Sunday Musings

Wow. It's been awhile. Sorry about that. Real life has gotten CRAZY and blogging has gone by the wayside. But, I'm here to catch you all up!

Let's see ... the kids are good. Four years old is a really interesting age. They are very independent in so many ways and yet needy in so many other ways. We've been struggling a lot with temper tantrums, whining and sibling rivalry stuff. Lots and lots of fighting between the twins these days. We hear a constant stream of 'Mommy, Alex hit me' or 'Daddy, Meighan pushed me' or any other slight that they feel they are receiving from the other. Yet, at the same time they love each other so much and can play together so nicely when they want to. On Friday night, as I headed up to bed, I looked in on both of them as I always do but Meighan wasn't in her bed. After a moment of panic, I glanced into Alex's room and there she was ... cuddled up with him. She must have headed in there after we went downstairs. And, then last night, he was cuddled up in her bed when I came up to bed. Very cute. They are as active as every - love to be outside & are having a ball now that the weather is cooperating! We went to the pediatrician on May 26th and they are doing really well. Gaining weight, meeting all their developmental milestones (exceeding in some), and are overall very healthy. The doctor didn't seem worried about Alex's speech delays (he is much more difficult to understand than Meighan) but said we could get him tested by the school district if we were concerned. She thought it might have to do with the fact that Meighan is much more verbal and often 'talks' for him. So, she recommended that we be sure to give him an opportunity to talk more. But, she was pleased with how they are doing and how they are growing!

Things are good with me. Work is crazy busy - managing the merger with Wells Fargo for our team keeps me on my toes! But, overall, its going well. Our firm is officially Wells Fargo Advisors now. It's no longer Wachovia Securities. So, that's a step in the right direction! I've been studying like crazy for my Project Management Professional certification exam. I feel like my study guide is a third arm since I carry it around constantly, studying whenever I have time. I'll be taking it in late June. It's been a crazy ride. I had a pre-test for the exam on Saturday for four hours and sitting in one place, taking a test for four straight hours is not going to be easy for me! But, I did fairly well on the pre-test and it highlighted a few areas that I need to study a bit more in. But, I hope that by July 1, I will be a PMP! YAY! I also joined the gym at work a few weeks ago and have been going every single work day since then. I have already lost 3 lbs and I'm loving it! I tend to stick to the treadmill. I was so out of shape that I want to start out smart so that I can stick with it! I love how much better it makes me feel and how much more energy that I have already! I'm also trying to watch what I eat to help me lose some of this weight more quickly! My friend at work and I are encouraging each other as she's working on the same thing! We're calling it the ROAD TO HOTNESS. Totally just something to make us laugh about it but sometimes when I'm struggling on that treadmill and just want to get off, I tell myself its okay to be totally self centered and think of being able to fit into a smaller size of clothes! So far its working! I'll keep you posted!

Let's see ... Paul is doing great. Hockey season is in full force so he's obsessed with the Pens as usual! Watching every game. They are in the finals now so keep your fingers crossed! Go, Pens! Otherwise, he's hangin' with the kiddos and catching up with old friends via Facebook. I can't believe that he's become an official Facebooker! Cracks me up. He's been making the flower beds in front of the house all pretty! It's coming together nicely. And he did some work out back, getting the weeds up and taming the ivy that our landlord has planted under the little deck we have. And, he was very sweet to me for my birthday. Took me out to a nice lunch, got me a cake & ice cream, and let me sleep in as much as I wanted. Who could ask for more?!?! I have a great hubby! Thanks, Paul!

Sami is doing great! She'll be here for a month, starting in June and we are so thrilled that we can't stand it! We miss her more and more and more every day! We're having a Sami withdrawal and we NEED her to be here in St. Louis!!! So, June is a big month for us! We get to go pick up our girl for a month of solid time to be with her!

One last thing, we'll be heading home to Virginia for a nice little visit in July and I am so excited that I cannot stand it. I've been missing home sooooooo much! Richmond is just HOME, that's all there is to it. I like St. Louis but its not home. It's not VA. It's not Richmond. We'll be driving straight through late on a Thursday night, arriving sometime on Friday (sleeping the day away while Mom and Dave help with the kids cuz we'll be exhausted!) and staying until the following Saturday. There will be a cookout at my Mom's on Saturday and I've been spreading the word. But, if you read this and haven't heard from me about it, drop me a line & we'll get you the details! I'm so excited to spend some time with my Mom and Dave. And then, we're going to Kilmarnock for a couple of days with Dad, Nina and Elizabeth which I'm so happy about! I've missed everyone so I have lots and lots of visiting to do in that week! I'm going home!!!! I really need to be in VA for a bit. I've been VERY homesick!!

I'll be back soon with some photos from our visit to Grant's Farm which was a lot of fun as well as some cute shots of the kids when we were working in the flower beds at the rental. I'm loving my new camera and I'm getting so many great photos of the kiddos! So, I'll be back soon with a few catch up posts of photos. Maybe tonight. We'll see!

OH! And one last thing for my digi friends, there is a HUGE celebration starting tomorrow at the Funky Playground! New designers, tons of new product, lots of great stuff! So, be sure to head over and check it out HERE! And you can check out the Color Challenge for this week (which I host over in the FPD forum) while you're there!

Updated Musings

Yikes, I've been a terrible blogger for the last month. I'll try to make up for that. It's been crazy busy at work and I'm just so exhausted most evenings that the last thing I feel like doing is blogging. Sorry!!! I'll really try to be better, I promise!

Things at work are good ... busy, chaotic but good. First and foremost, I'm just grateful to have a JOB and its a bonus that I actually like it! Secondly, I'm learning so much from this merger with Wells Fargo. I'm spending most of my days in meetings or on conference calls but the bright side is that I'm learning, learning, learning. I've also been studying for my PMP (project management certification) which has also been taking up some of my free time. I plan to take the exam by the end of June so I have a lot of studying to do!!!

Paul is doing great - I've gotten him onto Facebook so he's catching up with old Army buddies and friends from school. We've been scanning old photos from when he was stationed in Germany and sharing them with his old friends. Very cool to see him connecting with all these new people!

The kids are amazing, as always. Growing up so fast. Becoming their own little interesting people. Meighan is a very, very, very social little girl who talks as if she has a motor in her mouth. Constantly!!! She's very much a tomboy (how can she not be with a brother like Alex) but she's also SUCH a girly girl. The other day I asked her why she loves me and she said 'i love you because you have lots of good makeup.' I just cracked up. She's all about makeup, pink, jewelry, and babies. Yet, at the same time, give her some sidewalk chalk and she'll draw for hours. She loves to draw actually, and does quite well. She must get her artistic tendencies from Paul since I can't draw a stick person well! And, Alex, sweet Alex. He's such a boy - he's still all about the Superheros. SpiderMan, IronMan, Bat Man, Wolverine (a new favorite) etc. He is obsessed with Toy Story and Toy Story 2 - he'd watch them all day long if we let him. He's such a wild boy yet has such a sweet, tender side that I just adore. I feel so lucky to get to be with these little ones every day! They are amazing and wacky and wonderful!

We're getting ready for Easter this weekend! We have two cartons of eggs waiting in the fridge for coloring. And I have a bunch of fun stuff planned for them! I think they'll have a blast.

I'll get some photos uploaded and some layouts soon - maybe tonight if I'm feeling industrious. Although I'm still doing the 365 Project, I'm not sure that I have it in me to keep posting them. I seem to be slacking in the processing and posting of them. I'll add some occasionally but no promises that they will all end up on the old blog. More soon ...