Great deals today

I love to shop, but only when I find a bargain. Paying full price for anything just isn't much fun for me, unless it's an item I know I'll have forever. Or jeans. I almost always pay full price for jeans because when I find a pair that actually fits, I buy them on the spot.

This morning Jax and I dropped Emerson off at her Friday preschool, then I made a quick stop at my dentist's office. Turns out I have a filling that has cracked. No wonder I've been having a toothache that somewhat resembles the transition phase of labor. There have been a few nights I've told Jason that all I want to do is take a small crowbar and pry my tooth out of my mouth. Relief is on the way!

We had about an hour to kill after that, so we stopped at the mall. I got a pair of underwear and a large tub of body lotion for $0.89 at Victoria's Secret (thank you coupons), two shirts at Aeropostale for $9 (have never shopped there, but thank you again to a coupon), and $10 off an adorable necklace at Express (thank you, my friend, the coupon).

Then after the kids' naps, we made a quick Walmart run and spent $38 on 8 bags of groceries. (Thank you to the almighty power of price-matching competitors' ads).

Daddy and Uncle Travis should be on their way back from fishing, so I'm off to get dinner ready for the crew.

Tomorrow is Emerson's friend Claire's 3-yr-old Tutu Tea Party at the Rose Cottage. Cannot WAIT to post on that. :)

Uh, Emerson just walked into the office and said, "I'm MEAN!!!" She had her brow furrowed and her hands on her hips. Then she walked off. I'm terrorized on a daily basis, just so you know.

Scenes from Vacay

Something tells me Jax isn't having fun on Daddy's vacation.

Emerson, on the other hand, has been rocking her Hollywood shades and jumping from the hood her Barbie jeep. What more could a girl ask for, really?

Daddy and I have worked out every day, eaten healthy, and are losing weight! We're sneaking in occasional naps, and he's played golf twice now. Tomorrow brings a day of fishing with his brother if the weather holds out for them.

Can I put in a request to have Daddy home on vacation every week?

Note: The snowball hydrangeas are from GiGi & SueSue's back yard. They brought them over yesterday while they watched the kiddos during MOPS for me. Aren't they gorgeous?!

Camera

So my new camera came in, and can I just say I adore it? I just did. And I do. I haven't even had the time to delve into all of the fancy-schmancy knobs and dials and what-nots. All I've done is pushed the button and taken pictures. And I love the quality! I have a feeling this camera and I will have a long and fulfilling relationship.



Speaking of cameras, here's a picture of my old camera taken with my new camera. Why, you ask? Well, I just listed my former camera on Craigslist, so if you're interested in it, let me know! I also have the 2 GB memory card I'm including, plus the manual, CD-Rom, cable, battery/charger, etc. This picture is my new camera telling my old camera to hit the road, that there's a new man in town.








So the week ahead is going to be fantastic because Daddy's on vacation! I'm talking real, true, authentic vacation. I don't believe he's taken vacation in like two years, and the boy is tired. Under his leadership, the Tulsa market is the only market in the U.S. to hit its goals already. He's the man. And he's tired. So we're gonna just take it easy this week, and he's gonna squeeze in some golf and fishing, too. So to all of my friends who might be reading this, please know I'm not ignoring you or turning down playdates just to be mean. :) Next week we'll be back to our normal schedule.


Mohawk update: Yes, he's still sporting it even though the sides are definitely growing out. So it's for sure more of a faux-hawk at this point. But it still looks good. This morning at church, a hairdresser named Joni was doing the announcements, and she spotted Jason and she literally stopped mid-sentence and said, "Jason! I love your haircut!" The whole church turned to look. Jason was beaming. I played it up and lowered my head in faux-disgust. I also tried to yell, "He lost a bet," but my comedic timing isn't quite the best and it got lost in everyone's laughter. Don't you hate it when you try to yell something and no one hears?!

Catching up

Wow, it's been a few too many days since I've blogged. We've had a lot going on and a lot of potential changes coming our way, so I've been feeling a little overwhelmed by life. Each winter I always think of spring as a laid-back, lazy kind of season, then it gets here and I freak out by how busy it actually is. My one normal spring-y thing I've done so far? Planting in the front flower beds. I decided to do perennials and no annuals this year, so other than my hot pink azaleas, my beds are devoid of color right now. I'm ready for the day lilies to bloom!

Emerson is as dramatic as ever right now. Today she was sitting on the potty after her nap, and I was sitting on the potty stool in front of her, talking to her and sneaking kisses. She looks at me, narrows her eyes, and says, "Mommy, do you think maybe I could have some privacy?" Now that sounds innocent enough, but when you combine the eye narrowing with a hint of sarcastic edge in her voice and a slight tilt of her head, you might as well fast-forward 13 years. Because I was talking to Emerson the teenager.

Jax is a dancin' fool. He really gets into any kind of music by waving his pudgy little arms and doing a little squat dance. I think he might be a little more musically inclined than his sister. Of course, he is more like his Momma than his Daddy right now, so it's really no surprise (patting myself on the shoulder right now). That was for you, sweetie.

Today we had our MOPS Steering Team brunch, and I'm having a hard time grasping that we only have two meetings left. I can't believe it. When I took on the role of coordinator, I never could have dreamed how much I would learn/change/grow as as person/mom. Maybe the hardest thing I've done but also the most rewarding. I love those girls.

Another random factoid is that I'm starting a new push to cook healthier. I'm really trying to stay away from fattening ingredients, and I'm grilling all the time right now. I just bought "Light & Healthy 2010" by America's Test Kitchen and can't wait to dig into it. If you haven't ever watched ATK on PBS, you are totally missing out. One of my fave cooking shows for sure.

Random factoid #2 is the impending arrival of my new digital camera. I've been terribly unhappy with the quality of my most recent Sony Cyber-Shot, so I saved up my Fun Money (yes, I actually have a paper envelope in my desk labeled Fun Money... don't laugh... it's awesome) for a Canon PowerShot S90. It's got the picture quality of a DSLR in a point-and-shoot body. I cannot freakin' wait for this thing to get here! I'm sure you'll be forced to view many a picture when I get my hands on it.

I think that's it for now. Happy Spring to you and yours! Don't forget to stop and smell a flower or two before it gets ridiculously hot out there.

She did NOT just say that

Last night at dinner, I was saying something to Jason, and Emerson looked right at me and said, "Hush, Mommy! I'm talking to Daddy!" My jaw dropped, I looked at her and said, "EXCUUUUSE me. You do NOT tell Mommy to hush." Without batting an eye, she replied back, "No, Mommy, I'll say hush if I WANT to." For some reason, the hilarity of the situation hit me before my anger did, and I just completely lost it. I had to put my head down on the table so she wouldn't see me laughing. I peeked at Daddy hoping that he could help me out, and he was just as tickled as I was. It took a good moment before I could compose myself enough to talk her through it and have her apologize. I got to thinking later about what she said, and she was completely quoting things she's heard me say many times. For instance, when a spanking is coming her way, she usually says, "No, Mommy... you not give me spankings." That's when I always reply back with, "Emerson, Mommy will give you spankings if I NEED to." She changed the 'need' to a 'want' in her version, but man oh man, did she ever nail the rest of it. Spot-on impression of her mother. I'm in for it.

Daddy Rockin' the 'Hawk

Daddy came home from work yesterday with this new hairstyle. He and the other managers told their agents that they would get mohawks if the team wrote a certain amount of business their last week of the busy season. Sure enough, the team came through, and the managers got their new hairdos in front of all of the agents.

Funny thing is, I like it! I think it's totally hot. Emerson hasn't acted like she even noticed, and Jax is oblivious.