Five Years

Today, Jimmy and I have been married for five years.


On May 25, 2008, I walked down the aisle to Songbird. 

  

We walked back up, husband and wife, to All I Want is You.

We danced to Baby's Got Sauce, and Angel. 

We hand picked our music, expressing our excitement, our joy, our love though song. Hoping those in attendance (and paying attention) could feel how we felt. 

Five years later; two children, a couple vacations, a few cars, the same home, less money, more years behind us. They haven't been easy, but there's not much I would change - especially knowing that we were gifted with our two precious daughters in the process.

And while Jimmy and I may not be spending the day together (he had to work... such is the life of a chef on a Saturday night), on the off chance that he's reading this (*ahem*), I want him to know that I love him more today than five years ago. Sometimes it goes unsaid, and is hidden beneath the stress and exhaustion of daily life, but it is there. He has been my best friend for eleven years, we've grown up together, and I cannot imagine my life without him in it. 

I might toast myself tonight, but we'll make up for it when we can. Happy Anniversary, my love.


{Our wedding video recap. What an evening!}

 

Photos courtesy of Matthew Foster Photography.

Video courtesy of Dyle Films.

11 Years

On this day, 11 years ago, Jimmy and I went on our first date.

I was 19, he was 22.  We went to see a horrible movie (Changing Lanes, anyone?), then laughed at how bad it was.

a few weeks later, on an impromptu beach trip .. july 2002

This month we will celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary.  Wow, how time flies.

Welcome back.

It's May. I always have the best intentions of keeping up a blog. But obviously it falls to the wayside. Between daily life, major life changes, holidays... Well I don't have a proper excuse. I opt to zone out on Facebook or re-read Harry Potter. But I opened up my blog tonight and read my last entry (discussing Gabby's first few weeks at school) and it made me sad that I didn't document anything since. And here it is: May.

I could overwhelm this entry with photos of our past few months, but I won't. Instead:

Gabby enjoys school - she understands a lot of French. She corrects my pronunciation. She speaks it. This afternoon at the bookstore we found a book her class has been reading and doing projects around. Elmer the Elephant.

"Elmer est beaucoup de couleurs!" she said.

It stopped me. It's still funny to hear random French phrases from her. "Does Nathalie [her teacher] say that?" I asked her.

"Yes. Because he has lots of colors, he's not grey. Non gris."

At least I understood all of it. Then she said, "Nathalie says, 'Ehl-mehr.'  That's how you say 'Elmer' in French."  Her French accent was perfect.  

There will come a day when she and Genna will be talking and I am terrified that I won't understand them. We really need to invest in either some classes or Rosetta Stone. Ha.

Jimmy started a new job in January. It's offered us a much better home life/work balance. And he seems happier.

I started marketing myself as a baker selling decorated sugar cookies and cakes out of our home. I think I've done well in the three months I've been "advertising" (hello Facebook page).

Both girls are growing leaps and bounds. Aside from Gabby's Frenh education, she's changed so much in the last few months. Sure, we are in the midst of the terrible threes (lord it's been rough!), but she's so smart. And funny. And observant. Oh, her observations and memory are intense. And boy can she read between the lines. No spelling words in front of her, or leaving out keywords in sentences. I've come to realize if I don't want her to hear something - I just can't be anywhere near her and say it. She understands so much.

Genna turned two one month ago. TWO! I know they are both babies in the whole scheme of things, but my god, I don't have an infant anymore. I am deeply saddened by this. I nursed her until she was almost 18 months, and I'm sure that had a lot to do with me not wanting to let go as much as her. And now, she speaks sentences and practically paragraphs. Full on conversations. And man is she funny. Personality like you wouldn't believe. She likes to wear costumes and princess dresses as much as possible. She doesn't enjoy books as much as Gabby did at this age, but instead plays with baby dolls and puts on full pretend stories with Little People or princess Barbie dolls. She's amazing.

I turned 30 in January. I'm having trouble with this, as well. I'm 30. I say it to myself often just trying to get used to it. I'll be 31 before I do, I'm sure. My "bucket list" (I hate that term) is an actual thing now. And it keeps growing. But I'm still sitting here in the same place. My babies are growing, and time is flashing by, and I'm still here. One day I may post my list. But it only depresses me to read it.

