our lives lately.

Imagine that. All my posts start out with . . . 'our lives as of lately' comments. Mostly because I simply forget to blog. It's so hard to keep up with all versions of social media. But lately our lives have been turned up side down and right side up . . . and all we are trying to do is stay afloat. For those of you who have kids, I'm sure you know what it means. Just when you think you've accomplished something great with juggling the kids, God gives us another task to overcome. And mine is now the terrible twos. 

Joanie Leigh. My fire cracker. My mini me. My Joanie.

Joanie started preschool in January, so I got accustomed to BOTH the kids being gone a little two days a week. I must add, silence was nice. Now, we are out of school and I couldn't resist but to send them to a 'sitter / nanny' two days a week. Silence is BACK! JL is quite the talker. Or should I say, CHATTER BOX. She talks, non stop. And I mean, NON STOP. And loud. Always so loud. It's like she wants the world to know she's awake and trust me, they usually do. She's beginning to put sentences together which makes for conversations with her. And the word 'no' is used twice as much as a normal toddler. 

"Joanie, do you want a show?"
"no"
"Joanie, do you want your shoe?"
"no"
"Joanie, do you want a gummie?"
"no"

Even when it means yes. Which to all those questions, it's usually a 'yes'. She will get there. I'm sure. But we've also entered the 'terrible twos'. Fits. OH, what fits the girl can pitch. And she buckles. When she doesn't get her way, she swings those arms and slaps her legs. Then drops to her knees. Her newest is when you pick her up to sit her on her bottom for time out, she will bend her legs backwards. Like she is about to go sky diving . . . it's so you can't 'sit her down' in time out. Terd. She's such a terd. She knows! She knows, way too much.

But, she's just a big girl. Growing so fast. She has blossomed into a little girl, for sure. She wakes up every morning and asks to put a bow in her hair. As soon as 'bubba' (what she calls Houston) looks at her and tells her, 'Your pretty, Joanie', she then takes it out. She has found a love for shoes and always wants them on. She now doesn't mind dressing up. Which before she was like the 'Hulk' and would want to rip them off. Imagine that. It's Joanie. But a big girl we have. She has even started potty training. She talks about it, she has sat on the pot and actually tee tee'd a handful of times. YAY. Maybe we are on the 'no more diaper train'. I can dream. Right?

Oh my 21 month old little girl.

And my 4.5 year old little boy. My precious Houston. Such a sweet soul. He's getting so big. Tall. We have finally entered into 4T clothes and I think (only by his large head) that we might enter into 5T 'on time' or even earlier. H is my midget. My small little petite little fella. We were always entering sizes right on the dot. But the last two years we've been behind on entering the 'sizes'. I like to think it's because that boy is so active. I swear that's what keeps him thin. He doesn't walk anywhere. He speed walks. The child would rather run than ride a bike. Which, I have bought him a bike recently (with the training wheels) and all he wants to do is run. I tend to think he will be my cross country runner. (And we think JL will be the soccer player.)

H did play his first season of soccer this year. His FIRST team sport. And it was by far the most precious thing to see that small child out on the big field running with the others. His soccer shirt swallowed him whole and his shorts came down to his ankles, pretty much. He loved it. Daddy bought him his own soccer ball and he was on top of the world. Altho, he didn't quite 'get' the sport just yet, but he will learn. He is going to a 'mega camp' this summer. They will teach him a different sport each day. We shall see. HA. He makes me smile just thinking of that kid running around with his close mouthed smile.

H has been big into army figures and police for quite some time. And I had kind of hoped this would be one to out grow. But no. He's still addicted. Police has been around the longest. But the toy army men, that we trip over and step on . . . that's the newest. He will line them up and have 'wars' on his own. Ha. Such a nut.

We have applied H into the 4k preschool program at the Elementary school. NERVOUS. I hope he gets in. Even tho I will probably ball my eyes out watching him walk into school the first day. Seriously. I will. I will cry. I think realizing that my 'baby boy' isn't much of a baby anymore is just crazy. It's so crazy to watch them grow daily and to think 'school' is forever away . . . and when it arrives . . . you just look back and say, When did this happen? Where did the time go? and How did it go so quick?

Well, here's to new beginnings for me. And praying that I actually keep my word and 'document' my children a bit better than the past. Cheers.

//  love, mommy  //