The latest...

Well, now that things have slowed down a bit, I can update this thing :) 

The last month or so has been a complete blur!  The kids have kept us busy and we've had a ton of extra activities as well.  Here's a brief run-down :)

Madison is growing up way too fast...she's going to be 5 months old tomorrow and I can't believe it! It's a weird feeling about how fast kids grow up...on one hand, they seem to change every day and you can't believe how quickly it all goes by - on the other hand, you can't seem to remember a time when you didn't love this little person and it feels like they've been a part of your family forever.  I love that it's getting warmer out and I can put her in all of the cute little dresses that we have for her!  She seems to have some allergies, so her nose has been running around the clock lately just like her brother's.  I don't know how 2 people who don't suffer from many allergies ended up with 2 kids that are affected so much, but it does not make for a very happy baby or a very happy momma!  She had her 4 month checkup today (I know, almost a month late, but oh well!) - she was 14 lbs 14 oz and 24 inches long - right at the average for her age.  I can't wait to take her to the zoo and to the lake and have lots of fun this summer!  I know she'll love it - she's such an observer and loves to be moving!

Mason is growing up way too fast too...He's potty training right now (ah!).  It's going pretty well, though we've had some rough moments (him & I both - ha!).  We're going to be tough and stick this out and see where it takes us :) That little boy is ready to be outside, the weather lately has not been cooperating!  It's hard to swing in the yard when it's tornado season and every evening brings torrential rains and hail :(  Hopefully soon, the weather will give us a break and we'll be able to keep him happy out there. His favorite thing right now is Toy Story.  He loves Buzz & Woody and wants to watch them all of the time (this is a good thing and a bad thing all at once!).  It's so fun to see him learn and grow at this point!  I know it's hard to believe, but my child is a chatterbox!  He talks all the time!  And he's hilarious (also hard to believe, given his genes).  He loves his sister and asked me last night if he could "hold the baby" :)  He's such a sweetheart and a great kid - we'll see how I feel when he's a teenager :)

Randal has been super busy at work.  He's been promoted to Lead of the Sales & Use Tax Group at CCH and is working hard to get used to that department.  He went through Six Sigma training last week and I think he really enjoyed it.  I'm so proud of how hard of a worker he is :) 

I have been busy, busy with work and with other things on the side :)  As if I don't have enough to do, I keep coming up with things!  Taking care of the kids is plenty of work, as all of my mom friends will attest to!  I also threw my in-laws a 25th Anniversary party this month - it was a ton of fun to plan, but was a lot of work!  We had a great turn out and it was a great time - it was so good to see some people that I hadn't seen probably since our wedding!  The weekend after that party, Randal's brother Alan got engaged to his girlfriend Katie.  I'm so excited for those two!  Katie is a great girl & I'm so excited to have her as my sister-in-law.  I'm doing the cake for the wedding, so hopefully that works out great too!  On top of that, we've been busy with church comings and goings and other things that pop up. 

Next month is our lake trip and we're SO excited!  We're praying for easy travels and good weather!  Hopefully it is a nice, relaxing trip - and hopefully, mommy can get some reading done :) 

Next month is also our 5th anniversary.  This is another thing that is weird...while it seems like time has flown by, I can't really remember my life without Randal.  Maybe your brain has a way of blocking these types of things out, I don't know, but I'm glad that I met him in 2003, and so glad that he asked me to marry him a year later.  He is my best friend til the end - the only one I can truly be myself with and I'm so glad he's the one that's walking through this thing called parenthood with me.