Good For the Soul...

Target is good for my soul

DSW is also good for my soul

Why is it that retail therapy releases stress and for a brief moment makes you feel as though the world is spinning at just the right speed and that the tilt is perfectly in balance with the rest of the universe? Ya got me by the shorts (that is a Ralph-ism), but you bet your bottom dollar it does.

Brad was back in town tonight so he picked up the girls after work and I made my way home with a few detours along the way.  The first being a visit to my pal Dr. G, who cracked me like a nut...he's my Chiropractor (jeesh, get your head out of the gutter), and my neck was all sorts of jammed up, but after a few pops and twists from him I am feeling loosie goosie, but quite sore.

My second stop was at DSW.  I had a $30 Rewards Certificate that expired on March 27th, I walked into the store expecting they would say "Sorry Charlie, you snooze you lose", but when I approached the woman behind the register and asked if I would still be able to take advantage of it, she smiled and said "Absolutely, shop away". I almost kissed her. I was so pleasantly surprised with how customer friendly their policy was I wanted to shout their praises from the rooftop (but it was raining,  I took to the social media world instead and told all my FB friends just how much I love DSW). I tried on several pairs of shoes, I was really searching for the perfect, bright colored flat, but it didn't happen for me, the stars didn't align and I ended up getting these little gems for....wait for it....wait for it....$1.53. You read that right. ONE DOLLAR AND FIFTY THREE CENTS. I actually paid in cash...exact change. Can you say BARGAIN?

My last stop was at Target.  I can't put into words how I feel about Target. A calm comes over me the instant I turn into the parking lot. I love the plastic, not metal carts.  I love the dollar section that greets you.  I love the clothing. I love the jewelry, and I just recently discovered the $4.99 jewelry section...somebody STOP me. I love the kids clothes. I drool over the home decor. Today I almost came home with a beautiful blue and white platter...I love how the seasons colors go so well with our home decor, I have been coveting these beautiful glass lamps with a navy shade for what feels like months, but while I adore them I just can't find a perfect home for them inside the walls of my home, so there they sit, alone on the shelves of Target just waiting for a home.  I treated myself to a Non-Fat Iced Chai Latte...a little taste of heaven in a plastic Starbucks cup.

Brad deserves a high-five.  I walked in the door, the girls were fed, bathed, the wash was done (long story, but I had to throw in a load of wash this morning because Avery thought that the purple marker needed a work out, and tested it on our box-spring, our sheets, our blanket, a stuffed panda and our carpet, yes, she is still alive, and yes, I still told her I was thankful to be her Mommy as I put her down) and as I type he is upstairs dealing with Olivia who for some reason is fighting sleep like its her j-o-b.  Bedtime at the Turner Household hasn't been all that peaceful the last few nights, lots of tears and I can't quite put my finger on what the deal is...their phases sure do keep you on your toes.

Parenting...

It's hard. How do you really know if you are doing a good job? If you are raising polite, kind hearted young women, who will hold the door for a sweet elderly woman because they would want someone to hold the door for their Mom or their Grandma?  How do you know if they are going to see the glass half full or wonder why its always half empty? How do you know if when someone asks them to do something their gut is telling them is wrong, that they will have the confidence and strength to go with their gut?

And how at this age do you teach them to tell the truth? To not take Jelly Beans off the counter without asking? To remove their finger from their sisters ear canal the first or second time you ask? And how do you teach them to keep the bath water IN the bath tub? Or that pudding doesn't double as furniture polish? And how do you show them and teach them that no matter what, come rain or shine, for better or for worse that their Mommy above everyone else will love them more than humanily possible?

The books...the books, they just don't prepare you for parenting.  Both the highs and the lows, the books just don't even come close.  The pull they will forever have on your heart...the comfort their smile gives you even when your blood is boiling and you want to scream...the sound of their laughter and the way it can stop you in your tracks and make you realize that life isn't that serious afterall. Or the 432 times you have to tell your daugther to pick up her coat she threw on the ground and has now walked over several times? Or how to clean a stuffed Penguin that is no longer black & white, but now has stripes of red, thanks to our little Pablo Picasso?  How do you teach them compassion? How do you teach them that without organization and order Mommy's skin starts to crawl? Or how it feels when they reach up and grab your hand, just to hold it as you walk them into school?

If anyone has these answers, you know where to find me...scrubbing the pudding off the table, soaking Penny in the hopes the red fades away, picking up a few coats and last but not least, tucking them in long after they have gone off to dreamland...pausing to take it all in, and reminding myself how blessed and grateful I am to be their Mommy.

