Friday Night Dates

It's funny how things change so completely when you have kids. Steve and I use to go out all the time, to dinner, the movies, out with friends and all on a whim. Now, we have to plan well in advance to go out to dinner with the kids and we have to go somewhere kid-friendly, that will be able to handle the noise of 3 young children and have food that they will want to eat. We have found all that in our Friday night family date to Qdoba!

Gone are the days of fancy dinners and quiet restaurants and in its' place are early dinners to beat crowds in places that you order your food and then find your seat yourself! We have found that Qdoba offers kids eat free Friday nights and we think this is a great idea and have been capitalizing on it, doing just that tonight. The kids are always full of excitement when we tell them we are going to go out to dinner and if we tell them we are going to the "Quesadilla Store" then they are even more excited, they love the place! And maybe it has something to do with a Coldstone Creamery right next door, but whatever the reason, it is a place that we all enjoy and makes for a wonderful family date night.

I love creating memories with our kids. I know that we only have so long in their childhoods that they will actually want to go out on a Friday night with their Mom and Dad to eat dinner, so I am going to relish every moment that I can. I like the conversations that we have when we are sitting at Qdoba eating our yummy Mexican food and seeing the smiles on their faces, pure joy that we are eating out and just being together. We do most things as a family and it is all our kids know and I think that is a great quality to have in a family. They expect spending the majority of time all together and I hope that is something that we can continue to build on as they get older, something that we can just instill into their beings. I love our little family and although it can get quite insane at times, I will always look forward to our Friday night family dates or any other time that we are together!

My Girl in Curls

I am so blessed with my three kiddos and I love getting to experience having both a girl and boys. I get all the rough and tough aspects of having boys, with their constant need for dump trucks and getting dirty, but then I get to experience the life of having a little girl and oh do I have a girly girl!! My mom wasn't so lucky with her girl, I was a tomboy to the core. I did not want to wear dresses or have my hair done or help her cook in the kitchen, I was more into sports and wearing basketball shorts and having my hair in a ponytail. So, this life I find myself in now, with such a girly girl as a daughter, is very new territory for me! But I am learning to embrace it.

Last night, was one of the times that I embraced all things feminine and spent some time with my beautiful daughter, who is growing up so quickly, right before my eyes. Abigail has long, thick gorgeous hair that is straight as a stick, just like her Momma's. So, to get any curl in it and for it to stay, we have to use sponge rollers. We had small sponge rollers from when she was younger and when we tried to use them several months ago, they made the curls much too tight and it resulted in a tangled mess of hair. However, Abigail has been begging me for months to please put the curlers back in her hair and I explained to her that we had to get some bigger rollers to make the curls the right size and avoid the disaster and tears that followed the tight curls. Finally, we were at Target last week and I remembered to get the new rollers and she was ecstatic and squealed with little girl delight. The next night was shower night and she was the first to jump in the shower, just so she could have her hair put in rollers!

I want to cherish these moments with her because I know they are fleeting. Abigail was so happy to sit at my feet while I rolled each section of hair and made sure it was just right. She opened each clip and would hand me the pretty, pink roller at just the right time and we chatted during our hair session. We talked and talked, not about anything in particular, but just chatted in a way that I hope we always will. After we had all 21 rollers strategically placed on her little head, she popped up, gave me a kiss and then ran into the bathroom to check out her head full of rollers. She was so proud and was even okay with sleeping in them all night, no complaints at all!

Rollers are all in!

This morning when she woke up, she was eager to see the results and we removed each roller ever so carefully and there were all her curls. She loved the way they bounced and swayed and when she looked in the mirror she said she looked and felt like a princess and was pretty. Something so simple and small and it was such a wonderful experience with my daughter, something that just the two of us shared. I love her so much and I love that she is so girly, even though it is something I am unfamiliar with. I can learn to be a mom of a princess and even a cheerleader, if she so chooses. I just love being her mom and all that it entails. She brings me happiness and joy and I look forward to all the other girly fun we will get to have together!

