I wish adults made friends and trusted as easily as children. Maybe it's because we've been given reason to know better, but it's still sort of sad. We took the kiddos to the park this week and another family showed up that we didn't know (actually, the mom sat in the car while her 4 children, including tiny toddlers ran around crazy). Anyway- while I was busy thinking "This lady has a 2 year old (and probably a 3 or 4 year old in addition to the 2 older kids) and she's seriously sitting in her van 200 yards away on the phone. Does she care that they could get hurt and she wouldn't be there to catch them or take care of them?", which is legitimate, my kids couldn't have cared less. To them, it was just a potential friend or someone to play with for the time being. As much as I wasn't a fan of this particular group of kids (or their apathetic mother), I think adults can learn from children about how to treat people.
Tonight K-monster and I were talking on the way home and he goes "I love you, Ash-wee." I looked at him and said "What are you supposed to call me?" He says "Mommy." So I told him he was right and not to call me by my first name. His response? "But my daddy calls you 'Ashley.'" He was so matter-of-fact and had the sweetest, most sincere look on his face like he genuinely was confused. haha. So stinking cute.
My babygirl has come to a point where she almost will NOT wear regular clothes. Do I love having a girly girl? Absolutely. Do I love that I can't throw some capris and a shirt on her and head out the door? Not at all. lol. If I do, she's changing her clothes and digging for a tutu or princess dress. Gotta love her! Sh
It's been really awesome having a workout partner and someone to push me beyond what I would push myself. I've lost 4 lbs since last week and I feel GREAT. Working on my endurance as well as my other goals- feeling focused! Otherwise, not much going on. Trading out my bathroom theme from "Cars" to something a little more grown up- I'm enjoying it more since I found the new shower curtain for $3 when I just saw it for $8 last week, and the matching rug was only $2. I heart Target clearance. Fort-wide garage sales tomorrow with my friend across the street at 0500! I'm a little bit addicted to "greek" right now, and even more addicted to netflix! That's all. :)
“Even though we've changed and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not all still friends.”
I have 2 or 3 new projects I'm working on, but there are a few that will be ongoing. Scrapbooking our TX vacation as well as catching up on Em's first year (and after). Last week I went to legends with the babies last week for ice cream and stuff... ended up finding this awesome book for my princess. Some of my favorite memories with my grandma are in the kitchen. I want to share these same kinds of memories with both of my kiddos. This just happened to be for Em and I got one about fathers and sons to read to Kface while J is away.
Front cover
Inside.
There are slots for main dishes, side dishes, breakfast, desserts, etc. with "notes" pages as well as the recipe pages and where they came from! So I can save and pass down MY grandma's recipes to my baby girl and in my perfect sentimental mommy dream world, she would pass them down to her babies. I'm ecstatic to start filling it out.. the hard part is deciding which recipes are worthy. Sounds like a good excuse to test them, right?!? :)
We had my honey home for a week... it wasn't long enough but it never is. I swear, I could spend every day with him for 50 years and it wouldn't be enough. Cannot wait for another roadtrip to Texas for a few weeks! Anyway.. he was here for family reasons, but ended up being sick so we saw him more than planned. We took the kiddos to see "Hop", which was cute but ridicously cheesy. J even watched some "Grey's Anatomy" with me and I'm not certain, but I think he might've kinda liked it. Mayyyybe he just really loves me. Either way, he's the best. Otherwise, it was pretty productive as far as getting ready for the garage sale in 2 weeks and working on stuff around the house. Good family time that I think we all really needed. I'm such a lucky girl. :)
Movie night. <3
This makes my heart happy.
Playdate at the park!
Searching for bugs!
Em's flowers are growing! Mine and K's.. not at all.
Weekend playdate.
Wearing makeup.. normally not my thing.
My makeup artist slash life partner. Love her!
Easter outfits during their egg hunt.
