Lately

It wears me out just thinking about how busy we have been lately! haha Definitely a good busy but BUSY!!! Here are just a few things that have filled our calendars!~

Girls Night to see the Little Mermaid at the local high school! Such a fun night!

The little girls had a blast two! These two are quite the pair!

Waiting in line to get in to the play!

This girl got put into time out.... (You can tell she is in the corner)

By this girl... (who thinks she is the mom of Chandler!)

For Probably doing something like this!!! Yes, dog food is our latest obsession. All of my kids have gone thru the "dog food" stage I guess by number 3 you just start taking pics rather than try and pry those little nuggets from their hands :) ha!

 

I have been a little frustrated with ol Annie with soccer. She has SO much potential but she is just the type that decides if she wants to do something or if she doesn't and it is truly maddening. Well, I don't know what finally kicked in or if it was Papaw being there but she finally decided to play on Saturday.... and she KILLED it! Papaw is her hero so for him to get to see her do so well meant the world to her!

She killed it as in scored 5 goals! For 3 and 4 year olds that is a lot~! haha We made a HUGE deal and she was so excited. She swears she is going to do it every week, we shall see!

 

My co-worker got married on Saturday and it was SO much fun! I love weddings, I don't think I will ever get tired of a fun wedding!

 

My boss and most of my co-workers!

 

Tex and I enjoy our parent night out!!!

And to leave you with a funny... they had a photo booth with props and I made Tex get in there with me and act silly. I thought it was hilarious! Our May is jam packed, I don't see things slowing down until June :) but we apparently like life in the fast lane!

Our Love Story Part V

After the night that I found out Tex had given the piggy back ride to another girl I think I went over to his apartment and told him that I wanted to take this relationship seriously, etc... I can still remember we were standing in the bathroom in his apartment (because of course I choose to have this serious conversation during a party at their place) and his exact words were "Ok we can take it day by day" Day by Day??? What! If you know me, you know I don't take anything day by day. I am the all time worst about not knowing my life plan! When I met Tex he seriously wanted to be a forest ranger or a ski instructor in Colorado, he wanted to run wild and free!

 

Poor thing... he never had a chance! Well, day by day turned into month by month and year by year :) At 19 and 20 you can only imagine the stumbling blocks, obstacles and trials that we endured. You can also only imagine the fun we had, the weekend trips, the wild nights and the many memories we created with our amazing friends! I have stories for days, some that would make you cry, some that would make you blush :) We literally grew up together. I don't think we ever really "broke up" maybe being dramatic one night we "took a break" which always lasted about 48 hours which was a lifetime at 20 years old. 

Our Wedding Day 2004

 

Tex was and is always first and foremost my best friend. I think that is what has kept us going even during our darkest hour. We still laugh together and genuinely like being around each other and I am so glad we worked on that foundation. After 5 years of dating Tex proposed to me at his apartment with flowers, a dinner he cooked and Norah Jones ("come away with me" playing on the cd player) *Funny story about the cd player, I am talking we were broke just out of college, couldn't hardly afford to live on our own... Tex bought the cd player from target and kept the receipt and took it back after the proposal! haha!! I think I have told 2 people that story, EVER! We didn't have a lot but we had each other!

Pregnant with Palmer (Painting his nursery) 2007

 

I bawled like a baby the other night watching our wedding video. I don't think I realized how much we didn't know at the time we got married. We didn't have a clue (and probably still don't). We thought we were committed then but we didn't know what commitment really was. Someone said the other day you don't know your level of commitment until you have really been tested. Tex and I have really been tested. We have been thru A LOT the last 14 years. Career Changes, Family Crisis', Job Loss, 3 Moves, 3 Kids... just to scratch the surface ;) We have weathered the storms sometimes gracefully and sometimes not. No matter what we have never turned our backs on each other. We have had resentments and pointed fingers and had our share of good ol knock, down, drag out fights but when it came down to it, we were always there to catch each others fall.

(Palmer being born 2007)

 

We have fallen a lot and we have continued to get back up and dust ourselves off and recommit to each other. Sept 10, 2004 was one of the best days of my life along with May 22, Feb 16 and August 17th when the kiddos were born.

(3 Days Before Ann Mason was born)

 

We have been told by many people for years we would make a good reality show! haha I don't know that, that is always a compliment but at least I know we are certainly entertaining! I just got told this by Chandler's nursery teacher she said " I would totally tune in to watch your family every week" Why? Because we are still hot messes, that's why!!!

