It Is Well with My Soul

This time of year brings excitement for me. It always has.. When I was younger, this time of the year meant 1) My Birthday in September 2) October Halloween Parties.. 3) Fall Holiday Season.

My mom has always been super excited about Halloween, so that made me super excited about it.. and now, for those of you who see my girls on Facebook.. you see my girls are super excited about it! They Love the ghoulish Skeletons, Giant inflatables, and everything else that goes with it. I know people think its ridiculous that Cross loves the Bloody IT Clown next door, but that is her dude. She shows no judgement.. he's just a guy thats hanging on a garage that makes her happy when she see's him.. Its weird, I know it.. but its also pretty awesome to watch how kids can see something that we find ugly and scary, and turn it into their best friend.

I used to get to have the best Halloween parties. We had an awesome big red/white barn, So we could have the party no matter what kind of Weather. We would come to "The City".. lol.. which is what we country people call OKC, and go to "MG Novelty" which is closed now.. but it was like the Party City back then.. And buy all sorts of ridiculous decorations. It was seriously one of my favorite things to do. Then we would go home and mom would come up with more creepy stuff on her own.. Like one year she filled plastic gloves with Oatmeal so they were like dead hands.. We bought a Coffin and put a skeleton man in it.. We would make Red Punch with plastic fingers in it.. IT was a great time. I loved every second of it.. Then we would invite a bunch of people from school and we would all wear costumes. Everyone looked forward to it every year. I'm excited to be able to pass along the tradition to my girls. Although, Honestly, Cross started out being creepy on her own..

Cross and Cille still love the Inflatable "Giant" (AKA the Grim Reaper). He's back up in the back yard this year, and they love to watch him come alive in the mornings and go to sleep at night. Cille just ends up liking what Cross likes.. she's not scared of anything either. Cross does have a love for weird clowns. I can't say that I'm with her on that.. I don't really care for them.. but she thinks they are her people, so we just go with it. This year Cross is going to be a white Owl, and Cille is going to be an Octopus. I presented her with all kinds of cute costuming options.. a sweet kitty, a bear, a Horse.. but.. she chose the Octopus.. So there you go.

I also love this time of year because I love taking the girls to Pumpkin Patches.. If we back up.. this is about the time 3 years ago when I realized 1) I was pregnant, and 2) it was twins.. so anytime I feel the nip of fall in the air, It takes me back to a place of Joy, and sheer Terror.. at the thought of having twins, lol. But its a fun memory for Jordan and I to share and laugh about now. Especially thinking about when I told my mom and dad.. and My mom saying "See, I told you I was going to need more than one"..and My dad just being over the moon because "twins" had really never occurred to us! So this is one of my favorite times of year for sure. We are Taking the girls to a pumpkin patch this weekend in fact! There's so many great ones around here to choose from. 

We had a great time at Balloon Fiesta last week! This was the girls first real Vacation-Trip, and they did really good. It was a 6 hour drive from Canute, so not too bad. The Awesome folks at Doug Gray Dodge in Elk City, hooked us up with a Tahoe, completed with DVD system.. so we traveled in Style! WE got there around 3 in the afternoon, and the girls wanted to go swimming. I had Tonsillitis, so I let them go with Gigi, Pa, and daddy.. They had a great time. 

In the Mornings we went out to the "Mass Ascension" and watched them fly into the air. Pa went up into a balloon on the first day.. He had quite an exciting story to tell.. Once they took off, the Wind Changed and started blowing the Balloon into town (which they do NOT want) so they had to make a landing on private land  (which is Frowned upon).. the Wind blew their basket over and the skidded side-ways a bit in the basket, but thankfully everyone was ok. Pa told them how to get out of the field, and back to where the 'Chase team' can pick them back up. So he found the whole situation humorous, I'm pretty sure everyone else was freaked out! So it was a "bucket list" item for him complete with a great story!

The girls enjoyed the balloons. Especially the special shapes. They loved watching the Big Dragon, Owls, Witches, and Scarecrow. When Cille saw the witch she said "Hey Witch, I'm going to punch you in the face".. I have no idea why, but it made us laugh. We had a good trip. IT was a good one to take the girls too. Not too far, lots of fun things for them to look at, and they are still talking about it.. so win win. I won't lie.. we couldn't have done it without Gigi & Pa, and it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun! So thankful for Good Grandparents!

IN other Random news.. the weird growth in my mouth healed, so bonus for that. My mouth is so bizarre. I go to the oral surgeon Friday just to make sure its all ok. The Girls are still Loving going to Crossings on Tuesday/Thursday and its been so much fun to hear about their days. Its a fun time to be with them. They are trying at times, and they tag-team Jordan and I quite a bit.. but we are holding strong, and trying to Build little awesome people. There's a lot of days when I'm pretty sure I get everything wrong.. but when I have moments like this,I know we are doing something right..

You can't eat Suckers for Breakfast..

We have been going through the book of Ecclesiastes in my Small group and man its been so good. So many things that God does daily that reminds us he is present..and he is with us.. But I think the hardest thing to Understand about God is the WHY of it all.. I have friends who are non-believers that are always asking the age old question.. "Why does your GOD let bad things happen to GOOD people?".. Or "How could there be a GOD in a world that lets children die, family members die from disease?".. I think the answer to that is we don't know. We don't know what God Knows.. We don't see the Big Picture.. We don't know the end result..

