2016 in Review

I've done this post every year for the past few years and I always enjoy doing it. Even though we are part of the way through February already, it's always nice to reflect back on the past year. Reading this post for last year makes me sad I didn't keep up with blogging much this past year. I'd love to recap what I did each month like each prior year, but I'm afraid I didn't keep close enough track to do that.



What did you do in 2016 that you'd never done before? 
I took my diet/nutrition seriously and lost a lot of weight. I did the 21 day fix in February and then a round of Whole 30 over the summer. I got back to the weight I was 7 years ago when we got married. Losing all this weight unfortunately ended up in the loss of my wedding ring as it no longer fit my finger and I was still wearing it. Good thing we had insurance and I was able to get a new one, but it was pretty devastating. 
We took a road trip with the kids to North Carolina. We had done vacations, but always flew. This was our first big car trip with all three girls. 

Did you keep your resolutions and will you make more for this year?
I did a great job of trying to get and stay healthier this year. I'm so proud of myself for all of the weight I lost (about 25 pounds) and the shape I'm in. I'm able to run a 5k no problem and with a pretty decent time. Cutting out sugar is a big deal but starches was an even bigger deal. I feel like I got my PCOS under control and learned to listen to my body and how food makes me feel. The Whole 30 was seriously life changing and I'd love to keep up that way of eating as much as possible. I'd also like to make healthier choices regarding exercise and our evening routine. Most nights we don't accomplish much and veg out to the television. It would be nice to spend that time doing more reading or productive tasks. When the weather is nicer it's much easier to feel motivated. I hope to do more running this year and maybe even do a 10k. I also really wish I kept up with this blog better. I'd like to at least do a monthly update post on our lives to have it written down somewhere. Life is so crazy it's hard to find the time though. 

Did anyone close to you give birth?
My friend Michele welcomed a baby boy Benjamin in January. 

Did anyone close to you die?
Luckily, no. 

What countries did you visit?
We stayed in the US but did take a trip to my parent's condo in Florida. It was such a nice trip and we plan to go again this year. Much better than our trip to Mexico the year prior. 

What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
I would love to lose another 10 pounds and get into the 120's. Taking care of myself and filling my own cup has been so huge for me. W and I struggled some but really communicated well in the end and made some huge realizations. I'd like to make healthier choices that my girls can witness and internalize. 

What dates will be etched upon your memory, and why?
September 3- Lucy and Clara's third ice cream birthday 
October 3- Stella's first Fiesta birthday!
I'm so bad with remembering dates all that's left here is birthdays

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Taking care of myself and putting myself first for the first time in a long time. It felt so great to have "me time" at the gym and put energy and effort into myself, not always just my kids. W really stepped it up to make this happen by watching all three girls most evenings and preparing dinner while I went to the gym. 

What was your biggest failure?
I can't really think of any ways I feel I really failed this past year. W and I struggled with communication, but things are better now and we are seeing eye to eye more consistently. Making time for each other and date nights has made a huge difference. 

Did you suffer illness or injury?
I got food poisoning in the fall and for the first time since having children felt entirely unable to care for them. It was so bad. Other than that, no major illnesses. Clara and Stella both got ear tubes. 

What was the best thing you bought?
We took two amazing vacations this past year that I funded by working part-time. Our first one was to Florida. It was so nice to get away from Central New York in the winter and have some family time. We had a great trip with some super fun beach time. We also took a trip to North Carolina with friends in August. It was so much fun to be at a beach house all week with our family. I hope we can do that again. 

Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage, bills, food, car, endless amounts of cute kid/baby things. I'm pretty sure this will be the case for a while. I discovered a new kids clothing line this year and spent far too much on it. Luckily the resale value is good!

What did you get really excited about? 
Our vacations and family time. Finally succeeding at losing weight and making progress with my endurance and speed with running. I'd love to do a 10k this year.

