Juliet & Scarlett Turn Three!

On May 31, 2006, two precious baby girls came into my life and made me an aunt for the very first time. Juliet and Scarlett have brought so much joy to our lives!

Saturday was their 3rd birthday party so Grant and I took a day trip to Austin to celebrate with the little monkeys. It was a beautiful drive.


The only sad part was we were the first car on the scene of a horrible accident. Grant and others helped drag this poor guy out of his truck which had flipped multiple times. There wasn't much of an arm left on the guy and Grant is thinking he probably didn't make it. It kinda put a damper on the rest of the trip. Thankfully, we knew we were going to a very happy place and had to just pray for the man and thank God for His safety that He provides!

On to happier things.....

The twins really enjoy gymnastics. They go once a week (they call it "My nastics" and seem to really be getting the hang of things! So, they had a gymnastics party and all their little friends from school came.

Here they are in the group circle doing their stretches before hand.


Juliet doing a butterfly stretch with her best friend from school.


Look at our big girl!


Scarlett is really good at these kicks.


This is Jules and her friend Sage, just hanging out.

Headin in....

SILLY GIRL!

Great form!

Parker was there and y'all OH MY GOSH. The child did not stop. She has NO fear and almost exploded with joy!

The teacher had them all lay on this big mat that slowly filled up with air. They squealed the whole time!

Here it is fuller. At this point, Grace Parker got a bit freaked.

Now RUN!! I think Scarlett just took those boys OUT!

Dean was there too. He just chilled. HOW PRECIOUS IS THIS BOY?!

I'm so impressed with her!

I don't think they had any fun at all.

Ooooh PARACHUTE! Oh the kids loved loved loved it.

Especially this one. She sure did love the parachute.

Not quite time to go in Parker girl... oh well...

Enter children!

Parker, otherwise known as the great blur. This was the best shot I could get of her most of the day. Joyful, much?

What's going on out here?

My sincere apologies to my dad (Pops) for not getting a shot of the 2 three-tiered cakes he made for his granddaughters. I did get a video of everyone singing happy birthday but this is a new camera and I can't figure out how to upload the video to the computer! I will figure it out soon and post the video later this week so you all can see my dad's beautiful cakes!

Yummy!

I love this one.

After the birthday party ended, we headed back to Shannon and Jason's house to give the girls their birthday presents. They were pretty excited!

This one was excited too!

So the girls are really into dress-up clothes right now, so my mom bought them each a beautiful costume that they just loved. Scarlett was Minnie Mouse and Juliet was Wendy from Peter Pan. (They LOVE Peter Pan)

Here is Juliet becoming Wendy. She was very serious about the whole thing.

Here they are discussing their costumes.

And we have to look in the mirror at ourselves.

Trying to get a pose.... they were too excited!

I think they thought it was a pretty good birthday!! I love you, sweet girls and am so proud of how big you are!

Closet Issues

First of all.... I have to say that you all know me all too well. I was thinking that possibly my description of a woman in white patent-leather peep-toe pumps and white gold-toed tube socks would make you say "That just sounds too outrageous", but y'all know that nothing is too weird in my office elevators. The answer is that I did NOT wake up on time. Somehow, I DID get alot of work done yesterday, despite all the madness!

On to today's topic... CLOSETS.

Our closet right now is just a hot mess. It's clean, and everything is in a place, but y'all, it is just so cramped in there. Our one bedroom apartment has one small closet for 2 people. Hanging up clothes is quite the chore. Just to hang up a shirt can be a catastrophe... things start falling from the sky and other clothes fall off the rack... it is so hard to stay organized!

I CAN be an organized person if I have a system and if everything has a place. AND I need to have room to put things. This squished setting is not working for me. One time our entire rack fell off of the wall.

My shoes are hanging in a rack over the door, I have 3 drawers that hold my jeans and sweatshirts, my purses are in some bins way up high, and my clothes are hung up in groups of shirts, jackets, pants, skirts, dresses. But even with all that organization, it is just too cramped in there!

So, in our house hunt, one of the big things on my check list is a nice closet space. I'm not asking for anything massive or one of those mega closets that you could park a car in... but it would be nice to have a closet where Grant and I could hang our clothes up without ducking for cover.

If I had a closet that was spacious and functional, I feel that I would be a happier person, especially in the morning. And I wouldn't hate doing laundry so much.

I'll leave you with some of my dream closets. They make me so happy!

Aren't they beautiful!??!

And It's Not Even Lunch Time Yet

Here's a fun little guessing game!

