My Kids Better than Your Kid...

As the girls are growing and developing I've realized that apparently there is crazy competition that all parents enter called "My Kid can do things that your Kid cannot".. and it is has become humorous to me.

Everywhere we go people are all over the girls.. They want to talk to them, play peek-a-boo with them, say hello, etc.. Which is awesome.. but every now and then you run into someone that asks "Oh, are they walking?" Or something along those lines.. Well, when I answer people immediately start to judge.. "Oh really? My son started walking at 9 months. Guess he was just an early learner"..etc..Which would imply that my kid is a slow learner and there for an inadequate blob. Well thank you for letting me know, should I just throw them outside now?  It Cracks me Up! WHO CARES! Kids are kids.. they are going to do things at different times.. It doesn't mean one is better than the other! Cross was walking by her birthday, and Londyn started walking a month later.. I started walking at 9 months.. MJ started walking at something like 18 months.. Does that mean MJ was a slow learner? No..it means he was smarter than the rest of us because people kept carrying him around!

Now listen, I am one of the most competitive people you will ever meet.. I can't play ANYTHING for fun.. Like anything. Its depressing. When I was in College a guy asked me to play tennis one day.. I thought we were going to go out there and hit the ball around.. Well we go out there and he SCHOOLS me at tennis.. After that day I went and joined a tennis league, played twice a week, learned to serve and that guy NEVER beat me again.. THATS how I roll.. I race people in Wal-mart to the checkout line. When I play monopoly I buy all the properties and put 2 hotels on each one so you will go bankrupt when you land on one. I left a softball league once because they sucked, and joined another one that later went on to win the league championship..I had to play racquetball with the guys because the girls would cry when I  hit them in the back with the ball.. So as you can see.. I am competitive..

However, when it comes to kids, I find that parents are really just big, fat, liars.. Your baby didn't start talking at 6 months old.. Your newborn hasn't slept through the night every day since you brought him home.. Your daughter can't say her ABC's at 12 months. Your Son didn't start walking at 5 months.. Your kid didn't learn to drink out of a glass and never spill it at 11 months..

I feel like when parents say these things to other parents it sets the bar so high on the "Parenting Scale" that others feel like they can never live up to it. We are all proud of our kids, but just because your kid isn't potty trained by 18 months, you aren't going to get written up by the parenting gods! Its unrealistic, and ridiculous.. Plus when we hear these things, we  know Its a load of crap and talk about it behind your back.. so there you go.

Now, if you are reading this and you have one of those genius kids that have been on the Ellen show, just disregard.. I'm not talking to you. I realize that we all want our kids to be great, but honestly, shouldn't we be rewarding them for what they ARE doing instead of feeling bad for what they Aren't doing? Plus its really all relative.. they will all eventually learn to walk, talk, read and write.. so what difference does it make if it takes one a little longer?

Its also stressful when you go to their Dr. Appointments and they give you a 'list' of things your kid should be doing by a certain age.. Well.... What if they aren't? Should we just assume they are fools and leave it at that? Lol.. no.. I realize its just a 'gauge' but its still intimidating because you feel like your kid should measure up to the other 15 month olds in the world.. Thankfully, for me, since I had twins, my Pedi doesn't give me that list.. I'm not sure why, but I've never seen it.. So I just assume they are doing what they are supposed to be doing.. Being Toddlers and running wild!

So the moral of this story is.. Whether you have kids, no kids, grandkids, or whatever.. Don't let other people make you feel like you are a bad parent if your baby doesn't play Beethoven's 5th by the time he's 2.. Its ok. We aren't all Beethoven.. And if another parent tries to make you feel bad about what your kid is, or isn't doing, you can always just say "Well thats ok, because my baby is cuter than yours" and walk off..

 Boom Chaka Laka..
K

Weight Watchers is Watching me..

