Happy Valentine's Day

From us to you . . . may your day be filled with hugs, kisses, and lots

of chocolate!

More People We Love

Continued from Wednesday . . .

These people already know that we love them, but here is why . . .

My friend LeaEllen is so kind-hearted and thoughtful, I often find myself wishing I could be more like her. She is probably the nicest person I know. Wait -- I take that back -- she is tied with my friend Erica (yes, you Erica Fokens!) as "The Nicest Person I Know." I'm lucky to have these two ladies in my life, and I love them both.

I love my friend Tricia because no matter what I tell her . . . no matter what I say . . . she is still my friend and loves me any way. Sometimes I don't even know why she likes me -- she knows me so well! Everyone needs a friend like Tricia. :)

I love Kristy because she has known me so long . . . she knew me before I knew myself well enough to hide the bad stuff from others. And she still likes me. (Or does a pretty good job of faking it, anyway.)

I love Keisha because she is so honest and real. And we have so much in common. And she finds a way to make the best out of anything thrown her way. Friends like her are hard to come by.

I love Dan (he is our girls' "Uncle Dan", for regular readers of the blog) because he is originally Jim's friend . . . his college buddy . . . but he often finds time to call me and see how I am doing, especially if he knows that we are having a hard time at our house.

I love my in-laws because they make me feel like I've always been a part of the Dahlby family.

I love Meg and Kate's preschool teachers because they are helping me raise smart, strong, kind children.

I love my cousin Doug and his wife Becky because they can relate to stuff that goes on in our family -- both our immediate and extended family situations. For an only child, having just one relative that can understand where you are coming from when it comes to personal (not always fun or flattering) family issues is invaluable.

I love the woman that cleans my house because she seems to genuinely care about our family and our home.

I love my husband because he never, ever ceases to amaze me. I mean that 100%. Just today -- with bad weather in Atlanta and a million obstacles in his way -- he found a way to get home to our family from Minneapolis. I never thought he'd make it. But -- as usual -- he found a way.

This, by no means, is a final list of the people we love. There are countless people that come in and out of our lives daily that we love for many, many reasons. But on Valentine's Day, these people came to mind . . . and I think they should know how much we love them.

People We Love

In honor of this week full of candy, hearts, and talk of love, I thought I'd take some time to honor some of the people we love.



One person we love . . . Aunt Julie.



Jim's sister. Aunt JuJu is always lots of fun to be around, and she spoils the girls like crazy. Case in point: Our Mani/Pedi party last weekend . . .

Who else but Fun Aunt JuJu would volunteer to paint ten tiny little fingers and ten tiny little toes? And smile the whole time -- and actually enjoy every minute of it?!

We love Aunt Julie and all that she brings to our family. Hooray for JuJu!

Another light in our lives -- our neighbor, Ms. Denise.

Denise, her husband, and 1 of her 3 children live across the street from us. From the first moment she met us, Denise has been the best neighbor we could have ever (EVER!) dreamed of. She's about my dad's age, she is a homemaker, and she is simply one of THE nicest people I will ever meet. Denise and her husband have helped Jim and me -- well, mostly ME -- out of some real pickles.

Denise and her 1st granddaughter, Addie. Her 2nd granddaughter, Taryn, was born in Iowa just this week!

Remember when I locked myself out of the house with Meg inside, and the local fire station came to rescue me? Denise and Paul were the ones that saved me that morning -- and helped me keep my sanity.

Remember when I had to take Kate to the ER for her stomach virus back a few months ago? Denise was who I called to come and help me get myself together enough to go to the ER with Kate. I was totally freaking out, so I called her to come just sit and hold Kate while I got my mind straight and made arrangements for Meg's care while we were gone. Denise came right over and was there to ground me while I hurried around and worried about Kate.

Denise found my HOUSE PHONE in the middle of our street one day, retrieved it, and left it for me on my front porch. How it got in street we are still not sure . . . but I think I probably left it on the bumper of my car while parked in the garage, then drove off sometime later with the phone still hanging out on the bumper. Thanks to Denise, we did not have to replace our house phones.

And she is so thoughtful. Ever single holiday throughout the year, Denise marches herself across the street with a gift in tow for our girls. A new DVD that she saw and thought of Meg, or a book and a t-shirt that she knew Kate would love. This week for Valentine's Day, Denise brought over two Disney Princess sleeping bags. If you could pick a gift MORE perfect for a three year old girl to have for her very own (and for her little sister, too), I would like to hear about it. Meg has slept in her bed in her sleeping bag for the past 3 nights. Denise's thoughtful gift is a huge hit around here.

