Lotsa Love

Here are some glimpses into the O'Gwin home from the past couple of weeks:

Lise and Kylie melting marshmallows for Rice Krispie Treats

Since Kylie is a huge little helper and always loves to be a part of the action, we've decided she is old enough to have a mealtime job (with help).  Therefore we now have four jobs at dinner time: Cooking, Set the table, Clear the table, and dishes.  I have really enjoyed having one of the four girls help me with the cooking every night.  It's much less lonely and stressful for me.  (It's weird to say that cooking's lonely, but for me it is.)  Plus, Aly and Lise have used this to pass off a Faith in God goal by cooking a meal for the family - Aly made grilled cheese sandwiches and Lise made French toast and eggs. 

Kate making homemade pizza

We've had some heavy winter rainstorms come through, and Kate has jumped at any chance she can get to wear her rain boots to school.  (Not very practical for PE, however.)

Another favorite pasttime while Chris is away is to have the girls sleep in my bed.  It started out as just one here and there, but has now evolved into a main event - look we even have kids sleeping on the floor just to be in our room!  This may be cause for a few tears when we have to cut this off when Dad gets home.  I think I'll sleep much better though, not getting kicked in the night!

In going along with my non-midlife crisis, a couple of my friends are helping to give me a fashion makeover.  (See samples below).  It has been so much fun going out and doing this!  I bought my first pair of skinny jeans, a pair of flats, and now own a few more layers and accessories.  Oh, and I even got a pair of boots.  So hooray for being in style and a huge THANK YOU to my friends for helping me put it together!  (I never could have pulled this off on my own!)   I'll be wearing this style for the next 10 years, but at least I can say I was up to date at one point. :)

And finally, Valentine's Day.  With Kids it's more like a weekly event than a day, really.  For Monday's Family home evening we sent Dad Valentine e-cards and had a great time laughing at how silly they were.  Tuesday Kylie's preschool was on Valentine's and Love, and for the older kids there was the filling out of Valentine's and making of boxes.

Don't you love this heart hairstyle on Kate?

Wednesday was playgroup at my house for the decorating of Valentine's cookies.  The kids had a great time loading their cookies with tons of frosting and candy.  I had a great time too - I love hanging out with the aweswome ladies in my ward! (And their kids. ;)>)  

Thursday I was able to go to Kate and Analise's class parties.  (Aly had one too, but the parents weren't invited.  It made me kinda sad - I guess they're just too old and mature for that sort of thing.

Anyhoo, Kate's party had a craft where the kids decorated a popcicle stick picture frame and icecream Sundays.  She gave me the biggest bear hug with a huge grin on her face when she saw me waiting in her classroom for her.  It was awesome.

Kate's party ended 15 minutes before Lise's started, so I dashed over to her classroom.  Analise had decorated her box with all sorts of ice cream pictures (I think it's supposed to be an icecream truck) - she did it all by herself and I'm way proud of her.  Her party had a few games and then more food and treats.  I think I gained a few pounds on this day alone!

When we got home Lise gave everybody the candy she had got for them along with a card.  I gave the girls a box of chocolates, a light up rose, and a book (or two).  And then we got a surprise knock at the door . . . it was Kylie's little friend Ryder bringing her a cupcake, a big heart valentine he'd made, and then he sang her a Valentine's song!  It was soo adorable.  I couldn't believe my two year old was getting serenaded on Valentine's Day!  (Chris, better start getting out those guns to clean . . .  :)>)

On Friday the ward had an adult game night Bunco party.  It was fun to mix and mingle, plus I won some crazy socks!  And finally, Saturday we  watched "A Charlie Brown Valentine" on Netflix as a family.  It was the first time the girls had seen it and it was a crack up! 

 

So there you have it, our week of Valentine's Day.  Lotsa love, I tell ya, lotsa love.

 

(Oh, and for those of you out there wondering what Chris and I did for each other for Valentine's Day, we're going to celebrate when he gets home. ;)>)

Getting OUT of the January Funk

When we arrrived home from Utah in early January, I unfortunately was dealing with that nasty flu bug that was going around.  Luckily the kids were all healthy, so I sent them back to school, put Dora on for Kylie and slept, and slept, and slept for about a week.  The week after that was that week where you're not really sick, but not really better so you just kind of feel "bleh", ya know?  I was trying to get back into the rhythm of things, reminding myself that I was back to being the only adult available to make things happen, but I was struggling.  Finally one morning (I think I was finally completely over the flu) I decided "enough is enough!  It is time to get out of this January Funk!"

 

So what did we do?  PLENTY!  We had a 4 day weekend coming up for the end of the quarter and Martin Luther King Junior Day and we partied it up that weekend, let me tell ya!  First of all, we reconnected with all of our best buds - from movie night to a skating party in someone's driveway to Strawberry Shortcake Sunday Evening to meeting at Rocky Bayou State Park and letting the kids play outside for like 5 hours!  It has been in the 70's here, and it was super good for my spirits to be able to get outside - especially in January!

