Grace in Small Things, June 13, 2014

Hi Everyone! Happy Friday!

What a week it's been! I am beyond exhausted. Not sure potty training/toddler beds were worth it...reserving judgement at this point...but our nice little day-to-day routine has pretty much been destroyed.

And yet...always something to be grateful for...

1. Love this picture of Luke falling asleep at the kitchen table 4 PM yesterday afternoon (after 100% refusing to nap at his normal nap time):

2. Took the kids on a 45-minute walk in the stroller early this morning (with sippies of milk and baggies with Cheerios and raisins for breakfast) and, as a separate outing, an hour at the playground and no accidents either time. Yay kids! 

3. On the flip side, accident count at the house seems to be increasing. But love how hard my husband laughed when I told him Sis didn't make it to the bathroom, pooped on the floor in the hall, stepped in it and then ran all over the white carpet in her bedroom and playroom.

4. I have a massage scheduled tomorrow afternoon (at my husband's suggestion...he is the best!) And a fun-and-mellow Father's Day planned (with everything already in place...I'm organized and not running around last minute for once...) Should be a good weekend...

5. We have such a great stack of library books right now...our library's online ordering system is amazing...no more pulling randomly from the shelves...

Hope you all have a lovely weekend! Thanks for spending some time here this week.

XOXO

Grace in Small Things, June 2, 2014

Hi Everyone! Happy Monday!

A few things that are lovely in my world:

1. How cute is my girl in her sunglasses?!? (Snapped during a bonus playground outing with Daddy...what a treat...)
2. Since I've been back from Colorado I'm doing a better job of staying on top of paperwork, etc. My mornings are more hectic than they used to be, but a lot more is getting done...
3. Pool, birthday BBQ, the Script and One Republic at an outdoor amphitheater with my husband (and a new blouse and scarf and earrings to wear to it...also first big concert I've gone to since I was pregnant with Luke and Zo)...it was a good weekend...
4. I think I've figured out how to order books online from the local library...something I've been meaning to figure out forever...makes the library 100 times more usable...
5. Birds are singing so early in the morning here right now...if I'm not going to CrossFit I lay half-asleep in bed listening to them...such a cheerful way to wake up...

Hope you all have a great week!

XOXO

Grace in Small Things, May 27, 2014

Hi Everyone! Happy Tuesday! Here are some things that are lovely in my world:

1. Despite a cold and rainy holiday weekend, we still got in some pool time. And a couple BBQs. And a lot of relaxation...it was so needed and really great...
2. Made it to CrossFit by myself this morning, which is usually pretty much impossible. But my husband needed some sleep after being up with Luke-with-bad-dreams last night. And I'm so lucky to have a husband who helps like this...
3. All in all a pretty easy errand morning with the kids (including story hour, so something fun for them, too). It takes 10 times as long when I take them with me, but it's always nice to be spending the time together...
4. We had friends over over the weekend and as soon as they showed up Luke offered the kids his brand new and favorite toys of the moment--a dmp truck and bulldozer--totally on his own...was so proud of him...
5. Short work week...yay! And doesn't look like too bad a week, but I have a call at 2 PM that could totally change that...

XOXO

Grace in Small Things, May 21, 2014

Hi Everyone! Happy Wednesday!

Some things that are lovely in my world:

1. My son running up to me, hugging my leg, and saying, "I give Mommy a hug"
2. Being able to rock and soothe my daughter to sleep when she's having a hard time going down for a nap
3. The back yard starting to look spectacular...all thanks goes to my mother-in-law...
4. Making it to 5 AM CrossFit twice already this week
5. My boxer Newton lying at my feet as I type this...

XOXO

Grace in Small Things, April 28, 2014

Hi Everyone! Happy Monday! 

A few things that are lovely today:

1) Botanical Gardens on Saturday, their toy trains weren't running because of cottonwood fluff that looked so much like snow falling down and in the little train village...it was magical...

2) I am loving the end-of-day light right now...makes all the colors so rich...beautiful...

3) I am finally getting a little break from work (been working so hard for what feels like months)...and have been able to not only make a dent in my (previously miles long) TO DO list, but have also been able to do some fun and rejuvenating things...feeling so much better and so much less burnt out...