Which of the following has not happened to me this morning:

1. Woke up on time

2. Gave Grant his birthday presents, Happy Birthday to my love!

3. Shared an elevator ride with a woman wearing white patent leather open-toed shoes and also wearing white gold-toed tube socks.

4. Shared a separate elevator ride with a man who made siren noises during the entirety of our journey together.

5. Almost vomited when an attorney walked into the office with this dress shirt unbuttoned and a neck tie draped around his neck. GAG ME.

6. Felt a strange bump on my upper lip and determined that it is a bug bite of some kind.

7. Broke out into hives.

8. Went to pharmacy to buy Benadryl, and also purchased a Hershey bar. Because it's necesarry. Don't judge me.

9. Had two female Starbucks employees sing me a song as I walked away called "Goodbye beautiful, enjoy your coffee!"

10. Got alot of work done.

Yes, only ONE of these things has NOT happened to me today. Lord have mercy! Leave your guess as to which one it is in the comments below!

Memorial Day Weekend: A Novel

Chapter 1 - Friday Night

I was beyond thankful that work was over. It had been a long week... not necessarily a bad week, but long nonetheless. Grant and I had been dying to see the new Night at the Museum sequel so we sent out an email to some of our church friends asking them to join us for dinner and a movie! We ate at Red Robin, I do love their fries. However, Katie and I got a turkey burger and it was not satisfying at all. Turkey burgers at Red Robin do not hold a candle to the real burgers. I'm just sayin. Then, all 8 of us sat down at the movies and enjoyed popcorn and sour patch kids. Special thanks to Katie for realizing that she had accidentally snuck in some dark chocolate.

The movie was super cute and we had a great time with our friends. When we got home, Grant and I continued to work on our stupid puzzle. Yes, sometime last week Grant and I decided to start a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. We are now at the point of no return and have finished about 25% and it is HARD. On any given day, you might see one of us walking by the puzzle and staring at in disgust, followed by, "I hate you, puzzle". We WILL finish it though, I promise!

Chapter 2- Saturday

Grant left early to go play a little golf, and I slept in! It was SO nice. After I woke up, I took my dear sweet time getting myself ready for the day. I watched a few shows that I had DVR'd and took my Moxie boy on a walk.

I drove out to Cypress for lunch. Lindsee and I had some yummy Chinese food. We both had the sesame chicken as we discussed important topics such as how people with large foreheads need side bangs more than anyone. Also, if the owners of Hunan Village are readers of my blog, I would just like to say that you need to put more Diet Coke in the cups and less ice. You had so much ice in there, poor Lindsee would take 2 sips and need a refill. Thank you for your consideration.

Then I drove over to Jaclyn's house since we were going to a graduation party. Our cousin Katie is getting married in November and her fiance' James has just graduated from Law school! HOORAY for JAMES! Jaclyn, baby Dean and I headed over to the party. A great time was had by all, and I do love love love that baby Dean. What a sweet boy he is, and SO cuddly.

When I got back to the apartment, we spent a little bit more time on the stupid puzzle, and then headed over to Katie & Mo's. We swam in the pool, relaxed in the hot tub, and enjoyed yummy burgers that Mo cooked for us on the grill. Katie & I both requested turkey burgers again. When we were eating them, we were both raving about how yummy these turkey burgers were and how if all turkey burgers tasted like this, I would eat them all the time. Mo then said, "Oh, wait, Jen, you have a regular burger". Thanks! It was a wonderful night with our dear friends.

Chapter 3- Sunday

Sunday morning we went to church. We had a wonderful lesson in Sunday school. We are going through 1 John and I am really loving it. I am loving meeting all the new people in the class and getting to know them. SO many girls are bloggers, I love it! After class we went into the service which was very lovely and honoring. There were many families there who have lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan and I was so glad we could honor them and show our appreciation. I cried through alot of the service just knowing that there were so many grieving people among us. I am so thankful for our military!

After church, Grant and I headed home for lunch since we had been eating out so much. We just had sandwiches and leftovers. Then Grantley left to play golf with his friends Ben & Jim. I did laundry and watched some horrible Lifetime movies! It was a blast. The boys got rained out though so Grant walked back through the door very shortly. Poor guys, they were so bummed out. But we went to Fuzzy's Pizza for dinner and spent the rest of the evening watching Hitch (WE LOVE THAT MOVIE) and working on the stupid puzzle!

Chapter 4- Monday- Memorial Day

Since the guys had gotten rained out on Sunday, I told Grant that I was fine with him trying to play again on Memorial Day. So he and Ben took off again for a second attempt, and this one was successful! I laid around the house in the morning and then drove out to Cypress again. My parent's teach a Sunday school class at their church. It is all people that have been married around 5 years and have real little kiddos. My mom and dad had a little Memorial Day party and it was so fun. The dads and the kids swam in the pool and we had hot dogs and burgers and ice cream. I had a nice time visiting with them and I will take any excuse I can to have a hot dog!

