Friday, May 31, 2013

hope y'all make it


more storms expected this afternoon into tonight.
We have been itching to get to the lake,
but its another busy weekend with storms in the forecast.
Blerg.


luckily, our backyard rocks!

How are you spending your weekend?

This morning I made Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones. Delish!

Tomorrow is supposed to be garage sale day here, weather permitting.
Yay for simplifying!!

Here is a sweet family of 6 about to head out on an adventure 
after selling their house, most of their possessions,
and will be living in their airstream!

This movie is coming out soon and I am pretty excited about it!
(Ron Swanson is in it!)

Get Outside! Thank you, Sheena, for these challenges.

 Hot buttered coffee, I think I am going to try it!

and we may cozy up and watch this!

Enjoy your weekend!!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

some days

most days,
most days are full of fun,
playing,
(cleaning),
creating,
(cleaning),
and dancing.

most days look like this in the summer
P :: 8 months old


some days are full of stress,
tears,
frustrations,
tears,
complete exhaustion.
Thursday last,
that was quite a day.

I had every intention of having a most day.
The morning would be spent running a few errands,
and then playing for the rest of the day.
Levi and I were planning on going on a date,
we wanted to see Star Trek
(don't you?)
We were excited,
the girls were anxious for their babysitter
 to come and play.

But,
we went to Wal*Mart,
(that was part of the plan)
and while we were there,
our Cord took a nasty fall OUT of the cart.
It was one of THE worst feelings I have ever endured.
Waves of emotions engulfed me, 
while the goose egg on her head grew. 
I scooped her up,
while "wearing" Pen Pen,
and checked her out. 
We rushed up front,
an inconsolable toddler,
groggy frustrated baby,
a preschooler pushing her own little cart, 
and a mama with panic in her eyes,
and pit in her stomach.
After receiving some help,
we left, got into our car,
and then I lost it.
Control.
Weeping and scared, I called my husband 
and then headed to his office.
He called the doctor,
I had some water to calm down,
and some wonderful women checked Cord out,
while making all three girls chuckle in the back seat.

(fast forward a few hours)

My doctor was out of her office,
and I had not heard back from the on-call line.
Cord's goose egg wasn't as swollen,
but as it turns out she had also hurt her foot in the fall,
and couldn't walk on it.
So we packed up,
took Nora and Pen Pen to our friend's house, 
and drove to the ER.
(45 miles away)
After X-rays, we found out that there were no breaks
just bad bruising,
 and her head looked great!
Thankful, relieved,
and humbled, we headed home.

I know,
we will go through more injuries.
I will have to watch my children endure all sorts of pain.
It will be hard, 
and I may just want to lock them up in a padded room 
filled with bubbles and ice cream,
but someone very wise once told me,
"I have to remind myself, that they are HIS,
and HE has given them to me."
I pray and hope for my daughters to cling to Him,
because I know I did on Thursday.

And I am thankful for these some days,
for make most days
more precious,
and sweeter.

I rrrreeally need a nap today.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

prayer and giving

I am holding my children close today.
I am treasuring every moment.

Image via Facebook

I am waiting for this storm to pass,
but for many,
life is completely different.
Already.
Words cannot describe the deep sorrow
I am weeding through now.

And,
God is bigger.
He is there, in Moore,
helping rescuers,
holding scared children,
comforting hurting parents,
and strengthening communities.
He is here,
comforting our souls,
and moving us to act. 
And while we can't all go to Moore,
our phones have made it 
so easy to help.

Here are two ways to help:

Text REDCROSS to 90999 

Give to Relief and Restoration
or
text RELIEF & donation amount to 86613

So,
I am holding my children close today.
I am clinging to my Savior.
I am praying for the hurting.



Monday, May 20, 2013

Happy Monday!

My monday started with a bed wet,
an exploded diaper,
and Wal*Mart.

Yup.

But, I am glad it is Monday,
I always have more 
motivation on Monday!