4) The kids and I are headed up to Colorado this weekend...really looking forward to some time with my family... 

5) Whenever I have mail for the mailbox like I did this morning, I let the kids take it. But they don't just walk it out there, Luke has to get his dump truck and Zo her wagon...the letters go in...they get wheeled out the front door, out the front gate, to the mailbox...and then one kid puts their letter(s) in while the other "waits in line," as Luke said this morning...then close it up...flag up...and race back to the house with the dump truck and wagon. It's the cutest thing ever.

Hope everyone has a great day!

XOXO

Grace in Small Things, April 18, 2014

Hi Everyone! Happy Friday!

Some things I'm grateful for today:

1) Easter is going to be so fun, although there is WAY too much chocolate coming. :) My husband and I have had fun collecting little things for Easter baskets, and the kids and I are going to dye eggs this morning, and there's something that happens in New Mexico called confetti eggs which are real eggs hollowed out and filled with confetti...the kids are going to love it! Plus we're going to do a really nice dinner at the dining room table...looking forward to making the holiday special...

2) My daughter running around the house yesterday with a stuffed bunny as big as her called "Tiny"...cutest thing ever.

3) I put our nice warm down comforter back on our bed last night...we were a little too anxious for spring I think switching it out for a light quilt a few weeks ago...nice to be toasty warm again.

4) Luke's been waking up with bad dreams (usually some sort of animal in his bed, there's been a peacock, a donkey, a dog), but he snuggles into my shoulder while I rock him for a few minutes and then he goes right back down...

5) Didn't realize I had these pictures of Dexter on my phone...I took him on a hike, one of our favorite spots, right before we put him down. It was weird at the end, he would get super distressed and have a massive nosebleed, and then whould be fine. The last nosebleed it was just clear he was hurting before it happened and I just couldn't see letting that happen again; the nosebleeds were happening about twice a day. It was hard to make the decision to let him go...he had late-stage cancer that we couldn't do anything about but I thought it would be obvious when the time came, that he would be obviously weak and sick, but instead it was this weird mix of everything is awful/everything seems fine. Anyway, I did the best I could with the decision...it was going to be hard no matter what. So after the last nosebleed he was fine and so I took him on one last beautiful, peaceful, amazing hike...and when we got back to the (remote national forest) parking lot a motorcycle zoomed by which I took as a sign because my brother Luke--to whom Dexter belonged--loved his motorcycle, actually was on it when he died, too. And then the spot in the last picture makes me so happy because to me that means Luke was with us. And now he's got his dog back and I'm grateful for that. So glad I have these pictures...

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

XOXO

Grace in Small Things, April 10, 2014

Hi Everyone!

Gosh, I feel like lately I'm either posting like crazy to try and catch up or not posting at all. A million excuses for neglecting this space...the regular overwork, not sleeping well, dealing in weird ways with my dog's death (which has brought a lot of other stuff to the surface), etc. etc. But mostly I think it's my kids are changing their sleep schedule, often up at the crack of dawn and so some time I used to have to myself in the morning has evaporated. On the plus side, I get more time with my kids. :) Naps are also getting shorter and shorter, some days pretty much nonexistent. 

And also, something I always struggle with here...I want to be honest in this space...like right now, I am tired all the time, my "TO DO" list is way longer than what can realistically get accomplished, I'm feeling burnt out at work, my dog dying sucked, what happened with our daughter dying still hurts in a way I can't even begin to describe, I think about it every day...what happened with my brother dying too, for that matter, and the anniversary of that is coming up at the end of the month. But...I just don't want to talk about all that stuff because it's better for me if I just put it to the side and say, "look at all the good, Luke and Zo and my husband and my family and we have work and a beautiful home, I like where we live, and I only work part time and get to spend so much time with the kids, etc., etc." I really admire people who can write honestly about hardship and pain, and I don't want to make it seem like everything is sunshine and roses over here, but I have to focus on the positive to keep going.