Denise told me once that she had a neighbor growing up that took good care of her family -- that always brought her treats and spoiled her like a grandma would. She said that -- all of the time she was growing up -- she wanted to be that lady for another child and family one day.

She has succeeded . . . and I don't know what we would have done without her!

There are many, many more people we love . . . I'll be sure to add to our list as we get closer to Valentine's Day.

Side Note

Oh, and a side note: Kate pooped in the potty today.

No, I'm not kidding.

Me & Mommy

If you live in/around Atlanta -- the Me & Mommy ticket is back at the Aquarium!

http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/acb/stores/1/newclubfishlink.aspx?Conv_Id=395

Here is the deal:

You and your kid(s) get into the Georgia Aquarium any Mon-Fri in February for $25.00 total -- including parking. It's a real money-saver -- great for us stay at home families during these cold, wet, boring winter months!

Meg, Kate, and I went today with our pal Niko and his mom. Niko and Meg are preschool sweethearts . . . those two love each other, and his mom and I love watching them together. Niko was the perfect date for our pre-Valentine's aquarium romp.

A few funny ones from the day . . . Kate and the fish, which makes her look even smaller than she is!

And our very foolish attempt at trying to get 3 kids 3 and under to stand still for a picture.

Attempt #1:

Attempt # 2:

She's Ready, I'm Not

On the heels of yesterday's blog about Kate, I have more news. More milestones flying by -- more ways she is growing up way too fast. My news? Last night, Kate pee-peed in the potty.

Now, I don't mean that I put her on the potty and something wet snuck (sneaked?) out and fell into the toilet. This did not appear to be an accidental, I-happened-to-be-sitting-on-the-potty-when-I -peed experience. She really peed on the potty.

Kate has started asking to potty pretty regularly . . . so we've gotten out our little potties, and we've been doing the pre-bath potty thing for about 2-3 weeks now. Last night, I stripped her down for her bath, put her on the potty, and told her, "Now you can put your pee in the potty . . . like Meg does . . . " and kinda pointed down into the potty, as if to show her how it's done. I've done off of this before. Kate knows what she is supposed to be doing on the big white porcelain thing in the bathroom.

Then last night . . . Kate looked at me from the potty, said, "Pee Pee!" and went pee pee.

Naturally, I hooped and hollered and made a big 'ole deal about the pee pee in the potty. Big sister, already in the bath tub, clapped and cheered, too. We all laughed and celebrated, and Kate was very, very proud of her accomplishment.

Then I put Kate's cute little naked butt in the tub . . . and sighed to myself in slight distress.

Yes -- wonderful -- hallelujah -- my 19-mo-old seems like she might want to try the whole potty training process. How glorious it would be to have both children potty trained, to throw away the diapers, and to move on with one pretty significant phase in our child-rearing lives. Truly, it's a great thing.

I think Kate is ready to be potty trained. But I'm not. I will fully admit it: I'm not ready for Kate to be potty trained.

Potty training this time around -- with my 2nd kid -- is something I'm dreading even more than I did the first time around. When I trained Meg, the only part of the process I was dreading was the fact that I'd never done it before . . . I didn't exactly know the best way to go about it, and I was not sure how she'd take to it. This time, I know what I'm doing . . . and I also know what I'm getting myself in to. The idea that Kate is already ready for potty training stresses me out because I know what I'm in for this time. And I'm just not ready to go there yet.

On the good side -- potty training means no more diapers, which is golden. If you could see me through your computer screen, you'd see dollar signs in my eyes as I think of the money we will save by not having to contribute any more of our our hard earned money to Proctor & Gamble's bottom line. No more diapers means I don't have to stop what I'm doing to change a stinky diaper. I don't have to unload our diaper pail any more. I don't have to worry about diaper rash on Kate's little tooshey. I'm so glad that Meg is already well trained as I turn my focus to Kate -- so at least I have Meg's experience behind me and won't have to worry about her potty stops as much. There are many wonderful reasons for me to get Kate wearing panties and using the toilet.

On the bad side -- for the next few months, I'll be constantly thinking about how when Kate will need to potty. Everywhere we go, in everything we do, we will be worried about 2 little bladders and when either of them might need to hit the ladies' room. It's like living on the edge, sort of. There will be accidents. I'll have to start carrying around extra clothes always, and I know I'll have to use them on occasion. There will be false alarms, which are so annoying when you scrounge around in public to find a bathroom. If Kate is like her sister, it will be about 4-5-6 months of her bowel movements being constantly on my mind. It's just stressful. Kate and her new diaper-less hiney will be something of major focus for me for a while. It's very comfortable right now . . . Meg can use the potty by herself, and I just deal with Kate's diapers on my own schedule (unless there is poop, of course). I don't want to give that up.

