Happy Easter!

On Easter Sunday, the babes, Jake and I said good bye to my mom and Ginny and went down to Waverly after church to spend time with Jake's family. Here are some of the sweet pictures we took while down there. Also, just wanted to compare last year's Easter picture with this year's - my how we have changed!! :) Easter pics in the slideshow below!!

Us, and Jules eating an Easter Egg

Easter 2010 (the babes were too young for church last year)

I Heart Faces - Pet Week

Here is my entry for this week's photo contest. This week you are supposed to photograph your pets. However, I have two very uppity cats, so I really wasn't planning on entering this week. However, we were down at my In-law Stribling's house for Easter, and I took this precious shot of Josh and their dog, Sam. Josh is like, "ummm, I think I want to be your friend, but back up dude".

Weekly Photo Project 8 - All Girl and All Boy

Probably one of my favorite pictures of you. So happy. I bought you this new head wrap that day, and you were so excited so try it on. You would ask me to put it on, (in a babble) then take it off so you could look at it. Then you would want it back on yoru head. Then you would take it off again, etc, etc. You thought you "were the prettiest girl in the world!"



You are growing up, my little man. All of a sudden we are out of onesies into button down shirts, "cool jeans", and tennis shoes. I love this picture of you. You are all boy in it...untucked shirt, hair everywhere, just precious. My little man is growing up...





I had to post this one...HAD to. Not only will he probably kill me one day for posting this for all the world to see, but it just proves my point that he is all boy. And it also proves we are entering this oh so much fun stage.

Steppin Out Saturday

Here I go again with Steppin Out Saturday. My problem, yet again, with Steppin Out Saturdays, is that I seem to not be able to get a good picture with me, Josh and Jules all together. I, again, promise to get better. Today's Steppin Out Saturday was a fun one! Our original plans were to go to The Nashville Zoo's Eggstravaganzoo. However, it seemed we were not the only ones planning on attending said event. After being in bumper-to-bumper traffic for an hour, TWICE, we decided to mix those plans and instead venture to Green Hills Mall for a visit with the Easter Bunny. As luck would have it, since everyone, literally, in Nashville was at the Zoo, we were the only ones in line to see Mr. Bunny.


The kids did fantasic, and I was lucky to remember our little bunny ears as well, so we fit right in. It ended up being a very fun day.



How our day started out...note the boy to the left....





My helpers- MiMi and Aunt Ginny





Little Bunny





The end result - no crying!!!! Woohoo!! Success!




Helpers again



Flashback Friday - One Year Ago

Ahhhh, how I am now obsessed with these Linky Parties. It makes you step out of the box and post about things you never would before. I love the Wordless Wednesdays, Mommy and Me Mondays, and Steppin Out Saturdays - they are too fun! The Friday ones are called Flashback Fridays. Here is what it is, taken from Christopher and Tia's Blog:

So heres what we do. Every week we dig through our memories- old cell phone pictures, polaroids from 1986, something that you pulled out of a dirty shoe box- and we flashback to it. We show it off, and we write about it. We take ourselves back to that place, with as little or as much detail as our hearts are willing to share. Scan it, upload it, copy and paste it from your livejournal (remember those?)- display your memories in whatever way works for you. And then grab out button way down at the bottom of the page there (or link back old fashioned text style), add it to your flashback, add your link to our flashback, and if you've got an extra minute- maybe browse around and read some of the flashbacks left by others. Its just for fun. And really- memories are too precious to be left in an old dirty shoe box.

So, here is mine. One year ago. I decided to go back in the old blog and see what was going on in my life last year with the babes. They were 14 weeks old, and I had just gone back to work on April 5th. It was an emotional time for me. Plus, my pictures had gotten horrible, because I was used to taking a gazillion of them when I was home with them. Jules was getting over her projectile vomiting of reflux, and Josh was spitting up like crazy. I would talk about Zantac daily in conversations because it was SUCH a big deal at the time, and now I don't even remember them taking it at all. We were trying to sleep through the night, and were on four naps per day. They were almost completely bald because they had lost all of their baby hair, and looked like little old bald men. My favorite part of this time was they had just started to smile, and it made my heart melt. Thank God that I was smart enough so start this blog way back when . I am so happy I have it all documented, because with twins, it is VERY easy to forget all the little things that at that time I cherished so much (and still do).

Tina Fey’s Prayer for a Daughter! A MUST Read For Any Parent

I love this!! Its from her book, Bossypants. I love this so much I will probably get the book - you should too!! (well, except the part about high heels, because I do love my heels)

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.



May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.


When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.


Guide her, protect her


When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.


Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.


What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.


May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.


Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.


O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.


And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.


And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.


Amen.

Wordless Wednesday - Forever Playmates

One Year Portraits

Oopsie! I don't know I forgot to do this, but apparently I forgot to post their one year pictures of the blog! Oopsie, please forgive me. So, even though they are now 15 months old (yikes!!) here are their one year pictures. And don't worry, you aren't missing much because they are still the most beautiful babies in the world. Teeeee!!!!