Anyway, a long prologue to some notes about what is lovely in my life right now:

1) It felt like summer here today. I went to the zoo with the kids this morning. I wore a T-shirt and shorts...no sweatshirt over the top for what felt like the first time in forever. We had all the windows wide open all day. Ahhhhhhh...

2) We have this 2-story wall in our living room and we're essentially making it into a giant peice of art. Textured tiles are going up and it's been such a challenge for everyone involved to figure out how to make them stay, but it looks like they've found a solution. And the wall is going to look SO COOL. The stuff we're doing to our living room/dining room, I just love it. It's making the house feel cool and artsy and ours.

3) I ordered some bikinis online from Roxy the other day...where I used to get all my swimsuits back when I lived in California and went surfing every day. With IVFs and pregnancies it's been years--years--since I could wear a bikini. I've worked really hard (CrossFit and Paleo) to get my body back to normal and I'm almost there and that's really gratifying. Also, I am SO EXCITED about summer. My goal is to get up every morning and put on a swimsuit under my clothes, because I'll be getting in the pool every single day.

4) We got the best new book at the library the other day, it's called Duck, Duck Moose and the kids can't get enough of it. It's been a while since we got a really good new book. It's so silly and fun, with a moose that's just a tornado wrecking everything in his path, and the ducks who live with him loving him anyway. The kids always do "Moose Face!" before we read it, which is making a funny face with your hands put up like moose antlers on the top of your head.

5) The kids have been wanting "Rainbow Connection" (Luke: "Mommy, sing Rainbow con-nection please?") as their bedtime song almost every night lately. (I love this Willie Nelson rendition). Reminds me of my childhood. Makes me happy. 

And speaking of happy, my daughter says, "Sissy happy!" almost every day, and Luke generally chimes in with, "Luke's happy too!" And I say--when it's true and it almost always is--"Awwww, you guys, that's great. Mommy's happy too."

How can you not be with those little sweethearts to hang out with, you know?

XOXO

Grace in Small Things, March 17, 2014

Hi Everyone!

Sorry it's been kind of quiet around here...honestly, a lot going on and have been struggling a bit since Dexy died...and it's not about our dog per se...not really sure why...just a lot weighing on my mind, not sleeping well at all, lots of anxiety about all sorts of things right now for some reason, new work clients that I'm trying to get things running smoothly with, etc. etc. Went to the doctor today and am hoping I have something that will help with the sleep...that seems to be the place to start with all this. And a prescription to help with the anxiety if I need it, but I'm hoping sleeping better will make everything else more manageable. 

That said, wanted to take a minute to write about some of the good things:

1) So incredibly lovely to have my parents here visiting last week. So fun to see Luke and Zo with them...they have such a great relationship with my parents...

2) Made it to the gym this morning despite a somewhat sleepless night. Glad I went...

3) My big work project for the week seems manageable...wasn't sure that was going to be the case...

4) I have a new black sweatshirt that I LOVE that's kept me warm and cozy on this cool late winter day...

5) My mother-in-law's got corned beef and cabbage cooking up for dinner...yum...

Hope all is well with all of you!

XOXO

A Week of Lovely Moments

Lots of sadness about Hunter last week, I think because I saw friends I hadn't seen since everything went down, and also the 28th is the day we lost her and I walked around that whole day saying to myself, "Why do I feel so bad about this today?" until the end of the day when I realized the date and it all made sense.

But also last week was such a lovely week, with some really beautiful moments.

Such as traveling to Boston for business (and being OK being away from the kids. Last time I was away from them, an overnight for our anniversary last October, I was totally panicked the whole time...it was too close to Hunter's death...I'm doing better now.)

Anyway, I used to be in Boston all the time for work, but it's been years. Good to see old friends and Kendall Square in Cambridge where the office is...it was cold but I walked from the office on the river to Cuchi Cuchi one night (one of my favorite restaurants ever, oh my gosh, my dinner was so good) and Kendall Square when I first started working there in 2002 was really a wasteland, there was just nothing, now it looks like something out of The Jetsons, with every square inch developed, incredible architecture and glass and steel buildings and stories-high plasma screens--it's incredible how that area has been transformed, cool to see it up close.

