ciao! aufwiedersehen!

we leave tomorrow...
to the land of noodles!
at least that's what my 5 year old would say.
and really... that's one of the most exciting things about the trip, no?
food, food, and more food?!
oh yeah... and those incredible mountains!
15 days away...
enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and people of italy and switzerland!
so... i bid farewell with ciao... and aufwiedersehen!!

my life right now, brought to you by instagram

having an iphone is fun.

it's frivolous too.

but one of the things i like most about it?

the fact that it's my mini little camera.

couple that with the lovely app, instagram...

and you're loaded with lots of great photos.

here's a sneak peak into my life the past couple of weeks...

the weather's getting nicer and nicer...

and even on cooler days, as long as the sun in shining, it's always warm on the deck.

nap time for little one, means mommy and daughter time for #2.

soaking up the rays with our bare feet.

and... she awakes!
and takes my breath away with her sweetness!
(yes, she IS this innocent... in pictures... that's what i'm trying to capture)

shopping with my pal at forever 21 always calls for changing room pics.
always!
jumpsuits in acid wash?
yes, please!

and sushi for supper afterward?
um, yeah!
is that even a question?

finished the book last week...
was able to see the movie 2 days later.
as it was fresh in my mind.
best. idea. ever.

sushi again?
this time with big k.
sushi is her all time fav food.
remember this? (scroll down to the last picture)
i picked her up for lunch from school and we had a little mommy daughter date.
i love the one on one time.

dance recital weekend...
it was a success.
busy and crazy and stressful?
yes, but also so awesome to see my girls dance their little hearts out.
i just adore watching them dance.
so much fun!
here they are with their cousins who came to watch them.

this year the dance studio decided to hold the recital in a larger venue, in a nearby city (much larger than our small town).
it was such a good idea.
not only was there only 1 performance (instead of the usual 2) but it was held in a historical heritage building downtown.
love these old buildings...
and i happened to catch a shot of my reflection in one of the old doors.
yup... i'm carrying the costumes on my arm!
dance mom on the move... outta my way!!

celebrating a job well done the next day with, you guessed it...
SLURPEES!!!!
a manitoba tradition!
haha!
for we are the "slurpee capital of the world!!!"

packing piles...
brings me a wave of excitement and dread (for leaving the girls).
need i say more?

reading with my baby.
one of hers and my favorite things to do.
an easy indulgence... who cares if supper is a 1/2 an hour later?

the new obsession in our family?
SKIPPING!!!
it's awesome!
i'm trying desperately hard to remember all the rhymes and games i did as a child.
google is helping refresh my memory.
any help from you?

my little ballerina princess is trying to skip...
to no avail.
but she sure looks cute trying!

we'll just do some cuddling then.
that always works out well.
snotty, dirty face and all.

and finally...
another obsession in our family, frozen planet.
we LOVE watching these kind of documentaries/shows with the girls.
this one is highly recommended if you liked planet earth, etc.
i LOVE discovery channel!!

give me a break!

it's one of those days.
sometimes it's hard to explain...
my kids have been tough work lately.
i've been feeling like a failure of a mom.
remember, i have three girls.
girls = drama + oversensitivity
add on to the fact that i have a 2 year old.
which means general naughtiness is added to the equation.
she has been extremely difficult as of late.
she used to be so easy going.
now... ugh!
i love her to bits and pieces...
but she is EXHAUSTING.
i literally have to keep an eye on her at all times.
this morning,
i'm on my treadmill.
i have her downstairs with me.
she's playing in her play kitchen.
she finds a little teapot.
i knew exactly what she wanted to do.
"do NOT put water in there, missy."
she starts walking up the stairs...
"do NOT put water in that teapot!"