When I got back to the apartment, Grant was already home from golf. We changed clothes, headed to the gym for a quick workout and then headed to Kroger for our weekly shopping trip. I saved over $15.00 off by bill and got all our groceries for $46.58. HOORAY! I came home and made something called Lasagna Toss which was SO good. Then we watched the Bachelorette (I have mixed feelings about Jake) and I watched Jon & Kate Plus 8. I am so sad for them. I actually prayed for them this morning. I hope they make it...

It was such a great weekend. It actually felt longer than it was and I am back at work right now sipping on my Diet Coke! Life is good.

Have a great week! It's a short one so be grateful!

And thank you for reading my novel.

THE END.

I Will Make My Boast in Previous Posts

Told you so.

Today's Conversation with My Sister

Jaclyn: "So are you sad that Melissa was kicked off Dancing with the Stars?"

Me: "Yah, I was"

Jaclyn: "Oh well, we'll just see what happens next week"

Me: "Wait........what?"

Jaclyn: "I think what's-his-name is going to win"

Me: "What?"

Jaclyn: "Huh?"

Me: "It's over....."

Jaclyn: "What?!"

Me: "It's over.... they crowned the winner last night"

Jaclyn: "Wait... I saw Melissa get kicked off, and then there was more show after that?!?"

Me: "Yes, the FINALE!"

Jaclyn: "THEY ANNOUNCED THE WINNER AFTER MELISSA GOT KICKED OFF? THERE WAS MORE SHOW?!?!"

Me: "YES!!!!"

Jaclyn: "Well who won?!?!"

Me: "SHAWN!"

Jaclyn: "OH MY GOSH!!!"

How to Have a Great Sunday

1. Wake up next to the man you love with your dog cuddled up at your feet.

2. Take a nice hot shower and use your new body wash.

3. Get dressed, chi your hair, and wear your new cute metallic flip-flops.

4. Go to church and enjoy some deep discussions in Sunday school.

5. Sing in the choir and have a wonderful, worshipful experience.

6. Listen to an amazing sermon from Pastor Gregg that inspires you to pray more.

7. Eat yummy soup and salad while having great conversation with great friends.

8. Come home, read the paper and nap with the husband.

9. Throw in a load of laundry.

10. Watch some golf with the hubs.

11. Spend a good 30 minutes making a super efficient grocery list and print out all the necessary coupons.

12. Spend 30 minutes at Kroger and spend less than $50 on the week's groceries. Hooray for coupons!

13. Come home and fold the laundry.

14. Take a long walk with your husband and your dog.

15. Make tacos for dinner!!

16. Watch a funny movie.

17. Put the clothes away.

18. Lay on the couch, typing a blog post while your dog chews on a stuffed squirrel and your husband plays a video game.

19. Thank God for all that He's given you when you are so far from deserving.

20. Go to bed at a decent hour and get motivated for a new week!!

Have a wonderful week, dear friends! It's a new day!

I Feel Like a Woman Again

After all of my extensive research of straightening irons and my desperate search to find something equal to my precious Chi iron, but not quite as expensive.... I came home yesterday to a great surprise.

My sweet husband went to Ulta and purchased a brand spankin' new Chi iron just for me! How precious is that!? Now, he did admit that this had some selfish motives on his part because he was getting a bit tired of me complaining every morning that I had to wear my hair in a bun/pony tail again, but also he wanted to do something sweet for me.

I used it this morning and I feel so much better about myself as a human being! My hair is so presentable. It's been a week since my hair has been straight and I'm pretty sure my co-workers had begun to think I had just let myself go.

Poor Grant must have a bit confused when he went into Ulta, cause he knows that I use a Chi but he also knows that I often announce that "I need to Chi my hair" so he wasn't quite sure if Chi was a noun or a verb. Thankfully a flamboyant man helped him and gave him strict instructions: "Don't slam it!". Well okay!

I am very thankful for my sweet husband who takes such good care of me.

Um, can we have a moment about THE OFFICE?! Can we PLEASE have a moment about GREY'S?!? Grant assured me several times throughout the evening last night that all of these shows are indeed fictional. However, I have invested into these characters weekly for YEARS now (I specifically remember watching the very first episode of Grey's Anatomy EVER in my apartment in Denton with my college roommate before anyone even cared about the show, I have watched since the very beginning) and this is emotional for me!!

