Comparison - 2 months

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What do you think?

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

The day actually wasn't that cloudy, it was more my mood.  Today was not a good day for ME at church.

1) Nathan had to be there at 11:30. We don't start until 1. So instead of getting them ready and fed and all that jazz by myself I decided that we would just go early.  The problem is that every Sunday for the last few weeks we have had to go early because of Nathan's calling. So the kids are dressed up from 11:30 until 4:30. That entire time is spent at church. It is a looooooong day for every one. This is what 12:30 normally .looks like...

We shove eat lunch before its time for church to start in a class room.  I have tried to get them ready and stuff on my own but it is easier in my mind to have the help and just hang out early.

2) Normally Nathan drops off Scarlett into Nursery.  Today on top of his meetings he had to teach Sunday School so that meant I had to drop her off. She cried and cried and cried. I mean it was just pitiful. So I took her out. Made some copies and dropped her back off, she cried so I stayed for awhile and she seemed okay until I was leaving and someone walked in the door I just left and Scarlett saw me walking away.  She NEVER cries to go to class. I mean we were all puzzled about this.

3) Scarlett finally is happy and fine to be in class and I was in the hall with some ladies when I hear the loudest scream of pain and I knew without a doubt it was Bridget.  Poor Bro. Clark looked so sad for her. She slammed her middle finger in the door and it was so nasty looking.  She was crying crying crying and was flipping the bird showing it to everyone in the hall. I get Bridget calmed down and back in class and peek on Scarlett and she is completely and totally asleep in class. Cute.

4) Its FINALLY time for 3rd hour and Lucas's teacher is looking in the RS Room. I figure its probably for me because hey - it would be following trend right? Nope, it was someone in his class needing her mommy.  So I was in search for the mother during 3rd hour and could not find anyone for this little girl.  Another teacher took her and played with her and got her to go back into class.

So on the way home I totally unload the day at church to Nathan and the kids all pass out in the back of the van. I guess everyone was tired.  But as soon as the van door opened it was time to go out and stretch.  So we let them.  They ran around and were silly and wearing my FAVORITE outfits. So Nathan and I sat on the steps and enjoyed the sunshine with the kids.

 Now, let me remind you about THIS YELLOW DRESS.

 I know I have posted about it several times. But I love it.  I have it in 3 sizes for the girls. :)

 Something about eyelets in the spring!

 Doesn't this face make you laugh? I love it!

 Scarlett was all over the place and silly.

After all the bad, listening to the giggles and laughter made the day seem sunnier, brighter and a handful of skittles didn't hurt! :)

2 Months!!!

In 8 short weeks my baby went from this...

to the Marshmallow (wo)Man!

If you look, here eyes are STILL BLUE!!!!

 And she is like this most of the time!

(see below)

 She has a big belly and is eating 6oz already!!!!  

That is a big deal, she is eating more than Bridget and Scarlett did at 2 months!

I often get asked about her chin.

I love to rub it and kiss it and her cheeks, aah, I just want to nibble them all day long.

But I can't because she is like this most of the day...

The angle on this pic makes her look bigger than Bridget.

Haha.

I love my little chunker. This time I am talking about the baby. *wink*

Stats come on Tuesday after her pre-op appointment. :)

And here is a comparison to 

LUCAS HERE

BRIDGET HERE

SCARLETT HERE

Twenty Nine Things

I have SEVERAL friends who are turning 29 this year.  I found this list of taboo things once you are 29.

This is for US. :) 

Hey, you’re now too old to/for ...

1. Wear headbands, head-to-toe pink, and cheerleader skirts
2. Celebrate your birthday on more than one day
3. Reminisce about college
4. Reminisce about the college you never attended (Oh, Stanford ... )
5. Send cryptic messages to people via Facebook and Twitter
6. Think of your high school boyfriend as the one who got away
7. Refer to any boyfriend from that long ago by the era he’s associated with—no one cares that you dated Josh the summer after your freshman year at community college
8. Wear holiday-themed outfits, like pastels and bows on Easter and red and green plaid on Christmas (unless you are Catherine and wear red and green plaid year-round)
9. Quote self-help books and/or “Sex and the City” episodes—unless it’s in a mocking fashion
10. Decorate your apartment from Pottery Barn Teen and/or Urban Outfitters
11. Put up posters with tape or thumbtacks instead of frames
12. Attend concerts featuring anyone who wasn’t born by the year you started college (i.e., Justin Bieber) unless you are escorting a much younger family member
13. Olsen Twin movie marathons (I know, I know, “Passport to Paris” is a classic, but get over it)
14. Calling men “boys” on a regular basis
15. Say or write “LOL”
16. Tote your dog around everywhere, unless you are blind and he/she is a seeing-eye dog.
17. Want to be treated like a princess, to live life like it’s a fairytale, and to be looking for your Prince Charming
18. Own teddy bears and other stuffed animals, unless you have one (singular!) that is left over from your childhood that holds a lot of sentimental value
19. Call your father “daddy”
20. Subscribe to teen magazines, unless you work as a writer specializing in teen issues
21. Spend more than one hour on the phone with a friend, unless she truly is in a crisis or you haven’t talked to her in over a year and need to catch up
22. Have your parents pay your bills, unless it’s your student loans and they insist OR you’re going through a short, temporary rough financial patch
23. Consider a haircut a huge massive change of epic proportions, unless it’s a post-breakup haircut and you write one measly essay about the subject
24. Consider your hair color to be a significant part of your identity, unless you’re a redhead
25. Talk about how OMG wasted you got last night, like having a hangover makes you cool
26. Lay out in the sun without sunscreen
27. Sit on anyone’s lap, unless you’re trying to fit five people in a taxi that sits four
28. Wear glasses for “fashion” when you don’t have a prescription or vision issues
29. Feel any shame or embarrassment about being almost 30

