Birthday Love....

I LOVE birthdays. Actually, I love all occasions that call for a celebration. Oh, and all those showers that most people dread going to??? Love those too. Favorite part??? Present part. I love watching people open presents. Love giving them..... and oh yes, I most definitely enjoy getting them.

Gift giving and getting is my primary language of l-o-v-e. There is just something about it.... it's like a tangible thing that says "I was thinking of you". Seriously, I can remember who most of our wedding gifts are from.... still remember the year I turned 11 and got an inflatable chair, the Christmas I got a lime green phone for my room, the year we discovered the dollar store and bought my mom every little snowman figurine they had for Christmas.... such sweet and treasured memories of mine. And you know what I remember about those days? the way I felt. the excitement(yes, always lots of screaming and squealing from me).... the anticipation... the surprise. I just LOVE IT!!!



Today I turned 24 years old.

It was the best day. A friend generously watched the girls for me so I could go get a pedicure and it felt. so. good. I arrived home and received the first surprise package of the day... a dozen roses from my love. Second surprise package arrived by what I am calling---- "the guy with the awesome black bag". The first one brought 6 delectable cupcakes from GIGIs cupcakes(which are the world's- yes, world's- best cupcakes).... Second "guy with the awesome black bag" brought me my favorite meal from Chili's..... cajun chicken pasta, chips and queso.... and I didn't have to make dinner. Heck to the yes.

Seriously, so spoiled, right??? You know those moments when you feel wrapped up in a hug even when you are all by yourself?? That's how I felt today. Days filled with memories are always the days that make me feel extra homesick.... but by the end of today... I just felt.........................

Special.

And loved.

It really was the best day.

Oh.... and just in case you didn't know, MY HUSBAND IS AWESOME. Look what he spoiled me with!!! Gorgeous, huh?!?! LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. 

Doctor, Shoes, Fits, and TREASURE!!!!

Monday morning started out with a trip to the new doctor and a surprise of 3 shots for BOTH girls... now I knew that we needed shots, but I didn't think they would do them in that visit. Thankfully, there were helpful nurses on hand to help me with my full hands.

Yesterday, we took a trip with some friends to the Zappos outlet..(cool, right?? I didn't even know there was one!!) However, when we got there... it was closed. for a "team outing". after we drove an hour and a half. I. WAS. SO. DISSAPOINTED.

I realized recently that I have made a big mistake a few times while out in public with the girls... given in after I said no to something. UGH. So today we had the queen of all fits while at Wal-Mart. Because I said NO. and meant it. So not fun..... and so embarrassing. What did I say no to? pacifier in the mouth. And you can bet your bottom dollar I will be watching what I say extra careful and praying that we master this thing so we don't have another one of "those" moments. At least not with the same child.

The "as promised" cute pictures :)..... 

Payslie playing with play-doh... and her "smile at the camera" attempt.



This cheese-face is adorable.





this girl loves to get pretty...



I am OH SO EXCITED about my recently found treasure... take a peek:



For those of you who don't know... this is the sweetest little song... and my Grandma used to sing this to me and my sister all the time. I made a scene in Home Goods when I found this because that kind of excitement cannot be contained. And anyone who has ever shopped with me knows that I tend to be a little loud about what I like.(some people must find this strange, because I get a lot of stares...it's worse when I'm with someone who is the exact same way...MOM.) In case you have never heard this song, and can't read the words, here is how it goes:

A you're adorable, B you're so beautiful, C you're a cutie full of charms.... D you're a darling and E you're exciting and F you're a feather in my arms.... G you look good to me, H you're so heavenly, I you're the one I idolize..... J we're like Jack and Jill, K you're so kissable, L is the lovelight in your eyes.... MNOP I could go on all day.... QRST alphabetically speaking, you're okay.... U make my life complete, V you're so very sweet WXYZ.... I love to wander through the alphabet with you to tell you what you mean to me!

Really, you should google the song and listen to it so you can get the sweet tune that it is set to.... Can't wait to put it up in the girls room!









A quick overview of this week....

This week, I started doing the "couch-to-5k" running plan.... so I have been very sore ALL. WEEK. LONG. The girls and I start our day by going to workout at 9am every morning. We have aerobics/run/strength training 3 mornings a week and zumba the other 2. It totally forces me to get out and get our day started and we love the exercise.

