VIRGINIA LIVING

Mother Sick Days

2012-02-09T09:59:00.000-08:00

Source: joannagoddard.blogspot.com via Joanna on Pinterest

Mommy sick days? They do not exist.

Bummer.

I could use one.

The Little Things

2012-02-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

I do not lead a glamorous life.

Most of my days are exactly the same, yet always different. Play with the boys, work, clean up after the boys, cook for the boys and referee the boys.

When not having to leave the house for work, church, or other social obligations, I rarely get out of sweat pants. I wish I was a mom that got dressed every day and looked fabulous all the time. I don't. I wear yoga/sweatpants most of the days because 1. Colin throws food and I don't want to ruin my nice clothes. 2. I try to work out in the afternoons, and already being in work out type clothes gives me less of an excuse. 3. I am dramatically more comfortable.

It can get a bit exhausting, this clean, chase children, cook, work, clean, workout, chase children cycle.

In between wiping the snotty noses and kissing tears away, it gets easy to forget about the good stuff. The little things that make each uneventful, yet full day complete. The little things that tend to erase the negative things.

So today, I am choosing to remember those little things. The highlights of my day. The things that 25 years from now, I want to remember.

I want to remember:

The feeling of Colin's chubby little hands clinging around my neck.

The smell of his skin, fresh from his afternoon nap.

Jack singing 'Kumbaya' with a British accent.

Jack kisses, especially when he tries to kiss my nose.

Colin's smoker's laugh.

Stories of superheros and animals told by a 3 year old with an incredible imagination. (and vocabulary)

Jack telling me he loves me throughout the day.

Sweet little faces fast asleep.

The sound of their giggles and the grins on their faces when I finally have had enough and wrestle both of them down to the ground...and stay on the ground to get trampled a bit.

Jack picking me flowers.

Colin's cheesy smile. The one where his eyes are almost closed because he is grinning so wide.

Tired heads that lay on my tired shoulders.

I could go on and on...

So, on long tiring Mondays, when the dishes are piled high from the weekend and the floors filled with stolen cupcake crumbs... I want to remember these little things.

Because it is the little things that make up the joys in life.

Kale Chips

2012-02-02T19:47:00.000-08:00

You guys.

I ate a 2lb bag of kale almost single-handedly. (Ryan and the kids had a little bit.)

In 4 days.

It was like I could not eat enough.

Super crispy, salty, with a slight taste of heat.

Kale is super food.

~Kale Chips~

- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
- Trim off all of the hard stems
- Drizzle with olive oil. I used a chipolte flavored olive oil and it made it just that much better.
- Sprinkle with sea salt (or whatever salt you have)
- Toss the kale and spread in a single layer on a sheet pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until they are crispy but not burnt.

Seriously. I love these thing. I need another bag of Kale.

18

2012-01-30T14:13:00.000-08:00

Colin is 18 months now.

1 1/2 years old.

Half way to two.

Too big.

He had a growth spurt these last few months and is now in the 80th percentile for his height (up from around 45%) and moved into the 20th percentile for weight. Again, I have no idea how they judge these kids, cause my little Cols is not short on chub. His belly is pretty awesome. His thighs are still pretty awesome. Probably because he loves to eat. All day long.

Colin loves to play with his brother's Thomas the Trains. All of them, all the time. No sharing.

He plays so contently, lining them all up, than chugging them right along. Cutest.

He also loves to do everything his brother does. Everything. Regardless of any of the consequences.

He is talking so much more now. His favorite words are : momma, daddy, Ack(Jack), brother, kitty, doggie, apple juice, trains, bye-bye, teeth and most importantly...MINE.

Favorite phrases: I don't know. (all while holding his hands out and shrugging his shoulders)

Hiiiii Kiiiitttty!!!!! More apple juice, pwease. Eat, eat, EAT!

He likes to do everything by himself.

Everything.

He is either super happy or super mad.

If he is not happy, you have 2.5 seconds to fix it.

He is also super loving. Loads of kisses and hugs from him.

He has his little doggie that goes to bed with him and he ALWAYS shares his bottle with doggie. Doggie gets tucked in as well.

Seriously.

I ADORE this kid.

He lights up my world.

Even when he is covered in soy yogurt.

So This Is Love...

2012-01-25T08:50:00.000-08:00

Wishing

My Handsome Husband

A Very Happy Birthday!

Thanks for showing me what Love really is.

I love you.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday: Welcome to 2012

2012-01-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

It's the first Awkward and Awesome post of the new year. Thursdays are kind of a crazy day for me most of the month. We are life group leaders at our church, and we are hosting this year, so that means crazy Thursday cleanings for me. And way too much television watching for the boys. There will be no parent of the year awards coming my way on Thursdays. Hand scrubbing pale wood floors, yes. Parental awards of diligence, no.

So you can read this while I vacuum my house.

~Awkward~

~ Opening my pots and pan drawer to find a large stuffed Tigger...staring at me.

~ Colin's need to to scream bursts of anger when something doesn't go his way. Like not getting dinner fast enough...cause it is still cooking. Or not getting a drink to him fast enough...cause I don't speak 17 month old jibber.

~ Jack using the word "Splendid" all the time. It is just so awkward to have my 3 year old tell me that he has a splendid idea. I need to remind him he is 3, not 35.

~ My husband's new books about quantum space theory...that he asked me to get him for Christmas...cause he likes to read about the projected path of a neutron when it is observed theoretically. Who did I marry?!?!

~ Colin taking to wiping his own nose...on his blanket, and his doggie, and my couch...

~ Picking up the house on Saturday and Jack asks me if life groups are coming. He thinks I only clean when people come over...even though I clean something everyday...

~ Lighting multiple candles when Hubby came home from a work event. Apparently people were smoking cigars and I could not go within 3 feet of Ryan. It was horrible. Why do people smoke that stuff?

~Awesome~

~ Colin giving kissed with sound effects.

~ Having reservations at a fancy restaurant for Ryan's birthday next week! I am forcing him to dress up, so that I can dress up in some new fancy clothes.

~ Jack telling me that he loves me randomly through out the day.

~ Jack attempting to sing every word of any song...even if he has never heard it before. He may be a few beats behind at all times, but he get an A for effort.

~ Brothers giving each other hugs WITHOUT being told to!

~ Baby boys that line up every single train and animal in the house to watch a "show" with them. Cute.

They have the ability to be both awkward AND awesome at the same time.

It's a gift.

A gift that came from their dad. ;)

The boys just dumped out an entire basket of little mismatched toys and started throwing them at each other.
Not awesome.

Does anyone else feel the need to have an immaculate house when people come over? Is immaculate even possible with two little boys?!

Tomato Basil Soup

2012-01-16T19:27:00.000-08:00

With the weather finally cooling down and winter starting to show up just the tiniest bit, I thought it would be a good time to share this soup recipe with you. We like soup in this household. A lot. My husband could eat soup almost every day. In the winter, I have to remember to make something else besides soup.

This recipe is super easy and so good. It claims it is just as good as Nordstom Cafe's Tomato Basil soup. I have never had their soup, but I can vouch for this recipe. One of my favorite tomato soups ever.

The secret is in the carrots. Yep. Carrots in tomato basil soup. Just sweat them down with some onions.

Blend it up till it is smooth.

Add some cream (or half and half) at the very end and cook till heated all the way through.

And there it is. One of the best tomato basil soup I have had. It makes a large quantity, so I am able to eat a few meals off of it and than freeze the rest for later.

Ready for the recipe?

You can find it here.

Enjoy!

This guy approved of it. He liked to dip his toast in it.

And blow it all over me.

Good thing he is so cute :)

18 days

2012-01-12T15:18:00.000-08:00

We had the privilege of spending 18 days in Michigan during the Christmas season. Both of our families within miles of each other, so it just makes sense to have a nice long vacation when we can see both families.

This year we did something different. We drove. All 16 hours of it.

It went well, considering we harnessed two small boys into seats that did not allow them to move. Ya know, safety regulations and all.

We arrived safely and promptly filled all 18 days with stuff like this...

Taking rides on Great Grandma Andrew's rolling walker.

Most played with "toy" of the trip.

It only snowed one day. ONE. But it was taken full advantage of.

Jack's request to make a "no-man" was granted. They had to use almost all of the snow, but he made a cute one. He was disappointed that we did not have coal for eyes, however.

Colin got to play in snow for the first time as well!

Soy yogurt was fed to the little man via the airplane spoon.

Colin makes airplane noises with all his spoons now.

Stripey Christmas pajamas were donned.

Complete with awesome hat.

Traditional Christmas Eve pj picture was attempted.

Sadly, this was one of the better shots.

Little train stockings were opened by sleepy-eyed babes.

We even had a super hero show up Christmas morning.

Of course, when you have one Super Hero, you need another.

We were well protected that Christmas morning.

Than your brother and your husband can dress a like. Twinsies

(It is easy to do, when you buy your husband and your sister buys your brother the exact same sweater.)

They came up with this idea on their own.

Of course, there was lots of eating, lots of shopping (yay for the Grand Rapids Anthropologie!) and lots of family. We got in some great dates. The boys got in lots of play time.

By the end though, tired boys were ready for the long drive home. Jack told me that his toys missed him and would be so happy when he came back.

We took two days for the trip home.

Coming home was sweet, but there is always the tinge of sadness, knowing it will be summer till we see our family again.

It was a good 18 days.

For the Mommies~

2012-01-10T17:18:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine posted this link on her facebook.

I loved it.

I understood it.

If you are mommy, especially to younger kids, you will enjoy this read.

Momastery: Don't Carpe Diem

(Disclaimer: This is the only post I have read by this blog. I know nothing else about her.)

Great Expectations

2012-01-05T19:41:00.000-08:00

google images

2012 is here.

I have been waiting.

While laying on my parent's couch, willing myself to stay awake to see the ball drop, I contemplated what I wanted 2012 to be. I did not have any great revelations. No light shown from heaven and no audible voice was heard. No deep meaning taken out of a single word. No light bulb moment. Nothing.

I sent out a simple "Happy New Years" tweet and as I typed it out, it came to me.

Expectation.

I have great expectations for this year. I want to see things happen!

I feel like my family has been in limbo for awhile. My parents, my sister and brother in law. My husband. All of us have been in some sort of limbo. A waiting game, if you will.

There are things that need to take place. There are changes that need to come. Good things. Good changes. Needed changes.

And I am ready for those changes. I am anticipating them.

No more idly sitting by.

Active expectation.

I have expectations and I know that God is going to do GREAT things this year.

It is time.

2012.

Great expectations.

Bring it on.

~ What are YOU expecting for this new year?~

2011: In Review

2012-01-04T19:33:00.000-08:00

I know that I am late the game in all the New Years hoopla. I just got back from a two week trip to Michigan and bounced right back into the flow of life with a jammed packed week. So let's pretend it is actually Jan 1 and not Jan 4th.

January 2011

Last year my goal was to be intentional. I am not sure how successful I was, but I did think about it quite often during the year. Here is how 2011 turned out in my house.

Also, a fun little look back at January 2011. My how those boys have grown...

February 2011

We finally got Colin to eat in February and he has not slowed down since.

March 2011

March was awesome and awkward and I battled Colin. (Story of my life)

We lost Elisha the end of March. Watching his parents and family walk through his life and his death was probably one of the most impacting events of the year, and will forever change my life.

April 2011

April we had visitors! I love visitors! I also love my Love.

May 2011

Colin was dedicated in May!

June 2011

June brought summer! Plus another post about my favorite.

July 2011

July is birthday month! Three! One!

August 2011

I went on vacation...ALONE! And we had our first hurricane. And earthquake, but I didn't feel it and that was awkward.

September 2011

September we had some good family time.

October 2011

October was our 5 year anniversary! Oh yeah. and I turned 30.

November 2011

So much to be thankful for in November.

December 2011

And LOADS of Christmas celebrating was had in December. (more on that to come later.)

And that was our pretty fantastic year. I am looking forward to seeing what 2012 has in store for us.

The Christmas Eve Eve Post

2011-12-23T13:06:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread house making with Aunt Abbey

I am on vacation with my family in Michigan. Sadly, there is no snow, but it is still good to be home. Jack is desperately waiting for some snow. Since I am out and about, I thought I would do just a simple post about Christmas and my traditions. I linked up with Mrs.B for this fun little Christmas list.

I am knee deep in sweet potatoes and about to embark on some cookies, so I will leave you with this.

Eggnog or hot chocolate? Hot chocolate, or better yet, hot chocolate made with coffee instead of milk.

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? I wrap presents. You will have to ask Santa.

Colored lights on tree/house or white? I love blue for the tree and white for the house. Husband likes white everything. Our tree is fake and white.

Do you hang mistletoe? I wish I had some to hang!

When do you put your decorations up? Just after Thanksgiving.

What is your favorite holiday dish? Ham with cheesy potatoes and homemade lady finger rolls.

Favorite holiday memory as a child? Going to Grandma's house on the river.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Never believed in Santa, just liked to watch the movies.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Just one before bed.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Well, we have a fake with white lights. I have all my old ornaments and the kid's ornaments on it. Kinda rustic but fun.

