I love my kids more than anything in the world and I would do anything for them! That being said...

Lately I feel like they are absolutely terrible when we go out in public! I feel like such a failure as a parent when Joey is throwing herself on the floor of Target screaming at the top of her lungs and Jack refuses to leave the museum so I literally have to drag him out to the car. What do you do in those situations? If I yell at them, then I look like a cruel mother with no compassion, but if I don't, I look like a parent who has no control over her children and lets them walk all over her. So, what do you do? I've been finding myself so overwhelmed lately that I don't want to leave the house with them during the day. Don't get me wrong, they are wonderful and the loves of my life and are only like this a small percent of the time, but nonetheless, I still struggle with how to handle these situations.

One thing that makes it worse is some of the cruel looks I get from people in stores! Most people give me the sympathetic, I've-been-there-myself look, but occasionally I run into the why-can't-you-control-your-children glare. If only everyone understood the trials of parenthood, then maybe I wouldn't feel so alone!

Sorry this post isn't my normal upbeat update, but I needed an outlet to vent! Kevin only understands a small portion of my frustration since he works so much and isn't here to share in all of these experiences. Hopefully you other moms out there understand!

So cute!

Last night Kevin and I attended a charity event and his parents watched the kids. When we came home around 10:30, this is what we found...

How cute are they?! Jack certainly loves his papa, and vice-versa:)

Friday with Oma

With my mom working so much these days, we really have come to treasure our time with her. Today was her day off so we met her for breakfast at IHOP - never-ending pancakes...yum!! I don't know if Jack was more excited to see Oma or get his own plate of bacon for breakfast! After that, we went to the dollar store - one of Jack's favorite stores - where Jack got a walkie-talkie and police armor. He was so excited to come home and play with it that he hasn't put it down since we got home this morning. He runs around placing Joey and me under arrest and telling us to , "Get on the ground!" (We let him watch 'Cops' a few times and that's the phrase he took away from it) Joey couldn't decide what to get. There are just too many things at her level to touch! Jack ended up picking out a pink race car for her and she was perfectly happy with that! Yesterday we did some art and I guess I forgot to keep a close eye on Joey because she ended up wearing most of it! Oh well, at least it was pink and matched her outfit! Jack could sit at the table for hours coloring or painting. I think he gets his love for arts and crafts from me.

This picture is just a funny add-on that I wanted to share. Joey is SUCH a girly-girl - I love it! She walks around the house with headbands, necklaces, and bracelets on and loves trying on shoes and coats. She also loves using my lotion and happened to find a bottle one day and decided to rub it all over herself. She was so proud of herself when she came to show me! I'm so excited to play dress up with her as she grows up!! She really is my little princess:)

My babies

Okay, so I know I have been terrible about blogging lately, but what can I say...I have two very busy children! The reason I finally broke down and decided to make the time to create a new post is all because of Jack. Sweet Jack...

I was getting dinner ready tonight and I looked down to see Jack giving Joey a bear hug. I was about to warn him to be gentle with her when he grabbed her face and said, "You're my best friend, Joey!" Oh my gosh, my heart completely melted!!! It was the sweetest, most sincere moment between the two of them and I felt so proud of Jack for being such an amazing big brother. And then, about two minutes later - she had been following him around - I heard him say, "Joey, I know you love me, but I need some time alone." It was pretty funny! It really makes me realize how precious (and rare) those special moments are between the two of them.

A quick update - Christmas was really nice. Kevin's sister came to visit and Jack and Joey loved playing with their cousins. Blade and Alli came home the second week in January for about a week and we were so excited to see them.

Alli looks so cute! She has less than a month to go and we are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of Baby Boy Schallenberger! I'm hoping to go down to San Diego when the baby is born - I can't imagine not being there for the birth of her first baby! I am so proud of Alli and I know she is going to be the most amazing mom.

Other than that, things are pretty much back to normal around here. We've had such a snowy winter (which I LOVE) that I'm looking forward to the springtime so that the kids can play outside and run off all their energy. But, with the way the weather works in Montana, who knows when the weather will warm up!