It was a big night of television in our home. And also a wonderful morning since my hair is silky, shiny, and not frizzy. Amen and Amen.

A List Because I'm Lazy

1. I bought something at the grocery store yesterday that has changed our lives. It's the Pledge Fabric Sweeper for Pet Hair. CHANGED MY LIFE. It picks up the equivalent of 145 of the lint roller sheets. I played with it all night. I mean, we love our sweet little Moxie boy, but his hair covers our life and everything in it! We can still use the lint roller for clothes, etc. but this works great on the furniture! I got it at Kroger for $4.99, but I also used a coupon for $2.00 off. To get the coupon (and see an instructional video!) click here and scroll down. There is a button on the left for the coupon.

2. Last week, my Chi iron broke. And by broke, I mean that one of the hot metal plates busted lose and is flapping dangerously in the wind. I never realized how much I desperately depended on this silly little thing, but I don't think I've worn my hair up in a bun or pony tail so many days in a row in my whole life. No chi + Houston humidity = wacky hair! So I've been meaning to go buy a new one but I just don't know if I can fork over the dough.

What flat iron do you use? Do you like it? How much was it? Would you recommend it? I'm open to trying new things, even though the Chi has worked for me forever. Spill it, girls.

3. I've gotta give the Lord some praise today! I feel like often we blog about praising Him through the storm, praising Him even when He doesn't give us the answer we would like. But can we go ahead and give Him some praise for when He absolutely just blows our socks off?!? When He answers our prayers with a mighty and loud YES!!! He is a God who provides, a God who loves us so much and He loves us so generously. He protects and He cares about what is on our hearts.

Grant and I were a bit nervous about something yesterday morning and did one of those "Lord, we're not going to beg here, but PLEASE oh please oh please oh PLEASE do NOT LET THAT HAPPEN, please please Oh-sweet-Jesus PLEASE!!!" prayers. And let me tell you, our Jesus just said "Okay". :) PRAISE HIM!

He is GOOD and worthy to be praised. We praise Him in the storm and we praise Him for His "No" and "Maybe" answers, but there ain't nothing wrong in praising Him for His YESSES too!

4. This song moves me inside like nothing has in a very long time. Then I found this Youtube video that just makes it all the more real. It's worth the few minutes. When I am in the middle of a long work day and I'm starting to get to the point where I'm making things all about me, this song re-centers me and gets my mind back in the right place.

5. Tonight is the finale of The Biggest Loser. I dare you to watch an episode of that show without crying. And I'm pretty sure I'll shed some tears tonight! I feel like it is one of the few shows on television that is really doing something good! Not only is it changing the lives of the people that are on the show, but it makes the home viewer feel like such a lazy bum that half of America is thinking about maybe getting their butts off the couch and maybe taking a walk around the block for once!

6. I'm very thankful for Grant. Yes, I am madly in love with him and think he's adorable and funny and he's my best friend, but also, I'm very thankful for him. He helps me out so much in this crazy thing called life. We are a good team and he sacrifices alot for me and I just felt like I should publicly proclaim how thankful I am for him :)

So...this post was everywhere. Comments on your hair straighteners below please!!

Friday, Friday, Friday

I love that our culture has such a love affair with Friday's. We have fun little acronyms like "T.G.I.F." and for some reason it is acceptable to wear jeans to work on Friday's. I LOVE that by the way. Every Friday morning I wake up and say "It's JEANS day!". It's the little things.....

I mean, don't get me wrong, I clearly understand why we are so ready for the week to be over. The weekend has arrived! No work! All play! Go to movies, go out to eat, SLEEP!

Needless to say, I am very glad the weekend is here. Here are a few reasons why:

First of all, something weird was going on this week. Grant and I just could not get to bed at a decent hour, no matter how much we tried. On Monday night the fire alarm in our building went off twice between the hours of 12am and 2am. We were outside waiting for the fire trucks all night. Then, on Tuesday night, our sweet puppy dog decided that the thought it would be a good idea to chew through a blue gel pen around midnight and turn him self blue from the neck down. Y'all, it was so funny. His legs looked like smurf legs. We had a nice carpet cleaning party and puppy bathtime in the middle of the night. Ever since then, we've been going to bed at midnight every night and oversleeping every morning and it is messing up my routine!!!

Secondly, this has been a rough week for my sweet sister Jaclyn. You can read more about it over on her blog but I have been stressing for her this week! Praise the Lord that this nightmare is finally over for her!

I think we're going to dinner tonight, Grant is playing golf with my dad in the morning. Then in the afternoon our Sunday school class is having a crawfish boil. And of course, Sunday is Mother's Day!

So, what are YOU doing this weekend?