January Funk

It's that time of year again! January funk time. I dread January! It's cold, boring and long. January is usually the month when I re-evaluate how things are going for me. In past January funks I've decided to switch jobs (I worked at day care for about 2 hours); registered for technical college (and then didn't go); moved homes (from an apartment back home and into a new apartment the next year); & painted (& re-painted) multiple rooms. I've been toying with a few ideas for home "pick me up" type projects. But I have yet to start any (except for overhauling all the closets). My January funk use to annoy Dave. He didn't like coming home from work to the furniture being rearranged every day for a week. But now he gets me, and he's great about supporting (or politely re-directing) my January funk projects. With only 7 days left of January I have got to get moving on my latest projects! I am pretty sure it will involve some crown molding and a nail gun (God, help us all!). I am ready for spring!

Toby's 16 months

I'm not sure when it happened but Toby is already 16 months old! He is such a joy to have! At 16 months Toby...
... Is finally done with the bottle. I just stopped giving if to him before bed and the transition has been no problem for him. For me? Well, it's possible tears have been shed over this small victory.
... Is talking! Words have been more difficult for Toby than his older siblings but he is no longer mute! He can say: dada, mama, owie, uh oh, quack quack, all done, bye, hello, love you & I'm sure there's others I'm forgetting! I'm so proud of him!
...is a daddy's boy. It's becoming more and more obvious that daddy is his favorite person these days. Tonight he bumped his head and as I went to pick him up for comfort him he ran away from me straight into daddy's arms.
... Has the sweetest smile you'll ever see. Toby's giggle will melt you into a puddle. I just love listening to him laugh!
... Adores his siblings. It's fun that he is starting to play with Eli when Breena is at school. They chase each other and have a great time together. He loves to follow Bree with books and sit on her lap while she reads to him. It's adorable to see them together.
... Is sleeping thru the night! This is HUGE! We have started giving him a pediasure after super each night in the hopes of making him gain a few pounds (he's a picky eater). It's also helped to fill his belly before bed & therefore he's sleeping better.

Toby is in such a fun stage right now. I could seriously watch him all day long an never get bored. I'm so looking forward to springtime when we can be outside playing again. Our family is going to have a great year with our three kiddos at great ages!

Kindergarten

I don't even want to say the word. Bree will head to kindergarten in the fall of 2014. That leaves just a year and half o have her to myself. I am so not ready to think about this. Every aspect of sending her to kindergarten makes me sad. I am sad that she won't be with me, sad that Eli & Toby will spend a good chunk of the day without her, sad to send her off to an environment that I have absolutely no control over, sad that the other kids may not always be nice, and sad that my baby is getting so big. This is a part of motherhood I wasn't prepared for, I never dreamed it would be this difficult to sit back and let my kids grow without holding their hand all of the time. It feels like someday I'm going to wake up and find myself watching proudly as her daddy walk her down isle. The reality of how fast time truly moves has set in as I'm filling out applications for preschool next fall. A huge part of my wants to homeschool her, to keep we with me where I know she is safe. But the tiny voice inside my head knows better. So come September 2014 she will head off to elementary school; and I will be left sitting in the car with tear stained cheeks watching as my 6lbs brown eyed beautiful baby girl excitedly runs into future, wondering where the years have gone. I'm so proud of her and I love her dearly. If you knew her, you couldn't help but love her too. She has one of the kindness souls I've ever seen. My little girl is going to do great things someday, how lucky I am to be her mother.

The Resolution

Its january 13 & my personal resolutions for 2013 are already off to a great start. I've managed to workout at the gym 9 days, worked out at home 2 days and taken 2 days off. This has already resulted for a 7lbs weight loss! I was hoping for a change physically by losing some fat I've packed on in motherhood but what I wasn't anticipating was finding out that I really do love working on me! The 45 minutes I spend in the gym are so peaceful. I throw my headphones on and genuinely enjoy working up a sweat and focusing on myself. While I've only just begun, I have found myself to have more energy and also more patience. It's great to take this time for myself and not feel guilty. Fortunately the gym we belong to has a child care area so I am able to go when it works for me instead of always having to go at night (which I stink at. I like being lazy at night). All in all I'm quite proud of myself and the progress I can already see. This year is going to be so great, I can tell already!

I love that

Eli's life is a musical. He seriously sings all of the time! We actually have to talk about when it's inappropriate to sing loudly (like in Walmart)!

I love when...

Breena helps her brother learn to play the leapster. She had the patience of a saint!

I love it when

...Toby wants to sit on my lap and he just backs up an plops down.