the state of the family

As we zoom into this new year, I want to take a quick snapshot into the current state of our family. David is busy as can be with his responsibilities at work and in the church. He continues to enjoy his position at work and is extremely good at what he does. When he comes home from work, he continues to work here at home on a number of home improvement projects. From hanging blinds to laying tile to painting to replacing thermostats he keeps busy on projects dictated by me as well as projects that he thinks up on his own. Throughout the fall and winter, he has (along with some help from my father) worked hard to redo two rooms in our house. When he can convince Zach to give up his monopoly on the television, he even gets to watch an occasional football game. He continues to excel at everything he does.

I am either completely lazy or crazily busy with very little in between. I can often be found with my head buried in a book while the children run circles around me. It seems that I spend obscene amounts of time doing laundry and dread the task of folding all those clothes. It also feels like I clean the kitchen five or six times per day, and yet, it is never clean. For me, something about having children means the house is in a constant state of disarray. Hobbies occasionally get stuck into my day in small increments in between potty training fiascos and piano practicing sessions and Harry Potter readings and reminders to get dressed so no one misses the school bus and other such motherly tasks. I'm now enjoying step aerobics (at the totally 80's gym that I joined) and spinning classes in the wee hours before dawn when I can drag myself out of bed and into the freezing elements. Sometimes I even run. David will probably tell you that I shop too much, which I do, but I like to hunt for a bargain or seek out cute things for the kids to wear. I'm also spending a lot of time (and money) trying to settle in to our house still even though it has been months since we moved in. Mostly I just try to keep myself and the little munchkins happy and healthy and hopping along. Sometimes I'm totally awesome, and sometimes not so awesome.

Sarah is a busy six-year-old who absolutely loves school and continues to be overflowing with personality. She enjoys reading and tries to get in a few chapters whenever she can, even if it is late at night snuggled up with a smuggled book and a flashlight in bed. I'm finding it difficult to keep her in books as she races right through them almost faster than I can supply them. She also enjoys screen time of any kind. Playing Wii and exploring Netflix on the iPad are her most current technological accomplishments. Her recent passion is hanging out with her friends which she is only allowed to do after she has done her reading, listened to her mom read, practiced her piano, and done her homework. She thinks that this is absolutely horrible and wishes she could be with her friends all day, every day. She is a social butterfly and always wants to be giving things away to her friends. She has recently discovered a joy for shopping and wants to get out there and buy everything that strikes her fancy. As a result, her room is overflowing with treasures of every sort. She has been taking piano lessons for about a year and is really beginning to do well. She is also taking a karate class. Each day she becomes more independent and is often doing more things for herself without having to be asked or having to wait for me to take care of them for her. In the past few months her excitement for writing and drawing have increased significantly, and I often find notebooks filled with her writings and papers with her art scattered around the house.

Don't let the adorable little face and the angelic smile fool you. Zach is in the midst of the thunderous threes. He seems so much more grown up than he was just a few months ago. He's becoming a big kid right before my eyes. Whatever I want him to do, he wants to do the exact opposite. It comes with the territory of being three years old. He loves to watch movies, play Wii, explore on the computer, or commandeer the DS. Limiting his screen time is difficult but necessary. He loves to help and can often be found "helping" even when it isn't especially helpful. He especially loves to help make waffles. Then he will devour them for every meal of the day if you let him. He continues to be enamored of his blanket, his sippy cup of lemonade, and his goldfish crackers and can generally be found toting them around. He has recently developed a love of all things monster truck to go along with his hobbies of cars, trucks, and trains. He also enjoys refusing to get in his car seat, refusing to go to bed, refusing to sit in the cart or stroller, running away at the store, and refusing to be potty trained. He continues to be crazy about hugs, kisses, and snuggles and hopefully won't give these up any time soon. A true homebody, he would be perfectly happy if we never left the house again. He loves to be around and be included by big kids.