So yesterday I started weight Watchers.. For the past 2 years I've eaten like total crap. Its been a BLAST I tell you.. for the first year I was pregnant, building giant babies.. Which I did (6.03, and 6.16lbs).. and then the 2nd year I was breastfeeding and burning calories like a crazy person.. so I lost the baby weight.. but Now I need to get serious.. and lose weight.. get some energy and kick it up a notch.. because if you haven't noticed, both of my babies are running.. in opposite directions!

In the past I haven't given two craps about working out because I was full of endless energy and magic.. Enter pregnancy and motherhood and that all went out the Do'... So we have to start again. I'm hoping that by going to the Loves gym at least 3 days a week I can get some more energy, and work on some heart healthy crap or something.. I'm not excited about it.. but I am on day #5 now and its not terrible thus far. I went to the Steelman Clinic and got appetite suppressants.. which are kind of a must at this stage of weight loss, so don't judge me..Last night we went to 501 and I had to say No to the delicious array of treats at the front.. and that was not cool.."Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels".... Whoever said that has obviously not had a salted Caramel Bar from 501.

So Gigi & Papa came up yesterday and are taking the girls to the Zoo today. We took the girls after they turned a year old, but at that Time LL was not walking.. and We didn't let Cross be free.. Mom just sent me a picture of them in the petting zoo, and I'm betting they had a hard time convincing Cross to leave those Goats. She loves all animals.. even weird ones.. So I'm guessing she had a great time. After the Zoo they were going to have a nap (Both the girls and Papa, lol) and then they might go to the Botanical gardens later.. It will be a fun weekend.

We have been watching two new shows on FX. The Strain, and Tyrant.. They are both Great.. and creepy.. The Strain makes me paranoid about diseases and deadly creatures killing us.. and Tyrant makes me never want to leave the country, so there you go.. 

So we are all doing good.. We are doing a new lesson at Sunday School. Its been pretty funny so far. We took a little personality profile quiz that said whether we were a "Lion, Otter, Beaver or Golden Retriever".. Well shockingly.. I'm a lion, and MJ is a Golden.. Which once again shows how opposite we are.. but also how great we come together. Over the next few weeks we are going to talk about how our 'animals' interact and how we can make our marriage and communication better.. I'm excited about that class.. its been really funny so far watching the other couples. If you want to take the Quiz.. its HERE

This is how the girls look each night before bed.. They go and get their favorite Ladybug book bring it to Daddy, and then crawl up on his lap to have him read it. They always pick the same book, and they always crawl up his leg. Pretty much the cutest thing ever from both him, and them. I'm blessed to have such a great husband, and two sweet girls. I have a great life.. 

They Suck your Pretty...

Sorry about the title of this blog, but its true.. I remember a few years ago listening to a female radio personality say "Man, sometimes I wish I had had a baby boy, because baby girls suck away all your pretty".. and I can tell you that I now TRULY feel like this.. Times TWO. #Nofair.

(This is what my hair "USED" to be like) 

Before the babies were born I was pretty confident about 3 Features.. My Eyelashes, My Hair, and My Boobs.. Well I can tell you this.. My eyelashes are still hanging in, but everything else... She gone! What the hell has happened to my hair? I don't know.. but its depressing and sad.. For those of you who have not lived through the magic of pregnancy and child birth.. here's how it goes.. When you are pregnant you have hormones flowing out the wazoo.. so your hair grows and grows.. Well guess what? When the baby comes out.. so does all your hair.. Not all at once.. but slowly as you brush it, you will see more and more and more just fall out.. And at that time you are thinking, "No big woop, I grew so much more when I was preggie, surely it will all even out".. No. Not for me anyway. My hair looks like a big pile of lifeless blargh. Its quite disappointing.. Especially since I RARELY have time to fix my hair, when I do, I would like my hair to reward me with a little vavoom! A little Sasa! A Little Chabow!.. No.. It just lays like a dead carcass.. #fail

The other beauty of pregnancy is stretch marks and the fact that your body rebels on going back to 'normal' after you have the baby.. You will find that there is more junk in different trunks than you had before.. You are like "What? That was never there before".. or suddenly your face is shaped differently.. What? No clue on this. Thankfully I didn't gain weight in my face when I was pregnant.. but I am shocked by the fact at how your body rebels on going back to normal.. Even with diet and exercise I hear my former pregnant friends say "I'm running every day and My hips are still so wide!".. It doesn't make any sense to me..