(Ann Mason's Birth)

We haven't been perfect, we have said things that can't be taken back and we have acted like kids. I  always say that Tex is a better person that me. He handles things better, he is more laid back, more free spirited, more go with the flow, more accepting.... He makes me a better person. He calms my type A personality and helps me see that in the end all of my worrying doesn't matter in the least! Things are what they are and they always turn out to be ok!

(Telling the world that we were having baby #3)

Right now in our marriage we are working on balancing finding time for OUR relationship. I get so scared to wake up in 20 years when the kids are all in college and turn to look at this stranger next to me. We are really trying to figure out how to make time for each other, work full time and be the best parents. I think making time for ourselves and making sure that our relationship is solid trickles down into everything else making it all better!

(Chandler's newborn pictures)

We have laughed a lot and we have cried a lot. We have been down roads where I didn't think there was a way back, we have experienced joy so immense there are no words. Anytime I am really frustrated with Tex I always go back to this....

(Our Family this Easter)

When I am old and gray, when my skin is sagging and my wrinkles cover every crevice of my body, when I have nothing left to give physically but everything to give emotionally there is only one person that I want rocking in that rocking chair beside me and that is Tex. Period.End.Of.Story :)

Our Love Story Part IV

After we kissed we were both awkward. I wish I could say we just fell in love and lived happily ever after but not.so.much. I know that we were totally 100% meant for each other but we were both just lost souls at that point I think :) Not in a bad way, just in a really unorganized, not responsible, just trying to make it to class and not flunk out of school kind of way! When we saw each other during the day we were like middle schoolers who would smile but wouldn't talk a lot but then at night after hanging around for a while we would always end up spending the whole night hanging out together.

I still wasn't sold on this idea especially after the first date.... Tex FINALLY, I mean FINALLY after like 8 weeks asked me on a first date. It was SO awkward, I am pretty sure he borrowed money from Eric (thank you Eric!) and he picked me up in his old Jeep CJ7 with no doors at the sorority dorm. My really mature friends (with whom I am still best friends with to this day) screamed ridiculous things at the window at the both of us as we climbed in his jeep and drove off into the sunset (not really, more like O'Charleys). I ordered a soup and salad and Tex called me a "cheap date", we had never been just by ourselves and it was weird. It lasted a whole 45 minutes and then he drove back and dropped me off in front of the dorm. We may have done the awkward hug and I ran inside.

Tex and I came out of that date very differently. I really was thinking this was going more towards a friend level but I think he decided that he was pretty into me. heehee What ensued was pretty hilarious. I guess at 19 I played hard to get and Tex would show up on his mountain bike throwing rocks at my window at 2 am waking up me and my roommate, I remember one time I am at a fraternity party and someone handed me the phone and said "It's some guy named Tex" he called me at a PARTY!!! Only Tex would not realize what a deal breaker that was! He sent me flowers that looked like something from Mars, the poor guy just couldn't do anything right!! I just knew that we were probably better off as friends. I loved him like a friend and loved being around him more than anything in the world but in the romance department we just weren't hitting it off until....

I went to Alabama to visit one of my best guy friends from High School. I had the weekend of my life and just the weekend I needed to clear my head and realize I wasn't ready to settle down and then I heard the news... (swear you all I can't make this stuff up) Tex gave a girl a piggy back ride and was flirting with her! At this time we weren't "dating" so he had every right to give 50 girls piggy back rides :)

What??????? My Tex? Um, yeah I decided right then and there that was not going to happen again!! That's all it took for me was hearing that he was flirting with another girl and realized right then and there that I wanted to be the only girl he ever flirted with again!

2010

To Be Continued....

Our Love Story Part III

Summer turned to Fall and it was back to college we all went! What a fun time moving back in the dorms, rush week, rush parties, seeing all of your friends you missed so much over the summer! I am pretty sure that in 1999 I didn't have a cell phone or just got one for "emergencies" that had like 100 minutes on it. 100 minutes, I can blow thru that in 1/2 day easy!