And the beautiful results and my always beautiful
little girl!

Happy 4th Birthday Mitchell-Pear!

Mitchell enjoying Chuck E Cheese!

Today, our oldest son, turns 4. I know it is very cliche to say, but it doesn't seem like he should be 4 already! Mitchell has always been my biggest Momma's child and I feel like he is still that little toddler that loved to cling to my leg and just be with me and no one else. But here he is, turning in to such a little man, enjoying his first year of preschool and just trying to find his place and explore his likes and dislikes. I would definitely classify him as my "spirited" child, very stubborn and strong-willed, but also the sweetest, most loving child. He is the first to give out a random "I love you" or to run in to your arms for a big hug.

Somewhere along the way, his nickname became Mitchell-Pear. I think it was Abigail that came up with this when she was about 3 and he was a year old. She just started calling him Mitchell-Pear one day and it stuck, with all of us. I love having little nicknames like that for the kids, they all have one and we use them frequently.

Right now at age 4, Mitchell is very much in to Hot Wheels, Toy Story 3 and his Geo Trax. When he can be outside he loves to play with his dump truck and hauls dirt everywhere. He is not so much in to sports right now, but would much rather push his truck all over, collecting whatever he can find. Mitchell is not afraid to get dirty! He likes to be rough and is definitely all boy, and he is very much looking forward to the day when he can wrestle more with his baby brother. He likes to always know what Abigail is doing and most of the time will change what he is doing just to be with her. He loves to color and is actually very good at it, not like most little boys. One of the workers at the YMCA actually commented on this and said she could not believe how well he colors!

We had a small family party for him yesterday, with a Toy Story 3 theme. He had one of his best buddies, Noah, over to celebrate and they had tons of fun running around the house and building some train tracks. They also chased or ran with Abigail and her friend Reaghan, the laughter and screeching in our house was wonderful! I loved to hear my big kids having such a fun time and even Hayden got in on the excitement!

The super cute cake!

Tonight, just for some added birthday thrills, we took the kids to Chuck E Cheese and met their friends Mary and AJ, along with their mom and dad, for some games and pizza. Mitchell was so elated to get a trip to Chuck E Cheese, as I am not a big fan and we don't go often. But to my surprise, it was not as bad as I had feared and we all had a great time. The pizza was good and we followed all the kids around as they tried out all the games they could with their cup full of tokens. And by the end of the night, they cashed in their accumulated tickets and chose their special prizes, which in our case was some rubber spiders and frogs! Oh, the small items that make kids giddy with joy!

So, this is a very big happy birthday to our Mitchell-Pear, who always keeps us on our toes and is our little comedian. We get so many laughs from the crazy things he says or does and we love that God blessed us with this sweet little blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy 4 years ago today.

Momma Is Back!

After a grueling 4 weeks of recovery, I went to the doctor today and was completely released! I was shocked! I had anticipated being released to start doing some lifting and to be able to bend again, but I was no way prepared to hear him state that I was released to go back to doing everything I was doing pre-surgery!

The doctor had informed me at my 2 week post-op appointment that I appeared to be ahead of the recovery schedule, but we still needed to wait and see what the next 2 weeks would bring. So, I followed his orders to perfection and continued to stay "down" for another 2 weeks, all through Christmas and New Year's. When he checked everything today, he said that I had continued to stay ahead of the recovery process and that he was extremely pleased with how well my recovery had gone. He said that due to the fact that I was in such good shape going in to the surgery, my body just sped through the whole recovery and healed much faster than even he had expected.

My very first order of business when I got home this evening was something that I have missed so much, I got to pick my baby up again and hold him! I had tears in my eyes when I held my arms out to Hayden and he tentatively toddled over and held his arms up, then I scooped him up and held him close. He looked at me with a bit of confusion, since it had been a month since I had last held him. He had been coming up to me for my entire recovery, holding his arms up for me to take him, and I would have to tell him that "Mommy had an owie". It broke my heart each time he would do that! Feeling his chubby body up next to mine and getting to nuzzle his little face made everything better for me!