Then there's the fact that you always 'feel' like you look tired.. Now some of us have people around us that will just say "Wow. Have you not slept for awhile?".. Well thats rude.. At this point I'm sleeping all night, because the girls are sleeping all night, and have been for awhile.. but here is the problem.. Your body hasn't forgiven you for NOT sleeping the previous year.. so it still makes your face look tired and sad. Dang. I think thats the biggest thing..Your body never forgives you for carrying twins.. or at least mine hasn't.. Maybe if I was in my 20's it would have.. Because my mom had me when she was 21, and she's still pretty.. and stayed Pretty.. but now for me, its like "Sorry Boucha.. you should have thought about that when you wanted to have babies"..

I guess its a pretty good payoff when you think about it though.. I mean seriously, I built two people.. and even though I'm pretty partial to them, I do think they are pretty beautiful children.. People are constantly telling me this.. and No, I don't think people would usually come up and say "Hey, your baby is sure ugly".. but people go out of their way to tell me they are cute.. so they must be. But.. I just feel like someone should tell you these things in case you were oblivious to it.. The Payoff is worth it.. My girls are hilarious and awesome..But you should know. Your body is probably not ever going to look the same.. and even if it does, you will probably still pee on yourself because your bladder has expanded.. So just keep these juicy nuggets of knowledge in mind.. The Good news is.. when I look at them smile, I know its all worth it, and I won't really care about the small things anymore.. because compared to them having a great life, being full of joy, smiling and laughing.. its all small things.

Farming Fun

We  have had a great couple of weeks.. We went back west to have the girls 1yr pictures taken.. They aren't ready yet, but I'll post what they look like when we get them back. The girls were being kinda crabby, but I think we still got some pretty cute shots. We put them in their angel wings, which is what they also took their Newborn pics in.. My how things have changed in a year! Its still so bizarre to me to think that I made two little people! And thats what they are like right now.. Little people.. So much fun to watch them. Crosslee is into everything. I looked over yesterday and she had taken her diaper box and was STANDING on top of it with her arms above her head like she had just climbed a mountain!! She is a handful..

We also took them to the outlook mall last weekend which was fun.. they love going places.. Until I let Cross get out of the stroller.. then she just wanted to walk up to every person, in every store and say "HI".. she did NOT want to get back in that stroller..she had too many things to do and see! She's very friendly and loves to go up to people and say "Hi" or "Hey" to them.. of course most people think this is cute and say Hi, or Hey back to her.. So it works.. Londyn Lucille is still doing her 'charming' face.. She does this when you say "Londyn are you charming?" she tilts her head to the side.. Its super sweet. She's also started speaking a weird language in which she makes clicking sounds and speaking in what sounds like German.. Its pretty awesome.. She's crawling everywhere.. and cruising on everything.. but not walking just yet. She's taken a few steps, and if you will walk WITH her, she's all about it.. but not walking on her own just yet. But she gets around just fine, she's just not in a hurry..

 Cross has also become crazily attached to her Creepy Owl we call "J.O" (Judgement Owl) because he has beady eyes and looks like he is judging people.. Well he is a Scentsy Owl and we noticed she was becoming pretty attached to him.. like she did not want to go to Bed without JO, and now she wants to bring him out of her bed.. and Carry him around. We have told her he is Nocturnal and that he doesn't want to do that.. but she doesn't care. She still cries to bring him outside her bed and fly him around.. I can't be mad at her for this.. Because I still have to have my blanket (Softy) to go to bed.. #sosueme. So we will see.. I would like to transition her onto a blanket or something because what if something happens to that Owl? Well.. We have a backup.. We have another owl just like him that we got in case that happened.. However, then the owl got discontinued and now we can't get any more.. so there you go. So maybe if I could talk her into a blanket..at least that would last a little longer.. not sure what we will do about this situation.