I think the first thing we have to realize is that we walk with God By Faith. Faith that he has a plan for us.. Faith that he knows the ultimate outcome... Faith that he will take care of us.. Faith that he can take bad things and turn them into good.. But we also need to understand that God Doesn't promise "Good" all the time. Your Faith, and your Spirit is formed through trials in your life. Trials that aren't pleasant..they are hard.. Trials that break your heart.. and Trials that teach you lessons.

When I get frustrated with my 3 year old girls.. because they bark orders at me.. or they keep doing the SAME thing over after I have told them not too.. Or when they put HOT food in their mouth after I just TOLD THEM IT WAS HOT.. I think.. Geez.. What does it take for you to learn that lesson? And that makes me wonder how many times God Looks at us.. and says "GEEZ.. what does it take for you to learn to have patience? What does it take for you to learn Humility? What does it take for you to learn Selflessness?".. Again and again.. we screw it up.. daily.. Just like a Toddler.. And Just like the way I keep loving my girls over and over day after day when they screw it up.. My God loves me over and over.. Even when I'm screwing it up. The beauty is.. we are both leaning lessons. Crosslee is learning not to run as fast as she can on the sidewalk, because she will fall and scrape her knee... and I'm learning Patience to teach her right from wrong. I don't let my Child run like a crazy person and fall because I'm a MEAN Mommy.. I let her do it because its a lesson. God doesn't let trials happen in my life because he's a MEAN GOD.. He does it because its a lesson.. A way to grow in my faith.. A way to learn to trust him more.. To have Faith... And Just like Cross, when she falls, she runs into my arms, I hug her, I pat her, I reassure her, and I put a bandaid on her scrape.. Just like God Does for me. The Key is to always keep running back to him.

I am the first to admit that I have an amazing life. I have not had to live with a family member passing suddenly, or a tragedy that shook me to my core. When my Grandma Leona Died at 81 that was one of the hardest times for me. She had Pancreatic Cancer and they gave her 3-6 months to live. She died 6 months later.. But when I think back on that I still see God's hand at work.. She had 6 months to prepare everything.. I had 6 months to show her and tell her how much I loved her before she left us.. We had that time. God gave us that time.

When I lost my radio job, that was by far one of the hardest things I'd ever gone through. I know I'm good at being on the radio. I woke up every day knowing that. I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be, doing EXACTLY what I was born to do. Then without a thought, 1 man could choose to take that away from me with a single business decision. I had to re-learn what I was good at.. Redefine my goals for life. Re-FIND myself. I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing.. But when I look back (They say you see your faith best in the rear-view Mirror) I see God's hand at work in that situation too.. A listener getting me a job at Chesapeake.. Me Excelling at that job.. Meeting Aubrey McClendon.. Being in IT so my husband and I could talk about something in common, lol.. Having Great bosses that allowed me to Take it easy when I was pregnant with Twins.. Having Great bosses and companies that provided awesome maternity leave and insurance.. Becoming a Mom, and working for companies that celebrated that.. All God's hand.

 We may not see miracles everyday like burning bushes, or walking on water, but when I look back I can always see amazing details in the way God is working in my life. And as I'm raising these girls.. I have to remember, that they are NOT going to have all the answers at age 3. They don't know how to speak properly (They sound more like Dictators at this stage) They don't know why they need to eat green vegetables..Why you should wear coats when its 15 outside.. Why morning doesn't start at 2am.. They don't know why Suckers aren't an option for Breakfast. The things that took us years to understand, we expect them to get immediately.. and that is when I learn that we must be patient and mold them.. and form them.. and shape them.. through trials..and time-outs, and crying fits..and judgement stares.. and jerky comments from other people.. into the people we want them to become.. Just like God does to us.. each and every day..

The Wonderful World of Thomas..

So my girls are not usually 'into' what every other kid in the world is into it seems.. Like the whole "Frozen" thing.. I have put it on several times.. They just don't care about it. I feel like they are a choice few who are not.. but I can honestly say I'm not sad that I don't have to hear "Let it go" 235 times a day..

My girls have always liked.. 1) Daniel Tiger, 2) Bubble Guppies, 3) Sofia the 1st. out of those, they really like Bubble guppies the best. But.. Recently they started loving trains. The Church library has a train table and they love playing with it every Wednesday when we are there.. The Church was a lot smarter about their train table.. They SCREWED IN the tracks.. SMART. SMART.. Why you say? Because our train track looks like a sad mess. No tracks together.. no buildings standing up.. Just sad. In my defense, I tried to glue it.. but they magically tore up the glue.. So.. I'm either going to have to get out the hammer or screws soon for our train table..

Anyway I digress.. Because they have started liking trains.. the only Real "train" toys.. is Thomas the train. Now.. I have seen Thomas a few times.. but when I found the show on TV I have to admit... Thomas The Train is Creepy. Its a Creepy Show.. They have these trains that ride around on Tracks with giant faces on the front of them.

The Crane that puts stuff onto the trailers of the Trains is named "Cranky".. I mean that does not sound fair. Would you want to be named "Cranky".. I feel like it auto puts the Crane guy in a bad mood.. But they are all a little weird. The animated one is better than the older one that looks like stick people and clay trains.. but the faces are odd.. of course the girls now love this, so I'm resigned to watching Thomas.. and James.. and Spencer.. and Cranky Apparent. Welcome to Toddler Life. 

