knock, knock?

So, rumor has it that April 1st is the new January 1st.
Am I right? or am I right?

(insert pathetic clapping here)

Resolutions/schmesolutions.

(Why did I include my chicken in a party hat? I don't know. Perhaps, we need to celebrate that I'm really blogging. Plus, adding a chicken is ALWAYS a good idea.  duh!)

Honestly, the reason for my absence is not because I don't believe in blogging anymore.  I do!  I'm a believer!!
It's not because I have three kids now (although, that is PART of the reason).
It's not because my hands don't work properly (although, that has been PART of the reason too---more on that later, obviously).
You wanna know why I haven't blogged for so long?
Wait for it.  Wait for it...

I just uploaded 3,872 pictures to my computer from the camera.

Do you realize how big the number 3,872 is?  That's a lotta blogging, my friends.  That's the number of pictures I've taken since the week before Thanksgiving.  hA!!!

The only reason I finally decided to upload them, is because my phone/camera's memory is full.  So full, in fact, that it wouldn't allow me to take any more pictures!  What!?  Amazing.
And then, as I started uploading them all, our iphoto kept having issues.  Come to find out that our hard drive and our external hard drive with ALL of my photos of our life had been corrupted! It was scary.  A real nail-biter.  But, after the expertise of a professional (plus a few hundred dollars---not doll-hairs), we are back up and running!

So, we'll take it slowly (obviously).  You know that I only run when being chased.

But, in case you thought I was abandoning this ship, I'm certainly not.

You see, I am a forgetful person.  Really, I forget EVERYthing.
You've called me?  I probably forgot to call you back.
You've texted me?  Yep, I probably forgot to respond.
We had an awesome memory together that one day?
Sorry, it's not personal, but I've probably forgotten that too... UNLESS I have a photo to jog my memory!  Truly.
There was a quote I had on my bulletin board in college that said, "Seen it all.  Done it all.  Can't remember most of it."  Perhaps I've shared that quote with you before?  Who knows!  I've forgotten!

Case and point?
As I look at this new 6 month Benson-boy in my arms, I see so much of Tillie!  And, yes, they look so much alike it's uncanny---but! as I was thinking about it, I really don't remember much about Calvin as a baby.  Why?  We were living in CrazyTown!  Tillie was 19 months? 20months?  (Aaron says 20 months, I say 19---when honestly, it felt like they were 5 months apart!).  Really, it's a blur now.  But, when Tillie was a baby, I had ALL the time in the world to study her face and memorize everything about her.  No wonder when I see Benny boy, I see a mini Tillie!

Thank heavens I was sane enough to blog about it all!  I can easily look back to that time in life when Cal was a baby and see exactly how my Calvin looked at 6 months and the milestones he was accomplishing.  I can see records of what we did each day and how we did it and how I felt about it.  Amazing!!  Especially because when I try to recall that information in my brain, it's gone!

So, you see, I blog to remember.
I blog because I love the relationships I'm able to maintain while we live so far away in this little corner of the globe.
I blog because my kids are freaking darling (my mom is going to ground me for using the word "freaking"---whoopsie daisy!) and they need to be seen.  I mean, look at those photos above!
I blog because it's a tangible record of our daily lives---and heaven knows, I need tangible evidence that we are moving forward and not just living in a mess!
I blog because it's validating.
I blog because it's a time for me to reflect on where we are RIGHT this minute, and where we've been.
I blog because it makes me happy.

There you have it.  I'll be bouncin' in from time to time.  Because we have so much to catch up on! (for example, where did our newborn go?, Tillie is almost five, Cal is already three and completely potty trained! I've found a new way of eating and lost all the baby weight I gained with Bensey-boy (insert a HUGE woot! woot!), Aaron and I went on a grand excursion with NO kiddos, we had lots of sick children with the horrible flu and ear infections and even pneumonia,  I've been decorating our house and have hung several frames AND curtains (with lots of help, obviously), AND I've just got the strike offs for our new fabric line that is going to be debuted at this upcoming Spring 2013 quilt market (boo yah! finally!).  Whew!

See what I mean?  Lots to talk about!

In the meantime, if you want to be friends on Instagram, my "handle" is melimba.
Let's be forever friends.  Great? Great.
Ta ta for now.

Calvin's 3rd Birthday week January 8, 2013

Calvin Malvin is turning three and I wanted to document this dolly boy. Here he is in his new Target LONG SLEEVED tshirt---this boy loves to wear long sleeves and long pants. Luckily, it is January, so it doesn't seem too out of the ordinary. He konked his eye on something---darn it! Oh well, I guess it's good to document the good, bad, and crazy of his toddlerhood!

 He sucks on his bottom lip, and with the dry weather, it makes for a nice red rash under his lip. I'm constantly trying to put vaseline on it, but you can BET that he LOVES that game! ha! His lips seem rather full in these photos---ha! But, alas, that happy face says he's not too worried about it all.

 Cal suggested Benny boy should be in some of the shots too---good thinking, buddy!

There's that genuine, happy smile. Sigh. Such a doll face.

 On to the birthday festivities!

 We set up the birthday boy scene the night before.  

 I love when the kids come out and see it all. Calvino was so pleased. I love his pleased face. Because he'd been doing so great on the potty, we went to the Disney store the night before and he got to pick out Buzz Lightyear. So, now Buzz and Woody could pal around with him. Of course when he came out, he toted them both along. :)

Off to birthday donuts! He was THRILLED to do such a thing!

 We told the sweet Korean owner it was his birthday, so she brought out a bowl and a special candle. It was the sweetest and made the morning even happier!

 On our way home, we had to stop off at Albertson's to grab a few items the birthday boy had requested, and we were shocked to see that Benny fell asleep in the carrier! That never happens!?!

Opening new Golden Books he got for his birthday. I love that my kids love to read!

 Going through a new birthday sticker book from his grandparents! So fun. Tillie made sure to help him figure it out. ;) So helpful, that girl is.

For lunch, Cal requested his favorite, Nachos. Nachos it is! :)

 Next up was making the birthday cake. He had VERY specific requests. He saw a tiered cake and really wanted me to make it instead of cupcakes. Uhhh. Okay. First attempt and probably should be my last. He wanted purple frosting, lots of sprinkles, and Toy Story figures on it. Done and done. Looking OH, so delicious! hahaha! My finest work.

Lucky for us, Aunty Becca drove up from Dallas and joined us for the birthday dinner! She got to play with Woody and Buzz and then gifted Cal his VERY own Bullseye horse to ride!

Next up was hotdogs on fancy Toy Story plates with Mac N Cheese! A perfect meal for a new 3 year old. haha!

 Aaron made sure to pick out Brainquest for Cal. Of course, Calvin is Aaron's mini-me, so he loved it! And he rocked it---knew SO many of the answers for the preschool level. This boy kills me!

Another shot of the amazing cake. By this time, it had "melted" and "slid" a bit. Just added to the affect. haha!

 Admiring the handiwork on the board. I love this boy.

 He had a perma-grin on his cute face all the live long day. :)

 Cal made me in potato form. Thank you, Cal! :)

After the festivities were over, and the house quieted down, Cal climbed on my lap and had me read his new books to him. One of favorite things to do at night is snuggle with Calvin. It's one of the only times he really likes to let me squeeze and love on him. So, we took a few pictures, b/c he LOVES being the master of my phone. :)

What a happy night for our happy boy. Birthdays are my favorite because we all get to celebrate and show these sweet babies how special they are to us. I hope Calvin knows how much we adore him and what a gift he is in our lives! He is smart, darling, fun, and an overall JOY to have in our family. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. CALVINO!