Snow! Love it or dread it? Love it. I only really get it when I am Michigan, so love it. (Right now there is NO snow and I am sad.)

Can you ice skate? I can, but I don't get to do it very often.

Do you remember your favorite gift? I am sure some type of clothes or something.

What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Being with family, celebrating Jesus' birth,eating loads of food...

What is your favorite holiday dessert? Frosted sugar cookies

What is your favorite holiday tradition? Going to Grandma's house or slowly opening the gifts one at a time.

What tops your tree? A little gold star. We need something more substantial next year!

Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? I love to give gifts. I love to pick out just the right thing. I also like to get them :)

Candy canes: yuck or yummy? They are fine.

Favorite Christmas show? It's a Wonderful Life

Saddest Christmas song? The horrible one with the kid buying his dying mom shoes.

What is your favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night and than Carol of the Bells.
.

Ok. So what are some of YOUR favorites?

It is Christmas Eve Eve!

Tis the season...

2011-12-13T13:13:00.000-08:00

We had a great weekend. We had friends over for a little Christmas party.

I baked my Friday night away. (I made marshmallows from scratch and cake balls!)

I even got dressed up with a long flowy skirt and bright berry lipstick. Lipstick is a big deal around here. My hubby hates it, so I only wear it on certain occasions. It is a real bummer. I feel like lipstick takes me from "Oh! Look at that teenage mom" to " Well, she had her kids young".

But I didn't take a single picture.

The only pictures that I got was of a running toddler with a stolen santa hat.

He looked extra handsome in a one piece knit tuxedo. We like to keep it comfy and classy around here.

But, I didn't get a good picture. Cause he runs away from my camera.

Cause he is 16 months and runs all day and all night long.

Especially when he has stolen contraband.

(Working the Wii. He stole the remote. Surprised? No.)

Did you do anything fun last weekend?

This weekend we drive 17 hours straight in the car with the boys.

Yikes.

Saturday Date

2011-12-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

I went on a date this Saturday. I went with the handsome little guy.

We dress up just a bit and left Daddy and brother to man for themselves while we took off for the afternoon.

First stop. Starbucks.

Coffee for me, chocolate milk with a cookie for him.

It was super crowded and we had to eat outside.

Someone thought it was funny when I tried to take his picture while driving.

My aim was a bit off.

We went to the Aquarium, but not to see the fishies this time.

We said hello to the harbor seals before heading inside.

While walking in the building Jack was telling me all of the ocean creatures pictured on the wall. He asked me what the last creature was. I told him that he knew what it was, it was a turtle!

His response, " No, Mom. It is a leatherback sea turtle."

Oh. My mistake.

Instead of seeing all the "fishies", we went and saw The Polar Express in 3D at the IMAX with a few of his little friends and their mommies.

It was so much fun! The boys (ages 3-4 yrs old) did so great! Only one got scared and had to leave. It was pretty intense on that big screen and in 3D and quite loud.

They sat still for the most part for the entire movie, which is a feat in itself. They wanted to be done after the Santa Claus scene. I guess the moral conclusion was not as interesting to them.

It was a really great date.

I will totally give this guy a second date.

He's a keeper.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

2011-12-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

Babies in a suit. Always awesome.

~Awkward~
1. The amount of sweet potato casserole that Ryan and I consumed. We are talking in the pounds here people. Hands down, the most amazing sweet potato casserole known to man kind. So, it was worth it.

2. Having no one come to our Thanksgiving who said they would...leaving us with pounds of pie and sweet potato casserole. I think Ryan was secretly happy to not share his pie...or get dressed.

3. Watching the Lions' lose. On Thanksgiving. Again.

4. Colin eating old oatmeal out of the trash. Again.

5. Socially awkward editors.

6. Walking by Jack's room at 9:50pm and he is just sitting in his Lighting McQueen folding chair wide awake.

Baby with a Nutella sandwich. Awkward...since this is after one bite.

~Awesome~
1. Having a Thanksgiving "picnic" with just our little family.

2. Getting ALL of the black friday deals online that crazy people lined up on the streets for. In my pjs, sipping fresh, hot coffee and just clicking. Seriously people, I got ALL of Best Buy's deals online Thanksgiving AM while the boys slept.

3. Using Ebates while shopping online. SO, not only did I score some great deals, but I made some money.

4. Jack doing the moves to Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred. His push-ups look like booty shakes!

5. Colin's nap march. Every time he wakes up from his nap, I have to pick up his dog, his blanket and them him, in that order. He than will squirm to get down, grab blanket and dog and march down the hallway. Cute.

6. Anthropologie had first time ever 50% off all sale items on Black Friday. If you are getting an awesome gift from me, I probably bought it at Anthropologie and I got it for a steal. (Pretend that you don't know that and be impressed.)

7. Colin give his Dog a little bit of his bottle. It's the cutest, minus the slightly milky stuffed Dog.

My little Orangutan. Awesome.

Jack, Teddy and Husband Orangutan. Awkward.

As always, this is sponsored by the Daybook.

Have you seen my baby?

2011-11-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

He seems to be missing.

There is this little tow-headed toddler here instead. A laughing, screaming, squealing, giggling, yelling toddler.

In the last few weeks Colin has decided to drop his morning nap. (How will I ever get any cleaning done?!)

He weaned himself cold turkey.

He insists on feeding himself, no matter the consequence (or the mess).

He plays, like actual play, not just tossing toys around.

He can wrestle his brother to the ground.

His dancing and singing have multiplied. His tantrums have definitely been taken to a new level.

Seriously. Where did this kid come from and where is my sweet little baby. I swear, he was a baby the last time I looked. I swear it.

Saying "Cheese!" AND coloring.

He needs to stop this.

Thankful: Laughter

2011-11-23T14:39:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of laughter at my house. A lot.

Jack is hilarious.

Colin is hilarious.

Jack thinks Colin is hilarious. Colin thinks Jack is hilarious. Gut busting laughter ensues.

Granted, there is usually some screaming and tears mixed in with all the giggles, but laughter is always the dominate sound.

I could listen to my boys laugh and giggle together forever.

For that, I am so thankful.

Thankful: All Circumstances

2011-11-22T17:28:00.000-08:00

Jack's First Thanksgiving!

I was honored to be asked to do a guest post for Debra over at I Dream of Anthropologie. She is a sweet soul who just left the VA area to move to the wide open plains of Kansas. She has a great style and an even better heart.

Check out my post here!

Thankful:Celebrations

2011-11-21T19:37:00.000-08:00

This weekend we had the honor of celebrating a handsome little man's first birthday.

I love a good birthday celebration, especially when it is someone as sweet as Ephraim.

I got to help do a bit of the decorating and made these pom poms.

Thanks, Pinterest!

I am also thankful that we were able to stay for the party and not take a little trip to Patient First for some stitches. Jack managed to break a glass and cut his thumb pretty deeply. He bleed all over the house till he found us. Strong little man did not even cry, just held up his bloody hand. The good news was that there were a few NICU nurses attending and they helped us bandage him up. Poor little guy lost a bunch of blood and passed out on his Daddy and slept through the whole birthday singing!

Colin enjoyed this party. He managed to sneak not one, but two cupcakes. He holed himself up in a corner and pretty much demolished the first one. The second one was caught sooner and he made a mad dash away from mom, but lost that little battle. I am pretty sure we cleaned chocolate cake out of his neck folds that night.

Of course, while we celebrate Ephraim turning one, we remember that two boys were born that day. Sweet Elisha blessed us with 4 1/2 months of his little life and is dearly and deeply missed.

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, what are some of the things that you are thankful for?

Fancy

2011-11-18T07:34:00.000-08:00

Some days you just need to add a little bit of fancy into your life.

Just a little bit.

Friday Favorites: Weekends!

2011-11-11T14:03:00.000-08:00

We have had a very busy week. Everyone is tired.

The plans this weekend include a family movie night with some gourmet doughnuts, some little man jeans shopping and lots of relaxing. And hopefully loads of cuddling. Let's be honest here. There will also be a lot Pinterest in pjs going on.

Weekends are my favorite.

Apparently

2011-11-06T20:55:00.000-08:00

Apparently, the steam from a shower can set off my fire alarm...during nap time. I left the door cracked and the fan off, as to hear my refusing to nap, but still in his room 3 year old. One can get out of a shower, towel draped, and waving discarded sweater under the fire alarm in mere seconds.

Apparently, Colin can now crawl onto my kitchen counters via the high kitchen stools. He can not, however, get down.

Apparently, that white tissue paper with the large colored sparkles inside of it can shed. Giant colored sparkles. On your bed.

Apparently, husbands do not like sleeping in giant sparkles. Who knew?

Apparently, when your star quarterback is injured you don't win football games. Any of them.

Apparently, it is not that much fun to watch a continual smattering of your team. I now feel slightly more sympathetic to my Husband and his Lion's plight. But only slightly, cause they are finally decent this year.

Apparently, you can NOT eat all the sweets that come across your path and still lose weight.

Apparently, if you accidentally forget to turn down the stove, your egg-based soup can over cook and turn into a scrambled egg type texture...even if you already tempered the soup. Yum.

Apparently, the change in weather has created a major baby eczema outbreak on Colin. Poor little body and face is all covered with little bumps and rashes. He is still cute, just bumpy. :(

You really do learn new things every week!

Apparently.

Pumpkin Cream Trifle

2011-10-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

Fall is the perfect excuse to use pumpkin in as many ways as possible. Cupcakes, layered cakes, and lots more.

This past weekend I wanted to put good use to my fun new trifle bowl and came across this recipe.

My husband loves pumpkin and has since made me promise to make this again for Thanksgiving.

It is super simple and super good.

Pumpkin Cream Trifle via Allrecipes.com (with my slight moderation)

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package spice cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 cups cold milk
2 (3.4 ounce) packages cheesecake flavor instant pudding and pie filling
2 cups whipped topping
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 cup English toffee bits
* I added another 1-2 cups of plain whipped topping on the top

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
Combine the cake mix, vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin, water, oil, eggs, and pie spice in a large mixing bowl; pour into the prepared dish.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Cut the cake into 1-inch cubes.
Whisk together the milk and cheesecake pudding mix. Allow to set, about 2 minutes. Fold the whipped topping into the pudding mixture.
Layer 1/3 of the cake cubes into the bottom of a large bowl; top with 1/3 of the cream mixture and sprinkle with 1/3 of the pecans and toffee bit. Repeat layering until all ingredients are uses. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
* I found that the cream was enough for two layers, not three. There was enough cake for 3 layers, so I just used plain whipped topping for the top layer and than could finish out the trifle dish. A good homemade whipped topping recipe is here.

Super simple. So good. Go make it. Your hubby/family/friends will love you!

A and A

2011-10-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

It is Thursday. That means it is time for some awkward and awesome moments. We are still trying to recover and get back into the grove of things after taking a mini-vacation and having family in town. Why does vacation always need a vacation after it is over?

~Awkward~
~Finding random items that Colin placed in the drawers. One shoe, cups, empty dt.coke cans that he stole from the recycling container, my pepper mill...

~ Wearing a light silk skirt on a windy day.

~ Watching 6 adults jam themselves onto my couch and love seat to watch the world series.

~ Jack's bedtime routine. It last FOREVER. He thinks up a million excuses. Drives me nuts.

~ Giant golden crowned flying fox bats. Google it.

~ Getting asked multiple times if I was a student for the student discount at multiple stores. Nope, I have been out of college for 6 years. Yes, I still look like an undergrad. Yes, I am 30 now. No, I am not kidding. Who would lie about turning 30?! ( fyi: Madewell and J.Crew give nice student discounts, if you are an actual student!)

~ Having Jack's closet door ripped down during Life Groups. 3 weeks into hosting and we already have some damage...

~Awesome~
~ Colin busting it out to kid's praise gospel. That boy has some serious rhythm.

~ Having a Georgetown Cupcake. I didn't know that frosting could melt in your mouth like that till I had one of theirs.

~ Popbacks.

~"Mom, can we talk about crocodiles?" Or giraffes, or elephants, or trucks or dolphins or crickets. Jack always wants to talk about things, mostly animals and engines. I am better at the animals than the engines...

~ KitchenAid stand mixer.

~ Being able to have my mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, brother and sister all in town for a week. We were able to house them all, and it was full and fun!

~ Going the entire week of vacation and not counting a single Weight Watcher point. (However, it is not so awesome the next week to step on the scale.)

~ Most Awful, Scary Moment
~ Ryan having to do the heimlich on Colin at Chipolte. Colin had stuff too many chips and rice into his mouth and was choking and turning purple. Scariest moment of my parental life. We got it out and he is o.k. Thank the Lord.

And because I am still recovering from the whole helpmybabyisturningpurple heart attack, I am going to leave you with one of my favorite pictures of Jack. It is both awkward AND awesome.

We told him he could do 3 silly faces for our family pictures. This was one of them. It reminds me so much of his late great-grandpa Jack.

Have a great week with more awesome than awkward and no awful moment!

Back to Reality

2011-10-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

I was on vacation all last week.

Took a trip to Georgetown/Washington D.C with just my husband and came back to a week full of activities.

Thai food. Heaven.

My mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, sister and brother were all in town. And they all stayed with us.

