latelies.

lots of latelies:

lately i have been loving music. i always love music- but i especially love it when i have new wonderful music to listen to-- and so many of my favorites have come out with new albums! John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Sara Bareilles...i mean really! annnddd, i have fallen in love with Phillip Phillips, who i totally voted for 50 times last night...which i would normally be embarrassed about until M confessed that he voted 79 times. yes, i just divulged that on my blog. but whatevs. back to the point- we're both head over heels for him, and absolutely loved his new single from last night (it is currently playing). we've bought several of his songs- i can't wait for his album someday! man, i have never bought so much music from itunes in such a short amount of time...and i want more- Haley Reinhart, Norah Jones, Carrie Underwood (anyone bought those albums? any good? any other music you've been loving lately? do share.). i love love love music- and my girls love music too, so we naturally break into dance parties several times a day. our dance-anthem lately is "Wild Ones" by Flo Rida. we're pretty hardcore around here. good times.

lately i have been loving fresh flowers in the house. M got me some flowers for mother's day- and when they died, i just couldn't bare going without them in the house again, so i splurged on some gorgeous sunflowers at our farmer's market yesterday. they make me happy. and, lately the farmer's market is the best place ever. cherries for 3.75 a lb!? yes please. the sweetest strawberries ever? i'll take a bucket of 'em. i can't wait to get out to Brentwood to the U-Pick farms. anyone want to join soon?

lately i have loved all the good tv that has been going down / season finales! we love House, and thought the season finale/show ender was awesome. any Gregory House lovers out there? we love House, and were sad to see it end, but thought it was time (i mean, how different mysterious cases can you really keep making up while keeping it interesting?). i thought the New Girl finale was hysterical. i died when she beeped like a road runner at the coyote. the Bachelorette is always good for some classic sleeze and drama (though i'm kind of tired of M saying how gorgeous Emily is. i get it already). SYTYCD is about to start (love some good dancing!). and American Idol has been amazing this season (as already mentioned by my declaration of love for Phillip- he'd better win!). 

lately bedtime is a nightmare. why does this happen?

lately i have been pretty lazy in the cooking department. for some reason when summer comes, the last place i want to be is inside in my hot kitchen making hot stuff. no way jose, get me in the sunshine. so we do classy things like McD's picnics at the park. and when i'm feeling super ambitious i make something i really want to eat like a Margarita Pizza (last night's dinner). i'm awesomely, unhealthily selfish like that.

lately Alice and Ellie are obsessed with glasses/sunglasses. it makes me laugh. they're such girly girls and i love it.

lately we spend a lot of time outside. laying in the grass. blowing bubbles. gardening and dueling spiders. enjoying the sunsets and ice cream cones. 

lately my computer sucks. like it won't connect to the internet for some reason (?) and randomly shuts down because it says that it's out of power (but it's plugged in?). makes me furious. especially because we are in such a computer-world. i feel like i need my computer for everything...and then it randomly shuts down. for reals? i am so ready to get a new one...and to throw mine against the side of my house when i do. it will feel so good. said in a very loving, non-angry way.  

lately Ellie is really stubborn about what she wears. and about what Alice wears, too. so please don't judge when my kids look like a couple a hoodlums out and about. some battles just aren't worth fighting...and lately that's one of them.

lately my house is a perpetual disaster. and i don't care because we're too busy doing important things like painting nails and playing at the park and having fun.

lately Alice is obsessed with the potty. why is she already obsessed with the potty? shoot me now. look at this face- it's like she knows that she's about to give me a total run for my money. i hate potty training. sooooooo much.

lately the girls are obsessed with their daddy. i'm kinda obsessed with their daddy, too. 

lately i miss my family a lot. my sister is dating a new guy. a new guy who seems like he could be Mr. Right. (she might be mad that i am telling the world this). but i hate this part of living far away. how can she be seriously dating a guy that i have never met? drives me crraazzzy. i miss her and wish i could tell her i approve because he's perfect.  i miss my mom's laugh and my dad's teasing. lately i wish we lived close. that we were a part of each other's day-to-day messy lives. but we're not. and lately that makes me feel sad.

but lately i love my life here. i love the friends i've made. they are wonderful and make me laugh all the time. i love that our kids love each other and that we can talk about anything. i love how different we each are and yet how well we get a long. so much of loving where you live is the people who surround you- and so i know that so much of why i love my life here is because of them- and that makes me so grateful. thank you friends for being so awesome. i'm ready for another girl's night, yes?

lately busy life is winding down- ballet ends next week (can't wait for the recital) and joy school ends the week after that (can't wait for their cute lil graduation!). i can't believe that summer is here! it's nuts. i will miss Ellie's cute activities- joy school and dance are wonderful...but i admit,  we're looking forward to swimming and sunshine and birthdays...and all those fun, spontaneous summer things. 

lately my girls are looking so big and grown up. they are giants!  i hold them and my arms hurt. Ellie is a big kid. Alice isn't a baby at all. these are happy things, but give my heart a twinge of sadness...because i realize that this lately won't last for always...so lately, i've been trying to tickle more, and stress less, and to take it all in. i don't want to miss a thing, you know? 

xoxo