 We had a great 4th of July..We went to my Dad's house in Sentinel for the Parade.. (which is about 10 minutes long and consists of a lot of people throwing Candy) So it was fun. Crosslee liked watching it.. LL was out. They blew a loud horn at the beginning of it, and she did NOT like that.. So she just sat with Grammy and watched.. After the Parade we all went to the Park for the festivities.. They do a "Mr. Muscle" and "Miss Tiny Tot" for 3yr olds and above.. It was really cute.. Then they have food and music. The girls had an amazing time because they treated everyone there like a buffet line.. they ate.. and ate.. and ate.. and snacked.. lol.. It was hilarious. Whatever anyone was eating, they were eating.. they were little vultures. But they had a great time. We didn't do any fireworks.. for 1) the dogs would have flipped out.. and 2) the Girls would not have liked the noise.. Plus they still go to bed around 7:00.. so it was still light outside anyway.. 

They did go swimming and had fun doing that.. and ate fresh Nectarines off Gigi's tree. They loved them.. and ate like 15.. They are really good eaters. I hope they stay this way, because I hear other people talking about how their kids won't eat meat, or won't eat veggies.. Both my girls love both of those things! I sauteed spinach for them the other night and they loved it! They had fried squash at the farm and loved it.. they love baked squash! I mean they are really great, so I hope it stays like that.. I swear it was Baby Led Weaning.. Because that got them excited about food, and textures and new things, and now they are willing to try new things all the time.

So A woman came up to the girls and I in Sams the other day and told us that if you wrap your bananas in a plastic bag it will keep them from going bad as quickly.. I'm going to try it.. but I have realized that people will use whatever means necessary to talk to the girls, lol.. It gets bizarre, but I appreciate the kindness, and the fact that everyone wants to talk to them.. They are finally getting some hair.. LL's is blonde curls, and Cross's is a little bit darker, its super cute.

On a sad note.. All my knockout roses are diseased with Witches Broom.. (Read about it HERE) and as a result I'm going to have to dig them up, bag them, and burn them.. because apparently the only way you can get rid of the disease is by doing that.. otherwise it will spread all over the world and kill all the other knockout rose bushes.. Yes, this sounds a bit dramatic, but read for yourself.. Its sad.. and so far, no one has found anything that cures or stops it.. So I guess I'll be doing that soon. Blargh.

We are going to a cookout this weekend at MJ's dad's house. The girls will be excited to see them, and eat of course.. We love watching people love our girls.. the relationship they have with their grandparents makes me so happy. MJ had a very special relationship with his grandpa, and my Grandma Leona was my hero.. Every time I say "Londyn Lucille" it makes me think about how happy she is in Heaven looking down and seeing our sweet girls. For those of you who don't know, Cross's middle name is Shelton after MJ's grandpa, and Londyn is named after my grandma, Leona Lucille.. We both talk about how much they would love seeing them right now and it brings a smile to our face. So watching them form their own relationships with their grandparents warms
our hearts. There's seriously nothing better than watching people love your kids.. (oh, and love your dogs too)..

Speaking of Dogs.. Banks is doing awesome at our house. I have given up on trying to get the dogs to stop feeding the dogs food.. Cross will carry a piece for her, than a piece for Payslee and they share it.. (sigh)... They LOVE their dogs. Banks is so sweet and gentle with them. They fall on her, squeeze her, etc.. And Payslee loves being a good nanny to the girls.. following them around, licking their faces and resting by them.. Sawyer is indifferent, lol But he still cries when they cry which is BEYOND annoying.. please let him, or them grow out of this soon!! Crosslee is also obsessed with Papa's cows.. Thankfully for her, so is Banks.. so they like to go out and visit them together..

Can I just say how much I do not want to ever diet, and or exercise.. I really wish they made a food, or a pill called 'Make me wanna eat healthy and exercise'.. because I am just NOT into it.. I mean really. I'm sitting here now thinking about having to walk up two flights of stairs and wanting to spit. I mean thats how bad I dread it. I'm going to have to get on board though because chasing around Cross every day is TIRING and I have to be able to keep up with her!

