she graduated

Our sweet little girl graduated from Pre-K 3 today!! At first, I thought it was a little silly to have an entire graduation ceremony for a 3 year-old, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how important it is to celebrate the milestones in our lives (both big and small). 

Certain events in my life over the past few years have made me realize more than ever how short life really is.......and those losses have taught me so many lessons. One thing I have been reminded of is the importance of photographs. There is nothing quite like a picture to recall a memory and freeze time. I make it a priority now to document the relationships in my family's life.

Today was a celebration for our family. A time to get together, take pictures, laugh, cry and celebrate our little girl and my sweet nephew and their accomplishments this year.

Sienna received the Giant Leap award, and I think that sums up her year perfectly!! She started at this school in January, so she was already "behind" her other classmates, but she has blossomed and grown so much in these past few months, and I am so very proud of her!!

grateful

Today, I am reflecting on the Holiday weekend, and feeling so very grateful for good friends and family, for sandboxes and swimming pools, for sunshine, and for the rain to cool things off a bit. I am grateful that my kiddos got to spend time this weekend playing with their cousins....eating hotdogs, watching movies, laughing, playing......going full force from sun-up to sun-down. I am so grateful that we have a home where our friends can come and just relax and hang out. I am grateful that we live in a neighborhood with great neighbors (neighbors that we enjoy hanging out with, that don't mind babysitting our kiddos every now and then, and who have boyfriends that will paint our picnic table and chairs). I am grateful for long talks with a dear friend on our back patio (and for bug spray when the mosquitos made their appearance). I am grateful that I have a husband who likes to roast marshmallows and watch The Bachelorette with me :) 

stuff

I got back Sunday from my girl's get-away trip to Austin, and it was just what I needed!! This was the first time I had left the kiddos for longer than 24 hours, and I was determined not to let my anxiety ruin the trip. We had a wonderful time catching up, watching chick flicks, laying out by the pool, talking for hours in the hot tub, going to the spa, roasting marshmallows and just lounging around with no husbands or little ones in sight!! 

I realized while I was there, that I really need to do this more often........the hubbies tend to be much better about hanging out with the guys. They don't agonize over the perfect time/place to get away, and they don't call a million times once they are there. I realized that it is OK to leave my children with someone that I trust completely (this time it was their daddy) and just enjoy myself to the fullest.

One thing that really opened my eyes this weekend was playing a little "list" game with the girls........every time we are together, we always end up making some sort of list (Goals, Favorites, Regrets, etc...) and this time, we answered a series of questions that had to be all about ourself = NOT about our kids or husbands. This was almost impossible for me! I realized that there is definitely room in my life (now that my children are getting a little older) to include some things that are just about me. This doesn't mean that I don't LOVE my children and my husband dearly.....it just means that I need to remember to make time for activities that I enjoy AND to not feel one ounce of guilt.

To me, this means putting our annual Girl's Get-Away on the calendar as soon as we return from the previous one. It means finding a book club to join and going once a month. It means taking bubble baths at night, going on dates with my husband (and maybe even a romantic get-away), scrapbooking, journaling, taking a million photos a day, taking a bible study, going out to dinner with friends, looking at inspirational blogs, riding my new bicycle, meeting friends for coffee (or wine), reading great books and magazines, going to see a Chick-flick, and planning my favorite parties.

Of course, I won't accomplish this all at once.....that is not the point. Instead, I will enjoy the time I spend with my children and with my husband, knowing that I have some "me-time" scheduled each day.

On another note, here are some of my recent favorite photos........

Sienna getting crazy with some paint and a canvas........her masterpiece is now proudly displayed in our kitchen on an easel.

Loving the light in this one......we have been hanging out in the front yard every evening to escape the sun that beams down in our backyard.

I just LOVE this one!!

Siena ironing in the front yard.......I make her iron her own shirts :)

around the house

Just thought I would share a few things around the house that are making me smile these days....... The first one is a little hard to see, but this is a new chalkboard decal I put on the side of one of our cabinets in the kitchen (bought at Target). I set our some chalk and an eraser, and so far, the kiddos are LOVING it!! It keeps them busy when I am attempting to make dinner (or more likely, browse through facebook), and it's a great place for Sienna to practice tracing her letters.

Here's the little vignette in Grant's room I put together a few days ago. It's simple really, just a fabric covered "G" from Anthropologie, the cutest caricature we had done in Florida, and the first of Grant's handprint series (I do their handprint on canvas for each of their birthdays)
This is another project that was super easy and kept Sienna very busy.......sun catchers from Hobby Lobby that she painted and then we hung them up with the little suction hooks from Target.
And finally, my brand new orange bicycle!!

Mama's Day

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!! 

My day started out with a sweet handmade card from my husband (he made a collage out of some of our recent beach photos) as well as some fresh cut flowers from our "garden" and a brand spankin' new orange bicycle with a 2-seater cart to pull the kiddos!! We had such a great time riding bikes in Florida, and I resolved to do more of it once we got back home....now I am all set :)

Then, we headed to breakfast at The Ritz, made a quick trip to our favorite little park (the same park where Johnny asked me to marry him, and where we take photos on almost every important occasion, including my very first Mother's Day), browsed around the bookstore and then hung out with the rest of our family at my grandparent's house. It was a lovely, quiet, sweet day filled with the people I love most in the world. I am so very grateful!!

checking my progress

My birthday is not until August, but I thought, with only 3 months left, I should check in with my progress

32 before I turn 33:

1. Take a knitting class = I did take the class, and it was much harder than I anticipated......I have picked up my needles and yarn a few times since the class, but I'm thinking I need a recap very soon

2. Take Sienna to the Dallas Museum of Art = NOPE

3. Bake cupcakes with the kids = this has become one of our very favorite hobbies.....we make them all the time and Sienna loves putting sprinkles on top

