Embrace the Camera 4.28.11

Gotta love a computer shot in a funky-lit room.

Not gonna lie...I just got the girls dressed so we could go to the grocery store today...after 5pm. They've been napping all day and I just think on some days it is pointless to get them dressed. Since dinner is asking to be made, I must go to the store. (If you're wondering why I'm never prepared for dinner, it's because I never know these days when Michael will be home. I can get by on a bowl of cereal and the girls can eat fruit on the days we eat alone.) Anyways, it's almost the weekend! Who's watching that royal wedding? I may have to figure out how to set up the vcr since we no longer have dvr. No way I'm getting up THAT early!

100Cameras

I wanted to share with you an iPhone app that can make some pictures more interesting. It's called 100Cameras. I don't remember who told me about this, but I think it is pretty cool. You have a choice of 100 overlays to put over pictures that you have taken or uploaded to your phone. I took this picture this morning of one of the roses Michael got me last night (he's is amazing, I tell ya!) and sent it to my phone to edit with 100Cameras. Very easy!

Easter 2011

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We really enjoyed all of our activities.

On Friday, the girls and I had lunch with my grandmother, great-aunt, cousin, aunt, and mom. We has a real good time visiting. Then, we headed home to eat dinner with Michael at my favorite place, BJ's. Later in the evening, some friends came over with Sprinkle's cupcakes. Overall, it was a very good and tasty day!

On Saturday, I caught up on some of my chores and spent time with my family. After the girls napped, we went to Michael's parents house. His two sisters' families were here for LTC and we got to visit and celebrate Ashley and Andrew's birthdays. (They're the oldest in the picture.) The kids got to dye Easter eggs.

On Sunday, we went to Michael's parents' church. Ma had bought all the girls dresses, bows, and gloves. Precious! After I put the gloves on Julia, she held out her hands and said, "Oooo!" We had lunch at Spring Creek. Then we went back to Ma's for pictures, changed for an Easter Egg Hunt, then cascarones, and then the delivery of full Easter baskets. On Sunday night, we had our Bible study and thoroughly enjoyed that too! Great family, great friends, and a great reason to celebrate! Because He lives!

5 Question Friday 4.22.11

HAPPY GOOD FRIDAY!

ENJOY EASTER!

She wasn't happy with her sister when I snapped this shot, but she loved her Easter egg hair!

1. What is your favorite Easter tradition?

Since entering into my husband's family, cascarones are my favorite tradition. Cascarones are colorful eggs filled with confetti. You smash the eggs over people's heads. LOADS of fun! And talking about traditions, do you know that I have never dyed eggs before? I don't know if the yolk is still inside, if they are hard-boiled or soft, and I have no idea how to actually dye them. You can pick up your jaw off the floor now.

2. Are you a "shower" or a "long, hot bath" kind of person?

As a mom, I'm a shower as quickly as you can girl. I hate it. I love showering for a long time under very hot water. I know, I know...horrible for your skin, but oh, it feels so good! When I was in my first year of teaching (and single with no family), there was nothing better than soaking in a good bubble bath, with candles burning, and great music playing. Unfortunately, the bathtub I have now isn't really good for all of that because of it's size and other factors.

3. Can you parallel park and if so when is the last time you did it?

You know, I was never taught how to do this in Driver's Ed. I can do it if I need to, but it takes me awhile and it's not the best. I avoid it as much as possible. I have no idea when I parallel parked last.

4. What is your favorite Easter candy?

I really like Hershey's chocolate filled eggs. I like peeps and Cadbury eggs too. I'm trying to behave this year. TRYING to be healthy. I've been able to work out this week for the first time in a LONG time and it feels great!

5. Easter: do you go all out with the Easter Bunny or focus on the religious part of the holiday?

It's mainly religious to me. The Easter Bunny is fun and it's great as my kids don't understand the religious aspect yet. I don't get pictures with the Easter Bunny because older girl would go crazy from fear. So, yeah, Jesus is enough for me.