Like I said, Kate's interest in the potty is clearly there. Her observant mother has picked up on it -- has been picking up on it for about a month or so -- but has been avoiding it. Unfortunately, last night's big event on the toilet is something I really can't ignore. With her level of enthusiasm about pottying, I really should jump on train and try to get her out of diapers.

And who knows? Maybe it will be a cinch for Kate. It certainly was not a big deal for Meg. We did a little potty boot camp over a weekend at our house, and Meg said 'bye bye' to diapers within about a 48 hr period. It could be just as easy with Kate. But there again, it's the weeks that follow that boot camp that stress me out the most -- not the actual act of teaching her to use the potty.

But who am I to complain about any of this, right? I'm sure there are people reading who are irked at me for complaining even one iota about my toddler so ready for the potty. I know I'm lucky to have a little one that is ready so young . . . and that I'm lucky to have had Meg take to potty training with ease. I get that. I'm not complaining about that. I'm just complaining because life is comfortable right now . . . we are in a nice rhythm, nice schedule, life is getting easier and easier with 2 kids . . . and the potty training will upset the apple cart from now until probably the end of the summer. THAT is what I'm dreading. The break in my routine, the added responsibility of a newly trained little one. That's why I am the one not ready for potty training.

**Sigh**

I'll let you know how it goes. There are way more 'good' than 'bad' sides to this argument . . . so I know that it won't be long before I'm hunkering down with Kate in my bathroom, with lots of apple juice and M&Ms by my side.

Forgetfulness Has It's Rewards

Earlier this week, my dad volunteered to take Kate to his house for a couple of days and give me a mini-break. Meg has lots of activities during the week -- so she couldn't go down to Newnan this time -- but my dad was hoping to spend a few days with his youngest granddaughter by herself. I jumped on the opportunity . . . those of you with 2 kids know that the chance to have only 1 child in your care IS a nice, welcomed break.

Arrangements were made via telephone. As I held the phone to my ear, I snapped my fingers in the air and said, "DAD -- don't let me forget to give you the Pack-N-Play. It's in the back of my car. DON'T let me forget to give it to you." It is normally always at his house -- but we'd had to borrow it last week, so the bed was now in my car. It would be something SO easy to forget, since the bed is normally a permanent fixture at my dad's house and not something we ever have to worry about bringing for over night trips.

"Okay, I'll try to remember," was my dad's nonchalant response.

"No -- seriously. I'm saying this out loud so you can help me remember," I told my dad. "Kate has not slept in a big-kid bed for more than a nap or two . . . and I doubt you want to be the one testing out her first nights in a real bed. I'm sure she won't stay put in a bed . . . she's nothing like Meg was at this age. I won't forget to give you the Pack-N-Play. I know it's important -- I won't let myself forget," I said in return.

The next morning, I was about 15 minutes late to drop of Kate . . . and tardiness is something I know my dad hates. I apologized for running late, explained my reasoning (Kate made a BIG mess at breakfast), and then handed over Kate. I was anxious to see how she would respond to being left with my dad sans her big sister. This was only the second time we had attempted this type of arrangement.

Happily, Kate waived me goodbye. No problem at all -- she did not seem to mind being left with Grandaddy one single bit. I climbed back in the car, and off Meg and I went to spend an afternoon at the movies.

Of course, I forgot to give my dad the Pack-N-Play.

My home phone rang about 3 hours after I'd left Kate with my dad. Unknowingly, I picked up the receiver. Once I saw it was my dad calling, I was eager to hear how things were going at his house.

"I guess we are going to have to test out this big-kid bed thing after all," my dad said.

I closed my eyes and threw back my head. I gritted my teeth and go so mad at myself. Of COURSE I forgot!!!! That damn Pack-N-Play!! It was IN my car at the drop off -- I just forgot to give it to my dad. I thought for a few minutes about calling a friend in Newnan to see if she could run her travel bed over to my dad's house. I thought of ways my dad could fashion a make-shift crib at his house. I had to do something. Surely Kate would NOT be OK in a big girl bed . . . and I was sooooo looking forward to my mini-baby-break, I did not want this bed situation to ruin it.

