Thoughts As We Enter 2012

"I don’t really want more time;

I just want enough time.

Time to breathe deep & time to see real & time to laugh long, time to give You glory & rest deep & sing joy…

I just want time to do my one life well."

from ann voskamp's One Thousand Gifts

Holiday Stroll

Our cute town has a "holiday stroll" each year and we are blessed in that we can actually stroll into town (about a 10 minute walk!) and enjoy all of the festivities. They had the main street all decorated and decked out for Christmas including Santa, S'mores, and an old-fashion fire engine the kids could climb on. Such fun!

Checking out the choo-choo with Pops

Who doesn't love a S'more?

Even Daddy after work :)

Climbing on the fire engine

Our first peak at Santa...not so sure

December Theme Song

As we begin the month of December and the craziness of the holiday season, this is going to be my theme...

Can I get an AMEN?? Happy Weekend everyone :)

My New Viewpoint

Confession time...I have never had a monitor. Not a video monitor, not an audio monitor-- nothing. Does this make me a bad mom?? Perhaps...but I just figured I could hear them well enough one room away and I knew I probably would have been one of those moms that sat and watched their child's back rise and fall to make sure they were still breathing (and if you are one of those moms, more power to you!).

Anyways, all hell kind of broke loose when the twins moved into their big kid beds. The control I once had.....gone :( I mean, hello?? If you had a built in playmate in your room, would you stay in your bed?

Even after removing--well, pretty much everything from their room, I would somehow hear crashes and bangs followed by tears and never really know if it was because someone's feelings were hurt or if someone's eye had been poked out. Soooo....I broke down and got a video monitor. And by video monitor, I mean I got this iPhone-looking, touch-screen machine that can pan the entire room and I can talk into it. Y'ALL!!! This thing is crazy. And yes, it is a little creepy too. The twins look like they are deer caught in headlights when Jono and I speak into it and tell them to stop pushing or throwing books, etc.

BUT, it has worked wonders so far. They get bored much faster and eventually end up in their respective beds asleep- HOORAY! All of you mommies that told me to get a monitor....I should have listened sooner!

Here is a cute shot of them in Emma Kate's bed-Jackson was "reading" her a story after I told them to get into bed :)

Remembering to be thankful

My babes sure do keep me humble...in so many ways. But recently, Jackson has loved to share with me what he wants to thank God for-- and it has blessed my heart (and perhaps made me giggle a bit too...). What I love about his thankful heart is that he takes the time to think about what he is thankful for--and he is thankful for all things, big and small. Here is just a little video I captured of him the other morning giving thanks.

Cozi

Ok...have y'all heard of Cozi?? I am sure I am just one of those gals that is behind but y'all-- this site is amazing! I am kind of an organization nut in that I am always looking for the best out there and I'm thinking this might be it.

Here's the thing--it's ALL in one place. Your calendar (including color coding for all different family members), your to-do lists, your shopping lists (specific to wholesale, grocery, pharmacy, etc), a meal planner, and a place to keep your recipes-- including links to the internet site where you found the recipe. I think I have just scratched the surface of what this wonderful little website can do but I have saved the best part for last. It links up with your blackberry, iPhone, or other smart phone device. So when you are out and about, you not only have every family member's calendar, but you also have quick access to all of your to-do lists and shopping lists-- linked to ONE place.

Ahhhh, I heart organization....

http://www.cozi.com/live-simply?redir=home

Recently...

We've been pretty busy recently...hanging out and enjoying these last few warm fall days

We celebrated my Dad's birthday

Have you heard of "Big Red'? Only sold in the deep south and my dad's favorite drink. Kind of tastes like cough syrup...

My sweet grandmother came for a visit!

Reading a book to Grammy

Big Weekend, Big Changes, Big Kids!

We had a big weekend in the Farrell home…in many ways, we officially became big kids. The twins moved from their cribs into their twin beds- a moment I have been dreading and excited for all at the same time. I think I was dreading the unknown- two 2 year olds not held “captive” in their cribs??!! Eeek. Kind of worrisome to this momma. Just wasn’t sure what they would do with the freedom. But in the same vein, I was ready for them to get out of those baby cribs. They are big now and were ready.

The twins quickly put my fears to rest- they did great! Emma Kate has no idea that she can get out of her bed and stays tucked in until we come get her in the morning. Jackson on the other hand makes his evenings more of a….shall we say, “playdate” with his sister. No problem with me as long as they stay in their room! And the sweetest part?? We have found Jackson several times snuggled up in Emma Kate’s bed…precious.

