Changes

Picnic lunch and a movie!!

 Yet again it has been a while since I've filled you all in on what has been going on with us and I apologize! Life just tends to get in the way at times, and I have no real excuses except I just haven't been allowing myself the time to write. We have been going through some major changes here which I believe are all for the good so I guess it's time to fill you all in on what's new with us!
Our first major change is that we have moved. We are still living in San Diego, but have moved into military housing. It's a move that has been great for us as a family mainly because the girls now have a back yard to play in. There are also a lot more kids in this community and lots of parks. The girls love being able to run outside! They have a new play house in the yard and a swing set so we now spend a lot more time outdoors, which is something we never really did at our old house as we had no yard! Most of the kids in our immediate area are a little older than the girls so they haven't made any real friends yet, but I try and take them to the park a lot so they interact with others. It's funny because both girls tend to be shy and reserved around the other children, while the other kids are all friendly and wanting to play with them. I guess they are used to the military life of meeting different kids. Hopefully with time the girls will open up a little more.

Testing out Mummy's ANZAC Biscuits!

 The second major change in our life is that I have stopped working which means the girls and I are staying at home. I have been feeling burnt out for quite some time. I felt like I was giving my all at work and having nothing left for my own children when I got home so John and I decided that I could take some time off to recharge my batteries and spend some time with the girls. It's a decision that I still at times I still struggle with because I miss my friends and then I worry that I made the wrong choice in moving the girls out of their school, especially Mackenzie because it was pretty much all she knew. Their adjustment seems to have been better than mine. Mackenzie asks about her friends occasionally, but for the most part as long as I keep our days busy they seem to be fine with staying at home. We now spend our days sleeping in (we used to have to get up real early), going to the park, the library or the zoo and doing activities around the house. I'm about to start making sure we have some set lessons most days so they girls continue to learn what they need to know and I have found a military moms group to meet up with so this week we are going to our first playgroup type of thing.

Mackenzie loves being outside.

The girls are both doing great and are busy and happy. Mackenzie is still a work in progress when it comes to the potty and still obsessed with Jessie from Toy Story!! She is now also starting to get a little more into the princess world as she will often tell me she now wants to wear dresses "like a princess". She likes playing with her sister most times and is always eager to go see the other kids, but not too eager to have to interact with them. She makes me laugh at times because she's always talking about the kids, but if anyone tries to talk or play with her she ignores them! She is learning to be a little more friendly. We have started to do some more cooking together since leaving work and she enjoys helping!

Trying to be just like her big sister!

Maegen is doing great and growing up way too fast!! She follows Mackenzie around everywhere and is always in her business which sometimes leads to trouble! She can hold her own though and I've noticed many a time that she is the first one to hit out! She is starting to talk a lot and is becoming as obsessed with Jessie as Mackenzie! If it is possible I sometimes think that she is a little more clingy than what Mackenzie was at her age, because if she sees anyone she doesn't know she's stuck to you like glue. She seems to be a little more girlie than Mackenzie though because she loves to kiss and hug her baby dolls and loves to wear necklaces and bracelets which doesn't seem to hold Mackenzie's attention for long. She loves her Daddy and follows him around from the minute he walks through the door till she goes to sleep at night.

They both love their swings!!

John is doing good and is busy with both work and school. The university he is attending has accelerated classes so he is completing one class a month which has him going to class two nights a week and two Saturdays out of the month. He is doing good with his grades and sometimes I don't know how he does it all because on school days he is not home until after 10 some nights and then he is up again early. He recently had Lasix (I think I spelt that right) surgery on his eyes so he no longer has to wear glasses which makes him happy. 

So that's our life at the moment. I will try and write on a more regular basis, but at the same time don't hold your breath as you've seen my track record as of late!!  I hope that there is still someone out there apart from Mum that is still eager to hear from us!! Till next time!!

2012 off to a good start

Hanging out at school!

