Kimtastic Momma

OLS disco gala and auction

2012-02-04T23:15:00.015-06:00

saturday night, jay and i got dressed up in our best disco attire and headed on over to the girls' school for the annual OLS gala and auction. this year's theme was 70s disco and to say we were excited is an understatement. i mean i ordered white go-go boots weeks ago for this event. any excuse to dress up is always fun for me.

dinner and drinks were served and awesome music was played throughout the entire night. the festivities started at 6:00pm and lasted until 11:30pm. the silent auction took place during the first couple of hours and then it was closed minutes after the live auction. we got lucky, bid, and won on a few items...for example, abby's birthday will be displayed on the school's marquis and she will get to be the teacher for a day in her class. she was so excited when we told her the news. we also won a week long beach trip for an absolute steal. the night was SO.MUCH.FUN.

in all honesty, it was like a catholic wedding equipped with an open bar and lots of fun fun dancing. i've never laughed so hard while watching everyone dance to the train and the YMCA. furthermore, we definitely got to know a lot of the other moms, dads, and teachers better, and it was good seeing everyone have a great time for a good cause. here are some pics...after the gala ended, we decided to head on over to the lakeview area and continue the fun. our babysitters told us to "please don't rush home" and we knew our girls were in good hands (thank you, auntie red and uncle germy!!)...so off we went to nana funk's. admittedly, i haven't been out to birmingham's bar scene in years. this place was awesome. we all danced in the back and later found a long enough table to fit all of us. we greeted the elvis statue with open arms and then later placed micheal's 70s fro on him. here are some pics...lastly, i gotta admit i absolutely adore these next "in the moment" series of pics that stacy took of me and jay. i'm so use to always being the one who takes the candid ones so it's kinda funny to be surprised by a few random ones taken by her when i checked my camera the next day. thanks, stacy! lol. any who, she grabbed my camera and took a normal one of us and then kept zapping while jay playfully bit my nose. i love that man. it was seriously one of the best nights out together in a very long time...just dancing and being silly with good friends...past 3:00am. yeah, the next day inevitably sucked. hehe. but oh, how it was totally worth it.

happy 6th birthday, albert!

2012-02-04T13:24:00.000-06:00

after the basketball game that never happened due to some miscommunication between the basketball team and cheerleaders (oh well. no biggie. it actually ended up working out for the better.) and the baby shower, jay and i met up at pump it up for albert's 6th birthday party. abby showed me her flips off the inflatables and daddy took baby jem-jem down the big slide. later it came time to eat cake and ice cream inside the party room as we all sang happy birthday. the girls had a great time and it was a good outlet to let out some energy with classmates. happy birthday, albert!

sue and leo's baby shower

2012-02-04T00:38:00.000-06:00

so jay and i had to tag team on saturday morning...he took the girls (yes, all four. the man is amazing. lol) to abby and isabelle's basketball game which they cheer for at school while i went to a friend's baby shower that was going on at the same time. he took this pic for me of the girls playing in the playground while waiting for everyone else to arrive. i love this pic because it's the first time ever for baby jem-jem to be in a baby swing and he said she absolutely loved it as lyla and isabelle took turns pushing her. here is the pic...
meanwhile over at sue and leo's baby shower, the sweet couple celebrated expecting their first baby: a girl named ella grace. we are so excited to meet her because we all know she's going to be the cutest full-blooded little asian girl ever. the decorations were so cute and my favorite were the pretzels placed in pink napkins wrapped up like a diaper. overall, it was a great baby shower and we can't wait to meet sweet ella! here are some pics...

slumber party

2012-02-03T00:23:00.001-06:00

friday after school, one of abby's classmates and BFA came home with us for her first slumber party/spend the night. as soon as we arrived at our house, the girls were going wild with giggles and chases around the house. i believe the only time they sat still was to color big pictures of princesses. isabelle was having a blast and admittedly, i let her hang (just one time) from our canopy bed because i thought it made for a great pic to show her mom (and yes, i know jenn would understand considering she loves a good funny pic too). her daughter is a monkey and it's definitely obvious that she has two active brothers. i see gymnastics in her future. anywho, abby and isabelle partook in some pillow fighting and cuddles with baby jem-jem. here are some pics...once jay arrived home, we had plans to take the girls out for mexican (jay was craving chuy's) and the movies. we ate and then headed over to the nearby theater to watch beauty and the beast. i took these next couple of pics on my cell phone so the quality may be a bit lacking especially if a lot of movement was made. they are cute nonetheless. they enjoyed the movie, and i thought it was pretty funny that lylie insisted on taking the rest of the popcorn home with us.

once we arrived home, everyone brushed their teeth and changed into pjs. isabelle surprised abby with a super cute vest she made by cutting off the sleeves of an old t-shirt. her momma learned how to do this on pinterest and they turned out really cute. note to self: must make my own asap. all in all, it was a great slumber party. i loved every minute of watching these girls have so much fun. here are some pics...

thursday's thoughts

2012-02-02T00:49:00.004-06:00

1.) i'm kind of more than a little obsessed with taking pictures on my cell phone and then uploading them to the app instagram and making really cute different coloring out of them. i promise this phase of mine will pass, but until then...enjoy the abundancy of huge pictures on this blog. they make me happy.

2.) 10 days of irrigating Jem-Jem's ears with vinegar & water before adding ear drops & my juicy baby smells like fish and chips. #MmmTasty

3.) RT @badbanana: My Super Bowl prediction: at least one Doritos commercial.

4.) Although JemJem spends majority of her time saying, "Dada, Dada" it's okay because at least she said "Momma" first. #AndThatsAllThatMatters

5.) RT @UberFacts: Children laugh about 400 times a day, while adults laugh on average only 15 times a day. #ThinkAboutIt

6.) Meanwhile while putting coats on my kids & leaving the circus, my left shoe & pants leg get puked on. And it wasn't even my own kids. Yeah. That just happened.

7.) Thick Girls: Because bones are for the dog. And meat is for the man. #Pinterest

8.) I heart my friends. Because when I tell them that my kid is in her school's talent show, they quickly ask..."Performing Nicki Minaj's Super Bass?" #Awesomeness

9.) Hubs is an amazingly brilliant man. Seriously. He truly is. BUT...some times his incorrect grammar and/or punctuation make me sad. Just sad. #Hehehe

10.) It is so cold...How cold is it?...It is so cold that I'm fairly certain icicles have formed off my toe-toes. #BrrrrrRabbit

11.) Deep Thoughts by Kimtastic: One would think the word "icicles" would properly be spelled like icesicles (ice + popsicle - pop). But it's not.

12.) Went to Tre's dad's funeral today. So sad. Prayers are with him and the family. #RIPBob

13.) Must vacuum every day now that the baby moves around picking up any & every tiny speck on the carpet that she can find. #LifeWithACrawler

14.) RT @shariv67: It's cool how all the old-fashioned chivalric virtues - hope, chastity, faith, charity - all make great stripper names.

15.) This week's addiction: Chicken salad wraps. #YummyGetInMyTummy

16.) My older sister invited me to be a part of her & her friends' #PrettyLittleLiars live blogging discussion posts. Some theories are awesome and the comments are hilariously intriguing.

17.) I realize I'm suppose to think and act like a mature grown woman, but I can't help snicker to myself when my kid announces, "We made something out of ding dongs today!" #Hehehe

18.) RT @rodney_at_large: I don't know who was in this restroom last, but may they rest in peace.

19.) Volunteered to watch the kindergarten & 1st grade classes for lunch today, & I seriously did not think I would enjoy it as much as I did. #LoveMeSomeKids

wordless wednesday

2012-02-01T00:32:00.000-06:00

topsy turvy tuesday

2012-01-31T00:33:00.003-06:00

We ate lunch with Abby in her school's cafeteria today & enjoyed seeing her & her friends dressed up in mismatched tacky clothes for Topsy Turvy Tuesday in honor of Catholic Schools week. Being out of uniform makes one silly!

happy 31st birthday, daddy!!