As always, super Thankful to My God who is good to me every single day, MJ & I's families, our friends, and our Church. We are surrounded by people who always look out for us, pray for us, and help us. #soblessed #trulygreatful #drinkingfrommysaucer

Zoo Fun, and playing Catch-up

Sorry..I'm behind here.. I'll try to catch everybody up..

Ok, so after the girls had their big birthday party we thought it would be fun to take them on their first Zoo visit.. It was a perfect day, cloudy and overcast..So not too terribly Hot.. which is good because MJ hates the heat.. So it was really nice.. They liked the Birds the best.. especially the Peacocks, because they were loud and came right up to them.

They also enjoyed petting the goats, and the little donkey's.. And looking at the Giraffe's.. We stayed about 3 hours, and they were sleepy, so we went home after that..but it was a great first visit! Can't wait to go back again!

(Cross saying "Here" and "Thank you" in her Play-land)

We have been busy the past few weeks. Gigi & Papa kept the girls 2 weekends ago for the WHOLE weekend.. Jordan & I had a TON of stuff to do.. mainly cleaning, and its pretty much impossible to clean with two mobile toddlers.. Cross is full on walking everywhere now, and LL is a fast crawler! So the whole weekend we cleaned and got everything done..

We built the girls an outside play land.. I wanted them to have some place to go outside during the day, that was shaded, with a pool and fun stuff.. Stuff they could do with Leslie.. so We built them a big outside area. Its 16x12.. We put a crab pool, a ball pit, their playhouse, their kitchen, some birthday toys, their water table, and a couple of chairs in there.. Then last weekend I also built them a sensory board and hung it up on the wall.. I made it out of random things.. It was cheap.. I had the leftover turquoise glitter paint from their nursery.. So I used that. I had the leftover L & C from their birthday party, so I glued that on.. Then we got samples from Home depot of different types of carpet, and textures.. Got them some locks and gadgets and glued those on.. They don't care that much about it yet..but I think they will in the next few months..

The girls had a big time at Gigi and Papa's.. Steve had a retired show heifer out there named Lulu and the girls loved her.. They also met their new Donkey, Kris.. Cross also found a turtle.. she tried to Kiss him, but we told her that was not a good idea..

They are at SUCH a fun age.. Cross is talking and babbling constantly.. LL loves seeing things and saying "OOOO!" She gets so excited she growls.. They are so full of joy, and everything is a new adventure..its so much fun.

It does make it a little harder to corral them.. We went & Met GT & Nana at Cafe 501 the other night for dinner, and after the girls eat.. all they want to do is crawl around and be wild.. Cross wanted to follow the waiter all over the place and help him take orders.. So we have about a 30 minute window to eat now, lol.. But they love going out.. They say "Hi" to everyone they see, and they love people to talk to them.. Complete strangers come up to us wherever we are at to tell us how pretty they are, and play with them..

At Sams last week I was watching LL in the basket, and she started to smile really big.. Well I looked behind me and a woman and a man were doing Peek-A-Boo with her.. in the store.. making fools of themselves.. Which I truly appreciated.. lol

When we take them to church, they love to sit by the elevators and wait for people to walk by so they can visit with them.. They give big cheesy smiles to suck people in, and then entertain them by saying "Hi" and smiling non stop.. And they are pretty cute..

This weekend we are going to the farm to have their 1 year pictures taken.. I'm excited. They are so photogenic that I think it will be fun. We are going to do it early in the morning, and also try to take a few pictures with them..

The girls had their 1 year checkup on the 13th. They did really good.. LL weighs 22lbs, Cross is 24, and they are both 30" long. They each got 3 shots, and that hurt their feelings, but they got over it pretty quickly..

(My mom got these ponies when I was pregnant.. now they can finally ride them!) 

