They're Here!!!

The babies are here!!!

My NIECE and NEPHEW have arrived!

Evan Charles was first at 5 lbs and 15 oz.

Emily Grace followed her big brother at 5 lbs 13 oz.

I will post more details later after I stop sobbing!!!

Love you all!!!

Ronda is happy and healthy!

Oh, Baby, Baby!

It's BABY DAY!!!

Today Chase & Ronda will become parents to twins! These are the first babies on Grant's side of the family, and Aunt Jen can hardly contain herself. I will be bouncing all the way to work and trying to keep myself busy all morning.

The c-section is scheduled for around 12:30. Please please pray for a healthy delivery and for healthy babies!

I will keep ya'll updated as I learn more info. I told Grant that in the event that Chase calls him when the babies arrive, I need him to be very dilligent in note-taking. I told him I need WEIGHTS, NAMES, and the SPELLING OF THE NAMES. He understands that although he is playing golf today, he needs to really focus when that phone call comes!

Hooray! I could hardly sleep last night with all the excitement!!

STAY TUNED!!!!

Glory, Glory, Glory!

Glory to GOD! We have two very exciting things going on right now that I need to give the Lord a heapin' load of praise for!! I am making my boast in Christ alone!

Alrighty, the first one is going to need a bit of a back story. I haven't shared this with ya'll just because of the sensitivity of the situation.... but about 2 weeks ago (Feb. 9) Grant was laid off from his job. (I got the call about 2 minutes after posting this post.) Everyone knows the economy is rough and companies have to do what they have to do. Still, it was a shock. But somehow we were covered with an overwhelming sense of peace. I knew that the Lord had His hand in this and that we were going to be just fine. (Hence the reason I wrote this post). Sure enough, WE GOT AN OFFER LETTER LAST NIGHT! PRAISE THE LORD!!!! Grant has been offered a job (just two weeks after he was laid off!) that is more than we ever hoped for. Grant getting laid off was the best thing that could've happened and it is beyond a blessing. He starts next week and we were beyond thrilled. God is SO good and He provided for us in a way that blew us away. He always tends to do that!

I really wanted to share all this with you earlier, but out of respect for my husband and all the uncertainties that were before us, I chose not to. I'm so glad the cat's out of the bag and that the news is so wonderful. Hooray!

The second amazing thing is.... Ronda and Chase are becoming parents TOMORROW! Tomorrow is baby day! (For those of you who are newer to my blog, Chase is Grant's brother. Also, Ronda had the wonderful idea of introducing me and Grant. I am so glad she did. That was a great idea!) After a long, prayerful journey through infertility and trusting Him fully, the twins are on the way. Uncle Grant & Aunt Jen are so thrilled to meet them (we're heading up next weekend) and learn all about them. Especially their genders and their names because I don't think I could've made it till Saturday without knowing that information. I might have imploded.

So there you have it. Is our God great or what?! He is faithful. He is so, so faithful.

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus!

Oscars 2009

First of all, let me just say that this year's show was so much better than last year's show, largely due to Hugh Jackman's amazing performance. Did ya'll know he is a major Broadway guy? The man is mega talented and he carried the show last night. I always love seeing him sing and dance! Yay for Hugh! I also really loved the new way they were announcing the nominees last night. I thought it was very honoring for each nominee to have a kind word said about their performance by a previous winner. I hope they keep doing that.

I did not, however, love Whoopi's dress. That was just a little bit too much of everything!

I have mixed feelings about Sarah Jessica Parker here. What do ya'll think?


Penelope's dress had so much detail, you could tell whoever made it is super talented!


I can't find a picture where Miley is not making a weird face. The top of her dress is really cool... I am going back and forth on the rest of it though. For some reason it reminds me of the Little Mermaid. It reminds me of the shells that Ariel and her sisters sit in and sing from.


Let the record show that I am not an Angelina Jolie fan. However, I will say that her earrings last night were a-mazing and I want them for all the red carpet events I will attend. The back of her dress was very pretty.


Heidi dissapointed me last night. Her hair was awkward and so was the cut of the dress.


This girl is so pretty. I would've liked the dress without the sleeve.


I think Anne may have been my favorite for the night. The bottom of her dress was so intricate and so so elegant. She looked gorgeous. And homegirl surprised me when she got up there with Hugh! The girl can sing!

