Preschool 2012

Emerson and Jax were thrilled that preschool started today!  

Little Sis decided to crash the party and say cheese, too!

Jax had a good first day, and I had to wake him up from his nap mat when I arrived.  He walked like a little drunken sailor up to Emerson's class.  I knew he was super tired when he didn't even want to push the button on the elevator.

Emerson's teacher met me at the door and let me know that her afternoon was rough.  She completely refused to lay down for rest time.  And by refused, I mean refused.  I took her around the corner, told her what her consequences were going to be (sitting on her bed until dinnertime when we got home), and then made her apologize to her teachers.  Goodness gracious, why can't the first day of preschool just be easy?!  My little strong-willed child always keeps me on my toes.  Praying our next preschool day is much better.  *sigh*

A whole lotta nothin'

1) I came across this picture on a baby daily deals site today.  Does this strike anyone else as being a wee bit odd?

It's called a Wearable Activity Center. And to me it says, "Hi, I'm just a teensy bit wackadoodle, and I refuse to let my baby go even a few seconds without constant stimulation." I was actually thinking about ordering one for myself  and utilizing it in the boudoir. What???  You don't think this would be hot?  I digress...

2) We get together with our friends, the Odoms, once a month for dinner. Tonight we had them over and I made one of my favorites, this Orange Beef and Asparagus Stir-Fry. I've made this for several years now and was glad to find it online. The original recipe was one I stole clipped out of a magazine from a doctor's office when I was a pharmaceutical rep. Oh, the days of sitting for hours in doctors' offices, waiting for a few minutes of face time with them, trying to avoid the disapproving stares from the elderly patients who seem to hate your guts but love the thousands of dollars of free samples in your bag. Again, I digress...

3) If you shop in Tulsa, be sure to hit Aldi this week (or price match their produce prices at Walmart). Mangoes are $.39 each, bananas are $.33/lb, and grapes are $.79/lb. Great prices!

4) Tomorrow is Meet the Teacher at preschool. Looking forward to meeting the four ladies who will be with my oldest two this year. Emerson is upstairs in the Pre-K program and thinks she's BIG TIME. I'm thankful that we decided against public Pre-K for her. This momma is not ready for her to be in all-day, everyday school yet. With only two days of school, that gives us three days during the week to play and go places!  It's gonna be a fun year!

July picture post

Some of my favorites from last month...

These two are always racing each other.  Big sis usually wins, but Jaxey has started developing some actual speed recently.

As long as there are bubbles available, my youngest two are happy.

Well, she was happy.

Emerson's 2nd year of Music Camp.  Next year brother gets to go!  Cheers to that!

Mr. C's 5th birthday party.  Sweaty fun, lots of kids, and an inflatable.  It was a great day!

Can someone please tell him to quit growing up so quickly?

The chalk line.

He has no idea that he's sitting dangerously close to a ticking time bomb.

The days of summer... complete with an itty bitty bikini and tubby baby belly.

Emerson's big decision

One night a few weeks ago, I was at girls' dinner out with some friends, and when I came home, Jason had some big news for me.  

As he was putting the older two to bed, Emerson said, "Daddy, I'm ready to ask Jesus into my heart."

He said he was very calm about it (I would've been trying not to freak out!) and told her that whenever she was ready, she could ask Him.  She got a little shy with brother being in the room, and Daddy didn't push it.  

He tucked Jax in, went to her room with her, and that's where she regained her courage and prayed, asking Jesus to come into her heart.  Jason said she also added, "And God, you are my only God."  *sniff sniff*

Precious moments!  I'm a little sad that I wasn't there, but it's also really meaningful that Jason got to experience that with her.  She's been asking questions about the process lately, so I figured it was going to happen soon.

I'm realizing more and more that we're slowly leaving the baby years behind and entering into this world of KIDS.  Kids with opinions, personalities, talents, gifts, and so much joy to share.  What a blessing it is to nurture them and help shape them into God's little warriors for His Kingdom.
  