What was I going to do?! I thought that I was going to have to go to Newnan (2 hrs, round trip) to either pick up Kate or drop off her bed.

"She'll be fine," my dad urged. "She can sleep in the twin bed in Meg's room. I'll stack up some pillows, and she won't roll out. She'll be just fine." I think my dad knew how much I needed the break. He was trying to convince me that the lack of a crib-like bed for my only 19-mo-old was no big deal.

I wasn't so sure.

It wasn't the rolling out that worried me most about the whole thing . . . it was her ability to fall asleep in a bed and her willingness to stay in the bed if she woke up in the night that concerned me. My dad assured me Kate would be fine. Her bedroom door could be closed -- and she's too short to open it -- dad has a baby monitor in his room, so he'd hear her if she got up and roamed around her room -- Kate is a good sleeper -- there were lots of arguments why she would, in fact, be fine sleeping in a twin bed.

So, I conceded. I figured . . . if my dad is willing to try the whole first-night-in-a-bed thing, who was I to stop him? The worst case scenario was that I would have to go get Kate the next day. At least I'd still get a little break out of the whole thing.

Kate slept in a twin bed on Monday night and Tuesday night of this week. Her first nights in a bed occurred down at Grandaddy's house. And she did totally fine. She did not make a peep, she did not fight going to bed (or naps, for that matter), and she did not get up out of the bed.

Whew.

Now -- I'm certainly not foolish enough to think I could have two kids that transitioned from crib to bed so easily. Meg was easy when it came to the bed change -- she never fought us a bit -- but I'm convinced that Kate will be harder. This was not a fair sample, this sleeping at my dad's thing. It was only two nights, and they weren't even at home where Kate is familiar and comfortable. I'm sure the bedtime battle will have a few more rounds for me when Kate does officially make her move from crib to bed at her own house.

Still, it's kinda nice to know that Kate is at least OK with sleeping in a bed . . . she's tried it out, so I know she is capable. The fact that she now has those first few nights in a bed behind her . . . it feels like my dad took on a very stressful situation for me, and now I don't have to worry about how Kate will respond to the bedroom changes quite as much as I would have. Those first couple of nights in a bed for Meg were BAD for me -- I mean, Meg was totally fine, but I hardly slept because I was so worried about Meg waking up and roaming the house. Now I don't have to go through that situation with Kate. Kate has had 2 nights and several naps in a real bed . . . hopefully she'll be that much more ready for a bed when the time comes.

We will see.

And that is that. Another little milestone come and gone for Katy-did. I guess forgetfulness has it's rewards.

A Case of Mistaken Identity

The story I am about to tell actually happened about 2 weeks ago -- but was so hilarious, I had to blog about it.

Meg is very observant of things around our house. Gone are the days when I could 'hide' stuff just by putting it on a table or counter . . . she's too tall now, and she's also far to nosey. She's got to know exactly what is going on around here at all times . . . . and she has a question about everything. "Why is your purse on the kitchen table?" "Why are you putting away that XYZ?" "What is this on the counter here?" It's a world of WHYS around here with a 3 1/2 year old in our midst.

A couple of weeks ago, Meg found a copy of "Entertainment Weekly" on the desk in our kitchen during one of her snooping sessions (see cover below). Her inquisitive nature encouraged her to pick it up and give it a good once over.

And when she did, she busted out with, "Mommy, that is MADIGAN'S Mommy and Daddy on this magazine!"

Madigan is our cousin who lives in Missouri. And her Mommy and Daddy are Jim's cousin and her husband . . . and this is what they look like.

Seriously, take a good look. Compare the photos. Audra and Brad, the cousins, really DO look an awful lot like Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres -- especially standing together as they are on the magazine cover.

When Meg declared her case of mistaken identity, I took a moment to try and figure out what exactly she was talking about. But it didn't take long . . . I mean, c'mon. It was an easy mistake for Meg to make. When I realized what she was saying, it made me laugh out loud. How observant she is! How funny that Jim's cousins resemble our friends on American Idol! I showed it to Jim -- who didn't get it, naturally -- and then I explained to Meg that the magazine was not actually featuring a story on Audra and Brad.

What's funny is that Meg seems to do this all the time -- mistake others we see in public or on TV/Magazines/Movies for people we actually know. When we were at Disney World, Meg got all excited because she thought some stranger eating next to us was actually the mother of her friend . . . and when I didn't respond by saying 'hello' to the woman, she was thoroughly confused. We've been in Publix or Target many a time when Meg shouts out that she's seen someone she knows . . . but 99% of the time she is incorrect.