Spring, Spring, Spring

The Turner Family sure does love Spring Time...we love being able to spend our evenings outside.  Every evening we gather in our yard or The Koehler's yard and the children frolic while the adults chit chat, I look forward to it every single day on the way home.  A lot of times we even make it out again after dinner.  It is almost like dinner is half-time and then we all take the field again for the second half. Last night I kept the girls inside because I was lazy and didn't want to have to give them another bath, so of course when we were brushing their teeth they saw everyone outside playing and the waterworks started...I felt like an evil Mommy.

Tonight, it was more evil Mommy, but this time it was started by my "can be as sweet as can be when they want to, and tonight they didn't want to" children. I snatched the girls from school, we picked up my Mom and we headed straight for McDonald's...it was their treat for not driving me bonkers this week while Brad is out of town.  Olivia loves to eat AT McDonald's, and while she likes the drive-thru, she really loves to EAT-IN..so that was what I promised her.  What a wreck! I scolded Olivia several times and the little turkey just smiled at me with this evil smile that said "lady, I don't fear you, who do you think you are?".

As I dropped off my Mom I think I might have even said "Mom, I feel bad for the Parents whose children do evil things...for the Columbine Kids Parents...because maybe they are doing the best they can, the way I am, and their children just turn out evil". Okay, a bit extreme, but I lose sleep over this, I so badly want my children to be kind, well mannered Children who are grateful and show respect. I honestly don't believe I am doing the best I can...I know I can do better, I know I can be a better Mom, but I want to be a great Mom, I give the job of Motherhood a great deal of thought and consideration and I want nothing more than to be a great Mom, that should count for something right?

Tomorrow night the girls are having a legit non-Grandparent babysitter.  Brad and I are taking my Parents out to dinner to thank them for everything they do for us and to spend some adult time with them, its rare we can even hold a simple, 2-3 sentence conversation with them these days, the girls interrupt or demand our time we can't even get our thoughts out, so we are really looking forward to some time with them.  Fingers crossed Avery doesn't torture our sitter at bedtime! Olivia is looking forward to "Movie Night with Alex"...she's been talking about it all week.

Also...I have shared a little about my Low-Fat Lifestyle....and I am happy to report it is working...the extra pounds I have been carrying around for 6+ years are starting to disappear. I am now just a few pounds shy of what I weighed on my Wedding Day...but I still have a lot of work to do. This is a marathon, not a sprint. I am now 33 pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant with Avery and 31 pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant with Olivia. 

This post is a bit all over the place...sorry about that. And I feel as though I owe ya'll a photo of our corner party, so next time we are all outside doing out thing, you bet your bottom dollar I will snap a shot or two to share with ya.

Our Lil' Svetlana...

The girls started "Gymnastics" on Saturday Morning. Avery is taking a Parent & Tot class at 8:30am and Olivia is taking Kindercise (which is basically a fitness class focused on coordination, self-esteem and basic gymnastics skills) at 9:30am.  Brad took Avery and he said she had an absolute blast, I can't wait to take her and watch her run around like the crazy little monkey she is.

First activity...that is a kick board from a pool

It is hard to explain the emotions I felt while I sat and watched Olivia participate in her first class.  She has come so far. She used to be so shy and on Saturday she just ran right in and I could see her interacting and sharing things with the instructors.  In the past she has hesitated when it involves trying something new, and watching her jump right in, I got tears in my eyes. I was so proud of her, and so amazed at how much she has changed.  And then...I realized one thing that hasn't changed...sweet Olivia is still one of the most uncoordinated children I have ever seen. Let's just say this class is PERFECT for Olivia...and as long as she is having a good time, we will be there every Saturday Morning helping her stay on the two feet God blessed her with.

Watching the instructor demonstrate

Waiting her turn (sorry for the quality, the lighting was awful in there)

I have to admit...she must have gotten this skill from her father. I loathed climbing the rope in Gym Class. I would break out in hives just thinking about it.

She had a blast and that made my heart soar, I love doing special things for the girls and being able to witness their joy.

And if I am being truthful, the hour that Olivia was "learning to do flips" (her words, not mine) was very peaceful for me. It is rare that I am away from Avery and if Avery could she would climb right back into my womb, so while I adore the 30lb little firecracker, it was nice to have some peace and quiet and get to spend some time focused on Olivia.  I brought a book with me, but I think I only got through 2-3 pages, I was too busy watching Olivia conquer the world (or her fears...). I heart that girl more than life itself.  I told her on Saturday Night that I was thankful I was chosen to be her Mommy...she looked at me and said "Who else wanted to be my Mommy?"...honest question, too bad I didn't have an answer, so I just gave her a smooch and tucked her in.

