Picture OVERLOAD on this rainy afternoon

Oh man. How behind I am on the visual reminders of cuteness on this here blog is just obscene. Here has been life over the last few weeks (months?) from the ole' iPhone:

 A friend of ours gave us his dart board and let me tell you: I own. Well, that particular night, not so much, hey! What can ya do?

 The result of taking a 2 week hiatus from the grocery store and running out of coffee. (Secret smile!)

 Oy. Chuck E. Cheese's? Not for us. Nope, not at all. I basically wanted to skin myself alive upon leaving, so that will be the last time THIS lady willingly goes there. (To be fair, though, I was super tired. I don't know what we had been up to that day, but I wasn't in the mood for arcade sounds and a humongous, band-leading mouse.)

 THAT particular morning, Chadly TOOK A STROLLER STRIDES CLASS! Yes! It was our Sweetheart Class to celebrate the glory that is Valentines Day, and the poor man died. Died one thousand deaths. It was so hilarious, especially during the warm up when the husbands were having major coordination issues!

 My love when at dinner with the babes!

 "Don't talk to me. Don't stop pushing. What are you doing, Mom? Stop taking the darn picture and push!"

 My Valentine forever, second only to my OTHER Valentine forever, Chadly!

 Valentines Day picks from the Dollar Tree!

 The ladies working it out at Stroller Strides!

 Waiting for our new nephew to be born!!

 Grandma Paplia and Kots in the waiting room!

 Better pictures from this day to come, but here's my niece holding her little brother for the first time!! 

 Girlfriends!

 The madness!

 Woohooo! Gavin's birthday party!

 Carter and Miss. Brooklynn!

 Hanging with our favorite Utah folk!

 Babies galore cheering on their mommies!

 Y'all, I love what I do every single day. I really do! Cheesiness completely aside, I'm the luckiest person in the whole wide world!

 It's a hold-hands-every-day kind of thing. :)

 My obsession. Straight obsession, and I'm not talking about the little dude holding that there awesomeness. I read those bad boys in a matter of 3 weeks, I'm pretty sure. Maybe it was less. Who knows, but go buy them. NOW, fool!

Little Missy playing with Sienna after Stroller Strides during January! So precious. :)

 Sleeping. Face down. Completely face down. :)

 Happy girl :)

 Our Wednesday routine!

 Rainy day kiddos. :)

 Kota with Ryder!

 Some foxy babe at the age of 3. Aka Carter, girl version.

Our NYE 2013!! 

Okay, holy cow. That was intense. Anyway, cheers to getting through that madness!

Woohooo!

Fifty Shades, eh?

Y'all, Fifty Shades of Grey. Holy guacamole. As usual, what the hell was I thinking waiting so long to read it? I always do that! Wait for everyone and their mom to love something, then once it's cooled down a bit, decide that maybe I should just take a look... and then BAM! I'm obsessed and berating myself for not doing it sooner. Anyhoo, chalk that up to my I-think-I'm-so-cool-because-I'm-going-to-blaze-my-own-trail tendency, a personality trait which backfires on me each time without fail.

But anyway, what has been going on in life besides la sexy Christian Grey. Well, lots and lots, buddy ole' pal! Chad has entered into his FINAL semester at CSUF and wouldn't ya know it? He loves his classes this time around - thank the good Lord. Seriously I have no clue how the man gets a kick out of deciphering bubble charts, but I love him for it.

Stroller Strides has been going wonderfully and I couldn't be happier. However, since taking the let's-start-a-business leap, I find myself bitten by the bug of entrepreneurial WANT. Who watches Shark Tank like her life depends upon it? ME! Who constantly says things like, "Hey babe, what do you think about doing that within the next 5 years? Remember, we'll be 30 by then and Lord knows we need to make all this happen by then..." ME! Who said to her husband these words exactly today:

Chad: Hey, want to hear a million dollar idea?

Me: Nope, not unless you're going to do it. I'm serious!

What the hell? Who am I?! Thanks for being married to me, honey bunny, sometimes you just deserve a damn award. Anyway, after realizing that I sounded like a major douche of a wife for saying such words to my dear husband, I heard his idea, and it was, in fact, awesome. I blame Christian Grey. Yes, he may be a fictional character, but he's a gazillionaire at 27, so that's what's going to have to happen around here. 

And then when that DOES occur, maybe - just maybe - we'll let you borrow Charlie Tango for a night of light cloud gazing from the sky. MAYBE!

It's only been 44 days...

It's only been 44 days since Carter turned three, but we are in a new year, which makes me feel like it was ages ago. 2013 has brought us so many major milestones already, that to think that 2012 is not that far behind us sounds something like a joke. Even more unbelievable, he was 2 just 45 days ago. I know, I know, where the heck is this going . . . Well, I'm having one of those mama days where I just want to time stand still.

Now here's a secret: I used to do a small eye-roll when people would say things like, "Ahh, it happens so fast," and, "before you know it you'll have an empty nest." Said eye-roll wasn't coming from a place of disagreement, because I had already felt the time-space continuum shift when we brought Carter home from the hospital that glorious Christmas Day, but rather from a spot deep inside which defied whoever said that. I would think, Of course I'm treasuring every moment, why would you imply that I'm not. That sounds a little more abrasive than what was actually running through my head, but you get the idea.

But my big man is going to be 4 this year. In 2013, I will have a 4 year old. According to science, 3 is the year that they begin actual memory making, so this is the real deal. We officially are in the he-may-remember-what-we-are-doing-right-now-for-the-rest-of-his-life zone. The topic that has been swimming around my head for the last few weeks? Which preschool am I going to be dropping my first born off at in the Fall.

What the hell?

I know that saying the words "I just want time to stand still" is the ultimate cliche of motherhood, but for the first REAL time, that's how I feel. I keep having this vision, produced not from my brain, but rather from a dark pit in my stomach, of myself playing tug-o-war, with me at one end of the rope being pulled in the direction of this gigantic black hole that's spiraling and sucking everything into it. I really am not making that up in an attempt to sound lyrical. In my little vision, I'm wearing what Chad wore during Greek Week back in the dating days when his fraternity competed in "Tug," so just to be clear: soccer cleats, knee length shorts and a sweatshirt (please don't ask me where this get-up is coming from). Anyway, I have my heels dug into the grass in an attempt to stop the forward pulling motion, but it doesn't matter, it just keeps moving, causing rope burns I can do nothing about because I can't let go.

Anyway, that's my ultra dramatic vision of my darling, perfect, silly, precious first born aging out of toddler-hood and into school-dome. So yes, we are in the month of February, and no, he will not be turning the big 4 until December, but man-oh-man, I sure as heck want to stay in this moment.