I'm Mad at Garth & Oprah..

Well 2 big things happened in my life this week.. 1) I saw the latest December issue of the Oprah Magazine.. and of course it featured one of my favorite things.. HER favorite things! Now listen.. I've kinda been upset with Oprah since she left TV. I enjoyed that TV show. I looked FORWARD to it each day.. then she flies off and buys her own network and I still have a hard time finding that dang channel on Cable! But.. I've caught a few episodes of "Where are they Now" and "Oprahs's Life Class" and its made me forgive her.. BUT.. then she puts out Her favorite things, which makes me angry with her all over again!! .... Why? BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD 90% OF HER FAVORITE THINGS!.. Oprah needs to put out an edition of "My Cheapest Favorite things" and then it would be more realistic for me! I mean who can afford $700 GOLD Dr. Dre Beats? Come On Oprah.. Come on.. Here's the list if you want to see.. Oprah's Favorite Things 2014. 

I like to look at these things to get gift ideas.. but so far there is no one that is worth THAT much money on my Christmas list! lol.. Not that I wouldn't love to get them those things, I would.. but with twins, childcare, and a house payement.. just probably not happening. However, I mean these are some of the coolest things ever, but right now, my face is not worth $93 face cream.. dangit Oprah.. bring it down a notch, bring it down..Even a PEN.. a writing utensil.. is $36. I would feel terrible if I bought a $36 Pen and then Cross threw it out the window, or I lost it..  I can tell she's trying to throw us a bone with the Nate Berkus Plates from Target.. But how many of us really need little tiny plates that don't match any of our other dishes?? Then she will put stuff on there that I really want.. Like Comfy stuff, which for me at this point in my life MATTERS.. I want some delicious, soft PJ's, or Tee Shirts.. or fluffy house shoes.. But can I have those? Hell no. The PJ's are $155, The House shoes are $120  and the T-shirts are $214 for 3.. Or how about some yummy smelling Candles? $240 set.  I obviously need richer friends.. lol. Nail Polish is $144.. Oprah, I'm probably just going to go to CVS and get it for $5.. If I ever do get rich and famous, the first thing I'm going to do for Christmas is buy things for my peeps off Oprah's Favorite things! But anyway.. There's the list, so enjoy, wishful thinking right?!?!

Okay, the 2nd person I'm mad at is Garth Brooks.. I spent 14 years, or however long its been waiting for Garth to make his comeback.. Sure he's thrown us a bone with the "Scarecrow" album, and done a few shows in Vegas.. Ok. fine.. but we were all waiting for the Big comeback.. Well we got a special glimpse when he did Good Morning America and Sang "Mom".. it was so good.. he cried, they cried, I cried.. it was awesome and sweet.. and exactly what we expect from Garth. True feelings and emotion when he sings, connecting with his audience.. it was awesome.. So When Tuesday Hit (the day of the "Man against the Machine" release) I was ready.. I was going to go download the whole album.. Listen at work.. review on my way home.. I. Was. Ready. ... But then I remembered.. Wait.. Garth Hates Itunes, Pandora, Spotify, and anything like it.. So where in the heck do I even GO to GET his new music??..

Google to the rescue.. I google and realize that Garth has started his OWN music streaming service called Ghost Tunes.  You can go there, sign up for free, and download his new stuff.. BUT.. its not very easy to understand. Like if you buy it and download it, where does it go? Not to your Itunes apparently.. So Far the only way I have found to play the songs and listen is to go to the website and do it that way. It tells me I can download it, but I have no idea where it download.. The beauty of Itunes is the ease of it.. You click 'buy' and then its in your Itunes. Simple. This is NOT simple, and it really provides NO directions.. Plus the website, ATT, and apparently my Iphone are all janky and it only plays half the time I press play.. So its NOT ideal. Sure as a former radio person, I get the point of "Preserving the music" where people can't steal it, and artists get paid.. but you have to make the process easy or people won't mess with it. Thats why People are not buying CD's anymore.. so much easier to just click 'buy' and listen online and be done with it.. So while I understand what he is TRYING to do.. He's irritating the people who love him the most by not being able to easily get to his music.