Mommy and Me Monday

This week's Mommy and Me Monday takes place at Gymboree Play & Music. I debated starting these classes with the babes. I thought they were cheesy, expensive, and probably not going to be worth it. Well, this Mommy was wrong. The babes absolutely love it. I  mean - L.O.V.E. it. Josh, my new climber, is a complete maniac in there, climbing and jumping on everything (luckily it all padded, lol). Jules is the belle of the ball and just dances, climbs, and goes up to every random stranger she is going to go home with them. (Funny aside, when we do "parachute time" when all the babies sit in the parachute and the grown ups turn in a circle, Jules proceeds to get smack dab in the center of the circle and dances around. Never mind all the other babies, this girl is the center of attention, get out of her way)

This is us at "Free Play", where there is no organized class, but the babes can run wild. And imagine my surprise while capturing photos, when one grandfather asked me if I would like a picture of myself with the babes. "What? Moi?" That is just so foreign to me!! So, here we are (please excuse the dapper appearance, I wasn't planning on being photographed!: (and other pictures from Gymboree as well)

Hosted by Krystyn

Meeting the Easter "Bunnies" for the first time

No, we didn't meet the "real" Easter Bunny, but we met the Bunnies of Easter! Here is Nashville, there is a quaint little toy store called Phillips Toy Mart. It is a staple here in Nash-Vegas, as it has been family owned and operated by the Phillips family since 1946. It is just the neatest place, and I regret to tell you that as much as I have heard of this place, I have never been until this weekend. You walk in and its just a wonderland of toys, and it looks so "old-school" too, with lots and lots and lots of classic toys, and a huge train in the center of the store.

Anywho, our reason for going is that every Easter, they do a  big live bunny display that draws the crowds. I thought the babes would enjoy it so off we went! (and if you'll notice, we are still in our same Steppin Out Saturday outfits from that morning - score!)

Jules meeting the bunnies!

They loved them! (they reminded them of cats, I think)

We also played for a while there. Here we are trying on hats!

Steppin' Out Saturday

I love all these fun link-up things. This one is called Steppin' Up Saturday. Where the kiddos and I will attempt to be fashionistas. I can't promise one of these every week, but I will try. This Saturday we were on our way to our Gymboree class. The babes love it! And this week, Jake got to come along for the first time as well. These are fun, and if you go to this blog and look at everyone else's posts, ummm (theirs are much better, and theirs are usually OUTside, not inside, and certainly not self-shot in the bathroom, kind of like these pics that you might remember. I'm quite a bit skinnier though). Its my first time, peeps, and we were in a hurry to leave (late as usual, sigh). It will get better, lol.

Ready for a day out and about!!

I Heart Faces - Wind

Dang! I keep just showing pictures of Jules. This one I knew of ahead of time, so I really did try and capture pictures of them in the wind outside. The one I really wanted to sumbit (just b/c it is funny) I am posting in another post. But, this one is the actual "good" one. I love how the wind is pushing up her shirt to see her sweet little belly. Precious.

Wordless Wednesday - Where's the Snow??

DIY Project - Fabulous Bow Holder!

Oh boy! Another project! Although this wasn't originally on my list of projects to do in the future, this caught my eye. And once something catches my eye, I simply must do it ASAP. I get too excited and can't wait a second longer. So, off to Michael's I went as soon as the idea crossed my brain. You can find numerous tutorials on how to do this if you search Google. I took the basics, and went with my own thing. I wanted it to coordinate well with their nursery and wanted it to look simple and, of course,  a little "french". Too many I see out there are all gingham-polka-dot-curly-que-craziness. Which is fine, if you are going for that, but I'm not. I wanted something simple and not too over the top. Okay.

Supplies used:

Glue Gun (every household should have one. Seriously, I think I bought this one for $1 years ago)
Ribbon ($1.99)
Scrapbook paper ($.59 each)
Frame from Goodwill ($2.49)
Wood Letter ($1.49)
Spray Paint and other paint (already had)
Clear Tape
Flower poof on a stick ($2.99)

 The God-awful fugly frame from Goodwill (nothing a coat of paint won't fix though!)

 Ribbon, scrapbook paper, and flower on a stick

 I took the clear plastic piece out of the frame and layed it down on the paper. (the pages look misaligned b/c I lined up the fleur de lis' so they would be even). I will also point out here that the other tutorials I saw used fabric and staple guned the fabric to the back. I chose to use paper and tape. To each his own.

I then taped the pages down really carefully to the back of the plastic piece, making sure it was really secure.

 Voila! Here is what it looks like from the front side.

 I then painted the frame and the wood letter J. I painted the frame the same color as the bottom half wall in their nursery. I then spray painted the letter J chocolate. Originally, I was going to do her monogram down the left hand side in pink. Then I remembered I had this wooden letter than I needed to use that I bought a while ago (I was going to use it somehow in the canvas project, but decided not to) Then, I wanted to paint the letter pink and use pink ribbon, (I bought both pink ribbon and chocolate). but I was out of pink spray paint, so I used brown instead. Not what I wished, but it turned out ok. Thats the fun thing about craftiness. You just kind of do it as you go!

 Next I cut the ribbon into strips and placed them about 2.5 inches apart. I glue guned them together on the back, then also glue guned them to the plastic, so they wouldn't move around on me.

 Voila! the front again.

 Final steps! I took the wooden stick off the poof flower and glue guned it to the upper corner. Then I glue guned the letter down onto the paper. Then put it all in the frame.

 Close up of the letter and the ribbon. Its chocolate with pink border.



Finished product with bows included! She actually has more bows than that, but that is all I could grab quietly (they were already down for the night when I started this project) You can sqish as many on there as you can. They just clip to the ribbon.



Isn't it the cutest ever?? I love how it turned out. I will probably hang it on the wall as is, or I might hang it from her door with a ribbon. I dunno yet. Anyway, this took less than 2 hours, and was SUPER simple. And I love it way better than the ones I have seen online for sale!