And now I will say goodnight. Because this is staring me in the face:

And I told myself I would take 30 minutes to write before tackling that. And the laundry, and the dishes in the sink (neither of which you will get a picture).

It's a quiet house, with Jimmy at work and the girls in bed and before I know it, it will be next year.

Preschool Begins

On Wednesday, August 22nd, one day after she turned three years old (!!!), my first baby started preschool.  Grade pre-K3.  At a French immersion school.

she was saying "I'm three years old, now!"

I don't think that "grade" even existed when I was a child.  Not to mention. she's at a language immersion school.  God help us, we don't really even speak a lick of French.

The night before, we got everything prepared, we went to bed late (oops), but sat down together with Daddy and her little sister and read bedtime stories.  I cried while reading Goodnight Moon (really?  oh yeah, really.).  The next morning, it all seemed easy.  We got there on time, we dropped her off, there were no tears.  That afternoon, we asked her how her day was.  I'll never forget her answer: "I didn't sing French, I didn't talk French, I didn't learn French.  I didn't do anything Frenchy."

Well, okay.

first day of school

Genna gets in on the action.  Although she was probably saying, "I'm one!"

The school had a staggered schedule for the three-year-olds, so Gabby didn't attend the next day, but she did go that Friday.  Another fairly easy day.

Then Hurricane Isaac came our way and threw us all for a loop.  Gabby was out of school for a full week, plus the Labor Day holiday.  And with weekends that meant she was back home full time (in all the power-outtage and living with family weirdness that was the aftermath of Isaac) for 10 days.  This week has been her first (almost) full week.  It's Thursday and we're only down three days, but lemme tell ya - I am exhausted!

I seriously didn't realize that putting my kid in school would be so exhausting for ME.  Hopefully, I can get used to my new schedule.  I now wake up at 5:30am.  What?!  I was very used to waking at 8:30 or 9:00a, taking a leisurely approach to our mornings with a drawn out breakfast, late lunch, late nap (if any), random errands or trips to the gym, starting to think about dinner at 6:00pm and bed for the girls between 9:30-10:00pm.  Oh, we're in a whole different ball game now.  Waking up at 5:30am and spending a total of three hours a day in the car commuting between Gabby's school has left me just drained.  I'm not used to this.

Poor spoiled stay-at-home-mommy.

I had these grand dreams of going to the gym, preparing great dinners, having time to do craft projects, organize and clean the house better.  Overall, more freedom with only one toddler (who naps for 2-3 hours!), but obviously I haven't figured out how to do any of that yet.  Genna isn't used to the new routine yet either.  She falls asleep on the way to school, on the way home, and then again when we go out to pick up Gabby.  I'm hoping today's insanely long nap (at home) will show that she is getting into a better schedule.

French books

Gabby's stuff.  We're prepared.  haha

Gabby seems to like school.  Although every day this week she has cried at drop-off.  :(  By the afternoon, she's happy to see me and talks about her day.  She has repeatedly told us that she wont learn French.  Hmm.  Although between school and the lessons she watched at home on the computer, something is sinking in.  She calls random objects by their names in French (une pomme, une banane, une fourche) and after eating a clementine the other day she looked at us unprompted and said, "Mmm! C'est bon!"  She also now says, "Bonjour!" and "Au revoir!" to her two teachers upon entering and leaving class.  Genna can even be heard trying to say "au revoir," although it comes out more like "wah-wah!"

It's kind of amazing.

Stay tuned for more updates as we get through our first school year (for Gabrielle, and for us as parents!).

11. 15 favorite things

(in no particular order, tho the kiddos and husband do belong at the top 😉)

My kids

My husband

My city (New Orleans)

Cameras/taking pictures

Reading a good engrossing book

Wine (how did I make it to no. 6 before listing this?)

Coffee

A pretty beach

Hawaii (even tho I've only been there once, I'm pretty sure it's a favorite thing)

The rainforest (cloud forest?) in Costa Rica. But not Costa Rica as a whole. Because obviously. But I did love the rainforest. It's one of my happy places I escape to in my head when I'm über stressed.

Football season. We're Saints fans, duh.

(writer's note: this post has been in my blogger+ app for well over a month, unposted and obviously unfinished. I give up and am posting as is... Only 11 favorite things.)