They made it a year before they ever even went to the dr for anything other than a checkup.. but last week when I got home from work, LL had thrown up her lunch, and she kept getting sick.. Apparently they caught a virus.. Which made me sick, because I had forgotten to Oil them! Up until that point, I had been oiling them with essential oils every day.. (I use On Guard from Doterra, and Thieves from Young living).. So I feel like if I had been oiling them we could have avoided it.. thankfully it was short lived. LL was better by the time she went to bed, but Cross woke up at 11:30 with it, and was sick most of the night. I brought her to bed with us, and she got better around 4am, woke up jolly and good at 6am.. Then I got it the next day.. then Jordan the next day.. blargh.. It was short-lived, but it sucked.. We are now oiling religiously to avoid those types of things in the future.. I know sickness builds their immune systems, but it sucks! Just glad they are ok now.. it just had to work its way out of their system.

Thats about it.. I think you are caught up.. I know, I know.. I'm still not podcasting.. but I will.. Oh, and if you want any baby stuff, I put a ton of the girls cute stuff up on FB.. You can look at it here..  I've got to get rid of stuff, so I can get new stuff of course!! MJ & I are doing really good in our jobs.. We love our church familly so much, and have been really enjoying that part of our lives.. We count our blessings every day for all the wonderful people around us and our precious family!

Our Ladybugs are ONE!

Well My girls are officially a YEAR old.. We made it! I know for MJ and I sometimes we didn’t think that would be possible.. and I’m sure the girls thought the same thing a few times, but they are doing so great. They are healthy, happy, and the jolliest little souls! They are good eaters, full of curiosity, and sweet!

The Party was amazing. We had it at MJ’s dad’s house in Norman and we went ALL OUT. It was over the top,(Even for me).. I know.. I know.. But it turned out perfect. I had read too many pinterest posting though and went a little crazy with those..but they all turned out great! Here’s some pics of all the décor..

The girls took a nice nap before the party so they were super excited and ready to play when they got there.. I went over early to decorate and then MJ brought them over.. When they got there all of their people were waiting for them.. So excited and happy to see them. I cannot tell you what a blessing it was to see all of the girls favorite people in one setting just celebrating them! They were so happy to look around the room and see everyone cheering for them! It meant a lot to Jordan and I to see everyone there too.. We are very blessed with an awesome set of family and friends. We could not have made it through this year without them, and our amazing church family.

Several people have already asked me about all the stuff and where its from, so I’m going
to try to provide a list with some links and information..

The Invitations were from Etsy, a shop called Rachelle's Printables, and they required me to assemble them.. but they were really cute, and worth it..When you opened them, you had to open the ladybug wings.. Super Cute. Thats why I had to have 'brads' which apparently are not that popular now, because it took me 2 stores to find them!  I also ordered custom stamps with the girls pictures on it from Picture It Postage for the invitations, LOVED those! 

The Smash cakes were made by Nicolette’sRaspberries & Cream. and they were GOOD. It was all whipped cream on the top and yummy cake in the middle. I will say that I’m not sure black icing was the BEST idea.. As you can see, Crosslee loved it, and smeared it all over her face. After trying to get it off for about 15 minutes, we accepted that she was going to look like her teeth were rotting out and that she had a ‘bruised’ face.. lol.. I took a bite of it, and I looked like I had rotten teeth too.. it was great. But it tasted delicious!

The cookies were made by 1 Smart Cookie.. Good grief, if you have not had their cookies you are missing Out. They are soo good.. Most people look at how pretty they are and think they are not going to taste good, but they taste amazing! They did a great job with them.. so delicious. I was obsessed with these cookies while I was pregnant..so its only fitting that I have them at the first birthday party! 

The cupcakes were made by two different places. The Ladybug Cupcakes were made by Green Goodies on Classen Curve. They were confetti cupcakes and so cute. The Fancy Cupcakes were from Fancy Cakes inNorman and they tasted SO good.. I loved that the icing was cream cheese icing and not just schmowy non-taste-good icing.. All the cupcakes were delightfully Yummy!

