Updates

I really am trying to stay more on top of this blogging thing... just posted about 6 posts at once so I'm all blogged out.  I wanted to just type some quickie updates though, before signing off.
Avril:  Avril has 3 best friends.  She will gladly tell you their names, probably multiple times... they are Leila, Kara and Sierra.  The first two are from daycare at All About Kids, and Sierra actually happens to go there but she is in the 4's class and Avril is in the 3's class.  Sierra is our next door neighbor though.  Every day as soon as we get home, Avril asks if Sierra can play with her.  The especially love to draw with sidewalk chalk out front.  Avril also recently started her first gymnastics class!  At first she was very withdrawn and hesitant, but now she loves to go and can't wait.  Sierra also goes to gymnastics at the same time, but is in a different class.  Avril knows what a pike is and will show you how she can do it while pointing her toes!  She still amazes me with her astounding vocabulary, and random off-the-wall comments.  She will say the sweetest things to you that will just melt your heart.  She does not hold back with saying anything at all.  She is starting to be much nicer to McKel and take pride that she is the big sister.  She is very protective of her little sis and will always tell you how much she loves her sister.  Avril is the tallest girl in her class by far, she towers over all the other 3 year olds.  She is often mistaken for a 4 or 5 year old because of her height and advanced verbal skills.  But she won't be 4 till the end of February, thank goodness!  Avril is still a challenge when it comes to bedtime.  This girl has never been a sleeper and this has not changed.  It is such a chore to try to get her to bed, and then she will wake up several times a night.  If I wasn't so dang tired, maybe I could figure out a solution to this!  I don't know...
McKel:  I cannot say it enough.  This girl is little miss personality.  She has the wildest facial expressions that make you wish you had a camera on you 24/7 to capture all the cuteness!  She has a little mischievous grin on her face all the time that makes you wonder what she's up to.  She has a ton of hair for a one year old.  McKel is also often mistaken for much older than her 21 months age, mainly due to her full head of thick, long hair.  Avril and McKel both have about the same shade of blonde to their hair, but McKel's has quite a bit of natural curl, and Avril's is stick-straight.  Both have gorgeous hair though.  McKel's vocabulary is rapidly increasing, as she adds all kinds of words constantly.  Her words aren't nearly as clear as Avril's but she gets better and better each day at talking.  McKel is much easier to get to bed than Avril.  Mommy is grateful for that.  She is still very attached to her bottle though, as well as her baby doll.  She is absolutely adamant that they are with her at all times during the night or she will throw a fit.  McKel adores her big sister and has to copy everything Avril does.  She is a little ball of energy and joy.  She has the cutest smile you've ever seen.  If you make her laugh, your whole world is right.  She's such a blessing.

Auntie Arleen surprised the girls with these crowns from Burger King.  The girls loved them!

McKel wearing her crown.  So precious!

Mom:  Guess I'd better throw a mom update in here too, huh?  I got a promotion at work!  I am liking my job quite a bit more, now that I am in more of a position to make some positive changes.  There are so many things that need correcting in the billing office at the hospital where I work.  I am now the lead over the billing and collections for self pay patients.  My office has moved from up front, to back behind the scenes in the business office, where I can get more work done with less interaction with patients.  I trained someone new to take my spot and she is an excellent and productive employee, so things are looking up on the work front.  I still am not making big bucks, but I like my job and that's important.
I am excited because I have an interview next week for a research assistant position in the psychology dept up at Utah State.  I have been wait-listed for over a year for a spot to open up.  I am hoping I can somehow work my own hours and fit this in to my schedule, because at some point I would love to go back to school (I know, crazy me) and pursue a different career path... hopefully clinical psychology.  The problem I run in to with grad school applications is no experience recently or letters of rec, so this would be extremely helpful for me.
I try to find any races I can do... whether it be biking, running, obstacle courses, etc.  I still do my boot camp in the mornings religiously.  I am the only person in my boot camp who is consistently gaining weight though.  Oh well.  I'm tougher, and I like that :)  It feels nice to be fit and able to accomplish my physical fitness goals.
Other than that, I just keep busy being a momma and trying to keep up with the girls and the house and everything that goes along with that.  I have some of the greatest friends and support system ever, which is such a blessing because I really need that.  I try my hardest to remain optimistic but its easy for me to get down about my situation, so I pray for strength constantly.  I do have so many things to be grateful for :)