Why is it so hard?

They say it takes 21 days for something to become a habit.

What they don't tell you is that even skipping a day can get you out of the habit.

It's been 2+ weeks since I worked out. I've either been sick or K has been sick. It went something like this....

"I'll work out tomorrow morning." Then I wake up and am so tired or didn't feel good.

I told myself I'd do it the next day.

The next day came and, nada. And so on.

See how easy it is?

When is it going to end? I honestly don't even have the desire to workout anymore. I get home and have the feeling that I should work out. Then there's the guilt trip of spending time with K before she goes to bed.

Someone help me.

Future cook

Mackenzie got an Easy Bake Oven set for Christmas from her Mimi and Papa. I was so excited to get to do this with her. We opened it up one morning and rather than wanting to make the goodies, she wanted to take all the accessories upstairs to her playroom. She has a play kitchen up there that our neighbors handed down to her. Next thing I know she comes downstairs, grabs the instruction manual and says "I need to read the recipe," then she bolted back upstairs.

I walked up and saw this:

"Next we need sugar."

I think I have a future cook on my hands and I couldn't be more proud!

Overpowering the frustration

If you are a parent, you need to see this video.

I follow the blog for The Mom Creative and, have been for a very long time. I saw this video posted the other day but didn't watch it.

My Aunt shared this same video tonight through facebook.

I took that as I need to see this. You see, Matt and I have been getting very frustrated with Mackenzie. She's getting pretty bold in how she responds to us. Is this what happens at 3 1/2 years old? I hate to say it but it's almost as though she is becoming a brat. I often find myself just staring up at the ceiling not knowing what to even say to her. Do you think she acts this way in public?

Not ever.

Watching the video reminded me of the little things that I cherish about her. She has the silliest laugh. Getting reminded of that just brought complete joy to my heart which overpowered my frustration.

Watch the video and find yourself being overjoyed with love for your children. Let the frustrations melt away for a moment while you focus on their silly quirks.

2010 Highlights

The years seem to fly by these days. Maybe it's because we seem to stay so busy and there is no doubt that 2010 was a busy year for us! So far it's been the funnest year with Mackenzie. I thought it would be fun to share our some highlights from this last year.

January: We purchased a membership to the Children's Museum. It has been the one thing that Mackenzie and I can go do on a whim. She loves it there. Each time she finds something different to do. It's great for toddlers! If you have one near you I highly recommend trying it out.

February: this was a HUGE month. I took and passed my nursing boards. Wow, it's been almost a year!

March: Mackenzie was really getting into the Princess thing. She was starting to want to play dress up a lot.

April: Mackenzie turned 3 and received her first bike! That was the BEST birthday ever!

May: Pony rides are always a highlight. She loves them. I think this little girl might end up with a horse some day.

June: First baseball game. She loved it. Can't wait for summer again! This month has two pictures because we also made new friends! Lauren was Mackenzie's first preschool teacher when we changed daycares. We've become great friends and love getting together.

July: Daddy taught Mackenzie how to have a marshmallow fight with a marshmallow gun. We were invited to Lauren's parents house for the 4th of July (why Mackenzie has noise blockers on).

August: We spent August with friends! We have become social butterflies! Every moment with our friends are cherished. This is me with my bff Katrina.

September: Mackenzie got to spend some time with Uncle Jason and I finally got a great picture of them together.

October: It's when it really starts to feel like fall which means one thing to me, PUMPKIN PATCH!

November: We went for a few very nice walks! It was so much fun watching these girls play in the leaves. Mackenzie made a new friend, Hailey, as did I with her mommy. We can't wait for the girls to play together again! In this picture is Mackenzie, Ella and Hailey.

December: A great end to a fantastic year! December is all about Christmas to us. My last blog post you saw how awesome Christmas can be with a 3 year old. Matt and Mackenzie decorated the tree this year and I think it turned out great!

Here is to a wonderful and blessed 2011. I wonder what it will bring...

Our AMAZING Christmas

Matt and I played host for Christmas Eve/Day this year. We had a blast. I really want to express that Christmas with a 3 1/2 year old is a hoot! Mackenzie was super excited this year. And not just when opening presents. It all started when we went on the Santa Train. She talked a lot about Santa after that. She knew that he was watching.....and she was good. The Foster's have always opened presents on Christmas Eve, even when Matt was a kid. So that is what we do. Then in the morning you see that Santa came. When I was child, we opened one present on Christmas Eve and did the rest in the morning.

I took Mackenzie to her first Christmas Eve candlelight service at church. Matt's mom went with us too. It was a lovely service. Mackenzie held her own candle for a couple of minutes and then handed it to me. She was very careful. She was in awe looking out over the congregation (we were in the balcony) and seeing all of the candles. There was a live nativity also. Mackenzie was excited to hear about the how Jesus was born and loved singing the Christmas carols.

Let's talk about the food.

Oh the food. It was delicious! Here is what our menu consisted of:

Christmas Eve we had leg of lamb with a sweet and spicy rub along with plum sauce. Green and white lasagna, broccoli with oranges and almonds, along with rolls. It was wonderful! We were too full to even touch dessert!

Christmas morning we had spiced apple crepes, sausage balls (meat and non-meat), caramel apple sweet rolls and mimosas.

Christmas Dinner we had a black forest ham, mashed potatoes and mustard gravy. We also had leftover lasagna, broccoli and rolls.

Dessert was a cake that had alternating layers of pumpkin and chocolate with chocolate ganache between the layers. The frosting was a salted caramel buttercream. It was wonderful too. I thought the cake was a little dry but it was still wonderful.

It was a great time with our family. The only thing that was missing was my family back home. I miss them so much, especially at Christmas. When I was growing up my sister, mom and I would make big gingerbread houses from scratch while listening to Christmas music. Dad would always come in dancing and singing "Christmas times a comin'" to make us laugh. What wonderful memories we share.

Here are some pictures from our AMAZING Christmas. I tried to rearrange the pictures but blogger is being a bugger.

Opening up her first gift from Santa-Princess Belle doll

The Princess Belle dress up dress from Mommy & Daddy

Making cookies for Santa

Our tree before present time

Pictures before Christmas Eve service

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas! Now it's time to get my house back together.

A day at the beach

Strolling through town

We were walking through town with my friend Lauren and decided to have a mini photo shoot with Kenzie. I think this girl likes to have her picture taken. Ignore the blue frosting around her mouth, she had just eaten a cupcake!