So that is an extra 6 adult bodies in my house. It was full, but it was good.

I have very few pictures to document this week, as my camera phone decided to delete all my Georgetown photos and my camera battery died in the middle of the Jamestown. Believe me that it was a good week.

Grandma with the boys in Jamestown

But now it is over. And it is Monday. And Husband is at work.

The cake has all been eaten and the only adult left to change diapers is me.

Colin broke my favorite coffee mug and my work Mac computer screen just died.

It sure was nice to get a break.

But for now, it is back to reality.

30 Things

2011-10-18T06:17:00.000-07:00

I turn 30 today. I have so many things to be thankful for. More than can be named. So here are just 30 things that I am thankful for on this birthday.

1. Ryan. My love, my best friend, my life.

2. Jack. My sweet little negotiator,who is quick with a kiss and smart as a whip.

3. Colin. My vivacious little bundle of energy, who keeps me laughing and moving all day long.

4. My house. To be in our own home that we own and be more than comfortable is a huge blessing.

5. Our cars. They are payed off and ours and I am so thankful for that.

6. Our church. I grow to love it more each week and am so thankful to be apart of New Life Providence at Deep Creek. It is our home away from home.

7. Our friends here in Virginia. We love you and our growing and deepening relationships.

8. Our friends afar. We love you and miss your friendship, but are thankful that we can maintain it at such distances.

9. CBN. For the ability to work in my field, doing work that I love and making an impact all over the world.

10. Coffee. My one cup a day has grown to two.

11. Cupcakes. Semi-portioned sized pieces of cake and frosting. Love.

12. Thai food. If only I could eat Thai multiple times a week. If only...

13. Anthropologie. For giving me a dose of whimsy and femininity in my world filled with testosterone...and usually at killer sale prices.

14. Online bloggie friends. Who knew you could find and befriend people though the interwebs? It makes sitting at home alone with the boys not so lonely.

15. Pei Wei. Please come to Hampton Roads and bring your delicious Dan Dan with you.

16. Minneapolis. I love that city and wish I could visit it more often.

17. Nashville. Always will have a special place in my heart. Trying to sneak a work trip back...

18. The Muskegon River. It wraps around many of the houses that I love and invites beautiful scenery field trips.

19. Family. If only the distance was not so great. The older I get, the closer I want to be near my family.

20. My In-Laws. Cause they gave me my amazing husband.

21. Stretch Marks. While I do not love you, I have grown to accept you...since you symbolize my beautiful boys.

22. Travel. The never ending wanderlust. Oh the places I will go...

23. Uganda, Africa. For stealing a piece of my heart and never giving it back.

24. Natural Childbirth Classes. I came to understand my body and the way it was created to form and protect the miracle of life. And it gave me a greater appreciation for the medical advances that we have now.

25. Online shopping. Two small boys = less shopping time. Thanks to ebates, shopping codes and the like, I usually do better online. Plus, what is better than getting a package in the mail?

26. Airports. Terminals filled with locations that are accessible by merely stepping off of it's causeway. Fascinating and exciting.

27. Magazines. For filling my fashion lusting and giving me quick escapes in a few simple page turns.

28. Smart Phones. For now I can work, email and read Pride and Prejudice all on my phone. Very smart indeed.

29. My camera. For allowing me to capture little images of time and hold it captive.

30. My Jesus. For making my life worth living, giving it meaning and a purpose. And for loving me, even though I never, ever will deserve it.

I am blessed beyond measure. Here is to another 30 magnificent, magical years!

~Our Story~

2011-10-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

Today is my 5 year anniversary. I went through most of my old blog post and I don't think I have ever shared the whole story of how I met and married my husband. I was going to write it all out, but than I remembered. Ryan already did. He wrote it out and we printed it on the back of our wedding programs. So here it is. Our story, written by Ryan, a few days before our wedding.

(left: Jack Sturtevant center: Ryan right: Joe Maile)

The story of Ryan and Alicia begins long before their engagement, their first kiss, or the first time they met. Their story start with their grandparents.

Jack and Bonnie Sturtevant (Ryan's grandparents) and Joe and Barb Maile (Alicia's grandparents) were friends in high school. They went to the same hangouts and even worked the same jobs. They remained friends through marriage and after having children. Their kids also became friends and went to school together. The families were so close that Ryan's mom even babysat for Alicia's aunt and mother.

In 1972 Jack and Bonnie went to a little tent meeting where they met their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It was a decision that changed their lives, and would soon change the lives of many others forever.

Jack and Bonnie brought Alicia's mom, Laura with them to a tent meeting one night. Laura became a believer and thus redirected the course of her life. Slowly Alicia's entire immediate family came to know the Lord.

After high school Ryan's mother and Alicia's mother both went their separate ways, heading West. Eventually Sue & Ed moved back to Michigan from California and Dave & Laura moved back from Utah.

Ryan remembers when they first met. He was seven and Alicia was nine. He was just a little shorter than her shoulder. Ryan liked Alicia right away, but he know that he was too young to have a girlfriend. When he was 9 years old and in the third grade he prayed for an entire year that they could have a "relationship." One year later he confided in his brother Joel that when he was 14 and Alicia was 16, he would ask her to be his girlfriend. He figured that the gap between 10 and 12 just sounded too weird but 14 and 16 was better. Ryan's hopes continued until he was 16 years old.

It was about that time that Alicia really began to notice Ryan. He had just committed his life to the Lord and was a different person. Alicia recalls one evening at church while she was just sitting there, watching people around her. She noticed Ryan, off to side by himself. He was praying with sincerity than most were. She uttered a prayer to God that He would give her a man like Ryan Fedell. Ryan prayed for Alicia when he was in elementary school. Alicia prayed for Ryan when she was in high school.

They came together as friends first, than as more. Alicia went away six hundred miles to college and Ryan finished high school. They came together and they parted for a time. While the status of their relationship changed, their friendship never did.

April 8, 2006 exactly six years from their first kiss, Ryan asked Alicia to be his love for life. Obviously, she said yes, or you would not be here today, reading this story.

Some people call it luck, some call it love, and some people believe that it is fate that brings them together. Ryan and Alicia believe that they were divinely appointed to live their lives together. They believe that God planned their marriage and their lives together, even while their grandparents were still in high school. God designed them for each other.

Alicia and Ryan want their lives to show the amazing grace of Jesus and the power of prayer. Thank you for coming and joining with them as they make their covenant before God.

And that, is our story. Five years later, it still rings true, every word. We have changed as people and as a couple. We have become parents. We have lost loved ones while new ones joined the family. We have changed and moved and adapted as life continues it's path.

I am so happy that God chose Ryan for me. He is the perfect partner through life. I greatly look forward to the next 5, 10 and 50 years before us.

If there is one thing that I do know, it is that this life we lead will be a great adventure!

Ryan Fedell, I love you dearly.

Banana Madness

2011-10-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

Guys.

This is madness.

Did you know that you can create a smooth, creamy ice cream type dessert with just a plain single banana?

You can.

It is madness, I tell you.

I first heard of this idea on pinterest (the most awesome, time stealing website ever). I was skeptical, but intrigued. Than I was given confirmation by a facebook friend. I was sold. I had some just past ripe bananas.

It seemed too good to be true. An ice cream dessert but only the calories of a banana?

So, I gave it a whirl.

You need just past ripe bananas. So brown spots but not black. You want it to be a little over ripe, as they are sweeter that way.

Slice the bananas up and than pop them into the freezer for an hour or so. You want them to be frozen through. Make sure to slice them first, because it will be much harder to blend a whole banana.

It is recommended to use a food processor, but since I only have a blender, I did smaller batches of bananas.

Dump those frozen banana slices in your blend and blend. It will look grainy at first, and you may need to stop and stir it a few times, but keep blending.

Once your bananas have the consistency of soft serve ice cream, you are done!

That is it! No sugar, no cream, nothing.

It is creamy and smooth and sweet.

You can either eat it right away for a soft serve texture or put it back in the freezer and than scoop it like a hard ice cream. I stored mine in little single serving containers.

You can add cocoa power and some peanut butter and have a chocolate peanut butter ice cream. I did both, but prefer the plain banana.

Jack loved it.

Colin is hypersensitive to diary, so no real ice cream for him. He loved the whipped bananas!

Ryan was super skeptical. He only likes bananas if they are just past green. One brown dot and he won't eat them.

He loved the pseudo- ice cream. It does not have a strong banana flavor.

So, go! Freeze your over ripe bananas. Blend those suckers up. Eat some guilt free ice cream.

It is banana madness.

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 26-30

2011-10-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

Hooray! We are at the end of the 30 (or 60, in my case) Photo Challenge! I have had half of these photos shot for over a week and just kept forgetting to get an outdoor shot. I hope you enjoyed these and decided to take a few more photos yourself.

Day 26~ Something Old

This Happy Apple baby toy is almost 30 years old! It was my toy when I was a baby and my mom kept it and gave it to me when I had Jack. Both my boys loved to play with this apple, especially during tummy time.

Day 27~ After Dark

Day 28~ Daily Routine

Every morning I get up with one of the boys, get them situated and I make a pot of coffee. 98% of that time, I am holding Colin on one hip while I make it. He likes to help. My husband is a coffee snob and we only have whole beans at our house. So, freshly ground coffee every morning it is. Now, I am a coffee snob. Thanks, hun.

(Can we all take a moment of silence here about the loss of Peyton Manning and the Colts? I feel like I am watching the Lions again...the old Lions that is.)

Day 29~ Purchased

This is one of my favorite purchases in a long time. It is a floaty, pleated maxi dress from Forever 21. The color is the perfect blush shade with tan undertones and it does not wash me out. I love it so.

( It is no longer available online, but you can see it on Lisa here.)

Day 30~ In Motion

*disclaimer~ no children were injured in the taking of this photo!

Is there anything more fun than being 3 years old and being flung high into the air by your daddy?

Jack doesn't think so.

And that is the conclusion of the 30 Day Photo Challenge.

We are at the cusp of pretty much non-stop daily activities, guests and celebrations. Today is the only day not filled to the brim and we are going to try to paint our master bathroom. Wish us luck!

Hope you has a great relaxing weekend!

Friday Favorites: October!

2011-09-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

pinterest

Tomorrow it is October.

I love October. It is my favorite month.

Fall is my favorite season and October is the peak. In Michigan (where I grew up) the colors are at their peak. In Virginia, it is just beginning to cool down past 80 degrees.

Other top reasons to love October?

1. My anniversary~ 5 years!

2. My birthday~ The BIG 30 this year. Eek!

3. My entire family is coming to visit! Grandparents, parents and siblings, all staying with us, for a week!

4. Pumpkin anything~ pies, cupcakes, pancakes, lattes....

5. Boots and scarves!

6. Football! (But really, it is kinda depressing this year. I miss Peyton...desperately) On the upside, my Hubby is pumped about his Lions this year.

7.Weekend getaway with just the husband!

8. Birthday discounts ;)

Oh man, so many great things to look forward to in October. What is your favorite month? Why?

October is my favorite.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday!

2011-09-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

Thursdays are a good day. It is just before the weekend, so there is some anticipation about that. There is great television. The Office and Project Runway, anyone? You have successfully made it through most of your week. And it is also awkward and awesome Thursday. What more can you really expect from a day?

~Awkward~
~ Jack telling my Mom on the phone that he just had "the fastest poop in my ENTIRE life."
~ snot marks on my clothing.
~ Scrapping off dried, melted plastic off of the back of the dryer vent. Advice: don't dry a cheap plastic tablecloth from Wal-Mart. Apparently, they will melt off and stick to the back of your dryer and force you to half crawl into your dryer to scrap it off with your nails.
~ Smelling like Desitin Maximum Strength.
~ Having to wear a bright gold/yellow shirt volunteer shirt for my company's massive 50th anniversary celebration day. It is just the perfect shade of yellow that turns my skin green, thanks to my olive skin tone. Super hot. Everyone wants to look like a martian, right?
~ Colin figuring out how to kick me in the face while nursing...and now it is time to start weaning...

~Awesome~
~ Colin's baby mullet. There is quite the party going on back there.
~ " Mommy, can we just listen to some Adele right now?" Jack is awesome.
~ Getting my first pumpkin spice latte of the season while on a little coffee date with some good girlfriends.
~ Planning a trip to D.C/Georgetown to celebrate our 5 year anniversary.
~ Taking that trip SANS kids!
~ asos.com
~ Making an awesome lemon bar type cake that is only 2 WW points.
~ Colin imitates sounds that he hears while we are out in public. Car horn beep? He makes the same beep sound. Door bell ring? He makes the same sound. It is actually usually the exact same tone. It is actually pretty funny.

Tell me something awesome or awkward about your week!

Ombre

2011-09-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

You guys.

I want to color my hair... ombre.

pinterest

I have kept my hair at it's natural state besides a few wash-out glosses since I had Jack.

I turn 30 in a few weeks and want a new, fresh look for this new, fresh decade.

pinterest

What do you think? Should I pay up and have it done right? Stick with the no-cost brown locks?

Decisions. Decisions.

Sickies

2011-09-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

I've got a couple of sickies at my house.