Pretty excited!

And maybe not quite sure...

This is the perfect depiction of my children...EK sleeping peacefully, tucked in tight

And J-Man all over the place- so cute! (please note he is wearing one Croc)

More pics to come of the awesome room my sis designed for them :)

Yeehaw!

We're still diggin' our Halloween costume around here...

Happy Weekend Y'all!

Back to Reality

So just a quick recap on life with the Farrells. Yesterday I was here…

Mmm hmm…that would be Puerto Rico. My sweet hubby surprised me with a little get away. Today, I am back to reality. Which means I spent the morning here…

http://www.northernvirginiapediatrics.com/contact_us.htm

Getting two kiddos swiped for strep. Hmmmm....back to reality :)

LOL

My sweet, long-time friend Leslie, posted this hilarious article on her blog today. I had to copy it and share because it made me laugh out loud (click to enlarge). Is this not so true??!!

Happy weekend everyone!

Picture Perfect

So I held back from posting this picture with the other apple picking photos…not sure why, right?

I mean, in hindsight, this really is my life. Yes, we have lots of happy moments. Yes, we laugh A LOT. But I feel like this picture perfectly describes our life with two 2 year olds. Emma Kate screaming, Jackson rolling his eyes, and what you can’t see in the picture is me, trying frantically to get the perfect Christmas card picture…you know, look like I have it all together. HA!

I am totally tempted to send this out as our picture this year…maybe with just the words JOY and PEACE at the bottom. What do you think?

A Picking We Will Go

With the leaves changing and gorgeous fall days to embrace, we decided to take the kids apple picking. We actually did this last year with the babes (which you can read about here). Boy, have times changed in one short year! Last year they had just started walking and didn’t quite get it. This year, they were running and couldn’t get enough of the apples! Emma Kate loved to collect them in her bag and Jackson thought they there perfect for playing catch J

Here are a few highlights from our time together:

Great depiction- Jackson ready to throw and Emma Kate looking to fill her bag...

Our new friend

Sweet boy

Picking out a pumpkin

And taking it for a ride...

"One, Two, Three..."

I mean y'all, is Virginia not gorgeous?

Such a good sharer

could not get enough!

Losing My Voice...

Last week was rough...I came down with a terrible cold and ended up completely losing my voice. As you can imagine this made interacting, disciplining, and really even enjoying the twins quite difficult. But the Lord is good and sweet. He taught me such valuable lessons during these challenging few days--to simply rely on him for strength, to ask for help when needed, to prioritize and let some things go.

And then on a more practical level, it was pretty neat to see the babes (can I still call them that?) respond to my lack of a voice. I had to get right on their level and whisper to give them a direction. At first they didn't know quite what to do with that but the quickly adapted and I noticed that the tone in our home totally changed. Rather than everyone yelling to speak over one another (including me...yikes!), we were all whispering or using quieter voices to get across our message. What a great lesson in how the Lord speaks to us...and even disciplines us!

Hoping to keep this "tone" up in our home even though my voice has returned.

Had to add a quick, cute video of the babes dancing. A few disclaimers...

1. Yes, we do usually wear clothes (I know pics from last week also included us in diapers)

2. Yes, we do often eat off the floor, I am ok with that :)

3. Yes, we are working on being gentle with Savannah

Says it All...

Is this bad?

So sorry if you don't drink Diet Coke, don't believe in it, or think it is against God's will for your life. Right now, this is what get's me through each and every day...and I am totally ok with that :)

Happy Weekend everyone!

Decorating for Fall- Yes or No?

So last year I was still in survival mode…or at least I kept telling myself that. The twins had just turned one and I felt like I was just barely out of the deep waters and starting to really get in our groove. I definitely didn’t put out any “fall” or harvest decorations and my Christmas décor included some poinsettias (maybe not even a tree??!! Can’t even remember!). Anyways, this year I am back to normal…or my new normal J

This past weekend, we went to dinner at a friend’s house who had decorated a little for fall but did in a very classic way- very much my style (hi Meredith, if you’re reading). That got me inspired and I picked up a few items to make our house a little more harvest-ready J

The kiddos love our new pumpkin outside. Hoping to carve it before Halloween!

I found this cool "fairy tale" pumpkin at Trader Joes- makes a perfect centerpiece!

I thought these mini pumpkins were cute and added a great touch to the end of my mantle

What about you? Do you go all out or skip Fall decorating all together?