It's Seriously Been Over A Month!?!?!

I don't even know where the time went. Between the holidays, Rob having gobs of time off, and just trying to squeeze in time for myself, I guess this blog has gone by the wayside. I hope it's not this long again before I update!

We had a joyous, wonderful, blessed holiday season. We spent great time with all of our families and it seems so long ago, that I don't even remember specific memories, so I'll jump ahead to what is going on now.

McKenzie: Potty training. We started last week, sort of by default. Kylie and she both got the rotovirus (though Kylie much worse) and so we were forced to stay home for 5 days straight, which was good both financially and for potty training. She has gone over 30 times to the potty by herself since last Tuesday, which is great and just the past 2 days (probably more than you need to know), she started going #2 on the potty, which is a very big deal. We have a sticker chart and the deal is, when she finishes a row, she gets a present. The first row was Elmo underwear...the second...Lightning McQueen sunglasses. This could get expensive! I've been telling her for months that when she is potty trained, she can go to preschool, so now almost every time she goes, she tells me, "Mama, I can go to school now!" Almost, kiddo. Almost. She is still in gymnastics and we'll keep her there indefinitely. It's really a blessing to be able to send her and she enjoys it so much. She is becoming very smart and is now into The Land Before Time movies. She absolutley loves them and calls herself a "sharptooth" around the house. It's fantastic. She is very creative and sharp-witted and such a joy! :) She will also be a flower girl in a HUGE Chaldean wedding this summer. My friend Laura is getting married ans asked McKenzie to be in the wedding. I am sure she will liven the crowd :)

Kylie: After having rotovirus, she is all better. :) She is starting to talk alot more and her favorite word is "uh"....it's so cute when she says it. :) She says dada all the time too, but has yet to achieve the "mama" moment. I am sure after waiting this long my heart will melt when she does! :) She is learning to walk on her own and is definitely on that cruising stage. :) She is SUCH A GOOD BABY. I know I say that all the time, but seriously, when I am on the elliptical in the mornings, she just plays and plays on the floor. It's McKenzie who tries to take my attention away :) She is incredible and we will be celebrating her 1st birthday (can you believe it?) Elmo-style on February 1st with family. I can't wait. :)

Rob and Me: We're doing well...anticipating January 30th, kind of like you anticipate a root canal. You know you'll feel so much better when it's over (one way or the other), but you might now like one outcome. We're praying God's will and have peace about it, knowing that if we make it through these cuts, there might be more to come. There has already been some restructuring at his plant, so they are definitely moving in that direction. I did not get offered another class at OCC this semester (bummer!), so we're getting by on my Sylvan income and my online tutoring. I have been applying for other part time jobs, but nothing has worked out yet. I have started a new "diet/exercise" plan with all the other New Year's commitments. :) I am trying stop drinking pop (which if you know me, is HUGE) and I am making a point to exercise every day. I work on the elliptical every morning (only missed one morning since January 1st) and took a "cheat" day on the pop for a friend's engagement (Laura's) party. :) Other than that, I am doing good and learning how to put myself first.....slowly. Being a mom of 2....2 and under....is a huge challenge, but I'm getting there. We just celebrated our 7 year "dating" anniversary...the first day Rob asked me to be his girlfriend :) We went to lunch with the girls and tried to make a point to spend the day together.

Other than that, we're just moving along...life is going fast! :) I cannot believe that Kylie will be 1 in a couple of weeks and my big girl will be heading off to pre-school in the fall. It's ridiculous. I know there is so much more that has happened, but of course, at 1:00 in the morning, and after a month off, I can't remember what. :) I'll let my pics tell the stories....