Now I will say this, Ghost Tunes makes it where if you buy it once, its yours.. Unlike Itunes, you can burn it to a disc (if you ever figure out where to download it) as many times as you want and on as many devices as you want, and the money paid actually goes to the artists.. so those are both good things.. So many once he works the kinks out if it, it will be ok.. but right now its a pain. Taylor Swift has decided to do the same.. so we'll see how this all shakes out.

In other news with the twins, all is good. We had a great Halloween. We took the girls to Northpark Mall for Trick or Treating, then to Laura & Terry's House.. They had a great time. Cross was dressed up as her owl JO, and LL was a sweet Pink Monster. They didn't really get the concept of Trick or Treating.. but they did enjoy their first sucker! We had a great time! After Halloween on that Saturday Gigi & Papa came up and we took the girls to the Parkhurst Pumpkin Patch.. They had fun petting the goats and roaming around. This is a great time of year! Here's some pics..

 Don't get so excited for Trick or Treating Girls! Calm down!! 

 Still not that excited.. but also not upset about being in puffed Costumes. 

 Man, she was a really cute Owl. She liked wearing this and patting her puffy belly! 

 Handful of Monster and Owl! 

Daddies Pink Monster! 

 Sweet Church pics

 Following our favorite guy.. daddy! 

I was Marie Antoinette for work party.. Cross enjoyed this.. 

Fall is All Up on Us!

We have had A Great couple of weeks enjoying all the fall activities going on around us. We have visited Pumpkinville at the Myriad's Botanical Gardens.. It was a lot of fun, but it was 89 the Saturday we were out there.. which is ridiculous for Late October! Only $3 to get in there.. But the girls like walking around, picking up gourds and climbing on stuff. They are at the stage now where just being free, running around, and climbing on and off things is like the best day ever. 

We Also went to TG farms in Newcastle. Its a BIG place, and its pretty pricey ($10 per person, even if you are a newborn) But its worth it.. a TON of stuff for kids to do. The girls went into the petting Zoo and hung out with the Goats. Cross would laugh when the goats jumped up on top of their shed. She thought that was hilarious. LL didn't like the goats as much. She liked going up and down the hay slide. They put a cattle ramp up to a slide where the girls could climb up the ramp and then slide down the slide. They LOVE all slides at this stage. Its hilarious.. they will go up and down it 324 times and not get tired! 

They also have pig races, a haybale maze, corn maze, a duck pond, and a TON of places to pose for Fall pictures. 

Cross loved the mini pumpkins. She took two of them and carried them around with her as she was walking. For some reason the pumpkins made her laugh with joy. 

Londyn really just liked walking around. She would go over a little bridge and liked to hear the sound of her shoes on top of it. Everything is a new sound and a new adventure. She liked going out on the deck and looking at the ducks in the duck pond. She also liked climbing on the haybales and sliding. 

We are going to go to another Pumpkin Patch this weekend with Mom & Steve. They are coming up to Trick or treat with the girls, so we are going to go to Parkhurst Pumpkin Patch in Arcadia. Everyone says its so much fun. I think Cross will want to ride a Pony there.. And LL will enjoy the Fort. She loves squeezing her little body into places. We always look up and she is hiding behind a chair or something funny like that. 

Everyone thinks Cross looks like me in this picture.. Well obviously, because she has huge, giant, sunglasses on.. lol. But you can tell she is obviously a fan of herself, and hey, I can't blame her for that. She is the happiest girl! After the Pumpkin Patch we went and met GT & Nana for awhile. The girls went upstairs in the Theatre Room and watched a GIANT version of Peppa Pig, so they thought that was fun! Then we all went to dinner. We chose Cracker Barrel and Cross fell in love with a giant Toad there.. I tried to put it back and she started to Cry, so GT got it for her, lol

She carried him all around that night.. and brings him to the living room to play each morning.

As you can see, she's still carrying that Owl.(JO).. yup, she loves loves him. We went to the farm a few weeks ago and forgot him and turned around and drove back to get him. Its THAT bad. If you put her in her bed without him she makes the saddest little cry.. Pretty much the same cry I would make if you put me to bed without my blanket.. lol.. So I can't judge her, because she gets it from me. She also has a freakish love for weird things. I have an old Wooden Indian Man that my dad gave me. I keep him on the porch of whatever house I live in because I swear he is a protector.. MJ is creeped out by him and insisted he live outside, because he was INSIDE the house.. I introduced Cross to him one day and she loved him.. Everyday now when she see's him outside, she goes up and gives him a hug, and pets him. 

