Live, Laugh, Love.

This phrase is so common these days. You see it all over the place; bumper stickers, myspace, people say it all the time. So simple, yet so full of meaning. I've made this my life goal the last few months... Live - your life, not somebody elses. Do what makes YOU happy. Laugh - seriously, there aren't many things that are better than laughing so hard that you cry! And Love. Like the quote says "Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit."

So my last blog kind of left you hanging with the big surprise... And I'm sure anyone who actually knows me has heard all about it by now. My best friend Ashley and I surprised the girls with a trip to Disneyland. We had the BEST time. Keeping it quiet for 2 months was the hardest thing to do, but seeing their reaction when we told them made it all worth it. The girls were both so well behaved on the airplane and pretty much the whole trip. It was great to get out of town with Ashley too! We don't get to spend as much time together these days so we had a good time catching up.

Bailie is getting very close to the end of her first grade year. Wow. Where does time go?! She is 7 already and man does that make me feel old. Last week I had a conference with her teacher and walked away feeling so, SO proud of my little girl. It was such a blessing because after the last two conferences I have walked away fighting back tears. She had such a rough start to this school year but she has worked hard and it shows in all areas of her life. Socially, emotionally, academically. Bailie is such a strong willed child and she always has been. It makes life challenging sometimes now but she is going to go places in life.

You know, God really does have a sense of humor. And you know that saying... God only gives you as much as you can handle? I have come to know this is true. When one of the girls acts up, the other one behaves like an angel. Then she shapes up and it's like the other one starts up where she left off. I mean, Thank You God for not letting them both be totally defiant at the same time but couldn't they just both be angels every once in a while? lol

Taylor has been SUCH a handful the past few weeks. Anybody with young children (under 2) who has been warned about the Terrible Twos... Get ready! Two is nothing compared with Three. (And unfortunately, I know that four isn't a whole lot better. lol) Anyway, I just have to constantly remind myself that she is only three years old. She's testing her limits by pushing my buttons. However, she is still doing wonderfully at preschool and she's learning lots! She only has a month left but will be returning next fall, three days a week. It's funny also, how she has become quite the little snot lately but she's been so sweet at the same time. For a couple weeks everytime I would pick her up from her dad's house she would cry (real tears!) that she didn't want to go home with me. Even at daycare, she would not be excited to go with me. I tried not to take it personally but it really hurt my feelings! Lately though, she's been running to me with arms open wide. She's all about the random kisses and I Love You's. This is the sweet little girl that I know... except with a weird defiant twist. ;-)

Next up... I am excited to tell you all about the new special person in my life. Matt and I started talking just over two months ago and we've been pretty much unseparable since. He is a truly amazing person and I really don't know how I got so lucky to have found him. Two months doesn't sound like very long but it feels like I have known Matt my entire life. You all know, if nothing else, about my previous marriage that it obviously did not end well. It's made it difficult to not only trust another person but to find someone who meets all my expectations. Hey, I'm allowed to be picky, right? It's safe to say that Matt's not only met but surpassed any expectation I had and he has proved himself to be very trustworthy... which is huge for me.

You know, my theory on happiness is that you determine your own. If you have a positive outlook on life and surround yourself with good (people, things, etc.), you will be happy. If you are always thinking the worst, chances are you won't be happy. I thought I was happy two and a half months ago... and to some extent I was. But today I can say that I am so happy with my relationship with Matt that it really reflects on the quality of all aspects of my life. I can be having a bad day at work or having a hard time with the girls, and all it takes is a simple text message to put a smile back on my face.

Ahhhhh...... Anyway, at some point I need to stop typing so that I can go to bed!

I guess I'll finish up by saying I am soo excited for summer! The weather last weekend was so awesome but it was really just a big tease! lol. We have some fun plans for this summer. Lots of camping, some white water rafting, spending time with my sister and her family (who we haven't seen since last summer), seeing extended family who we haven't seen in much longer... Good times, good company... Just good. Hope you are all doing good too. ;-)