Embrace the Camera 4.21.11

You may or may not have remembered me mentioning going to karaoke bar a few weeks ago. This was not any ole karaoke bar. This was a Korean, family-style karaoke bar. Although, I think know I wouldn't bring my young family there. It was SO MUCH FUN. Apparently, the Asians know how to do karaoke right. They have dozens of rooms where your party can go and there is no embarrassing yourself in front of strangers. The rooms have leather couches and televisions on the walls. The tv's show you the lyrics and also have cartoon-like characters or weird korean videos as the background. There are two microphones to pass around. And the best part? They auto-tune your voice. It must really work because my friends didn't take my microphone away. They really are sweet people. Let me introduce you to them:

That's me, Jill, Ashley, and Shanta(visiting from TN)

Sarah and Katie jumped in as well.

Sarah doing a little Staying Alive dance move.

Sing it, Katie!

I must mention that our husbands made this possible. We were having dinner together and the guys offered to take our children home and watch them so that we could party all night. These girls were the perfect girls to do this with. They all have a little diva-ness to them and being in the spotlight is just their thing...especially Ashley! Her rendition of It's Raining Men still makes me laugh. I have video footage - oh buhlieve me, I do - but I should not post that to the world. I don't think y'all could handle such greatness! I had such a fabulous time and it came at the perfect time in my hectic life. Thanks, girls!

Sleep!

Last Friday, Audrey visited her allergist. Bad news: He thinks we're going to be buddies. Good news: He gave her a prescription that has really helped her! Her eyes have not swelled up, gotten red, or itched and she has not wheezed either! She had been waking up a lot at night because her eyes hurt or were sealed shut. Not anymore. In fact, she and Julia have decided that waking up past EIGHT is the way to do things! Julia has always been easy to put to bed, but Audrey is just now putting herself to bed. So now sleep is occurring earlier for us and lasting longer too. I might just conquer the world now.

LBJ Express

I live close to several freeways. The congestion is really bad near where I live. It hardly affects us though because we can just exit and drive home on the side streets or use the HOV lanes. Below is a video of what they (TxDOT) have started to improve the congestion. There are some pretty smart people out there. I would never be able to figure out how a layered freeway system might work. They are doubling the lanes and keeping the existing ones. Crazy!

Bluebonnets 2011

So, yeah. I tried to do the bluebonnet picture thing. I am not pleased with the pictures, but at least I got some which I sure haven't been able to do before. Audrey's allergies were pretty calm on Wednesday, so I stuck her in the middle of a flowery field. :) I wanted to go in the morning, when the light was better, but Audrey slept until 9:20 and Julia was already napping when she woke up. Sooo, I took them out at high noon. That's the worst time for lighting, right? And they were hungry. I didn't use the right settings on my camera either. And I was scared of rattlesnakes after that lady on the news the night before talked about how foolish it was to take these pictures. I stayed where the grass was short and not into the middle of the bluebonnets. Julia didn't like the nature thing. She wanted me to hold her and didn't like that I just clicked away instead. Maybe I'll do this again if everything lines up correctly.

Five Question Friday - 4.15.11

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

It's my proposal anniversary!

I said "YES!" 6 years ago today, on tax day, to my CPA! :)

1. What is your favorite sign of spring?

Well it sure is not the allergies! I'm taking my daughter to the allergist today and hopefully she'll get some relief. I really love the perfect evenings. We've been going to the park and walking at night. It's great to have that family time.

2. What was your best birthday ever?

That's tough. My college roomies really made my 21st birthday special. My husband also made my 30th birthday special too. Anytime someone takes the time and effort to surprise you and gather friends to celebrate YOU is a blessing.

3. What is your favorite dessert?

ALL of them! I love dessert. Like children, they tug at your heartstrings in different ways and have something great to offer!

4. What is the best excuse you've ever used to get out of a ticket?

I've gotten out of tickets before but it was never because of an excuse - just because of a nice officer.

5. Do you wake up before your alarm, with your alarm, or after hitting snooze several times?

I typically wake up to the kids. I just read a blog that said you should wake up before your kids so that you can mentally prepare for the day, spend some God time, and not wake up grumpy to a kid waking up. I guess if I was waking up grumpy or if I knew when my kids were going to wake up, I'd do that. Frankly, I get more grumpy when I set my alarm and begin my day and then my kids sleep in. I just sit there thinking about how I can still be in bed and I get upset. Sleep is very important to me. Very.