So the girls went to Western OK last weekend.. They are talking NON stop now, both of them.. and they love to face-time with their grandparents.. Although every-time Gigi Calls to talk to Cille, Cille says "Gigi, where's Pa?".. Mom came and got them last Friday and they had a big time. They went to Pops and Grammy's on Saturday to play with Ava.. They always have a good time when they go to the farm.. but now they never want to come back.. Which sometimes makes me sad.. because I have to convince them to come home with me.. But when you think about it, why would any kid want to come home from their grandparents house? Here's what they get to do at the Grandparents house:

1) Cross drinks Coffee With Gigi every morning

2) Cille wears her PJ's as a Superhero Cape

3) Cross takes off her clothes, gets under a soft blanket, and then has Gigi give her back rubs. 

4) They both eat Maraschino cherries out of a Jar. 

5) At Pops & Grammy's they drink Sweet Tea and Limeade

6) They eat whatever they want at all hours of the day

7) They go to bed whenever they want to

8) They Get up whenever they want to

9) They have someone to push them on the swing for like 24 hours straight

10) They play in the hay, feed cows, and feed their Donkey Kris

11) Pops and Grammy have a room that is filled to the brim with toys.. that they get to go in, destroy, and not even pick up after themselves! 

So yeah.. after I read over that.. I would also only want to stay at my grandparents house! I always wanted to stay with my grandma Leona. She kept me while my parents were at work when I was little.. and when I think back about why I loved being with her so much.. its because she made my time with her ALL ABOUT ME. I remember sitting in the floor and us playing marbles.. Eating Cherry pie filling right out of the can.. Building forts in the middle of the living room with sheets and cushion.. Going to the TG&Y and getting to pick out a new stuffed animal to take home (EVERY TIME WE WENT TO THE STORE)..We would play Old Maid.. or Hide & Seek.. It was like every moment I was at her house, Her own world stopped because she was only there to be with me. 

I'd imagine that is what every kid wants. Just to have someone want to spend time with them. I think with me having twins its sometimes hard to just let time stand still and just "BE" with them.. I'm always trying to cook supper.. or get them ready for church.. Or Rush around to this or that.. But all they really want me to do is just sit down and be WITH them.                                                                                                                                                                             This morning before I left for Work, much like every morning.. Cross wants "Mommy, sit by you".. that is all she wants. Me to just sit with her in whatever she is doing. Watching TV, Playing, whatever it is.. she just wants me to be present with her, because that is what is most important to her.. And I think that is why grandparents are so awesome.. For that weekend, or that day, or those hours they have them.. its all about The girls, and they love it. Parents have so much responsibility that we rush around and don't always get to enjoy the moments with them, but Grandparents just sit and wait for you to bring them over so they can soak up every drop of their childlike sweetness. That is Awesome, and something I'm so grateful for those moments. 

On our weekend of Freedom, MJ & I went out to dinner with Friends, and over to visit my brother Randy's new Baby, Harper.. I didn't hold her.. Because I barely wanted to hold my own babies.. so I just admired her from afar, lol.. Having my own babies didn't make me any less scared of other babies.. so there's that. 

I think our favorite thing about "No kid weekend" is sleeping past 5:30am. We both go to work early, and the girls have always Woke up early.. so getting to sleep till 7 is magic.. 

The Michael Jackson Party Planning is in full swing. I have to say, I think I probably get more excited about it than the girls.. They stop whatever they are doing if Michael comes on and immediately start dancing around the room. Here's some ridiculous things the girls have been doing lately.. Cille now knows all the words to "Joy Joy Joy" and sings it into her Karaoke Mic.. Cross still likes to sing "Santa Claus is coming to town" and "Sittin on the Dock of the Bay"

Cross gets upset anytime someone gets onto her, or onto Cille and she will say "Hey, quit being mean to me".. Not realizing that dicipline is probably going to be considered 'mean' for the rest of her life. She also points a crooked finger at you while saying this. They have started being sweet to each other a little.. and giving each other hugs. Cross will say "HI _____ I've missed you!" and then give you a hug. They both now say "TRUST ME" because Leslie says that to them.. so they will look at you and say "TRUST ME".. 

They love the new swingset. LOVE it. We got it from someone in our neighborhood who was moving. We have no idea if we got it at a good price or not, We paid $575 for it.. but.. We didn't have to put it together, so that was worth that alone! Plus Kenny at All Star Moving and Storage Moved it for us and put it back together.. So if you ever have things like that you need done, or furniture moved in your house, call All Star Moving.. 405-399-3004 Love those guys! 

The only other thing I have to tell you about, is a new Page I joined on Facebook where you can buy ridiculously Cute outfits for a fraction of the boutique prices you would pay elsewhere.. Its called "Spades Boutique".. Just hit "Join" and you can get in on the deals as well!... you're Welcome. 

Losing my mind..

Over the past few weeks I have done some ridiculous things..

As previously mentioned.. I am still getting into other people's cars. I have no idea why this keeps happening. The other day I met mom to drop off the girls in Weatherford.. She was driving her Car.. For some reason, My mind did not acknowledge this.. I got all the girls stuff out and proceeded to put it into a white Pickup.. When I opened the door I only saw ONE carseat.. so I was like "Geez Mom, you forgot the other seat?".. No dummy.. You are in the wrong damn car!.. The worst part of this? The guy who's truck I was in.. didn't say a word.. Just like he kindof assumed I was crazy and would figure it out..and I did.. meanwhile Mom is laughing hysterically. #jerk. Lol..