4. Hang up all the photos on our Family Wall going up the stairs = I just ordered vinyl wall frames from House of 3 and they will be going up on the wall as soon as they arrive

5. Clean out my drawers and closet and keep only the items I really LOVE = NOPE

6. See "Confessions of a Shopaholic" = never did see this one in the theaters, although now I can't remember why I even put it on the list??? (maybe it will be out on video before August)

7. Read "Things Good Mothers Should Know" by Alexandra Stoddard = Read it, Loved it!!!

8. Order a large, framed photo of Grant from his 1 year photo shoot = DONE

9. Go on a Girl's Weekend with friends from law school in May = I am leaving next weekend and can't hardly wait!

10. Order several pieces of art from etsy to hang on the empty wall in Grant's room = still deciding on which pieces to order, but I have bookmarked my favorites

11. Take our annual vacation to Seaside = DONE

12. Make hand print canvases for Sienna and Grant = DONE (and Grant's is even already hung in his bedroom....extra credit)

13. Get comfortable with digital scrapbooking = I am really learning a lot about digital photography and I have made several lay outs

14. Host a "Crafternoon" at our home = Not yet

15. Host my second annual "Book Exchange" = Not yet

16. Finish Grant's baby book = DONE

17. Take Sienna back to the library (she loves it!!) = I had forgotten this was on the list, and Sienna just asked me a few days ago when we were going back to the library!!

18. Go on more weekend walks and/or bike rides as a family at White Rock Lake = We have gone a few times and I think now that it is getting warmer, we will go more often

19. Have a family picnic = DONE

20. Take the kids to the Arboretum in the Spring = NOPE

21. Take our annual Bluebonnet photos = DONE

22. Maybe find a space in our home to hang a collection of said bluebonnet photos = Bought the frame with multiple openings at Target yeaterday

23. Pick out furniture that I LOVE for our new office = DONE

24. Print photos from the last few months and put in an album = Ordered about 500 photos from Shutterfly....I have received them, but they aren't in an album just yet

25. Make a "Year in Review" album online = NOPE

26. Send three cards/letters to friends for no reason = Forgot about this one too.....need to get crackin'

27. Order some fun new Spring stuff from bodenusa.com = Chnaged my mind on this one

28. Make Sunday morning pancakes for my family = NOPE

29. Get new business cards = NOPE

30. Start a daily quiet time/prayer time and stick with it!! = I am signing up for a Summer bible study to get me back on track....I need this!!

31. Drink more water = I am doing well with this one....especially with a sinus infection

32. Eat more vegetables!! = Still need to do much better with this one (I did make roast and potatoes last night and I ate extra carrots!)

getting crafty

There's nothing like being away from home for a few days to get me in a crafty mood.....while we were on vacation, I thought of a thousand things I want to do around the house and a thousand crafty projects I want to get crackin' on. After work yesterday, I hung the caricature of Grant in his room (will post photos soon) and made a little vignette of the caricature, a fabric "G" from Anthropologie and his 1 year old handprint canvas....it looked so cute and made me feel like I had accomplished something worthwhile!! I also ordered a few of the vinyl frames from here and I am so excited about hanging them on the stairwell.......I am imagining SO many possibilities with these!! Here are a couple things around the house making me happy right now.

This is the door going into Sienna's room.....right now, it is filled with her latest and greatest masterpieces from school, and I plan on changing our the art work periodically before adding my favorites to her Preschool Srapbook.
I made this little cork board thingy before we left for Florida, and it was so easy and fun. All the items and instructions came from here. I felt like Grant's room was a little neglected in the photo department, so I just added it to his dresser and it looks great!!

we're back & a challenge

We are back safe and sound from Florida!! All in all, it was a lovely getaway, but I must say, I don't think we will be making that drive again anytime soon :)

Some highlights (and lowlights):

1. Watching Sienna play at the beach.....she could stay out there all day!!! She LOVED it!!

2. Having a night out with the hubby and meeting some of his oldest friends

3. Staying in not one but two BEAUTIFUL beach houses (long story)

4. Watching High school Musical with Sienna

5. Seeing Grant and Sienna run around on the lawn in Seaside....I love that they are old enough now to chase each other around and have fun playing together (until someone starts crying)....

6. Getting ice cream with the kids almost every night

7. Getting a sinus infection in the middle of the "swine flu outbreak" and having to stop at a clinic in Jackson, MS on our way home just to make extra sure that I didn't have the flu...a definite low light!!! 

8. Browsing through my favorite bookstore

9. Riding bikes with the kids all over town.....I am thinking about buying a bicycle now that we are back home

10. Having dinner at the Red Bar (a family tradition)

11. Putting Calamine lotion all over Sienna's mesquito bites every night.....NOT fun!!

12. Reminding myself (yet again) that vacations are not always easy and they can definitely be stressful at times, but at least we made the effort and we are making special memories for our children

On another note.......Jenny McCarthy is doing a blog over on Oprah with a challenge to give up something for 30 days before Summer (she is giving up sugar). I really thought about what I could give up that would move me in a positive direction towards the life that I want to create for my family, and I have decided to give up arguing in front of our children for 30 days. The hubby and I are both lawyers, we are born arguers and we are both pretty certain that we are always right.....this can make for some pretty interesting arguments :) We both have short fuses, but we make up quickly and rarely stay angry for longer than a few minutes. It is a part of who we are, and it was really quite cathartic when it was just the 2 of us, but now that we have kiddos, I think it would be a great lesson in self-control to see if I can go 30 days without arguing AT ALL in front of them. I will be tracking my progress here on the blog, so I will let you know how it goes.

Let me know if you decide to join the challenge and give up something in your own life for 30 days......