Date Nites

Well, surprisingly this post is not about our girls, but about my wonderful husband! We love our date nights!! They dont happen as much as we would like, but when they do we treasure every second of them! Now, don't get me wrong...I love spending every second with my girls and when we are on our dates we are usually talking about them and always thinking about them, but I love getting to spend one on one time with the most amazing guy in the world!!!! 

I was so surprised and excited today when Johnny called me about 1:00pm and said "Call the babysitter and let's go out tonite". WHAT?!!! This hardly ever happens (maybe once a year on my birthday)!!! I always plan the dates...the when the where and the what were gonna do!! I couldn't believe it, but I was pumped, so I immediately called our awesome babysitter who can usually be here even if we call 30 minutes before. Once she got here we headed off and once again to my surprise Johnny had even picked where we were eating!!! 

Now here's the funny thing....we almost always eat somewhere different, but every single date we somehow end up at TJ Maxx/Marshalls and Target!! It's amazing!! Why can't we think of something different to do!!!!!! Plus, we of course end up spending way more money than we had planned to for the evening. We love movies even though we only go to maybe 2 or 3 a year. We just hate to be gone more than 3 hours and so with dinner AND a movie, its just too long. But, we still love our dates with each other!

So, if anyone has any creative ideas for date nites.....bring em on!!!!! We could definately use them! 

Our Trip to the Zoo

Monday morning my sister-in-law called and asked if we wanted to go to the zoo with her and four of her six kids. Of course we said yes! It was going to be one of our last warm days for a little bit so we knew we wanted to get out and do something fun. Addie was so excited she could hardly go to sleep the night before.

Tuesday morning we got up and I walked outside to see what it felt like to know how to dress the girls....it was BEAUTIFUL!!! The weather couldn't have been better, it was already warm and there was no wind! So, I dressed the girls in shorts and short sleeve shirts and we headed to meet Jenni. Neither one of us could believe how nice it was and we were so excited. We got to the zoo and we were loading all the kids up in the strollers and we noticed that it wasn't as warm as it was just an hour ago. We thought it was just shaded and that as the morning went on it would warm up. So, we headed into the Oklahoma City Zoo! The kids were so excited and Addie kept asking to see the monkeys. I told her that we would see the monkeys last. We had a great time there was hardly anyone there and so the kids could just run around and we didn't really have to worry about them. But as we continued to go through the zoo we realized that it was getting colder, not warmer! We felt so bad becuase we had not brought jackets or anything for our kids, but they didn't care because they were having a great time.

We headed to the playground for a little bit before we were headed to the monkeys. As the kids were playing two of Jenni's kids slid down the slide into a huge puddle of water! Now they were freezing!! We decided we were just going to head home because we cold to, so we loaded them up in the car and headed home. The whole time we were loading up, Addie was screaming. She wouldn't stop and I was getting so frustrated....finally I figured it out, she wanted to see the monkeys!!!!! We were so cold I didn't think it would be a big deal if we didn't go. Well, it was a big deal to Addie. I felt horrible!! So I guess we will be going back very soon, just for the monkeys!!!!

(this would be Haylie with the one blanket we had)

Sweet Haylie's 1st Birthday

I cannot believe how fast the year has flown! It seems just like yesterday our precious Haylie was born after a very long leap year day and now here she is walking and saying mama and playing with her sister and best friend Addie! I love it! I can't wait to see what new thing she will learn every single day! We pray every single day that she and Addie will come to know the Lord at an early age and live their lives glorifying Him! That they will love Jesus with all their hearts and that others will see their love for Him every single day!

So, Saturday was a very sad day for me because it reminded me that my baby is no longer a baby!!!! (she actually turned one a few days earlier but we celebrated Saturday) We had a great party with all our family (except a few precious ones who weren't able to come) full of laughter, noise, cupcakes, and of course some screaming while the guys watched the OU vs OSU basketball game. Haylie loved her cupcakes and her presents (mostly clothes and shoes which she is obsessed with and I love it, a wagon and a baby cinderella) It took her awhile to figure out that she could dig into her cupcake but once she did she loved it and was very upset when we had to take her out of her highchair. It was a beautiful day outside so everyone played outside...I don't think we saw Addie the whole time! Things couldn't have gone better and we had a great time!

We are so grateful for our girls and the blessing they are to us every single day! We love to savor every second with them because the time does fly and we don't want to miss anything! So Happy Birthday my sweet Haylie!!! We love you and Addie more than you could ever know!!!

(the cottage was Haylie's bday present from us)

The Best Job in the World!!

I truly believe that being a stay at home mom is the best job in the world and I am extremely grateful for a husband that works hard so that I can stay home!! My whole life all I have wanted to do was be a mom. I am so thankful that the Lord blessed me with my husband and two girls! So, if anyone isn't quite sure about what makes this job so great, let me explain how great my days are!