On days that the alarm goes off, I hit snooze like nobody's business!

Embrace the Camera 4.14.11

I got to see my college roomie, Crystal, last Thursday. She had a layover at DFW and we were able to spend an hour together before she went back home to Portland. I haven't seen this girl since my wedding day and that was over five years ago! To say that that was too long is an understatement! We're hoping to have a reunion of sorts with another roomie next summer. Crystal has got to be one of the most fun gals to be around. Audrey really liked her and said she was nice and silly. Yep, that's her alright! Do you like the oh-we're-at-the-airport-already-let's-get-a-picture-in-the-car shot?

Just Some Catching Up

Lately, I've been using my internet time to find good dinner recipes instead of blogging. Michael has been able to come home in time for dinner some. It had been so long since I've cooked that I felt like a rookie. So I've been looking at a lot of recipes and so far I've had some good successes. Do you have any good go-to recipes you'd like to share?

We've also been spending his hard-earned money, but not really wanting to.

Our faucet broke and hot water was leaking in a good, steady stream. I dealt with the problem by turning off the hot water. Any time I needed it or ran the dishwasher, I would just turn it back on. It made a horrible noise and leaked at the faucet when the dishwasher was on. It really threw off my schedule because I couldn't just let the washer run at night like I typically do because hot water would run all night. I stayed up a few nights just waiting for the wash cycle to end. Michael finally got the time to look at it to see if he could fix the issue. He could not, so he just bought a new faucet. We ended up calling the plumber anyways. He bought a bronze faucet and I was all too happy to replace my brass cabinet hardware with bronze. I found a great deal online on those knobs and pulls.

Then the tv that my parents gave us died earlier this week. This was the only tv that can connect to our antenna and AppleTV. So Michael went out to buy a certain model that was rated well on Consumer Reports. The store didn't have it. Long story short, they offered a display for half off and he haggled them down even lower. So now we have a great tv for less than what we were going to pay originally.

I didn't help matters when I convinced Michael that I needed a nice mixer after I broke ours making his birthday cake. I felt I was going to do enough baking just for Julia's party to justify the purchase. I didn't know everything else around me was going to fall apart. At least I got the mixer for much less at Kohl's when it was on sale and I had 30% off coupon. Oh, I also bought a good straightener then too. Whoops.

So, yeah. We went over budget this month. Hopefully it will all even out soon!

Yesterday, I called up Audrey's school and cancelled for the rest of the year. That should help our finances. She has missed so much lately with her allergies. She also hasn't been wanting to go lately. She's been to school only once or twice since Spring Break. I just felt like we were wasting money for something she might go to and wasn't really enjoying. I am glad we put her in school because I know it has helped her and she's enrolled for next year. It's just not feeling right at this time.

On another note, I found out I was pregnant with Audrey on April 11, 2007. Julia was weaned from nursing on April 10, 2011. The entire time between those dates, I was either pregnant or breastfeeding. I have my body back for the first time in 4 years! I can take medicine if I want! Wahoo!

I'm hoping to go get bluebonnet picture today. Doesn't help that I heard on the news last night that some lady believes that there are rattlesnakes in the fields. Should I heed her warning?

Sorry that this was more of a journal entry than a blog entry today.

Five Question Friday - 4.8.11

1. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

I wish I could decide if I'm an introvert or an extrovert. I was so very shy growing up. I was not shy at all while in college. In the almost TEN years since college, I've gone back and forth from being timid and shy to being a leader and outgoing. I like myself a little bit more as an outgoing person, but I think I'm shy by nature. Is anyone else like this or is it just me?

2. Write about a time when you got lost.

How about when I lost my husband in church last week? I missed just about the entire service looking for him. He was in Audrey's classroom, it turns out. Hmmm, me being lost... That doesn't happen often with technology. I did get lost on the way to my friend, Shannon's, wedding reception. That was horrible. I arrived sooo late.

I missed the bridesmaids being introduced. Sorry Shannon! At least I was on time for the wedding. She was such a gorgeous bride!

