Some days, I think about how great it would be to pour a hot cup of coffee and sit with you, sharing updates and thoughts and ideas, chatting and sipping, letting the conversation twist and turn as it tends to do.  So, today, let's do that?  I've got a cup of coffee with almond milk and honey, and a little chocolate pick-me-up treat.  The kids are napping (although I do hear Eliana quietly singing Frosty the Snowman over and over…), the sun is shining, and I am eager for Max to walk in the back door soon - he had duty last night, so we haven't seen him since he left yesterday early morning.  

I am trying to cut back my coffee consumption.  I know, I know.  That's crazy.  Especially since we love coffee around here.  But over the holidays, I realized my coffee consumption was getting a bit out of hand.  And I needed to give my body a little bit of a break.  So last weekend, I had a cup with breakfast on Saturday, and haven't had any since then.  It's been lots of water, and a few cups of hot tea, when I needed some warm to sip on.  That first day or two were rough, let me tell you, but now that I am past that, I am feeling great - and I haven't been missing coffee that much!  Until today.  I was walking back from KinderJam with the kids, and I could smell coffee brewing.  I thought it was coming from the house we were walking by, but then I passed it, and I smelled it again in front of the next house.  And then I just kept smelling it.  At that point, I realized I was just smelling it of my own accord, and that probably meant today was a good day to make myself a cup of coffee.  So I did.  Which is partly why my hands are probably typing a little faster, and my thoughts are flowing a little more freely than before - after a week of very little caffeine, one cup of coffee can make me one chatty woman!  

Oh-oh, I hear more than one child now.  I guess they all decided to bypass most of their afternoon nap. Lovely.  We are still trying to get back to our usual routine/schedule after our holiday vacation.  It's going pretty well, but days like today happen, and they only rest an hour, instead of 2.  It's been lovely outside here, for the most part, and we've been spending a lot of time outdoors, running around, playing in the dirt, going to the park, riding bikes - partly because I want them to have fun and be kids, and partly, I want to wear them out of their toddler energy so they sleep longer at night.  Ha!  

Eliana keeps telling me she wants to grow her hair out like Rapunzel.  It's gotten so long, especially when I look at pictures from one year ago, when her hair was above her shoulders!  Lately, she has been requesting lots of braids and pigtails.  It's fun.  We started braiding her hair after bath time, and when she wakes up in the morning, we let them loose, to see all the crimpy goodness - it's way too much fun, and I'm glad she has fun hair to play with, since mine is so thin and short!  

Ezra cracks me up all the time.  Last night, he called me back into their bedroom, after I had tucked them in, to ask me "where do da monsters live, mama?"  I tried to give him a good answer, but of course, that just opened up more questions - those kids are always thinking, and I never know what is going to come out of their mouth next.  A few weeks ago, we were eating out, and Ezra got really excited and started asking for his "cheese girl!"  We didn't know if he was referring to the waitress or the food he was waiting on, but it's become our new term for grilled cheese around here!  

And let's just talk about Evie for a minute.  My third child.  My stubborn, independent, very vocal third child who does things her own way, on her own time.  Oh that child, she is teaching me so much.  She JUST started walking on her own this week, which is so exciting.  She is so proud of herself every time she gets up and walks across the room.  But she doesn't talk much.  She says 'hi' once in awhile or 'cheese' at the camera, but mostly she just screams.  Loud and high-pitched.  It's more of a dinosaur screech.  And sometimes it makes my head feel like it might explode.  I am trying to teach her that screaming is not the way to get something, but when I try calmly explaining that to her, it doesn't quite sink in.  She just screams more and louder, because I am not giving her what she wants.  The best method I have found so far, is to remove her from the situation and distract, until she can quietly express that she wants something.  

I just ran up the stairs to get the kids, who are now awake, much earlier than I expected.  And that reminded me - I am doing a fun weight loss challenge, called #alittletoofluffy.  It started last week, so this week, I've been working out, and then today, I carried Evie/pulled L & Z in the wagon through the neighborhood, and now my legs feel like jelly going up the stairs.  But, I lost a few pounds this week!  My game plan really isn't crazy - I am trying to work out 5 days a week, and put foods in my body that fuel it.  I am focusing on moderation (hello to my small afternoon chocolate treat!), and increasing my veggie/fruit intake, as well as pumping up my protein and healthy, whole carbs.  I'm excited to see what happens - I really want to lose some weight to get back to my pre-baby weight, and lose my "baby house" (which makes it look like I am pregnant, but really, it's just my body saying "um, hello, you had three huge babies in less than 4 years!"), BUT ultimately, my goal is to feel better, eat healthier, and to overcome my emotional eating issue.  

Speaking of goals, I love to make them.  I really do.  If you've read my blog awhile, you probably know that.  So, of course, the start of new year has me in an introspective mood - thinking through last year, the good and the bad, and trying to figure out things I want to do differently, as well as new things I want to try.  I want to sit down over the weekend, and work through some of the thoughts in my head - maybe even leave the kiddos with Max and escape to a coffeeshop for a few hours.  I want to set some goals for myself, but I don't want to get so specific that I feel bad when I don't meet them all.  Because I won't.  And I know that.  I get that sometimes goals don't get met, for whatever reason.  So I want to set intentional goals and put ideas in place, that I can work for, hope for, strive for this year.  Ultimate goal though?  To learn more what it means to follow hard after Jesus.  And how that affects me as a woman, a wife, and a mama.  There are other things that stem from that, but that's the basic, and I'll leave it at that, because most likely, once I've had time to think it through, I'll share here.  

I should probably wrap this up.  I finished my coffee a few minutes ago, and that chocolate treat is long gone!  The kiddos are watching the end of Dumbo (on VHS, can you believe it?), and will most likely be asking for a snack soon.  I need to figure out what exactly I am going to do with the chicken for dinner, and find something in the pantry/freezer to serve with it! 

Thanks for having coffee with me today :) Happy Friday, friends!