I'm currently shopping craigslist and garage sales for a double jogging stroller.... hoping I find one sooner than later.

I have been feeling very "spray-paint" inspired lately. This means that I have been frequenting the thrift stores and goodwills to find projects. Which means... lots of mess. And not a single, finished project yet. *deep, deep sigh*

I have re-gotten into studying personality types this week. Do you know yours??? I find it all very fascinating. The weird thing is that the test tells me I am something I am so not. I could tell which one I was by reading the description.... pretty sure I am an ISTJ= The Duty Fulfiller. So... everyone should google personality types and take the Myers-Briggs test. Or go to thepersonalitypage.com and just read about them to figure it out.

I told Payslie that we were going to swim at the gym pool last night.... she was very excited, of course.... until she became very concerned about what I was going to wear. Her words to me were: "Mommy, we need to get you a mom swimsuit. That's what we will do!" If she only knew what that statement meant.

And lastly, because this is the most boring post ever, I will post some fun pics of my cuties very soon :) ... as well as a hilarious video of Felicity coming down the stairs at record speed. She can actually beat me. Michael and I just die laughing everytime she does it.

Let's Make a Deal...

Anyone who knows me very well, probably knows that I am a terrible housekeeper. And sadly, I sometimes choose to not take a picture just to avoid there being evidence of this fact. Today I decided to stop using that excuse. I treasure the pictures of my childhood.... the story that they tell. and I want to have that for my kids. At times, these moments:

...... seem like they will last forever. They won't. They don't. And as much as it seems like I'll never forget them.... I know that these precious memories will fade. Therefore, I am going to get my camera out and snap like crazy!

Now for the deal. I am going to post pictures on here. And there may be some craziness that you see. So let's agree to not bring up my bad habits and I'll keep the pics coming ;) btw- I'm working on the whole tidy thing. this is day 9 of clean kitchen before I go to bed... WOOHOO!! I love waking up to a clean kitchen. It was the best habit I've decided to create in a long time!

I'll leave you with a fun pic from our recent family photos... this is one of the FAVORITES!

And now for our little Noel's turn....

 The sweetness of this girl cannot be described in words... We have more nicknames for her than even possible. And since I took a couple minutes to talk about her sister, it only seems fair to give her a little of the spotlight too:)

  So here are some of the new stages and phases that are happening with Felicity:

1. My munchkin loves to wear this backpack. She looks pretty cute, I think. ;)

2.  I took this picture today. It is one of my faves EVER. She is laughing... Her adorable, sucking air into her lungs, mouth hanging open, eyes squinted closed in pure delight, giggle. Felicity will laugh at anything... especially others laughing. She just can't stand to be left out.(can't imagine where she gets that???)

And let me tell ya, this girl has the most infectious laugh ever..

 3.  Just like sister and mother, the girl loves shoes. LOVES. She wears them to bed sometimes.

4.  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is her favorite show. Favorite part? The Hot Dog Dance. She has it down. And if she hears it, she stops whatever she is doing and gets her groove on. Other music she likes is: the Veggie Tunes soundtrack, mommy's singing(she is crazy), and just about any children's songs there are.

5. Felicity is far more cuddly than Payslie ever was. Hugs, cuddles, kisses... she is all about it. I love it. And I just hope she doesn't out grow it! Her favorite right now is eskimo kisses(known to her as nose rubs)... she walks back and forth between me and Michael with her nose stretched up in the air to get some. :)

6.  Felicity loves food. Like all food. First thing she eats of her plate? Green things. Broccoli, asparagus, celery, peas... she loves the rest of the veggies too. And there isn't a fruit that she doesn't like(right now her favorites are mandarin oranges and blueberries). Ketchup... ya, she would eat it with a spoon if I let her. Same with ranch(that's my girl!!!). She has mastered the fork and she is getting the hang of the spoon. Just makes it so messy... Mom isn't such a fan. This girl can snack with the best of them. And I'll just say, that one of her first 3 words---- juice.

1st time trying ranch... she is hooked.

 7.  Felicity sits still better than Payslie does when I do her hair. We usually put a little side pony on the top of her head and stick a bow in. She loves looking pretty. And just look how long that little mop is getting!!!

8.  10, yes, 10 little teeth occupy her little mouth. She shows them off when she cheeses it up for pictures.

Please excuse the messy mouth.... right after dinner. And too cute not to post.



Oh ya.... excuse that mess too. 