Then.. I signed up, as a good steward to take a meal to a couple in our class that just had a baby.. I told them I would call in Cafe 7, and the hubby could pick it up on his way home from work since they were staying at her in-laws house.. She calls me at 6:00.. "Um, KC, is it under another name?".. Um no.. its not.. BECAUSE I NEVER CALLED IT IN.. I'm dumb. What is wrong with me! So I have to race around, call it in, and thankfully, because its Cafe 7, it was ready in 7 minutes..

Oh, and lets not forget about me meeting my friend Kristen at Zoey's Cafe.. We go there for a great lunch and chat about how crazy we are lately.. having trouble telling whether we are coming or going with 2 year olds.. Delicious conversation and food.. I leave.. Satisfied mentally and physically.. Next day I'm in the drive through at City Bites grabbing a sandwich.. Hmm.. thats odd.. where's my billfold? I don't know.. Where was the last place I saw it? I'm not sure..... Where is it?? Where is it!!! ITS AT ZOEY'S KITCHEN WHERE YOU LEFT IT YESTERDAY IDIOT!!.. So thankfully, I call, they have it, they give it back to me. Thank you Zoey's Kitchen for serving delicious food and keeping my wallet safe for me..

So as you can see... Pregnancy Brain lasts WAAAY past pregnancy.. Its still happening.. I leave my phone laying places, I forget Payslee is in the girls room and lock her in there.. I lose things that I literally just bought.. I go into a room only to forget what I went in there for.. I leave things in random places all the time..Its sad.. Its pathetic.. its Motherhood..and Getting old.. Both of which I am in the midst of..

So If I was supposed to bring you dinner.. or I accidentally got into your car.. Forgive me.. I'm Twinning..

In other news.. Its Halloween Week! We are going to the Crossings Fall Carnival.. It will be so much fun! Cross is going to be a Toad, and LL a Bumblebee.. Mom is coming up to go with us.. It will be fun with bounce houses, candy, games and more. We are excited. We took the girls to Storybook Forest in Arcadia on Tuesday and they LOVED it! So cute and fun.. Not a ton of fun for older kids (I'd say cutoff is probably 10) but little kids had a blast.. and the girls are now saying "Trick or Treat" and taking candy, lol..

This morning Cross & I were playing with her puppet Harold. He's a monkey, and I make him talk and play with her daily. She loves him. Well MJ was being funny and imitating me.. She looked over and said "Daddy! No! Stop it! Only Mommy is Harold!".. he said "Cross.. You aren't the boss of me, I can do what I want!"... She looked back at him and said "Daddy, I a Bowwwse!".. She is saying "Boss" Like Rhymes with "Louse".. I'm a Bouse! lol.. Its hilarious.. She's hilarious.. We are in trouble..

Property Brothers, where are you??

So for the past few months.. we have been in the process of selling a house, and buying another one.. When we went into this little adventure we thought it would be made up of Rainbows, unicorns, beautiful houses, awesome sellers, and perfect houses.. I can now tell you that it is made up of NONE of those things...

We sold our house Quickly.. 3 weeks to be exact.. We have an amazing realtor, Laura Feix from Harris Realty, who I have started to feel sorry for on a daily basis for having to deal with us, but she has stuck it through with us, and we are super thankful for that.. So.. We didn't really want to look at a TON of houses before we sold ours for fear that the other houses would sell and then we would be sad that we didn't get to pick them.. So we really didn't start looking hard core for a house until Late July.. We figured a 60 day close on our house would give us PLENTY of time to find another one... After all, we had already found several that we liked anyway, how hard could it be? Um Very..

Why you ask? Well.. because as awesome as MJ and I are.. We are really not built for house buying.. I'm not built for long term looking..and MJ is not built for negotiations.. This does NOT make a great buying team, lol.. We also don't come at things the same way.. so I'm looking at 1970's houses with waterfalls in their bathrooms thinking "Um, this is incredible!".. and MJ is thinking.. "You have lost your mind" while he is oogling a 3 car garage, theater room, or something new and shiny.. We don't really even agree on what KIND of houses we like.. We don't really know WHERE we want to be.. and HOW MUCH we want to spend... Once again, pray for Laura.

For those of you who don't know.. We bought our first house when it was almost finished.. Just finished enough where we got to pick out the carpet, fixtures, tile, paint, etc.. Guess how much I did of this? Yup. NONE. I hate stuff like that.. I don't care about paint or tile, and I dang sure don't care about grout color.. MJ, On the other hand, LOVES stuff like this.. and he did an amazing job with our house. Awesome tile, paint colors, backsplash, etc.. I mean its awesome.. thats why we sold it in 3 weeks! I was smart for leaving this to him, because I probably would have picked a rainbow Tile with crystals sparkling on top of it, and a hand painted mural of Roy Orbison.. Probably not great for resale value.. but anyway.. So he does all that and it turns out awesome.. The only thing I pick for the house? Bling Knobs for my Cabinet. They are legit. I love them.. and I'm taking them with me to the new house. That was my ONE thing.. Probably for the best..

So the first offer we made didn't agree to what we asked for.. and we walked.. only for them to come back and agree to it later, and us to decide we didn't want to spend that much money.. The 2nd offer we made was just kinda weird.. WE couldn't get the info we wanted, and they couldn't get the price they wanted.. and it made us all feel uneasy, so we walked..

