. She is more like an older sister to them than a cousin. The visit was a dream, but it left us with a hole in our home all over again. We can't wait to see her again this summer, this time with a new baby...Colten. :)

Another thing I want to remember...these girls are goofy. Sometimes they are a little too silly for me, but sometimes they are down right funny. I love when Elizabeth gets the giggles. LOVE it. She got them here after Emily hugged her so tight her glasses were wobbly.

<3

hp...

The very latest from Alex.

He never ceases to amaze me.

I mean REALLY amaze me.