Although I was released and will not have to see the doctor for another 2 months, I was still instructed to take it easy on certain tasks, including running the vacuum, carrying too much weight and also getting back to my gym routine. I tend to go at everything full force, so it is hard for me to hold back, but I do not want to jeopardize anything that has healed, so I will make sure to take things slow and ease back into my full routines. But it is a wonderful feeling to be taking care of my family again and regaining my role as Mommy, my most favorite job of all!

New Year's Eve Scavenger Hunt

I think as you get older, going back to do things that you enjoyed as a kid can be really fun! As an adult, you worry less about what people think or what your peers are doing and just set out to have a fun time. This is what Steve and I did for New Year's Eve this year. We hadn't stayed up to see the ball drop since the year before we had Abigail, so that would have been 2004! We were invited, by a group of friends, to participate in an adult only scavenger hunt all over town and since I am still recovering from my surgery and am still limited in my activities we decided this sounded like something I could actually do and something that would be interesting!

A group shot with the organizers, at Starbucks, for one of the challenges

We met at a friend's house that had organized the event and everyone paired up with another couple to make carloads. We were given a sheet of paper that had 45 items that we could collect and 45 items to take a picture of, all worth different point values. Some of the things were just plain crazy, such as collecting unmelted snow, a receipt for exactly 30 cents in gas and finding the smallest bottle of wine possible! We had 2 hours to accomplish our mission and make it back to the starting location, hoping to have the most points accumulated. 

Steve in a port-a-potty for a picture challenge!

Steve and I were paired with our friends Scott and Nancye and we had so much fun racing all over town trying to obtain as many items and pictures as we could. There was tons of laughter and good times and although we didn't win, we all had a great time!

Steve and Nancye on a slide for a picture challenge!

Scott posing with Boy Boy for a picture challenge!

There was a party afterwards, that unfortunately Steve and I were unable to stay for, due to the fact that my mom had graciously offered to watch our kids for us and we didn't want her driving home too late. So, we instead opted to skip the party and come home to our quiet house, where the kids had all been bathed and put to bed, and we were able to snuggle in our warm bed and watch the ball drop at midnight. It might not have been the craziest New Year's Eve we have ever had, but it was something fun and different, and ending it kissing the love of my life at midnight, made the evening perfect!

A Crazy Christmas Day!

Our Christmas Tree and a little
Hayden in there too!

We have tried over the years to spread our Christmas celebrations out over a few days, just to limit the chaos of it all. When we were first dating and married, we would do a whirlwind of Christmas gatherings all in one day and we vowed that we would not do that once we had children. Well, this year it finally happened that we had to break that promise and had one of those crazy Christmas days where you are beyond exhausted by the end of the day, but know it's a good exhaustion because of a day well spent with family.

And the stockings all hung with care

Santa made his annual stop at the Wright house on Christmas morning and I am loving the fact that our children still love their sleep more than presents! I thought for sure this year Abigail and Mitchell would be banging down their door, ready to rush down the stairs to see their new treasures, however, they surprised Steve and I both and slept until their regular 7:30-8am. Due to my limitations from my surgery, Steve ran downstairs to plug the tree and other lights in and then ran back up to trade me the camera for carrying Hayden down. The first stop for Abigail and Mitchell was the plate of cookies they had left Santa, they were so excited to see that he had only left crumbs and a little bit of milk. Then they turned and there was tons of screaming when they realized the new gifts that had been left by the big man in red. Hayden toddled over to see what all the fuss was about and then quickly lost interest and settled in with his morning sippy cup of milk while his brother and sister went crazy! Abigail was beyond thrilled that she received her new vanity and Baby Alive doll that she had wished for and Mitchell loved his new castle and Hot Wheel track. And even Hayden was all grins for his new just-his-size race track and his favorite, new sippy cups!

