I love this time of year!  The nice weather and sunshine inspires me to make a fresh start to so many areas of my home.  During the winter it is so easy to not keep up with the closets, dusting, etc.  But once Spring rolls around I can't wait to make my house feel all sparkly and clean.  The warmer weather and spring flowers get me in the mood to make my house feel light and airy. 

While Danny was gone a couple of weeks ago I decided this would be a great opportunity to make a few changes around the house.  I have been wanting to get rid of the darker color scheme in our house for quite some time now.  I just couldn't figure out how to make all the colors work with our couches.  Since there was no way around getting any new couches I knew that any changes made would have to incorporate the existing couches.  Don't get me wrong I love the shape of them and they are so easy to keep clean with the two kiddos.  I just am not loving how dark they are. 

I seriously need to have this little girl give me tips in the morning.  I have seen this video so many times and each time it makes me giggle.  She doesn't even know how important it is yet to keep telling yourself how amazing your life is and here she is in all her glory!  L-O-V-E it!!!!

Sorry for the lack of posts here lately......as you can probably tell we have been busy around the Wilbert household.  Looking back I can't really determine what has taken up so much of our time but it feels like we have been going non stop for the past month.  I guess sometimes life can just catch up with you and all of the little things add up to a lot of time.  Over the past month Danny and I both have been very busy with our jobs and have definitely noticed that during the week it has been hard for all of us to be home at one time. 

All of this time away from the kids and my family definitely makes life hard.  I start to feel incredibly guilty and doubt myself as a momma.  Should we have waited longer to have kids, do I really need to work out tonight, why do I have no patience with the kiddos, and the list goes on and on.  Being a momma is so hard and life changing.  There are so many times that I think I am falling short and that I am going to let my kids and Danny down.

Since becoming a mom so many normal things have changed.  When you say them out loud I usually am met with a confused stare and misunderstanding.  I can no longer watch the news, watch movies with sick kids, etc......I hear about all of the bad news and wonder what I would do if that had been Riley or Hannah.  I think about how fast time is going and realize they are growing so quickly.  I feel like I am missing out on so much by being at work for 8+ hours a day. I second guess myself constantly.  Am I making the right decisons? Not just for them but for us as a family.

When I look in the mirror I am amazed sometimes at what I see staring back at me.  I can remember a time not that long ago when I would never dream of letting someone see me without makeup, or have something spilt on my clothes, or even think about not taking a shower that day.  There are days when life and family just takes over and I look so tired.  My body is not the same and no matter how hard I try I have realized that my body has changed.  There is almost a pride that comes with these stretch marks though.  I know that what I went through to have my sweet angels is worth more to me than looking perfectly put together all the time.  If I look tired......I probably am! There are days when I look at the clock and realize it is 7:30 pm and I have not taken a shower because I have been keeping two kids out of trouble.

The great thing about all of those "hard" times is that they are met with some of the most amazing moments in my life.  Words cannot explain how your heart just fills when you hear your baby laughing for the first time. There is such pride watching my kids learn something new and realizing that they can do it on their own.  My relationship with Danny has changed, but not in the way I thought it would.  I didn't think I could love him for wanting to change a diaper, clean up the puke, or that he would stop what he was doing just to sit and play with our kids.  I get to see a man who cares more about his family than anything else, and I realize just how lucky I am.  Each day I fall more in love with him.

So, I guess that is what I have been up to.  Being a momma and wife to the most amazing family.  No big events or plans, just life.  How lucky I am!

As I look back on this past year it is completely full of ups and downs.  Some of my favorite memories and most special moments happened in the big '10.  There were birthday milestones, new traditions started with the kids, Riley and Hannah both learning so much, finding my dad, and the AMAZING trips to New York and Las Vegas with Danny. We had such an amazing year together and I am so grateful to be blessed with the most wonderful kids and a pretty terrific husband.  This year has really brought the four of us together as a family.  No matter what happens I know I have my kids and husband here on my side.  Over the past year there are so many moments that I wish I could just make time stand still.  I know the kids are going to grow up so fast, but I want to hold onto this time as long as I can.  Danny is such an amazing father to them and they absolutely adore him.  Just hearing our home filled with their little giggles and knowing that Danny is always right there makes me grateful beyond words. 

I hope that 2011 is full of many more wonderful memories and surprises! (Seattle or New Orleans sounds nice) Here is just a look back at some of my favorite memories of 2010.

With the holidays fast approaching it is easy to get caught up in all of the craziness.  We have tried really hard this year to focus on each other and remember all of the little things that we have to be thankful for. So in keeping with our theme I thought I would post about a few of my favorite things.  All of the little things that add up to make life so wonderful!

1. Louis Vuitton.  Oh how I love Louis Vuitton purses.  There is something so classic about these purses. 

2. Starbucks. A sweet temptation that I indulge in every so often. I especially love it this time of year with all the winter flavors.

3. MAC Cosmetics have saved my life.

4. Cheesecake. Enough Said!











5. Sonic Vanilla Dr. Pepper.  This lovely drink makes my day. There is a reason it is called "Happy Hour".

6. Beautiful desserts.  I love it when the food I am eating looks as great as it tastes.

7. My new favorite wine - Paco & Lola.  We discovred this gem on our trip to New York.












8. A sparkly white kitchen.  I hope that one day I will have a kitchen that makes me smile when I enter.

9. Where the Wild Things Are.  This is a favorite for all members in our house.

10. Home Decorating.  If I could do it all over again this is what I would do for a living.....HEAVEN!



11. Audrey Hepburn.  She is such a classic and sophisticated figure in our history.  I could easily spend my days watching her movies over and over.  Even Riley likes Breakfast at Tiffany's!