Here is the view from the office I occupied for a few days:

And then back in New Mexico, hiking this weekend, also cold, snow starting to fall on the peaks and our dogs and Jack who we're dogsitting for while my parents are in Big Bend...happy and Dexter was playing chase with Newton which I haven't seen since his cancer diagnosis in November, he's doing so well, I know his time is limited, but it's so good to see him doing so well...

And then Superbowl Sunday, sitting in the kitchen with the kids after naps, Luke in his orange-and-blue striped thermal, them both coloring happily, my husband prepping our burgers-and-sweet-potato-fries dinner for later, trying to teach the kids to say, "Go, Broncos!" and we had an oldies station on and the kids and I danced to "You're the One That I Want" from "Grease" (love that movie and that song's the best part) and I sang "You've Got a Friend" to them...I mean, nothing happened, but it was just such a sweet, ordinary hour we spent in the kitchen as a family...

Oh, and the kids watched the ENTIRE football game (we had lots of toys for them, but still I was expecting they'd be done by halftime). The cheer the kids ended up using was, "Go, Football!," which was just as well. 

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

XOXO

Grace in Small Things, November 20, 2013

Hi Everyone! Happy Wednesday!

Here are some things that are good in my world:

1. Dexter (above, on a hike a couple days ago)...we just found out he has a really aggressive form of cancer. But we've started treatment, and according to the vet he's responding. He's 10. We're hoping for another six to nine months (again according to the vet, a reasonable expectation). I just want some more time to give him some love, take him on hikes which is his favorite thing, take care of this creature that's been entrusted to me. My previous experiences with death, it's always been everything is totally fine and then in an instant my world has fallen apart. This is the first time I will have some time to say goodbye. I am so grateful... 

2. Crossfit made me cry this morning. BUT I didn't actually cry AT Crossfit. Just in the car on the way home. And it wasn't really all the push ups, although I hate how weak I am right now, and that I always finish last. It's Dexter, and what happened with our baby, and I'm trying so hard to be positive day-to-day, sometimes the tears just come at weird times...

3. It's my husband's birthday today. The kids and I have a little suprise we are making up our sleeve...can't wait to give it to him...

4. Last night was my second night in a row sleeping through the night in a long while. Helps so much...

5. Houseful of company coming next week (and I'm taking the week off). So grateful and excited...

XOXO

PRK Report, and Grace in Small Things, November 4, 2013

Hi Everyone! Happy Monday!

So my husband thought it would be cool for us to get LASIK surgery done to correct our vision. Yay! I don't know why I didn't do this years ago...

But, turns out, my corneas are too thin for LASIK, so my option was something called PRK.

I had it done 12 days ago, and after a week of pain bad enough to need percoset the whole time (and honestly, percoset was kind of fun the first couple days, but after that it was like, get me off this stuff. Plus I still feel like I have a hangover from it.) Anyway, after a week of severe pain AND terrible vision up until mid-day TODAY, when I am magically able to drive again and read my emails without essentially pressing my nose to the screen...you know, all this would have been OK if I was expecting it...my fault for not doing more research and getting specifics out of the doctor, but I was under the impression that after a few days I would be fine.

Anyway. I'm going to be so grateful not to have glasses or contacts anymore. But gosh, the past 12 days have been SO HARD. 

And with that complaining out of the way, here are some things that are awesome:

1) Warm enough in New Mexico in early November to be outside at 10 AM in a T-shirt and be comfortable...so nice. The kids and I colored outside this morning...and by colored I mean the kinds putting crayons in and out of the box over and over until they started chewing on them and I took them away. (Luke, to be fair, did put some marks on a piece of paper.) It was so lovely to be outside.

2) My biggest client, who told me a month or so ago they are letting all their freelance writers go at the beginning of the year, has asked me and one other writer to stay on. Not forever, I'm sure, but as long as they want to send work my way I am happy to be working with them...

3) Starting to plan our Christmas-time trip to Colorado. So excited! I think I'm even going to get to snowboard (snow permitting)...my brother was talking about taking us backcountry...

