1st Birthday Mini-Party

Okay, so I've been "in a funk" lately. I just couldn't muster the energy to clean the house and get ready for the party and all of that.

Then Randy texts me Saturday that he has training all day on Sunday for the fire department (after working over night and before working Sunday night). I told him we need to just cancel the party and let the people he invited know. I figured we would just do a little party with the twins- which is probably good, since at that age they can easily be overwhelmed.

I did make them each a birthday cake to match the
decorations I picked up.

They really seemed to enjoy the cakes. Abby ate the red dot off of her cake first. Avery ate the blue dot, then dug around until he found chocolate. And then of course, the princess had to have her finger in brother's cake. 

They really seemed to enjoy the balloons. Probably because they're such a choke hazard I have never let them play with balloons. AC even managed to sit on one and ride it like some sort of bucking bronc.

So, we have pictures to show the twins we DID celebrate their birthday. But we ended up not going over the top. Even though I totally would have, if I'd had the energy!

Best line of the day was from Jacob: "Babies are so funny! I'm so glad you had these two!"

Manic Monday

Worked a little late and raced home to start supper. Since I was running late, I told Jacob & Jackson to go ahead and hop in the tub. They were filthy from playing outside.

SOMEhow, the bathroom door ended up being left open, and Avery climbed in, clothes and all. Antics like that are how he ends up with mystery bumps and bruises.

And a friend of mine posted pictures of her twins loving on each other, so I decided maybe they needed a little more "together" time. So I let them play together in the crib. It was cute, but more WWE than anything. Sigh.

Is It Time For Work? I Need The Break!

So today, I ran a couple errands with Jackson along during the babies' morning nap. The only point of interest there is that I fell in LOVE with a little dress I saw for Abby.

But it's $20- which, believe it or not, is WAY more than I usually spend on any one piece of clothing for them. It does come with a headband though... I am thinking about buying it for next summer. I plan on having family pictures taken again. I have been thinking about it ever since I left Burlington Coat Factory. Kinda ghetto, I know, but you can find cute stuff and not pay as much as at the mall.

Then I came home and gathered everyone up to run to Stroud to get Josh, then back to town to a TMOMS playdate at the Little Gym. Everyone had a great time, but naturally I forgot my camera and my phone was in the car. Ugh.

I did steal one picture from a fellow TMOM and blogger:

So photo credits go to Martha over at 50 Sticky Fingers

She had to snap the picture- it was our two princesses, playing so sweetly together. Both of these beauties are blessed with four brothers! Can you blame them for wanting some girl time? And seriously, how gorgeous is her long, curly hair? 

Needless to say, I'm worn out tonight, so I think I'll head to bed. It will be nice to get back to a different kind of crazy tomorrow at work!

Shopping Day

Josh went to his dad's for the weekend last night. Jacob went to his Pappy's. That left me, Jack & the twins to do the errand running today.  

While were were dropping Josh off, Abby learned to blow kisses. I say "learned." I did it once, and she did it right away. So cute!

Right before we left, AC got his finger caught in the tv stand in my room. Good grief, I thought we were going to have to take him to Pappy for stitches. (Pappy is Jacob's paternal grandfather, who is -rather conveniently- a doctor.) But the bleeding stopped, and he could move it okay, so I'm just going to keep it clean and see how it does.

But, since I woke Randy to help me assess the damage, he went ahead and loaded the babies in the van for me. As you can imagine, that's getting more difficult as they get bigger. 

So we were off to Target for party supplies, Payless to look for sandals for the babies, and then WalMart to grocery shop. I needed to make a couple of other stops, but after pushing two carts through WalMart, I was whipped. 

Randy unloaded the van when I got home. Thank goodness! And then he was off to wheel & deal. He found someone to buy the BMW. It's a shame. I liked that car better than most he chooses.

And I'm starting a new project. I'm super excited about it, but I'll tell you more about that later, when I see how it turns out.

It's All About... Me???? & WTHISWW

So I badgered and badgered Randy about what he wanted for Valentine's Day. I ordered him a bottle opener he wanted for work, but that didn't seem like much. Finally, Monday night, he told me he knew what he wanted, but if he told me, I had to do it. (Scary, right?)

And what did he want? He wanted me to spend money on ME! That is ridiculously hard for me to do. I am sure any of you who have seen me lately know I don't spend much money or time on myself. (My kids always look adorable though, just for the record.)

So today on my lunch break, I had a mini shopping spree. How fun is that? And to top it off I got some really, really good deals. I got 2 pairs of jeans, 1 skirt, 1 pair of dress pants, a blouse for work, 2 sweaters, 2 lacy camis for under the sweaters and a new nightgown. And I'm still under the amount he wanted me to spend! And he said I have to show him receipts, or it doesn't count. Obviously I have a problem if he has to threaten me! haha

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My friend Martha writes the cutest blog at http://50stickyfingers.blogspot.com/ and she does What She Wore Wednesday with her daughter, Avrah. (She also has 4 boys and a girl.)