Does it make me horribly vain to say that my children should be models? Because seriously.. I believe that. lol. I am pretty sure that every mother sees her child and feels her son or daughter is the most beautiful thing she's ever seen. That's the way it should be. So maybe I'm not awful for talking about how absolutely gorgeous mine are? haha. :)
It was an amazing week. Cannot wait til K's 4th birthday... another long family weekend! I have roughly a month to learn to use fondant, plan activities (we're thinking... bouncy castle!) and a menu. Who's excited for a "Cars" Party?! =)
"No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers."
I finally made the chocolate cake I'd been planning so I could use the oreo icing I'd purchased awhile back. I didn't have cupcake paper so I decided to just do a giant cupcake cake. I baked it too long but managed somehow not to burn it... set it on the counter to cool (it turned out MUCH better than my last one!) and about a half hour before I was ready to go ice it, Kegan runs up to me and says "Em is eating your cake!" Sure enough, there was a fist-full missing. Seriously. I've been procrastinating this cake for weeks and the day I finally made it... GRR! I could've cried. But, o'well. I can make another cake and perhaps this was my karma for doing it while she was asleep instead of baking it with them. :) I'm headed out soon to go look into these cake classes and I could NOT be more excited! My only obstacle at this point is childcare... I hate not having a sitter when I need one! I never do anything for me so I'm hoping just this once it'll work out. Cross those fingers! :)
A K-face story? Okay. I was making dinner yesterday (a chicken taco recipe that is the creation of a good friend) and K says "Mom, I don't like tacos". Normally I make him eat whatever we're eating because I cannot teach them that they can just refuse to eat what I make. This time, since I had leftover pizza and salad mix, I made an exception. As he's walking out of the kitchen to take it to his room (another exception since Em was napping and the husband still wasn't home) he goes "Thanks, mom. You rock!" He's never used that phrase before so I had to ask him to repeat himself and he said all slowly "You... rock." *smile* He's such a charmer. :)
I need to start cooking and baking more. I miss it... I really need a muse to get excited about it again. Cooking for toddlers who rarely eat or appreciate what they're putting in their mouths isn't exactly "inspirational". I'll work on that too. Maybe they'll enjoy it more if I make them apart of it? I'll keep that in mind when I plan my next menu/grocery lit. :)
I keep having these terrifying dreams that usually end in me protecting my kids from something or someone. I know that's my instinct... but the older and more curious they get, the more I worry for them. The more I am dreading them going to school and being away from me (where I'm unable to protect them from anyone or anything that might harm them in any way). It makes me sick. I know it's a part of parenting, but with K right around the corner from school age, it's starting to really make me aware of things I never had to think about before. I love being a young mom, but I'm almost certain this will give me grey hair before my 30's. lol. They are so sweet and precious to me... I just cannot believe how fast it's going. How smart they are and how much they change every single day... it makes me grateful (even though, not always) that I didn't miss a thing. <3 I'm not sure what I would do without a husband who values these things too, I'm so fortunate.
"Noncooks think it's silly to invest two hours' work in two minutes' enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet."Julia Child
"Kids go where there is excitement. They stay where there is love." Zig Ziglar
K: "I have some hiccups, mom. They won't stop. I really have hiccups in my MOUTH!" Poor kid. I have no idea what even made them go away... but they did. I used to get them all the time as a kid (there was much joy in my childhood- lots of laughing equals lots of hiccups) so I have no doubt my kids will be the same. Em used to get them all the time while I was pregnant with her but has yet to get them on the "outside". Knock on wood. They were pretty good today, I needed that. I cannot wait to put their Easter baskets together and see their faces... happy, happy, happy! Goodness, I cannot believe that K's 4th birthday is just around the corner. Not this upcoming Tuesday, but the one following is our fondant class- I really want to learn to use it so I can make the cake I planned for him. Race track base tier, middle tier with checked flag or something and the top tier just solid red with a car/trophy or 4 on top. I have a dream. :)
I am starting to feel my kitchen love again. I just want to buy a new cookbook (the new Taste of Home cookbook to be precise), fill it up with post-it notes and do it!! I think I'll start by finally making that red velvet cake- the one I've been neglecting since my birthday. I bookmarked a few in my allrecipes.com box that I'm pretty excited about. I've been craving some fruit dip since all the good stuff is finally in season! Mmm! I managed to clean almost my entire house in one day. There's still garage sale junk everywhere- but once that's gone, I'll be good to go! I'm thankful that I'll actual be prepared and have stickers on everything (as well as have it on the tables, etc) BEFORE garage sale day. Not my normal style...