4) Have I told you guys my husband and I are doing CrossFit? That's a post in itself and I have been sore for a month straight, but today was the first day I wasn't the last one coming in from our warm-up run. I credit my new shoes (and a month of hard work, minus last week when I couldn't see and thus couldn't go).

5) Daylight savings time...that extra hour this morning helped soooooooo much.

Hope you all are getting a lovely start to your week. 

Can't wait to show you Halloween pics here sometime in the next few days...we had a ball...

XOXO

Grace in Small Things, September 25, 2013

Hi Everyone...

Feeling pretty down this afternoon...having trouble working (I've been trying to write a newsletter article for 2 hours and I have 2 sentences...) ...can't make myself go for a hike (why?...it's gorgeous out...I have the time...the dogs will love it...I'll feel better...) ...figured it would be a good time to list some things that are good in my life, right?

And so:

1. My husband and I and the twins are going out for Chinese food tonight, which sounds lovely. Haven't had Chinese food in months and months (since we moved)...hope we end up at a good place (and that the kids like Chinese...)
2. Big changes are afoot at work...my biggest client, whom I've worked with for 7 years, isn't going to be using freelancers anymore after the first of the year. But I do work for other people and this sort of thing has happened before and another client always comes in to fill the void and I only need to work 20 hours a week...so I'm a little scared, but mostly I'm just trusting that things will be OK. Glad to not be panicked over this...
3. I'm still really up and down, but on the whole probably more up than down. My mornings/evenings with the kids/my husband are generally glorious...just sometimes I have a hard time working instead of thinking about what happened, and late at night when I should be sleeping things aren't always the best. But every minute of every day isn't horrible, and I'm grateful for that...
4. I've got about 15 lbs. left to lose from my pregnancy/fertility drugs and it's not happening very fast...but, my husband wants us to commit to doing this exercise thing together (5 AM classes 4 days a week...ugh...that's going to be hard...) so that should help right? And it will be great to do it together...
5. I've been kind of obsessed with figuring out what the next step is as far as having another baby (or figuring out if there is a next step...)...my husband is urging me to take a 6-month break and I am slowly getting more comfortable with that idea...grateful to have some sort of a plan, even if the plan is to do nothing for a little while...

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Wednesday...

XOXO

Grace in Small Things, July 2, 2013

Hi Everyone! Happy Tuesday!

Here are some things that are good in my world:

1. It rained the past couple days. It smelled so good yesterday morning. Cannot tell you how much I miss rain. 

2. Grandma is decorating the kids' red wagon for the Forth-of-July parade that's apparently happening in our neighborhood (and that the kids can be in). My husband thinks we're ridiculous, but holidays are important. And love that Grandma is involved...she is so creative and it will be 10 times cooler because she's in charge.

3. Two trips planned to Colorado in the next two months (and one of them a full week off work). Absolutely cannot wait.

4. Loving Sissy's new pink Converse tennies. Trying to dress her cute and girly, but definitly want shoes she can run around and be a kid in, vs precious things she has to be careful with.

5. Bubs got up early from yesterday's afternoon nap. Nice to have occasional moments with just one baby...

XOXO

Image Credit: Target.

Grace in Small Things, June 4, 2013

Hi Everyone!

Happy Tuesday!

Here are some things that are good in my world:

1. Thanks to those of you who left kind comments on my (somewhat whiny) post the other day. And to Janie, whom I don't know, thank you for the gentle (and very polite) reminder that things could be worse. Yeah, I'm feeling down about some things, but everything is right in my world right now and my malaise is NOTHING like the pain of fertility stuff and miscarriages and etc. that so many women go through before getting to have a take-home baby. That is hell. This is no big deal
2. Story hour at our local library is so great. And it's pretty easy for me to take both kids there by myself...I feel like supermom when I can get out and about like that with twins. (Getting out and about with them has been more challenging since I haven't been able to load the stroller up in the car...because I'm not supposed to life heavy things while pregnant...I had no idea how much that stoller enabled me to do, and what a learning curve it would be figuring out how to get out of the house with 2 kids without it) 
3. Taco Cabana chicken quesadillas are the best thing ever. With the very, very hottest sauce, tons of it, I could drink that stuff. That's one of my cravings lately and so glad I can just drive down the street and get one. (The other things I'm craving are celery...weird, I know...and grapefruit juice, which is what I craved last pregnancy)
4. Work is busy. Projects are fun. Although I have a MASSIVE thing to write in the next week or so...a little nervous about how I'm going to pull that off but my husband said he'd be happy to help with the kids so I know it's going to happen
5. And...OK...confession: After swearing up and down my whole life that I would NEVER drive a minivan...well, as of this weekend there is a minivan parked in our driveway. The funny thing is, I thought I would hate it and, you know, it kind of needed to be done with 3 kids coming up and 2 big dogs and Grandma living with us and my parents visiting often and us wanting to do road trips to Colorado and elsewhere, but I didn't expect to be happy about it. I've driven a Jeep FOREVER. That's who I am. But you know what? I am actually LOVING the minivan. So easy to get the kids in and out. So easy to get everyone in the car to go somewhere. So easy to do errands. This minivan thing kind of rocks. :)

Hope everyone is having a great week. :)

XOXO

Image Credit: tetamodeler

Grace in Small Things (And an FET Update): April 5, 2013

1. My husband's organizing the garage this evening, and instead of having me help he gave me one of those fire logs he found on a shelf in there and told me to go try out our new fireplace and relax. Ahhh...lovely to do just that. Can I tell you how much I LOVE having a fireplace? The warmth of a fire is just the best thing ever.

2. So hard living in a new place and doing an FET. I had to get an ultrasound and blood work today and instead of Colorado where everyone knows me and everything take half an hour max start to finish, I'm going to an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. The guy who did my blood draw, it took him literally half an hour to get my paperwork together, I was getting so antsy, but then he drew my blood perfectly the first time...I have terrible veins so that is an accomplishment, AND it didn't even hurt. I am definitely asking for him next time I go back. And my ultrasound, I just need information on my lining for the fertility clinic, but they spent half an hour looking at every possible thing that could be looked at. Sigh. But the good news is my lining is developing great...so great they actually want to push my transfer up a few days...which is awesome but also somewhat of a logistical nightmare...I had it all figured out who is going to watch the kids, who is going to take care of me, I had a plane ticket and days scheduled off work and now I've got to start from scratch, but it's OK, my body is responding, I have a good chance of being pregnant again (so soon! It's crazy!), that's all that matter...logistics...I am good at logistics...

3. Beautiful spring weather (70s) down here, I am loving it. And I spent some time today going through the kids' clothes and packing away everything that no longer fits them/is designed for snowy winters, which was a lot. Now I know what I need to get for summer...and shopping for kids clothes is so fun (we do a lot of it second-hand...you can find such amazing things...)

4. Bright peacock blue bedside table lamps are new in our bedroom today...I am loving the color...

5. The kids "helped" me make spaghetti sauce this morning (for the crock pot) and ate it like crazy for dinner tonight. What a mess...but at the same time, they were so incredibly cute with sauce all over their faces...and they ate well which isn't a given these days...they have been cranky all week since they got SIX shots each on Monday...ugh...but still, the best babies ever...

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Thanks for spending some time here this week!

XOXO

Grace in Small Things, February 13, 2013

Hi Everyone! Happy Wednesday! 

Awake at six this morning, cup of tea and my bedroom at my parent's is warm, the twins don't get up until 7 or for the past week they've been happy in their pack-and-plays past that, whereas always before I needed to be ready for them at 7 on the dot or even before. Thought I'd use this found time to share some small happy things:

1. Loving being at my parent's house, which is no surprise. When I lived in California and was single I used to come often...I always said it was like going to the spa because the setting is so serene and my mom is the best cook and everything she makes is so healthy and we all used to go on hikes all the time but now it's usually just me and my dad while my mom watches the babies. I'm going to lose those last two or three pounds I still have from my pregnancy while staying here, for sure. Speaking of that, my parents had a new washer/dryer delivered yesterday and the delivery guy asked how old the twins were and I said 10 months and he said wow you've lost all the weight, haven't you? And I have, and I fixate on those last couple pounds but really, I've done well. :)

2. Let the boxers out late last night (Dexter's eye is healing beautifully, by the way), and the strangest sound...I went outside and there was a chorus of coyotes, which can kill dogs so I ushered mine in quickly. My dad said they (coyotes) were probably scared to death by the cone on Dexter's head. So cool to be somewhere wild enough for coyotes. 