So, I hadn't talked to Tex since we last saw each other but Tiffany said "the boys" were having people over to their new apartment. We all still lived in the dorm so it was SO cool they had an apartment, with no rules, anything goes! To give you a background on Tex... he had not had a girlfriend EVER, ok one but he had never gone out on a for real date, ever! He was everyone's "brother", fun, party Tex but just not the romantically inclined type :) I mean I am not naive I think he had kissed some girls before but never took them out to dinner! haha (that sounds terrible!)

So, all of us girls were finally done with Rush Week and he got all dolled up in whatever the fashion was back then and headed over to their apartment. I immediately was drawn to Tex but I couldn't let anyone know that I liked him cause it was "Tex" they were going to give me a hard time (in a good way). For the next week I am pretty sure we went over there every.single.night! One night I think I pulled the "I will come home later, you guys go without me" card and Tex and I stayed up late talking, laughing and listening to music. He says to this day he knew he liked me because I was the first girl he had met who liked Cat Stevens as much as him (Wild World Singer) On August 19, 1999 we had our first kiss. I have to admit it wasn't pretty, probably a hot mess to tell you the truth, a lot of beers had been drank but we didn't care. We stood on his front porch and kissed like the teenagers we were...

To Be Continued....

Our Love Story Part II

Spring turned to Summer and my life resumed full of spending time with friends, working my nanny 10-4 job (weren't those the very best hours??) and soaking up all of the time I could with my friends back home for my one and only summer that I would spend at the house where I grew up back home.

Mid-Summer my College had something called "summer parties" it was basically an excuse for all of the Fraternity houses to throw parties and everyone comes back for one big summer bash! Summer Parties were a must and I wasn't missing this for the world. Even though it was 1999 I can still remember what I was wearing. Thankfully it wasn't embarrassing because it was a black dress from Old Navy. I had heard "those" boys might be there that weekend and I was kind of excited. As I am at the party I see this guy with a cowboy hat on, t-shirt, cut off corduroy shorts, long curly hair, eye brow and nose piercing say (he was like a mix between a country boy and a hippie child)  "Hey, Blake" 

I looked up and saw it was Tex (Robbie's best friend) and I can still remember WOW, it has been months and he remembers my name. We talked and hung out and I think at one point I asked him to dance and he said "I don't do dancing" and I laughed and danced anyways. We had so much fun. He was like the cool guy, your best friend and brother combined in one. You didn't feel uncomfortable around him and I thought he was cute but more than anything I just liked being around him. If you know Tex (especially Tex back in the day, he was the life of the party!) Everyone loved him, he knew no strangers and I loved that about him!

Not sure if it is because 14 years have passed or we had one too many drinks but the night ended normal. No kisses, no fireworks, no love at first sight. At the end of the night he said, "Guess what? The guys and I have decided to come here for college in the fall?" and the rest of the summer in the back of my mind I kept thinking about that really fun guy named Tex with a cowboy hat and piercings!

2004

To Be Continued.....

Our Love Story Part I

I am totally jumping on the band wagon of doing an "Our Love Story Series". Cheesey? Maybe Scary? Kind of just to put it all out there. Fun? Definitely and whenever I am on the fence on what to post I always think about what started my blogging in the first place, my kids. I want them to read these posts, laugh, cry, remember, learn and realize that we had a story even before they were born :)

Let's rewind to 1999 I had just finished my first year of college and broke up with my "first true love/high school boyfriend"(yes the one I followed to college and then we broke up, yeah that one) and was ready for a party! Party we did... I had met the most amazing girls and pledged a sorority (yes, yes that rights CHI-OMEGA all the way!haha) and we were having the time of our lives. I am pretty sure the only night we didn't do much was Sunday, maybe Monday but the rest of the week it was on, never a dull moment! I lived in the sorority dorm and privacy was non exsistent, sleep was sparce, friends were plenty and plans were made every night!

One of my friends Tiffany, said that her best guy friends from her hometown were coming to visit and go out with us that night. Three guys came to our college that night unknowningly changing my life forever... Robbie, Tex (the hubs) and Eric. We partied, we rode in the back of a truck all the way home, we at Crystal Chicks at 3 am, we stayed up dancing and jamming to fun music and I had my eye on one guy .... It was that time in your life when you could stay up for hours just talking and didnt think about how you were going to pay for it the next day. That's what we all did that night and by the end of the night I somehow managed to kiss that one guy I thought was totally cute, Robbie. Yes, Robbie as in (the hubs best friend ever)

Everyone knew that we kissed, we laughed about it the next morning, giggled about all of the dumb things we did the night before and said goodbye to our new found friends without much thought but definitely a lot more memories....