Saturday Afternoon the family got all cleaned up and posed for some family photos with Kristi Williams Photography . I can't wait to see how they turned out. I am not holding my breath or getting my hopes up, but I cherish the memories we capture as a family and hope to have one to hang on the wall. 

Dancing Machine

1......2.....3.....HIT IT

3 Year Old "Sexy Eyes"

Her last move didn't execute all that well, but it was fun to watch

Happy Birthday Sweet Lily Grace

Happy 2nd Birthday Sweet Girl

Saturday Morning we piled into the car bright and early and set off for Durham/Raleigh for the weekend to celebrate this sweet little girls second birthday. Her Mommy is my dear friend Jeni, who happens to be the graphic artist of my dreams, the photographer of envy and my weight lost motivational guru...she has a lot of roles to fill and she knocks it out of the park every single time. But back to Lily...Lily and Avery are pals, and Olivia has taken a liking to this young little music lover as well, so the excitement had been building all week that we were going to get to see "Baby Lily" as they call her...again.

Avery, Ronin (his Mommy Rochelle) and Olivia enjoying their personalized cups and some juice

The 2 hour ride to Durham was more like 2.75 hours due to several stops we had to make along the way.  Not to mention it wasn't a quite ride, I was more than elated to get out of the car when we arrived at the Life and Sciences Museum.

Olivia BEFORE the cupcake

We celebrated with Lily and her friends and family for about an hour and then we had free roam of the Museum for the rest of the day. Jeni did a fantastic job with all the decorations and favors, her creative side came through with every little personal touch.  It was great to spend some time outside walking around with Jeni, Ronin and Rochelle, I wish we had more time together, but we are already planning our next get together.  The Museum was fantastic, I was so impressed with how kid friendly it was, we are talking about heading down sometime this fall to spend a full day there with the girls, they loved it.  The Dinosaur trail was super cool and the girls really liked seeing all the animals...which also tells me that we are ready to experience the Metro Richmond Zoo this Spring.

Olivia AFTER the cupcake

We met up with the Butner Family (Angie, Greg, Ford and Baby Maggie) in Durham and spent a little while with them at the Museum and then we all enjoyed a late lunch together before we headed to Raleigh for the night.  Brad and Greg have been friends for years, and Greg was in our wedding. We can't wait to visit them this summer in Wilmington, North Carolina.  Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach are two of our favorite places!!

Olivia being silly

The girls were BEYOND excited about staying in a hotel.  I can clearly remember my excitement as a child so it was neat to watch them run around and take it all in.  The girls didn't nap at all and our goal was to keep them up an hour later than normal to adjust for the time change, so we had a late dinner in our suite of Mellow Mushroom Pizza and Pretzels (one of our favorites from when Brad lived in Raleigh) and watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on ABC Family. 

Proof that we brought Avery along...

Sunday morning we got up, ate breakfast at the hotel, played a little more and jumped in the car.  The ride home started off a little rocky, but was quiet for a little while, so that was an improvement. Olivia has said numerous times "I had a great time at the hotel" and I heard her tell her teachers yesterday "We stayed at hotel this weekend" and Avery's teacher, who is also Olivia's dance teacher said "So Avery, I heard you stayed in a hotel, Olivia couldn't stop talking about it, she gave me a lot of details".  I love hearing that, it makes me feel like we gave her a great memory even if it was something as silly as staying in a hotel.

Ronin at the Life & Sciences Museum

Last Day...

I haven't blogged or shared all that much about my big news, but I figured today was as good a day as any.  Today is my last day sitting in the above cube...for those of you that aren't familiar with what we folks at Capital One call "Future of Work" it basically means you sit anywhere you want, and don't have assigned cubes...however we all know we are creatures of habit, and don't do all that well with change, so even though the rules tell us it isn't "our" seat...we all know whose seat it really is, and no one strays from the norms we have put in place. The above photo gives you a glimpse into where I spend my days, and in reality, I don't sit there all that much because I spent the majority of my day in meetings, but when I am not in meetings, that is where I park my behind.