Maybe she needs glasses? Or maybe it's just the wonderfully small world of a toddler who seems to think that we are always surrounded by the people we know wherever we go. Either way, it catches me off guard most of the time. And it always makes me laugh.

Another case of mistaken identity . . . maybe I should send the magazine to Audra and tell her that we have the perfect idea for her 2010 Halloween costumes.

Julie's Wedding

There are a lot of good things going on at our house this spring. Get ready for a one topic in particular that I'm sure I'll be talking about a lot in the next couple of months . . . Julie's Wedding.

That's right -- if you remember, my sister in law Julie (Jim's sister) is engaged to be married, and her wedding date is fast approaching. April 24, 2010. Just about 3 months away. And for the record -- it is Greg's wedding, too.

The nuptials will be a big affair to be held here in Atlanta. Seven bridesmaids, 5 (?) groomsmen, 2 lovely flower girls, and about 250+ guests. It's a big deal, and we are all working together to make it a dream for Julie.

Though this is not my wedding, there are quite a few responsibilities falling to the sister-in-law-of-the-bride.

I'm a bridesmaid.

I'm the mother-of-the-flower-girls.

I'm the wife-of-a-groomsman.

I did the engagement photos and 'Save the Date' card.

I'm the key contact for (which means arranging and coordinating -- but not exactly hosting) the Bridesmaid Luncheon.

I'm creating the photo-filled guest book, and I'm having it bound and printed.

I'm doing the Rehearsal Dinner Slideshow.

We are hosting dinner at our house for all in-town family on the Thursday before the Saturday wedding.

And I'm really hoping to enjoy the BIG event, when the date finally comes around.

Anyway, with wedding excitement in full force, I'm hunkering down and starting to tackle some of my duties. We have the flower girl dresses -- they fit -- and I think we've even found shoes. My bridesmaid dress was ordered, but shoes are a job that we (Julie, another bridesmaid, and I) might tackle this weekend. I set the menu for the Bridesmaid Luncheon, with a few details left to be worked out with the hosting restaurant. And today . . . a horribly embarrassing four months after they were taken . . . I'm finally finishing my work on the engagement photo session.

Better late than never -- as I always say. (Really, I do find that I'm always saying that! I bet things are even BETTER if they aren't late.) Once the pictures are done, I can make and order the guest book. I can make and order luncheon invites. I can start scanning and organizing slideshow pictures. Lots to be done on my list of wedding to-dos.

Like I said, get ready for my wedding bliss on the blog. With three months to go, there are bound to be good stories about various wedding related activities going on at the Dahlby house.

And then after April 24th, brace yourself for another round of DAHLBY DISNEY. Oh yes, friends. Back to Orlando and the House of Mouse in early May this year.

Just thought you might like a preview of things to come :)

February 1st

Wow -- is it really already February? And did I really blog, like, only 5 or 6 times last month? And it's been a week since my last post?

(Picture me throwing my hands up in the air here.)

Oh well. I'll try to do better. Though, as I look at my calendar for this week . . . I won't make any promises.

Just a snip it for today . . . I'm off to take Meg to see "Alvin and The Chickmunks, The Squeakquel" later today, so I need to get household stuff done during my usual blogging time. Kate is off with Grandaddy for a day . . . it's just a date for big sister and mom this afternoon. I'm not looking forward to the movie (the first of many that are HER choice, I'm sure) . . . but it will be fun, just the same.

And yes, I know I wrote 'chickmunks'. That is what Meg calls Alvin, Simon, and Theodore . . . and it's too darn cute to correct her.

Happy February, everyone.

Happy Birthday, Daddy

Jim hits the big 3-1 today. Happy 31st Birthday, Daddy!

We celebrated yesterday with a couple of friends and Jim's favorite dinner: Round Steak and Mashed Potatoes. (Think 'salisbury steak' or any kind of steak cooked in brown gravy, and you'll get the idea.) We topped it off with a round of "Happy Birthday, Cha-Cha-Cha" sung by Meg and some DQ ice cream cake. Not a big blow out, but a nice birthday, just the same.

Happy Birthday, Daddy! We love you . . . have a good week in Charlotte, and we will see you when you get home.

Favorite Photo Friday

Kate Allison, Marietta GA, Feb 2009

I'm working on the picture re-org at our house, and I came across this one of Kate taken just about one year ago. I had forgotten about it . . . and how cute her little sweet-potato covered face was!

