dot mom in Dallas!

This past weekend, I went to Dallas with two of my friends, Hannah and Mel.  dot.mom is a Christian conference for women with worship, workshops and fantastic speakers.  If it is ever in your area, I highly recommend you go.  It was such an uplifting weekend with so much great information.  I got to meet Angie Smith, one of my favorite bloggers (you can find her blog here:  www.angiesmithonline.com)  She was one of the keynote speakers, joined by Priscilla Shirer, Vicki Courtney and John Croyle.  Amazing, inspriational people that I had the honor of hearing.  My friends and I had a blast and I'm so glad I went and that they came with me!  

 Daddy took good care of the girls while I was gone for the weekend.  They enjoyed spending time with him two on one and he made them feel special as usual.

Green eggs and toast!

 Making pizza!

Leaving for a weekend is always so needed.  I came home feeling refreshed and uplifted.  Go to dotmom if you get the chance!

OCD 4 year old style

This is how Julianne makes her bed every.single.day.  Can you say OCD?  The stuffed animals are in a certain order, each pillow is on a certain side, the blanket is folded a certain way.  Apparently OCD is inherited.  She is her mother's daughter.  I'm sorry Julianne!  I'm choosing to stay positive about it and remaining thankful that she makes her bed at all.  I'm also trying to remain patient when she has to have everything "just so".  She is so much like her dad but this is ALL me!  

Lunch dates with mommy

I take the girls on a lunch date usually once a week.  Today it was McDonald's.  I hate it but the girls love it. So, off to McDonald's we went.  I love these lunches where we just talk about what's going on with them, what's been happening at school, and anything that's on their minds. We have so much fun!

Nuggets make for happy girls

 and ice cream doesn't hurt either.

 Cheers with their ice cream!

 Aunt Randi taught them how to cheers so I took this picture and then they asked me to send it to her!  We miss you Aunt Randi!

Crafty mom (at least today)!

So I'm not usually one of those annoying mom's that makes cute little crafts and has people thinking "wow, she's so creative".  I'm just not.  Ain't nobody got time for that.  But for Valentine's day this year I decided to make Valentine's for the girls.  Thank you Pinterest.  I could never have thought of this on my own.  I found a printable on line, printed them out, cut two slits, stuck the lollipop in, glued eyes on them, and then added stickers.  It took a few hours but the girls went crazy for them.  I was quite proud of myself.  I hate store bought Valentine's.  They always say the cheesiest stuff.  This was a much better option this year but I can't make any promises for next year!  For now, I'm patting myself on the back! Go Jenn, go Jenn!

Daddy Daughter Dance

Our country club hosted a Daddy Daughter Dance for Valentine's day.  The girls (and daddy) had a blast.

 This is Claire taking a swing at the Pinata.  She also got second place in musical chairs.  She cheated but she got second place.  I got a text in the middle of the party from my friend that said "Claire got second place in musical chairs" and I was thinking how did she do that?  There were a lot of older girls there so I didn't understand how she could have got second place.  Well, when Shaun got home he explained that she got out on the first round and then a few rounds later looked around to see if anyone was watching and just started walking around the chairs again.  Got second place.  Won a watch.  Devious that one.  

Claire's Birthday Celebration!

Claire had a special day for her birthday.  Let me preface this post with a newsflash:  Claire was not in the best mood on her birthday.  We still had a nice day but someone had her cranky pants on.  It was just an off day and unfortunately, you can't control when they have those kind of days.  

We started the day by putting her birthday outfit on.  3!

 Then we went to Krispy Kreme.  

Donuts will cheer up any cranky girl.

 After donuts we went to bible study and then we went out for lunch at Olive Garden.  Yummy!

 Then, manicures.  What's better than that?   

The evening of her birthday we had dinner and my mom came over.  We had cake but someone wasn't in the mood to be sung to.  She cried when we sang.  

She sat on my lap the whole time we sang and was not happy.

 She did manage to blow out her three little candles with some help from mommy.

 Then it was time to open presents.  I think Julianne was more excited than she was.

 Birthday Barbie got a huge smile from both girls!

 And a leap pad.  To which Julianne said "now she doesn't have to cry for mine all the time!"  Yes, exactly.

 I thought she would love this huge doll (it's bigger than she is) but turns out not so much.

