happy anniversary

Seventeen years. Yep, seventeen. It’s not a big anniversary. You know, 10, 15, 20…those are the big ones. Those are the ones that seem to call for trips and jewelry and pomp and circumstance. Seventeen is just seventeen.

Except for us; seventeen feels pretty important. Seventeen was the age I was when B and I started dating. Seventeen years was the year we survived the first year of owning our own business together. Seventeen was the year when we found a new, great school for our girls. The year we lost so much sleep. The year we worried about everything from produce suppliers to billing systems, building websites to building menus, dance classes to art classes to swim team, homework to taxes.

This was not an easy year and many times I felt frustrated and lost but I feel that B is the one that carries so much of the weight of our family. I can see it in his eyes; the exhaustion, the worry, the drive to succeed, the need to take care of us. So many nights I know he wants to shut down, have a glass of wine, watch a game on tv and relax, but he doesn’t.

He reviews Annabelle’s math homework and praises her, listens to her stories about swim team and learning hand stands in the pool. He picks up a book and Gwyneth practices her reading with him. He never gets frustrated, he gently corrects her and encourages her. He tucks them in to bed and makes up stories that include their favorite stuffed animals and they always go to bed full of laughter. He is a good, good dad.

He’s a good husband. He is encouraging and kind. He’s a fixer. I once complained that with work and homework and running the girls around I couldn’t keep up with laundry. I hate doing it and it just piles up. I just complained about it in passing, as I do, but the next day he texted me from work asking if he could find someone to come in once a week and take care of the laundry for me. On another occasion, I mentioned that keeping up with the books for the business was taking up much more of my time than I had anticipated. The next day I received emails from 3 different bookkeeping services in the area that he had found. He doesn’t just listen, he acts. He is constantly trying to make our lives better.

When I was 16, I met a guy while working at the movie theater. He was funny and a bit silly and really kind. When I was 17, I started dating him. When I was 18, we went off to college together. When I was 21, I married him. Now 17 years later he’s still funny, still kind, and even more silly. Now that’s reason to celebrate.

The girls were quite eager to set up our Christmas decorations so our house got the full make-over. They wanted to do the decorating themselves this year so we let them at it. 

They wrote a note to our elf and Gwyneth reminded him to stay downstairs because she thinks he’s creepy and is actually quite afraid of him coming in to her room while she sleeps. (She’s right, he is creepy)

We got a sitter and went for dinner at Blackbelly. The restaurant was opened by Jose, a winner from Top Chef. We created our own little tasting menu and it was delicious. Great food, great wine, great evening. 

After dinner we stopped off at 24 Carrot Bistro for an after dinner drink and pumpkin creme brulee. 

sewing

Lunch at Good Eats before dropping Annabelle off for her sleepover at Olivia’s house. Olivia moved about a half hour away and Annabelle is missing her terribly. I’m so glad we still get those fabulous ladies together. 
Gwyneth and I planned a special night for just the two of us. It’s always nice to have that one on one time. I told her she could do anything she wanted. Anything. She wanted to sew so we hit the fabric store. She picked out Hello Kitty fabric to make a shirt for her sister. She has such an amazing heart. The night was all about her and she made a shirt for her sister. She could have done anything at all. Anything. 
Sometimes I wonder where this kid came from. She is so, so kind. She has such a compassionate heart and I worry that she often feels the weight of the world on her shoulders. She worries about everyone; she wants everyone to be happy, happy, happy all the time. Her father informed me he used to be like that as a kid too so I guess that’s where she gets it. (Let’s hope I don’t ruin her like I ruined him…joking, kind of)
She loves to tell jokes, has fierce dance moves, is crafty and creative, and has a ferocious temper that she reserves only for the folks that she truly loves the best. It’s in these moments, especially when when I see the dimple in her chimp and brush her long brown hair, that I realize that she is also mine. 
She still has that little blister in her mouth that makes it hard for her to smile. It looks painful, but this little crooked smile makes giggle. 
And off she goes.
Top complete. 
It’s a sleeveless shirt, which I said Annabelle could wear with a sweater or over a bathing suit. 
Annabelle is going to absolutely love it! 
(It turned out super cute, although its a little hard to tell layered over jammies)

thanksgiving break at the children’s museum

I got all my work done for the holiday rush and the girls were so patient. 
They lounged around our room reading stories in the morning. 
B’s aunt, uncle, and cousins joined us for lunch on Monday from Cincinnati.
The girls requested a trip to the Children’s Museum in the afternoon and I happily obliged. 
The museum has received a massive makeover and we were eager to check out the new exhibits. It was quite crowded, but the girls didn’t seem to mind. They stuck together and had a great time exploring. 
Poor Gwyneth has a sore in her mouth and it makes it really hard for her to smile. I promise she was having fun. 
An entire wall of whoopee cushions. hilariousness! 
They entertained me with a puppet show
Fun-filled day!

snow angels

We got some snow and it is so, so cold. You know I’m in heaven. I don’t love it enough to go out and play in it, but the girls didn’t mind one bit. They got themselves all dressed up and were ready to make snow angels. 
Seriously, how cute is this? How could you not love the snow?
They dove right in
Never seen a more perfect angel
B braved the cold and went and got donuts for us and we all warmed up with hot chocolate and cider. Lovin’ it! 