The 3rd offer we made the seller decided he was not down to pay any closing costs. Like Any.. Well that was obviously not workable for us, so we even offered him MORE than he had the house listed for.. He STILL said no.. even though the house had been on the market for a LONG time..and he had no other offers.. Still said No.. So at this point.. I'm throwing money at people screaming "SELL ME A HOUSE! And praying Laura doesn't walk out the door.. But like I said, she's awesome.. so she only continued to power through with us, pray with us, and fight the good fight!! At this point I'm also thinking its a shame that Property Brothers, or Fixer Upper is not ringing me on the phone.. then I remember that I didn't really apply to be on that show.. so there's that..


Finally.. Finally... We came back to a house.. Agreed on a house.. because at this point.. we are truly running out of time. We close on our house Sept 25, and you have to do inspections, appraisals, blah blah.. so we literally had 0 days left.. BUT.... We have a house!!!! And its close to everything we do in life..church.. work..friends, etc.., With wood floors, a field for the dogs, more space... And yes, MJ got the 3 car garage, and No, I don't have a waterfall for a bathtub.. boo.. But...Marriage is all about compromise folks.. So thank you so much to Laura Feix.. We could not have done this, or would have wanted to do this without her.. She's been super helpful throughout this process, and we have appreciated her honest opinions and the fact that she always had our best interest in mind.

Do also want to give special Shout out to our Awesome Mortgage person, Ces Vorse at 1st Mortgage Company.. Love her and couldn't have done this without her either.. She is EXCELLENT at her job.. and fabulous... which are 2 great qualities! We have some awesome ladies in our life! So with that being said.. We are moving on up! I'll have more details on the house and such at a later date..

In other sad news.. My friend Shelly died last week. She was only 46 years old. I've known her since 2005 and we have had a lot.. LOT of fun together.. We went to college together, worked in radio together, and attended MANY a concert together.. We even managed to make it to Hawaii!! I think she had been sick for awhile, but no one really knew that..and I will say that she certainly went out with a bang.. Taking some trips to New Orleans, awesome concerts and such.. She was truly the life of the Party and she always readily accepted new friends and made them feel welcome. She was a gem, and I'll really miss her smile. RIP Shell.. I know you'll be throwing awesome parties in Heaven, and you'll be glad to hug your mama again. Thanks for all the good times.

Choking on a Biscuit..

Its been an interesting couple of weeks around here.. 

First off, I ate a biscuit from Popeyes.. Which I love by the way.. but it somehow managed to get lodged in my throat..Not enough to choke me, but enough to make it painful to try to get anything else down.. like Water.. or other food.. And it made it hard to swallow, but I could still breathe.. This is all happening at work. It was pretty ridiculous. It got so bad that I thought I would try to go into the bathroom and throw it up.. Didn't work.. So I came back out, tried to swallow some water.. Didn't' work.. It was still lodged there.. So my co-workers are looking at me like I'm crazy..and about to die. My eyes are watering now.. And of course I'm psyching myself out thinking I'm going to die because my throat is going to close up..  This is obviously not true, because I can still breathe.. So finally Deana, My fabulous co-worker comes in and says..

"Listen.. This happened to me at Golden Coral once with a piece of steak.. It was just sitting in my throat.. and it wouldn't get out.. I couldn't swallow it.. So I had to go throw it up. You gotta do it.. You gotta just go in there, put your hands down your throat, and throw up that biscuit.. So go ahead, and take your sunglasses off.. Take off your necklace.. and get in there!"

Well I took her advice..and did this.. It worked. But the moral of this story is: Chew your food, or you look like a weirdo with a biscuit lodged in your throat thinking you are dying and can't breathe at work. I mean really.. who does this.. geez. 

We've had our house on the market for a few weeks and its not as bad as I thought it would be keeping it clean. We took so much stuff OUT of the house that its easier to keep it clean now.. but its still hard with Toddlers.. b/c they just want to take everything out and throw it everywhere! We have had some showings, so we'll see what happens. We have found some other houses we like, but we can't really buy anything else until we sell ours.. So we are in a waiting game. I did chase mowers the other day.. Found their truck, chased them down some roads, and begged them to come to the house.. This works.. but remember it puts you at a disadvantage on negotiating price, so I don't recommend it. 

Girls are doing great! Cross is talking so much now. She strings together complete sentences. Its pretty awesome. LL is still working with her speech therapist and doing really good too. She started saying 'hello' and 'here' and 'thank you'.. I honestly think LL can say whatever she wants.. but doesn't. Like the other day she came up to me and asked for "ice".. she had never said that before.. So I honestly think she is just fooling us all.. But she is just doing things on her own time. She loves working with Suzanne, so we will keep doing it. People keep telling us she looks like Shirley Temple.. I mean we can't really be mad about that, since Shirley is like.. the cutest. 

The girls have been swimming this summer.. the love it! They swam at my mom's house and Aunt Lex got them Puddle Jumpers.. They are awesome, and they keep them from drowning.. so bonus. LL is pretty brave in the water.. she will jump off the size, and she swims and swims.. kicks her little legs till we think they are going to fall off! Cross likes someone to be by her, and she likes to float around as opposed to swim..but they both really love being in the water. Cross also loves picking corn.. right out of the field.. and eating it.. right off the stalk.. She loves corn! Both of my girls are such good eaters.. They eat everything! I made cabbage the other day..baked it in the oven with EVOO & Parmesan on it, and they ate it up! They eat squash, green beans, spinach, sweet potatoes, cabbage, carrots.. I swear its because I did Baby Led Weaning..