Coolest Necklace Award goes to Amy Adams. I am loving it.


What is wrong with this woman? She was on my worst dressed list at last year's Oscars!


I like this girl! And she looked so pretty last night! Yay Taraji!

I am SO HAPPY for Kate! SO SO HAPPY! I'm glad she finally won her Oscar. This assymetrical neckline was very popular last night.

Beyonce.... that's a big NO.

Yay Jen! And look at Mr. Mayer all dressed up! He cleans up nice. I felt awkward for Jen a few times cause everytime they would show her on stage, they would cut to a shot of Brad & Angelina looking at her. Could they make it any more uncomfortable!? Plus, when she was annoucing the winner to whatever award she was presenting, she was standing about 2 feet away from him. She looked absolutely stunning though and she seems so happy.

Alrighty my friends, let me know what you think! Who was your fave last night?

Have a great week!

A Letter to Nabisco

Dear Nabisco,

I have been a long time customer of your snacked goods. Your honey-flavored Teddy Grams, Nilla Wafers, and Ritz Crackers are staples in my ever-so-healthy diet. Honestly, when you introduced me to Double-Stuffed Oreos, my life changed forever. And it changed for the better.

But today I am writing to express to you my concern and downright dissapointment in some of your newer products: The 100 Calorie Packs.

I understand your plight to jump aboard the "Healthy Snack" train, but honestly, you are compromising the caliber and quality of your snacks. My friends, when I decide to eat some Chips Ahoy cookies (sidenote: Why the name Chips Ahoy?! Are we going sailing with our cookies?) - I expect those cookies to look like this:

However, when I tear open your 100 calorie pack of Chips Ahoy in my quest for something filling, I find these wafer-like bite-sized things that do not resemble a cookie in anyway.

More importantly, each 100 Calorie Pack holds approximately 4 of these wafer-like baked snappy things.

I usually end up eating a 100 calorie pack when I am at work and need a little boost between lunch and dinner. A 100 Calorie Pack would be a logical solution to my need for some munchies. But, due to the immense wave of unsatisfaction that I feel after eating my four wafers, I end up just busting out a Rice Krispy Treat or a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos to end the hunger. Or maybe even a bag of Movie Theatre Butter popcorn.

Do you see the problem here, Nabisco? Your product is faulty and fails to serve its purpose. While I appreciate you looking out for my health, I never asked you to do that.

These are not Oreos!! They don't even taste like Oreos!! You are being deceitful!

And I am still mega hungry after I eat them!

If you have to have more than 100 calories in a pack to give me a real Oreo, than so be it.

It is the same feeling I get when McDonald's doesn't give me all ten Chicken McNuggets. Liars and cheats.

Thank you for your time. And thank you again for the Easy Cheese.

Sincerely,

Valentine Oh-Nine!

I had a Valentine's date with my Lindsee on Friday night. We saw "Confessions of a Shopaholic" which was super cute. I don't think it will be winning any Academy Awards, but it was adorable and fun nonetheless. Lindsee and I enjoyed Diet Cokes, popcorn, and M&Ms during the movie which made it even better. Ya'll know how much I love a sweet and salty combo.

Saturday I had a nice, relaxing morning while Grant was playing golf. I laid on the couch and watched Jon & Kate Plus 8 and the Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice CROSSOVER EVENT that I missed on Thursday night. I love Grey's, but I could do without Private Practice. Good show though. I'm a bit worried about Izzy.

Saturday afternoon we went on a long walk with Moxie, and then it was time for me to start getting ready for our big V-day date! I wore this dress from Ann Taylor Loft.

I opted for no necklace, and I wore black dangly earrings and black pointy-toe pumps. It was sassy!

We started off our evening with dinner at La Griglia. It was super yummy and the waitstaff was VERY attentive. Almost too attentive. I mean I would take one sip of my water and then the guy would come refill my water to the top of the glass. I think he poured water into my glass about 35 times. It was insane. Grant and I kept getting the giggles! We had some delicious Creme Brulee for dessert and we talked about how good it was all night! And in the car on the way to church the next morning, Grant even said again, "That Creme Brulee was really good". We are sad.