Their Poofy Birthday Dresses came from a shop on Etsy.. She did a custom order for me and made 1 red and 1 black to change it up a little bit. We LOVED them. These were over the top, even for me, but they were so cute on. LL didn’t know what to do with hers.. Cross powered through hers walking, but she was confused at first.. 

I ordered the headbands separate, also from boutiques on Etsy and we loved them. LL's was from HERE, And Cross's was from HERE.. 

They had 3 wardrobe changes at the party.. fabulous I know.. They started off in their big ladybug dresses.. then we changed them into their custom made bibs (also from Etsy) and  leg warmers. Then their 3^rd outfit, which was also from Etsy, was custom made 1st ladybug shirtswith their names on it, complete with matching sequin tutu’s.. These were so cute. I also ordered ladybug necklaces to go with them. The lady that made their necklaces did a great job.. we loved them. 

We got the High-chair tutu skirts off Etsy as well (are you seeing a theme here). She also did a custom order for us, and made one red and one black, so they would each be a little different. These were so cute and we hot-glued them/tied them onto the chairs. Their custom chalkboards came from Chalking it up Chalkboards.. So cute. You fill out the info you want on them, and then they fill it out and send you a jpeg.. You then take them to like Kinko's, or wherenver and get them printed in the size you want. We did 11x14's, and then I found 1/2 off cute frames at Hobby Lobby.. Excellent! I also couldn't help but glue some bling to the oustide of them.. so they were perfect! 

 I did the giant #1 myself.. I found the idea on Pinterest and just took 5 pieces of foam board, glued them together, and then used spray adhesive to make the #1 full of pics.. It turned out super cute. We put it right as people walked into the house so they could see all the pics. I ordered a bunch of pics from Shutterfly with a special promo they had going on for like 1 cent.. I also used a coupon from retailmenot.. As you can tell, its freakin huge.. like 7ft tall.. Hard to fit in a car? Yes.. Did we make it happen? Well duh. .. 

We also put together a ladybug tent for the kiddo's to play in.. It was pretty cute. Got it from Zulily.. I think it was like $13.. My girls are still playing in it, and love it! 

 The rest of the party décor came from Amazon and Oriental trading.. Ladybug plates, cups, center pieces, happy birthday banners, cupcake toppers, straws, balloons, bubbles & ladybug treat bags. I filled the treat bags with cheese popcorn from the Popcorn Pharmacy.. It was delicious! They have a million flavors, but we went with the regular cheese kind..I also ordered a custom made "Happy birthday" sign from Oriental Trading, and they did a great job with it. It came with stakes for the yard.. Very cute. 

 I made homemade punch, and Koolaid to drink.. and put it in the “Polka dot Punch” bottles.. Also super cute. I took the baby water bottles from Sams, and put Koolaid in them and made it into ladybug punch! I bought red plastic forks, and then added jewels to the end of them.. Bought the stick on jewels from Hobby Lobby.. As you can tell.. we went WAY over the top for this.. lol.. We will NOT be doing it again.. Not to this extent anyway..

From Hobby Lobby I got the “C & L” and put them on the table.. I also made a table topper box with ladybugs and an L & C complete with bugs and glitter.. We tied big bows on the backs of the chairs with tulle, and hung balloons throughout the place. Everyone went on and on about how great everything looked.. 

I also ordered their 'month by month' pictures from Walgreens.. Did a giant collage of the pics and featured it with an easel when people walked in.. I ordered it the same day, and was able to pick it up same day, so thats cool. You can also usually get really good coupons from retailmenot.com and that helps for sure! They have coupons for EVERYTHING.. 

So as you can see, we had a great time, and a great party. I feel like I missed it because I was racing around, taking pics, filling punch, making popcorn, etc.. but it all turned out so great, and the girls just LOVED it, along with the guests. The house was beautiful, everyone enjoyed each other, and the girls loved all their treats and goodies! Thank you so much to everyone who helped, contributed with their cute stuff, and showed up to celebrate! 