8:00 my beautiful girls wake up (sometimes if they feel like it, we sleep in)
8:30 breakfast while we watch a playhouse disney program
9:00 I get to play with my girls (usually dress up, play in their cottage, and dance to music)
10:00 Haylie takes her nap while Addie and I play with playdoh or color while we watch a moive of her choice
12:00 lunch time (daddy, papa, or nana sometimes come eat with us)
12:30 more playing and usually dancing or playing outside
2:00 both girls take a nap while I usually try and get the house picked up and everything done
4:00 girls wake up and we have a small snack and play some more
5:30 daddy is home and we have dinner and play the rest of the night until bed time

My girls are so great I love being there for every moment because the grow up so quickly!! Haylie has gone from being my baby to walking and playing with Addie in a blink of an eye. Addie is now in her big girl bed and helps me with the laundry and cleaning (all while she sings "Sing Sweet Nightengale" from Cinderella, while Cinderella cleans) I love it!! I love teaching them Bible verses and teaching Bible stories, hearing them sing and dance to praise music and say their prayers! Johnny and I love our date nights but neither one of us can stand to be gone longer than 3 hours because we cant wait to get back to them and see their excited faces when we come home! I could go on and on about my girls, they are my life and I am so grateful that this is the life God has given me! I pray that my girls come to know Christ at an early age and that their lives glorify God and that others can see their love for HIM every single day!

I hope you can see why I love my job! I am so grateful to have it!

My Bittersweet Weekend to Come

This weekend I am headed to good ol' Dallas, Texas for my sister Cassidy's NCA Cheerleading Competition. She cheers for Twist n Shout in Edmond. My mom and my other sister Krista are also going. So, its our girls weekend full of Shopping, Cheerleading, good meals, and the best part...great talks!! I am so excited I can hardly stand it, but at the same time I am very sad and nervous! It's the craziest thing! I have left Addie twice before and Haylie once and each time they were not my choice and I abolutely hated it! Addie was away from me two nights when I had Haylie and then we left both of them a few weeks ago with my mom to see Johnnys grandma before she passed away. When we left we were only planning on spending the day, but last minute we decided we needed to stay. Once again an extremely hard night for me.

I am one of those people that has to do everything myself and no one else can do it like I do it (at least thats what I tell myself) I worry even if someone will give them the wrong sippy cup when I'm away because there are certain ones they like and ones they don't. So when we leave to go on a date our poor babysitter gets a 20-30 min spill on how everything is to be done lol (even though we use the same babysitter every time) This is one of my favorite things about being a mom, I know every little thing about them! Every little thing they like and every thing they dont.

Johnny is watching the girls this weekend, so of course that means it's his first time with them over night. He will do a great job I have no doubt. But you should see all my lists I have made, all the diaper bags I have packed (just in case he decides to go to several different places) and all the labels I have made. Now as I sit back and look at it, it is pretty rediculous and he will probably never look at any of them, but it makes me feel better. So, if you think about it this weekend, I would definately appreciate your prayers that not only I will survive but that all goes well here at home. Thanks!!! Everyone have a great weekend!

Addie's New Bed

Just writing this story makes me wanna cry because it reminds me that my baby girl is getting older! Last week Johnny and I were sitting in the living room watching a movie after we had put the girls down for the night. Addie had been crying for a little while (which is not unusual for her) but we just let her cry. All of a sudden the crying stopped and next thing we know Addie is walking into the living room!!! Somehow she had climbed out of her bed! I was devastated!

Now, I can no longer put her in her crib to play while I got a few things done!! I have lost some of my freedom. We knew it would be long nights for awhile until she learned to stay in her bed. So, we put off getting her a bed for a few days. When we finally decided to get one, my parents remembered that they still had my sisters old dollhouse bed. Praise the Lord!!!! We didn't have to spend money on that!! When we got there to pick it up, my mom had found all the Pottery Barn bedding that went with it (that would be my favorite store even though I dont own anything from there because we cant afford it) Hallelujah!!!! We got everything for Addie's new room free!!! We were so thankful!

Well, Addie has been in her new bed for 3 days. The first two days were pretty rough, but amazingly last night we put her in bed and she never came out! So we will continue to see how she does....I pray she does well. But my baby girl is no longer a baby!! It makes me so sad! "I not a baby mommy, I a big girl, Haylie is a baby, not me" As Addie tells me...although we still cant get rid of that darn passy :)

My Sweet Family

Well Today I woke up pretty sick, so I knew it would be a pretty long day. After Johnny left for work I mustared up every ounce of energy I had to make it to nap time. We had an easy breakfast, got dressed, I put on a roast so I wouldn't have to worry about dinner later, and played for a little bit. (well actually I watched while the girls played)

Finally, NAP TIME! I put both girls down and immediately went and laid down in my very comfy bed. As Im laying there, Addie starts screaming wanting out of her bed. Well so much for my much needed nap. So I went and got her out of bed and thought what to do now. Ding ding ding ding ding....put a movie in on the tv in my room!!! So Addie picked out Cinderella and we both laid in bed while she watched it.

Now here is where the sweetness comes in....as im laying there (im not asleep just in case she got up, but just laying there with my eyes closed) Addie would lean over every few minutes pull the covers up on me more, pat my back, and quietly say "Its ok mommy". I loved it!! Even though I felt awful and all I wanted to do was sleep, I wouldn't have traded those moments for anything! Right before the movie was over Johnny showed up for lunch (praise the Lord)! My sweet husband then fed the girls lunch while I slept. Next thing I know Johnny comes in says the girls are taking their afternoon nap and he was running back to work for a little bit....it was 3:00!!!! My sweet husband had stayed to watch them so I could sleep!!! I was so grateful!! And not just that, they were sleeping again (at least for another two hours!) As soon as they got up, Johnny was home.

So, my day that was going to be miserably long ended up being incredibly short and full of rest. Thank you to my sweet family and especially my wonderful husband for all they did!!!! Needless to say, I feel much better!!!