2012-01-30T23:23:00.006-06:00

for jay's birthday, we stayed in and made it really low key because when it's the beginning of a busy work week, that's all he really wants...to relax and be with the ones he loves. so per his request, i made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner while the girls surprised him with their own special touch of a decorated cookie cake. after dinner and baths, we sang happy birthday to the one man we all love the most. happy happy birthday, jay/daddy!! xoxo

jem-jem's playmates

2012-01-30T00:45:00.003-06:00

circus 2012

2012-01-29T22:21:00.012-06:00

every year for jay's birthday, we always attend the circus because it usually falls just days apart from each other. we've started this tradition before we ever had kids and it's one we look forward to every year. this year, the greatest show on earth's theme was "the dragon." there were many asian acrobats and dragons galore. with each obstacle/act that the acrobats faced, they were asked if they had the strength, wisdom, character, and heart to defeat the dragon. it was a cute little storyline, i suppose. here's a pic...(backtrack if you will) so we arrived early to the circus so that the girls could walk down into the ring and get involved with a bit of what the circus entails. they enjoyed dancing with the clowns to the dragon dance and it was a good way to get the wiggles out before sitting still for hours. which they did. even the baby. we were so proud. here are some pics...the girls enjoyed their ridiculously overpriced cotton candy (hey, it was still a lot cheaper than the snow cones. lol) as they watched the show, and even baby jemma clapped and waved at some of the performances. i asked abby and lyla what their favorite part was...abby's response: "the girls hanging out of the bubble in the air." lyla's response: "the tigers." mommy's response: "the eight motorcyclists driving around in the small ball of steel." seriously. it was quite impressive. all in all, a great circus experience...until a lady puked on my shoe. read my thursday's thoughts for that gem. here are some pics...

OLS talent show 2012

2012-01-28T23:40:00.011-06:00

saturday night came with a quickness as the Golden Warrior Awards Talent Show was upon us. the show started at 6:30pm inside the parish hall. it was mentioned that this year had the most involvement of students counting at over 40 acts. we arrived early and snagged the closest seats we could find. there was a red carpet, faux golden globe decorations, lights, music, and a whollatta glitter. abby along with her friends lined up by the side of the room as everything was being organized. they practiced their cheers a few times while waiting as jay, lyla, jemma, lola, pawpaw, and i sat in our seats waiting for the show to begin. here are some pics...abby's group, "the cheergartners" were the second act on stage. they came out and the lights seemed to shine so bright on them. they started out with the dynamite cheer which led into the rowdy cheer then finalizing their routine with a "go warriors!" it was awesome. the crowd laughed as they rotated their pom pom held hips, chanting, "tick, tick, tick, tick, BOOM, dynamite...BOOM, dynamite" as they jumped in the air. they did fantastic and we couldn't have been more proud of them. here are some pics...after each act, the kids received their very own golden warrior award certificate with this lovely quote on it,

"Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God." -Leo Buscaglia

we're so proud of you, abby. to be honest, momma's just happy you had enough courage to even go up on stage. job well done, and we hope you use your many talents to the best of your ability. love you, sweet girl. xoxo

rehearsals and surprises

2012-01-27T23:15:00.007-06:00

friday night, abby and i headed to her school for her talent show rehearsal. grades K-8th were all partaking in the fun event and thankfully, abby's group (the cheergartners) were the second act to go up on stage making the jitter bugs a little less evident. i'll be honest, i think i was more nervous than my kid. as shy as she tends to be sometimes, she says she loves being on stage and wasn't nervous. i'm fairly certain it's because she seriously wants to be T-Swift and if given the chance, she would have loved to sing nicki minaj's "super bass." i'm not even kidding.

anyhoo, the cheergartners went up on stage and performed their best. they were so cute and it made looking forward to the actual night of the talent show that much stronger. i didn't bring my good camera this night, but i did take a cute picture on my cell phone as they rested on the ground watching the irish dancers perform. we were all loving every second of watching each act practice their routines...after their rehearsal was over with, stacy and i looked at our clocks and noticed that we still had time to make maggie's surprise birthday dinner given by her hubs at surin downtown. we were just minutes away and by the time we sat down at the table, everyone had just started ordering. it was perfect and we were so happy to see the birthday girl. luckily, we are all close enough of friends that it was okay to bring abby and brooke as well. we ate sushi and laughed throughout the entire dinner. thank you so much for having us. happy happy birthday, mag! xoxo

thursday's thoughts

2012-01-26T00:56:00.003-06:00

1.) After picking up Lyla from school, she tells me..."Alex cracks me up. He said he pooted in his panties." #FunnyBoy

2.) Favorite Spann-ism of the night: "This storm has hung in there like a rusty fish hook...like a hair in a biscuit." #Whaa? #LovesMyJamesSpann

3.) "The best security blanket a child can have is parents who respect each other." -Jane Blaustone

4.) RT @TheBloggess: I just received 2 unsolicited emails to tell me I've unsubscribed from getting unsolicited emails. #Touché

5.) Abby likes for me to play with her hair and rub her back for two minutes before she falls asleep. She is definitely her mother's daughter. #SnugglesAndCuddles

6.) Baby got over pink eye & now has bronchiolitis & a double ear infection. She's absolutely pitiful & it hurts my heart. #With3Kids1AlwaysSick

7.) "When I die, friends will go to my funeral, good friends will cry at my funeral, but my best friend will change my facebook status to "Chillin' with Jesus." #Pinterest

8.) Best thing about siblings is when baby likes to play the game: "Throw my rattle & someone else pick it up for me." #HoursOfAmusementForAll

9.) RT @FillWerrell: "Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cake and it can buy beer. I would say that's about even."

10.) Martina McBride's song, "Love you through it" makes me whimper like a puppy whose tail just got stepped on. #CancerSucks #MustChangeRadioStation

11.) You made me laugh so hard, tears ran down my leg. #Pinterest

12.) Running on no sleep with a sick baby and a huge painful zit under my nose while my sleepless eyes twitch & sting. Wednesday, have mercy.

13.) I can relate: No matter how old you are, no matter how badass you think you are, when a toddler hands you their ringing toy phone, you answer it. #Pinterest #OhYesYouDo

14.) life lesson #762: never assume a three year old is too cute & innocent to lock the rest of her family out of the house while they enjoy dinner outside on the back porch. because it will undoubtedly happen. oy vey.

(here's an explanation) one night this week, jay grilled out some scallops and corn for us. we decided to eat outside since the weather was wonderful. well lyla went in to get a juice box and closed the door behind her. then she played a game of peek-a-boo behind the blinds and vanished for two minutes. i went to open the door after her and it was locked. we tried telling her how to unlock it, but she just twisted the knob the whole time and said she didn't know how. admittedly, i started to slightly panic without trying to freak her out.

Surprisingly she wasn't scared, but she did get impatient and annoyed that she couldn't understand how to unlock it. once the door was opened, abby told her, "lyla, don't ever do that. who would make you a corn dog or chicken nuggets if mommy and daddy can't come in? you'd only be able to eat yogurt and applesauce." i think big sis said it all.

Jay said, "Thankfully we didn't eat hamburgers for dinner and I was able to pick the door with a fork." Hooray for utensils and the fact that it wasn't double-bolted. #LifeWithKids

wordless wednesday

2012-01-25T13:54:00.000-06:00

date night with tita karmie

2012-01-24T23:20:00.003-06:00

tuesday night, we (abby, lyla and i) met up with tita karmie for dinner and a movie as a special date night. tita karmie wanted to take the girls to see "beauty and the beast" in 3D and in all honesty, i wanted to tag along. as crazy as it may be, i've never seen the disney movie and if i'm a mom of three girls...well then, i feel the need to know the story of each princess. here's a pic i couldn't resist...in all honesty, i'm so glad we saw this movie. it was really cute. i love the meaning behind it and my favorite part was when the beast was so excited to show belle his ginormous library since her nose is always buried in her books. it was very sweet. of course, the transformation scene was pretty amazing too when everything is in 3D. all in all, it was a great girls night out watching a princess movie for all ages. thank you, tita karmie! xoxo

tornado alley?

2012-01-23T23:33:00.003-06:00

early monday morning around 3:30am, we were woken up by the tornado sirens and texts on my cell phone. the weather was turning bad and tornadoes had already touched down and were headed our way. we headed to our safe place and watched my favorite weather man, james spann on the news broadcast. when he said, "he respect the polygon"...we obeyed. we watched as it luckily moved just south of us and caused no damage.

as the tornado turned, it made it's way to my mom and dad's neighborhood in center point. thankfully, they were okay with minimal damage of a tree falling over their wooden fence. easily replaceable, whereas their lives are definitely not. that morning after the schools opened up at 10:00am, i drove over to my mom and dad's house to find them without power and my mom raking the leaves. i was so glad to see her. i knew everything was fine in her eyes when she told me, "i guess your daddy and i will go bowling tonight." love it. here's a pic of one of the trees that fell, missing their house...

as i left, i drove around a bit more in the winewood area. it seemed like every tree was blown down and some houses were completely wiped out as well as their local jet pep gas station. crazy sad. also, according to the news and facebook pictures, neighborhoods in the trussville/clay area received the most damage. there were two deaths total (a 16 y/o girl and an 82 y/o man). praying for families everywhere. it's crazy to think that this is the second string of deadly tornadoes to whip through alabama in less than 9 months of each other. when did we become the new tornado alley? now every time i hear the sirens, my heart starts racing. here's a picture of a neighborhood in trussville that was taken from a friend on facebook...

go warriors!!

