Family Update

We had our family pictures taken last fall.  I am in love with how they turned out, and lets just say its a miracle we have some great shots because Fiona ran around like a crazy women for most of the shoot.  

Here's what's new with us:

The girls are getting along much better these days (just not last weekend...).  Do they still fight? Yes!  But, it's a little farther between that a year ago.  Fiona is less into wrecking whatever Fin is playing with and actually joins in sometimes.  They actually play together really well when it's pretend - their favorite things are to play school, birthday party, or restaurant.  Oh, and fort building, of course!

Finley just turned 5 and is the sweetest thing.  She is still as creative and imaginative as ever.  I think she could play independently for 8 hours if I let her.  She plans elaborate birthday parties with invites, wrist bands, and favors - creating all things out of construction paper, ribbon, and glue.  She has recently gotten into legos and can follow the directions without needing us.  She is still a great sleeper and most days still takes a nap.  She has really gotten into her kids Zumba class at Lifetime and begs us to go every Thursday night.  We are looking forward to "big girl" gymnastics and soccer this spring.  Finley is much less picky at meals, but would pick cookies anytime over vegetables.  She has made some great friends at pre-school this year, but we are also hoping to meet a few girls in our neighborhood once the snow melts!  Finley has started to read sight words and loves the Kindergarten   work books Aunt Nini gave her for her birthday.  She is so excited for homework at Kindergarten next year.  Ha.  She has grown to 44" tall (80th %ile) and 39# (50th %ile).  She loves Jesus and has a heart for animals - hoping to get a hamster this summer (what...? we were thinking about a dog...)

Fiona is the picture of sugar and spice.  She can be so loving (at night as we are leaving her room she often says "I love you guys, mom - you forgot hugs and kisses!) and so feisty the next minute!  Her curly-crazy hair fits her personality perfectly.  She has recently perfected a deep belly laugh and it is contagious.  Fiona is still obsessed with Zebe and has collected quite a few other zebra things as well.  Pillows, clothes, and toys!  Fiona can also play quite independently if it involves her babies.  Last month, I finally snapped and moved them all down stairs because they were taking over our house!  She has all the makings of a daycare center down there and enjoys putting them all down for nap and waking them up to go play outside (complete with snow pants and gloves).  She has started using the potty, but poor 2nd child we haven't stopped our lives for an all out boot camp yet.  She is doing great at it, despite our inconsistency.  Fiona still loves that thumb.  Send orthodontics money now.  We are hoping to get her involved in swimming or music class this summer.  I can't believe it will be just her and I next fall when Fin is at school.  In the last few weeks, she is finally tall enough to turn her door handle which means she can get out of her room in the morning and we sometimes have a little munchkin breathing on us next to our bed at 6:30am.  She loves her family - especially sissy and her daddy, oh and also her "2 grammas and 2 granpas", also moose, bwian, nini, enin, and uncle greg.  She loved having the cousins sleep over for Thanksgiving.  This child just might refine Pat and I into saints - we'll see!

I continue to love being a momma to these 2 girls.  I feel like we are over some of the terrible twos and I don't have to spend so much of my day breaking up fights!  Our move has done wonders for decreasing my stress levels.  Previously, I was in charge of most daycare and school drop-offs and sat in rush hour both ways always running behind.  Now, Pat is so close to work that he does almost all transporting to school and my commute to work is SO much easier.  I love that we are both home by 5 most nights.  This winter, our Lifetime club has really been a life saver.  We go as a family a few times a week or I take the girls with me during the day.  I am training for a 5k in February out in CA (yes, for me, this requires training!).  I joined a moms club in Sept right when we moved and it has been great for this introvert to meet more moms in our new town and a great motivation to get out of the house on Tuesdays this winter!  We've also wrestled with finding a new church (man, do we miss Eagle Brook), but have been welcomed to a church just down the hill and have joined our first Lifegroup with a bunch of other young families.  It has been really good for my heart!  Just like Fin, I am hoping to meet a few good neighbors on our block when the snow melts!  I don't take for granted how blessed I am to be able to work at a job I still mostly love and be at home with my girls on the other days.  I am slowly turning this house into our home and the list of projects seems to only grow, but I don't want to rush and settle just to have things done.  Plus, snuggling in front of the fire watching Parenthood and Homeland with Pat is sometimes more important.  

Pat continues to have an amazing job - it has been such a blessing to our family.  It has provided a good balance of life and work and his boss has proven to be a really stand-up guy (a rare find).  Pat enjoys his 8 mile drive to work and the ability to meet us for lunch.  Pat has been training for a half marathon in California in Feb and has braved a lot of the running outside in the mild December and late January temps.  He has done some running with the Lifetime run club and was even mistaken for a high school cross-country runner!  Pat loves to wrestle with the girls when he gets home at night and can always cheer the girls up when they are crabby.  Now that football is nearly over (Fantasy anyways), Pat is under orders to start studying college basketball stats for our upcoming trip to Vegas with Moosh and Brian on the opening weekend of the NCAA tourney in March.  We both spent most of late December and early January listening to Serial podcasts, sometimes even together, on the couch, and in front of the fire! As Finley gets older and her love for rides increases, we are all glad Pat loves them as much as she does.  They will be roller coaster buddies this summer and we may even get a pass to Valleyfair.  

Life is good - and even when it's not, we are thankful to have each other.  Moving is tough, even months later.  Creating a life in a new place is lots of work but also a great adventure.  We've all needed to stretch and grow in areas and knowing we have the support of family makes it so much easier.  We made a bunch of family goals for the new year, one of which is to make exploring (and travel!) a bigger part of our lives.  We can't wait to see what this year hold for us!!