2012 has gotten off to a good start for us. It feels like things are starting to get back to normal as we leave the holidays behind and unfortunately say goodbye to our four day weekends. We had a great Christmas and New Years. For Christmas we went up to Disneyland and it was a whole lot busier than what I thought it would be! I guess a lot of people who do not celebrate the holiday go there and maybe because it was on the weekend it was crazy!! We also spent Monday there so in the end Christmas didn't feel like much of a break for us.

Playing with her gift from Ms Maisie!

For New Years though we took the chance to relax and take advantage of the four days. We stuck close to home and took the time to get the house organized a little after all those Christmas gifts we got the girls. I was the only one to remain awake to see 2012 arrive. We had a big sleep over in our room and had a movie night! In the end however only one movie was watched as Maegen fell asleep, then John and finally Mackenzie! We did however watched Rio and Mackenzie fell in love with it!! I thought it was great too...love those birds. Anyway we rented the movie so upon returning it Mackenzie apparently flipped out so John went off searching for a copy for her. Two stores later John was the hero to our very grateful little girl. We have now watched Rio more times than I can count!

Hanging out in Maegen's bed!

On Monday we went to the zoo which was a lot of fun. For anyone who was been to the San Diego Zoo they know that the place can be quite a work out as at some point you will hit some hills. Mackenzie had a great time and pretty much ran the whole time we were there. We didn't go to every exhibit, but she still did a lot of running! Maegen also enjoyed the zoo, although she didn't really like the too close meerkats!

Playing at the zoo with Dad

Enjoying the day at the zoo.

Having a snack at the zoo

The girls are doing great and growing faster than I want them too! Maegen is close to being a full time walker. With each passing day she grows more confident although she still seems to prefer crawling as her main means of getting herself around. She has also left formula behind which was a very easy transition. Our next step is for her to give up the bottles, but I think that may not be as easy as I would like it to be as so far she seems a little reluctant to do so. As of next week she will more than likely be in the big girl room as she's about to move into the toddler room. She did some time in there last week and she did good. She gets upset when she sees me, but I'm hoping with time she will get used to seeing me.

Borrowing Daddy's hat

Mackenzie is doing great and finally has her new teacher in her class. Her teacher seems nice and is adjusting to the classroom. Mackenzie's classroom is mainly boys and some of them are a handful so I an imagine that the room has been a challenge for her. Mackenzie is doing good with her potty training and this weekend she has done really good with only a few accidents. We are bribing her with a trip to Disneyland so I guess she is trying her best to get back to her favorite place in the world. Most days she is asking to go there!

Maegen on the play ground for her first time.

John starts school this week and will be busy two nights a week. He is starting out with an English class and it is an accelerated class so I'm sure it will keep him busy. I'm not exactly looking forward to it as it's going to mean busy nights for me, but I'm sure it will be like anything else...I'll adapt and it will become our new routine! I'm just glad the girls are a little bit older and able to do a little bit more for themselves.

Taking her first nap on a big girl mat!

As for me I'm slowly trying to fit some me time into our routine. I've started to read a little again and I'm wanting to get back into my crafting again. I think if I could just get my craft table cleaned off I might get a little more excited!! Well the family is wanting dinner so until next time...!!

Christmas Update!!

For those of you who read our blog on a regular basis, finally another update and for those of you who are joining us to read our Christmas update welcome!! It's been a crazy time for us since the last time I wrote. I went back to school and enrolled in two on-line classes which ended up totally over whelming me. We really weren't ready for the time it took to get my work done which has meant that we are a little unprepared for Christmas. Our cards have gone out late and I decided to go "green" for my Christmas update!

As I mentioned above I went back to school and only finished up December 17! I ended up passing both classes (one of them I still don't know how) but it has been the hardest 16 weeks I've ever experienced. I started out strong and thought it was going to be fine, but as the weeks went on the work intensified and then with the cooler weather we all started to get sick. The last month or so has seen us passing our germs around so that at least one of us has been under the weather each week for a while now. Now that I'm done with school for the semester I'm trying to get back to relaxing and spending time with the family. Next semester I'm taking a little break and have enrolled in just one class, yoga!