As Jack puts it, "I've got sneezes and coughs and buggers."

Since it is rainy and dreary anyway, staying in and snuggling under blankets is perfectly acceptable.

Lots of movies are being watched.

I made a big pot of this soup. It is super easy, super quick and so good. Try it.

The upside of sick little guys? Loads of cuddle time.

30 day photo challenge Day 21-25

2011-09-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

Day 21~ Pretty Pattern

This pillow helped us develop our color scheme in our living room. I love the mix of colors.

Day 22~ Trees

The mimosa in our backyard is starting to lose it's pods.

Day 23~ Sunset

I wanted to head down to the ocean front for some sunset pictures, but rain this weekend thwarted those plans. This was also taken from our backyard.

Day 24~ A smile

Nothing is sweeter than a little guy happy to be in his swing, watching his brother and daddy.

Day 25~ Sunflare

Most nights, after their dad comes home from work, the boys head out to the backyard to swing for a bit. The sun creeps down behind them, as the day is ending.

Only one more installment of the 30 day photo challenge is left. What do you think? Have you been enjoying it? Has it made you want to take more pictures?

Friday Favorites: Family Outings

2011-09-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day, we ventured out to the Children's Museum of Virginia in Portsmouth for a day of family fun. The museum was filled with everything a little boy could want. Trains, fire engines, motorcycles, cars, buses, banks, stores...you name, it was there to be touched and explored.

Little boys loved to drive and touch big engines and play on police motorcycles.

Giant chairs waited in the entry way with a little library next door if you wanted to get a book to read.

Jack's favorite part was fishing with his dad. They would catch the fish via magnets, and than have to identify the fish and place it in a box. Once they found the right section and dropped it in, the fish would shoot out the front of the boat to be "caught" again.

Giant bubbles and electricity were discovered.

The adults seemed to love this push pin type display. That is Ryan. You can see everything. His phone in his pocket, the outline of his tank that was under his button-down shirt, his bicep outline. Kinda creepy. Pretty much every adult male was playing with this thing. Lots of "butt" imprints were made...

They had a great little kid play area with lots of soft flooring and padded toys. My little turtle loved it.

Getting chased by daddy is always a favorite for this little man.

All in all, it was a great experience. I think the older the boys get, the more they will enjoy all of the aspects that the museum offers. The planetarium will be opening soon and we want to take Jack back to see it. If you are in the area and have young kids, I would recommend a trip the the Children's Museum.

Family outings are my favorite.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday: Quotes

2011-09-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

We are hosting life groups at OUR house tonight, so I have lots of cleaning and getting ready to do, so this will be a short one. The fact that I have so much cleaning to do is awkward in and of itself. And the fact that I know there are grammatical issues that are going to happen with quoting is also awkward...but we will venture forth regardless.

Awkward~

" I am not sure if it is because I have been eating breakfast, but I lost 4 lbs." ~ Husband. Seriously?! Men and their amazing weight loss ability. Makes me sick.

Jack: "What are you eating?" Me:"Gum." Jack:"Mom! You know we are not allowed to eat guns!"

At 6:40 a.m, while laying in my bed supposed to go back to sleep. "Hey Mom, can we talk about fire alarms right now?" No. Early mornings is not a good time to talk about fire alarms (which he is obsessed with) Thanks a lot, Fireman Sam.

Changing Colin and he pats his little chest and yells "Inky! Inky!" Yes, he is very stinky.

"Hey Mom, can you put your hair out the window and can I swing on it?" Someone recently watched Tangled.

Awesome~

While in the car, driving home from work. "Mom, I missed you. I want to give you a million kisses but I can't cause you are just too far away"

While giving me those million kisses, he likes to grab my face and kiss my nose while saying, "Give me that little face!"

My brother and sister are flying in from MI to visit us in a few weeks. I told Jack they were coming. Later on in the day Jack said, "Mommy, I am just going to look out the window and wait for Aunt Abbey and Uncle Joel to come, alright?"

Colin yelling "Daddy!" And I do mean yelling. It sounds more like daddddeeeeeeeeeeeee. And it is really loud. And it is really cute.

"Mom, I want to go on vacation. How about this afternoon we go to the hairport. That is a good idea." I asked him where he wanted to go. "I am going to just fly over and see Grandma Waura." If only it was that simple buddy, if only it were that simple.

Have a great Thursday. Keep it awkward. Keep it awesome.

Remember

2011-09-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

I worked Tuesdays at noon, hosting for the Old Spaghetti Factory. It was a little after 9am and I was still in bed debating if I should get up and dressed for chapel or not. My roommate was at her desk on her laptop, just coming back from her 8am class. She went online and noticed that something had happened with a plane and a building. She freaked out because she had to fly the next day and was terrified of flying. I groggily got out of bed and we read what was happening on yahoo.com.

Slowly girls began to migrate into dorms rooms with televisions. We sat, glued as we watched a plane fly into the second world trade center. Girls would pop in and out, asking if this was really happening.
It was as if time stood still. We watched live as the the towers fell. It was like watching a movie, except it wasn't hollywood special effect teams. Great billows of grey ash rolled up into the sky and enveloped everything in it's path. Everyone just sat there. Stunned. Silent tears rolled down my face. What is happening? What is going on? What about all those people?

Fear started to take hold of some of the girls, tears continued to spill sometimes into a furious frenzy. I just felt shocked to the core, almost into a complete numbness. I can't remember who called who, but I am sure I talked to my parents at some point. I called into work and they said to come if I wanted, but they did not think it would be busy and to be careful and aware.

St. Paul, MN also houses a world trade center. Everyone in the Twin Cities was on high alert. As I walked to work, passing the Metrodome, cars flooded out of the city. Most of the high rise buildings were evacuated. Ryan (than my boyfriend) called me on his lunch break. He wanted to see how I was doing. As I walked pass the metrodome I saw a low flying plane. I about had a heart attack. While it was just a plane headed to the airport for a mandatory grounding, it was low and it was scary. I literally thought my heart was going to stop. I don't remember what happened at work, except that everyone looked as pale as a ghost. I am sure I stumbled my way home.

I was suppose to fly home to go to one of Ryan's football games two days later. Obviously most of those flights were canceled. No one wanted to fly. No one knew what would happen.

I did fly that next weekend. It was probably one of the most tense flights of my life. No one talked, as if words of what happened would make it happen again. Air Marshalls were everywhere. Flight attendants whispered about where they were in the air when everything happened.

Prayers were constantly on my heart and on my lips. Anger came at times, great sadness, fear and shock was also present. But a weird sense of survival kicked in. It was like, alright, this was awful. This was horrendous. Let's grow and move past this. Let's unite. Let's bring the good back into the world again. I felt like fighting. The grave injustice made me mad, fighting mad.

While I will never, ever forget those first few moments of 9/11, I will also never forget those moments afterward. Those moments of unity and resilience, of camaraderie. Of heroism, that were both seen and unseen. I will never forget that strength that appeared in people, never seen before.

So, on this ten year anniversary. I will remember. I will remember the good and the bad.

I will remember to continue to pray for my country, it's leadership and it's people.

God Bless America.

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 16-20

2011-09-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

Day 16~ What I Ate

It was taco salad tonight. Ground turkey with this seasoning, greek yogurt, ff ranch with some hot sauce and shredded cheese. Yum. I turn 30 in a little under 6 weeks and am trying to loose the last 7-8 pounds and hit my goal weight. So, lots of salads in my future!

Day 17~ On the Shelf

I am not sure where I got these books. I have had them since high school. They were either some relatives, my mom's or from a yard sale. I can't remember, but I love them. I got the creamer dish from Anthropologie and that photo was taken of Jack a few days before his 2nd birthday. It is one of my very favorites!

Day 18~ In My Bag

This is a new bag from H&M in Minneapolis. I loved the steel blue color of it and the size and shape were perfect. I rarely buy bags, as I carry my wallet and phone in a diaper bag 80% of the time, but I just loved this new fall bag. Inside my bag is always a mess. The basics are pictured;
wallet, coin purse, work i.d badge, comb, pen, gum and cheap make-up that I don't care if it gets lost. My husband hates lipstick, so I pretty much only wear it at work. I just throw it in my purse and put it on at work, if I think about it.

I also usually always have some sort of coupons floating around in there and extra paper, which I choose not to photograph because it was ugly. I did have my ebates check in there, which is awesome. If you do not use ebates, you should. Read about it here. I use it for groupon and restaurant.com ALL the time.

Day 19~ Where I Sleep

This is what my bed looks like most mornings. Stowaway with a stuffed animal. Jack sneaks into our bed almost every night. We wake up to him wedged in the middle. He is a sneaky little man. If I feel him come into bed, he goes back to his room. He knows this. Somehow, he can always figure a way into the middle of the bed without waking up his dad or myself. Sneaky.

Day 20~ What I Read

I really like to read. I love a good novel. I really do. So much so, that when I start a book, I can't stop reading it till it is finished. So, I would be reading all the time and not taking proper care of my home or family. So for now, I choose to just read magazines consistently. I still read books here and there, but I mainly read blogs and magazines, not including the countless kids books I read to the boys. Some day soon, when my boys are older, I am going to start reading more books. Some day soon.

So, that was this round of the 30 day challenge. I liked this group the least. Kinda boring, in my opinion! Hopefully the next round will be up earlier, and our computer is working properly!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Awesome and Awkward Thursday

2011-09-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

My week is all messed up with the holiday. Is it Monday? Is it Friday? Luckily, I made it to work on the right day, but things have been a bit off this week. Thankfully, Friday is just around the corner and I will have all weekend to get back on track!

This week seemed like a good week to do an A&A post. Every week is awesome and awkward, but I just forget to write it all down.

Today, I remembered...most of it.

~Awkward~

~How sore I am from doing these 10 minute rapid results pilates on Netflix. I did three of them and I am S.O.R.E.

~ "Hey Mom, look. I am licking my toes!" while he licks his toes IN his sandals. I may have had a minor freak out while driving them to the sitters today.

~ The heat and humidity here. I did my hair and it looked all sleek and wavy. By the time I walked into work and it went all Julia Roberts ala Pretty Woman on me.

~ Talking to Husband on the phone when his big boss is in town. It is kinda like talking to a robot, all cold and mechanical. I should have said something really racy to him to get him all flustered...maybe next time, maybe next time...

~ Having an epic battle with a monster spider in my garage. It was so gross and huge. Multiple shoes were thrown. I won. Barely. There are so many blasted spiders where we live.

~ Forgetting that I parked in the other parking lot after lunch...so I had to casually walk around the whole building while everyone filters off to the cars. My phone got real interesting for that walk, real interesting.

~ Husband eating a not quite ripe peach...

~ Our computer is not working...again. So no pictures, no 30 day photo challenge, nada...

~Awesome~

~ Taking the bull by the horns today at work and finally getting my way in the studio. It only took 4 months, but they did what I said and I even got an apology. It felt good.

~ "Hey Mom, when I get older and my hands get bigger, I am going to hold the fireman hose and spray water on people's houses that are on fire and they are going to like that. Maybe if I ask nicely, the fireman will say " Sure, you can help us hold the hose and spray the house" cause I am going to be bigger and ask them. Ok, Mom?" Cutest wanna-be fireman boy ever.

~ The fact that my Husband will proof my post before I publish it and read the above boss/racy comment statement and say, " Not funny, babe. Not funny" all the while shaking his head. And the fact that I think it IS funny, and I know he will respond this way is also awesome.

~ "Hey Daddy, have a good day! Love you! Be a really big helper at work today!"

~ Sushi coma.

~ The fact that Ryan went to lay Jack down for bed and has yet to emerge. Jack is quietly playing...daddy is passed out on his floor.

~ Jack uses the phrase, "Well bust my buffers" when he gets frustrated. It is so hilarious. He obviously is watching too much Thomas the Train...

Tell me about something awesome or something awkward that happened to you this week!

As always, sponsor by The Daybook.

Friday Favorites: Long Weekends!

2011-09-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

It's Labor Day Weekend!

Get excited.

I love long weekends. More time with the hubby, more time with the kiddos, more time together. We have simple plans that include setting up and using our new patio furniture, shopping for the house and taking the boys to their first children's museum. Fridays seem so much better when you know the weekend is extended.
Favorite.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

~Fall Wishlist~

2011-09-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

It is September 1st!

For most parts of the country that means fall is around the corner...for us, it means that temperatures may drop in the 80's. Either way, I am excited. Fall is, by far, my favorite season. I love everything about it.

Since most of the retailers have been pretending it was fall for the last month or so, my thought have drifted away from flip flops and shorts, to boots and chunky sweaters. With the changing of the seasons, I thought I would compile my Fall Wishlist. Some of these items are wants, some are needs and some are just both! Let's get started.

Dark Rinse Trouser Jeans

Emerson Made

I loved a good dark trouser jean. I had a great pair that I wore all last year, but since losing some weight, they no longer fit. So, the hunt is on. These jeans are way out of my price range, but definitely my inspiration.

Soft Silky Blouse

anthropologie

I have been loving soft, flowy blouses lately. They hid a world of wrongs, yet still look pulled together and polished. I love the neutral color of this top and it fits beautifully. I think it will be very versatile. Definitely sale stalking this one.