2012-01-21T23:35:00.012-06:00

saturday, abby was scheduled to cheer for the OLS basketball team at 1:00pm. the boys played prince of peace and although it was a great game, we lost. the girls cheered their hearts out though and had fun watching. here are some pics...soon it was time for the halftime show where the cheerleaders lined up on the court for some cheers and then their personal own. when it came to abby's turn she jumped up with her pom-poms in the air and screamed her name. she looked too cute. here are some pics...after the basketball game was over, abby and a few of her friends (brooke, meredith, isabelle, and lila) went outside to practice a couple of their cheers that they plan to perform at next weekend's OLS Talent Show. they are all excited and screamed to "our team is dynamite" and "let's get a little bit rowdy" better than any kindergarteners i've ever seen. i can't wait to see them up on the stage. here are some pics...lastly, once the girls were done practicing, we headed over to chuy's at the summit for some yummy mexican and margaritas with our besties. the weather was absolutely amazing being in the 70s in january that we decided to eat outside on the back patio. the breeze, view, and company were amazing. it truly was a great saturday. here are some pics...

bunco night

2012-01-20T23:16:00.005-06:00

friday night marked our monthly bunco festivities although i'm not even sure why we still call it bunco when we never play the game. i guess it's just an excuse to get out of the house and hang out with the girls for a bit. it couldn't have come at a better time considering jay had been traveling for the last two weeks, and i needed a change of scenery to relax and unwind.

earlier that day, jay took off work and we ran some errands as well as went house hunting. we haven't had much luck as far as finding our dream home and since this next house is going to be the house that we plan to live in forever, we are not looking to settle. that said, we found a lovely neighborhood with lots for sale that is located within the perfect distance of his work and the girls' school. it is central to everything and that is what we want. we have saved up a good little nest egg and plan to use it for building our own house. taxes have already been filed which will be added on to the money we want to spend on a lot. this is what we are hoping for, but nothing is set in stone yet. we are honestly taking our time with this huge decision considering it's a big life change. excited, nonetheless.

i see i have gone off subject. hmm, where was i at? okay yeah, so stacy hosted bunco at her house and it was fun catching up with everyone and talking about houses, renovations, etc, etc. all in all, a great night. thank you for having us, stacy! here are some pics...

thursday's thoughts

2012-01-19T09:29:00.002-06:00

1.) Abby: "Someone said the bad "S" word today." Me: "Oh? Which one is that?" Abby: ((whispering)) "Sexy." #ConfusedOverFourLetterWords

2.) Baby Jem-Jem is finally on the move!!! #WatchOutWorld

3.) A person who is nice to you, but not nice to the waiter is not a nice person. #Pinterest

4.) I love Miss Alabama because she represents my fine state, but whoa. That bow belongs on a Christmas tree and not on her dress. #MissAmericaPageant

5.) Is it too early to be fantasizing about spring break? Because I am already fantasizing about spring break. #SGP

6.) Worst of 2011: The roller coaster ride that baby Jemma endured while being in the NICU during her first month of life. It was the scariest thing we have ever been through as a family, yet it has made us stronger that we ever thought possible.

7.) Best of 2011: The amazing love and support that surrounded us during that very difficult time. The doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers that played a big part of baby Jemma's success and most importantly, God for watching over us. We are truly blessed.

8.) The only reason I'm fat is because a tiny body couldn't store all this personality. #Pinterest

9.) Worst of 2011: The destructive tornadoes that whipped through the state of Alabama on April 27th. Many lost their lives, loved ones, homes, and jay's family's business was destroyed as well. it was a very devastating day in the south. prayers for everyone.

10.) “Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education.” ~MLK, Jr.

11.) Little old ladies who like to poke my juicy baby when we're out & about make me slightly annoyed, yet flattered too. #CantSayIBlameThem

12.) Best of 2011: Jay earned a new title at work, "Vice President of IT." We are so proud of him and his continuous dedication and hard work to his company.

13.) Worst of 2011: Jay's car accident when he got rear-ended at a red light by someone who was clearly not paying attention. Although his car was totaled, luckily he was okay. Thank God the kids were not in the backseat.

14.) RT @badbanana: If I seem disinterested it's only because I'm a terrible actor.

15.) Five days of single parenting & although I handled it pretty well...it's for the birds. Count down in T minus four more hours & the man of the house will be home. Yipppeeee.

16.) Call me old fashioned, but I actually take relationships seriously. #Pinterest

17.) Shameful Confession: Just finished watching the movie #Moneyball with the Hubs. And I cried. There. I said it. #PeteYoureAGoodEgg

18.) Sweet Baby Jem-Jem currently has pink eye in both eyes. Bless her heart, she is so pitiful. #HateItForHer

19.) The creative adult is the child that survived. #Pinterest

and finally,

New Years resolution: "Do good, Feel good." I really want to try and apply this to every aspect of my life. Admittedly this is one thing that has been bothering me...when everything was going wrong with baby jem-jem and we were being showered with thoughts, prayers, gifts, gestures, etc...i may not have been the best at correspondence. meaning, i was thankful. oh how very thankful we were, but i know there are some "thank you" notes that i never quite made the time to write. or if i did, it was months later. to this day, i still have a bit of guilt about that. i realize it might be "understood" that we are indeed thankful, but i seriously don't want it to go unnoticed. that said, if you get a random thank you note from me through snail mail, please know that we are still thinking of how much you guys have helped us last year. there is no way we would be where we are at today without the love and support. so thank you. much love to you all. xoxo

wordless wednesday

2012-01-18T00:01:00.002-06:00

OLS MNO

2012-01-16T00:38:00.002-06:00

for the last couple of weeks, we've been trying to plan a moms night out with a few of my favorite fellow school moms. we usually try to meet where the best shrimp burritos live (pinches tacos) at the end of every month, but with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we skipped november and december and waited for the new year. it was so good to see everyone (minus jenn who couldn't make it), and even shannon and dawn brought their moms too so it was the ultimate "mom's moms night out."we talked about everything and as usual, ended up probably being the loudest group there by the end of the night. we even joked and high-fived about wanting to start our own all girls catholic school since we don't want our daughters to worry about guys until their old enough and in college to know how they really think. we want them to strictly focus on academics and innocent fun. no boys allowed. ha.) so the place was packed and we weren't able to snag our usual high top round table, but that's okay because the blood orange margaritas were half off that night. score.all in all, it was a great time and we are all anxiously excited about the school's PTO gala and auction next month. did i mention it's disco themed and jay's lime green 70's suit that he wore to our prom-themed supper club is going to make another appearance? oh.yes.it.is.

the many faces of my McScruff

2012-01-16T00:02:00.005-06:00

(in the spirit of full disclosure, a couple of weeks before jay and his buddies left for their ski trip, they made a pact with each other to not shave their faces. they wanted to enjoy the snowy rockies in true "mountain men" fashion so to speak. the funnier thing about this is that none of them have ever tried to grow a full beard so this was their first attempt. surprisingly, jay grew a pretty decent one for only letting it grow out for two weeks.)

that said, the first thing that happened once jay walked through the door after said guys trip (other than receiving a big ole bear hug, laughing at his face, and dodging a kiss...hey, it tickles too much and i don't want chapped lips. sue me.) was that i took his hand and led him to the bathroom where the man was reunited with his razor. ahhhh. ya'll have no idea how long i've waited for this day. it may have only been about two weeks, but it felt like a lifetime to me. i was so excited and even jay himself admitted that he was ready to see it go. soooo, we had some fun along the way. we'll never forget his attempt of his first beard so we took pictures for proper documentation purposes. here are the many faces of McScruff:

meet the mountain man...

meet the wrestler's goatee...

meet the porn 'stache... (notice the "come hither" eyes. hahaha.)

meet the hitler patch...

meet the baby's bottom...

gotta admit, the last one is my utmost favorite. so glad he's home. and hairless. for that deserving kiss.

guys ski trip 2012

2012-01-15T16:24:00.016-06:00

(rewind if you will: a long time ago, i asked jay this question: "if something ever happened to me, what's the one quirk you'd miss the most?" his answer: "probably something that use to annoy me, but now i have grown to actually love it...like taking pictures." it was that moment when i realized just how much that man was created just for me. and how blessed i am that he appreciates and loves me because if i am anything, it is definitely an obsessed mommarazzi.)