Everything else has been good.. MJ is still doing good at his job, I still enjoy my job, and we love our Small group and Sunday School Class. There has been some hot topics going on here lately in the news.. Its hard to debate who is right and who is wrong, so I just choose to spend some time in the bible and in prayer with God and pray that he is able to heal all the crazy things that are going on in this world. I'm just proud to have such great people around my girls in family, in small group and in church. The World is a rough place to raise kids right now. I honestly don't see how people keep their marriage together, or their families together without God at the Center.. I'm so thankful for my walk with him daily, and the fact that I married a great man who also walks with the Lord. We can only pray for him to keep us in his hands and watch over us, because its just ugly out there without him folks. 

Toddler for Rent...

Man.. I have to just get this off my chest.. Its been bothering me for awhile, and I've been praying about it.. Because I'm the first to admit, I don't really have all the answers when it comes to marriage, Kids, or parenting.. or about 90% of other things.. But I am one helluva Whistler, so there's that.. Anyway..

I've realized I have become pretty cynical when it comes to being a parent.. If you have kids, you will know what I'm about to talk about.. and if you don't, prep yourself.. Or don't.. because you may be one of the "Rainbows, Unicorns & Magic" parents that posts on Facebook all the time about your perfect life and children that are made of roses and magic beans, and how no sleep and screaming kids has only brightened your complexion and made you lose weight.. Good on ya' but thats not real in my world.

My life is not perfect.. but its pretty great. I have amazing Parents, an Amazing Church, Healthy, Happy Kids, Great Friends, and I serve an Awesome God.. But I have found that lately.. if and when I have to do anything that is out of my comfort zone (My comfort zone is driving to work, working, and going home, lol).. I'm just put-out with the whole thing. Part of this is because I'm TIRED. Truly Tired.. MJ & I have our house on the market and I don't know if you have ever tried cleaning a house, staging it, and keeping it clean with twin toddlers, but its not easy.. Keeping it clean will be the hardest of all! lol.. So I'm tired.

Cross is going through (What some are calling a stage, but its been going on for a year now, lol) a stage in which she is clingy, whiny and repeats things 3210 times. The Irony is that she is only like this with me. She is a perfect darling with everyone else..She acts amazing with my mom, with Jordan, with Leslie...  But with me.. She's kindof a terror.. Like the second I come home this is how it goes:

Crosslee--"Icicle.. Icicle... Icicle?" 

ME--Cross, you just had a popcicle, so No

Cross--Icicle, Icicle Icicle Icicle Icicle Icicle, Icicle Icicle Icicle Icicle?

Me--Cross, You Just had one, we are going to wait till dinner for anything else. 

(Lays down in the floor and starts to cry and whine, then gets backup)

Cross--Cheese?

Me--No, we are waiting to eat dinner

Cross--Cheese?Cheese?Cheese?Cheese?Cheese?Cheese?Cheese?Cheese?

Me--Crosslee, No. We are waiting to eat dinner. You have had plenty of snacks

Cross--Milk?

Me--No, you just finished your milk. 

Leslie the Nanny--Yes, Cross, you have had 3 snacks already.. 

Cross--(Lays down in the floor again and begins to cry, then goes over and pushes her sister)

Me--CROSS. We do NOT push our sister, Go sit in your naughty Chair..(I proceed to walk her to her room and sit her in her chair while she is sobbing. 

Crosslee then comes back out of the room.. 

Cross--Puffs?

Me--Crosslee. We are not having any snacks. We are going to wait to eat dinner, then you can have more food. 

Cross--NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (begins to cry and sob again, so I walk her back into her room and sit her in the naughty chair, and I go back in the living room. 

Wait for 1 minute..... Here comes Cross.. She has the naughty chair IN HER HANDS and sits it down beside me..  

Cross--Toads?

Me--Ok. we can go outside and look for Toads.. ( I begin to walk outside to look for toads)

Cross--MAAAAAAAAA MAAAAAAAA!! Lays down sobbing because I have walked 2 ft away from her, and she is certain I'm never coming back.. (Even though she knows the back yard is not a door to oblivion)

So.. yes.. this is how my days go when I come home. Yes, I know its probably just a phase.. but its a ROUGH phase.. Its even worse when we are in the car because she will go on for hours..

Cross-- "Get in car? Get in Car?

Me--Yes, lets go get in the car. 

Cross--OK (we go get in the car and drive away)

Cross--Get out? Get Out? Get out? Get Out? Get out? Get Out? Get out? Get Out? Get out? Get Out? 

Me--Cross, we can't get out until we get there, so just wait a few more minutes. 

Cross--Go Play?

Me--yes, we are going to the church to play. We will be there in just a few minutes. 

Cross--Ice Cream?

Me--No, we are going to play. 

Cross--Starts sobbing.. ICE CREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!

Me--No we are going to go play.. don't you want to go play with your friends at church?

Cross--Go play? Go Play? Go play? Go Play? Go play? Go Play? Go play? Go Play?