Sometimes I feel like I don't talk enough about Kate on the blog . . . you may even have noticed yourself. Kate may not be my topics of conversation daily, but she is certainly not forgotten around here. She is my baby . . . and the more we think we are going to stay a family of four permanently, the more I realize that she is growing up way to fast. I feel like she's grown up in about 1/2 the time Meg has . . . some of that is just due to the fleeting nature of time, and some of it is due to the fact that she has an older sister to help her hit some baby milestones a little quicker than a first born might.

Case in point: talking. I know you've heard me say it many times already -- but Kate is talking so much earlier than Meg did. She's already putting two words together ("Daddy Bye Bye" and "I Kate" and "I Coming" are just a few mini-sentences she's spouting right now). She jabbers all the time . . . and now she and Meg are even talking to one another, something I've anticipated since Kate first came into our family.

Kate can eat with a spoon and fork like any big kid . . . because she eyes her sister at the table and wants to be just like her. She is rapidly moving up and down stairs with no assistance at 19 months in an effort to keep up with Meg. And she desperately wants to be able to brush her own teeth and hair like Meg does. It's Monkey see, Monkey do at our house . . . constantly.

I just wish my baby Monkey would not do so much so young. She's likely to be my baby forever . . . and I want her to stay baby forever.

I'm glad I have these darling photos to remember a time when Kate truly was a baby. A sweet potato covered 7 month old that I couldn't get enough of. And I still can't get enough of her now.

(As an unrelated side note -- I feel like I offended people with my comment about my birthday wishes from facebook friends, written about in a previuos blog. I was not saying I didn't appreciate the "Happy Birthdays" -- I was just being grouchy. And sad that in this day and age your birthday wishes must be found on-line. That's all. It was nothing personal directed at any specific person, I promise.)

What Keeps Me From Blogging

The following events in the Dahlby household have kept me from blogging . . . pretty much all month long.

-- We were gone for the first 4 days of January . . . and the last 6 days of December . . . so it took me about a week just to get caught up at my house. The place was a wreck. But it's not any more . . . well, it's not as much of a wreck. I did clean up Christmas. Some rudimentary cleaning has been done. But then I got the bright idea to work on changing out some of my framed photos . . . and that lead me to rearrange some of my photo arrangements on my walls . . . which means I need to get out touch up paint for newly exposed holes . . . and decide which pictures should go where . . . so it looks like a framing store exploded in my office right now. A project I will finish in the next week or two (I hope). Like I said, it's not as much of a wreck around here as it was about 10 days ago.

-- Oh, yes. And we had a 'snow day' in the middle of my trying to recover and get the house in order. I was so NOT happy to see the snow here in Georgia two Fridays ago! The girls did not go to school . . . so I lost an entire morning I had hoped to devote to claiming back my house. At least the dusting of snow was pretty.

-- Kate got a stomach flu. She threw up for 2 days. Then I got it. Then Meg got it. 5 days later, we were on the mend.

-- Lots and LOTS of laundry generated by aforementioned stomach flu. Isn't that the PITS of a stomach bug? Not only do you have all the bodily fluids to deal with, but stinky laundry piles up quicker than you can imagine. The whole time we were sick, I listened to the constant drone of the washer/dryer.

-- Swimming lessons, Dance class, scheduling preschool conferences, scheduling dentist appointments, scheduling OBGYN appts (just a check up, calm down!), scheduling appointments with my therapist. Scheduling datenights for Jim and I, arranging for babysitters, rescheduling things that get put off due to stomach flus and the like. In other words, normal, day to day life.

-- Took Meg to "Pigtails and Crewcuts" and whacked off her hair. It was long and stringy . . . and, though I desperately would love to have a little girl with long, flowing hair, I got tired of fighting Meg daily to let me fix it. If SHE doesn't want to wear pigtails and braids, then what is the point in having long hair? It looks darling short, anyway.

I turned 32. Whoohoo. Happy Birthday. Not exciting at all, really. Hardly anyone called, and I got one card in the mail. Jim took me to a really great dinner at 'Canoe' here in Atlanta, which I enjoyed very much. And then it was January 12th, and another birthday had come and gone.

