Not Enough Time

So true, right?

So, we are back from our little vacation.... scratch that- our little adventure. I'm up to my eyeballs in laundry and unpacking.. and cleaning.. and grocery shopping... and somehow, I need to get my bible study done before girls' group tonight. Yes, I just totally called myself out on the fact that I haven't done it yet. Hope you girls are reading this and understand ;).

Is it possible to create a day with 36 hours in it???

Oh- and just to brighten the day, I found a grey hair. Add it to the few that I have been finding here and there... and I'm pretty upset about it. I'm too young, right?? So I will be heading to the salon this week... maybe it will be just the refreshing break that I need :)

Gotta get back to unpacking- updates on our adventure coming soon! :)

Here We Go.....

We are hitting the open road in this bad boy.

We have never done this before, and I am nervous but super excited for the fun memories we are going to make with the kids. We've got beach toys, kites, bikes, boogie boards and all sorts of vacation toys packed away, and we are ready for some fun :).

I'll be taking pictures and documenting this adventure, so that I can share our hilarious outtakes with everyone once we get home.

In the meantime- pray for John as he navigates the road behind this massive machine. The open desert road I'm not worried about.... but the crowded streets of San Diego, and then Anaheim?..... Watch your toes, children, bikes, small dogs, or even your car that might be parked on the street.... What we can't see when we side-swipe it, didn't really happen!

Woopsie! :))

Post Without A Picture.

I know- boring, right?

But I have no pictures to share today. I am exhausted after finally finishing last week... which was no less than the week from ****. Seriously. I am overworked, over-committed, over-tired, and now my body is finally catching up with me. I am really starting to learn the value of boundaries- and I'm vowing to start making them in my life.

Right after I say yes to one more commitment... because seriously- I can't stop myself. I have a a problem.

But you know what? Amidst my crazy busy week, God found a way to sneak some incredible blessings into my life. I enjoyed coffee and exploring for photo locations with a friend, I had a blast swimming in the pool with John and the kids, and enjoyed a relaxing bbq party with a close friend who was celebrating his birthday. And just like that- all was well in my world.

Tonight I even got to slip away for some time with a friend and a glass of wine at happy hour. So maybe instead of allowing my head to spin with all of the commitments and to-do lists I make, I should relish in these small enjoyable moments that bless my day.

I will add that to my to-do list :) .

Where Do I Start?...

In my attempts (weak attempt, at that) to catch up on the Spring activities that I missed blogging about- here are a few highlights:

*this may be a long one...

1) An obvious one here- but my babies are getting so big. Boo :(

Bella graduated Kindergarten and starts 1st Grade in the Fall. Am I old enough to have a 1st Grader? Apparently I am. I'm not sure which is more upsetting.

2) Speaking of Kindergarten, Bella had an end of the year performance, where she performed songs with her class and recited the entire Psalm 23 all by herself. I'm not kidding. It was AWESOME. I was so proud of her, and I felt the hot tears welling in my eyes the entire time. I kept telling myself, "don't blink, don't blink" because I knew the tears were about to start flowing.

Each child received a medal after they recited Psalm 23 individually, and Bella proudly wore hers all day :). Then their teacher presented each child with an award for a specific character trait that they displayed throughout the year. It was really cute the way she personalized each trait for each child- it made all of them feel special. But I was seriously welling up with pride when Bella received hers. She received a certificate for displaying "virtue" all year. It was written that it meant, "Doing what is right, in a Christ-like way". As a parent, I cannot possibly think of anything more beautiful that could be said about my child. I am so proud of her I could burst.

3) And as usual, we split our time between our home in Scottsdale, and our home-away-from-home in good ol' San Diego. As much as I bug my parents about moving out here to be near Emily and I... I secretly love that they live in SD because it allows us to visit. A lot. Which we do. A lot. :) We spent Easter in San Diego this year, and enjoyed some relaxing time (as you can see in this next picture, Ty was very relaxed as he slept on top of poor Em and Arece)

And we did the usual traditions of dying easter eggs... and picked out our own personal eggs that would be used the next morning in our traditional "Riolo Family Egg Fights". If you've never heard of said tradition- you are missing out. Big time. But more on that later...

And the little man who stole my heart is getting bigger and more handsome every day.

How could you resist that face??! Ty is 3 1/2, and he has absolutely blossomed recently. He can write his name (and "mom" "dad" and "bella" ) with really good penmanship, and he is constantly amazing us his imagination. He draws pictures of his favorite machines, like excavators and bulldozers, and he creates imaginary scenes wherever he plays. He's asking really smart questions lately, and you can just see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to figure out the way things work around him. But as independent as he is- he just loves being Bella's sidekick, and he would happily follow her anywhere. The two of them are best friends, and his little face just lights up when his sister walks in the door. I love watching the relationship that they are forming, and the way that they protect each other and defend each other whenever one of them is in trouble :).

I'm a pretty blessed mom, indeed.

So that was a pitiful "catch-up", but it will have to do for now. We have a lot going on this summer, so I'm determined to jump back on the wagon of documenting these precious memories! And as busy as it can be- I love summers with my kids.

And dare I say- they love summers with me as well :) .

I know. It's been forever. Like 5 months, really.

The truth is- life just got in the way! But when I took a step back and realized that this meager little blog of mine is the way that I document our everyday happenings around the Anderson family (I even print the blog at the end of the year as a pseudo-album for myself), I realized that I really should dive back into it. Make it a discipline even. If I'm dedicated to it, it will come more naturally, and then I'll have all these cute stories and pictures of the kids to document and look back on to remember.

So hang tight- there will be a mini-catch up (because really- I can't completely catch you all up on everything!) and then I will be back on the saddle :) .

Lot's going on in our family, so hang in there! :)