This is seriously how it goes. If you don't believe me, you can Ask Leslie Or Jordan... I mean its EXHAUSTING. And remember, this is just part 1 of my 2 kids.. Thankfully Londyn Lucille is pretty mild Mannered, but she has also decided to start laying on the floor and acting out.. but since she doesn't really talk yet, I haven't heard as much of it.. Hers is mainly just whining and crying. She has her moments, but her moments are a lot fewer than Crosslee's.. But I'm guessing she will catch up, then I can write a blog about her..lol

Now Granted, this is just one aspect of their personalities.. They have moments when they are shiny happy little people.. But unfortunately they sometimes save those moments for people other than their mom. I have read about this, and I know its normal.. but as a result, it doesn't make me real likely to want to get in the car and ride with them.. And this kind of thing can happen in Restaurants as well (they don't like to be confined).. so MJ's and I solution to this.. is just to stay home, or only go to 'safe zones' or places that require us to drive for about 15 min at the Max.. But we realize that we have people that want to see the girls that live farther away than 10 min.. so we make the trip.. But by the time we get there I literally am wanting to pull all the hair out of my head, lol..

So I'm going to have to re-group. I'm going to have to get more patient. I'm going to have to suck it up..and get through this, and realize that this is something most parents go through.. Its just that they usually have ONE kid and I have TWO.. But I'm writing this to let you know that OTHER PEOPLE DO GO THROUGH THIS.. My kids are freakin cute.. Really adorable.. and at times they are AWESOME.. and Hilarious, and well-behaved! Cross has the most amazing manners.. She said Please, and Thank you, and counts to 10... She's Crazy smart.. And Londyn is so squishy and funny. She speaks in weird robot talk, and could play in the sand for hours entertaining herself..

But its not all rainbows and roses when you are a parent. Its TOUGH. Its Guilt-inducing, Its maddening, Its Tiresome, Its Selfless, Its Annoying, Its Confusing!! But.. Its also Inspiring, Rewarding, Special, Spiritual, Hilarious, & its limited.. because even though you will always be the parent.. There will be times when I know I will look back on this phase of life and be sad that Cross doesn't cry anymore when I walk away from her.. Or wonder why she quit giving me 20 hugs a day and asking to sit on my lap. Or Londyn running over to me and saying "TEN!" Time is passing.. and it goes quickly..

So instead of viewing all these things as nuisances.. I'm going to try to view them as opportunities.. Opportunities from God to raise a good child. Opportunities for our families to form lasting, awesome relationships with our babies. Opportunity for me to learn to be more patient, and not always be in a hurry for the next phase to start. Opportunities to be silent and know that God is God, and he is going to see me through whatever trial I'm having, Whatever trial the girls are having, and know that he is present and he doesn't make mistakes.. Even when I think I have screwed it up beyond Measure. Its all perspective.. and mine has sucked lately.. But the good news is.. I have time to change it, and I'm going to start right now.. But lets be honest.. this is not easy. Its hard to get excited about your kid having an all out tantrum, and viewing it as an opportunity.. but I know that God doesn't' give me more than I can handle.. However, I can only handle it so many times a day, so if I don't meet you for dinner, or come to your party.. don't be mad.

They just can't get rid of me..

So I've heard comments from a few of you that have heard me back on the radio.. Before you get too excited.. its just on commercials.. But.. It still counts! I'm actually doing spots for All Star Moving. I met those guys when I worked at Chesapeake and he called me a few weeks ago, and I was happy to help. I'm sure the folks at the old radio station were just thrilled with this news.. They just can't seem to get rid of me.. which does cause me to smile just a bit.. PS, if you need movers, seriously, All star is the BEST. Call them. They do it all.. Storage, boxes, moving you, etc.. And they are truly awesome people. 399-3004 or  go online to allstarmovingandstorage.com. 

I still miss the radio business.. I don't think I really miss the Concerts & Events that much.. I just miss being creative everyday. Making people Laugh.. Creating Art in some form. I'm meant to be creative.. and while I love my current job, my boss, and the folks I work with.. it doesn't require me to have a ton of creativity. Although.. I did get to write a new parody song, which you guys know I love to do. I wrote it for our Customer Commitments Challenge.. Its to "We are the Champions" and its awesome. i can say that, because It is.. If there's one thing I know I'm pretty good at, its writing parody songs.. So when the competition is over, I'll post it and you guys can listen. Its about the daily IT life.. its funny.. and true..

I think at the end of the day I just miss making people laugh. I still try to do that as much as I can. In fact I challenged a co-worker the other day to a "Whistle-off".. which reminding me of my radio bit "Stump The Whistler".. He got scared and refused..but it still made me laugh. I miss playing the Accordion and doing those stupid Polka's.. I miss the interaction and everyday life with listeners.. Sure kickin it with George Strait and Garth Brooks was a definite Perk, but that is not really what I miss. I miss making people's days better with a laugh. But... I know, for now, this is what I'm supposed to be doing. God has always taken care of me, and I know he has a plan for my life now, just like he always has..

One of the best things about right now.. is that Crosslee thinks I'm the best thing that's ever happened. I know she won't always feel this way..but she wants to be with me from the second I wake up till the second she goes to bed. Sitting with me, chatting with me, playing with me.. She hugs and kisses me all the time. She loves her daddy too, and she will "Pet" him, lol.. but right now, her mommy is #1. I'm enjoying this time.

 

So We have had a good Summer so far. We got the girls a little pool and they have been little
water worms.. They love going down the slide and sunning. They get in it in their PJs in the am if we don't catch them! They just love being outside. Since it has been raining, they really love splashing in puddles.. its their favorite thing. We are going to the farm this weekend and they will get to ride on their horses..