lion king

Way back when, I purchased tickets for us to go see Lion King. I took Annabelle a few years ago and we were so excited to go back again with B and Gwyneth. Annabelle gave Gwyneth a scare-proof guide for the show (ie don’t sit on the aisle, don’t be afraid of the hyenas, etc). 
Our friends the Minick’s joined us too. The girls sat on either side of their friend Clara, and although Gwyneth was a little scared she was quite brave. The story is pretty dark, but she’s seen the movie many times and knew what to expect. 
The costumes and set designs are brilliant. The songs are memorable and there are some cheeky lines. I enjoyed the show, but B wasn’t as impressed. He liked the production, but just didn’t care for the story much. Both girls enjoyed themselves and I’m so glad we are raising little theater junkies. 
I didn’t want to drag my big camera with me to the show, so we tried to get a few family shots before we left. 
They clean up pretty nice. 
Let’s do this!

thanksgiving break

School’s out for Thanksgiving break!
The girls get an entire week this year so we have ten days. I wish we could have traveled a bit, but it is one of our busiest weeks at work. As long as we are all together, what more could we ask for? (Maybe a beach with sunshine and fruity umbrella drinks, but really it’s mostly about just being together…)
Enjoying pizza with their Book It coupons at Pizza Hut
B was catering (this will be a theme for a few weeks…sorry if it gets repetitive), so the girls got right to crafting.
On very rare occasions, B doesn’t get to see the girls all evening. When that happens I do my best to get to them over to the kitchen. They love their dad so much and love to see him in action. Although, nothing beats his bedtime stories and snuggling on the couch. On non-school nights I usually let them stay up until he gets home just to get that good night hug. We’re really starting to get this figured out. It’s a challenge and so much work, but we’re in it together and most of the time it’s a lot of fun. 

jump city

The secret to a great sleepover is some serious exercise. Annabelle asked Karsen to spend the night and Gwyneth asked Ella to spend the night and they spent 2 hours bouncing away at Jump City. The girls’ new school hosted the event and it was really fun to see them interact with old and new friends. 
Gwyneth and Ella are fiercely loyal to each other and ran around together holding hands and giggling the entire night. 

Annabelle and Karsen played hard. They were worn out, but still managed to stay up pretty late. 
Sweet little, red faces. 

girl scouts: nutrition

The girls’ troops joined forces for a night of Nutrition at the Kitchen. 
We had 19 girls all together and they were amazingly attentive and respectful. Annabelle’s troop is definitely more wild than Gwyneth’s which is always surprising since they are a year older. Just different personalities. Both my girls take their girl scouting very seriously and are always eager to listen, learn, and have special time with their friends. They may show off a bit and get a little silly, but I’m really proud of them and the restraint they show because heaven knows they really want to go crazy. 
Changing out of uniforms into some rockin’ matching outfits. 
I admit to buying the clothes, but they choose to wear them at the same time. 
Yep, they are pretty dope. Workin’ on that street cred. 

B hosted the event tonight and had lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and homemade dip for the little ladies. The girls are protective and proud of the Kitchen and pitched in to help set up and make it a great event.

Great bunch of girls and a big thanks to Sofia’s mom, Lizzie who is a nutritionist and led the talk this evening. 
The new “official” girl scout uniform. 

snow

Our first snow fall of the season! 

It was windy and cold when we went to bed and we were hoping to wake up to a light dusting. We got a few inches and it is beautiful! I love the snow. Love, love, love it. This is my absolute favorite time of year. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas and kicking off a new year and all of it is better with snow!

As I’ve said before, I don’t like clutter. It makes me anxious and I can’t work or read or write or enjoy my family properly when there is a mess in our house. I’ve been working slowly on cleaning out closets and our basement and we were finally able to amass enough to get a donation truck to our house. Just having all of this donated makes me so much more focused and excited for the winter. I plan on spending lots of time snuggled at home, on the couch, in the cold, with extra sweatshirts and blankets, with my family this winter.

A little bit of sunshine finding its way through the clouds: 

I’m not an outdoorsy kind of gal, in fact I could spend the entire summer inside and never be sad, but I love the bright read leaves on our bushes in the front yard. I especially love them covered with snow. I’m downright giddy with the winter finally here. Am I the only one?

Today was the first day I truly got to take advantage of the after-school activities at the girls’ school. Annabelle has swimming and Gwyneth signed up for Film club. They both stay after school an extra hour and 15 minutes so I truly have a full day. And let me tell you, it was glorious!!

So many projects that just keep moving to the next day on to my to do list were completed today. I got so much work done. For the first time in so long I didn’t feel like I was rushing. Rushing to get work done, rushing to clean my house, rushing to get the girls from school, rushing to do homework. I was productive and relaxed and when I picked the girls up from their activities they knew it. We even decided to surprise B at the Kitchen and take him out to dinner after all the meal service orders were picked up. I now heart Wednesdays and the peace from a full day of being productive and focused.

I even gave myself a few extra minutes to watch Annabelle’s swim lesson:

 Enjoying the nice warm shower water before bundling up and heading out in the snow. 
More to come on Gwyneth’s adventure in Film Club. She is writing her own screenplay and musical score — she assured us it will be a comedy. She has already volunteered my sewing services to make costumes. She said “won’t it be funny someday when you can tell everyone I made my first comedy when I was 7?”.  I’m not sure what she has in store for herself in the future, but it sounds like it will involve jokes.