So I jokingly told her I'd be scared to do WSWW, because if I don't dress the kids before I leave, there's no telling what I'll come home to, but odds are good it will be their pajamas.

But hey, why not? I figure it adds a little adventure to the blog. So, today is my first What The Heck Is She Wearing Wednesday! And you guessed it, PJs!!

They are super cute polka dot PJs, but they're still PJs. She was due for a bath, too, so I put her & her brother in the tub and then put them in even cuter thermal jammies. But I didn't get a picture of that. We'll have to see if I remember to get one in the morning.

What did your cuties wear today? Blog it! And link Martha and me. C'mon, it'll be fun!

Photographer?

I'm looking for someone to take 1 year pics of the twins, and maybe a session for Jackson. I've been really bad about keeping the professional portraits up to date. I think maybe birthday photos may be the way to go.

Now, in my dream world, where I have bazillions of dollars, I'd be getting them done here A Cherry On Top Photography . Absolutely the cutest, most professional I've seen locally. But pretty pricey. Well worth it, I'm sure. But since I'm looking at two sessions now, and you can't leave the big boys out on their birthday...

But I am hoping to save enough to have family pictures done there this summer.

In the meantime, do you know anyone who has a studio who takes great pictures that can be retouched with all the cool new effects? You know- the bright colors and everything? (See link above if you're not sure what I'm talking about.)

And you know me, I'm picky. I really want these indoors and I want something other than a plain white or WalMart background.

And no, it's not handy to drive to Kansas City, even if I AM related to one of KC's Top 10 photographers! (But that's pretty freakin' cool if you ask me.) Tim Yeaglin Photography

So any ideas? Help me out here...

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you and yours had a great day! I had lunch at PF Chang's with Randy and the babies in the midst of a ridiculously busy day at work.

Picked up a few little things for the kids after work and ordered them pizza. (Randy and I were both still stuffed.)

We also got an fabulous care package from Nana & Aunt Devon for Valentine's Day! Way too much sugar, but that's what Nanas do.

Jackson's party yesterday went really well. I think his favorite part was the ticket blaster booth. You stand in this plexiglass tube and they blow air and tickets around that you have to try to catch.

It was a Hot Wheels- race car theme party. He was happy, and that's what matters.

Most of you probably saw this on Facebook- but for Aunts who didn't...Abby wore the cutest hat yesterday and did a really good job of leaving it alone.

Now I need to plan the Twins' birthday party. But I need a theme. Prince & Princess? Princess & Frog? Thing 1 & Thing 2 (Dr. Seuss)? Pink & Blue? Help! 

Off to the Races...Kinda

So Jackson's birthday party will FINALLY happen tomorrow. We put it off because I was recovering from Dad's birthday & the trip to Kansas. Then we put it off because of the weather. But finally, tomorrow, he will get his birthday wish- a Hot Wheels party at Chuck E Cheese.

No, I'm not a huge fan of CECheese, but the child has been soooo patient. And they do have slightly better security than Incredible Pizza. That's not saying much since Incredible Pizza has NO security measures in place. I don't know how many kids I've seen carried out of there kicking and screaming. You never know if they're being kidnapped, or just need a nap. But I digress...

So today I picked up the last few items for the goodie bags. It was a great excuse to get out of the house. I think the babies needed out as badly as I did, so they tagged along.

It was so nice today, I didn't even bother with their coats when we left. (Although I do think their coats are adorable.)

And tonight, after I finally got everyone in bed, I finished Jackson's cake. I think it turned out pretty well.  Star cakes are super easy, but boy do they make my hands hurt. Now I know what Mom was talking about! Squeezing that bag 40 bazillion times (one for each little star) is a killer!

So what about you? Do you make your own cakes? What's the coolest cake you've ever seen (not on TV)? Ever made? 

Friday's Blog

Whoops! Dang BabyFirst TV! Knocks me out every time.

I went to work yesterday, finally. The roads are clearing up and should be much better today and tomorrow as it's supposed to get into the 60s! Crazy Oklahoma weather!

My friend Vicki was also going stir crazy, apparently. She called me while I was on my way home from work. We hadn't had fast food in nearly two weeks- it was time for some Bueno. So I texted her our order (which is quite an ordeal) and she brought Bueno. We ate, chatted and played with the babies until bedtime.

Then she took Josh and Jackson with her and Jacob and I hung out together a little bit and apparently I fell asleep. It was a nice evening and hey, I didn't have to cook, so- bonus!