Santa's loot!

After all the wrapping paper was torn off and new treasures revealed, including lots of new Leapfrog stuff and accessories for their Santa gifts, we all hurriedly got ready and dressed to head to Grandma Jones' house for Steve's extended family's Christmas celebration. There we all crammed in to a small area and settled in for the tradition of the Christmas story being read by Steve's dad and then more presents being ripped into. We enjoyed a lunch with lots of yummy foods and then packed up our crew to head south to my parent's house for our Christmas celebration with my side of the family. We again tore into presents and ooh-ed & aah-ed over what everyone received and then ate yet another wonderful meal of awesome home cooking.

Kids in their Christmas PJ's on Christmas morning!

Daddy & his boys at Grandma Jones

So, although we were on the go most of the day and our kids were out of their routine, it was such a blessing to be able to share another holiday with our families. Steve and I are very fortunate to have both of our parents live close by and that we don't have to travel far each holiday to see them. Our kids love seeing their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins and of course opening tons of gifts! It was indeed a crazy Christmas, but it was ours and we loved every minute of it!

All 3 kiddos on Christmas Eve after our candle light service at church

A Very Good Night!

3 kids + 2.5 hour wait to see the big man in red + 2 days before Christmas at the mall = a FUN night!!

I would not think the above equaled to a really fun evening, but surprisingly it did! We made a last minute decision to brave the crazy crowds around town and especially at the mall, to visit with Santa. Abigail and Mitchell were beyond ecstatic to get to see Santa and sit on his jolly old lap! We had actually been to the mall earlier today with Nana and caught a peek at Santa, but due to the time of the day and naps quickly approaching for the boys, we had to bypass the lines and head home. Abigail was so disappointed to be so close to him, but not get a chance to sit on his lap and tell him her wishes for Christmas and how good she had been this year. It broke my heart to see her little face, so full of disappointment, but putting on a brave look since she is the older sister. I called Steve later in the day and told him what had happened, and being the good Daddy that he is, he agreed to meet us at the mall after work to fulfill their wish.

We found out that it was a 2.5 hour wait to just get in line and almost turned around and went home, but just couldn't disappoint them again. So, we took our pager in hand and ventured on to eat some dinner and wander through the very packed mall! We were prepared for some meltdowns and tears, but everyone had a great time and we just enjoyed the wonderful company of our children. Even Hayden, who went well beyond bedtime, was good as could be! It's those kind of spur of the moment, fun evenings, that make you just sit back and smile!

But my favorite part of our family date night had nothing to do with the decorations at the mall or even Santa himself. It had to do with a conversation over dinner with Abigail, that made my heart beam with love and awe. We were talking about all the excitement of Christmas and getting to see Santa and Abigail stopped me and said "Mommy, but you know that this is not what Christmas is all about, right?" I told her yes, I know, but prompted her to tell me what she meant. She then began to explain to me that this is all fun, but the true meaning of Christmas is about baby Jesus' birth and that God loved us so much that he sent his only son for us (these are her exact words!) I sat there in complete silence as she continued explaining to me about Mary & Joseph's travels to Bethlehem and their troubles once they arrived and about how Jesus grew into a man and then how he died. We talked about the crucifixion then and she asked some questions about what happened and then told me "Mommy, don't be sad though because Jesus rose from the dead so that we could live forever with him & God. And they are always in our heart and that is what Christmas is all about, having Jesus in our heart".

I have heard many messages and sermons about the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus, but hearing that story spoken from the lips of my 5 year old daughter, is hands down the best version I have ever heard! Then to top it off, I asked her if she learned all this at church and she said no, she knows all this from Mommy and Daddy! It's always amazing to know your children are listening to you, but to know she is listening and taking in the most important information we could give her is priceless!

This is the end result! It took all of 1 minute, but was so worth it!
My 3 blessings!

So, I will have to say, this family date night will go down in the books as an amazing evening, in more ways than one!