i am on vacation and it feels strange. last year's "vacation" was maternity leave which, while magical even in it's most tiring moments, was not particularly restful. i have fully established that i am not good at doing nothing....and with this establishment, i am trying really hard to do something about it. it's not going so well. i ache to fill the empty moments with things, errands, noise. there is clearly much work yet to be done in the quieting department.
life is busy these days....sound familiar? time feels like sand slipping through my fingers and i keep wanting to do a simple "murphy life update" post. i planned to include a little family update with our holiday cards so consider this my preamble ;)
this time of year is pure magic. the only thing that makes the sentiment of the holidays more beautiful is those same holidays with my babies by my side. emma is just shy of three years old and if i were to describe her in one word it would be "firework". she sits in the back of my car as we cruise around town belting "baby you're a fiiiiiiiiiiiiirework!" and i think it's quite appropriate. she shines bright ~ her eyes sparkle with wonder and a deep curiousity about the world around her. she wants to know how things work....and why. always why? sometimes to the point of mental exhaustion when i just can't come up with a good answer. she commands a room and oftentimes directs us while she creates pretend situations....."mommy, you lay right here and i will put you to bed. do you need a paci? do you want some chocolate milk?" it's endearing and heartmelting and i love listening to her mind work out loud. these sweet moments are punctuated with the sounds of her independence blooming...."No!", "I do NOT want to brush my teeth!" and the like abound and we just roll with the punches. she's a tough cookie and i know this strength will serve her very very well in life. she will move mountains one day, this one.
benjamin shines just as bright with a certain calm about him that is infectious. he is so talkative these days....constantly babbling and chattering. oftentimes real words come out....things like "ball!!" or "what that" and he gets particularly animated when talking about our dog "deja!". he loves a good game of peekabo and has really perfected the ever charming act of blowing kisses. his belly laughs fill our house when he's tickled or getting showered with strawberry kisses. he is so strong and oftentimes doesn't realize it. despite this strength he is also very sweet and sensitive. he breaks down in the most heartbreaking tears if told "no thank you" or if his sister is a little too rough. he will snuggle with me until there is no tomorrow and i will never ever get enough of this. he is working so very hard on his walking skills....he takes steps but is very careful and cautious. he spends most of his days standing and pushing things around the house. he has yet to meet a food he didn't like ~ this is fine by me because there is much more of him to love this way :) his heart is as big as he is and i can already tell, he's gonna be a lover not a fighter. i love this little man more than words are fit to describe.
ryan and i are, as you might imagine, quite exhausted! these two, along with 2 full time jobs, keep us quite busy. but, for all the exhaustion, there is never a dull moment in our house and we wouldn't have it any other way. he is still working for the housing authority and learning a lot in his unique role. in his free time, he's working hard on the various home projects we constantly have going and just finished building an outdoor kitchen for a client with one of his buddies. it came out beautifully.....and has been added to our own list of additions :) i'm so proud of this guy.....his ability to balance his role as father, husband, friend, employee is really quite remarkable. i learn from him every day as he is way better in the balance department than i am. he's such a hands on dad and the most supportive husband around. love you, honey.
many of you know that i passed the "6 month seizure free" mark back in october. i'm driving again and i thank my lucky stars for my health, my life, and all my blessings. work is good but very very busy. it can be all consuming and much of this year has been about not only learning the science and medicine itself, but how to create boundaries, draw lines in the sand, and not let my work life eat me alive! again....a dynamic and fluid process i'm sure i will continually wrestle with. but, i'm really enjoying what i do and couldn't be more thankful for the opportunity to do what i love. i'm training for my first half marathon ~ the disney princess half in february! all i'm hoping is to not get picked up by the courtesy van that scoops up the slowest people at the tail and we are really looking forward to taking the kids to the park for their first disney experience!
we are packing up and headed to south florida this weekend to spend some time with our friends. the kids are headed to the grandparents for some serious spoiling and everyone is excited! we don't get away alone much and are really looking forward to some fun this weekend. and when we get back....time to deck the halls. i have this weird thing about holiday decorating that it feels strange to do it before december 1st. i have no idea why since we always did it right after thanksgiving when i grew up. i've started putting up little holiday trinkets here and there but we haven't broken out the boxes yet or gotten our tree. we have been having fun with the newest member of our family....our elf, mr. juke....he's been quite the hit and is helping us all get in the holiday spirit :)
more to come...