-- I got to take Meg to see "Annie" at the Fox Theatre, my birthday gift from her (and Jim). The timing of the "Annie" outing fell right in the middle of our stomach flu -- but thank God neither she nor I were sick for the 4-5 hours of our event. (I got sick later that night, and Meg took it on the following morning.) Meg LOVED it . . . and I will admit it was something of a 'dream come true' for me. I always adored Aileen Quinn singing "Tomorrow" on the film version of this story . . . and as a little girl, I watched it so many times, I think I had convinced myself that I wanted to BE an orphan like Annie. To have my little girl loving the same songs as I did when I was young -- it is priceless. Taking her to see "Annie" was fantastic. The only sad part was when I had to put my hand over her mouth to keep her from singing along . . . and no, I'm not kidding. She was totally belting out "Tomorrow" -- right along with the little actress on stage -- until (after asking her several times to quiet down) I finally had to use my hand to mute her. She was a little put out by it because she desperately wanted to sing along. How I love my Meg!

-- Arguing with my dad. That has taken up a lot of my January. I know that I don't talk about it much -- at all, really -- but my dad and I don't always get along. We bicker about all kinds of things . . . mostly things that I don't want to address here. We go through phases where we are the best of friends . . . then something happens and we can't seem to see eye to eye on anything. We are in one of those bad spots right now. Just thinking about it makes me mad/angry/sad/upset/fed up. You would think that with everything we have been through in the last 9 months, we would not have a single thing to be angry about . . . that we'd just feel lucky to still have each other. But it's just not that way.

-- Jim's birthday is coming up next week, so I've been trying to get some stuff together for that. Planned a little surprise for him, and I'm sending him and Meg to a Georgia Tech basketball game in a few weeks. I like the idea of doing 'dates' with our girls for our birthdays. I sure enjoyed my "Annie" date, and I hope Jim enjoys the outing to the game.

-- New babies. Meet Olivia and Hunter, born to friends of ours in late December. If you know them, you'll be getting their announcements in the mail sometime soon . . . I'm working on them in my 'free' time :)

-- And last, but not least, a general feeling of . . . well . . . discontent. Blah. I don't know why, but I'm in one of my funks again. It's like I'm waiting for the next shoe to drop, the next big thing to happen. I can't explain it. Jim is gone and will be gone a lot for the next several months. Hell, I should just quit kidding myself and say that he's always going to be gone a lot. I'm lonely. I'm not working, which is OK with me . . . but I find myself bored sometimes. Motherhood is great -- but it can be a pretty boring occupation at times.

Anyway -- for whatever reason -- this 'funk' has me staying home, watching TV, reading magazines, and being a complete bum. I don't want to be on the computer, so I don't feel like blogging. I didn't even log on to Facebook last week -- not even to see my 'happy birthday' wishes (from a bunch of people who would not have remembered my birthday if it weren't for Facebook, anyway). I have not been making plans with anyone because I get so tired of having to always cancel plans when someone get sick, my dad needs me, or Jim's travel schedule changes. So, the January Funk has settled in. I hope it's short-lived.

And that, my friends, is just a tidbit of what keeps me from blogging.

Snow Days

Look at all the snow we got in Georgia on Thursday!

Just kidding . . .

No, no. Not talking about the snow here in Georgia the other day. I have a few minutes to post a few pictures from our Snowy Adventures in the midwest last week. You'll see what I meant in my last post when I said the snow here was 'lack-luster' for us . . . we had a blast sledding and building snowmen in somewhere around a foot of snow back in Kansas just over one week ago.

Hope you like the pictures of our snow bunnies. Who does not love to see two little girls all bundled up and enjoying the cold?

The Event of the Week

Still behind on just about everything . . .

But I had to stop for a minute and update on one big event this week: Meg's swimming lessons.

Her first of many true, real (I'm NOT getting in the water with her!) swim lessons began this Wednesday. Meg is in a class of 4, set to meet weekly for 30 minutes. Not much, but enough to get her EXCITED about learning to swim . . . which is more than I can say for our last attempt at teaching her this much-needed life skill.

We tried swimming lessons back last summer. I had it in my head that weekly swim lessons would be a big part of our summer, and I had it in my head that Meg would be a total fish by the summer's end. Um, didn't happen. As you mom's out there know . . . what you plan for your kid and what they actually go along with can be two VERY different things. Meg was 10 minutes in to her first lesson when she declared, "I'm all done." She refused to participate . . . and after another failed attempt at a lesson one week later, I decided that Meg was (a) not ready OR (b) just NOT going to do it. Either way, lessons we by the wayside well before the 4th of July.

