2016, Thus Far

Oh heyyy! Me again. It's been a while! The holidays are over and it's 2016 and al the sudden it's not even January anymore. Holy fast forward, Batman.

We are currently on day three, aka the last leg, of our first family of four road trip. I write this from somewhere before Orlando but after Daytona Beach after waking up in Savannah. It's been fun. It's been interesting. It's been not as terrible and I prayed it would not be. We even want to do it again someday! I'll definitely devote a post to some tricks and tips for driving a kajillion miles with a high energy 4 year old and rear facing 10 month old soon!

But let's get back to 2016 because IT'S HERE! It's been here for a while! And we've been super busy!

Me: I've been training for the Boston Marathon and trying to figure out every clever way I can to raise money for Boston Cares, for whom I am proud to be running for. Training has been great so far, thanks entirely to a much more mild winter than last year and my running club, who make longs runs and mid-week hill workouts more like a social hour than the grueling task it can be. I'm beyond lucky to be a part of this dynamic group and owe so very much to them.

Because training for the marathon wasn't enough to fill the time when I'm working or raising these ladies with my BFF, I also applied for and was accepted into a leadership class through my organization that kicked off the year long cycle at the end of January. It's weird to have homework again and seems that I've kept my tried and true tactic of writing things the night before and reading/highlighting articles awkwardly while on the crowded T. Maybe I'll wait a couple decades before going for my PhD...

What else? I'm trying to find time to write more and document this life of ours, read when I can (currently reading I Am Malala), keep Maddie and Annie busy through the winter and drive my husband up the wall with the list of house project I want to start after he graduates in May (woohoo!! My smart cookie!).

Maddie: she's loving PreK and has a solid attitude about learning, school and friendships that makes me so happy. School was recently closed due to snow and then she caught a bit of a tummy bug so she missed 3 days of school and was the saddest kiddo ever. She's still in dance class and swim class and can totally swim unassisted (even though she still isn't always sure of herself). She's done really well transitioning to her amazing new nanny and continues to rock the big sister role better than I could've dreamed. She told me today that she's so happy to show Annie Florida and is going to teach her how to swim in the pool all week.

Annie: despite a 12:45am meltdown of the unknown reason, she's still my happy go lucky little squish. She's walking, from a few steps to across the room in just a few days, and babbling her heart out (though still holding out on "mama"). Her sleep hasn't been as good as it was when we first brought her home, but she's growing and teething and won't be snuggled up against me and the boob buffet all night forever so I'll forgive her. I think the BAA should consider an extra medal for all the breastfeeding, cosleeping, working mamas out there...just saying!

So the year is off to a great start and I am thrilled to be on vacation and just a few hours from family, a pool and a very short agenda that mostly involves a whole lot of nothing.

Here's some snaps of the year so far; talk to you poolside soon!