Apart from school my life revolves around the family and work. Work is going good and keeping me busy and there is never a dull moment in our house with two girls to look after! My goals for next year is to try and find a little more time for me! It probably won't happen, but it's nice to dream!

John is doing good and got off the USS Bonhomme Richard in September. His new job is a shore duty one and it's a dream job compared to what we have had to put up with over the years. He has a lot more flexibility which is great because he can spend more time with the girls, including helping me when they are sick. It's wonderful to have him home all the time! In the new year he will be going back to school which will mean he will get busier, but I'm hoping it won't take away too much from the family. I think he will have class two nights a week so I'll be back to being a part-time single mother!

Mackenzie turned three this year and there is never a dull moment in our house with her around! When I think about what's she has done this year I smile. She has come out of her shell a little more and is a great big sister most of the time. At school she goes to a dancing class and a computer class and loves them both. She is still a Disney nut and loves Jessie from Toy Story so much that when she sees her at times she can't even look at her! She is still best friends with Duece, but has also started to develop more relationships too. She has another friend called Sophia who she calls her bestie! As of yet she is still not fully toilet trained. She still has problems pooping and no matter how much I try to bribe her we don't seem to be having much luck. We know she'll get there one of these days so we prefer not to put too much pressure on her. She is very excited about Christmas and asks to open a present almost every day now!

A big girl in her underwear.

Touching Sea Stars at school!

Hanging out with Maegen at school

All dressed up for Halloween with Duece

Her hero Jessie!

Happy 3rd Birthday!!

Christmas party with Duece

We have just celebrated Maegen's 1st birthday on Wednesday and I can't believe how fast her first year has flown by. She's adorable!! She has begun to walk a little and is gaining more confidence with each day. I have a feeling we will see her officially walking by the end of the year. She loves her big sister and follows her all around the house trying to play with her. She claps her hands and dances a lot now and is fast following in her sisters footsteps in becoming a Disney freak. When the movies start and she sees and hears it she smiles and begins to dance! She also loves Mickey Mouse Club House! She enjoys school, although now she recognizes when I'm in the room and when I leave so she can be a little difficult at times, especially when I'm trying to take care of the other children and she's crying for me to pick her up! She's a sweet, happy little girl however and I have loved watching her grow!

With her teacher Ms Leslie at school

At Minnie's house!

Getting ready for school

All dressed up for Halloween!

The Birthday girl

We have had a busy year as we try to do our best to balance work and family. It's not the easiest at times, but I wouldn't swap it with anyone! We are looking forward to spending Christmas with the girls and sharing their excitement as they open and play with their gifts. We will have four days off over the weekend and are looking forward to relaxing! Whatever it is that you do for the holidays we hope you have a safe and happy Christmas!!

Now that I don't have school to keep me away I will try and make an effort to update my blog on a regular basis for 2012!!

Photo Update!!

This is how I found her after spending time with Daddy!

It's been a while since I've been on here so for now I'm going to update the photos then write about what we've been up to tomorrow night...or that's my plan anyway! I've spent most of the night catching up on the blogs that I follow so that shows just how long it's been since I've been on here! Life is good, but busy. I've been on my own with girls a bit over this past month as John has been busy with work and is getting ready to start going out again. It hasn't been easy, but we are getting by. The girls are both doing good and growing so fast...too fast sometimes. Anyway enjoy the pics and hopefully tomorrow allows me the time to write!!

My mischievous one!!

Me and my superbaby!!

At the zoo for Father's Day

Checking out the ducks and the koi at the zoo.

She's one cool kid!

She's getting so big!

She loves to watch us eat...at times I think she would eat what we eat already if I let her!!

Mackenzie loves to "cook"!

Trying carrots for the first time! (I'm making all her food myself...no store bought this time around)

She likes it!!

Food drunk...

Shopping at target...this shopping cart is so convenient, but it feels like you are driving a mack truck!!

All dressed up for school

She loves to play!

Enjoying one of her favorite foods...watermelon!

A pic before Daddy leaves!

We love our Daddy!

Maegen taking a nap with her teddy bear.