I really, really, realllllly miss Amish friendship bread. I hate that mine died when I had a lot of stuff going on... it was our favorite and the kids loved it for breakfast. I should've attempted to make it the healthy way and tried more than just 2 or 3 variations. sigh. Someday! :)
Hubbs should be here in a few hours.. hence the cleaning. haha. We have him for about a week, so that will be good. I am so completely drained that I feel as though I have no thoughts legitimate enough to share with you.. I've got nothin'. haha. Tomorrow (or maybe the next day..) I will do better.
I'm halfway through season 5 of Grey's for the 2nd time. I've decided that while I am loving seeing the actor who plays Denney back on screen and I don't even mind that they brought him back to bring out Izzy's tumor.. their "intimate" relationship is just unnecessary and disturbing. And the character of "Sadie" drives me up the wall- glad she didn't last. Did I mention that my favorite soap is getting cancelled? Pretty bummed. Guess I might have to find something productive to do with that hour. :)
Also, my kids looked really cute for church today.
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Another late night with my best friend "Grey's anatomy". Really I'm still up because I have a monstrous basket (really two, but I squeezed it into one basket because I feel better about it, ha!) of laundry that needs to be sorted, folded and put away. I figure if I stay up, I might as well be productive. I'm positively exhausted after 2-3 nights of sleeping AWFUL and today was long and really busy. I had to renew my Norton antivirus, drop off my mower at the small engine repair place (my dad is my hero for doing the lifting- I'm so thankful for him) and then try on my bridesmaid dress for his wedding! I love, love, LOVE it! I hate it when bride's say "You could totally shorten that and wear it again!" because it's rarely true. But in this case, I don't have to do a THING to that dress and I would wear it every chance I got! lol. Even if I didn't love it, I would wear it because the bride is a rockstar and I love her... but it really helps that I adore this dress. Picture? Okay. :)
It helps that I've gone dowwwwn a dress size since last time I tried them on. Woo! =)
So, retail therapy. I'm going to be totally and completely honest. I'm addicted to thrift stores and garage sales. If I'm shopping at an actual store, I don't enjoy things unless I get a deal on them and get that rush like I'm getting away with something. haha. Not actually, but sort of. Today for example: I got a $10 free gift from Kohl's in the mail. So if I spent $9.98 I wouldn't spend a cent of my own money. I didn't do a thing, but they send me presents like that all the time. So I wandered in there today just because I had this thing and figured "Why not?" I found a pair of jeans on clearance that my hubbs LOVED on me a few months ago when I tried them on. I didn't get them because they were like $50. I've spent more on jeans but kinda went 'Pssshhh. Not happening." I want to look good for my love, but I'm gonna have to look good for a little less moolah than that. Anyway.. I found these jeans on the clearance rack in my size (last pair, I'm a lucky girl like that) and they had no price tag on them! Booo. So I grabbed them expecting to find that they were full price and had been misplaced in the clearance area. Grabbed a new cami because I am really hard on them. Found a shirt for J and a picture board for Em's room. I had my $10 free and the lady gave me an extra 15% off just because I was nice to her. I spent $18 out of pocket and the grand total would've been $180 before clearance and discounts. We grabbed pizza hut on the way home because I was too tired to cook. Mmm! :)
I mowed my backyard this morning so all in all, it was a productive day! I am super excited because Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows part 1 comes out tomorrow... also a little ticked off. I understand and appreciate that they're releasing them as 2 parts because it allows them to stick to the book. I wish they'd've done it with MORE of the HP movies. However, I refuse to pay for the bluray tomorrow when I know it's just part 1 and that in a year, parts 1 & 2 will be released together. Ya know? It's a bit of a rip-off. They release "lord of the rings" on dvd... and then 6+ months later release an extended version. What real fan wouldn't purchase the extended... but at the same time, what real fan wouldn't want to get it when it comes out? Boooooo hollywood! Nebraska furniture mart has HPDH for $9.99 tomorrow for the first 300 customers for regular DVD. Heck yeah! Gym (I got a Nike sensor to monitor my progress!) in the morning and then I think we're going to stay in and out of the yucky rain. No garage sale now because of the weather, but next weekend is just fine.