My summer beauty faves

NARS lipstick in Heat Wave.  Heavens, it's neon orange.  I just can't bring myself to wear it full-force, even though I know it's what's hot right now.  I soften it a bit with whatever berry-ish color I have around and then it's more wearable.  I always get compliments when I wear it.  You can get it from Sephora.

This blush.  When I was shopping for blush at the beginning of summer, looking for a peachy coral shade, the guy helping me at Sephora said this was his personal favorite.  Well then OK.  I didn't ask about which eyeliner he was using... didn't really want to end up in a full-on product convo with a DUDE.

On to mascara.  I have worn Dior Diorshow for a few years now, but I decided to branch out and try a few from Benefit.  I really like BADgal but feel like it the tube dries out a little too quickly.  

I think my new favorite (well, technically I think it's a tie between this and Diorshow) is Benefit's They're Real!  Some serious lengthening and defining going on.  I'd say this is my go-to for date nights or girls' nights, and Badgal or Diorshow are better for everyday.  

For eyes, you just can't go wrong with Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette.  At $50 this is an investment, but I can promise you it's worth every penny.  I love every single color in there.  

Finally, I forget how much I love bronzer until smack dab in the middle of summer each year.  I intentionally don't let my face in the sun via large sunhats when we're in the backyard or swimming.  The pregnancy-induced melasma on my forehead and cheeks seems to be here to stay, and sunlight only makes it worse.  So bronzer really helps give me some color on my face to better match the tan on my arms and legs.  MAC makes a great one.  

  

Houston Getaway!

Last week I escaped to Houston to see Lisa, my dearest friend in the entire world outside of my sister!  I still hold it against her that she actually moved away from Tulsa, but seeing her gorgeous new home makes it a little easier to swallow.  :)

So I flew out on Wednesday at noon.  She picked me up in her swanky car and drove me to her new neighborhood.  Y'all.  Look how cute this house is!  The picture is a teensy bit blurry due to me holding my camera out the window of the car.

Her backyard faces the neighborhood pond, and Houston had been having some random rain, so the occasional breeze made it look like a moving canal.  So peaceful and relaxing!

Here's Bella (or 'Beyya' as we affectionately call her... Emerson wasn't saying her Ls correctly yet when Bella came into Lisa's life).  I love me some Beyya.  She never barks and loves to sit on a lap and snuggle down. 

So here's the gorgeous kitchen!  LOVE her pops of teal, and the granite is beautiful.

On to the most ridiculously fantastic master bedroom.  I am way impressed with how everything came together.  Soothing tones, glam accessories, just perfect in every way!

So we spent lots of time shopping, lots of time eating, and lots of time blabbing our mouths about every topic under the sun.  She kept mentioning how she wanted to make sure I wasn't bored, and I was like 'are you kidding me?  I am not having to follow a schedule, make any meals for small children, or discipline. There is no such thing as boredom here.'

My favorite Mexican restaurant in the entire world - El Rancho.  The beef fajitas have this lime marinade that is basically indescribable.  They're the highlight meal of my Houston trips.  I wish this picture was scratch-n-sniff so you could enjoy the aroma.

On our big shopping day, she took me to the Houston Restoration Hardware which is unlike any store I've ever been to.  Three stories, everything is styled to perfection and resembles a museum, and the outdoor furniture is on the rooftop.  Unbelievable!

Another highlight was the steak dinner Lisa made for us.  New York strips with gorgonzola butter, asparagus with parmesan, and Skinny Girl margaritas.  Hello yummy!

Homemade peach crumble - delish!  Recipe HERE.



She lives near a drive-thru cupcake store.  Oreo cookies & cream for both of us.  Hello to no dieting on vacation!

Friday night we watched the Olympics opening ceremony with facial masks on.  At one point we attempted to create a song out of each country as they entered - ha!  Saturday we got pedicures, shopped  a little bit, then spent a few hours at her neighborhood pool.  So wonderful.

It was really, truly one of the best weekends I've had in a long time!  Thank you, Hobo, for hosting me and letting me disrupt your normal routine.  I love you to pieces and can't wait to see you around the holidays!