See, its weird.. but she loves him. She also has befriended a Gargoyle named "Hans" in my bedroom. She goes to him and pets him everyday.. MJ just says "Man, she's so weird like you" Lol.. So I can't say much.. 

 We have been spending a LOT of time at the Church Playground these days. Its SO perfect for Toddlers. First, its gated, so they can't escape, and second they have a "little' playground that is perfect for Toddlers.. Its not too high off the ground and its hard for them to fall off of it. My girls LOVE it.. They climb and slide and run and crawl. We try to go there a couple of times a week.. after church and then before Small group on Wednesdays. They LOVE their time there.. We went last night and I was shocked at how they don't get tired! Cross just kept going and going up and down and down the slide and running.. Endless amounts of energy!

Last weekend we went to Cousin Joe's 2nd birthday in Weatherford at my Sister Lexi's house. The girls had a great time because we just let them run free in the backyard. They loved going up and down his slide..and there was a trampoline, so they loved that.. Then Lexi served Fajitas, so of course they were IN on that! They love Mexican food! It was all fun and games till Cousin Joe drew on Crosslee's face with a purple marker, lol.. You can tell by her face that she is shocked that this has just happened! 

We all had a great time. The girls got to see everyone and eat some birthday cake. They also loved coloring with giant crayons so we had to get them some of those when we got back. Life is so much fun for us right now. Each day is a new adventure with the girls, and if you have seen their pics, or been around them much, you know that they are just endless barrels of energy and SO much fun right now. Cross is saying all kinds of things now.. She is a little Parrot. LL is starting to stay more each day. Cross has learned how to jump. She doesn't get very far off the ground, but in her mind she is jumping to the sky! They are climbing into chairs now and sitting in 'big' seats.. They still love the farm and playing. They could stay outside all day. Leslie (The nanny) has finally just succumb to the fact that they want to stay outside ALL the time. So we just let them go out there and play. They like their backyard, and Banks and Payslee are good babysitters!

They both still love walking in the Cow Pasture.. and the Cows like them too. Its truly such a blessing to have so many fantastic places they can visit and enjoy. They have so many people that love them, and so many places to visit! They have a great life, and so do we.. So blessed!

We have been reading a book in our Small Group called "Changes that Heal" by Dr. Henry Cloud. Last night MJ and I taught the class, and it was really fun. Its a really good book about setting boundaries around toxic people. Its been an eye opening experience to read, but very helpful. MJ is also a part of a Mens Bible study that meets early on Wednesdays and he has really been enjoying that as well. WE just love our church!

I know I'm partial because they are mine.. but man, My girls are beautiful! Londyn looks like a living doll, and Crosslee's spirit matches her joyful face! So Thankful they are healthy and happy babies.. Now 17 months old!

Don't Stop till you Get enough..

Fall weather is so great. You wait all summer for it, and then finally it arrives.. and then you take out all your summer stuff, throw it out into a box, and get all your fall/winter stuff out.. Only for it to climb back into the 90's.. and you to have nothing to wear. Welcome to Oklahoma..

 But the somewhat cooler weather has been nice. We had a fun weekend last weekend. We took the girls to the park, because they are finally big enough to enjoy it.. and not eat rocks.. so thats always a plus. They love going up and down the slide, and swinging.. And they just love being free to walk around in open fields and grass.. I do the same thing for my dogs. We take them to a big field and let them walk around and be dogs.. and they love it. Kids are the same way.. no fences.. Just freedom. I think even at this young age they know what that is and love it. I know they love it at the farm.

Saturday our neighborhood had a block party. We all went to the end of the street where they had a bounce house, hot dogs, hamburgers, and snow cones. Then one of the guys in our neighborhood is a firefighter and brought his firetruck out to give the kids rides on. This was the girls first encounter with a bounce house. We put them in there and Crosslee was a beast! She LOVED it.. She did not care that big kids were in there bouncing, she just raced around and flopped with the best of them. LL sat on the side for awhile then wanted out because the action was a little scary for her, but she liked watching sister in there. And LL loved walking around and visiting with everyone at the block party. We love our neighborhood.. Just a nice place with nice people. We all had a good time.