Not much else going on... K-face called me "sweetheart" all day long. They both drove me bonkers, but those sweet little things HAVE to count for more than the stressful stuff. Em is still in the phase where she won't leave her shoes on for anything... agh. I cannot wait for Old Navy to get a better selection of toddler flip floppies in!
If only the laundry fairy would come while I'm sleeping and sort, fold, put away for me. ha. If only! =)
Ohhh, I love spring! lol. First off, before I forget... the other morning K woke up and climbed into bed with me to snuggle before Em woke up. We were laying there talking and singing and stuff and he tells me he's hungry... I ask him what he wants and he starts listing things off. Then his tummy growls. He says "Mommy, that was my tummy. *giggle* It's talkin'!" Oh my goodness, he's been driving me crazy lately- but in that moment I could've kissed him all over his face and pinched his wittle cheeks. haha. Usually Em doesn't want to sing anything... but as of yesterday it's all "Do-do-do-do-d-Dora! DORA!" all the time. Um, yeah... my kids are hilarious.
Back to spring... last night was dreadful. I had a headache, I was exhausted and I started the gym again today for the first time in a week. Tonight I hung out with dad trying to fix my mower while my kids had a playdate. They ran around and played for over 2 hours... it's only 9:15, they're passed out. We planted flowers today (Kegan chose watermelon) and I honestly believe they were disappointed that nothing sprouted up as soon as we planted and watered them. It was cute... they were ready with their dora and diego gloves, shovels and everything- then when nothing happened they just ran off to their tricycles. I love how exhausted they are... It means I can finish my work downstairs, take a hot shower (with someone banging on the door shouting "Mommmm, what are you doing in there?!" Yeah- that happened) and go to bed before midnight for once!
Before..
Getting her seeds ready to plant.
They make my heart happy.
I was hoping to kick butt my first day back on the treadmill after my birthday, the kids being sick and my friend hurting her back really badly. Not so much. I only managed a mile and a half before I did weights, tanned and left. It didn't help that I got pulled off after 7 minutes to change Em's diaper. Tomorrow I'll do better. :)
"In spring time, at the end of the day... you should smell like dirt."
I attempted to go to bed at 1 a.m. My throat hurts so bad that I had zero luck crashing till 1:30, Em was up 1:45-2. Then my hubby had left me a message at midnight that I didn't recieve till 4 a.m. Phone goes off, I'm up. Then mi padre text at 6 asking if I was up (and I had been up and down getting ice chips, cough drops, etc) so I just said yeah and he dropped by on his way to work. So, it didn't feel like my birthday at first... but it's starting to. Had to plug my phone in to charge from love. lol. I'm so blessed. K woke up this morning and I said "Do you know what today is?" He smiles and shouts "It's your birthdayyyy Mommy!" Emily snuggles up on the couch next to me and puts her head on my shoulder. She just looked at me and said "Mommy, Love you" and gave me big hugs and kisses- and for her, there's no reason. She's not old enough to understand birthdays, she just loves her mama. <3
I thought I'd be all emotional, and I am... but not the same way I thought I'd be. I think I was psyching myself out with being a year from 25. Then it hit me that as I'm getting further into adulthood, I'm learning to truly appreciate the meaningful things in my life. I'm so blessed... so even though I feel worse than crummy, I'm going to enjoy this day. Made a hair appointment for 3 p.m. so at least I'm doing that, right? Maybe if I feel better I'll make the red velvet cake (as long as I can get volunteers to help me eat it, ha!).
Thanks everyone for the love and wishes. I'm so thankful!
Love, Love!
