Rand and Carolyn

I swear! It'll come around. Things are just super busy these days!! I blame it on all the summer fun we're having. (:

Question, for anyone who's reading: Is it better to keep this blog private or public? I just can't seem to decide whether it's safer or not that big of a deal. Any thoughts??

There's so much going on right now and so much to post about, but we're MOVING! Tomorrow morning! Early. I can't believe it. I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that ten (ish) months just flew past as quickly as it just did. Phoenix already feels like home. And it's strange, beyond strange, to pick up and leave it all for a few months. I have to remind myself that we are coming back! ;) Elise is done with Kindergarten, Rand's finishing up his first year of law school today, and we're going to be 13hours away from home. Weird. Anyway, there are posts to come, but for now, I'll be focusing on packing up most of our apartment. [A pretty daunting task, and this isn't even a permanent move!!] It's a good thing it gets so crazy hot here in AZ; I'm not sure I'd have the motivation to move 13hrs away! It helps that I'll be living with the best in-laws there are during this time! (:

Super washed-out video thanks to the tons of windows and an amateur videographer (who am I kidding?), but nonetheless, it was absolutely amazing that a random group of people would sing "Happy Birthday" to me. They were just singing the song out loud, and I said to them that it was actually my birthday, and they addressed it to me. (: Pretty sweet! The guy on the right even took out our trash and wished me a Happy Birthday! ;)

What's really sweet about it was that I was so worried that my birthday would be a really tough experience. It kinda marked the one year anniversary (if you can call it that) that everything went down with my parents and we've had zero communication since. I was worried that the hurt of not having my parents involved in my life anymore (small pity party for me: I wonder how they could so easily break off from their daughter despite my best efforts to repair our relationship?). So, I prayed. I prayed that I would be able to have a good day, but I asked a special request - one that I didn't expect to have fulfilled. I asked that (and I know I should never ask for a "sign") Heavenly Father would bless me in a small, but special way, that I'd be able to know that He (my Eternal Father) loves me, cares about me, and recognized that it was my birthday that day.

I'm 27 (now) and birthdays are still a HUGE deal to me! I love them. (: With all the activities planned that day, I was feeling rushed and a little stressed, so when these guys sat down next to our table, I was a little (a lot) annoyed. They were loud and I was worried that they were going to be rude (obnoxious). Much to my surprise, and a direct gift from Heaven, they threw me off guard and became the answer to my silly prayer; it really touched my heart, as funny as it was. You can't see it, but one of the group even crazily danced to the song. Everyone was staring at me with wary looks (yes, slight admission, it made me love it even more!) and the group was asked to be quiet by management, but they made my birthday so sweet!

Not to mention the cheesecake and balloon that awaited me at home from Rand after I dropped Elise off at school! (: More will come on what we did that day - and sadly, I realized that I take way too many pictures of my kids! ;)

I'm back to Blogger! It's such an easier format to work with - hardly any work required and completely publishable in book format at some point. (: And I absolutely love seeing all the pictures of my babies - they've grown up so much since I started this blog in 2009! Anyway, please excuse the construction! It'll be kind of crazy looking for awhile as I get this up and going.

I'm not sure if I'm being hyper-paranoid here, but it just makes me feel so much better to know that my kids, our physical location in the US, and any other random details that are accidentally let out through pictures or words, will not be available to complete strangers. Am I a little extreme in thinking this? I don't know. It just feels better to me. So... enjoy! And feel special - not everyone is allowed access to the exciting world of the Greenburg family. ;) [I'm completely joking here, by the way -- no megalomania on my end, which reminds me of a funny date I had once! Anywho...]

I've thought a lot about this need to have a perfectly clean, organized home. Is this really benefiting my kids?

I crave organization. When I walk into a clean home, I instantly feel peace and relax. But, when I'm working all day long (or at least most of it) trailing after my two children, picking up toys as they are playing them (more like as they're throwing them down the hall in defiance!), I know something isn't right. Relaxation, peace, and tranquility definitely do not describe how I feel after this.

My job is not a maid. As much as I cannot stand the word (thanks to my feminsta past), I am a homemaker, and more importantly, a mother! The way my home feels matters so much more than what it looks like.

By no means am I giving up basic cleaning - three year-old's and the "potty" are a scary combination. But, I am striving to make peace with the endless mounds of scattered toys, undone laundry, and green play-doh permanently stuck to the Wal-Mart decor. Perfection, in terms of cleanliness, is just not a reality with small children.


Instead of rushing around trying to de-clutter the world (our world), I'll be snuggling up with my kids on our couch -perfectly comfy, though it's scarred from pen attacks and grape juice- reading Curious George and  Dr. Seuss, while being grateful that I can be involved in this amazing process of parenting.

How do you keep balance?

"'How could it be so? It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes, or bags!' And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!

"'Maybe Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!'"

It's so fun being a Mom and I love how these kids of mine (angels in thin disguise) teach me so many things. I love how they get so excited about anything that has to do with Jesus and how earnestly they try to be more like Him, when I ask if what they're doing lines up with what He would do (they innately know). Though they're so very little, I wish I was more like them :) So, yet again, another goal for myself to improve upon: Don't be a grinch! Enjoy the real meaning of Christmas!

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I just read this blog about a woman who was unable to have children for a long time and through the magic of technology, had five children within four years!! She expressed the importance of not taking your children for granted and enjoying each precious moment (including and especially the not so precious one's - you know, one of them leaving poop on the couch and the other smearing it all over his crib). It's a blessing - it's a blessing to be a mother and enjoy these funny, ridiculous moments that add so much 'flavor' to life.








Really, with faces that cute, how could I not be grateful?

Adorable girl...even more adorable giggle. Yep, I'm a lucky one! Enjoy -



Scroll down below to the second post to hear more of Elise's preciousness (last video).