before i begin, this is the one picture i was really truly hoping and pleading that jay would take for me. thankfully, he got his ski instructor to take it for him who later posted it onto their website for jay to look at later. as soon as i saw, i swear i laughed for a good five minutes while abby asked, "what's so funny, momma?" she didn't quite understand the hilarity of daddy "tebowing" in denver on top of a snow-capped mountain. it was awesome. i was so proud.so jay, matt, jon, and michael got together for a guys trip. they all wanted to go skiing so they chose breckenridge as their destination. they left super early at around 4:30am on wednesday and arrived back home on the following sunday night. they stayed in a condo near peak 8 where they did most of their skiing. he also said they skied on peak 7, 9, and some went to the keystone ski resort on friday. they had an amazing time and skied all day. jay said that they all had intentions of going out at night, but after a long day of skiing, everyone fell asleep around 9:00pm and did it all over again the next day. too funny. here are some pics that he took with his camera phone...
lastly, here are just a bunch of random pics that were taken inside their condo. i honestly have no idea how to narrate these pics so i'll just let them speak for themselves. seem to me like a wee bit of shenanigans were taking place. the last pic is of their view from looking out of their condo and i thought it was absolutely beautiful. almost like a christmas card. here are some pics...soooo...apparently this is what a guys trip looks like. a lot of skiing. a lot of drinking. a lot of goofing around. and a lot of this...

YUM. glad you guys had fun!!

happy 6th birthday, ellen!

2012-01-14T16:53:00.001-06:00

saturday i took the girls to their friend's birthday party at serendipity sweets in vestavia. this was our first time in the quaint little candy/ice cream shop and they loved it. the celebration was in honor of ellen who was turning six. once we arrived, all the girls sat down at the table and began making and pouring their own "sand art" into tubes, but of course the sand was really different colored sugar. their creations turned out beautifully and then were quickly inhaled. here are some pics...after that activity, the girls got to play a game of "pin the cherry on top of the ice cream cone" that was located in the corner of the shop. this game is always a classic favorite. they played, sat back in their seats, and then the ice cream was handed out along with a variety of different toppings for them to choose from. the girls ate their ice cream as we all sang happy birthday to ellen, and then later they all got together for a group picture. all in all, it was a wonderful mommy/daughters outing. happy birthday, ellen!! here are some pics...

jet black is back

2012-01-14T00:08:00.000-06:00

old school

2012-01-13T10:19:00.000-06:00

thursday's thoughts

2012-01-12T09:37:00.003-06:00

1.) My buttercup baby likes to pinch me. Hard. Maybe it's in reciprocation for Mommy always pinching her sweet cheeks. #AllIsFairInLoveAndWar

2.) Truly appreciate preemptive measures, but why does the Vestavia Fire Department always have to camp out beside their #YMCA? #MoveOverPeople

3.) It is a proven scientific fact that almost nothing in this universe is better than Target at Christmas. #SGP

4.) My skin is so itchy and dry that I'm seriously contemplating taking a bath in a tub full of shea butter lotion. #AGirlCanDream

5.) Abby's PE teacher gave her a surprise: Hannah Montana wrapping paper. We came home & Abby decided to wrap her baby sister in it. #SmileyMiley

6.) Got my boy fix tonight by finally finishing Christmas shopping for all six of our nephews. Less variety in choices made it easy peasy.

7.) This week is so extremely busy that I seriously have to worry about something one day at a time or my head will undoubtedly explode. #Fact

8.) New holiday scented hand soaps and candles on sale at #Bath&BodyWorks make this momma a happy girl. #ItsTheLittleThingsInLife

9.) I know they say "Don't judge a book by it's cover"...but admittedly, I judge a dude by the shoes he's wearing. #SeriouslySaysAlot

10.) Absolutely adores my 3 y/o talking to me in 3rd person. Told her I need a kiss & she responds, "Lyla give you a kiss" with a big ole smooch.

11.) Things that make you go #WTF: 67 degrees. 5 days before Christmas. Something doesn't feel right.

12.) Apparently I have been watching too many #HowIMetYourMother episodes because I find myself narrating events in my head as if someone's listening.

13.) Getting holiday pedicure after neglecting the piggies for nearly 6 months. I believe the lady used a cheese grater on the soles of my feet.

14.) The stage is set: As in our house is officially ready for our 1st attempt of hosting Christmas for family tomorrow. #BringIt ((Jazz hands))

15.) This year for Christmas, we never had to pack our family up and leave our house. That alone makes it the #BestChristmasEver.

16.) When asked the five year old what her favorite present from Santa was...her response was, "That's easy. The #HelloKitty gumball machine. Because it's something I can share with everyone." #BeStillMtBeatingHeart

17.) Gotta love laying beside my toddler on her bed & pulling the "fake snore" method in which she then purposely copies thus making herself fall asleep so that Mommy can creep back to my own bed. #<3

18.) On Christmas night random dog sneaked into our house. All I could think about was reliving #AChristmasStory & having to eat Chinese instead. #OyVey

19.) Today marks the 2nd day of the baby's Albuterol breathing treatments every 4 hours for 4 days. I'm exhausted with one super hyper baby. #WheezingGoAway

20.) Has one ridiculously hyper baby thanks to these meds. She is seriously doing jumping jacks on my knee. #CrackIsWhackAndAlbuterolIsABall

21.) We love family lunches at #Mugshots, but I hate that everyone else and their mother do too. #WaitingSucks

22.) Can't wait to one day tell my kids, "I remember when there was no Internet & made my first email addy as a freshman in college." #LikeWhoa

23.) Me thinks it's pretty funny when my 5 y/o always corrects my pronunciation of the word "the." Apparently, it no longer sounds like "thee."

24.) My kids are more than kinda obsessed w/ watching Sophia Grace & Rosie sing Nicki Minaj's #SuperBass on Ellen. Mommy Loves them too. #YouTube

25.) RIP Gene Bartow #GoBlazers

26.) Running on two hours of sleep. Fear me. #Rowr

27.) Trying to eat a salad while half of your mouth is still numb (post dentist appointment) is not only frustrating, but nearly damn impossible. #BooHiss

28.) Kind of obsessed with all things #MatildaJane especially when they have a 50% off sale with $2 shipping. #Boom

29.) Note to self: Perhaps I should slow down on taking too many pictures, therefore I might actually catch up with my blogging. #TheresAThought

30.) Just polished the inside of Big Bertha with baby wipes. Hey, a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do. #MultitaskingPurposesMeetResourcefulness

31.) You know you live in the south when only the time you get a note in your child's folder about having no homework is the night of the #BCS National Championship football game. #Sweet

32.) So my mom called to announce that my dad bowled his highest score tonight: 268 which consisted of 8 strikes and 2 spares. #HeSoMagic

33.) Random Fact #643: When my juicy baby blows out her tongue & splatters spit all in my face, I secretly love every second of it.

can't sleep. would rather stare at this...

2012-01-12T00:21:00.001-06:00

wordless wednesday

2012-01-11T23:50:00.003-06:00

note to self:

2012-01-10T23:56:00.003-06:00

when letting the baby feed herself lasagna, expect her to wear half & eat the rest. in fact, perhaps clothing should be optional...

2011 BCS national championship game

2012-01-09T22:37:00.002-06:00

monday night, drew and heather invited some friends over to watch the BCS national championship game between the alabama crimson tide and the LSU tigers. everyone arrived around 6:30pm and brought a dish to share. we got a tour of their new house that rest right on the lake and it is absolutely beautiful. we all headed downstairs to watch the football game while the kids played in the open room nearby. the game was rather a snoozer since bama dominated the whole time. here are some pics...later the guys decided to play a game of poker and claimed the babies sitting in their laps as good luck charms. it's crazy to think that half of jay's fraternity brothers are now dads. and great ones at that. oh, how the times they are a changing. here are some pics...we didn't get home till nearly midnight, but it was so worth it. thanks for having us, drew and heather!

hannah's baptism

2012-01-08T12:01:00.001-06:00

on sunday, our dear friends were celebrating the baptism of their second daughter at OLV catholic church at 12:30pm. family and close friends were there as we all watched the beautiful ceremony that was held inside the chapel. the godparents were so proud and baby hannah did great. here are some pics...after the baptismal ceremony, tony and maloney hosted a nice reception at their house where food and drinks were served. the kids played with claire bear's toys while baby hannah and baby isabella slept the entire time in their car seats. gotta love the different stages of all of our munchkins. here are some pics...lastly, maloney surprised tony with a birthday cake so that he could celebrate his special day with family and friends as well. all of the munchkins gathered around as we sang happy birthday and then later helped the old man blow out his candles. overall, it was a great day of celebration both for baby hannah and her daddy. cheers!

grill out with the schweikhers

2012-01-07T23:59:00.000-06:00

(disclaimer: this post is out of order and i am currently too lazy to find my calendar and back date it so we will stick it here.)

so apparently the green egg was the christmas gift of the year if you are a male proud of grilling meat. jay, tony, matt, and mitchelle all got one and i kid you not when i say that grilling/smoking/cooking something on it has been the highlight of much discussion between the men folk. i digress.

the other day, matt invited us over since he had plans to smoke a 6.5 pound boston butt on his new toy overnight for 14 hours and chose us to reap the rewards of his labor. we were so excited and brought a side dish along with ice cream and the fixings for the kids to enjoy after dinner. heather also made us some pomegranate martinis and everything was amazingly delicious.