Colored Pants

anthropologie

I like this color pant trend. While I like the idea of bright red, cobalt blue and gold, I don't want to invest in a quick trend. Forever 21 will work for those type items. However, I love the deep wine color of these pants. The cut will work with heels, flats and boots. Daughters of the Liberation pants fit me better than any other pants I have owned. I have always gotten them on super sale, so I am anxiously awaiting a sale on these guys.

Mustard Shoes/ Heeled Loafers

anthropologie

I have wanted a pair of yellow/mustard shoes forever. Really. For. Ever. I love yellow, but I can not wear it anywhere close to my face. Because of my skin tone, it makes my skin look green. Not cute.

However, shoes, shoes I can do. And I love these. LOVE. love. love.

My birthday is also in October. (hint.hint. hubby)

Red Pumps

Urban Outfitters

Red heels are like a basic. Everyone needs a pair. I need a pair. My shoe collection has died a bit after the birth of my second son. Half of my shoes do not fit and I am in dire need of some basic, classic pumps. I love the whole look of these guys. They come in lots of colors.

Comfy Flats

TOMS

I really need some comfortable shoes for fall. While I love some heels, I am a mom of two small, active boys. I need something that will move! My flats include flip flops and knee high boots. Nothing in between. I love everything about TOMS and I love these guys. I hear they are very comfortable. These could just be the perfect fall flat.

Freaking Awesome Shoes

anthropologie

I may not have a great NEED for these beauties. But come on. Look at them. Pretty much perfect. The color, the design, everything. Love. There is not a whole lot more to say about that. Just look. Sigh. So freaking awesome.

I am also on the lookout for a chocolate brown cardigan. I have been on the lookout for YEARS. I mean, really, how hard is it to find a simple, basic, chocolate brown cardigan? Apparently, it is really hard. I have looked for just a basic cardigan for over a year now. Dumb. Someone please tell me where to buy one. Target does not carry one. Old Navy, Banana Republics, Nordstoms BP, H&M...the list goes one. I could not even find a decent internet picture of one. Ridiculous.

So, the hunt continues.

So, that's my list.

What is on your fall wish list?

Anything good?

Let me know!

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 11-14

2011-08-31T19:20:00.000-07:00

Day 11~ Something fun!

Beyond the fact that this little dude is loads of fun in and of himself, this picture was taken after he figured out how to get into his old bumbo. Big brother found it in our garage and brought it out. Colin worked and worked till he figured out how to get in it and turn around. He was quite pleased with himself. And he had lots of fun doing it!

Day 12 ~ Close Up

I love baby hands. Little fingers with little rolls, still chubby and nubby. This is actually my 3 yr old's hand while he played with his tow truck. He is tall and thin and big these days, but in this picture, he still has some little baby chub on those little fingers.

Day 13 ~ Far Away

There is something so innocent about little ones running as fast as their little legs can go, trying to get to the playground.

Day 14 ~ Flowers

This was my last lone flower on our little tree/bush thing in our front yard. I am really terrible at landscaping. Anyone know of any good sites that can give me some ideas of what to do and how to landscape a yard? I would love to do something...but I have no idea where to start...

Day 14 ~ My Shoes

I was going to take a picture of my shoes that I wore today. Than I actually looked down and realized I am in desperate need of a pedicure and no one would want to look at my shoes, no matter how cute they may be.

So, here are a few of my favorites. My feet have changed since my babies and I have a sparse few pairs that fit comfortably. I would say that it is awesome to get a whole new shoe collection, but it is not. I liked my shoes and I am having a ridiculously hard time finding shoes that fit well.

So, I wear the same few pairs over and over.

Good thing I like those few pairs.

Where do you shop for shoes? Do you go for quality over quantity? Is is really better to spend more money on good shoes?

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Irene

2011-08-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

(Best buddies. They were watching their favorite, Cars, right before the power went out for good)

THE GOOD:
~ Irene lost her gusto the farther up the coast she came. She was down graded to a Cat 1 by the time she hit the Hampton Roads area.
~ We spent the weekend with good friends, nestled into a cute wooded cottage east of Richmond. Our kids played and we just hung out and watched the rain and wind and ate lots of food. It was good.
~ We had minimal damages, just some wet flooring in our garage, a downed tiny tree and half of our fridge and freezer.
~ Because of power outages, I went to bed at 8:40pm. Probably the earliest bedtime in 5 years.
~ The power came on at our house after being home for just over 2 hours.
~We HAD to have steaks and chocolate cake from the freezer for dinner, ya know, so it wouldn't go bad.
~ Above all, everyone was safe and sound.

(The men bonding...with technology...while it lasted)

THE BAD:
~ It was still a Cat 1 hurricane, so that wind was wicked. We watched two large trees fall at our friend's mom's house, barely missing the house. The back end of the storm was nasty and that wind whipped those trees around like they were nothing. Not cool.
~ We lost power at our house in Chesapeake by 9:30am on Saturday, so we lost half of our fridge.
~ We lost power in Richmond around 7pm. Jack did not understand that we could not turn his movie back on. He kept asking for a different movie, hoping that that movie would work. No luck, so he had to go to bed.
~ Driving back and seeing the massive amount of large trees down all over the place. Loads of clean up is coming.

(One of the downed trees in Richmond. Missed the house by a few feet)

THE UGLY:
~ Mornings after going to bed with no water or power. Yeah. It wasn't pretty.
~ Husband forgetting to shower BEFORE the power went out...
~ Two 3 yr old boys who did not nap. The boys did beautifully for most of the day, but there was some moments and they were not pretty.
~ Raw chicken that was left in the garbage...in a house with no A/C for over 24 hrs. Welcome home.
~ Jack trying fruit cocktail from a can since all of our produce had spoiled. He could not identify any of the fruit, thus would not eat it. I mean really, what IS in fruit cocktail?!

All in all, it was an eventful day. I am so thankful it was not worse and that we had as little damage as we did. Let's just pray this is the last hurricane of the season. That sounds like a great idea. No more hurricanes.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday: The One with All the Natural Disasters

2011-08-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

Well, it is Thursday. We are bracing for Hurricane Irene and watching that darn cone of uncertainty to see just what way she will swing. Praying she swings back out to sea and not closer to land. Virginia has been a bubbling cauldron for natural disasters these days.

So lets get onto less important matters. Awkward and Awesome Thursday.

~Awkward~

~ People as far away as NYC and Maine felt the earthquake. I felt nothing. Bummer.

~I think my perfume expired. I smell more musty shoes than floral fresh. Gross. I ran out of my favorite perfume and pulled out an old perfume. Bad idea.

~ Following a sketchy moving type truck that had the back door open displaying some huge mattresses bungee corded to the wall. Once I came to a stop behind the truck, I also noticed a guy. Just sitting there. On the back of a moving truck, with the back door rolled completely to the top. Just sitting next to the gross mattresses.

~ All of the water, batteries, flashlights and radios were out of stock at Target. Guess I am not the only one who has not stocked their emergency hurricane kit...

~ My mom ordered a radio flyer wagon for the boys for their birthdays. We had to pick it up at the local Wal-Mart, since she ordered it online. I waited a week, so Ryan could be there to help me with it. My mom forwarded me an email from Wal-Mart reminding me that we need to pick it up. I responded to my Mom, told her that I was waiting for Ryan and that we did, in fact, pick it up already. BUT, I emailed Wal-Mart, not my mom. AND Wal-Mart emailed me back, thanking me for picking up the wagon. Awkward.

~Thinking my glasses were dirty because it was so muggy and foggy outside. Clean my glasses, still blurry and hazy out. Open the door. Smoke. The haze is smoke from the swamp fires in NC and now my house smells like a campfire.

~Awesome~

~ Jack packing his little backpack full to overflowing cause we are going on a "cation". Makes me want to plan a vacation because his stuffed backpack is so dang cute. Although, with this hurricane a coming, we may have that little vacation...

~ Bright coral capri pants that I got from ASOS...for $9! They are pretty much florescent and pretty much amazing.

~Going to see The Help with my girlfriends. It was good!

~ Find a great painting for our bedroom...thus inspiring the whole decorating theme of our boring but soon to be awesome bedroom.

~ Hopefully the rain from the hurricane will put out the fires. I mean, something good may come from all this natural disaster mayhem that is rolling around these part.

~ Husband stayed home from work today. He is not feeling the best (not so awesome) but, it is so nice to have him around.

~ Jack asked me what time it was. I told him it was 5:30. He said no, it was time to kiss Mommy. Best answer ever.

The most awesome?

This photo that circulated around my office. I am extremely thankful that this was the extent of any damages around here!

As always, sponsor by The Daybook.

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 6-10

2011-08-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

Day 6~ Childhood Memory

This one was a little harder than I thought. I could not thing of anything that would be fun to photograph. When Jack was getting his haircut in our friend's back room, I thought of my great grandpa. He was a barber by trade. When we were little, my brother, sister and I would go into his back room, with his old-school barber chair and get a hair cut. We would also get some sort of candy or sucker afterwards, just like Jack did.

Day 7 ~ Something New

Blazing Rays dress~ Anthropologie

Teana heels~ Target

Nordstom Rack necklace and BR bracelet

This dress was one of my favorite finds from my shopping trip while in MN. I was in the Anthropologie in Maple Grove, and I found a this little dress shoved in the back of sale room. I have not seen anything like this and to my surprise, it was my size and $19.90! It originally was $158, and someone had returned it the day before. The sales associate was surprised it even lasted till the next afternoon. It is a tad bit big, but nothing that I was willing to pass up! In fact, I like this dress so much that I wore it to work and to church! Add a little jean jacket and it is is church and office appropriate. I love a good deal!

Day 8~ Technology

At first I was thinking about my mac laptop, or my camera or my android cell phone for the technology photo. Than I watched my little 3 yr old turn on the television (with permission...this time), turn on the wii, sit down and navigate to the netflix and than select a Thomas the Train episode. All by himself. That is a very technical 3 year old, if you ask me! He also dressed himself...but was not as successful with that :)

Day 9~ Faceless Self Portrait

I wanted to do something dramatic and artsy...but I didn't. Because most of my time is spent wrestling these little men. This picture was taken on Sunday, when both Jack and Colin decided to cover me with their stuffed animals and random blankets. I was in an animal tent, obviously.

Day 10 ~ What I Made

These guys are my proudest accomplishments. I made these guys and they are wonderful and amazing and beautiful. I could have photographed a meal I made, or a piece of furniture that I redid, but really, that is not important. I carried these guys for 9 months, I fed these guys from my own body, I held and cradled and rocked these guys into a sleepy delirium. While I was not alone in the making of these sweet babies, I will claim them as my own.

Friday Favorites: Food love

2011-08-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

{photo credit}

Guys.

This cilantro-lime rice recipe that I am about to share with your will changed your life.

It did mine.

In fact, the blog that I found this recipe in will also change your life.

Meet Gina, of Gina's Skinny Taste.

This is my favorite healthy/food blog. Hands down. She takes good recipes, skinnies them down AND gives out the nutrition points AND the Weight Watchers points.

And the food? It's amazing. Not like, wow, this tastes good for a skinny version, but just plain old, wow, this tastes good! (Husband loved everything I made and he didn't know it was a skinny version)

She has a fantastic filing system and you can find anything you want, either by WW points or by food category. Really, it is amazing.

So, this rice recipe. It tastes JUST like Chipotle's rice. Maybe even better.

It is super simple to make. Just make sure that you use the basmati rice that is recommended.

It is so good. I could eat pounds of it and defeat the purpose of it being "light".

Go here. Get the recipe. Go make your own burrito bowls.

Total favorite.

Hey Mom...

2011-08-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

Two words I hear from my 3 yr old all day long. Hey Mom! I am never quite sure what will come after those two little words, but I know that it will be interesting.

(While at a play area at Chick Fil A)

"Hey mom...I am running and scaring kids because I am a dinosaur. See. Watch." (Runs into play area and 'rawrs' around. No one is scared.)

"Hey Mom... When I am 15 and big, than I am going to carry Daddy around on my shoulders. My shoulders are small now, but when I am big, they will grow and I will carry Daddy."

"Hey Mom... I think I need to buy some race cars now" Mom: "You don't have any money left, buddy. You used your money to buy trains, remember?" Jack: "Oh. Hey Mom, do you have any money?" Mom: "A little." Jack: "Maybe YOU can buy me some race cars with your money? That's a good idea."

"Hey Mom. I miss you" Melt. He says this in place of I Love You most of the time. I don't think he really grasps what missing is, but he gets the feeling and will tell me that even when he has been with me all day.

"Hey Mom. When I am big, like when I am 6, I am going to watch all the Spider-Mans there is. So, tomorrow." Apparently he found some old Spider-Man episodes on our netflix, and his daddy would not let him watch them till we watched them first. He told Jack that he could watch them when he was older. Six is obviously old. And we also need to work on his perception of time.

"Hey Mom. I have a good idea..." Those are always interesting ideas. Usually they involve going to his friend's house, turning into animals or going to a park. Most of the time those good ideas aren't such good ideas.

Other cute things he said this week that did not start with the words hey Mom.