But then came the best part of the evening... the SHOW. Back in December, Grant gave me my Christmas/Anniversary present: Tickets to see "Legally Blonde- The Musical". I love me a good musical and I had kinda fallen in love with the soundtrack to this show. Mostly because of Laura Bell Bundy, the girl who originated the role on Broadway. Laura Bell Bundy (or LBB as she is referred to often) is a supreme Triple Threat. For those of you who are not musically inclined, a Triple Threat is someone who can sing, dance and act. It's hard to find an actor/actress that is equally good in all three areas. LBB is.

When Grant bought tickets to the show, I knew that this was the National Touring Company and that LBB would not be performing, especially since she retired from the show last summer. Well, the girl who was supposed to play Elle Woods for us Saturday night broke her toe and can't dance... so... GUESS WHO THEY FLEW IN FROM NYC?!?!?

My Laura Bell Bundy!!

We had heard there was a chance this could happen but I was preparing myself for some random understudy. But when we got to the theater and saw "Tonight's performance will feature Laura Bell Bundy as Elle Woods" I about cried. I almost did, seriously. I think I freaked out the couple sitting next to us. I heard the man say to his wife "Oh, great, we have some understudy tonight". And I was like "NO, you have NO IDEA how lucky we are to be seeing her! She was nominated for a TONY for this role. These tickets would've been worth so much more money if people would've known it was her!". Grant was telling me to stop talking to them.

She was awesome. Bless her heart, her voice was raspy and hoarse, but she still totally rocked it. She even improvised an awesome line. She was holding the little chihuahua while she was doing this scene, and the chihuahua kept licking all over her face while she was trying to say her lines. Well, people were kinda snickering about it so she just said "He likes to make out on Valentine's Day!". She got a big laugh.

Grant had no idea when he bought those tickets back in December that he would be taking me to see one of my Broadway faves perform LIVE! It was awesome and a big highlight!

Church was awesome yesterday morning. We talked about finances in Sunday School and then in church Pastor Gregg started his 3-week series on the End Times. I've learned so much already!

Yesterday afternoon I cooked lunch, took a 2 hour nap, went to the gym, went to Academy (blah), went to the grocery store, cooked dinner, and cleaned the house. It was a good day!

And it was a GREAT weekend!

Hope

Ya know, people are going through some stuff. I feel like everywhere I turn, somebody is going through something. I feel like I am giving everyone the same piece of advice (myself included) again and again. Sometimes life is a bummer. And sometimes, stuff just really ain't fair! So, for all of you who are going through some kind of something awful, allow me to encourage you:

IT'S GONNA GET BETTER. I promise you it will. There is a reason, there is a purpose. This too shall pass. Your Father in heaven loves you, and He truly wants what is best for you. More importantly, He knows what is best for you. You need to trust Him. I know you think you're super smart and you've got it all together, but you don't. He knows better than you and you've gotta let Him run His show and prove to you how much He loves you!

What you must remember is that even if it is unclear right now, the Lord really is going to just floor you with how amazing His plans are. A little down the road, all of this will come together and make sense and you are going to be sitting there going "Oh.... I see. Thanks for doing that.".

Things are going to get BETTER for you! You are being chosen to receive an even GREATER BLESSING!! In the words of Beth Moore, "Sister, you are not being picked on. You are being picked out!".

My friends, pray for wisdom. Pray for guidance. Pray for His will to be done, no matter how painful it is. He has plans for you. Plans to give you a future and a hope.

Do not allow the evil one to have control over your situation. He finds you in your most vulnerable, miserable, hopeless state and preys on you. He is prowling like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Flee. Flee from him. You can choose to believe in the hope to which you were called. You are filled with the Spirit. You can see past all the depressing here and now. You can rejoice for the blessings that are coming your way!

Jesus has always been faithful to you! He has never let you down before. If He brings you to it, He will bring you through it. He is not going to bring you to something painful and then just leave you there to fend for yourself. Look for Him in that dark place. He is there with you. It just feels so dark sometimes that you forget that He is in the room. He's there. He never left. Ask Him for help.

There is a beautiful Sara Groves lyric that comes to mind:

I can't remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can't remember one single regret
In serving God only and trusting His hand
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me.