Embrace the Camera with Randy

Today's ETC is with Randy- he didn't want to, but he did it just to shut me up.

It only seemed right, since his birthday was yesterday. The kids will be out of school 9 days, as of tomorrow. I'm going to try to work tomorrow- we'll see if I can make it there or not.

I hope you all are staying warm!

Join us and Embrace the Camera- someday your kids will thank you!

First Video Blog...

For the most part this will be a video blog, but I wanted to post a couple of pictures of the twins in their funny shirts and a random pic I got of Josh...

And (drumroll please) here is our first video blog...

(It's loud...be careful...)

2-9-11

More? Really?

They are predicting up to 12 inches of snow tonight. Um. Wow. No school. No work. The boys have already talked me into playing charades with them tomorrow. That could get interesting.

I had to run to WalMart after work to pick up milk and a few odds and ends. Since the babies seem to be the most stir crazy of all of us, I decided to spend their birthday gift cards to get them a new toy. Thanks to Grandma Carole. 

Free at Last, Free at Last...

So I finally ventured out of the house today. And since Randy cleared a narrow path down the driveway, I didn't even have to sled down to my van! For those of you who don't know- I live on a hill. At the top of the hill. And then I have a driveway that's at steeeeeep angle. It makes for interesting times in snow and ice.

And yes, in case you were wondering, I really have sledded down my drive to go to work. That's the easy part. Getting back up is a completely different story. I'm thinking of having a pulley system installed. Or maybe just one of those winches like you put on the front of a big truck.

I should be able to get to work tomorrow, too, but then the weathermen are projecting 5-10 inches of snow Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

Tonight after work, I made tacos for supper, tater tot casserole for tomorrow night, and started working on a trial run of cake balls for Jackson's party. They really need to chill before I shape them into balls. If it all works out, I'll post pictures and the recipe.

See how much I got done in just a couple of hours, versus days on end while I was snowed in? WHY didn't I make these meals over the weekend when I had nothing else to do. I. Don't. Know. I tell you, I have issues.

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Did anyone else watch Glee? My DVR cut off the last few minutes so I had to watch online tonight. Jackson and Jacob were both all hyped up to see "Thriller." Jackson kept complaining that he couldn't keep his eyes open. I sent him to bed and he came back just a few minutes later with big ol' tears in his eyes. "I wanted to see 'Glee Thriller'" he says. Now how can I resist that? I let him climb into bed with me, but I didn't think he'd wake up for the song. But he heard the first line of "Thriller" music and he sat straight up in bed. Cracked me up! But he didn't make it all the way through the song, so I had to play it for him when I got off work.

I love Glee! And I especially love Darren Criss. He is amazing! Here is probably my favorite clip:

"Hey Soul Sister"

If you haven't watched it, don't knock it. If you do watch: who's your favorite character? story line? song? Feedback people. I need feedback! lol

Lazy

I watched the game and the commercials. I love the mini Darth Vader one, the dead fish Doritos one and I also liked Eminem's Detroit City spot.

I thought about making this a video blog- I may try that tomorrow night. What do you think?

Here are a couple of pictures just for fun.


AC has the greatest sad face-his whole face wrinkles up like a shar pei puppy. Here he is working up to what I call his "Sad Baby Face." Yeah, sometimes I tell him "No" just to see it. lol

He also has a new "Cheese Face" that he does whenever I pull out the camera. See the squinty eyes?

Abby modeling the new corker bows I made her:

Here's her "Sad Baby Face"- but it's never as convincing as his.

Embrace the Camera Thursday & Snow Days

So I'm not great at this "too much free time" thing. I'm not productive. I don't do things I should, like cleaning. I have, however, read two books. I think I'm going to download another eBook to my laptop tonight.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know we're experiencing Snowmaggedon 2011. They actually closed my office for the first time since, well...ever. We were closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We'll be open tomorrow, but I still can't really get out of our neighborhood.

Here are some pics toward the end of the snowfall. The boys couldn't wait to get outside, but it didn't last long. It's just too cold when you are up to your waist in snow.

I did have the foresight to pick up some projects for the boys on Monday while I was at Hobby Lobby. Here's Jackson working on a color by number:

I also made snow ice cream for the first time. So good- we loved it! We'll definitely be doing this every chance we get!

But I really am going stir crazy. The boys aren't even misbehaving, really, but my fuse gets shorter and shorter.

It's Embrace the Camera Thursday- so here I am with Jackson. He wanted to get a picture of him hugging me. Works for me!

Here's the link to the site that started the whole ETC thing:

See?

This is why I'm not a stay at home mom. I think I have all sorts of time, and so I squander it and get nothing done. If I have things to do and places to be, I can squeeze an amazing amount of things into a short period of time.

I'll blog more later, with pictures of snow day activities and everything. I just wanted to make my point.