Fast forward to December, and I sprang the idea of swimming lessons on Meg once again. I feel very strongly that she DOES need to learn how to swim -- and the younger, the better. I was )(am?) bound and determined to get her in the water this winter so that we can overcome this obstacle well before bathing suit season comes back around. I threw the idea of swimming in an indoor pool her way, reminding her how big girls can swim. And, "Oh! Won't it be nice if you can jump in and slide all by your self next summer?!"

This time, to my delight, Meg was all up for swim class.

What did it take? A little more than just the "be a big girl" motivating speech, I will admit. Our preschool buddy, Niko, decided to join us . . . and once Meg knew that Niko was in her swim class, she was totally game. Sure, she'd like to be a 'big girl' by the summer . . . but spending time playing in the pool with her good buddy was really what got her to bite on the idea.

Hey, whatever it takes.

Our first lesson was this week, and it went -- forgive me, I can't resist -- swimmingly. Meg participated 100%, jumped in, face in the water, swam the length of the polo solo (with back float), and got to go down the slide as a reward.

And her proud mommy watched with a smile from the benches that lined the sauna-like indoor swimming facility.

Once again, the event of the week: Meg gets one step closer to swimming! Willingly -- and she liked it! Next week's challenge: get Kate to STOP throwing food at the table. That one may prove to be much, much tougher.

PS -- In other news of the week -- it did snow here yesterday. Many think THAT was the event of the week. But, since we Dahlbys just got back from 9 days in some serious, mammoth snow, the dusting GA got on Thursday night was a little lack-luster for us. Not saying that I don't love the Georgia snow . . . I just needed today to clean up and recover from everything, and instead -- because of the "snow" -- I had BOTH girls home on what should have been a school day!

Oh, well. The best laid plans, right?

Just One

I lied . . . just one picture of the bundled Dahlby girls to hold you over :)

Back in the 'Hampton

Miss me?

We returned yesterday from a NINE day stint in the Midwest. In our week + , we hit Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas. It was a whirlwind of Dahlby-fied fun, and our girls enjoyed every minute with their Midwest relatives.

Jim and I also enjoyed nine days together . . . and the help of lots of Nanas, Papa, Aunts, and Uncles who were always willing to entertain/care for our kiddos.

I know I've been absent from the blog . . . and, well, I've been absent from a lot of things. It's like we hit December 17th -- the day of Meg's preschool program -- and my life just went on fast-forward. I don't know how things just kept going . . . and going . . . and there was nothing I could do to slow it down. I could barely keep up. We went here and there, we did this and that . . . and I scarcely had time to take a breath! All kinds of things went to the side -- including my entire computer life. If I owe you an email or something -- I promise I'll get to it.

I also owe someone a whole set of newborn pictures and two sets of announcements . . . here we are in January, and I stukk don't feel like the 'fast-forward' is letting up.

The holidays were hectic -- that's all I'm saying. Life with 2 kids is hectic enough. But when you pile on loads of mistletoe, Santa Claus, and traveling, life can take on a 'life' of it's own.

(Does that even make sense? I hope you know what I'm trying to say.)

Anyway.

Things have not slowed down since we returned to town. My house was left in total disarray . . . so the (hugely present) Type A in me when crazy yesterday when we got back home. I felt I had to clean and organize everything . . . or at least get some sort of order back in the house before Jim took off again very early this cold, cold morning. We were up until 1am cleaning and rearranging . . . and we've only just begun. My house now looks like a cross between Christmas and what it looked like when we were moving in. Boxes everywhere, junk in piles . . . and bare spots where holiday is gone by 'year-round' has not yet been returned. No, you cannot come over. I won't be having guests any time soon.

Deep breath. *Sigh* The house is a mess -- what a mess you can make cleaning up! -- but it will eventually return to normal. And when it does, we will have all kinds of new little gadgets and gifities we got for Christmas mixed in with our old stuff. That is something to look forward to.

Anyway.

Not only did I return to a messy homestead, but I also received news that a relative of mine fighting cancer has taken a turn for the worse. I won't elaborate out of respect for my family and their thoughts on Internet journaling . . . but it is something that is weighing heavily on me and is preoccupying my thoughts. A trip (or more) to Newnan is planned for this week. I love my family and I can't let more days slip by without visiting them in their time of need.

Sometimes, when it rains, it pours. I feel like our family has had a lot of that lately.

Anyway.

I'm supposed to be doing laundry, finishing the dishes, and watching Georgia Tech's bowl game right now. I'd love to upload pictures of the girls sledding and building their snowman ("Frosty" he was named -- of course!), but that will have to wait for another day. Only time enough to let you know that we are well -- too busy -- and will catch up soon.