I am changing jobs. I am moving to a different building...on the same campus, and just one building away, but a different building all the same.  I am changing departments.  My entire career at Capital One has been spent focused on our customers, and how we can deliver a great (and profitable) experience and beginning on Monday I am going to be focused on how we can attract new prospects and turn them into customers. I am moving to the Acquisitions world and away from Customer Management. It is a scary move for me, but I am excited about all the learning I have to do...and best of all...wait for it...wait for it...I won't be traveling anymore. I am changing roles to have more time at home with my family, and I am beyond thrilled about it.

I am very much looking forward to the change, it is what needs to happen for my family and while I will probably miss the travel every now and then, home is where the heart is, and where my behind needs to be far more than it was last year.

My Birthday Buddy, Lucy...

I was introduced to this sweet, sweet girl Lucy just about a week or so ago...the little darling came down with what her Mom thought was a stomach bug mid-late February, and then a few short days later when she wasn't getting better, and had developed some issues walking her Mom made a Doctor's appointment for her...her appointment was at 1pm and by 3:30pm she was being seen at the LeBonheur Children's Hospital Emergency Room and a day or so after that she was having brain and spinal surgery.  The little darling is fighting cancer with all she has, but she can't seem to catch a break. She is going to be transfered to St. Jude for treatment, but right now she is recovering from meningitis.  You can read her story here.

Lucy and I share a Birthday and while I was enjoying a healthy dinner with my family who I hold near and dear, she was trying to get comfortable in a hospital bed.  Her community has really rallied around her and her family, which I have to say gives me such comfort, and reminds me of my home town, a small place with a big heart.  Lucy's Mom details her days with Lucy at the hospital and blogs about how much she misses her other two children and while I don't know her (her name is Kate), I sit here and think "I wish there was something I could do to help". 

My friends always ask me how I can read these sad, sad blogs. And sometimes I do wonder why I put myself through the emotions when I don't even know these people, and then I am reminded why I read them...it's for perspective. I never want to lose sight of how precious life is, and how thankful I am for each day I get to spend with the ones I love.  It is VERY easy to lose sight of that when you are bathing two small children and they aren't listening worth a lick and you are covered in soapy water, but I read these blogs to remind myself how Lucy's Mom would give anything to be home bathing her children, covered in soapy water, willing to repeat herself a hundred times over just to have her children healthy and happy.  It is all about perspective and blogs like this help me keep it.

So if you have a few minutes today, check out Lucy's story and send up a few prayers...her family is going to need them.

ABC's of Me

A. Age: 32
B. Bed size: King
C. Chore you dislike: Brushing my children's teeth
D. Dogs: Riley, 5.5 year old Weimaraner
E. Essential start to your day: Brushing MY teeth
F. Favorite color: Pink
G. Gold or silver: Silver
H. Height: 5'10
I. Instruments you play(ed): Not a one
J. Job title: Product Manager
K. Kids: Olivia (3.5) and Avery (2)
L. Live: Richmond, Virginia
M. Mom’s name: Carolyn
N. Nicknames: Lumpy & Leigh-Leigh
O. Overnight hospital stays: Childbirth...twice
P. Pet peeves: People chewing with their mouths open...or talking with their mouths full...loud chewing...
Q. Quote from a movie: "You have a baby...in a bar" - Sweet Home Alabama
R. Righty or lefty: Righty.
S. Siblings: Not a one...
T. Time you wake up: Anywhere from 4:45am-7am, depending on if its my morning to rise with Avery
U. Underwear: We call them panties in our house...and the girls even call Brad's "panties".
V. Vegetables you don’t like: Turnips
W.What makes you run late: My little darlings...
X. X-rays you’ve had: Chest, Middle Finger, Little Finger...
Y. Yummy food you make: Chicken Parm & Mac n Cheese
Z. Zoo animal favorites: Elephant, hands down

Smooth Sailing...

Friday I got my hair did...specifically I had a Keratin Smoothing Treatment and a cut. Post Avery my hair has been super curly/wavy/thick and gross and I just wanted to try something new.

The BEFORE shot...

The AFTER shot (at Chick Fil-A)

It was a long process, but so far so good.  After the solution sits on your hair for about 20 minutes, they blow it out and flat iron it and then you can't wash your hair or get it went for 72 hours.  You can't tuck it behind your ears, you can't put it up, you have to just leave it down and straight for a full 72 hours, it was tough, but not quite as bad as I thought it would be.  I do have to say though, I was BEYOND excited to wash my hair Monday morning. Jon, my stylist did warn me that it doesn't remove all curls or waves, just reduces them, and that appears to be true for me, I still have a wave in the back, but its much "thinner", it isn't poofy or big anymore and its much easier to blow dry...overall I am very happy.

