5x7 Folded Card

With Love Christmas Card

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Fall Feelings and Christmas Dealings

Okay, so Fall is my favorite time of the year. It feels like hot chocolate on a cold day. The colors are amazing and the weather is mild.  Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :)

I can't wait for Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday! Nothing better than family and comfort food. It's also the calm before the storm...most people refer to as Christmas. (sigh)  It's just not fun anymore.  So, I have changed the way I spend my holiday season.

From now on, I won't be worn down in fighting crowds of madness. I won't worry about not getting those awesome deals. I don't have to...I am already done. It makes it much simpler when you plan out 2 presents per child. Now, I am free to enjoy this time. And I plan on making the most of it.

It is after all, Halloween!

And then there was.... Daddy?

Gabi wanted to be Tinker Bell

Drake was a skeleton.

Lydia was ... whatever that is.

I guess the most important thing isn't what they dress up as... it's the candy they receive..

or something like that.

A New Phase

   Growing up is hard to do. At least, it is for me. I never thought of myself as someone who lacked maturity. Others may disagree. At some point, I hit this place in my life where I didn't really know, ME. I was a mystery to myself in a sense. This threw me because I have always known who I was, where I was going, and exactly what I want. This thing called "marriage" will either break a person or make them stronger... it almost broke me. But now, I am stronger and learning who I am.

 

    In my mind, at least for me, this breakthrough in life was influenced heavily from being a parent. Being forced to make hard decisions and sacrificing comes along with the role. Naturally, one will do such decision making according to experience and unselfishness. Or not. I have discovered, I am a very selfish and self serving person. If it makes sense to me it must be the right way. Right. Of course. Except when your married. When your married you have to factor in "respect" and "consideration". Blah!

 

   What I have come to understand and really truly learn, is that when a person is willing to be a partner in all things, the rest just falls into place. All of the sudden that "respect" and "consideration" is the very thing that holds a couple together. It seems so simple now. The answer. 

 

So, this is my new phase, marriage maturity. After 9 years of marriage, I finally know how to be married.Of course there are other changes that have taken place.... Jason has done much "growing up" too. 

Finally, we are growing together.

Love Giveaways!

Recently, I have found that there are MANY giveaways on FB that offer a ton of unique and sweet and just all around precious items to shower mostly Gabrielle with. But the other two as well. Check it out!



   http://elskanblog.com/?p=30

Time-Out

At the twins 2 year check up in January, the doctor (whom I love), asked me if I had any concerns. Drakes aggression issues...beating his sister over the head with big plastic objects and laughing about it... big concern...where did he even learn that?? She said I should start putting him in time-out. Now, while this concept is nothing new to me as I have used it in my own childcare business since Lydia was little...for some reason, it didn't sit well. My first thought was, but he's just a baby. So, I told my hubs what the Dr. said and he was like... awesome. But I will admit that I just really have not done it. So, when Drake full out shoved Gabrielle into the cabinets and knocked her down...that was it. He went directly into the time-out chair with no remorse from Mommy. He sat there for 2 minutes with his face in the corner. When I talked to him about what he did and asked him to say sorry and give her love, he acted like he was going to comply. So, when he ran over and just looked at her, I of course encouraged him. But he refused and back to time-out he went. After much tears and two time-outs he did give Gabrielle love. I'm going to call this a win. Maybe this time-out thing will be a great teaching tool for him.