We are thinking about selling our house.. I say thinking because when I "THINK" about staging a house, and getting rid of 2/3 of my stuff with twin 2 year olds.. it makes me want to punch myself in the face.. But..we are out of room in this one. It would have been fine had we not had twins, but now we are overflowing with toys, and crap.. So we are going to think about doing that.. The task sounds daunting. I mean can you imagine? No. Blargh. Yuck.

We have been having so much fun with our small group. Last night we had a BBQ and we had Six kiddos' running around all 3 and under.. they had a big time. They just run and share drinks, & food.. Pushing each other, hugging each other.. I mean living life as a Toddler is hilarious. Its all about you.. and you have no patience for anyone or anything that doesn't want to make it about you.. I mean learning how to be a human is hard.. They are like little dictators walking around.. but they are all so cute and its awesome for them to have friends to play with all the time. We always have a blast together.

We took the girls to the Jenks Aquarium a few weeks ago. Cross loved it.. and all the "Bish" that she saw.. LL just loved running down the isles.. Thats our life story pretty much. Running and Running! I know I've been given an important job. Probably the hardest one I'll ever do, so I'm going to try to not screw it up. When I look in the faces of my girls I see such curiosity, and happiness.. My only hope is that I can always see that when I look at them. That the fires that burn within them always remain bright, and that they always know they have 2 parents that love them so much and a God that loves them even more. Everyday I pray to NOT screw this up, and on the days that I do, that they forgive me, just like God forgives me. It truly takes a village.. but its a fun village. God is good!

Mommie Dearest....

Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like you have just kinda failed at life? I kinda had a WEEK like that last week.. It was a rough week.

On Monday we (MJ and I) went to a funeral.. those are never fun.. The girls had a playdate with a sweet little girl that ended up having Hand/foot/Mouth, so we have been super paranoid that they were going to get sick (so far so good, 6 days later, fingers crossed, and I swear its because I oiled them) and then we tried to go to a fun event at church (Volopulooza), didn't bring the stroller, and ended up chasing the girls across a soccer field.. #Parentfail. Drove the girls to Tulsa to visit MJ's Grandma and to go to the aquarium.. But by the time we had driven up there, visited, ate lunch, and they didn't take naps, they were losing their minds.. So..we didn't get to go to the aquarium. #parentfail. Ran out of Cross's "Juice" (pediasure), Diapers, and Wipes.. #parentfail. So as you can see.. I have had a week in which I just kinda feel like a big fat failure at life..

The girls have had allergies and its just not been easy for them.. Cross makes it much harder because she refuses to take medicine.. LL does too.. so I was thinking.. "Why don't I get those dissolve tabs and then it will be like candy?".. Yes, KC, great idea! So I did this..and it was a hit with Londyn. She loved hers.. so success.. Cross? NO. She spit it out. She knew immediately.. and even though it tasted like Grape Shasta.. she was having no part of it.. I tried to sneak it in gummies, cheese, meat.. Nope. She spit it out every time.. then started questioning the authenticity of the gummy.. Spit it out.. Leslie also tried to give it to her. She looked Leslie square in the face and said "NO" and threw it down.. Sometimes that Kid is too smart for her own good.. Thankfully she will still take the liquid form, so that has been helping with the coughing at night.

I have realized that a lot of things change when you become a parent.. and they should.. Your life is not your own anymore, and the days of doing what YOU want to do are over.. so if you are one of those people thinking you will have a baby and nothing will change.. Think again. It should change, because when you become a parent, you should be thinking of your Kids as the first priority anyway.. but that doesn't make it any easier for your former, selfish self to deal.. Right now Cross is still in the phase of clinging to me. I can't get more than 3 ft away from her or she starts yelling "mama! Mama!" and if I don't' go back (because I'm walking to the bathroom) she lays in the floor sobbing.. I know there will come days when I wish she would WANT me to be around her.. so even though sometimes those moments are trying, I try to just stop and sit with her, because I know the one thing she is really wanting is ME.. Well, and maybe a Popsicle..

With kids comes so many magical moments.. Moments that you would never trade, but there are also crap moments.. Moments in which you feel like you don't get it right.. that they will end up in therapy.. that you could have made a better choice.. that you shouldn't have said that.. that you got dealt a poor hand.. Its hard. There are weeks that you feel like you just don't measure up as a parent.. And there are days when you feel like you just need a break.. but then you feel guilty for feeling you like need a break! Guilt as a mom is huge. I have guilt for not using the words "So in love" with my newborns when they were born. I think the words that I used were like "Scared to death".. But everyone else will have babies and post these heart-felt pictures.. "We just had a baby..and we are so in love".. I was thinking "I just had 2 babies, How will I keep them alive?".. I have guilt that sometimes I just want to sleep till 7:00, or go to 3 movies in one day, Or sit at Barns & Noble by myself...

Its not that I don't enjoy being a mom.. I do.. but I think most people don't realize when you have kids, you are breaking up with your former life. All the things you formerly did, that basically revolved around what YOU want to do have to change. That can make you feel bad, and feel guilty, So its a wake-up call.. I read this.. and it was great.. So enjoy.. and feel less guilt.. and Celebrate your kids.. And realize that even when you screw it up, your kids are still going to love and forgive you.. much like Jesus does.

To The Mom Who Yelled at Her Kids Today (Thanks Brooke!)

I'm going to remind myself of this when Cross kicks me.. because she has diaper rash... and when I try to wipe cream on her.. it ends up on my eyes, my work clothes, and everywhere but..her Butt...And the next time she spits blueberry advil at me... lol.. Gotta love it!!!