Side Note: It is amazing how long my hair is when its completely straight. After he flat ironed it, it was straighter than I have ever seen it, and it really looked to be about 4 inches longer than normal...it was crazy!

He pulled it off...

We packed up the Fam and headed for Bassett to visit Brad's Parents and spend some time with his Grandma, we got a late start and didn't pull into his Parents house until 9:30pm, luckily Avery slept for the last 90 minutes or so, but it was close to 11pm before Olivia closed her peepers.  It was great to see them and great to be there, Bassett is calming to both Brad and I, and we know the girls just love their time with Bina & PawPaw. 

Fast Forward to 8am on Saturday Morning...I casually asked Brad "What do you want to do today?" and he responded with "You need to be packed and ready by 2:30pm"...oh really I thought...where are we going? He had planned an amazing night away for us to celebrate my 32nd Birthday (which is tomorrow).  He had made reservations at the Mountain Rose Inn in Woolwine, Virginia, which was a super cute B&B tucked into the mountains of the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway.  And it didn't stop there, he had reserved us 2 spots at the 5 O'clock Winery Tour at Chateau Morrisette and made dinner reservations for us at 7pm.  I was so touched by his thoughtfulness. Brad isn't a planner, so for him to pull this off and for it to be so well thought out, it meant the world to me.  I think I said "Thank You" and "I am so happy" about 32 times on the way to the Inn.

Our Room

The beautiful flowers waiting for us..

We had a fabulous time at Chateau Morrisette, the tour and tasting were wonderful, and we walked away with 6 bottles of wine and two small stuffed black labs for the girls, who are now named "Pickles and Vaseline", courtesy of Olivia.

Dinner at Chateau Morrisette was amazing.  Being that I have been very disciplined with my new low-fat lifestyle, I thought I did an okay job with my meal selection and was still very impressed.  We started with Firecracker Shrimp, Brad enjoyed Conch Chowder while I enjoyed a House Salad with Chardonnay-Honey Vinaigrette, for our entrees, Brad enjoyed Chicken Saltimbocca and I devoured Crab Cakes. We both splurged on dessert and savored a Molten Lava Cake with homemade Ice Cream, it was divine and well worth the cheat. 

We slowly made our way back to the Inn, the parkway was super foggy, and it had been pouring all day, so we took an alternate route home just to be on the safe side.  We were welcomed by Champagne and Chocolates, which Brad tells me were pretty good.  We then curled into the heavenly sheets (made by the Comfy Company) and watched a few episodes of Lock Up and Life After Lock Up, I happen to be a HUGE fan of prison shows...is that weird?

I can't thank my husband and in-laws enough!!! The girls had a blast and Brad and I were able to spend a much needed night away, just the two of us, it was a perfect Birthday Surprise. I sure do love that man I married...very much indeed.

I should also note, he surprised me with a new flash for my camera that I have been pining over...here is my first photo.

Impressive huh? - NOT.

Kids at Play

On the afternoon of Avery's Birthday Party, after nap-time the whole neighborhood gathered in our backyard for some good ol' fashioned play time.  It was nice to get everyone outside in the fresh air. I didn't capture all the little ones, but at one point the entire swing set/structure was covered with children, ages 15 months to almost 5 years old.

Lily climbing... 

The girls making their way to the top...

Precious, aren't they?

Avery managed to go down the slide, and even climb the stairs with the juice box in hand

Sweet Lily Grace...who, I should add is NOT a fan of the camera

Look at this facial expression...

And then this one...do you think I have my hands full or what?



The Cake...

Beginning with Avery's First Birthday, I started having the girls' birthday cakes made by a woman I work with.  She does an amazing job with the cakes and they taste incredible. This cake however, had a mind of its own. "B" called me on Friday at 8am on her way into the office in tears, the cake had cracked and fallen apart on her way into the office, so she was heading home and was on a mission to re-do the cake.  She was scheduled to head out of town at 1pm on a Girls Weekend, but she was confident she would have it done.  