" Holy Coaley! Holy Moley!"

" Whoa, Colin. Ease up!" Colin was sitting on his head jumping up and down

Life with a 3 yr old is never, ever boring.

30 Day Photo Challenge~ Day 1-5

2011-08-15T18:23:00.000-07:00

Day 1~ Self-Portrait

Day 2~ What I Wore

Shirt {Anthropologie}

Jeans {Gap}

Necklace {Anthropologie}

Uber ancient belt and shoes.

This is what I wore to work in the 3 year old classroom at church this Sunday. Not really that exciting, but movable and, most importantly, washable!

Day 3~ Clouds

Day 4~ Favorite Color

I love all shades of green, so I figured I would take a shot of some of the foliage in our backyard. I can't remember the name of this tree, but it flowers and has these pods and makes a nice, huge mess.

Day 5 ~ Things I Love

Clean, happy babies. I love them. Plus I love Hubbies who bath babies.

30 Day Photography Challenge

2011-08-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

Debra is hosting a 30 day photo challenge. I had seen this challenge before on Andrea's photo blog, but never got around to doing it. I love the idea of challenging myself to take more pictures. I love photography, but do not do it enough. I want to learn so much more and explore it's endless possibilities. I tend to get intimidated by really good photographers, but just need to point and shoot.

So here it is, a 30 day photo challenge. I know it is in the middle of the month. So I am going to make my own rules, being that it is my own blog and stuff. I am going to post the challenge photos once a week. I will post 5-6 photos at a time. I would ideally like to post daily, but the reality probably would not happen. We have two old lady computers and sometimes the one where I store and edit the photos decides not to work. So, once a week it is. We will start with the first 5 and work our way through.

Want in? Let me know and we can all link up and browse some inspiring photos. Don't have a fancy camera? Who cares. Just point, shoot and have fun. Who knows what we will learn in the process.

Happy clicking!

Friday Favorites: Weddings

2011-08-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

I love a good wedding.

I love a wedding where the couple is madly in love, where they are embarking on a new adventure together and they want the world to join in their celebrations.

I attended the wedding of one of my dearest friends last weekend. We were college roommates and shared the same passion for people, media, missions and travel.

After college, I got married and started my dream job. (and had babies)

She worked in MN for a bit and than was able to move to Madrid, Spain to work with International Media Missions. She lived and worked there for 2 plus years. Before she left, I told her that she was going to go off to Spain and come back with a husband. She laughed, told me that she was there to work, not to date.

She did work. But she also dated. A Romanian living in Spain.

Marin was her first real boyfriend, her first kiss. Though they remained "friends" for the first year or so, I knew what was going on. Her letters and phone calls were filled with mentions of this guy, and than those mentions turned into questions of greater value.

And than there was that phone call. THE phone call. She was engaged! Her parents were visiting in Spain and Marin asked her father for her hand. When he asked Crystal, she said yes!

Visas and paperwork were filed and the waiting commenced. Crystal came back to the U.S, Marin remained in Spain. And we waited. And waited.

Till around 3 weeks or so ago. Marin arrived, first time on U.S soil, his new home. It was time for a wedding!

And a mighty great wedding they had! Filled with lots of laughter, joy and love. Marin did so great, with a new home, a new family and friends and all in his THIRD language. I was very impressed. I could not have picked a more perfect man for my dear friend.

We laughed, we cried, everything a good wedding can be.

I am very thankful that I got to be a part of their special day. When their kids are older, I will get to be their other auntie, like Crystal is to my kids. I will get to tell those kids about their parent's wedding day. I will get to tell them about their momma's booty shaking before their daddy turned around to see her in her wedding dress.

Yep. I sure do love a good wedding.

Definitely a favorite.

I Heart MN

2011-08-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

You guys.

I miss Minnesota.

I lived in the Twin Cities for 6 years during and a little after college.

I totally fell in love with the cities. I wish that I could tell you that I totally fell love with Virginia and Hampton Roads, but I didn't. I am still trying, but there is not a whole lot of love going on here.

I went back to MN for a wedding and it just made me miss everything so much.

To help ease my nostalgia for my old college town, I compiled a list of things that I love and miss about the Twin Cites. (In no particular order or importance)

~ Minnesota Nice. Really. People are just SO nice there. Cute little old ladies talk to me, just cause I had a book and they wanted to know what I was reading. I was shocked. Good old hard east coasters have started to do me in apparently.

~ Caribou Coffee. They are everywhere and I love their coffee.

~ Minneapolis city skyline. It was always like a welcome beacon when I was driving back to my apartment.

~ No sales tax. A $19.95 shirt is $19.95. The shopping in the twins cities is fantastic.

~ Centennial Lakes. Lake Calhoon. Pretty much any of their little lakes.

~Festivals and outdoor activities that do not include getting coated in sand.

~ Uptown.

~ Chino Latino

~Lienenkugel Honey Weiss

~Grand Ave.

~ Real art and science museums. I found out 3 hours before I flew home that the King Tut exhibit was at the Science Museum. I almost died. I have wanted to see that since I was little...had I known, I would have rearranged my whole schedule to go to it. The Science Museum in St. Paul is outstanding.

~ The farmer's market downtown Minneapolis. It is the best of both worlds. Bustling urban downtown with the freshness of country roadside stands.

~ Being with friends that you have not seen in years and having it feel like just a few months.

~ The Minnesota State Fair. Namely, Sweet Martha's Cookies.

~ Fireworks off of the Stone Arch Bridge.

~ Theater. Real, live theater. Minneapolis has the 3rd largest theater district in the world.

~ Adult ballet classes downtown.

~ The ability to go to a pro football, baseball, hockey or basketball game.

~ Dinky town and their coffee shops.

~ The summer weather in MN. Granted, this is their (MN) best weather of the year and this is our (VA) worst weather of the year...but it just felt so refreshing to be in a low humidity 85 degree day!

And not to be all peaches and cream on this post, here is what I do NOT miss about Minnesota.

~ MOSQUITOES! Those buggers are out early and in full force.

~ 494/94 construction traffic.

~ The road conditions of 169...or any of their roads really.

~ The amount of people that continually run red light in St. Cloud, MN.

So, I will just patiently wait till the next wedding, get together or whatever and think back fondly of my little Minnesota.

What places make you nostalgic?

Friday Favorites: Anthropologie Alone

2011-08-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that I have a great love for Anthropologie.

If you have never been in a store and you have the oppourtunity to, go.

Do it.

You don't have buy anything.

Just go and breathe it in.

Pretend that you get to live in the perfect displays, with the flickering candles and pitch-perfect music.

You may just find yourself falling a bit for this store.

I live 2 hours from an Anthropologie.

If I am lucky, I get to go twice a year or so.

Really, it is quite a travesty.

But this friday, this fabulous Friday, I am going to Anthropologie.

There are 3 on my way north to a wedding.

THREE.

I can go if I want.

I can try on clothes at my leisure.

I can browse as slowly as I want.

No baby or husband waiting for me.

It is just me and Anthropologie.

Throw in breakfast coffee from Caribou, lunch at Pei Wei and a best friend's wedding prep that night and it just about the most perfect day.

Definitely one of my favorites. Ever.

Awesome and Awkward Thursday

2011-08-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

It Thursday. I have a big day today. I am going on an airplane today. Alone. For 4 nights. Alone.

I am off to a wedding in Minnesota and the boys are staying behind.

I have not been away from Colin overnight. It has been over a year since I have been away from Jack this long.

Hubby has never had both boys overnight...or longer than 6 hours.

All of that is both very awesome and very awkward.

And that makes it a perfect Awkward and Awesome Thursday!

~Awkward~
~ Making chocolate cupcakes and forgetting to put the oil in them.

~ Jack deciding to take his clothes off. Outside. With everyone around. At his birthday party.

~ Colin's new high pitched scream.

~ Colin learning how to play Jack's recorder.

~ Three first born 3 years duking it out...over a stuffed baby toy.

~ Taking family pictures, forgetting my husband's pants, so he had to wear his work clothes.

~ All three of my boys sweating in like 3 minutes while taking our outdoor family pictures. Loads of sweat. Perfect.

~ These beauty tips. I mean really, please don't do these things.

~ The amount of ants on my counters. Thanks, August. I love when you come and the ants dominate my house.

~Awesome~
~ Little boys' faces when everyone in the room is singing "Happy Birthday" to them.

~ Finding the perfect cilantro-lime rice recipe that taste just like Chipolte's rice.

~ Having long lost friends back in town.

~ Packing for one person, not 4.

~ Getting kisses from Colin and "I love you" from Jack. Without asking for them.

~ Seeing one of my dear friends for the first time in 3 years this weekend.

~ Jack needing to tell me everything that is happening on one of his little shows. " Mom! Oh no! There is a fire and Fireman Sam is on his way!" He has to rush in and tell me and than rush out of the room to go back to his beloved Fireman Sam.

~ For those who constantly run late...if only I had one to my car.

~ Snuggle time in Jack's bed with all his stuffed animals. " Mom, it is so squishy in here. Come in here and cuddle, it is so squishy!"

~Awkward~

The aftermath of Colin's first birthday cake.

~Awesome~

Feeding this goof ball. He loves to move his food around and play in it.
Good thing his little smile is so stinkin cute!

And sponsored by this lady.

Warby Parker: A Review

2011-08-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of Warby Parker?

I first heard of them from a fashion blog. You know the type, slender, stylish girls sporting hipster frames shot in cool locations.

I am none of those.

But I was interested in the company when I heard they do a one for one, similar to TOMS shoes. And they have free home trials. And they are pretty inexpensive. Maybe I COULD be one of those fashionable bloggers!

So I looked into.

I liked what I saw.

All prescription frames are $95. They ship for free. They return for free. They do this awesome home try-on for free. They give sight to those in need. I was sold.

So I wondered over to the website, browsed their selections and picked out 5 pairs of glasses to try on at home. I did have to use a credit card to place my order, but it was not charged. They quickly sent out my beautiful box of glasses. I have 5 days to try them on, move around in them, ask my kids and husband what they thought, take pictures, etc. After 5 days, I smacked the return label back on the package and dropped it off at the UPS store. No charges.

* Warning: There is a whole lot of my face in this post.*

Sorry for the cellphone pictures. My wonderful hubby took outdoor pictures for me...but the computer was not working, so cellphone it is.

Up first is the Beckett Striped Evergreem. I call these the "Fashion Blogger" glasses. Kinda fun. Not really that practical for my life though.

These are the Nedwin Amber. I like to call these my "reader" glasses. It is hard to tell in this picture, but they were too small and cut some of eye. They reminded me of my mom's reading glasses.

These are the Sibley Amber. They were the lightest color that I tried on. I liked them.

These are the Zagg I like to think of these as semi-hipster glasses. But the question is...am I really cool enough to wear these in real life? Hmm.

These are the Reece Sandalwood. They fit the best and were the most versatile. They were very similar to my old glasses, which I love but the prescription is like 10 yrs old and they give me a headache.

* I mislabeled the glasses and corrected the names on 8/9*

SO. Those are my 5 free home try on glasses from Warby Parker. What do you think? Would you give them a try?

I do plan on ordering a pair or maybe two. I need to go get a recent eye exam, than I will order them. What one(s) should I get? Decisions. Decisions.

The babe turns ONE!

2011-07-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

At 2:47am on July 27th, 2010 my little man was born into the world.

Wide-eyed and curious, he immediately picked his head off my chest to view his new surroundings.

He was ready to take on the world within the first few minutes.

As time quickly passed, he grew up laughing and happy.

Or mad.

Not much in between for this little man.

He grew strong, my mover and shaker.

He scooted early.

He army crawled early.

He stood early.

He walked early.

He loves his bath time.

He loves doing exactly what his brother does.

He wants to be just like his big brother.

He likes things to be done his way.

If not, he is not afraid to let his opinion be known.

Not afraid at all.

He is good little eater, willing to try anything.

Food found on the floor is a particular favorite.

He is so inquisitive.

Always wanting to see what it does, how it sounds when banged on the floor, how heavy it is to lift overhead.

He is very determined. He will crawl, he will walk and he will stand on anything in his way.

His determination to not get his diaper changed is a daily battle that we engage.

The older he grows, the more he explores.

Bathroom toilets.

Trash cans.

Rockers.

Beds.

The world is his oyster to seek and explore...or destroy, whatever comes first.

While feisty and stubborn, he can be equally as funny and sweet.

Goofy smiles.

Silly dances.

Happy screams.

All apart of who he is.

Life is an adventure with this boy and my life will never be the same.

Every day is a new discovery, a new plan, a new idea.

What can be touched, eaten, tipped, shaken, thrown or bashed?

Colin is out to explore those infinite possibilities.

Everyday I find out more and more who he is.
He has brought so much joy into my life.
He is my happy, crazy, lively boy who lights up the room.

I can only imagine what this next year will bring.
I am excited to watch you move and explore and to get to know who you are even more.
I am blown away at how fast this first year has gone.
You have went from my sweet cuddly baby to my big handsome boy.

We love you so much and are so very thankful that you came into our life one year ago today.
I am so proud to be your mommy.
You truly are one of my life's greatest joy.

Happy 1st Birthday, my Colin!
We love you so.

