Two, and three.

We are in the midst of Damm's 2-week AT. Annual Training. It's going fairly well on my end-I'm not as housebound as I was the last time he was away. And it's only 2 weeks. I don't think I even batted an eyelash as he walked away this time. With lots of time to kill I've finally been getting the kiddos on a more regular schedule. Up, eat, actually clean up the kitchen, yoga-which in their parlance means crawl all over momma time-, walk, etc. We've also been watching a lot of videos, but that's what I've always done. Lots of books. Trips to the library, B&N. If only they were old enough to go to the movies ... that day will be awesome. And the well has run dry. I think because I haven't had coffee yet. I'm down to only 4 cups in the morning! And then at least 2 of decaf in the afternoon. But decaf doesn't count.

Orclett'e birthday bash was a huge success. Everyone she wanted to be there came plus a few more friends that made it into a party. She received several gifts-all in pink-and was absolutely adorable the entire time. Miniorc also hammed it up. And I scored with the pink princess cake I made for her and the pink princess decorations I put up. First successful party I've thrown and I'm very proud of meself:) And then we put them to bed. And put on Serenity, the movie. And our friends who are also sci-fi junkies went out for the happy beverages. (note: Damm doesn't drink ever and I only drink O'Douls when my little kiddos are around, so safety was assured for all.) And our back porch, with lights hanging from our tree and our deck with the pathways to the boat was a perfect setting for sitting and grieving for Wash (that'll only make sense if you've seen Serenity). It was awesome. But O'Douls combined with lots of salt and sugar and too many cans of Coke Ze...

3 years ago today I was recovering from an arduous 24-hour labor. Your Uncle "Boddert" had just brought me a huge Dairy Queen Blizzard-m&m's & Reese's pieces combined-and it was the most divine thing I had ever tasted. You were a bit sleepy. After Pitocin, an epidural, and 24 hours of being contracted out who can blame you? Fortunately we were not at a hospital that believed in keeping babies with their mothers at all times. They whisked you away for 2 hours and myself and your dad caught up on just a little bit of blessed sleep. Then they brought you back and the adventure began. You have changed our lives, you have changed myself and your father. We have watched you cry through your first 4 months of life, take your first steps at 6 months, and completely skip over the baby stage straight to the toddler stage. You've always been determined, focused, incredibly intelligent, and full of empathy. I will never forget you comforting me at not-yet-2 years of a...

We made a castle today. The resident princess demanded I add a window for just this reason.

Orclette got a box from grandma and daddy opened it without thinking about what it could be. So early birthday presents all around. Look at our birthday present!! He naturally adopted this pose and I had to rush to grab my phone camera. The bear sings "Jesus loves you." Here she is telling it to hold still for the camera. Excited by our new clothes. Posing and smiling after efforts to calm us down. He was a little bit startled by the attention. Yes we were THIS excited about the birthday presents.

I was on the final week of INSANITY. The final week. And then all of the little maladies I've been struggling with combined with my schedule and Damm confusing caffeinated coffee with decaf to trainwreck my INSANITY workouts. I think my thyroid might be acting up. Technically it would be slowing down-hypothyroid-but you get the gist. My mom, my aunt, and my grandpa all are on medication for it. At one point my levels were enough to warrant medication, but they went back to normal range with the addition of vitamins, minerals, and some diet changes. But I've had excessive fatigue, trouble sleeping, brittle nails, and tingling in my hands and feet. So I'm starting to take complex B vitamin pills, Selenium, and cutting out all foods that suppress thyroid function. If that doesn't help I'll be making my way to the doctor. The reason I'm not making an appointment now is my symptoms could also be related to overexercising. I've done it before-and comboed it with ...