18 months has come and gone!!

Is there anything better than watching your spouse play with your children and have the air filled with love and laughter? I think not! The picture above, is my life. They are my everything... It amazes me every day that this is what my life consists of. I am so very lucky! Not a whole lot has been going on lately, besides the hustle and bustle of the holidays. We did take Jake in for his 18 month check up yesterday and everything went very well. He is now 27lbs, 33 1/2 inches and is developmentally doing things that a 23 month old is expected to do. None of this really surprised us much, as we are well aware that he is gaining weight with all of the food he eats at each meal and the fact that my arms are becoming more and more sore as the months go on from lifting him. His pants are getting shorter so we knew he was growing and he is constantly trying to keep up with his big sister making his verbal, social and emotional level higher than an average 18 month old. What did surprise us though is how fast this year has just flown by! We have accomplished so much as a family. And while sometimes it feels like life is in slow motion and I can't wait for the day to be over, just so I can relax, I look back and think where did all that slow motion time go? It is a constant reminder to me to slow down when life is slowing down and ENJOY what God has given to me. This is much easier said than done, but in the new year it will be a goal of mine. Hailey will be turning 3 in 6 months and it feels like it was just yesterday that Jonathan and I welcomed her into this crazy world of ours. Now she's an inquisitive, stubborn, loving, soft spirited, big-hearted little, excuse me, BIG girl. Or as Hailey would tell you herself "I not a baby, I a big gurl". As much as I love watching them grow, learn new things and watching how they help me to grow, I wish they could stay this age for just a little while longer. If it is this hard watching them grow up now, I can't imagine what I'm going to feel like when they're 16! But I know God has great plans for them and they will do many wonderful things, so for that I am excited! May you have a very merry Christmas and a blessed 2011!