But you’re never too old to/for ...

1. Consider your dog your best friend
2. Call your mom for advice
3. A one-night-stand
4. Ask for someone’s help—financial, emotional, whatever—when you really need it
5. Discover your passion in life
6. Eat breakfast for dinner
7. Sleep in past 11 a.m.
8. A nap

I don't know if I should feel comforted that I have never "needed to nor have I ever done" a lot of things on this list.  :) But Lindsey - #10 makes me laugh! Haha. For those friends PAST 29 *gasp* are you still doing these things? Come on fess up! Hehehe.

30 before 30

Yesterday was my birthday.  I'm 29 today...I was 29 yesterday, on Sunday I was still 28. Hahaha.

That means I am only one year away from turning the dirty 30! 
My friend Lindsey who coincidentally shares more than a birthday with me posted a list because she, like me thinks something about 29  makes us feel like we need to make an effort to carpe diem!

A friend of ours felt the same way when her 29th rolled around last year, and it was her blog that inspired her (Lindz) and now me to do a "list" of my own.  So, thanks Nas!  And yeah, I admit it: I stole some of your ideas!  AND Lindsey's too!

This quote is Lindsey's "Not that changing poopie diapers and making endless boxes of mac-n-cheese doesn't already fill me with a supreme sense of accomplishment, but I really want to remember rounding out the twenties and head fearlessly into the thirties." 


Couldn't have said it better myself.  Without further stalling, here's the list:

My 30 before 30…
1.    Compliment 2 people a week who are not related to me. DONE


2.    Get pregnant one last time. (yes dad you read that right)  COMPLETED 2011, due 2012


3.    Finish ALL of the 1st year books for each kid. COMPLETED 6/6/11


4.    Read 6 biographies THIS year! COMPLETED 7/20/11


5.    Make Christmas Dresses and Ties for the Children. COMPLETED 9/28/11 (wedding)


6.    Visit/Stay at a state I have never been.  Happening in July (CHICAGO!!!)


7.    Take an Art Class. (ie any type of art)  COMPLETED 4/2/12 - P101


8.    Make a Treat and Activity for a friend and family 1x a month. DONE


9.    For every item I complete, I will put $10 in an envelope so I have $300 in fun $$ on my 30th BDAY! SWEET $280 collected!


10.   Swim a mile and a half  (66 laps + 33 is 99 so 100 laps) in less than an hour.  Right now I can do 1 hour 17 minutes. DID IT on my 30th Birthday!

11.   Plan and execute a full family vacation in the car to California. COMPLETED 7/18/11


12.   Go skiing/snowboarding. The last time was 2004 right before our wedding, or if PG take kids for 1st time  Couldn't get out in time! Bummer.


13.   Make DVDs of ALL the home movies I have of the kids.  COMPLETED 8/25/11


14.   Take some sort of class WITH Nathan.  COMPLETED 12/11-1/12


15.   Read the Entire Bible cover to Cover. Old and New Testaments. COMPLETED 1/2012



16.   See GiGi, and have GiGi meet Juliet. COMPLETED 5/7/11


17.  Finish Lucas's Bedroom in THE BASEMENT...from s to f (if funds allow) Acceptable UNTIL 6/2012


18.   Master Pie, Tart and Quiche making. COMPLETED 8/5/11


19.   Dress all fancy and go to the Theater with Nathan. Tickets purchased, 3 weeks!!!


20.  Donate my ponytail to Locks of Love.  COMPLETED 3/7/12


21.  Learn to quilt. COMPLETED 1/2012


22.  Have a Real Girls Night/Day with different people every time, every month. DONE


23.  Start a Gratitude/Picture a Day journal and print it. SENT it off 4/11/12


24.  Surprise Nathan with the LD for the full 40 days. DONE!


25.  Go karaoke-ing. I kinda knew this was a stretch. :)


26.  Build something from start to finish ALL BY MYSELF. COMPLETED 2/11/12


27.  Conquer a fear. DANCING in PUBLIC/WORK OUT AT A GYM COMPLETED 4/12


28.  Climb a fourteener, or if pregnant go on a Day Hike with the Family.  COMPLETED 3/26/12


29.  Visit a person every month that needs a pick me up. COMPLETED


30.  Inspire someone else to complete their own 30 before 30! COMPLETED 7/27/2011



EEek, I am so excited.  I hope I can get it all done before the big 3-0! I should be able to, since I have 364 days left...