12. My Ipod Nano.  This is such a lifesaver when I am at work.  I can just plug it in and tune out the world.  I get so much more accomplished when I am working to my favorite tunes.  Not to mention that it holds some of the kids favorite songs, making road trips much more enjoyable.


13. Bootcamp. This class has been such a great stress reliever.  Even when I am really frustrated with work, life, or whatever by the time I leave this class I have usually forgotten what had me so worked up.  Not to mention that it has helped me in my quest to shed those extra baby pounds.





14. My babies.  I can't believe just how much my life has changed since these two cuties have entered my life.  They make me smile, laugh, and a little bit crazy all at the same time.  Being their mommy is the best job I will ever have. Riley is such a ham and loves to be the center of attention.  Hannah is such a sweetie.  She is quiet but strong willed.  I know that the two of them are going to be the best of friends.  Love Love Love my sweet monkeys!






15. My husband.  I don't know where I would be without him.  He is the funniest, most caring, hard working, and loving man I know.  I know that my kids will grow up with so much respect and love for their daddy.  He loves us so much and does everything he can to take care of us.  Each day I love him just a little bit more.  I thought on the day we were married that there was no way I could love him anymore, but I do.  All of the little things only matter because I can share them with him.  Love Love Love my baseball stud!

Here are just a few of our favorite pictures from the trip. 

I am not even sure where to begin.  Our trip to New York was amazing, crazy, fun, and oh so tiring! We were there for 3 days and somehow it felt like we were barely there and at the same time felt like we had been there forever!  It was the most amazing place I have been and yet at some points it just felt like a busy smelly city.  The places that I thought would just be so glamorous and amazing were just ok......and places that I wasn't too excited for and would have considered passing were the most amazing parts of our trip.  How can a trip/city possibly be this complex?  I am still processing just how much we crammed into those three days.....not sure I could do it again, even if I did bring the right shoes with me. =)

Thursday night we started in Times Square......it was so surreal to be there.  We kept looking at each other and giggling because it didn't feel real.  While we were there we saw things that you could only see in New York City!  We did quickly realize that people walk everywhere, but there is a HUGE shortage of public restrooms.  We spent more money that night becoming "customers" so that we could use the restroom.  So, for our first night we did Times Square and Cheesecake.

 On Friday I spent the entire day walking up and down Lexington, Madison, Park, and 5th Ave.  I have never in my life walked that much in one day.  By the end of the day I had to stop and by a new pair of shoes.....the flats I bought were not working.  I had blisters so bad they were bleeding and I ended up having to throw out my shoes.  Now that is dedication to shopping!  That evening we attended a dinner at the University Club.  Now let me just state that we will never be in there again, so I was not embarrassed to take pictures of this evening.  I was so in awe of everything.....including the food.  The dessert I picked was a chocolate flower filled with different sherbets.  It was so pretty I didn't even want to eat it.  The hall where we ate dinner was beyond anything you could imagine.  It had the most amazing ceiling and the whole room just glowed.  After our dinner we decided to head back to Times Square......it was so good the first night we knew it wouldn't let us down.






On Saturday we had another marathon day of trying to cram as many sites as we could in one day.  We took the subway and headed down to see the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, The Financial District, Ground Zero, and the Pier. We then headed back up and decided we wanted to walk just a little more and spent some time in Central Park.  I have to admit that Central Park was one of my favorites and I could have spent a whole day just exploring around the Park.  While we were taking our famous pose in the "mall" we kept saying wow I can name like 12 movies that have been filmed right here!  And then we sit down on one of the benches and notice two men totally making out.....good thing we didn't get that captured on camera!  Earlier in the day while we were finding our way to the Bridge we stopped and had a drink in order to use the bathroom =) and I found the funniest sign on the bar.  Now I know it is the surgeon general warning for pregnant women.....I just find it funny that they have it posted on the bar, like that sign would stop a pregnant lady in a bar.  Chances are if she is in there and wanting a drink, that sign is not going to stop her.  While walking down Wall Street we just happened to run into a Tiffany's ( wink wink) and had to go in!  They literally had crystals hanging from the ceiling.  I just wanted to lay down on the floor in the middle of the store and stare up at all the pretties hanging above.  Such a great day spent hanging out with my husband.  I sometimes forget how nice it can be to just be the two of us and not have to worry about the kids and what time we need to be back.  This trip was just what we needed.





















To finish up our trip we made a quick trip over to Hoboken, NJ to visit the famous Carlo's Bakery.  We waited in line for an hour just to get some of the delicious treats from our favorite TLC baker.  To our surprise I was able to get my picture and meet my first "celebrity".  Lisa, is the youngest sister and was so incredibly nice.  This place was packed and she still had a smile on her face and was willing to take a picture with a girl from Kansas.  So we always wondered if the cannolis were really as good as they appeared on the show.  After our sugar induced coma we would both agree hands down......we would go to Hoboken just for the cannoli.


After our whirlwind trip to New York City, I have never been so glad to see my kiddos.  It was the first time for us to leave the kids with someone other than us. It was so hard Wednesday night to say goodbye, but was completely worth it to see their faces when we got home Sunday night.  Oh how I love those two sweet kids!