What songs will always remind you of 2015?
Renegades by X Ambassadors
Send My Love by Adele
Can't Stop the Feeling and Get Back up Again from the Trolls movie

Compared to this time last year are you:
Happier or Sadder? Definitely happier. Putting time and energy into myself has been huge for me. I'm happy with my weight for the first time in a long time and feeling stronger and more confident at the gym. I got a Y membership for Christmas from my FiL and have been going at least a few times a week.  
Thinner or Fatter? Thinner! I weigh less than I did when we got married 7.5 years ago. I think I'm back to my college weight!
Richer or Poorer? Probably the same

What do you wish you'd done more of?
Saving money haha
What do you wish you'd done less of? 
Arguing and fighting with W. Having three young kids is a huge challenge on our marriage. Amazingly enough, cutting out sugar has made us so much nicer to each other, especially in the mornings. We had a tendency to snap at each other from being crashed and notice we both feel so much more even tempered when we don't consume tons of sugar. 

How did you spend Christmas?
We went to Syracuse for church on Christmas Eve with my MiL and then had dinner at my in-laws after. On Christmas morning my in laws came over after we had breakfast and we opened presents and drank bloody marys. We celebrated with my mom at her house about a week prior as they went to Florida for Christmas. My dad came out a week or two after Christmas for the day to celebrate. We never celebrated with my sister :(

What was your favorite TV program?
We watched a bunch of Naked and Afraid. Prior, we had been totally turned off by the title, but once we realized what it was about we watched it a bunch. 
What was your favorite book of the year?
Wish I had gotten to read more. Even though we started book club back up I still haven't gotten to read any of the books. I'm embarrassed to admit that, but it's true. Most nights I fall asleep on the couch watching T. V.

What were your favorite films of the year?
We saw the Trolls movie at the theatre with Lucy and Clara. It was their first time to the movies and so much fun! It was a super cute movie too. 

What's one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I wish I could contribute more financially but it's worth it to be home rather than working every day. 

What kept you sane?
W and my friends. I love my fertility buddies and that we still get together often. Winter is always tough for friendships as we don't live super close to any of my friends. I guess my phone really keeps me sane because it keeps me in contact with the outside world. I wish I got to see my friends more often, but hopefully that will improve with nicer weather. 

Tell us valuable lessons you learned in 2016:
It's so important to fill your own cup as a mom. I spent so much time filling up everyone else's cup and never really prioritized myself. It's worth it to put yourself first because you are much better able to fill the cups of those around you when you're pouring from a full one. 

Diet is so much more important than exercise when it comes to weight loss. I learned a lot by doing a round of Whole 30. I'd love to complete another round and reap the benefits, it's just so hard in our culture to eat well. PCOS feels like so much less of an issue when I fuel my body with the right foods. I wish I had figured this out sooner. 