Watermelon Crawl

So I had an excellent Mother's Day Weekend.. We went to the farm to visit all the Grandparents out West, and had fun. We let the girls eat Watermelon for the first time, and that was entertaining. Cross was more a fan than LL. Cross just tore into it and smashed it into her face. LL was more delicate about things, and just ate small pieces. That's the way they are about everything.. Cross like a bull in a china closet, busting through things, and LL taking one step at a time..

 We also let them swim in their floaters. We had these little things with canopies, and we put the in there.. They didn't swim in the pool, because it was too cold, so we let them float in the hot tub.. they also enjoyed this.. On Saturday we went to see my dad in Sentinel.. The girls love going to visit him because he does ridiculous things to entertain them.. Plus they have all of Joe & Ava's (Nephew & Niece) toys leftover, so they love that.. And we fed them BBQ.. which they also loved.. So win/win..Cross learned to play the drum at dads.. she enjoyed that a great deal..and LL learned that she really loves Grammy J's sweet tea! (uh oh)

 On Saturday evening we went out to eat at Prairie Fire.. The girls had Pasta, and loved it. I can't help but laugh at Papa Steve, because Cross likes to sit by him and them offer him her food.. and then also wipe it all over his arms. He takes this pretty well, lol. She's also hilarious because at both my dad's house, and at Prairie Fire she will throw food on the floor and say "Da! Da!" which means DOG! Dad doesn't have dogs, so Cross just looks down and waits for dogs to magically appear.. same at restaurants.. I have to admit, there is some awesome benefits to having dogs.. One being the do act like garbage disposals.. which is helpful. But Cross & LL assume everyone has dogs, so Cross will eat something, throw a piece down, eat something, throw a piece down.. because she is sharing with her dogs.

My Mothers day Present from MJ and the girls was a massage.. so On Sunday when we got back he went to visit his brother and I went and got a massage.. I still have this annoying cough that apparently I'm never going to get rid of.. so that was the only downside of the weekend.. I've been to the Dr. 3 times, and they have told me I have crappy allergies.. Yup. I know that. Thanks.. But I still have a cough. Blargh.. annoying..

In other news, with Mothers Day happening this weekend, I was thinking back to last year when MJ & I were thinking that that would be my last Mothers day before I had the girls.. Now we look back and we are just shocked that the girls are here..and we still have two of them! Their birthday is coming up and we were driving down the road the other day and I said "Can you believe we made it through the first 4 months?" He said.. "NOPE".. lol.. And we really can't. Now the girls are fun and do funny things every day. LL has started making this sour-patch face. Its pretty hilarious. (see below).. If you say something she does not like.. you get this face.. It cracks us up.

Cross is all over the place.. she's so funny to me, but she's also started to push the boundaries. They have both started swatting at each other, which we are trying to curb.. But Cross will knock over anything that is in her way.. including me.. including tables.. including her sister.. lol.. She's so determined, and so very smart. She catches onto things quick, and she loves to read books. She cracks us up with her joy. She is seriously the happiest girl ever. We have really been blessed in that department.. this weekend Steve said "Are they ever NOT happy?" and we said "yes, when they are tired"..but thats it.. 

We are also super fortunate to have so many people around us willing to help.. to give us a break, to give us a hand, to give us a pat on the back! We love all our friends and family, and church, and value all those relationships. The girls are now to the age where they remember people and that is really fun to watch too. Last week Chantry came over and Cross was doing this funny thing that she also does with Brandon, where she smiles really big at them.. .then looks away..... big smile and reaches for them... then turns away. She's a little baby flirt & it makes me laugh. They are something I thought I would never have, but now I can't imagine my life without them.. 

Something kinda sad.. last week I did have to put my 17 year old dog, Rally to sleep.. It was really hard because we had been through so much together. I got him when I was in college, he moved with me to  Corpus, he went to radio events with me.. He was a good, good dog, and he will be missed. But I know he is super excited to see Pandora again on Rainbow Bridge, and I know he is happy to be healthy again!

XXOO