One of the signs of passing youth is the birth of a sense of fellowship with other human beings as we take our place among them. - Virginia Woolf
This just in... aside from marriage and blood relationships, everyone is replaceable. Disposable. Well, to some people. How sad. I think I've finally decided that I don't care how people look at me, I don't buy it. There are some friendships, etc that just can't be replicated. Period. I understand now (and am willing to admit) that I believe so. Why am I so nostalgic? Because that's just who I have always been. I'm loyal to the core, and sometimes it's a fault as well as a strength. I'm amazed by how much things change once you really start to become an adult (not a legal adult, an actual adult with real life responsibilities and maturity). The people who are in my life now, the people who are really there for me in the ways that count are not the people I thought they would be 2 or even 12 months ago. And in my heart of hearts I believe there are a select few who would still be there anyway. I think it also shows you that people surprise you for the better. My daddy, grandparents, babies... irreplaceable. J is my best friend and my husband, irreplaceable. Seems like people get married with an expectation that they'll get divorced at some point and that's really sad. Irreplaceable. Indisposable. I thank God for that because I don't know how I'd've gotten through the last year without him loving me even when I've been at my absolute worst or weakest.
It was all about my friends in high school and I'm embarrassed to say that my family life suffered for it... looking back, I regret that. Only three (maybe four, but not if I'm honest with myself) people I was close with in high school are still close to me now... which is rare. But hey, if I made it 6 years post-high school and STILL have one friend who is there for me whenever I need her and keeps in touch on a regular basis (even though we both have busy schedules)... how is that in any way a loss? That's one real friend. I'm lucky enough to have a few. Of course, there are people I had nothing to do with in high school who I talk to on a regular basis now that we're all grown, living on our own or married and living in different states. Life is funny that way. Having your own family (whether it be husband and wife plus or minus babies, mom and babies, dad and babies) changes your priorities and I'm grateful for that. My birthday is 2 days away and my idea of fun.. is baking my grandma's red velvet cake recipe and snuggling my kiddos. I'd prefer having my love here, but he's taking care of us and I understand. Actually- TRUTH. I'd rather be in TX right now. Maybe not forever, but definitely for now. I'm now actively looking for a home for at least 2 of my Jack Russells... if you know anyone who is interested, please email me.
I digress. lol.
Be your own best friend. Believe in yourself and don't rely on another person to tell you what you think you need to hear. Just do it. Own your inner strength. Stop beating yourself up and think positively... anything else is a waste of energy you could be using to try something new, do something good or help someone who needs it. Life is too short. Too short not to love and cherish the people who ARE in your life. It's a marathon... not a sprint. We all stumble, it's forcing yourself to get back up, keep calm and carry on that makes you strong. :)
Life changes so quickly. Even when everything seems to stay the same, it's different. I cannot get over how much my kids are growing and changing. Emily is (finally) actually talking and telling us what she wants. Kegan's vocabulary (and obvservations) are off the charts! He'll be 4 in 2 months and I cannot wait to get him involved in t-ball or some sort of martial arts. Em and her bff might start ballet together (if it works out that we're here).
Last night I went to the store and bought a tv stand. It was huge and weighed a ton... my friend kept my kiddos and I got it, loaded and unloaded it and put it together by myself in under an hour. Then moved our tv, game systems, etc. and put it all together. I was feeling pretty proud and independent! My hubby has just always been the one to take care of those things and I did it! I have to be honest, Kegan was with me till I got ready to put the tv, etc on the assembled stand and I was resisting the urge to sing the "Dora the explorer: We did it!" song. haha.
Garage sale in 2 weeks! It's gonna have to be a big one because if we PCS, there's a weight limit that I'm certain we would DOUBLE. lol. We just have so much stuff we don't use or need... I'll end up donating or giving some of it away but since we'll have to replace some other things (move or no move), I'd rather get some money back on some of it. Gym time... my head hurts and I'm exhausted. I had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic last week (and one of the side effects was tendinitis)... no thanks. So I'm grateful NOW that I don't have to give up my running every day!