Clara at Three Years Old

Clara,

You really have the biggest heart. You're so thoughtful and always asking about others. You try to cheer Stella up when she's crying, "It's okay baby." You are also incredibly sensitive. I think since you love so big you hurt big too. You're really my sensitive little girl. You get upset easily and have a hard time calming down right away. Just recently we went to a Halloween party and you got scared by a boy dressed up. You were so upset and it really took a while for you to calm down. You're not loving this transition to colder weather and having to wear more clothes. You insist on taking of your jacket or sweatshirt in the car, even when it's really cold. I feel the same way about changing seasons and clothing so understand, I just wish I could reason with you a little more or help you understand it's just a part of life. You still love monkeys and reading books. I'm pretty sure you own at least 20 different stuffed monkeys by now. You'll sit for just about any story. When your grandma Becky came home with a chapter book from the library you were so excited. I'm pretty sure you would have sat through the whole thing if we were willing to read it to you. You've recently decided you like watching the movie Frozen although you went through a period where you really liked Paw Patrol. You even got a Paw Patrol Build a Bear when we went. I think being able to hear better increased your interest in the tv. Prior, you had very little interest. You are such a smart girl, and even if you sister does most of the talking for both of you I know you have all of those words and phrases too. Lucy probably talks 85% of the time when you're together. I know you're happy to let her do it so that's just your dynamic that works for you two. This fall you got tubes in your ears. Your daddy and I were so amazed by the results. Almost immediately your speech cleared up and you started talking in much longer phrases. You're so laid back most of the time and let Lucy boss you around. Occasionally you stand up to her and then she better look out! You go with her ideas most of the time but then have moments where you push back, and hard. Getting tubes definitely brought out a more feisty side of you I didn't even know existed. You got newfound confidence on the playground and with your speech. It's so fun to see you come out of your shell a little. You and Lucy have such a close friendship. You love doing laps around the house, pushing your doll strollers together, playing pretend, and fighting over things. You are the best of friends and worst of enemies sometimes. You and Lucy often spend a half hour or more talking before bed at night. I love eavesdropping on your little conversations. They often make me laugh and smile. You are such a Daddy's girl and have really got him wrapped around your little finger. You aren't always the best behaved for him, but I think that's because you know you get away with more around him. You love coloring, drawing, painting and play doh. Anything creative has your name all over it. You drew your first portrait of Daddy (of course) recently. I still consider you pretty emotionally unstable at times. You just get so upset so easily. I'm not sure if it's frustration, sensory stuff, or that you're just so emotional. Most times I can explain things to you. Addressing your feelings really does make a difference (I hear you that you're sad you didn't get a turn, etc) but there are times we aren't able to do that and you really fall apart. I always feel terrible when you get that upset, but sometimes nothing can calm you down. You just need a little time and space in order to calm down. You're not super picky about what you wear and are so nice to go along with what Lucy wants most days. You rarely put up a fight about what you are wearing. You've recently decided you love the color lime green along with purple. You got lime green moccs for your birthday and were so excited. You also love your lime green dress. Keeping it stain free is seriously a labor of love. You hair is so dark and curly. You really look so much like your daddy did at this age. When I see you two together you look like his little clone. You're not great about letting me do your hair and won't leave anything in it. I finally got you to let me use curl cream so at least it's not a crazy mess all the time. Crazy hair don't care is a phrase we say to you often. You have this one curl that grows right in the middle of your forehead. Your grandparents call it your "loose screw" and say this is what turns you into a wackadoo. You are taller and weigh more than Lucy by about an inch and 2 pounds. You're still a pretty picky eater than loves her carbs. You are getting better about trying things and decided over the summer you loved chicken. Eating meat was a big deal for you. I'm proud of you for trying more and being willing to try a "no thank you bite" most times. You love preschool and going. You are always in such a great mood when I pick you up and tell me what you did that day. You are such a great helper and really think keeping things picked up is important. You don't like messes unless they're on you while eating and then you don't seem to notice. I'm so proud of the little girl you're becoming.

What's your name? Clara

How old are you? Free (three)

When is your birthday? September fird (third)

How old is Mama? Six Mama

What's your favorite color? Lime green and purple mommy

What's your favorite food? ummm chicken mama

Who is your best friend? Lucy and Stella

What's your favorite song? Sunshine

What's your favorite animal? Monkey and owl 

What makes you scared? ...(started crying)

What makes you happy? Games and Stella

Where is your favorite place to go? School

What do you want to be when you grow up? Daddy 

#Microblog Mondays: First Experience Away From Home

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

Lucy and Clara started preschool last Thursday. This is their first experience away from me as I've been home with them pretty much every day. It's two days a week for just shy of three hours, but it's a big change for all of us. 

When I was working I often saw children for speech therapy at their daycare of preschool. That means I've been into every local preschool and knew which ones were better than others. I always liked one in particular that had the same teachers forever and only one class per age. It was small, cozy, and gave me the warm and fuzzy feelings I expected from a preschool. We decided pretty easily on this one even though we did look at two others. 

We had been to visit a few different times so I honestly wasn't worried about how the girls would do without me being there. I was more concerned with how I would do. Leading up to it I was feeling super anxious about it. The idea of leaving them with someone other than a family member was new to me. 

That morning W scheduled his day a little later so that he could be around and come for drop off. Unfortunately, we had different ideas as to how this would look. I felt super frustrated as I was getting the girls all ready and wanting to take pics and he was sitting on the couch eating his breakfast. I thought he stayed home to spend time with the girls, but instead it felt like he was taking a nice relaxing morning for himself. 

We got the girls in the van and drove separate cars to drop them off. Without much fanfare (though I took a lot of pictures), we walked them inside and left them just like that. 

In a sense it was probably good I was busy feeling frustrated with W for not being more involved. As a result,  I felt almost numb to the whole experience of leaving them for the first time. It also helped that I had two evaluations to go and do while they were at school. Tomorrow is the first day that I have nothing planned other than to hang with Stella. I hope we survive our time without our regular sources of entertainment.