 It now lives in sissy's room.  

We had a great day overall and Claire slept great that night.  Big day for our birthday princess!

Happy 3rd birthday Claire!

How can it be that my baby is 3 already?  Time is flying by and it seems to be even faster with the youngest child.  It's giving me a bit of baby fever if I'm being honest.

Claire is growing up so fast, has become so independent, and is just a bundle of personality.  This child has tested me in ways I didn't ever know I would be tested.  She is stubborn, hard-headed, and wants things her way.  She is also the sweetest thing ever.  So loving and cuddly.  She tells me about 100 times a day "I love you mommy!"  She is quick to apologize if she does something wrong.  She loves her sister to the moon and back.  She is good at sharing.  She is a talker.  She laughs a lot.  She is crazy.  She loves to dance and sing.  She doesn't want to participate in anything unless it's going to be a good time.  She is a very good girl at school and is the teacher's "little helper".  She loves her friends.  She hugs everyone.  I can already tell that she has the biggest heart.  I can also tell that she is going to give us some trouble when she is older.  She is not what you would call a rule follower.  She got sent to the office a few months ago at school for talking during nap time.  I'm sure it's just the beginning of her trips to the office.

She will only wear dresses and picks out her own clothes.  I will lay out an outfit for her and she'll say "I'm not wearing that", and promptly go get something else out of her closet.  The girl has a style all her own.  She is mischievous.  Anytime it's quiet for more than 30 seconds, I know she is into something.  Recently, it's toothpaste, toilet paper, wipes, and band-aids.  She tells us about 10 times a day that she is a "big girl now" or that she is "not a baby".  She wants to be bigger than she is.  She has no fear.  She'll jump from the coffee table onto the couch with no second thoughts (with heels on).  She loves to play dress up.  She changes clothes about 15 times a day.

This crazy, reckless, funny, loving, joyful, delightful little girl has added so much to our family.  I can't imagine it without her.  She is so full of life and there is never a dull moment.  We love you Claire bear.  Happy happy birthday to you!

Love,
Mommy

Here is your 3rd birthday slide show to celebrate the past year!  Love you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KAz4vNpibs&feature=youtu.be

Hawaii - the last part!

The trip wasn't all rest and relaxation.  We did some adventurous things too.  We went with my parents on a zip line tour.   Have you been zip lining?  If you haven't, go!  It is so fun!  It is not for the faint of heart because some of them are really high up but oh my goodness it's amazing!  

Shaun and I spent a day outdoors going on a hike and sight seeing.  We saw this beautiful waterfall on the way to our hiking destination.

 We did a three mile hike up and back on a beautiful trail that my friend recommended.  It was a bit muddy because of the rain but we had a great time and got some exercise!  The hike was worth the view!

 We used walking sticks like old people!  Ha!

 And saw things like this the whole way up.

 And this at the top of the trail

 After our day of hiking, we met my parents for happy hour at a local restaurant that our zip line tour guide raved about.  We had a yummy appetizer!

 We took my parents out to dinner to celebrate their anniversary.  This was the view from our table.  And the food, delicious!  There is some seriously good food in Hawaii.

 Our final night in Hawaii was spent with my parents and our friends at a restaurant right on the ocean.  We were able to see the sunset!

 And our last picture taken on the island.  We left the next day for our long journey home.  

It was a fantastic trip!  We had so much fun but were so happy to get home to our girls.  They both got the flu when we were gone.  My aunt deserves a medal.  

Hawaii - Part 3

Shaun and I spent some time alone on the trip.  It was so great to catch up and just be together.  We don't get a great deal of time to do that with busy day to day life we've got going on.  We took a walk on the beach and it was a bit overcast but still so beautiful.  

 I am a lucky girl.

 We spent a lot of time doing this

We went to a Luau which I had never done before.  It was a traditional Hawaiian luau and was fun!  

My dad is a goofball

.

 It was a beautiful evening.  Perfect weather.

 Stud.

 We walked around the grounds and I saw this sign and started cracking up.  Yes, I'm 5.

 There were roosters even up in the trees

 The food was fabulous!  Except for poi.  Don't ever eat that!  

 Digging up the pig!

Those guys are strong!

 After dinner was the performance.  Fun!