On Sunday we went to my nieces birthday Party. Ava had her 2nd birthday party, complete with a frozen theme, and the girls had a blast. They had it in the back yard with a bubble blower, trampoline, play  houses, and the best party favors. The girls loved going up and down the slide and eating chocolate covered pretzels. It was a little hot, but everyone had a great time.

This next weekend is going to be fun too. We are going to Mj's dad's house to drop off the girls to play with them, and MJ and I are going to go to the balcony at the Warren and enjoy a date! They got me that for my birthday, so it will be a fun little outing. Plus there are 2 good movies out now, Denzel has a new one called "The Equalizer" and Ben Affleck is in a new one called "Gone Girl" which looks great too. We will see one of those two.. and have amazing popcorn which is what life is all about..

So FINALLY Fall TV is back on.. I still am one of the few that Watches Grey's Anatomy and it started back this week.. and Nashville.. They were both good. I'm still (sadly don't judge me) watching Teen Mom 2.. which is a show to watch if you want to feel like a better mom. I think that is why reality shows are so great.. they make us feel normal. Like "Hey, At least I didn't get pregnant at 15 and have the dad leave me, or get throw in jail".. "Or Oh look I had a bad day, but I didn't embezzle 10 million and lie on my taxes" See its all perspective.. lol

The girls have their Halloween Costumes, and they are amazing. Cross is going to be her creepy Owl that she carries around all the time. I found a costume that looks just like her J.O (judgment owl) and its so perfect! I tried it on her the other day and its GREAT! She liked wearing it too.. Londyn Lucille is going to be a Pink Monster. Hers is also super cute and puffed. She is like a soft little pink creature walking around. Super cute. We are going to Trick or Treat at Northpark this year again.. It should be fun, and then Crossings is doing a Fall Festival so we'll take the girls there to Trick or Treat and play. Plus they will have bounce houses, so Cross will be super excited.

Everything else is trucking along.. MJ starts his new gig in Reservoir on Monday. He's excited. Every day is a new adventure with the girls. We got them some 'SAND' from Brookestone and they love it. its the weirdest stuff ever, but so cool. its like Magnetic sand.. Great gift idea by the way if you have a youngster in your life.. we enjoy ours. Life is good!

Happy Birthday To Me

Well today is my birthday.. and I have realized one important thing in the past year and a half since the girls were born.. If you are going to have twins, do it in your 20s! lol.. I know that sounds ridiculous..but when MJ and I decided to try for a baby, we were thinking "Oh no problem, we can certainly handle one between the two of us!".. but now we have TWO and we are starting to get worried.. lol

We have both started going to the gym, and losing weight. He's being forced into eating healthier because I'm cooking more at home for the girls and I.. After 5 weeks on Weight Watchers, I'm down 19lbs.. Not terrible.. But also pretty boring.. But I suppose doing it the right way takes longer, and since I'm committed to doing this for a year, I've only got time right??

So as another year of my life has gone by I've realized a few things..
1) I'm a dang good Mom. 
Contrary to what other people THOUGHT I would be.. I'm a pretty great mom. I have never been a 'kid' person per say.. I didn't even know if I would have kids, so I think when I told my close friends I was pregnant.. with twins.. they were scared.. Like for real. I know Brandon worried about my sanity..and the girls sanity as well.. Last year on my birthday they were only about 4 months old, and still not that fun.. but this year, they are awesome, and a TON of fun. I encourage them to learn, build, stay outside, explore and be creative. At 16 months they can't really do all of that.. but every day I try to make it count. Even if its something as small as a trip to Sams, I do it because I know they are going to see someone new, or find a new treasure. They are like little sponges right now, so I love getting them out of the house to be curious. I don't spend as much time as I'd like to with them, but every second I'm with them counts, and we make it count.

I read constantly about the best parenting tips, what kids like to play with, what 'wonder week leap' they are going through, and how to best teach them. I cook.. LOTS of great stuff..and thankfully (Partially thanks to Baby Led Weaning) my girls EAT lots of great stuff. They love everything I make..with garlic, with chia seeds, with flaxseed, with spinach.. Its great, and I love how much they enjoy it.