3. Camping or 5 star hotel?

It's been such a long time since I've gone camping. I think I'll opt for the 5 star hotel now that I'm a bit older. I'd rather have a comfy bed than a sleeping bag. I'm all about sleep these days. BTW, I just downloaded an app called Sleep Cycle and I love it! It wakes you up when you are in a light sleep instead of a deep sleep that alarm clocks seem to hit. It also tracks your sleep cycles that night. I wish I could have seen the ridiculous amounts of non-sleep I was getting back in February.

4. Have you donated blood?

I sure have tried! Every single time I've gone to give blood, I've either been on my period, was going to be involved in a physical activity later that day (intramurals), on medication, or might be pregnant. I've tried many times but they have always turned me away. I've got A- blood. I don't know if negative blood is in greater need or if that detail even matters. I feel an extra responsibility to give since I believe negative blood is more rare than positive. Do y'all now if they even care about the postive/negative aspect of blood? It doesn't bother me one bit when they take the vials and vials of blood when you're pregnant, so I really want to give.

*Looked all of this up. My A- blood can only go to O- and A- blood types. And, if I read correctly, if you have a negative blood type, you are more likely to develop an auto-immune disease. So, negative blood type, I have you to thank!

5. Do you have a budget or do you 'fly by' most months?

We do have a budget. We've gone over this month for sure. We used to be really good at following it, but it takes some time - time that is very precious to us right now. I generally don't spend much money, so it's pretty easy to stay under budget. I do know that we have $130 left this month to eat out. Michael really likes eating out. He says that when he eats at home, he feels guilty for not having his laptop out and working. Isn't that sad? I can't wait for his work to slow down.

Embrace the Camera 4.7.11

Embracing the camera with my ONE YEAR OLD! We're singing Happy Birthday with a bunch of family around. It's been a week already and it still hasn't sunk in that she's one.

Got Milk?

We took Julia to her 1 year well check today. She is not a fan of being messed with or of shots, but she was her joyful self the rest of the time. She weighed in at a light 17#9oz (5%) and measured at 30in (80%). So she dropped some in both categories. I was worried about her weight because she had only gained a few ounces in 2 months when we were last there. BUT, in three weeks, she gained over a pound. I guess it's that whole milk! Below is her first taste of it on the morning of her birthday. BTW, Audrey was in the 5% in weight at that age and was quite a bit shorter.

Sorry about the poor quality.

Julia's First Birthday Party

WARNING: Picture overload!

On Saturday, we celebrated Julia's first year of life. We had a lot of fun and I was so happy so many showed up for her birthday celebration!

The theme was Milk and Cookies. Julia had her first sip of milk on Thursday and she's a fan! Good thing since it was her party theme. Audrey just last week decided that she liked white milk.

For the milk, we had white, strawberry, and chocolate milk.

For the cookies, we had chocolate sugar cookies with pink icing in "J"s and "1"s; Oreos (ran out of steam to do Orea Balls); Cocoa Krisp Treats with black/pink M&Ms; M&M cookies; and German chocolate cake cookies.

We also had chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes and cookies and cream cake.

A special thanks goes out to Rachel for making me the German chocolate cake cookies when I had a baby and introducing me to Annie's Eats.

I like to have family-only parties for the first couple of years. I tried to get pictures of everyone, but didn't get them all.

Here's my great-aunt, Barbara.

This is my "great" aunt, Sandra. We call her Sasa.

My niece, Maddie and sis-in-law, Jaime. Blake and Macie were there too.

My parents, Papa and Mimi. They hosted.

Of course, Audrey was there.

Michael's Dad, Poppy. Audrey being shy.

Michael's Mom, Ma.

My grandmother, Nana

Papa, again.

My cousin, Jill. Her kids Hannah and Hunter were there too.

My cousins, Jana, Judy, and Ashley were also there.

Mimi bought Audrey this sweet little pink and black dress for the party.

Julia got her very own cupcake to eat.

She preferred just eating the mini morsels.

She finally got a bit of icing.

Love her!

If it were not for my mom, I could not have pulled this off. She watched the girls for me while I made a mess of her kitchen. She also helped me put all of the last-minute details together. She was awesome!

Happy Birthday, Julia!