Take Me Home...

2011-07-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

We went home for Michigan for 10 days.

It was wonderful.

It was tiring.

It was chaotic.

It was relaxing.

It was comforting.

It was beautiful.

It was just so good to be home.

A Day in July: One Year Later

2011-07-22T05:45:00.000-07:00

~July 20th, 2011~

One year ago I first documented a day in my life. I had wanted to complete a full year, but life (and forgetfulness) got in the way. Things have changed quite a bit in one aspect and many things remain the same.

To view our day in July 2010, check it out here.

Notice any big differences?

The main one.

This guy. Exactly one week from his first birthday.

Saying good morning and good bye to Daddy before he leaves for work.

Jack doing his usual routine. Wakes up, watches a "show" while waking up. Today it was Fireman Sam.

After starting the coffee and making the oatmeal all while holding Colin, he was finally ready to eat. I can not put him down for at least a good ten minutes or screaming ensues. Half way through his daily banana he decided he needed to do it himself.

The boys play while I eat my daily oatmeal and have a cup of joe while checking work emails, emails, blogs and the like...

Today was a busy day actually. I go into the offices on Wednesday and today I was bringing a meal to the Daulton's. Seriously, they are amazing and you need to read about them here.

While I was prepping the food and getting ready, Colin took a short nap. After loading everything up in the car, I grab this sleeping little guy and put him in the car by 10am.

Sweet sleeping baby.

Jack is ready to go! He insist on having his sunglasses with him...cause he freaks out if the sun gets in his eyes. Freaks. Out.

After dropping off the food, I went and got my hair cut. It was LONG overdue. Too long. 6-7 months long. Yikes. I adore my stylist and she can cut long hair better than anyone I have had. I wanted to get bangs, but she talked me out of it. I have some sweeping bangs, but can come back from real bangs if I change my mind, free of charge.

After the hair cut, it was a Target diaper run and than off to work.

The new 'do. Pretty boring and basic...but oh how it lays nicely now.

The bangs. Kind of. It was hard to get a picture and I was in my work bathroom and that is just awkward...moving on.

And than I sat and my desk and worked and wrote scripts.

Picked up my handsome boys around 6pm and headed on home.

Jack has decided to not eat since turning 3. So, he made faces and snuck his trains up on the table while we ate a quick dinner of left overs.

Colin, however, is a big fan of eating. Eating and smushing it everywhere. It really is his specialty.

A quick wipe down and a snuggle with Dad before bath time.

Getting scrubbed down. Both boys refused to look at me or smile for the camera. They were not amused with this whole " Day in July" stint.

Cute little naked guy.

Bed time quickly ensued and Jack was read to and put to bed. Colin was nursed and put to bed.

And there was peace and quiet.

I painted my toes and nails after looking down at my feet in the salon chair and realizing that I needed some much needed polish changed.

Ryan worked while I painted and watch t.v. Poor guy. He works most nights after the kids are in bed after working a 12 hr day. At least Oscar decided to keep him company.

Notice those empty frames? I have big plans for those babies. We are getting family pictures done this weekend with a killer photographer and I have high hopes. He was able to make the mayor of Portsmouth look slimmer, so I am hoping he can work some of that magic on me.

And it was off to bed around 11:30pm or so. Always much later than the original goal, but it always seems to get much later than we expected.

And that was a day in July for 2011.

I enjoyed looking back and seeing all the changes. I didn't know who Colin would be, but I was ready to meet him a year ago. Now, I could not imagine my life without my little guy. Jack still has his same morning routine, yet he has changed so much. I wonder what next year will look like?

What does your days look like?

Mr. Walking Pants

2011-07-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

In less than two weeks, my baby will be one. ONE. One year old. Crazytown.

In similar style of late, I am behind on his monthly postings. Eleven months is now almost over and the big ONE is around the bend.

The big news for month 11?

Walking.

The little man is walking. He had been taking steps for the last month or so, but on the 27th of June, eleven months exactly, he decided to just walk. No more crawling. Just adorable little toddles to and fro.

He doesn't like to be stopped. So, taking pictures was not his favorite thing to do.

Oh well. Real life eleven month old.

Super happy. Super mad.

Mr. Waking Pants brings so much joy to our life.

So big.

So soon he will be one. I hope I am ready.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday ~ The Vacation edition

2011-07-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I have done an awkward and awesome Thursday. We have been traveling, working and recovering these last few weeks. Babes have started walking, fridges have died and been miraculously fixed, toddler's turned three and much, much more. So, here is a vacation edition of this week's awkward and awesome Thursday!

~Awkward~

~ Colin's ability to throw himself backwards and scream when things don't go his way...like being awake in an airport at 5:30am...

~ Seeing 3 mid-twenty year old males walking down my inlaw's quiet street...tanned, oiled and in speedos...

~Gaining vacation weight. Boo.

~ Making a train cake for my 3 yr old...and it literally falling apart. I froze that sucker twice and the cab still disintegrated when I tried to frost it. It was a good thing that the candy hid it's many grievances.

~ Going to a bed and breakfast with quiet hours at 10:30pm...stated on every wall, every five feet. We got it. Quiet time at 10:30pm. I kinda felt like I was at summer camp...not a hotel/B&B that I paid for.

~ The large collection of German-speaking Mennonites that were at the same bed and breakfast. They only came out of their rooms for the 8:30pm banana splits...and to play shuffle board. Our family thought we had the place to ourselves till the free ice cream came out.

~ Bug bites. ON YOUR ANKLES. worst place ever. Well, one of the worst...

~ Cars 2. It was just not good. First movie theater movie for our little man and he asked to play games on our phones half way through the movie and than asked to go home 3/4 of the way through the movie. As an adult, I lost interest...so obviously a 3 year old would. If I wanted to watch a Bond movie, I would watch Daniel Craig, not an animated Disney movie.

~Coming home to enough penicillin to save a small third world country in my fridge. Apparently the fridge section turned off sometime during the week...and molded every food item in the fridge.

~ Noticing that my skirt is see- through...at work. Really. Pretty much sheer. This realization forced me to walk as closely to a penguin as possible without looking obscenely stupid. This did not happen on vacation, though I bought the skirt on vacation. This happened yesterday and it was uber awkward. I walked around Target and Lowe's with pretty much nothing covering the lower half. So, no more checking if I need a slip in my dark cave of a room. Always check with actual daylight.

~Awesome~

~ Watching Colin eat his first cake and taste of frosting. Hands free, face first.

~ The low humidity 80 degree weather that we enjoyed. It was beautiful there. We came back to the so-thick-you-could-swim-through-it humidity and 100 heat index here in VA.

~ Watching Jack watch his first little from-the box fireworks. His expressions were priceless.

~ Changing less diapers cause my mom always changed the boys when she was around. Pretty much doing less cooking, less cleaning, less laundry, less everything that vacation entails.

~ Forgetting to log my weight watchers points and just eating what I wanted. Awesome...till the consequences added up...

~ The quiet car rides with just my little family. It was just us for those few moments before we rushed off to the other activities and I realized how much I love my guys.

~Going on a quick one night getaway with just my family on my mom's side to celebrate my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary.

~ Bonfires with giant marshmallows.

~ Taking Jack on his first boat ride...and watching him get drenched by some waves.

~ Just being home and with family. It is always comforting. Makes me wish we did not live so very far away.

~ Hubby fixing our broken fridge with the powers of youtube and the internet...

And because a picture is worth a thousand words...here are some of my favorite A & A moments...

Awkward

Quite possibly the worst food advertisement ever. Who would want shaved ice when you are thinking about lice? Anyone?

~Awesome~

Cute boys dipping their feet in the water. Cutest.

As always, this is sponsored by the Daybook.

Recovery

2011-07-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

We are in recovery here. Vacation recovery.

Anyone else ever need a recovery session from their vacation?

We spent the last 10 days in Michigan visiting family, celebrating birthdays and anniversaries.

We absorbed the beautiful 80 degree low humidity days and the always helping hands of family.

We ate lots of food and gained vacation weight.

We also booked flights, both there and back, at 6am, which demanded a 3:30am wake-up call.

So, we are in recovery.

I have 500 pictures downloaded but not looked at and post ideas ready for the next few weeks.

Those will come in time.

Because right now, we are still in recovery.

...And than he turned 3...

2011-07-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

My baby. He's three today.

So big.

So smart.

Articulate and witty.

Silly and funny.

My sweet Jack is 3 today.

My Fourth of July will always be a celebration.

A celebration of my country and a celebration of my first baby.

My first son.

My heart.

My life.

My great love.

Today is my Jack's 3rd birthday.

May your continue to grow strong and big, loving and caring.

May you server your Lord and serve people.

May you love those around you, both friend and foe.

May you always seek wisdom and truth.

We love you dearly, our sweet Jack David.

Happy 3rd Birthday!

My Boys

2011-06-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

Jack~ building a "really useful engine"

Colin~ standing and shaking the rocker.

Classic Jack.

Classic Colin.

Welcome to a little taste of life these days.

Friday Favorites

2011-06-24T12:54:00.000-07:00

My Friday AM started out with a 7am wake up call from Colin, followed by a time out for Jack. Colin followed up with some splashing in the toilet to round out the full half hour. By 7:30 am, I was already in need of the weekend.

So while my boys are sweet and angelic and sleeping, lets get to some favorites this Friday.

Full, swishy skirts.

Like this one. I am loving the classic silhouette of a full skirt. It hides varies woes while being fun to wear. I actually got this skirt for $22 from Anthropologie during their 25% off Tag Sale.

You can buy it here in limited sizes or check in stores if you are lucky to live near one. I would recommend sizing up, as the waist is quite snug.

When I am scrubbing down little dirty toilet-water hands, it is nice to know I have a pretty femine skirt to wear...even if only for a little while.

Since being the lone female in my household, I have started to gravitate to more feminine things. I shower at night and have ridiculous hair by morning, but gosh darn it, I can paint my nails and have pretty hands at least.

So, I have been buying nail polish. A lot of nail polish. And I love it.

My latest purchase (actually, my friend bought it for me) was two sets of 4 mini polishes from H&M. They were a dollar each.

And I love them.

photo credit here.

Highlights of both collections here.

This beige color is fantastic. I either go for very dark or very light. This one suits my skin color so well. It cost 25 cents. So, moral of this story. Go to H&M and buy both sets.

So, those are a couple of my favorites this Friday afternoon.

Fun, flirty, feminine touches for my testosterone filled life.

What are you loving this Friday?

The Summer Must List

2011-06-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

It is nearing the end of June. This is madness. Time is flying right past me and I can't seem to catch up.

There are things that I want to do, to accomplish. I have these ideas running around in my head about what I want to do this summer, but they tend to get lost, pushed to the side at the smallest distraction.

So, when I read about Emily's summer to-do list, I felt inspired. I need to create my own list. I need to remember it, do it and mark it off. I want to feel like I savored this summer, took advanatage of it and used my times wisely.

So, here is my list of things that I want to accomplish this summer.

1. Go to the beach. It sounds simple enough, being that I live near the Atlantic ocean and all...but I hate finding parking, cleaning out the sand and trying to plan around nap times. We always enjoy ourselves, so we just need to do it. At least once.

2. Start training for a 5k. I have no idea if my knees can handle it...but it is worth trying. Even if it means I have to get up early before the boys wake...which I can never seem to do.

3. Go on a few dates with my Hubby. Call the sitter and just go, even if it is just for some ice cream.

4. Finish a full complete bible study with some girl friends. I have never actually done a full study, with just girls, just because.

5. Take some vacation time with just Ryan and the boys...even if it is for one night. As long as it is just us, I am happy.

6. Paint my kitchen/family room.

7. Paint and finish decorating my bathroom.

8. Get myself into my old size 6's...comfortably!

9. Exercise at least 3 times a week...cause #8 is not happening without it!

10. Get family photos done...with ME in them.

And above all...spend loads of time kissing and cuddling with these guys. Loads of it.

They all need kissing. Badly.

The Bestest

2011-06-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Husband,

Thanks for being the best Daddy ever. You are the bestest. The boys love you. When you come home from work, both boys squeal with delight. They do not know how hard you work for us, they just know they are excited to have you home. You take time every single night to play on the floor with each boy. You bath the boys, you put Jack to bed and I never have to ask. I am blessed to have you as the father to my boys. I could not have asked for a better partner in life, a better leader for our little family. You are the perfect example of a Godly man for my growing boys. My favorite thing to do is watch you with the boys. You love them so much and they love you right back. It is beautiful. Thank you for showing them the proper way to love and treat a woman. I can't wait to watch your relationship bloom as the boys grow older. I am so proud to have you as my husband, the love of my life. Happy Father's day to the bestest Daddy I know.

I Love You!

Wife

P.S Happy Father's Day to my own Dad! I love you. I wish we lived closer so that the boys could spend more time with their Grandpa. Thanks for all that you do and for putting up with all my shenanigans as a teen.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

2011-06-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

It is awkward and awesome Thursday. I am just glad that it is Thursday and the weekend is coming. Hope everyone is having an equally awkward and awesome week!