Older and Wiser

Turning 29 is kind of funny.  It's that age that people older than 29 pretend to be turning when they don't want to embrace their actual age.  It's so common, I kind of feel like I'm lying when I say "I'm turning 29 today."  It's like: people who say they're turning 29 just aren't telling the truth.  Because most of them aren't!!  Anyway, I'm looking forward to turning 30 next year, because 29 is just awkward. 

It has this built in ageist angst to it that I just don't like.  And I think I've always been spiritually in my 30s, anyway.  Even when I was a kid, and especially when I was in high school.  Not that I was all that mature or anything, it's just more how I've always seen the world.  Or so I presume.... 

(Having never been in my 30s, myself.)

Moving on.  

Today was a wonderfully normal day for me.  I say wonderfully because 10 years ago when I was a stupid 19 year old I used to imagine where I would be at this time and luckily I am almost pretty much on track.

Tot School, Lunch, Pre School, 75 Facebook birthday wishes and counting! (totally awesome and fun), a phone call from dear old dad (I can say that now that he is almost 50) and a special dinner out.  But something amazingly sweet happened in between preschool drop off and pick up...a special someone brought me flowers!  I was so surprised and excited all at the same time.  She said she wanted to brighten my day and boy she did!  I miss her a lot and it was so nice for her to think about me! :)

I was feeling pretty special already since last night I got several hours of chat time in my own house with a friend and had minimal kid interruption. Thanks Nathan and special friend!!

Anyway I got to pick dinner since it was MY birthday.  I picked Sushi of course. :) It was so delicious.  The kids decorated my sign.  We always take a picture of our kids with a sign on their birthday but I never get one so to keep the kids on track at the restaurant I had them decorate MY sign. 

CHEESE.

After dinner I came home and opened my present from the kids.  Cooking Mama for the Wii.  I am SO happy about this, I have played it already for an hour and I love it.  I am not a video game type of person but it was sweet and they can play with me! I know that was a big selling point to them! 

Now, most of you know that I do not like cake so I borrowed a food processor from a friend and tried my hand in tart making. I love to cook so I was excited!  I have never made one before and here it is...

It is a Lemony Rustic Apple Tart.  We ate it under a huge scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream...my fav ice cream.

It was really delicious if I do say so myself. :)

So far 29 is shaping up to be a great year! 

Thank Goodness...the last few months have been unfun minus the birth of my bebe Juliet! :)

 I feel special, loved and most importantly am right where I need to be.  Thanks to everyone who called, messaged me, texted, facebooked, or PB'd me! :)  It is so neat to hear from people I haven't seen or heard from since I was young!


Nathan was a little upset that he came home early for me to open my present and FedEx said it was delayed due to truck failure! I don't care, I don't need presents, just good food, family and lots of love.
CHECK, CHECK, CHECK!

Morning for Girlies

We have our Saturday Morning Rituals.  We almost ALWAYS make muffins. We usually don't get out of bed until 7.3.0. We are up, but we don't get out of bed until the kids drag us out. :)

Today was really no different except that Nathan took Lucas out to do yard work and us girls were lazy pajama wearing lounging around and silly.

It was sunny and beautiful and everyone was so lovely to each other and it made me sad a little.  I can't believe how big everyone is getting.  Their personalities have taken flight and really are their own little people.

 I love these girls.  I always wanted kids but having girls is something I never thought I would enjoy.

 All that pink, all the getting ready, the shoes, the hair, the attitude.  I like it all.

 Remember how I mentioned Bridget was our mini Mommy, yea I was totally serious.

 Oh Scarlett.  This is what orange hair looks like. :)

 And then there is you Juliet.  Those eyes. I just love her eyes.

 This is the best shot of her smile and her tongue. We were going to wait to clip it until 6 months but next week we hope we can get it done.  This is how far she can stick it out. Regardless...she is still my best baby. 

 I could go on and on about this kid. She is so sweet.  I loved hanging with my girls this morning. Snapping a few pictures and being mellow.

Well, as mellow as Scarlett would let us. :)

It was a nice Saturday and nice to take a little time to enjoy my girls.

(Lucas needed some serious dude time anyway)