Well, now that it’s almost 10 p.m. There were plenty of places to be today.

It’s been a long time since we’ve just had a virtual chat.

So, while I finish my dinner (yep, it was a praise-team-practice, eat-dinner-late night) we can talk about food and life and potty training and the snow…just maybe not all at once. 😉

So, first up. Dinner. (‘Cause I like to eat…don’t we all?!) I have proved my theory that you can take the girl out of Asia, but you can’t take the Asia out of the girl. My choice for dinner was leftover pizza or leftover sweet and sour chicken. I totally went for the chicken…and not because of the chicken.

It was the rice.

Totally the rice.

I love rice.

We ate it at least five times a week in Indonesia, and I’m actually quite amazed I don’t detest the stuff. In fact, I still crave it. Weird, I know. (But true fact…we only eat it about once a month.)

And moving on to my girl…oh, how I love her.

But I’d be not completely telling you the truth if I said I loved potty training her. It’s just not going as great as I thought it would be by now. I’m really trying to celebrate every success, and truthfully, she’s closer than she was a month ago. I will take even a millimeter of progress at this moment.

But I’ll also take some prayers should you feel led to say them for us. 😉

I’m am thankful, though, that despite the potty training drama in the house, we have a thousand other reasons to smile through our days.

I just can’t believe how much she’s growing up and changing and turning into such the wonderful little person. I adore her.

Her imagination and vocabulary are just exploding. Yesterday I was working on something in the kitchen and overheard her having her princesses act out a scene from one of her favorite movies. She even had the words right…she amazes me.

She’s a puzzle maniac. The girl puts 24 piece puzzles together already…in fact, she stunned me the other day when she took a brand new one out of the box and snapped it together without even looking at the picture. Gotta be honest here…I’m not sure I could have done it that fast.

And snow with a toddler? Has been way too much fun…this coming from a girl who doesn’t exactly love winter. (Though I don’t hate it…I would just rather be warm. :)) On Tuesday, we got a lot of snow, and she came outside with me while I shoveled the driveway. She was fascinated with the piles of snow on either side and created her own “slide”…I wish I had a taken a picture. Too cute.

Last week we also built our first snowman with Tobin, and a few days later, Mae and I went out and turned our snowman into a tropical snowprincess…complete with an Indonesian sarong…thanks to some inspiration from our dear friend.

Tell me this isn’t completely adorable?

We had fun…and I love the memories we’re making.

Sometimes I struggle with being the stay-at-home-mom who’s home a lot…I don’t have a lot of things vying for my attention that are outside the house. And while I stay busy with my girl and writing, sometimes it’s a little too easy to feel like I’m not making a difference.

And then I remind myself that she’s going to Preschool in five months. Well, pending potty training success.

Somebody pinch me because it doesn’t seem possible.

The truth is that I’m so blessed to be home with her during these years, and though there are difficult days, I truly love my job and wouldn’t change a thing. And I need to soak up every second.

And because it’s getting late and my Diet Coke is almost gone and I’m also a little sniff-sniff because my girlie is growing up too fast, maybe I should say good night for now.

Thanks for stopping by, friends. And Happy Almost-Friday!