2003

Too Be Continued....

Tubes and 8 Months

HAPPY 8 MONTH BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET BABY CHAN CHAN!!!

This little nugget turned 8 months old today! To say my heart breaks each day that goes by is an understatement. I am seriously, seriously having a hard time with this. I can honestly say (minus the sickness which comes with the territory) that I have LOVED having another baby, diapers, car seats, getting up in the middle of night all of it because I love those baby rolls, deep belly laughs, soft skin that smells incredible, a little person that still wants me to "baby" them, that needs me for everything. I LOVE babies, I will shout it from the rooftop! I know that one day I will be ok with loving other people's babies but right now I just love having my baby and want to soak in every minute of her!

She is undoubtedly the happiest, most laid back, sweet natured baby I have ever had or known :) I mean she lets us do this to her and LOVES it.... PS Red lipstick is nearly impossible to remove! haha

Yesterday she got tubes! We were excited because hopefully it will really cut down on how many times she has been sick. She was a total hit at the ENT office. Even without eating since midnight she laughed, played and waved her way into the hearts of every nurse and dr! She did fabulous even waking up from anesthesia. Disclaimer: I feel like I slightly have the right to boast about how good my baby is. If y'all knew me or knew of my first child Palmer you would be happy for me too :) He is the most loving and easiest child NOW but THEN holy cow he broke us into the whole parenting. Worst.Baby.Ever :) Ann Mason was a mix she was a good baby (or at least my memory thinks she was) but the minute she hit like 14 months it was ON and hasn't stopped, I am confident Chandler will follow suit and I will have two girls just like me and my sister! haha

I mean seriously, how cute is this sweet pea. Ok, let's get down to business at 8 months old Chan is...

Wearing 9 month clothes (she can wear some 6 month and even some 12 month) but pretty much we are right in the middle.

She weighs 16 pds 14 oz, she eats probably 4-5 6 oz bottles a day and about 5-6 jars of food a day. I have no idea if this is "normal" but it works for us. Do you know this child I haven't referenced one book, one website about what she is supposed to be doing at this age. Hopefully this works in our favor, right? haha

She is....ALWAYS happy! Seriously, ALWAYS! She pretty much sleeps thru the night. She goes to bed about 9 and probably once a week she will wake up and eat a bottle at 2:30 am and then sleep till 7 but 99% of the time she sleeps till 5:30 exactly, takes a bottle and goes back to sleep until 7:00.

I don't mind a little inconsistency I have always said that I don't get hungry every 4 hours exactly, sometimes I want to eat every 5 minutes sometimes I go hours and hours. Obviously I would never let my child go too long without eating (no one get alarmed!) but what I am saying is I guess I have never been one to cling on to a full on schedule. Again... right or wrong who knows but it works for us.

This probably shows that she is the 3rd child. Cheese Puffs? haha No wonder she is happy all of the time! ha! I just found out her obsession for cheese puffs so I only pull them out in dire emergencies like when I need people occupied for at least 5 minutes to make dinner!

She just started waving and clapping and if I do say so myself it is the cutest wave and clap I have ever seen :) She is literally the light of our family. The "newness" has never worn off with Annie and Palmer (especially Ann Mason).

We are completely head over heels for this girl and she knows it! I think about the million times I questioned whether to take the plunge to have a third baby and I look at this face and thank God every day for letting me take this journey again with such an angel. I know 6 years isn't an eternity but from when you are 26 to almost 33 there is definitely a difference and I am so much more calm, confident, content and any other c word that you can think of :) I can truly take it in and enjoy it. Not that I didn't with Palmer and Ann Mason but it was such a whirlwind of questioning myself, making sure I was doing everything right and now I know that doing it right just means loving them and taking it all in.

Happy 8 Months to by sweet baby!

Friday Eve

It's ALMOST FRIDAY PEOPLE!!!

I love it that my co-worker thinks it is the most fun thing to take "selfie" pics of me and tell me how to put my legs and how to hold out my "skinny arm". I am SO akward she ends up taking like 15 pics because I am not a natural model, to say the least :)

I have on my new Lauren Conrad (yep, the one from my favorite old reality show The Hills) top on, my Gap Always Skinny Jeans (which really do make you feel skinny) and my JCP Black Wedge Patent Leather Heels.