She called me at 11:30pm, and sure enough the cake was done and she was on her way to the office. The cake arrived in one piece and it was absolutely perfect, the colors, the "sprinkles", I loved everything about it, I couldn't wait to snap a photo of it for Avery's Baby Book (which, btw, needs a lot of work). At the end of my day a friend helped me carry everything to the car, it was super windy that day, so I ended up pulling up to the front of the building so he didn't have to carry it all that far. I drove extra slow and careful all the way home. I pulled into the driveway, put the car in park and looked over at the cake...it had fallen apart again and cracked. The entire top of the cupcake had slid off...thank goodness Brad's Mom was still here. She pulled out kabob skewers and put it back together, grabbed frosting from the fridge and went to town...she is a miracle worker I tell ya. From these photos you can barely tell...and I should also note that we caught Avery with her entire hand in the cake a few hours after I brought it home. Sneaky lil' bugger.

I love her eyes in this photo...she is like "What in the world are all these people doing staring at me"

You Are Two: Chuck E. Cheese Style

Avery at Chuck E. Cheese on her Birthday

The girls had a blast at Chuck E. Cheese on Avery's Birthday. Bina & PawPaw organized it and it was nice to get everyone together to celebrate our Avery's second year of life. I did have a minor panic attack thinking about all the germs and how all you do is touch things that other people have just touched at Chuck E. Cheese, but I got over that...eventually. Olivia did okay with the characters, we sat very close to the stage so when they preformed she panicked a little bit, but overall I was rather impressed how they adjusted to something they had never experienced before.

"Thank you Bina & PawPaw"

Olivia & YaYa

They are still a little young to get a lot out of it, but they sure did enjoy the slides, I think they must have gone down the slides 30 times each. Brad enjoyed playing some of the games in an attempt to win some tickets...at least that is what he told us, I think he just liked playing the games.

Bina & PawPaw came prepared with a cake for Avery, she even made a wish and blew out her candle.

THANK YOU BINA & PAWPAW

Stage 5 Clinger

Our sweet Avery has had a rough go of it the last few days.  It all started on Saturday with the fever, and she has been a fussy, clingy mess since then.  We have never gotten a "bad" report from her teacher at school before and yesterday when I got there, her teacher just said "Thank God" and I looked down at Avery's face and the poor thing was a tear-stained mess.  Her teacher said she had been like that since 3pm and would quiet down a little if she was being held. Brad was traveling last night, but I picked up right where he teacher left off, I don't think I put her down for more than 30 seconds all night, that includes trips to the bathroom, she follows me and climbs into my lap...never in my 32 years of life did I ever imagine peeing with a child on my lap. TMI, I know. Sorry.

Her 2 Year Well Visit Check Up went well yesterday, she was a bit of a mess by the time Dr. S came in, but that was my fault because I looked at the clock wrong in the morning and we ended up getting to the office 30 minutes early...horrible idea.  We had already been there for an hour by the time Dr. S called us back.  She weighed in at 30lbs, which has her falling in the 75-90% and she measured 36.5 inches, which is the 97%. She is a tall, tall girl.  They tested her hemoglobin and her blood sugar and both checked out perfectly, great news!

The poor darling just isn't herself.  She fell asleep three times at school on Tuesday and slept for the full 2 hour nap.  Her teacher looked for her a few times and found her sound asleep on a pile of pillows, never before has Avery just fallen asleep like that.  And yesterday on the way to school after her Doctor's appointment she slept the whole way, yet the child still gets up at 5:21am. Doesn't make a lick of sense to me, but such is life.

I am taking a Leigh-Day tomorrow. My Mom and I are heading to the Yorktown/Williamsburg area for the day.  I am having my hair done in the morning and then we will have lunch and hit the outlets on our way home.  I am hoping to find some cute deals for the girls, but we are fortunate that the girls don't really need all that much, most of Olivia's clothes from last year will work for Avery, it won't be long before they are sharing clothes....heck, they basically do now.

So a little more about my hair. I am beyond thrilled. I am on pins and needles. I am having a Keratin Smoothing Treatment, and I can't wait. I will have to take some pictures to show ya'll the before and after photos.

(Photo Credits go to Jeni again, she is a miracle worker)

Our Cupcake...

 

Avery & I

Avery getting ready to make a wish

The little darling fell ill Saturday Morning just before her Party started, so she was quiet and spent the majority of the party camped in someone's lap. I learned that hosting a party for 50+ people, including 22 small children inside is loud and chaotic.  And I also learned that "Decorate Your Own Cupcake" is a great idea, but executes poorly...never again. Olivia had a blast and looked adorable in her new smocked cupcake dress. You can barely see how precious Avery looked in her cupcake dress in these two photos, but I am hoping when Jeni is done going through her photos and I get a chance to download mine, we will have a few good ones that show off just how darling her dress was. 

A big THANK YOU to Jeni for capturing these moments for us...and for coming up to celebrate with us.