 

Also, as an extra bonus, we decided to go to the CIRCUS!  My friend's husband was deploying that morning, so we decided to get out and have fun with the kiddos.  For being just a one-ring circus, they did a lot of stuff: Lions, Tigers, no bears - oh my!!  But they did have horses, camels, dogs,  and elephants, as well as a magic show, clowns, trampoline gymnastics, dancers, etc.  It was a lot of fun and the kids all had a great time.  Kylie woke up the next morning asking to go to the circus again.  The only down side was my allergies going crazy from all the fur flying and it being a total money gimmic with trying to sell popcorn, 1 minute elephant rides, etc. for $5.  But I held strong and only bought cotton candy and water!  :)

Love the Guy in the back row who knew he was going to be in our picture so he made the most of it. :)

The next weekend we hit the beach with our good friends.  It was around 70, so it was more of a play in the sand and fly kites sort of day, although the kids did get in the water a little bit.  But seriously, just to be able to say we went to the beach in January!  Craziness!

I love  this picture of Kylie and Maddie letting the waves "chase them."

Aly on the trick Kite

Another way I've gotten out of the January Funk this year is by trying new things. I've decided that one of the best ways to avoid a mid-life crisis (not that I'm having one or anything ;)>) is to continue to learn and grow, so that you don't feel like you're stuck. For Ladies Night Out we went to Bonefish Grill and I discovered that I love their Bang Bang Shrimp. I have not been a seafood person - ever - but I'm trying to branch out and have discovered that I like Amberjack and Triggerfish - and apparently some shrimp, depending on how it's prepared. I live in the perfect place to try fresh fish, so why not? Another thing I've haphazardly decided to try is running. I have never ran in my life - I much prefer step aerobics, but my friend convinced me she was as bad as I was and she said she would push Kylie in her double jogging stroller for me (see what a wuss I am?), so I decided to give it a whirl. There are now 4-5 of us who go, and despite still feeling like the wimpiest member of the group, there are several things that I love about running with friends, namely that you get to be outside in the fresh air, talk to your friends, and get exercise all in one activity. So many, many benefits for my mental health there - if only I could stop huffing and puffing!

As far as the girls go, we've lost Aly to the world of Percy Jackson - she's always got her nose stuck in a book.  If she isn't reading then she's either hanging out with the kids she rides the bus with or listening to Taylor Swift's "Red" album on the iPod she bought with her babysitting money. I feel lucky to get even a few minutes of face time with her in a day. The rest of the girls have really gotten into making huts lately, using every chair, blanket, pillow, and stepstool we own. They have also rediscovered the game of hide-and-go-seek. They play it everywhere with everyone. They wanted to play it in the airport on the way home, but I put an end to that.  Analise has started gymnastics and loves it. We carpool with two friends who live down the street.  Kate has been eating everything in sight lately and I'm expecting her to shoot up a couple inches here soon.  And for Kylie  I've joined a little joy school with some other moms. Kylie loves going to her "preschool". 

And while we're on the subject of the girls, here is a fabulous conversation I had with Analise the other night at dinner:
(Me, talking about needing to remember something), Lise - We'll remind you, Mom.  We're the brains in this operation.
. . . Two minutes later . . .
Lise - What were we talking about?
Me - I thought you were the brains in this operation.
Lise - I am.  I just don't have my lightbulb yet. [To light up above her head with all her great ideas.]

Love it.

At the end of January I was able to go to New Beginnings with Aly - I can't believe she's turning 12 this year!  I had a very special experience while I was there.  Recently I had been feeling a little anxious about  having a "teenager", and entering the next stage of parenthood.  But as I was sitting in New Beginnings the Spirit whispered to me that rather than seeing my daughter as a "teenager" and all the negative connotations that go along with that, I should view her as a "Young Woman" working her way towards the temple.  The theme for this year is "Stand Ye in Holy Places", which was perfect.  I was so grateful to be given the vision of how to view my daughters and help them as they enter this new exciting stage.  I know it's going to be an awesome, exciting, wild ride, but I am grateful for this glimpse of the eternal perspective to help me keep my focus.

Oh, and one final note.  As this New Year is a time of New Beginnings in many ways, I wanted to list my New Year's Resolutions.  They are very vague, which I know is not what you're supposed to do, but I am such a "check it off your list" type of person that I almost think I need to go more big picture rather than micromanaging just to balance myself.  So here they are (1) Choose Faith and Hope, regardless of the circumstance, (2) Expect progression, not perfection [in myself and others].  So here's to a wonderful 2013.  It's going to be GREAT!