Life is great

This morning while I was watching my babies play together, I realized that I have been taking a lot for granted. I am extremely lucky to have a husband that loves me and puts up with the person that I am. We are lucky to be the parents of two incredible kids that make us laugh and smile more every single day. It is so easy to get caught up in life's every day problems and forget the things that mean the most to you.

Like this:

Brotherly/sisterly love that happens on its own.

And this:

Spending time coloring together after an afternoon nap.

A sweet baby that pays attention the the world around her:

And a little boy future rock star that puts on daily performances:

Life is good, and it sometimes feels great to stop and remember that. 

Baby Layla

Soon after my wedding in October of 2007, I joined a website/message board called The Nest. Josh and I had lived in our house for almost 2 years, but we weren't happy with the way we had decorated it, so I was looking for ideas. I started frequenting the message boards pretty often and found some really great insight. When I got pregnant in January of 2008, I quickly moved to the parenting version of The Nest called The Bump. There were several message boards for (mostly) women in all stages of parenthood. There, I 'met' a lot of women experiencing the same things I was going through. It goes without saying that after going through so much together, people eventually form bonds.

Over the next 4 years, these girls and I have experienced just about everything life throws at us. We've had a lot of laughs, a good amount of sadness, births, deaths, divorces and new relationships. A lot of us have even branched out and met the other girls in real life. It is always nice to know that if I ever need to get something off my chest, or share exciting news, or find the greatest pins on Pinterest, I have those girls.

This brings me to the point of this post. Baby Layla. Jeni is a fellow poster on the message board I am (proudly) a part of. She gave birth to her daughter Layla on October 28th, when she was just 24 weeks, 2 days pregnant. Layla weighed 1 pound 8 ounces. The first few days were scary. We didn't know whether or not Layla would survive. She was almost 16 weeks premature. Over the past 15 weeks, we have witnessed just how strong Layla is. Today is such a special day for Jeni and her family, because little Layla finally gets to go home. Every time I think about everything Jeni has gone though, I cry. She is such an amazing woman. She not only spends as much time as she can with Layla, but she has another daughter at home too. She has been so strong throughout this experience. She is someone to look up to.

Anyway, so join me in celebrating this awesome news. We are so happy for you, Jeni, and so thankful that this day has finally come.

Back in the saddle again.

Now that you've got some Aerosmith in your head, let's start this post.

I had made it a resolution to work on my blog a lot this year for a few reasons. One, because there are 4 people that read it and secondly, I pay for the domain, so I should be taking advantage of the outlet. Well, life has gotten in the way, and I have been seriously slacking. Please forgive me. :) School is in full swing. I am overwhelmed. Exhausted. My brain hurts. As if 13 credit hours isn't enough, let's throw in two crazy toddlers. You know, the kind that get into EVERYTHING and for some unknown reason, didn't come with a mute button. There is a reason college comes right after high school, and I should have taken advantage of the opportunity to get it over with then. Don't get me wrong, these kids are amazing, and I'm very lucky to even have the support of family to get me through the weeks, but it is hard to focus on school when you walk into the living room and are overwhelmed by the smell of syrup. Um, what? Breakfast was over at least an hour before this. That's right, I am the lucky person that got to dig syrup out of the creases of the couch. And clean the smeared stickiness off books, the floor and the coffee table. I still haven't even found the bottle that created this nightmare. Perhaps I should look for that.

Anyway. So that is my life right now. Hours, upon hours of homework (this is for real. my classes this semester are very demanding). And two small tornadoes that know the perfect (er, not so perfect) times to strike. Sigh.

In other news, I am back on the wagon. What wagon, you ask? Well, it's been a year and a half, and I'm still struggling with the weight loss. I have come so far, and let my self slip right back into old habits. I was 5 pounds from my goal. 5. And then I decided I was tired of being restricted, so I let myself go. And now I'm back up where I don't want to be. Sure, I know what to do to ditch the pounds, but it takes time. I am in it for real this time. This is it. I am back on Weight Watchers and this time, I'm going to reach my goal. When I started yesterday, I was about 30 pounds from my goal. It broke my heart into a million pieces when I saw that number. I was disgusted, angry and mostly sad. I am hoping that I will have the willpower and motivation to get rid of the weight and keep it off.

My biggest motivation right now is this:

My brother is getting married in October, and I will be a part of their wedding party. His fiancee has tiny friends and sisters, so I refuse to be up there next to them and feel self conscious. Plus, summer is right around the corner, and I want to wear cute clothes! So anyway, bear with me while I complain about missing Taco Bell and Coke. I won't be missing out on too much Chipotle though. I will gladly use my weekly points for that burrito-bowl deliciousness.