Things you might (or might not) like to know...in no particular order

I've gotten two tickets in the last month...from the same officer. Not kidding. One was for running a stop sign. I've run that stop sign about 100 times. But not since the ticket. The other was for speeding. I speed all the time. But not since that ticket. I guess that means those tickets are doing their job.

I've never been to Disneyworld or Disneyland! (about to change, very soon)

We've only had one real cold/runny nose go thru our house this season…and it’s currently on it’s way out. And it hasn’t even been that bad--one of many reasons this winter has been so much more enjoyable.

Time is actually flying...for the first time, in a LONG time. I find myself saying “I don’t want my kids to grow up” and "where did this month go??" more and more. Last year that seemed like an impossibility.

I am enjoying my children more and more and more every day.

I'm actually NOT looking forward to sending my oldest off to Kindergarten next year!! Why couldn't they have taken her from about 1.5-4 years old??? Now that she and I are getting along so well, they’re gonna take my baby from me!! cute. real cute. Obviously the only solution is to homeschool. Anyone interested in homeschooling my kids?

I haven't sewn anything for a long, long time. That’s gonna change soon. I can feel it.

I feel like the post-Eliza "I-can't-do-anything-with-my-life-cause-i'm-always-overwhelmed" funk that i was in for a long, long time is officially on its way out the door.

Three is the perfect amount of kids...for a long, long time

My kids are now the ages of families that i looked at 3 years ago and thought "my kids will NEVER be that old."

Reid is the best husband and dad in the world. This is evidenced by the squeals and screams of delight heard in our house every evening at 6pm. myself included.

Eliza reminds me so much of Grace as a 17 month old...stubborn, mean to other kids, proud, feisty and just overall difficult—but times 100. The difference is that I’m not blaming myself for everything that she is. And THAT makes me a happier mom. I'm tyring to take the "that's just eliza" approach. And, whether it's right or not, it's so much more easy to deal with. What would I give to go back and re-do so much of Grace's 2nd year in life…and her 3rd…and part of her 4th with this attitude, rather than being overwhelmed with guilt and analyzing every misbehavior, trying to tie it back to some incorrect parenting tactic!! Thanks heavens for a merciful Father who can make up for my weakness in parenting!!! And thank heavens that Grace is turning into the most enjoyable and kind little girl in the world--in spite of me!!

Oprah aired an episode the other day that was right up my alley, featuring this movie that i HIGHLY recommend to anyone who eats regularly.

My girls decided to sell a bunch of their toys and books to raise funds for families in Haiti. They’re awesome, and again, their generosity amazed me.

As of Friday evening, every sock, ever wash cloth, every last bit of laundry in this house was cleaned AND put away. This truly never happens. And might not ever again.

Doing crafts, and artsy things, and projects with my kids is actually fun now. I’ve been dreaming of a day when Grace and I could open our FamilyFun magazine and pick out a project and do it together without any coercing, swear words or tears. that day is upon us.

Abby's still only going peepy on the potty 1-2 times a day...i really thought she'd make a little more progress on her own...apparently i need to actually DO something about this...

Although Abby's cute little way of saying just about everything has warmed the cockles of many hearts over the past couple of years...i've been told, by a very educated speech pathologist, that it's probably time to get her in for some speech-therapy. I guess other people need to understand her, too.

This winter has been, in every single way, so much better than last winter. So. Much. Better. Night-and-Day better. I really don’t know how we’re all alive after last winter.

I've been told, seriously over 100 times, by moms with kids anywhere from 4-25 years older than mine, "oh, I remember when my kids were that age. The days passed by so slowly. My husband couldn't arrive early enough from work. I'd go to the store, just to get out of the house. It still feels like just yesterday. It was hard, but I'd give anything to go back to the time when i had my kids around, i knew what they were doing, and I knew who was teaching them what."

And now I find myself looking at moms whose oldest is 2, maybe 3 years old, and thinking to myself "I remember when my kids were that age..the days passed by slowly...etc" I really do think that! Yes, i know my oldest is 4, so it's ridonculous, but I feel such a difference in our home today compared to this time last year or two years ago. The change has been in ME!! I'm so much more intact emotionally. Granted, i'm being quite optimistic right now, and we've had a good month, so this is a bit skewed. But even so, there's no denying that things are a little better here in our home. (my word, I make it sound like last year was the worst thing in the world!! it wasn't, it was just harder than i'd imagined, and not something i want to repeat. ever. that's all :)

Our little car that drove us from Provo, UT, to Boston, MA, to NYC many times, to Vermont, NH, and to Denver, CO is dying. She hasn't been well cared for, at all. She's only driven on Sundays and once or twice during the week. She's been good to us. But today Reid finally admitted that she's on her way out. And we have NO idea what to replace her with. We'd like something eco-friendly. We'd also like something that handled our snowy roads better than our mini-van. Is there something out there that gets 35mpg and has 4-wheel drive?? do i ask too much1?!?!

Although i really like not having cable t.v., I'd really, really like a DVR.

I have, in every place that i've lived, found the best friends in the world. This is one of God's greatest gifts to me. i need good friends.

Abby, every morning, holds her shoes up to the bottom of her feet (like the way you would check to see if they're gonna fit or not) and says "mom, is this the right foot?" It makes me smile every morning.

I don't like to use. Punctuation correctly. Or cApitalIzation

Grace puts "-able" at the end of just about any word she wants to be an adjective. For example, "this truck isn't for girls, it's too boyable." or "Abby, don't touch that, it's glassable." Sometimes she even puts it at the end of existing adjectives, like "this movie is boringable" and "I love this shirt, it’s so blueable!"

I am not a cleaner. I never have been. I don't think i ever will be. Cleaning makes me grumpy. The end result gives me little-to-no satisfaction. Messes don’t bother me. I only clean when I know someone’s coming over. I see no reason to clean otherwise.

Grace still only wears dresses or skirts. If she gets in trouble, she "loses the privilege of wearing a dress" and it's the only thing i've ever found that she cares enough about to use as behaviour leverage. She chooses her outfits. and let me just tell you--they are awesome. I've learned to "let go of the control" with this issue. She feels so cute every day, and loves her clothes. That's something i never felt.

I sometimes think that with enough practice I could replace Kristen Wig on SNL.

Grace and Abby spend large percentages of the day pretending to be someone else. This became quite regular a few months ago. Ninety percent of the time, Grace is "Piggytale," Abby is "Mana," and Eliza is "Lily." Every now and then some new names get tossed in the bunch, like Alice, Liana, Molly and Sally. If ever Grace and Abby are having a small tiff, i can start calling them Piggytale and Mana and they usually slip right into character and forget what they were fighting about. When Eliza wakes up, and I need a minute before i can get to her, sometimes I ask the girls to go play with her up in her crib. If ever they're not interested I try again by enthusiastically saying "Oh, Lily's awake"--at which point they decide that she's interesting enough to go play with. It's awesome. I cannot write well enough to do this justice.

In the past few years I've become very emotional during movies. Some examples of movies/shows that have had me all teary this month include The Office montage they did a couple weeks ago, Avatar, a documentary about marathon runners, and Barbie and the Three Musketeers. It's embarrassing, and beyond my control. It’s incontinence of the eyeballs. Am I alone in this? I'd feel better if i knew that someone else out there teared up regularly at American Idol auditions.