Monday, January 31, 2011

Pictures coming soon!!

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In spite of working 10.5 hours yesterday at the hospital, it was an oober productive weekend! In fact, one might even say it was paintastic!!! We have a bunch of exciting projects going on in the next few weeks!

This weekend, we painted the baby crib, antiqued this new piece for our entryway and are working on a little end table. We also went through the storage shed outside and pulled out everything baby... I won't even tell you how many boxes this was because it is pretty shameful. Next week we are buying and painting bunk beds and then putting the room together. I wish it were today because I can't wait!!!

I really had every intention of posting pictures but can't seem to find my camera USB cord anywhere. Hmm. I am going to look really hard later so I can post pictures!!

I love when random spring weekends arrive because it sure makes all the outside projects SO much easier to accomplish. Too bad we are supposed to be in the 20s again tomorrow. Oh , Texas.

Stay tuned!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Let the lists begin...

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It seems that once that New Year officially begins so many of us whip out the sharpened #2s and a nice fresh notebook to make some plans. No? Just me? Oh. I see how this is.

Well, I will just focus on me then. I have been VERY absent from the ole' blog recently. While I would love to say that I have been cranking out all sorts of things on my list the truth is that I have been working a bunch at the hospital. I have to fund all my big projects somehow, you know.

Big projects? Lists? Oh yes... see. This is me these days. (With long brown hair and a jupiter-sized middle).


Can we say hello, third trimester? Lucy has really been working at kicking me into gear (ALL THE TIME) and now I am in full fledged nesting mode. I find it comical that some people NEVER nest in their pregnany and I start at about week 26. EVERY.SINGLE.PREGNANCY. Right now, my nesting is all the normal things like setting up a baby space, make lists of what we need, buying bunk beds... (a post for another day). Unfortunately, the closer we get to Lucy's big debut the weirder my nesting tendencies become. With Molly I spent hours organizing our spice cabinent and with Gabriel it was the utility closet. HOURS. And nobody even saw the fruits of my---or perhaps my husband's---- labor. Poor Kelly. For those of you pregnant ladies out there that don't nest--- my husband would like to make a 9 month trade for you.

So. Little blogging but lots of doing afoot. And I am going to work on blogging about all the exciting new things we are adding to home. That is---- once I stop writing/dreaming about them and we actually get it together.

Get excited--- I know I am.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Hibernation

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Let's have a lovely little talk about winter weather--- shall we? You see, Mays and Cold don't really mesh so well. And yes, while I know Texas falls nowhere near on the higher levels of cold in the world ---that really means nothing to me. Come talk to me about your summer. Temperatures in the 20s and tots in shopping carts just really don't sound like my ideal sort of day. Unless, we are wearing heated undergarments or happen to have hot chocolate infused IVS... hmm. Now there is idea.

But no, when winter hits we Mays tend to take a different approach--- a bear like one. We hibernate. Almost exclusive indoors fun for us, please. Now, I have a tiny little conflict here in that I really don't like being indoors. Play has to get REALLY creative by day 5 and I just have to come to peace with the piles and mess. This is my constant work in progress. Too bad I am nesting.

This morning was sooo cold that I actually considered putting off a grocery store trip just ooooonnnneee more day. Unfortunately, this would have left us with a bag of pasta and some outdated evaporated milk perhaps for dinner. Not good options. So we muscled it through it and hurried back to our warm little house where the creative juices have been flowing...

and by this of course I mean wearing tutus on your head kind of creative fun.

Or looooong afternoon visits with some of your besties. (Look out our back window---would you want to be out there?)
And the mess and piles--- well, it really has lead to bunches of fun.