3. Been watching Mad Men Season 5 with my dad. So good. Plus they do what I do professionally, so interesting from that perspective. Plus if we get the house in ABQ I'll be watching Mad Men for decorating tips (we don't want to make our house like a museum, but we do want to stay somewhat true to the peroid while mixing in things we already have). Plus Megan's clothes...love her clothes. That actress is just so beautiful, period. And the writing is so amazing...we watched the episode (SPOILER ALERT) where Lane dies last night and the ending with Don and the boy in the car...amazing... Also we've been watching the commentaries after each episode and I've never watched commentaries like that but it's really interesting as a writer to hear about how the story is put together...

4. I can't get these posts about photography and truths that will make you a better person (via e tells tales) out of my head...

5. Often when I run errands I'll take one kid...nice to have some time alone with one of the twins, even if it is doing something as pedestrian as errands. Yesterday it was Luke and he's so cute right now, he's got this thing with strangers where he'll lean backwards out of my arms and smile a huge smile, then bury his head in my shoulder and peek out coyly...makes everyone laugh and say how cute he is...it's so lovely to run errands with a baby...

It's gone from dark to light while I write this...I can see the Colorado National Monument out the window, delicate pink of the clouds against the palest shade of blue and Zo is cooing in the other room...off to start another busy day. Hope it's a great one for you. :)

XOXO

Image credit: Pixdaus.

Grace in Small Things, February 6, 2013

Hey Everyone!

It's a crazy, stressful, exhausting time with trying to get packed and moved, buy a house, rent out our current house, and my husband's about to leave us for a month (he starts work on Monday, we're staying with my parents until we close on the house or figure out Plan B)...ugh...will miss him so much.

But there are good things happening in my world:

1. A lovely dinner last night with a writer friend of mine and his wife, who also happens to be my OB. They used to live in Albuquerque and it was such fun to get their recommendations on where to go and what to do. They say we'll love it there...

2. Moved me and the kids and the dogs to my parents this morning. They (my parents) have made us all feel so incredibly welcome. I know it's a lot to take us in for a month, but so grateful to a) want to spend all this time with them (and feel like they want to spend it with me) and b) to get along so beautifully with them...not everyone has this kind of relationship with their parents. I'm very grateful for it...

3. Dexter-the-dog is recovering nicely from his eye surgery. He gets to be a one-eyed pirate dog now...arrrrrrr (that's my best pirate impression). Poor guy, but he seems to be in great spirits. Can't wait to take the cone off his head

4. Sucks to work late into the night, but grateful I can do it on days like today where I needed to be with the kids and take care of a zillion other things during normal business hours

5. The light on the Book Cliffs (which run all the way into Utah) late afternoon is so, so beautiful...for the past month I've noticed it almost every day and it's incredible...I think my mom and the babies and I are going to go on a little field trip someday soon...Jeep out there one afternoon and take some pictures...the light this time of year is one of my favorite things about this place...going to miss it for sure

XOXO

Grace in Small Things, January 24, 2013

Hi Everyone! Happy Thursday!

I'm mildly worried about a million things right now--our move, getting organized, what we're going to do with our house, how we're going to find a house in ABQ--that's my new abbreviation for Albuquerque :)--the timing of everything because my husband's job starts two weeks from Monday and pretty much nothing has been done yet (although the company is helping us with the move which is huge) and my biggest client just got bought and I don't know what that means for work I mean I've always been fine but I get scared and we were going to start an FET in the next week or two but we've postponed a month because I like to think I'm superwoman but you know, I'm not and I can't do all of this and an FET too. And I hope we can find a house we love and one that has room for all of us and my mother-in-law...we all need our own space and privacy and I just don't know what's available in our price range and I'm pissed we bought a house in 2007 and it's lost so much value (even though I know I'm far from alone in that respect) and I've worked so hard my whole adult life I just want a nice house for my family is that too much to ask?