Lucy and Clara's Third Birthday Party

Last weekend we celebrated Lucy and Clara's THIRD(!!) birthday with an ice cream themed party. My sister came out for the weekend to help and everything was a huge success. For their actual birthday we mostly just hung out at home with my sister as there was a stair project going on with our front porch. We walked to the playground and played for a while before we headed to the State Fair for dinner. It was a nice relaxing day.

The party wasn't until 3:00 on Sunday so that gave us lots of time to set up and get ready. I made a bunch of large ice cream cones out of chinese lanterns, tissue paper, and card stock. I also made a fabric banner from strips of different colored fabrics including one with ice cream cones. I made ice cream garlands, ice cream cone cake pops, and ice cream shaped sidewalk chalk as favors. We served meatballs, a tomato and cucumber salad, fruit salad, corn, macaroni and cheese. For dessert we hired an ice cream truck that serves soft serve ice cream to drive right into our back yard. It was so much fun and such a big hit! We also had cake which surprisingly still got eaten. It was so much fun to celebrate my girls with such a fun party and the weather was beautiful!

Dining room all decorated

A friend lent us this super fun pop up ice cream tent. It was SO cute!!

Enjoying some soft serve with sprinkles

Decor

Nutter Butter cookies dipped in chocolate to look like ice cream cones. These were SO yummy!

Homemade sidewalk chalk for favors

Cousin Benny

Clara

Sitting on the ice cream truck

SO yummy!

Cutie

Ice cream truck in our backyard

Good thing for dishes for ice cream cones

Cake time!

My little loves

Such cuties!

Family photo

Me and my girls

Stella 9 Months

Time is flying by so fast and my sweet baby is getting so big and changing so much. 

Stella,

This month was a big one as you finally got your tubes placed in your ears. It was a long time coming and I'm so glad it's behind us. You actually did great minus the hour you were awake at home and hungry. Once we got to the hospital you were super happy and could have cared less you hadn't eaten in a while. After placing the tubes, they retested your hearing and found it to be nearly perfect. Initially it meant you were really scared of a lot of stuff like toilets flushing, hand dryers, people's voices, and hair dryers. You are more clingy and having more separation anxiety issues, but I can also tell you're hearing so much better. You are following some simple directions, imitating clapping and waving, and just so much more responsive. The sleeping wasn't great after the tubes. You also cut two teeth that same week so it wasn't pretty. You were waking a lot and making mommy and daddy exhausted. With some work we've gotten you sleeping in your crib for most of the night. We ditched your "zippy suit" aka swaddle suit and the Dock a Tot and have been letting you just sleep on your belly. Getting you down isn't always the easiest, but you usually do okay once you're down. You're so interested in everything and want to know everything that's going on. Now that you're hearing better it only heightens that. With the teething and tubes you decided you no longer wanted a pacifier. It made things more difficult initially as you wanted to use me as one, but it's since gotten better. I'm bummed you don't want to take one as I felt they really helped with your sisters, but giving them up wasn't fun either. I'm hoping we're just saving that misery by you giving it up on your own. You love to babble and have a lot to say. You produce a wide variety of consonant sounds (b, n, d, m) and often shriek and squeal. You love taking baths with mommy and your sisters. If we let you sit up on your own you don't do too well because you're just so excited. You're around 14 pounds and really starting to crawl. You're moving little bits here and there, taking around two strides before falling back down to your belly. You're getting yourself far enough to get those objects just out of reach. You're so alert with your big blue eyes and are just the cutest little thing. You are so incredibly photogenic and cooperative for photos, at least for now. You'll still wear headbands and barrettes in your hair and I have so much fun dressing you up. Your sisters adore you and you love them so much. You are so bored when they aren't around or are napping and are just so happy to be as much a part of everything they do. You light up when you see them every morning. You love to eat anything and everything. We give you small pieces of whatever we are eating and you're so enthusiastic about it all. You are yet to refuse anything we have given you and you will eat so much. We joke you often eat more than your sisters. You are such a big girl already! I just love you so much sweet Stella and can't wait to see how much you grow and change into a one year old in the new few months!!

Father's Day