29 Years Old

It's hard to put into words what I felt about this year's birthday. Celebration-wise, I made out like a bandit. I got to have cake and ice cream at Mom and Dad's, with one of my besties, Stephanie, as well as lunch with my El Paso crew. Not to mention a hubby and children who spoiled me rotten. 

But emotionally, I had a hard time. My mom, Monica, was 29 when she passed away. And this year I felt the significance of just how young she was. So this year's birthday was a little bittersweet. 

I was, however, able to get some good pictures of family that I didn't get a lot of during Christmas.

Strike a pose!

Facebook in February

Time for the February edition of Facebook postings.

Me: We're going to read out of Mosiah.

Leah: Bull's Eye?

Me: Mo-si-ah

Leah: Oh, Bull's Eye.

February 1 at 6:19pm

Monica came in to our room and said, "I have two pairs of pants, three shirts and three pairs of socks on. Can I go play in the snow now?" Uhhh, let's wait til it gets in the 20 degree range.

February 2 at 9:53am

Leah was trying to help me calm Jilly, so she put her blanket on the baby and said, "There! I give you my bwanket. Be happy!"

February 7 at 7:59am

Monica picked up a dead bird today, held it out to Ryan and said, "Daddy! There's a serious problem here."

Lots of "eww-ing" and "go wash your hands until the soap dispenser is empty" ensued. Go ahead and laugh (I did!) and say a prayer we don't get the bird flu!

February 7 at 10:32pm

We're building new beds today! I can't wait for the girls to see them. Cubbies and drawers built into the frames. Woohoo!

February 10 at 10:42am

So, Monica got her first Valentine's gift from a boy in her class. A cute teddy bear and candy. Her teacher is going to "address the issue" in parent-teacher conference with Lorenzo's mom because we just got Monica to stop talking about kissing & boyfriends. So, now I'm torn. I think it's really sweet that he wanted to get her a gift. Do I tell the teacher not to worry about it? Or leave it alone?

February 14 at 3:05pm

Monica: Leah, stop eating my face!
Leah: Yum! Yum! Yum!
Monica: LEAH!
Leah: Does it taste good?
Monica: No. It tastes like peanuts!

February 15 at 8:11am

I went to my first Parent-Teacher conference today. I love hearing how awesome and smart my child is!

February 18 at 10:17am

After all Leah does to the cat during the day (i.e. body slamming, choke holds, tail yanking) it's quite surprising to me that Figaro still cuddles up to Leah during naps and bedtime. She does get her revenge sometimes, though, like pouncing on Leah in the middle of the night scaring the poo out of her. I guess it evens out.

February 24 at 9:36am

Monica punched the boy who gave her a Valentine's gift for tickling her too hard. She had to be taken out of the school assembly.

February 26 at 2:09pm

Snow... in Las Cruces?!

About a week before my birthday, newscasters started throwing around words like "record-breaking" and "snow". But, the weather itself was mild. And why shouldn't it be? Las Cruces is in an area known for mild winters and scorching hot summers. But then the storm rolled in. If I remember correctly, 13 El Paso Electric generators shut down because of the cold, causing school cancellations, rolling outages, and pleas to conserve energy. 

We did our part by going out of town. We went up to Albuquerque for Ryan's last drill with the United States Army Reserves. But before we skipped town, we had a little fun. And when I say little, I really mean little. It was less than 10 degrees and the girls begged to go out and play in it when they woke up and saw the blanket of snow. I tried to hold them off til the afternoon, thinking it might rise to the double digits. No such luck. Apparently it was warmer in Anchorage, Alaska than it was in Supposed-To-Be-Sunny, New Mexico. 

So, we bundled up and I played with the girls for about five minutes. Monica lasted another five minutes, while Leah managed almost forty five minutes. Cold? What cold? Fuhgeddaboutit. 

Maybe it's just me, but I love the snot faucet.

Taste-testing. 

 I think this picture says it all. 

After ten minutes of playing, this was as close to a smile as Monica could muster.

MEANWHILE:

Jillian slept snug as a bug in a rug in her new swing.

January 2011

January came and went in quite a blur. And since I don't remember much of it, how about some Facebook posts? I'm realizing the daily posts are a little bit of a journaling opportunity. They give a good idea of what is going on and some of the cute things the girls are saying.

Here are a few things I do remember, though.
1. At the end of the month, Monica and I started some reading lessons. The book is called, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I'll update on that later.
2. Ryan began a grueling semester of all upper level classes and has been doing great.
3. Leah began to grasp potty training more fully on her own. (YAY!)


Facebook Ramblings

Wow! There is nothing like being welcomed home after 10 days with a slap in the face of yuck. Note to self: always make sure to unlock the kitty door BEFORE you leave!

January 3 at 10:32pm

I love the little squeaks and coos coming out of our little Jilly! After nights of crying, the squeaks are a wonderful reminder of the sweetness hiding in there. I'm crossing my fingers she outgrows the colicky-ness quickly so we can see more of it!

January 5 at 7:32pm

YES!!! 3 days before school starts and I got into the classes I was on the wait list for. Wish me luck. I just have to pass and I will have my associates degree completed in May. I'm at a major milestone- halfway to my goal! WOOT!

January 7 at 10:27pm

Monica: 'B-aaawts. No. Buh-ooo-sss-t. Boost? No. Buh-oo-t-ssss. BOOTS! It's BOOTS!

January 10 at 8:56pm

Monica: "Mom, when I grow up can I be a Hobby Lobby helper?" Me: "sure! But why?"
Monica: "Because I like to organize things."

January 14 at 3:43pm

Leah: "Mama, can we go to wobby wobby? I like wobby wobby."

Hobby Lobby- the new favorite store.

January 24 at 9:17am

Jillian smiled at me!!! It was so sweet watching her discover she could control her lips. I LOVE this girl!

January 25 at 3:02pm

is singing praises this morning. Jilly slept for 7 hours straight! And probably would have slept longer if I hadn't jostled her to make sure she was still breathing...

January 26 at 8:50am

Monica inherited my sensitivity. We were watching Strawberry Shortcake and when Mr. Longface got caught in his lie, Monica started crying and wailed, "This is the sad part, Mom! He doesn't have a family!" Which, of course, then made me want to cry.

*sniff*

January 30 at 10:31pm

Oh, how I love my Monica! She hugged me when I picked her up from school, stepped back and said, "Mama, your tummy is getting more and more and more shorter!"

January 31 at 2:45pm

 I wanted to take some 2 month old pictures of Jillian, but Leah kept jumping in front the camera. 

Future model? Maybe. 

But I fell in love with this picture of her eyes. 

Beautiful girl!

 I love naked baby pictures! 

Jillian was just getting good at lifting her head. 

So I was able to catch her after her bath, trying to see the world. 

This picture was too cute! 

We were eating at Subway when I looked over and saw her grinning in her sleep.

Luckily, Ryan had just traded me ipods.

(His had a camera, mine had 10x more memory.)

So I was able to capture, if but a bit fuzzily, this sweet moment!