OK, done whining. :) 

Deep breath.

We're all healthy and that's all that matters. Everything is going to fall into place.

And so, on to some things that are good in my world:

1. My husband downstairs making the kids laugh...have loved having him around day-to-day...will really miss him when he's off to work every day

2. We had an earthquake last night. In Colorado. Weird. But kind of fun because I knew what it was and I knew there was nothing to be scared of (if I'd been in California, there would have been more fear.) 

Me (going downstairs to talk to my husband): "Did you feel that?"

Him: "Yeah, what was it?"

Me: "An earthquake. Had to have been. What else could it be?"

Him: "I don't know, a train wreck maybe?"

3. We get to look for a new house next week! It's going to be so fun!

4. Work is busy. I am grateful.

5. We have the cutest, sweetest children in the history of children. So grateful every day.

XOXO

PS Would HUGELY appreciate a vote for my blog on Top Baby Blogs. You can vote once per day...just click here and then on the owl on the left. I'll ask again tomorrow and then won't bug you guys for a while. Thanks for your support! :)

Image Credit: B2B Marketing Experiences.

Grace in Small Things, December 14, 2012

Hi Everyone! Happy Friday!

Some things that are good in my world today:

1. Spent a LOT of time with my parents this past week, with my husband out of town most of the week. The time I get to spend with them is so precious.

2. Massage and chiropractor appointments today...I feel sooooo good now...carting around two beautiful babies doesn't do my back any favors, that's for sure.

3. Our new couch arrived! I LOVE it! It's my dream couch and it is really the best thing ever.

4. Not ready for X-mas, but getting there, slowly but surely. I will not be totally frazzled and running around like crazy at the last minute, at any rate.

5. Have I mentioned how AMAZING it is to be getting a good night's sleep on a regular basis? I am so grateful for that turn of events. It's made such a huge difference.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for spending some time here this week. :)

XOXO

PS Love this photo with the lights...want to do this with my kids/our family next year. (In regular clothes though. Obviously.)

Image Credit: 100 Layer Cake via Lesley Schoch on Pintrest.

Grace in Small Things, December 7, 2012

Hi Everyone! Happy Friday!

Some lovely things going on right now:

1) Early morning wake-ups with the kids, 6 AM it's still dark out it's just me and them and I change and feed them and then I make a cup of tea (Lady Gray, the best) and sit and watch the kids turned loose in the living room/dining room, and really just marvel that this is my life, with these two perfect children in it.

2) We're getting a new couch on Tuesday. (Yay! So excited!) My husband got rid of our old couch LAST Tuesday. He doesn't mind not having a couch. "I only sweat the big stuff," he says. I'm trying to look at it as: think of how much we'll appreciate having a couch when it gets here. (And besides, my husband is right. It's so inconsequential if we don't have a couch for a week, I mean, come on...)

3) Amazing hike with my dad Wednesday (Pollock Bench Trail...a trail we hadn't done together since we were hiking all the time getting ready to backpack the Grand Canyon a few years back.) Amazing yoga class yesterday. I'm ONE POUND from my goal (pre-IVF/pregnancy) weight and have been for like a month...driving me crazy that I can't lose that last pound but really, when you've lost 66 pounds, one more doesn't really matter, right? Still...what do I have to do to lose that last pound? I mean seriously...

4) Reading Bossypants. It's so good. It's been so long since I read an actual book...

5) No work this weekend. No long list of chores. No one's traveling. Etc...just me and the babies and my husband and I think it's supposed to rain or snow so we can cuddle up inside, maybe go to brunch, maybe I can read (finish) my book, I'm going to a Christmas concert with my mom Sunday afternoon and Sunday night is date night...it's going to be a fabulous weekend.

Have a great weekend, everyone! Thanks for spending some time here this week. See you on Monday.

XOXO

Image Credit: Society 6: "Audrey Enjoys Her Cup of Tea" by Creature Comforts.