I don't let other people bother me when they try to convince me that their child is a prodigy.. Thankfully I have a pretty good BS meter, so I just laugh it off and move on... and then point and laugh later when thinking about it. I don't worry about doing what 'everyone else is doing'.. I do what works for us, and if you ever look at my girls, you will see immediately that they are truly full of joy. Thats what for sure lets me know that MJ and I are doing a great job. The girls are full. of. joy. So blessed for that.

2) I'm always going to want to be on the radio.  
I have a great job. I work with great people.. I'm super grateful that I have been able to find a good career after leaving radio.. but just like a singer who always wants to sing.. I'm always going to be an entertainer who always wants to entertain. Its my passion, my love, and what I'm supposed to do in this world.. I'll get back to it in some capacity eventually. But in the meanwhile I'm super thankful for my "row" of folks I work with, and the fact that I have an amazing boss, working for a great company.

3) I'm capable of more than I thought I was. 
Twins are double the blessings. Twins are double the fun. Twins are hard. Now that the girls are walking, they are walking in 2 different directions and MJ and I are always chasing them. I don't even WANT to think about the terrible 2's.. It scares me.. My girls are the best babies in the world, but there are still two of them, and being a parent is CONSTANT. I would have never thought I was capable of getting two nekkid toddlers in a bathtub, or carrying both of them when they want to be picked up.. Or getting them both dressed to the 9's for church every Sunday.. But I am. People constantly ask MJ and I? "How did you do it with two?" Well.. what was the alternative? lol.. Giving one back? Shipping one off? God never gives you more than you can handle and I'm happy and proud to see what we have accomplished in this past year.


4) I have great people around me. 
First, I have an amazing husband. Men that have twins, do NOT get any breaks.. When I' was feeding one baby, he was feeding the other.. and as they have gotten older, its still constant. Londyn Lucille is a daddies girl, and there is rarely a time when he doesn't have a baby on his lap, or I'm asking him to help me with something. I think dads that have ONE baby get off a little easier because the baby is predominantly dependent on the mom for everything.. but with two babies, you gotta have 2 sets of hands. No rest for the Weary. I'm so thankful I married the right man and that God built him just for me.

MJ and I are so thankful for our family and our church. These people have babysat, brought over meals, prayed for us, and eased our minds when we thought we were for sure losing them. Having our parents around us always willing to help and our church praying for us, and strengthening our walk with the Lord has been such a blessing to us. Its also been amazing watching our parents form relationships with our kids that are going to last a lifetime. Watching their eyes get excited when one of their grandparents come over has been such a joy to both of us. There is nothing better than watching someone you Love, Love your kids. And knowing we are raising them in a community of awesome church people who love them, help us take care of them, and build them up makes us really proud as parents. We are also super thankful for Uncle Brandon and Uncle Chant who make the girls laugh every time we see them. We have some great friends too!

5)  Happiness & Positivism is a Choice.. 
Everyday we wake up we can choose to be happy, or choose to be miserable. We can choose to focus on the negative things our spouse does that irritate us, or we can choose to focus on the positive. ITs a choice.. You teach people how to treat you, and you train your brain how to think. So if you don't want to be around negative thoughts, you shouldn't hang out with negative people that constantly drain your energy or bring you down.. Everybody has bad days, and everyone has issues.. but the way you choose to handle them is up to you. I have chosen to give my problems to the Lord, and know that we can work through them together, and good or bad, I know and trust that he is going to take care of me. Life is not all rainbows and unicorns.. But through Trials Comes Grace.  I choose to be positive for my marriage, and my children. I choose to focus on the blessings of my life than everything I don't have, because my blessings are over flowing, and my troubles are pretty meaningless compared to others.

So as another year goes by I can only get excited about the possibilities of greatness. Fun with my girls, Quality time with my Husband, and spending time with those people who are near and dear to my heart. I can't beleive the Holidays are already approaching! This is going to be such a fun season!

We are headed to the farm this weekend to take the girls to the Fall Festival.. Then we will let them visit Pops and Grammy, and we are going to try to take some pics of them with twin baby calves that Papa had on the farm. We are bottle feeding them, so it will be perfect. My life is never perfect, but I could not ask for more.