(one more disclaimer: in the rush to get out the door, i forgot my camera so i took just a few on my phone. my eyes always look like a zombie's for some reason, but we'll just look past that. thanks. :D)

here are some pics...
lastly, it was also the day of the rose bowl where oregon beat wisconsin in a fierce game of football. all of our munchkins played the whole time while the guys watched the game. later in the night, they all started playing "dress up." there were so many different costumes to chose from that i know my girls were in heaven because this is currently their most favorite thing to do right now, especially for the three year old. they were too cute. abby and ellie wouldn't allow me to take their picture until the blue eyeshadow was located and oh-so beautifully placed on their sweet faces. as for jem-jem...i'd like to call her "BABY GAGA." hollywood, call me.

showering baby adelyn

2012-01-07T23:56:00.001-06:00

saturday after the basketball game, jay took the girls home while i made my way to a dear old high school friend's baby shower. rewind if you will: i love this girl. we use to be awesome friends back in the day. we carpooled to mostly every function together and her mom fed us digiorno's pizza on a regular basis. we had some great times with janby and i'm so excited about meeting her first baby, adelyn elise.

her shower started at 3:00pm where we munched on some food, played the normal baby shower games, and watched as she opened up her presents. lauren and marge were there as well and it was a lot of fun reuniting and catching up with them. all in all, it was a wonderful baby shower, and i can't wait to meet that sweet baby girl. congrats again, janby! xoxo

go warriors!!

2012-01-07T11:21:00.000-06:00

saturday marked the beginning of abby's cheerleading season for OLS's basketball teams. the squad consists of kindergarteners through 2nd grade and they all cheer for different grade levels depending on what time their coach decides. there are no weekly practices, no super early game times, games only last an hour, and they don't nickle and dime you for every little thing...talk about my kind of a more laid back cheerleading season, hooray!

the only hiccup was that the company in which the uniforms were ordered from delivered the wrong tops so the girls were told to wear their field trip t-shirts instead until the problem was fixed. no worries, they all still looked cute and were excited nonetheless. lola came to watch because we all know she adores her sports and her grandbabies. another fun surprise was finding out that jackie boo was coaching the 2nd grade girls team who were scheduled to play OLV at 2:00pm. here are some pics...abby sat with her classmates and two BFFs (brooke and isabelle) in the bleachers as they cheered different chants and shook their pom poms. little sister lylie wanted in on the action too and sat beside abby the whole time cheering right along. it was the sweetest thing ever. abby's coaches even let lylie perform alongside her during the half time show where they all formed the letters "O-L-S" on the court. after a couple of more cheers, they all lined up as each girl walked to the middle, shouted her name, and then did some sort of gesture or stunt. here are some pics...lastly, i am saddened to say that the pictures i got of both abby and lyla as each one performed in the middle came out so incredibly blurry. i guess i was in complete shock as we watched lyla do her best somersault in front of the whole gymnasium. then abby shouted her name and took the biggest jump with pom poms shaking in the air. i was so proud. seriously. it's times when i worry that they are going to clam up and freeze is when they shine brighter than they ever have. i have a feeling this basketball season is going to be so much fun. go warriors!!

happy birthday, tre and karmie!!

2012-01-04T13:54:00.001-06:00

wednesday night, we met up with my side of the family in honor of both tre and karmie's birthdays. tre had turned 31 and karmie is now 35. we celebrated at one of our local mexican restaurants and enjoyed dinner as everyone talked about their day. here are some pics...once everyone had finished, jay secretly whispered to our waiter and pointed to both of the special birthday peeps and even politely requested for some sombreros. a few minutes later, our waiter gathered up his other fellow employees as they circled around our table, placed ice cream in front of both karmie and tre as they placed sombreros over their heads, and we all sang happy birthday with lots of clapping involved. once the singing was over with, the birthday boy and girl enjoyed hamming it up for my camera. loved it. here are some pics...overall, it was a great birthday dinner in honor of two very special people. happy happy birthday, you guys. we love you all! xoxo

wordless wednesday

2012-01-04T00:11:00.002-06:00

new years day 2012

2012-01-01T01:18:00.004-06:00

although my side of the family has always had the tradition of getting together on new years day, this year we decided to change it up a bit. tita karmie decided to host it at her house and the theme was "come wearing your pajamas." we arrived around noon, and it was laid back, fun, and perfect. we ate our black eyed peas for good luck, collard greens for prosperity, and noodles for a long healthy life. everything was delicious and the atmosphere of being in tita karmie's house together as a family felt really comforting. here are some pics...the first one is of the girls and i with tita karmie. coincidentally, we all wore our hair in pigtails. too cute.after eating the traditional superstitious foods, tita karmie and jay ran to the store to pick up some graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate in order to make s'mores right out of the awesome fire pit located in the middle of her den. this is abby's favorite thing about tita karmie's house. they had so much fun doing this, and the s'mores turned out absolutely scrumptious. i'm fairly certain that lylie enjoyed them the most. here are some pics...later in the day, we all decided to play a game of phase 10. i'm not gonna lie, my family is very competitive so playing games like this is always a good time. seriously. what's not to love about some healthy fun competition? ya'll we played for nearly five hours. FIVE.HOURS. it was ridiculous, exhausting, but more importantly, the most fun we've all had together in a really long time. here are some pics...later, karmie's roomate khristale came home and gave candy cane flavored hershey kisses to the kiddos...they rejoiced and thought she was the coolest person ever. khristale then joined in with us as we continued our fierce game of phase 10. it was the perfect wind down to a great day as we enjoyed a new year by being surrounded with the ones we love. hope everyone has a fulfilling, healthy, and happy 2012!! xoxo

new years eve

2011-12-31T18:39:00.002-06:00

this year for new years eve, we made plans at the very last minute. jay was comparing notes with tony on their newest grilling escapades when an impromptu get together was formed. gotta love how men and their meat come together in celebration of a holiday. it just so happens that it was maloney's birthday the day before so lindsay brought a cookie cake and we surprised her by all singing happy birthday as she blew out her candles. here are some pics...tony brought over some ribs that he had grilled out earlier that day while jay smoked a boston butt, and grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for the kids. all of the munchkins played great together and it was too cute watching abby push greer around in the play stroller. next thing you know, everybody was rotating turns. also, another sweet moment was when greer sat beside baby jemma to play and enjoyed helping her put her binkie back in her mouth. it was like a game they were playing with each other. she's spit it out, he'd put it back. rinse and repeat. here are some pics...while the kiddos played, we enjoyed watching football and chatting it up all night. we wanted a group pic of the kiddos, but the only way to make it happen was to pile them on top of me and ask random questions as a distraction method. it worked and they even wore their new years eve hats. even baby jem-jem and the godfather. score. here are some pics...later in the night, the guys headed outside with some of the kids in preparation of shooting off some fireworks and letting the little ones enjoy holding some sparklers. haswell and greer bounced on the mini-trampoline for a bit while jay and tony continuously handed lylie a sparkler after sparkler and then it came down to her double fisting two at a time. she's fearless and talented like that whereas careful and cautious big sister, abby, watched from the back porch. here are those pics...lastly, it was getting to the point of being past everyone's bedtime. this is when we decided to open up some sparkling grape juice for the kids to enjoy why the parents partook in the real bubbly champagne. it was the first time for greer to have a sip of the sparkling grape juice, and he loved it. also, it was so funny and sweet to see the girls clank their glasses together and say "cheers!" i had no idea that they knew to do that. these little ones truly do love a good innocent celebration. here are some pics...all in all, it was a wonderful low key new years eve with some great friends and their kiddos. everyone left around 11-11:30pm because they were fading fast. that's how you know you're getting old when you can barely make it to midnight to bring in a new year. after the house was quiet and our girls were asleep in their beds, jay and i counted down the new year together and watched the ball drop on the tv as we kissed each other for not only traditional purposes, but for a good night. farewell 2011, you definitely had your ups and downs, but we are more than looking forward to a fulfilling, healthy, and happy 2012!!