9.  Felicity's favorite person is big sis, Payslie. The moment I get her out of bed, she starts calling her name..."Paysee!!!" and as soon as she sees her she wiggles like she has the hebbie jebbies.

10.  Felicity... for all her sweetness, has a little sass, too. The girl can scream with the best of them. And she does. The last 4 days or so I have started to crack down on it. Because I just can't take it anymore. And the drama we got goin on in this house..... whew wee... The little bug melts down over the smallest things. Way more sensitive than Payslie. A stern "No" and she dissolves into crocodile tears, wailing as if she broke a bone, and laying prostrate on the ground(on special occasions).

11. Vocabulary is in small demand for our second born. Daddy, Mama(she was saying Mommy, but now its reverted back to mama), Payseee:), paci, hi, bye, ball, baby, balloon, bubbles, juice, thank-you, please, dog, Ava, Elmo .... there are some more but these are the most commonly used. 

      So, those are the things I can think of right now.... she has grown into a little girl since we left California. As you can see, she is super cute :). She adds a lot of sunshine to our lives.

My Faves of the Pays.

To catch everyone up on some of the things my Payslie girl is doing, I thought I'd share some things she does that make me smile. At 2 years and 7 months, this child is such a blessing to my life :)

- She refers to the daytime as it being "sunnin"... and I love it. Usually it is when we get in the car to go somewhere, she will tell me, "It's not night-night time, Mommy. It's sunnin!!!"

- She has been wanting me to tell her what time it is- ALL THE TIME. Meaning, dinnertime, playtime, go-to-the-park time, daddy-come-home time, gym-time, movie-time, etc. It cracks me up. I try to be creative with my answers.

- I decided to start singing old hymns to the girls and I started with Amazing Grace. The other day, I heard Payslie singing her "rendition" of it. There are a lot of great words in that song. The one she chooses to call it is "wretch".

- She has now on two occasions prayed by herself without prompting from us. Melt. my. heart. "Dear Jesus, Thank you for my mommy. Thank You for my Daddy. Thank You for my sister. Thank you for Orangeleaf.(frozen yogurt place) I love You, Jesus. Amen."

- Tonight when I asked her if she wanted to pray, she replied, "No. I'm not really good at this." While hiding her face. ????

- Every new kid she meets and has a chance to play with at any length, is her best friend. And she tells them. "You and me are best friends, huh?"

- When she gets hurt, she says "I'm sorry"??? I think she does it because that is what we say to her so she thinks it's the appropriate response. We tried to explain the difference. We stopped because it doesn't really matter. So she still says it.

- I noticed a couple weeks ago that she knows a lot of the songs on KLOVE. I absolutely love hearing her sing along.

- When Felicity falls asleep in the car, I usually take a pic of her sleeping cuz I think she is so cute. Payslie then pretends to be asleep so that I will take a pic of her too. I oblige.

- She consistently uses dramatic phrases. Such as: "OH. MY. GOODNESS." PLLLLEEEAAAASSSSEEEE................ , and FELICITYISNOTSUPPOSEDTOBEDOINGTHAT!!!



- The girl loves, loves, loves dresses. Insists on wearing them. Says she has to. Because, duh, she is a princess.



- And shoes. just like her mama... She can't get enough.



- When out shopping, she joins in and exclaims over EVERYTHING (yes, even ugly things), "Oh, this is sooo cute!" and continues to say it until she has been acknowledged. With a "Oh, you are so right! That is sooo cute!"

- Her imagination is endless... She loves everyone. And the moments I cherish most are when she comes up to me, out of the blue, with an "I love you, Mommy."







First Blog Post Ever.

I have decided to start a blog for our families back home in California.... A way to keep those who we don't talk to every week updated on the happenings of our life in Kentucky :). I am excited to have something to track the girls' growing up(granted that I keep up on this:\..) and have for them to look at when they are older. Soooo.... Here are a couple of fun facts about this blogging adventure:

      1. I have been (until this point) totally against starting a blog. Reason? I couldn't come up with anyone who would want to read my thoughts. However, I follow several people's blogs...but bottom line...I don't really care who reads it. I think it'll be fun. :)
      2. I am not at all technical. SO this may be interesting...
      3. Strange blog name, right? I thought it'd be fun to do something different, but really, it's because none of the combinations of my name was available. lol.
Here goes!!!