~Awkward~
~ Planning dinner in your head, getting everything ready for a nice crockpot meal that will be ready when you come home from work. Mentally giving yourself a high-five for being on top of things...till you realize that your crockpot exploded a month ago. You haven't bought new one.

~ Running errands before work that are making you late. You rush into a christian book store to by a ladies bible study book that you are a week behind in. You frantically search for the book, but they don't seem to have a "Bible Study" section. You ask the store clerk quietly stacking Bibles, he brings you right to the exact book. You pay, rush out and almost try to get into a black Fusion. It is NOT your black Fusion. Oh...and the book you bought? The Frazzled Female. Appropriate, no?

~ Colin has taken to rolling around the floor whining and fussing when he is over tired and wants his way. Or just because he feels like throwing a tantrum. Dramatic throwing himself around and rolling all over the floor. It is wonderful.

~ Getting dressed for work and liking your outfit...till you get to the car and notice your right pant leg is COVERED in cat hair. Your black pants covered from your grey cat. Not so hot.

~ My Husband and I playing an obscene amount of Farkle on our phones...and sometimes using the work 'Farkle' as a verb in our conversations.

~ Pulling your friend's son and than your own son's head out of the railing slots...barely.

~Awesome~

~ Having friends from MI stay with us. It was good to hang out and let the kiddos play.

~ Shopping. With Friends. Without babies.

~ Colin's dance moves. They are killer.

~ Having my friend's kids be as naughty as my kids. I am not alone! ;)

~ Booking tickets to go home. I always look forward to it.

~ Having a zoo membership AND already having it pay for itself. We went twice this week.

Most awkward and awesome photo of the week:

I was cleaning the house, getting ready for guests. Colin was strangely quiet. I went to check on him and found this. He had pulled himself up on the trash, pulled out the empty ice cream container and was licking the life out of the lid. I did what any good mom would do. I grabbed my camera and took a picture. He was signing "more" frantically. Apparently, he liked it. So much for no diary, sugar, chocolate or nuts before one. I guess I am glad that it was an ice cream carton that he pulled from the trash,not a raw chicken container or something else.
Awkward~ My child ate out of the trash
Awesome~ It was just ice cream and his little signs for "more" were pretty stinking cute, even though he was covered in a sticky mess.

Tell me about your awkward and awesome week!

As always, sponsored by the Daybook.

Tired Tuesday

2011-06-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

I am tired today.

I've had 3 cups of coffee.

It isn't helping.

We had guest in town this weekend and it wore us out.

Four boys under the age of 4.

Active boys.

We had fun, but we are a bit tuckered out.

Anybody else tired today?

Friday Favorites

2011-06-10T05:50:00.000-07:00

It was 101 degrees here yesterday.

Sweltering.

I had my boys outside for 20 minutes at 5pm and they both came inside with sweaty heads and bright red faces.

Hello, Va Beach summers.

One of my new favorite things are the Markey Pantry Low-Fat Ice Cream Sandwiches in mint. They are creamy and minty and cool. They are only 3 Weight Watchers PointsPlus. I save enough points every night to eat one of these minty goodness. They are a good dollar cheaper than the Skinny Cow versions and I think the texture is much better. It's a win, win.

( These are not the mint kind, but you get the idea)

Minty ice cream. Chocolate cookie. 3 WW points+. Husband hates mint, so won't touch them. Eating them when the kids are sleeping.

That is the recipe for somewhat surviving Va Beach summers.

Or how to have a form of dessert every night and not feel guilty.

Either way, it's a favorite.

Double Digits

2011-06-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

We have hit the double digits.

Colin is 10 months old.

2 short months till a year. ONE. A year old. sob.

I don't really want to think about it, except that I am a couple weeks late on posting his 10 months pictures and that means that July 27th will be here in less than two months. I still don't want to think about that. I will think about it tomorrow.

Instead, let's look at some cute pictures of my little adventurer. Taking his picture is also quite the adventure.

Colin is quick these days. He can turn around in an instant.

He loves to watch his brother, which is the only reason why he is sitting still.

Colin decided to be all big and stand up on his own in the grass. He has been doing this more and more often.

Today, he stood up...while waving a long stick.

All boy, this one. My little bruiser, who gets into everything. All the time.

Favorite toys include: cords, electrical outlet covers, pots and pans, the toilet, cat treats, anything that he can use to push across the floor, any toy that his brother is playing with at that very moment, balls, any toy bigger than him that he can crawl on or pull down, any toy that he can lift over his head and bash on the floor. And let's not forget any paper product that he can chew on.

Sweet little smiles save him. He is always so proud of all of his accomplishments...like eating the stick.

FIFA 2030?

Colin is either really happy or really mad and rarely anything in between.

The beginning of a tantrum...

Mid tantrum.

Post trantrum...after he got his way and his brother brought back the elephant. And I held him and kissed him for a bit.

He has attempted a few steps, climbed up our slide, said dadda and much,much more this month.

I am trying to savor these moments, these ups and downs, frowns and smiles.

They are going too fast for my liking.

My sweet little Colin, let's stay 10 months for a bit longer. O.k?

Friday Favorites

2011-06-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

This picture is one of my favorites.

It captures so much of Colin in his favorite, natural state.

Naked. Crazy post-bath hair. Silly faces. Daddy.

Pretty much all of Colin's favorites.

Pretty much all of my favorites.

Plus the cute baby butt dimples. Those are for sure a favorite.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday~ Planking

2011-06-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

This is the double piano plank.

Never heard of planking? Me, either. Than I saw some odd photos of my brother-in-law. Than I read about it.

Than I got this picture.

This picture is quite possibly the most awesome and most awkward photo ever.

Why is it so awesome and so awkward all at the same time?

Because it my parents. Planking. On the piano bench and piano that I played as a child growing up.

Yep, that's my mom and dad.

Planking.

Awkward.

And awesome.

As always, sponsored by the Daybook.

Reasons that I am getting old.

2011-05-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

~ I absolutely hate when people do not use real words when texting or typing. Spell out the dang word. Please do not use numbers for words. Drives me crazy.

~ I am contemplating getting a fancy face washing brush and buying eye cream. Not because I should take better care of my skin, because I really, really should. My skin care routine is non-existent. It is because I am turning 30 in October and figure I should...cause I am getting old. This will be a holy-cow-I- am-30 purchase.

~ I have an overwhelming urge to tug on the length of girl's skirts at the mall and talk to them about their self-worth and why they do not need to show it all.

~ I move my 2 1/2 year old son away from said girls, as I don't want him seeing that stuff...even though he is only 2.

~ Going to bed at 10pm is the most glorious event that could happen in my whole day. It doesn't happen, but I dream about it happening.

~ Having my college professor turned co-worker find an old hard drive with my college video projects on them.
Reason #1 why I am old - They are almost EIGHT years old. yikes.
Reason #2 why I am old- I thought my folder would be labeled with my married name, not my maiden name...cause now I only think of my self as my married name. Old married people do that.

~ I have a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee for breakfast. Every. Single. Day.

~ I find movies like Shrek highly inappropriate for my 2 year old to watch.

~ I bought a pair of sandals for comfort not for the style. This one pains me the most. I feel the need to buy an amazing but not-so-ideal-for-lugging-carseats-around pair of high heels to compensate. I won't, because that would be wasteful. Hence, another trait of age.

Sigh.

I am doomed.

;)

credit

Beach Bums

2011-05-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

We were able to spend our weekend in a beautiful beach condo with dear friends. This 4 bedroom, 4 bath condo had killer views of the ocean and we got to stay for free!

Our one night stay was extended into a two full days and two nights stay. It was marvelous.

We were able to walk to the water, or just laze about in the condo.

We had amazing breakfasts of crepes and omelets and lots of grilling out on the pavilions. Some of us even ate a bit of sand in the process.

The absolute best part was the company. It was so nice to be able to relax with our friends and just be.

They watched our kids, we watched their kids and everyone got along.

I feel so blessed to have such great friends, who would invite us into their vacation and allow us to enjoy the beach condo.

The hardest part of the whole weekend? Deciding if we should go to the beach or to the pool first.

Many thanks to the Flick's for their generous offer and more importantly, their wonderful friendship!

Awkward and Awesome Thursday: A Compilation

2011-05-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

I have not done a Awkward or Awesome post in a while. Life has gotten a bit strange and exciting lately. There have been some high highs and some very low lows. Things that go beyond awkward and awesome. Things that need to be labeled more like Supernatural and Heart-Wrenching... but that is a bit too much to discuss on this blog today. So, instead, I am going to share some awesome and awkward happenings that have taken place in the past few weeks.

~Awkward~

~ Getting my child from nursery and nearing gagging from the STRONG old-lady cheap perfume that was drenching him. I literally coughed while I nursed him. It was horrific. We had to change his clothes and wash his hair to get the smell out. It was like he rolled in cheap, nasty perfume...but he didn't. He was just held.

~ Adolescent Canadian geese. Really. They are so ugly. When they are babies, they are cute and fluffy. When they are adults, they are gorgeous. Teenage Canadian geese? Super ugly and awkward looking. Half feathers, have fluff, grey coloring, huge size. Awkward.

( These are more tween. I can't find a true ugly teenage goose)

~ The amount of Canadian Geese and their poop that we have around here. Ridiculous.

~ Answering my husband with a Wonder Pets phrase. And he understands it.

~ Jack opening the bathroom door so that he can laugh when Colin splashes around in the toilet.

~ Rushing into Jack's room at 3am because he his crying and sobbing and standing in the middle of his room. I calm him, carry him to our bed and try to soothe what I think must have been a nightmare. It wasn't. He lost hold of his Wonder Pets in his sleep and could not find them.

~ Awesome~

~ Nap time.

~ Going on a super mini beach vacation with friends this weekend. So so Excited.

~ Attempting to make these. This could be either really awesome or really awkward, as I am making them for a group of people...without a trial run first.

~ Husband making coffee in the mornings, so when I roll out of bed with the babes, I have a fresh pot ready to go.

~ Jack telling me that he loved me. All on his own, out of the blue.

~ Having a loving Husband, who follows the Lord's leading and turns my life into an adventure.

I like him.

Have you had any awesome of awkward moments? Do share.

As always, brought to you by The Daybook. She is expecting her first little one! Yay!

The Horizon

2011-05-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 7:8

The Hunt

2011-05-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

image

I love a good deal. I love the hunt that goes into getting that good deal. It makes the victory just that much sweeter.

I rarely buy items full priced. Rarely. Normally, it is on sale. Hopefully, it's a super sale. That's my favorite.

I tend to stalk items that really want. You win some and you lose some this way. But most of the time, it is a win.

Before I had babies, I did practically all my shopping in store. After babies, I do a lot of it online now.

I am in NO WAY an expert. I am not crazy and hoard coupons. I just like a good deal.

So, here are a few tips and sites that have helped me a ton! And helped me save a ton, as well.

~In-Store Shopping~

~Always work your way from the back to the front. Most sale items are in the back racks. Browse those babies and grab those deals.

~ Buy your trends at cheapy stores like Forever21. Buy your classic that will last you years at higher retailers and they will last.

~ Hit the outlets, but don't lose your head. I am lucky to live 45 minutes from a killer outlet mall, and when we go, I have gotten outstanding deals. I buy 80% of my boys their clothes from the outlets of Hanna Andersson, Gymboree, Carter's, Children Place, Osh Kosh, babyGap and so forth. I have gotten clothes for less than a dollar brand new. BUT, just because it is an outlet doesn't mean it is a great deal. The last time I went I passed on 40% off t-shirts at Carter's, even though I was looking for shirts for Jack. $6 is an o.k deal, but not great. I ended up getting some cute ones for $1.97 from the J.Crew outlet. I find that I can get much better brands that last better for my boys at cheaper prices when I hit the outlets.

~ Don't forget Target's sale section. I am no Peggy at Target sales, but I have gotten some super sales for the whole family in the clearance rack. Ryan loves his $3 t-shirts that he nabbed.

~ Take the time to scour T.J Maxx, Marshall's and Ross. Lots of little treasures there.

~For Online Shopping~

~ ALWAYS search for a coupon code. Do it. Always. I like retailmenot.com. There is usually some sort of discount somewhere. I have found multiple discounts doing this.

~ ALWAYS use ebate.com. Ebates is a search engine that pays you when you go through them. It is super simple. You have your account. You search for a store, say Target. You click their link, it takes you to Target.com. You buy $50 worth of items, than ebates pays you back 6% of your purchase. You get paid to shop. I have been doing this only a short while and I have made over $25. I have gotten one check in the mail already. I love getting paid to shop!

Use this link and get some great incentives for starting up!

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=fq4Z7Ao5Ooqg03YwlNUSPg%3D%3D

~ Have a favorite store? Chances are there are blogs around that will clue you in to special sales, tricks and tips and exclusive access to sale item. Obviously I am a big Anthropologie fan. Their stuff is amazing and way out of my price range. But I get stuff all the time for 75% off. A $218 shower curtain for $30. A $158 pair of cords for $20. I found this stuff through knowledge I gleaned on anthro inspired blogs.

So, those are a few simple tips for hunting down deals. What are some of your favorite shopping tips? Do you love the thrill of the hunt for good deals? Any great website I should know about?