playing with cousin hudson

2011-12-29T01:11:00.002-06:00

wordless wednesday

2011-12-28T03:11:00.005-06:00

so abby took these pictures on her camera and i gotta admit, they turned out pretty cute. also, i love the way baby jem-jem's eyes look in the first pic. still can't believe how the filipino gene was completely washed out with that one...

noccalula falls

2011-12-27T03:20:00.009-06:00

over the christmas break, abby begged and pleaded that she wanted to spend her special one-on-one time with tita karmie since "it was her turn." that said, i called up karmie and told her of my child's request. she then tells me to send her over so that abby can spend the night and then they would go to either ruby falls or noccalula falls the next morning. in karmie's words, "depending on the weather, we'll go to chattanooga or gadsden. she won't know the difference either way...both are waterfalls." true. so very true.

so i drop abby off at her tita karmie's house where they make a fort in her den. check out those old school sports-themed bedsheets...awesome.the next morning they woke up to lots of rain, thus noccalula falls was named the adventure for the day. nonetheless, abby was excited. tita karmie told her of the legend of princess noccalula as they peered over the waterfall and saw the nearby statue. abby liked her long braids the best. if you're not aware of the story, legend has it that princess noccalula was arranged to marry a rich chief by her father, but instead was in love with a different man within her own tribe. instead of obeying her father and going along with the planned marriage, she jumps off the waterfall to meet her death and her troubles were over. not sure if a 5 year old can fully wrap her mind around that story, but oh well, some times disney is not much better. here are some pics...after their fun time at the falls, they decided to eat lunch at the waffle house since abby was craving eggs and grits. a girl after my own heart. also, i love that they took pics of this. all in all, abby had a great day with her tita karmie.

tita karmie and her favorite nieces

2011-12-26T03:00:00.004-06:00

the douglas family christmas

2011-12-25T01:32:00.020-06:00

this year we offered to host christmas dinner at our house considering our usual traditional place (the family's restaurant: home field) had been damaged due to april's tornadoes and the city is still giving them difficulty with rebuilding. boo. hiss. so we wanted to make sure the family had a place to all come together and celebrate since "being together is the best gift of all."

thanks to the amazing help of auntie jess, preparing the food was easier than expected. jay woke up early that morning and started smoking two turduckens on his new green egg that he got a couple of weeks earlier in preparation of the holiday. i swear he grilled out nearly every night making sure he felt comfortable with the settings of his new toy. that man loves to grill out. thankfully, both of the turduckens turned out absolutely delicious. my favorite was the one that had the duck and dressing stuffed inside the turkey. here are some pics...lyla even helped spread out the french fried onions on top of the green bean casserole while jess and i set up and decorated the long table...we practically turned our den into a dining room and it worked out pretty great with just the right amount of chairs needed. here are some pics...once everyone arrived, we all stood behind a chair at the table, held our traditional english crackers (aka, goofy hats) while jay said the blessing, and then popped the crackers open to reveal a small little prize and a colored hat. it was then time to eat as everyone made their own plate full of every casserole imaginable. everything was sooo scrumptious deliumptious. here are some pics...after dinner, we broke down the tables and removed some chairs so that there was more room in the den for opening up presents. everyone bought something small for the kids while later the adults played a game of dirty santa. abby and lyla had so much fun dressing up in their new costumes and seriously tried on every single one. playing dirty santa was a blast, especially at the end when gracie swapped presents with jay so that i could ultimately have the massage envy gift card...i love that woman. here are some pics...so just when i thought i had my highlight of the night by winning said gift card, i was surprised again. auntie jess pulls something wrapped under the tree and says, "oh, we missed one...this is for you, kim." i looked at it and was confused. it said it was from santa. i knew i had already received a pair of boots from santa (aka, jay) so i wasn't expecting anything else. i tear into it. it's a pandora charm bracelet that i've been wanting for a long time, but only spoke of it once, months ago. i guess jay was listening. the charms he added to it were absolutely perfect. they were three little girls with each a beaded gem stone (abby, lyla, and jemma's birthstone). i loves, loves, loves it and never leave home without it. thanks, santa...you are so thoughtful and good to me. here are some pics...lastly, the night was winding down and it definitely felt like the best christmas we've had as a family together in a long time. the kids all played and got along great and the adults got to truly enjoy each other's company being that we were all within the same room the whole time. once everyone left, it made us realize how lucky we are to have such a strong support group on both sides of our family. and the fact the we keep growing is pretty awesome too. hope everyone had a very merry christmas. here are some pics...

christmas morning

2011-12-25T00:26:00.000-06:00

abby woke up early on christmas morning where she walked to the den, saw all the presents that santa had left under the tree along with the stockings stuffed, then frantically ran back to their bedroom to wake up lyla. they were both so excited that they then woke us up, shared the news, and then ran downstairs to wake up their auntie jess in shouts of, "santa came, santa came!!"

everyone wiped their eyes open and headed back upstairs where the girls started tearing into their gifts. wrapping paper was flying everywhere and their excitement was contagious. oh, to enjoy the magic of christmas through the eyes of a child. here are some pics...apparently, they were all very good girls this year because each girl got what she wanted on her christmas list, including lylie who mostly wanted one special specific present: CHEESE!!!

christmas eve

2011-12-24T23:59:00.008-06:00

twas' the night before christmas, when all through the house...

the douglas girls were making some last final touches before santa came to visit. they started off by baking some cookies in the oven for the jolly fat guy to enjoy later in the night. once the cookies were baking, abby and lyla headed outside to the front yard in order to sprinkle some food out for santa's reindeer. they need a snack too since they have a super busy night ahead of them. here are some pics...the girls came back inside where their auntie jess read to them a bedtime story which was of course, "the night before christmas." even baby jem-jem got to sit in her lap as she sucked down her bedtime bottle. the cookies were almost done baking, but first abby and lylie wanted to write a letter to santa. lylie said she wanted to draw a picture of an elf and that's exactly what she did while big sister wrote the letter. teamwork at it's finest. here are some pics...finally the cookies were done along with all of the final preparations before bedtime. the girls left their letter and drawing beside a plate of cookies and a glass of eggnog for santa to find once he climbs down the chimney. we tucked them into bed and once santa was absolutely positive that they were asleep, he started unloading their presents and polishing off the cookies and eggnog. oh what a fun christmas eve it was...

auntie jess and her favorite neices

2011-12-24T22:10:00.000-06:00

the johnson's family christmas

2011-12-24T19:10:00.000-06:00

due to conflicting work and in-law schedules, we planned to celebrate christmas with my side of the family just a couple of days earlier at lola and pawpaw's house. dinner started around 6:00pm where lola had the table set beautifully and pawpaw cooked a yummy duck. he also made some fig pudding for dessert of which none of us have ever had...it turned out really good and everything was delicious.after dinner, we all piled the munchkins on their tita karmie for a few fun pictures. they always seem to start off in phases: the normal pose, the crazy shot, and oh look, everyone magically fell asleep. it's great and the kids love it, including tita karmie. of course lola and pawpaw were next as all of their grandchildren climbed on top of them. gotta love moments like this...soon after, it was time for unwrapping the christmas presents under the tree. the girls tore into their gifts and really racked up this year with a bunch of their favorite things. it was so sweet watching baby jem-jem tear into her wrapping paper to reveal some much needed teething toys. between us adults, we all drew names and got each other one gift whereas everyone got something for the kids because after all, they are the ones who make it all worthwhile. here are some pics...lastly, once all the gifts were opened, along with hugs, kisses, and thank you's being exchanged, us big kids relaxed in the den while our little kids played with their new loot. the first thing lyla and abby wanted to dig their wee little hands in were the cases of make-up. lyla applied hers frantically on within two minutes of opening her box. she was so excited, and oh my, how beautiful she looked. here are some pics...