I hope your Monday started a bit better than mine!

Can't wait for these crazy storms to move on through!


Wednesday, May 15, 2013

uniform for summer

It's coming!!
My relationship with summer,
summer in Oklahoma,
is definitely a love/HATE one.
I love that we are outside most everyday,
I HATE triple digit heat!
I love that we swim, go to splash pads, and 
make our backyard a water park.
I HATE triple digit heat, 
where even playing in the water 
can't stop you from sweating. 
I love that we get to wear swimsuits and running shorts
EVERYDAY.

a little unsure at first
Mama set the sprinkler too close on accident,
baby hates getting wet.
we love summertime!

They truly love being sprayed with the hose.






















What is your favorite thing to wear in the summer?
How do you keep cool?
Seriously, I NEED your help!!

Friday, May 10, 2013

Top 10 on May 10th

find this gift here


Shout out to all moms for mother's day!
Special S/O to Cindy Shivers,
an incredible mom,
grandma,
and friend.

For my May Top 10 post, I would like to honor my mother! 

My sister, brotherand oldest daughter helped me with this list,
and guess what?
I totally learned something new about my mom!
So thankful for her!

Top 10 Memories of My Mom


1. She would always wake me up with a kiss.
There was one morning in particular where I was already awake,
so when she leaned over to kiss me, 
I threw my head up and hit her in the nose.
Sorry, Mom!! 
Even after that, she still would kiss my forehead awake.

2. She let me bake with her often.
My mom is a great baker, she always let me help.
And of course, lick the spoon.
She taught me everything I know.

3.  She has the softest, prettiest hands.
She would completely disagree, 
but I remember whenever I would reach 
to hold her hands, which I still do, they were so silky and comforting.
She has fantastic mom hands, very warm.
Her nails are always pretty too!

4. She made books come alive and my love of books and reading definitely comes from her -- Sister
Most every night we had story time as a family when we were little. 
I remember her reading The Chronicles of Narnia to us, and many other books.
My sister also mentioned the quality of books mom introduced us to.
She would try and find what style/genre we liked to read
and then offer us as many books as she could.
I truly hope to pass on that love to my girls.

5. When we were really little and used to play outside, 
mom would sit at the kitchen window and sketch us. 
I loved looking at her sketches 
and I always thought it was so special that she would 
take the time to just sit 
and draw and enjoy us as we played. -- Sister
What?? How cool is that? 
I don't remember that at all, 
and I hope she saved some of her sketches! 
I always thought my mom an artist,
she taught me to draw faces.

6. "She plays games with me" -- Nora
My mom loved playing,
she would look for opportunities to meet us,
engage us in our imaginations,
she would even play catch with me and my brother.
And she does that for my daughters too!


7. She oozes love in her looks. 
When Nora was born, I will never forget as I handed her to my mom. 
She was the third person to get to welcome our first into this world. 
Her love for me and my child gave me confidence
 that if I could just be like her, I could be a terrific mother.

8. She is always good at making us laugh, 
whether on purpose or accident.
My brother loves a story
 involving Fudgesicles and the Senior Minister's son,
but if I share it my mom may send me to my room forever.

9. She would rub our feet and legs when we had growing pains.
I remember as a little girl,
laying in bed, whimpering because my leg ached.
And my loving mom always came in,
gave me some tylenol,
and would gently rub it till I fell back to sleep.
She never complained either.

10. She taught us great lessons.
I had a couple rough years from High School and into College,
but my mom knew how to comfort me.
She reminded me to take life lightly,
that sometimes, the things we think are so important,
truly don't matter.

What are some of you favorite memories of your 
mothers, grandmothers, special women in your life? 
How are you celebrating Mother's Day?

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

lately

Here's a little peek
of what we have been doing
lately.