I want to encourage you, my sisters, to rejoice. Rejoice because it's going to get better. Rejoice because you are filled with hope. Rejoice because you can choose to believe Him and believe that He isn't leaving you here in this place. Rejoice because it's gonna get better.

And, if nothing else, simply rejoice because you are a daughter of God and He has cleared your name. He has cleared your way. He has gone before you and master-planned this whole life of yours.

Trust Him, sister.

Movies, Monopoly, Music Awards

Alrighty, I guess it is time to do a bit of a weekend recap!

Friday Night- We went to go see Pink Panther 2 with our friends, the Lloyd's. The movie was so silly. Totally Steve Martin.

Saturday Morning- I woke up and went to my hair appointment. I got my haircut and Troy put in some highlights. Ya'll, my hair is blonde on top. Seriously, there are blonde highlights in my hair. And when I say blonde, I mean BLONDE. It is super fun and really different. I kinda have a panic attack every morning when I look in the mirror for the first time cause I keep forgetting that they are there!

Saturday Afternoon- Baby Shower! My mom hosted a baby shower for my cousin B'linda at her house and it was just lovely. I got to see alot of people I haven't seen in awhile and it was so fun to celebrate the upcoming arrival of little Isobel!

Saturday Evening- GAME NIGHT! Our Sunday School class had a game night and it was too fun. I spent the first half of the evening playing Scattergories, and the last half of the evening playing a game of SceneIt, Friends version. My team won :) Grant spent the ENTIRE evening playing a game of Monopoly. Monopoly never sounds fun to me and no one ever looks like they are having any fun playing it! Grant won after 3 hours. Blaaah.

Sunday Morning- Up and out the door to church! In Sunday school we learned about family relationships and establishing boundaries. Then, in church, Pastor Gregg taught about Living a Life of Love. He talked about how people should know that we are Christians by our love. It is though God's agape love that we can love others with phileo, or brotherly love. It was a great message.

Sunday Afternoon- Our class went to Mission Burrito for lunch. It was there that the girls decided that we should all go see He's Just Not That Into You. This movie had funny parts and some cute moments, but all in all I disagreed with alot of it. Does anyone else think that Scarlett Johannson ALWAYS plays the hoochie in every movie she does?!

Sunday Evening- I made spaghetti, we watched the Grammy's (people are weird, ya'll) and then I cleaned the house till I couldn't stay awake any longer!

Best Dressed at the Grammy Awards:

Carrie Underwood

Worst Dressed at the Grammy Awards:
Rapper M.I.A. I don't care how pregnant you are, no one should've let her do this!

And here we are, back at work. The next 2 days should be fairly easy since the 2 attorneys that I work for the most are in San Antonio at a conference! Woo hoo! :)

Have a great week, friends!

February Fun

This morning I was on my way to work when I saw some brake lights ahead of me. It looked like there was a minor fender bender. No one looked hurt and the 2 men were both exchanging information. However, I was in a big hurry and needed to get to work. Of course, NO one from the other lanes would let me over to get away from the accident. I put on my blinker, stuck my "nose" out there and kept hoping a kind soul would let me in.

Two to three minutes went by it seemed before I FINALLY saw someone flash their lights and wave their hand to "come on in!". I waved my hand in a very cheery way and said THANK YOU!! It was then that I looked in my rear view mirror and saw that the kind soul who let me in was none other than my darling husband Grant. :) That's why I love him! (And if he had driven by without letting me in he would've gotten a sassy phone call from me!)

Anyways, I am still a bit out of sorts. I have been sick as a dog. I was in bed all day Saturday and Sunday. Saturday I had a fever of 101.3. That was NOT fun but thankfully my Katie brought me some gatorade and made it all better! Monday I finally went to the doctor. Turns out I have bronchitis and a sinus infection. I got lots of fun medicine and got back to work yesterday. I feel a bit too drugged up to be at work but no one has really seemed to notice. I guess I always act goofy! :)

I spoke with Ronda for quite awhile yesterday and she and Chase are both home resting. Praise the Lord! I was expressing to her how amazing it is that it is February now- and that THIS MONTH is the month that she and Chase will become parents! I am beside myself with joy! All of these babies are coming into my life. I am so beyond blessed to be an aunt.

In other news, I am enjoying American Idol this season and have already picked out a few favorites.

Bikini girl is not one of them.