I feel like I should be going somewhere other than my house to eat Roast from the crock pot! ha! It's fun to pretend I am going "out" after work. Really I am going home to three foot people screaming my name, screaming demands, needing to be washed of their germys, needing help learning to read and do things like homework and needing someone to monitor the amount of absolute junk that they string out all over the house!

Just about the time I am lovingly about to lose it they finally pass out from pure exhaustion and suddenly a second wind hits me and I am off and running (ok, not literally running but I have enough energy to do just enough around the house, talk on my phone and watch enough reality tv to kill thousands of brain cells!) It is MY time... that time from 8 till about 10:30, 11:00 if I am crazy where I can do semi whatever I want! Don't get me wrong I LOVE my time with my kids, wouldn't trade it for the world but that MY TIME, I earned it and I work HARD for it, so I enjoy it IMMENSLY!

I am pretty sure this post has no point but I am just a happy gal that it is Thursday and the week is almost done!!! Happy Thursday Everyone!!!

Things I am Loving Wednesday!

First off I am LOVING the weather! It has been phenomenal here, it is supposed to get cooler this weekend but I am loving every minute of the windows open and playing outside!~

I am also loving wearing flip flops!!! My favorite things in the world. Colored flip flops!

The second thing I am loving (ok even mildly obsessed with) is this Loreal Magic BB Cream. It is

A-MAZ-ING!!! It is like a primer, correcter, moisturizer in one! I wear it under my make up even under my foundation and it is AWESOME! It is tinted so on days where you don't want to wear much make up you can just put this on but it literally helps my make up stay on ALL day! Love!

Third on the list is BRIGHT NAILS! I have never been one to paint my nails but recently I have and it makes me happy so I think I will keep doing it. My fav color is cajun shrimp by OPI it is a good mix of red/pink/color that matches everything!

 Fourth Thing I am loving is the VOICE!!! I totally don't miss Cee-Lo or Christina at all! I think Shakira and Usher are awesome and Blake and Adam are just too cute! I have even got the kids all into it which is a win/win for everyone. They love it and I don't have to watch Team Umizoomi or Scooby Doo!

Fifth thing I love...I finally bought a pair of Always Skinny Jeans from the GAP!! These jeans are TERRIFIC, they fit perfect they are skinny everywhere, they don't bunch at the knee and get this they run big so you can go down a size! Don't you love that?

I am just a happy gal today, the sun is shining, I have on a sun dress and flip flops and life is good! Happy Wednesday Y'all!

EASTER PART 2!

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off! I FINALLY downloaded pictures! You would think it would have been a simple process but since we only have an ipad now and my work computer wont allow me to download my own pics I have to take my camera to Walgreen's, make cd's, pick them up, downloaded to the computer, you get the point... There has got to be a better way!

Sickness continued in our house last week but this weekend was GLORIOUS!! Seriously it was filled with sun and fun!! I know I have said that we lucked out when we moved into our neighborhood but we have some of the BEST neighbors in the world! We hung out with neighbors all weekend and our neighbors across the street even cooked us all breakfast Sunday morning! The kids were SO happy to be outside and I was one happy momma to not have everyone couped up and going stir crazy! It was the best weekend ever!

Here are my little angel babies over the Easter Festivities. I couldn't love these three anymore...

Our "try to be normal" looking picture!

Our "crazy" picture!

My big babies. OH.BREAK.MY.HEART! They are getting entirely too big!

All of the cousins with their Easter Baskets from Mamaw and Papaw

Our attempt at a family photo. I think I was fairly sweaty since I had the flu but still thought I had a sinus infection I just remember vaguely sweating the whole day! haha It was a blur!

The beautiful girls.

Mamaw, Papaw and their grand babies

My little stud muffin who is so close to be a 1st grader! He giggles every time I say that and I secretly want to tear up!

Holy Cow, they were SO good!

This pic kills me, I want them to love each other, tell each other their deepest darkest secrets and always be there for each other! Sisters are the best!

My little models trying to pose! haha

And just because her smile makes my heart swell!!

Everyone is doing better so far this week. Chandler is officially getting tubes on Tuesday! I can't wait and I really hope it will help and maybe we can catch a few breaks in the next couple of months!!!