But seriously, the DAY that spring arrives you can bet we will be busting out, cherry limeades in hand, hitting up every local park Austin has to offer. Oh warm sun... we miss you!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Picture Day

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I cannot even begin to tell you just how amazing it is to be in the second semester of preschool. I look back at pictures from August and I can't believe that I am looking at the same kiddos! Speaking of pictures... a couple weeks ago was picture day at the preschool. I am going to talk about a shameful little truth here... When we received the proofs Molly's pictures came out okay but Gabriel's were GREAT. It seems that it is always a struggle to get a good picture of him these days so I was definitely going to buy a picture packet of his. It wasn't until I had some disapproving looks from a certain daddy of the family that I realized I had to buy both packets. I guess that would be a little hard to explain to an older Molly... "Um, yeah... Mommy thought your preschool picture wasn't all to great so we just skipped over it and settled for just Gabey". The second-child-in-me is very ashamed. And now that I have both pictures... I have to say, I am really glad that I bought both. You have some mail headed your way, grandparents!


So second semester of school is sooooooo different than the start of the school year. What's new you ask? Well, let me tell you.
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Molly: Is now on the cusp of reading. She can spot every letter in writing, is putting sounds together and can identify words she already knows in a story. This kid is going to go CRAZY when she can actually read. She is a HUGE lover of books. Pretty much any activity we do now, she is about 90% independent in. She picked up some scissors the other day and helped me cut out some Christmas clings. She cut straighter than Mommy. Molly has a bunch of great friends at school and now that I am really close to some of the other parents we have fun playing outside of school too. It helps that everyone is literally walking distance from my house. Which means that all her little friends will potentially land in her kindergarten class in August. Just shy of 6 months from now. HOLY.COW. I am sooooooo not ready for that... luckily, Molly is. The only thing she worries about in kindergarten is her "teeth falling out".
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Gabriel: Oh Gabey. First of all, the number one reason I love this school is because they really do love Gabriel for the busy, short tempered, bulldozer of a boy that he is. In regards to language development and fine motor, Gabriel is off the charts! His biggest struggle with school has been sharing and dealing with conflict. His ability to identify vocally his feelings is just about the cutest thing ever and something home and school have been working so much on... let me tell you--- a whole week of no "troubles" as Gabe calls it. Major progress! Gabriel now can spot any letter in the alphabet which is amazing--- I completely attribute this to the fact that he is sitting right with us as we are going over it all with Molly. His favorite letters are W and F and he talks about them all the time. When people ask him if he is going to be three he tells them, "No, I am going to be W." And technically... he is right. I am going to try to get him on film tomorrow saying the pledge of allegiance. It is really funny.
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So... we here we are in semester two. There are lots of fun school activities coming up including the teddy bear picnic on the last day of school which I really can't wait for!!!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

*2011*

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It is always a little strange for me to look back on a year of life. Some years I am left almost with a bittersweet longing because it was such a great year while others leaving me rushing for the start of a new adventure. 2010 for the May family was a HUGE time of transition. All in all--- it was not our favorite year. We have loved some of the memories we have made and are so thankful for the new found friendships in our lives now... but quite frankly, the unknowing of 2010 was a little stressful. This past year, Kelly and I both left our old jobs, started new ones parted with our hometown and welcomed a new city. The excitement of all the new was VERY much muted at times by the stress and loneliness that managed to creep in the unfamiliar parts.

Of all the things this year, I am most thankful for having a best friend right there with me to leap into something new... all the while keeping in check a healthy dose of the familiar. And I have to say--- I think our marriage is all the stronger for it.

So as we bid adieu to 2010, we remember our favorites to take away with us for the adventures to come in 2011.

January: For dance parties that warmed us up on really cold nights.
February: For the most MOST snow ever.
March: For the luck of the Irish.

April: For the return of green.

May: For VERY happy second chances.

June: For adventures that took us somewhere new.
July: For a bit of home right when we most needed it.

August: For a new love in our lives.
September: For the first new start of school--- together.

October: For favorite family traditions
November: For a very special night of celebrating.

December: For Henry and the magic of Christmas with small children

So here we are. 2011. Lots of new all wrapped up in a place that finally feels like home. Sounds like my kind of year indeed. Best wishes to your families on the start of this great new chapter.