4th annual bunco christmas party

2011-12-23T23:59:00.002-06:00

friday night marked the traditional 4th annual bunco christmas party at christi's house. as always, wearing your best pjs was mandatory and the festivities started at 7:00pm. everyone brought a dish to share and an ornament which was wrapped and swapped in a hilariously fun game of dirty santa.

two ornaments that seemed to stand out were the 1.) jersey shore's "the situation" brought by heather and then 2.) the auburn ornament that was wrapped in alabama wrapping paper brought by melissa. i thought both brought quite a bit of laughs to the game. all of the other ornaments were beautiful just the same.

all in all, it was wonderful laid back night, chilling in pajammies, munching on good food, and enjoying great company. thanks for hosting another great christmas get-together, christi! here are some pics...

jemma aubrey douglas

2011-12-23T23:49:00.004-06:00

age: 9 months old

nicknames: jem-jem, jabbin' jemma, our miracle baby

words used to describe you: angelic, content, smiley, laid-back, beautiful blue eyes, juicy, blessed, cuddly, happy, bouncy

dear jemma,

you are 20 pounds with short light brown hair with a bit of your daddy's blond highlights underneath and the most beautiful blue eyes ever. you have come such a long way since you were born and we are so unbelievably proud and thankful of you. you amaze us each and every day. some times you like to bite on one of your lips and it makes the cutest face ever. you hate when mommy leaves the room and is out of your sight. it immediately makes you bring out your best fake cry with crocodile tears pouring down. no sooner than i pick you up, you are are like a switch and quickly happy again, bouncing around in my arms. it makes me laugh.

you like to sleep and when you get really tired, you shake your head from side to side and babble out loud. you love looking at your big sisters and interacting with them. they always want to help put your binky (pacifier) back in your mouth once it's fallen out and you always open your mouth up wide because you know it's coming.

when you get real excited while sitting in my lap, you will start to bounce up and down and practically do jumpin' jacks while sitting on my knee. you also are very ticklish under your arms and near your rib cage. a quick playful pinch and tickle there will send you into a giggling frenzy and hearing you laugh makes my heart warm and fuzzy.

you love to sit up and enjoy playing with your toys. you are only now starting to show a bit of interest in going places, but are not fully crawling yet. you will however quickly lunge at something and then go into the "tummy time" position. you hate being on your belly and your sisters know this because they are always there to quickly help you. you also enjoy standing up and playing in your excersaucer in the den and the mirror is your new favorite toy.

to no surprise, you are a very good eater. you tolerate fruit, veggies, meats, pasta, etc. well and have started eating table foods off of our plate too. we have recently discovered that you can chow down on a hot dog, but only after it's been cut up in super tiny pieces because you only have two bottom teeth and mommy is still quite paranoid of you potentially choking. you do love your "yum-yums" (apple cinnamon puffs) and could eat the whole canister in one sitting if we allowed it. you are slowly starting to use a pincer grasp as opposed to the raking motion of picking up your yum-yums. watching you do this is one of my favorite things about you. oh jemma, how much we love you! xoxo

lyla scarlett douglas

2011-12-23T23:44:00.004-06:00

age: 3 years old

nicknames: toshy, lyla bug, lylie

words used to describe you: fearless, affectionate, free spirited, creative, stubborn, cuddly, happy, clumsy, sweet, helpful, strong, funny, dancer, and music lover

dear lyla,

you are now 31 pounds with light brown hair that falls a wee bit past your shoulders with warm medium brown eyes. you could live off snacks alone, preferably yogurt. you are a cuddler with mommy and love to rough house with daddy, especially by riding on his back and doing flips off his legs. you love to help clean up and never hesitate to start picking up your toys when i say, "this house is a mess!"

you get annoyed when i ask you questions repeatedly because i can't quite make out what you are saying sometimes. when you are tired, you don't like to rest in your bed, but rather the floor of where you were standing two minutes earlier. when we tell you to rest because your attitude is showing that you are tired, you like to lay on your side, head down, on the floor, till you fall asleep.

i love to watch and listen to you laugh. your eyes get all squinty (you get it honest) and you start to giggle through your teeth. it's the cutest facial expression ever and sometimes i firmly believe you just like to laugh at your own laugh.

you are oh so very clumsy, but tough at the same time. when you fall, you get right back up and need very little consoling if any at all. you love getting dirty whether it be in the mud, with paint, or smothering yourself with too much make-up.

you love when i tell you to go relay a message to big sister because you march right off and tell her so "matter of factly." it cracks me up. you love to either run around the house in just your panties or a lovely princess costume and i kid you not when i say that you change outfits at least five times a day. you love to sing and do it all the time even with added made-up lyrics of your own. that is one of my most favorite things about you. oh lyla, how much we love you! xoxo

abigail may douglas

2011-12-23T23:42:00.000-06:00

age: 5 years old

nicknames: abby bug, the mabster, mabs

words used to describe you: sweet, sensitive, flirty, shy, funny, tender, mother hen, helpful, girly girl, people pleaser, happy, good listener, inquisitive, creative

dear abby,

you are now 41 pounds with medium brown hair that falls around your shoulders with warm dark brown eyes. you have a wonderful yearning for learning and love going to school. you like to ask me at least 50 times a day how to spell something so that you can write it down in one of your 15 notebooks and you love reading your homework to us.

you are our healthy eater and will some times decline ice cream and cake at birthday parties because you know that it's full of sugar. (disclaimer: i have no idea where you caught on to this because this is not something that we preach. clearly. lol) however, it does amaze me to know that you have more self discipline than a lot of people including myself. i do however try to teach you that "everything is okay in moderation." a treat every now and then is indeed good for you.

when you are tired, you are extremely sensitive and cry easily. we have found that if we just leave you alone and give you some quiet "me time," you quickly come out of it. hey, mommy understands. i think every woman does. you hate being in trouble or feeling like a disappointment and usually always try to do the right thing.

you are becoming more extroverted and courageous out on the playground. things i wouldn't think you'd attempt, you are now mastering. believe me, it blew my mind to watch you go completely across the high monkey bars all on your own. i can tell you've been practicing.

you love your teachers and school nurse because if you have any complaints or ailments, you know exactly what to say to get a cough drop, a bag of ice, or a band-aid. you enjoy this extra bit of attention and will fake an injury to get it. it's pretty comical, but we are trying our hardest to "toughen you up." thankfully, you have inherited our silly sarcasm and jokes and enjoy laughing at yourself for minutes after something is said or done. you love to pretend that you are the mommy when playing with your siblings. you take care of them so well and enjoy telling them what to do. on the flip side, you share so unbelievably well. if someone gets upset because they want what you have, you offer it to them quickly. that is one of my most favorite things about you. oh abby, how much we love you! xoxo

my baby model

2011-12-22T23:49:00.001-06:00

so being the proud momma i am, of course i have to blog this...

my friend and amazing photographer (melissa wells) notified me and asked if i would be interested in letting baby jem-jem model a few hairbands for one of her vendors since 1.) she is so juicy and ridiculously cute, and 2.) she is still quite content sitting there and not running around yet (my favorite baby stage). how could a mother say no? obviously i'm a bit obsessive when it comes to pictures anyway so of course, i was all game.

anywho, melissa took a few and showed her vendor. she said the lady was in love with my cute baby, yay!! furthermore, her pics will be printed into catalogs that will go to high end boutiques all over the world that will sell her beautiful headbands. ummm, how awesome is that? i am claiming jem-jem a baby model, oh yes i am. hehe. here are a sample of some of the pics that melissa took...
lastly, melissa surprised me with this pose for baby jem-jem since it is after all her "first christmas." she even edited the christmas lights on the tree behind her so that she could be completely surrounded by all the wonder and glory of the bright holiday spirit. when she uploaded these pics to facebook, i nearly soiled myself because i was so happy. seriously. nothing makes my heart burst into a huge smile like this...happy holidays to everyone, and thank you for choosing my baby, melissa!! xoxo

happy birthday, jesus!