she disappears.
i hop off the treadmill...
bolt up the stairs...
hear the faucet.
she's filling up the little teapot.
there's water EVERYWHERE.
she gets in trouble ("i'm trouble, trouble, trouble, mama?" "YES!")
we clean it up.
downstairs again.
oh, she finds yet another teapot.
up the stairs again...
same thing.
except more water.
sigh...
give up on the treadmill.
sit her down to watch a show so i can shower in peace.
hop into the shower.
wash as quickly as possible.
turn off the taps... hear something happening on the other side of the house.
run to see what's up...
you guessed it.
another teapot... this one has the added bonus of batteries in it b/c it sings.
directly under the flowing faucet, full of water... another puddle on the ground.
ahhhhhhh!
Lord, help me.
this was only at 9:30am.

i don't need to tell you more about the day...
just to say that the little one has been having lots of obedience issues lately.
and middle child?
well, she's always always sensitive... aka whiney.
and the oldest... well, that's a whole 'nother story.
what i'm getting at is that mothering in the past couple of weeks has been hard.
the difficult stuff seems to be outweighing the joyful parts right now.
and i hate it when it's like that.
do i think it's a coincidence that my prayers for the past month have gone like this:

"God, you know i'm anxious about leaving my girls when we go away on our trip.

it's not them i'm worried about...

i know they're in good hands.

it's me i'm worried about.

they really are my life right now.

i'm with one or all of them almost constantly.

day in, day out.

can i survive 2+ weeks without my girls?

please, please take away my fears... my anxiety about leaving them.

help me to do well... help me to have a great time away."

that has been my constant prayer.
is God preparing me to leave my girls?
have they been acting up b/c it's just reinforcing the idea that i do indeed need a break?
i need to get away?
i'm not sure...
but whatever the case, my prayers are being answered.

as each day passes, i am more and more prepared to leave them.
i know it's not forever.
it's just a couple of weeks.
i know they'll have so much fun without us...
so i need to have lots of fun without them too.
husband and i... yup, we need it!
it's been almost 9 years since we've been away on a holiday ALONE.
no kids.
yup, i think it's definitely time.
we will go!
and then we'll come home again.
and a time will come where i'll hardly remember that i was even gone.
i just have to keep plugging away.
and as i go through the trenches of motherhood... day after day... i will cling to this verse:

So don't get tired of doing what is good.
Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.
Galatians 6:9

i need it!

i'm back!

the blogging break was nice... and needed.

and i don't want to forget how it was to be without it... and the fact that i was fine.

great, even.

i don't want to be consumed again.

but jeez...

i feel like i need to "catch" up.

but i'm not gonna go hog wild.

baby steps.

(ha ha... that takes me back to the movie, 'what about bob?'... "baby steps... baby steps")

what did i do with the multitudes of time i spent away from blogs and facebook?

i wish i could say some awesome things... like i went and saved the world or something.

but alas, that wasn't so.

i played solitaire on my phone a bit more.

yes, i'm a loser.

i napped.

oops... should i have written that?

i researched stuff for our upcoming trip to italy/switzerland.

but i didn't do what i should have done.

yeah, i read my bible a little bit more...

but i didn't do what i intended to do.

i failed at that.

and that's too bad.

and i was hit by the reality of my mistake this morning as i read through this gem of a post:

jami tells it like it is!

this was a slap in the face, in a good way (if a slap in the face can be considered good).

i don't know if others struggle like this but i do.

i'm so busy... i'm so busy... i'm so busy.

i am.

yes.

i am busy.

but i still make time for things.

i make time for seeing my friends...

i make time for coffee...

i make time to shop...

i make time for my long runs...

i even make time for solitaire.

that is embarrassing.

most of my intentions are good, which makes it a sticky situation.

but neglecting to read my bible, basically neglecting to read the best guidebook ever...

not good.

so i needed that slap in the face.

and those of you that know me in real life... please hold me accountable.

you know who you are.

and if you want that accountability from me too... just tell me.

so yes, i'm back to blogging... reading and writing.

but i'm hoping it won't be taking me away from what i still need to do.

being a wife, a mom, a sister, a friend... and a child of my God.

let's keep encouraging one another to press on.

those tough days can get you down so fill yourselves up with the Word.

i promise you'll find encouragement and peace.

He promises it.

So don't get tired of doing what is good.  

Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.

Galatians 6:9

(i realize these pictures have nothing to do with the post... but they were too cute not to share)