Bound to happen

Every kid does it so it was only a matter of time before Madeleine snuck into my makeup bag. My makeup took the biggest hit but she managed to smear herself with foundation, eyeliner, and some mascara before it was all said and done. Of course she waited until only dad was around (I was at pilates) so I didn't have to witness the carnage. She's a smarty. I leave you with a parting Madeleine picture. I've never seen a better picture of a Cheerios box.

Resolutions

Justin and I have decided that 2010 is the year we start putting ourselves at the top of our priority list. It's not like someone else has occupied that spot...we've simply been in survival mode for the last two years. 2009 was managed with caffeine and beer (not always in conjunction except for some "cowboy coffee porter" we had...it was awesome!) but there are no excuses for 2010. The 3 W's (white hair, weight gain, and wrinkles) have caught up to us. Parker now practically sleeps through the night, allowing me to contemplate doing something other than turning on the espresso machine first thing after waking up (did you think I was going to say cracking open a beer? there were days I was tempted).


Justin's pursuit of the fountain of youth led him to join the YMCA. The last few weeks he has committed to riding a spin bike, swimming in the pool, and lifting. I, on the other hand, have decided to try something new and take a pilates class. It's only once a week and through the adult ed. program in town so it's not aggressive or intense...just an introduction. So far I really enjoy it and I haven't been too sore so I'm either doing it wrong or not as bad of shape as I thought.


My other indulgent endeavor has been a sewing class, also taught through adult ed. Justin calls it home ec which is appropriate considering a former high school home ec teacher teaches us but she's great and I've already completed the first project: a pillowcase! Tomorrow we'll learn about adding zippers and hemming garments. I hope to proudly post pictures of everything I make in my class and maybe even a few projects I take on outside of it.



I may be 30 and Justin's on his way but we're not giving in to aging just yet. Here's to living life to the fullest in 2010!

Do your part

I'm amazed at how oblivious I can be to world events. Sesame Street and Clifford aren't great news sources. But my eyes and heart have been opened to the needs of those in Haiti. Please take time to find ways to support those in need by whatever means you can manage. www.oxfamamerica.org is a great place to start. And whenever you visit this site, please offer a prayer for provision for those still waiting for aid. Thank you.

More from our visit with Papa and Mimi

Storytime at the Clines

Madeleine loving her new mixer

Puzzle time with Mimi

Big man and little man

Crawling through the tunnel of her new tent.

Watching Word World with Papa (their flight got delayed a day due to fog so Papa and Mimi experienced what a "normal" weekday morning is like when Justin's at work).

Thanks so much for coming to visit us! We miss you!

No more excuses

2010 has arrived and there's nothing else I can blame for my lack of posting. The holidays have passed, our guests have left, and I've caught up on laundry. Except for the decorations that I've been reluctant to take down, our home feels just as it did before Halloween.

Here's a synopsis of our holidays in photos and words.

Christmas morning skyping with Justin's mom.

Awesome hooded towels and bathtub crayons from Uncle Aaron and Aunt Jess! The kids ran around with the towels on for 20 minutes straight after opening them. They look like Jedi knights.

I appreciate being called out by Stacy regarding the gift I braved Black Friday to buy for the kids. Here it is:

Madeleine acted excited when Justin brought it outside but she quickly decided it would be more fun to have Daddy push it instead of driving it herself. Maybe she'll get more interested when she doesn't have to wear 4 layers to keep from freezing in place while sitting in it.

I was all cooked out until a few days after Christmas when Madeleine agreed to help me make then eat sugar cookies. It's hard to explain to a not-yet-3-year-old that it takes 5 hours to go from mixing ingredients to eating cookies. She was a great helper.

My parents arrived for a long visit on the 30th. We were kept housebound for most of it with the kids taking alternating naps (Parker just needs one more tooth to have a mouthful!) but we managed one trip to the carousel. There were enough of us to ride with Madeleine that we managed not to get motion sick. How do kids do it?

Merry Christmas from the Clines

We hope you all have a joyous holiday with those you love!

I'm a winner!

So much of my life makes me feel like a winner on the inside but specifically, I've been winning some contests that make me a winner on the outside too. I have a whole list of online contests that I play each day...partially for fun, partially to see if I can win. Over the last week, I've won $5, $100 worth of concert tickets/concert merchandise, and a $50 gift card to a local nice restaurant! And through Craigslist I've made enough money to buy a nice set of leather couches for our basement (it was a steal!) and a gun cabinet. Justin used to harass me about all of my C-listing but I think I've convinced him that it's been worth the wait and work to supplement our income (and get rid of stuff we don't need anymore) in this creative way. My ultimate gift to him this Christmas was a promise to turn our storage room in the basement into a livable space. I'm more than 3/4 of the way there with a week to go.

Enough about my good fortune though...we're off to take a friend to the hospital for surgery this morning. I've been trying to post videos of Parker's stellar dancing but I haven't gotten it to work on this new computer yet so you'll just have to wait in suspense until I figure it out. I think it will be worth the wait though!