Catalyst
Last week,
Levi, Pen, and I drove to Texas,
(the big girls stayed with Gram and Pops)
to attend Catalyst,
a two day conference packed with
intelligent speakers
encouraging us to make,
to do, to start now.
We listened to them.
We were overwhelmed by them.
We were affirmed by them.
We are thankful for them.


I had my very first and second In-N-Out experience!
she loved the hotel!
finding new coffee places, our favorite
The Pearl Cup

May Summer Shape Up
My dear friend, Aanna, began a workout program
designed by her friend, Abby,
and invited her readers to join her.
Since I just finished #nomakeup430,
I was ready for a new challenge.
Plus, about 25 people are joining her as well,
and that is just fun!
So I have been lifting canned beans,
dancing till I sweat,
getting incredibly sore,
and
LOVING every minute of it!
More on this to come.

Potty Training Cord
She is getting it!!
Her Gram and Pops were consistent with her,
and after many accidents,
she is doing so great!
She however cries when she poops in the froggy potty.
(It isn't like I make her clean it, she just knows it belongs in the big potty)
She now cheers when anyone goes potty.
When she hears "Yaya" (Daddy) flush, "Yay Yaya!"
When, she watches me, (Is privacy still a thing? HA!) "Yay Mama!"
When she and Nora sit side by side on the potties,
"Yay Nahh, Yay Dahdee!"
And when Pen has a dirty diaper,
she says, "Yuck, no no, pah-ee."(potty)
Oh yea, it's fun!



Getting back
once we were reunited with our girls,
(finally!! it's interesting how quickly you miss them!)
reality came back really, rrreeaallyy fast.
AND,
the weather is getting warmer!!
Soon, we look forward toward
-spending all day in our swimsuits
-popsicles
-grilling
- camping
-road trip to my parents!



What have you all been up to lately? What are you looking forward to this summer?


Thursday, May 2, 2013

#nomakeup430 with Guest Blogger, Molly Coburn!!!!

So, after two weeks of not wearing make up,
something in me clicked.
I really didn't think about it,
it stopped being my routine,
lining my eyes,
shadow,
bronzer,
blush.
I appreciated the ease in which I left the house,
I loved how my skin felt,
and even though I may wear it again,
I have grown to love (seriously!) how natural my face looks.

When I set out to do this challenge, I invited any one who wanted to join me,
and some one did!!
I was thrilled so I asked her to write about her observations at the end of the challenge.
Molly is a stay at home mama of two sweet, adorable girls.
She was actually a friend of my older sister,
and we attended church together growing up.
She has gorgeous blue eyes,
a great sense of humor,
and immense love for her girls.
Here are her thoughts:

challenge: accepted 

Let's see, I joined in on the fun because you wrote about the idea on your blog. I thought, "let's do this- I shouldn't need make-up to feel normal."

Let's go back a little bit. I have never worn much makeup, nor have I ever spent much time "primping". I am laid back about my hair and makeup, but I always wore a little. I would color in my eyebrows, brush on some mascara, and try to even out my skin tone with foundation. That's not "too much", right?  No, I don't think it is, but I pretty much felt like a tired looking slob, without it. Even if I didn't wear makeup all day, I would put a little on, to feel good about seeing Jacob when he got home from work.

Giving up makeup this month has forced me to be okay with (what I saw as) my frumpy, naked face. Since I couldn't fix my imperfections, I had to be okay with them. Now, I look at my naked face and don't notice my light brows and rosy cheeks- I notice how losing some baby weight has changed the shape of my face (and I look healthier).

I took a break from wearing makeup this April, and I think I like it. I can't promise that I won't wear makeup in May, or June, and after, but I think I'm over "needing" it.

As for my daughters, Zoe (almost 3) and Alice (1), I hope they see me as a good example. May they grow up thinking that makeup is a want, not a need.

Molly and her youngest at the beginning of the challenge! Beautiful mom and daughter!

I love that!! I hope the same for my daughters as well.
Thank you so much, Molly!!

On to more challenges!! Happy Weekend All!