Emily West is Great!

So because of my background in Radio for 13 years, I have had the opportunities to meet some awesome artists.. It made me think to write this because one of them is back on TV, and I was super excited. Tons of singers, songwriters, musicians came through our conference rooms in hopes of landing a great record deal and climbing to the top of the charts.. Some that I saw were ok.. Some were terrible.. Some were awesome.. and Some were people I couldn't forget. Those were few and far between.. but I'll tell you who they were..

1) James Otto--This guy had a #1 hit with "Just got Started Loving you" (SEE HERE) and I love him. I still do. I'm hoping he gets another shot at it, because he's one of the most talented people I know. Soulful voice that is so original. He lost his record deal a few years ago, but I've kept up with him on Twitter and Facebook and I think he's working on releasing some new music soon. He is also an excellent song writer.. he co wrote "In Color" For Jamey Johnson.. I. Love. James. Otto.

2) Randy Houser--I'm so proud of this guy, as I think he has FINALLY made it! He had a pretty big hit with "Boots On" but has had even more success with his sophomore Album that includes "Good night Kiss" and "Running out of Moonlight" and now he has a new song called "Like a Cowboy".. This guy was awesome, and hilarious.. and he giggled which made me giggle.. Super thick country drawl, super cute, and a voice that at times sounded like Ronnie Dunn.. Love him. (See him HERE)

3) Zac Brown Band--Now these guys were kinda kooky when they came through.. The first thing they did was ask me where a whole foods was located (we did not have one at that point) So I tought they were a bunch of Hippies.. But when they started to play I knew they were something special.. Like 6 months later "Chicken Fried" comes out and the rest is history.. (see here).. We also saw them a few months later after they had blown up, and Zac actually cooked for us back stage at the Zoo, and made pork chops.. so he went up a notch in my book after that..

4) Easton Corbin--When this guy came in my first thought was "Man this guy sounds just like George Strait" and he's pretty much made a career on that! He's still got that twang and picks really good songs. He was super nice, and talented.. See him HERE Disregard that I'm in a cup costume.. It was Halloween..

5) Justin Moore--At the time when I first met Justin he had barely even signed his record deal. He sang a BUNCH of songs. I remember thinking "Is this accent real?"..(More here)  The other thing I remember is him is he is like 5'5 and has a song called "I can kick your ass".. I remember thinking Can you Justin? Can you? But.. I think he probably could. He's a wiry guy.. and those kind can sneak up on ya and smack you around. I knew a hockey player in Corpus that was the same way.. smallest guy on the ice, yet made more people bleed than most.. lol See him HERE:

6) Emily West--Some of you may or may not know her.. but right now she is a top 6 finalist on America's Got Talent. I was so freakin excited to see her on there.. She was awesome in person.. She does impersonations that are hilarious! (SEE HERE) Great sense of humor, and such a beautiful voice. I got her to try Calf-fries for the first time at Toby Keiths! I saw a lot of cute blondes come through the studio, but I can tell you, NONE of them  had the talent that she has. She had a record deal too, and put out some singles "Rocks in your Shoes" "My Kind of Happy" and then she did a song called "Blue Sky" with Keith Urban singing Backup.. I thought for sure she would be a huge star.. but then she lost her record deal and I never heard much about her other than what I would see on Facebook.. Then I saw her on America's Got Talent and I was so excited! I hope she wins the whole thing.. She's talented enough to do it, and such a great person. At the least, I hope she gets a record deal out of the thing! Here she is singing "Blue Sky".. 

There were others that I loved too.. Lance Miller is amazing, and I still talk to that guy. He's so great. He's actually having quite a bit of success as a song writer for Tim McGraw's record label. He co-wrote a song from Jarod Neiman that was a big hit..."I Can drink to that all night".. so I'm super proud of him.. Gloriana came through the studio, David Nail, Love & Theft, and a few others.. but those are the ones I remember thinking "Yup.. thats some good stuff"..

So Look for Emily next week on America's Got talent.. and vote for her.. She's so great, and I am excited that she got this 2nd chance! I linked her singing "Nights in White Satin".. so good.. So good.. You can watch all her previous performances from that link.. I hope she wins!