2011-12-21T14:30:00.000-06:00

wordless wednesday

2011-12-21T14:29:00.000-06:00

abby's christmas program

2011-12-20T14:33:00.001-06:00

abby had her christmas program on tuesday morning inside her school's gymnasium. it was a school wide assembly in which each class dressed up and played/sang a part withing the program. abby's class wore sparkly halos since they were the angels surrounding the nativity scene.

they all lined up in front of the audience and sang to the christmas canon song...you know the one that the lyric, "merry christmas, merry christmas, merry christmas" is constantly repeated. that was the kindergartners part (along with singing "on this night, on this night, on this very christmas night...") as they sang back up to the 6th graders who sang the other lyrics at the same time. it was absolutely heart-melting and A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E.

abby and brooke were so focused on their words and making sure that they were in tune with the song. in all honesty, i believe that listening to little children sing in unison has got to be the sweetest sound on earth. that, and babies giggling. here are some pics...later we all congregated inside the parish hall with classes K-2nd grade. a book about jesus' birthday was read over the projector near the stage area and once it was finished, a surprise visit from santa occurred as he walked out of the back curtain. the kids were so excited as santa held baby jesus and they all sang "happy birthday" to him with the whole "cha, cha, cha, eat more chicken" chants added in. it was pretty funny. tita karmie even came and surprised the mabster by stopping by to enjoy her christmas party with her. food and drinks were served along with a fun activity for the kids to take home. here are some pics...after everyone finished eating, each class came up on stage for a group picture with santa. i'm not sure who was harder trying to get them to keep their heads still and look at the camera...the kids or santa himself? also, i snagged a quick picture of abby with one of her teacher's: mrs. lawrence. i'll have to track down mrs. philbin next time. here are some pics...lastly, after abby's christmas party, they were dismissed early as well as lyla from wee-k. daddy had to go back to work so the girls and i went out with tita karmie to enjoy the rest of the day. we ate lunch and then tita karmie took both girls on a fun adventure to the mcwane center and some shopping. all in all, it was a great day and start to christmas break.

nothing says "merry christmas" like a santa snuggie...

2011-12-20T14:05:00.000-06:00

christmas dance class

2011-12-19T14:12:00.001-06:00

during lyla and abby's dance classes this week, the parents were allowed to come into the studio so that we could enjoy watching them perform all the new things they have learned throughout the last several months. after wards, a sheet was laid down where we all got to enjoy a festive holiday snack before christmas break. here are some pics...

lyla's class:
abby's class:

the north pole express

2011-12-18T16:26:00.000-06:00

sunday, jay and i got the girls ready in their super cute matching christmas pajamas and then loaded everyone up in the car. we thought we left at a decent time in order to make it to the heart of dixie railroad in calera...but boy, were we wrong. there was so much traffic and once you hit slightly before lakeshore, it was bumper to bumper. as we looked at our clock, it read 7:43pm and our train departed at 8:00pm.

jay admitted that he didn't think we were going to make it in time. i told him to never doubt me. we made it. by the skin of our teeth. as in, we sprinted as hard and as fast as we could, carrying all the kids (one of which was still shoeless) all while screaming, "stop the train!!" ya'll, it was hysterical. like out of a flippin' movie. luckily our besties were already on the train waiting for us and had saved our seats with them. we finally got settled in and took some pics. so how does the "frazzled and out of breath" look...look on us?...so this year, they changed things up a bit. instead of a conductor being inside our freight train and reading "the polar express" book to us, they read a different themed christmas book over the intercom. then once it was finished, the elves handed out a gold key in which the kids are to hang on their christmas tree to let santa know that they have been to the north pole...thus the name "north pole express" and not "the polar express." the girls also enjoyed dancing with the elves in the aisle inside our train while christmas carols were being sang on the overhead. here are some pics...we finally arrived at the north pole where the girls waved at santa and mrs. claus through their window. they were so excited and it was really sweet. after patiently waiting just a few short minutes, they boarded our train and the girls got to take a cute picture with santa and mrs. claus. all three of our girls were all smiles and it made my heart smile as well. this is what it's all about...memories like these...lastly, once their visit with santa was over with, cookies and chocolate milk were passed out to everyone along with their own surprise from santa. abby and lylie received a beautiful silver snowflake ornament while baby jem-jem received a little red and green striped beanie baby dog. they were all so happy, and to be honest, jay and i couldn't have been any happier knowing we didn't miss that train. ahhh, good times. good times, indeed. here are some pics...

ceasar's annual tacky christmas party

2011-12-17T23:53:00.001-06:00

so saturday was a busy day, but it couldn't have ended any better. once jay and i met each other at home after splitting up in order to celebrate to different important events, we changed clothes and donned our most tackiest christmas attire in preparation of tony and maloney's annual christmas party. we were so incredibly excited about our kidless night out together. our friend christi even came over to our house to watch the kids so our girls were excited to have some playmates over as well. it really worked out perfectly.

once we arrived at the party, we couldn't help but laugh and laugh as we scanned the room to see what our friends had dressed up like. tony and bates both dressed up as clark griswold from national lampoon's christmas vacation while lindsay dressed up as cindy lou who from how the grinch stole christmas. mostly everyone else dressed up in their tackiest christmas sweater vests and ridiculously cheesy turtlenecks. here are some pics...later in the night, it was time to play a "naughty" version of dirty santa. this is always a barrel full of laughs because no one holds anything back and the creativity behind some of the gifts are disgustingly brilliant. that said, i took some pics while playing this side-splitting game, but am fearful to post them here. in all honesty, i am trying to keep this blog at a PG level because i'm sure one day my kids will be reading this stuff years from now. and well, mommy and daddy are pure and innocent. slightly 6th grade perverted, but it's all in sh!ts and giggles. anywho. these are the only two pics i will post...if you happen to notice the raunchy wrapping paper, you can only imagine what was wrapped inside. here are those pics...the night was winding down so just like every year before, it was time to bust out some tunes on the ipod. everyone danced and just acted silly. the girls danced along to the electric slide, the charlie brown, and even taught us the new "wobble wobble" line dance. clearly, i don't get out much because i had absolutely no idea that it even existed. it was real. it was fun. it was real fun. can't wait to do it all again next year. happy tacky christmas!!

happy 3rd birthday, douglas!!

2011-12-17T19:23:00.001-06:00

saturday while i was at karmie's graduation, jay took the girls to cousin douglas' third birthday party. it started at 3:00pm and was held at wee flip in vestavia. jay said they all had an absolute blast playing in the ball pit, riding down the roller coaster slide, jumping around and performing some gymnastics, as well as playing with the big parachute with the rest of their cousins. thankfully, he even took some super cute pics for me on his phone which turned out really good. everyone had a great time. happy happy birthday, douglas!! xoxo

karmie's nursing graduation

2011-12-17T15:42:00.001-06:00

saturday at 2:00pm, i met up with my side of the family in honor of my awesome older sister's nursing graduation. karmie graduating with an advanced practitioner of nursing/primary care/psychiatric-mental health nursing degree. yeah, that was a mouthful, right? in short, she is now a psychiatric nurse practitioner and we are so extremely proud of her.

the best part of the over two hour long commencement is the fact that karmie was texting me throughout the entire event. she was hysterical saying things like, "the first time i graduated, i wore flip flops. now i'm in my hooker boots. growing up (sigh)." it was perfect as later when she was waiting in line to walk up to carol garrison in order to receive her diploma, she pulled up her green robe a wee bit to flash me her zexy boots. classic. then there was this text: "this is my third one and it's kinda boring. ask mom where she wants to eat. i want to dip early" also, this one was pretty funny too: "please don't yell or woo. it's undignified. tell dad. of course this will just make him do it." hilarious. here are some pics...so being that karmie let our mom pick the place for our family dinner, she chose the fish market downtown. we all happily agreed since their food is pretty awesome. jay and the girls weren't there because he took them to our nephew's birthday party with his side of the family (will blog this next) while karla and tre dropped the boys off with their babysitters. it all worked out great considering we all knew that there's no way the kids would be able to sit still for that long when even us adults were having a hard time trying to pay attention. hehe. all in all, it was a great ceremony in honor of an awesome big sis. we love you, and once again, are so proud of you, karmie!! xoxo

elfcapades 2011

2011-12-16T13:09:00.000-06:00

our elf on the shelf is named elvis and although he doesn't get sneaky and pull some serious shenanigans every night (ya know, because he's really tired by the end of a long day), he has done some funny stuff around the house for our girls.

for example, one morning they woke up to find him taking a bubble bath in their bathroom sink with some mini marshmallows. abby even swore that some sticky pieces of marshmallow were stuck on his lips where he tried to eat the bubbles just like what she does at bath time...then there was the morning where they found him hanging on tight by the candy cane on their advent calendar. they were worried that he was going to fall so told me to help him fast since "only mommy can touch him so that he won't lose his magic"...furthermore, there was the time were elvis rolled the berry trees on top of our kitchen table. he used up all of the toilet paper that was left and held on to the roll with that devious little smirk on his face. silly elvis. abby and lylie told him, "no, no, no!!" after he pulled that stint...then one morning, they woke up to find him reading lylie's favorite christmas bedtime book on baby jemma's pink rocking chair in her room. abby had just read that same book to lylie the night before so they figured that elvis wanted to enjoy it too...also, abby and lylie woke up super excited to see that elvis the elf had made popcorn and cupcakes the night before and made a huge mess by dropping his popcorn every where. he ate so much that he left a half eaten piece of cake on top of their play cupcake oven...which lylie quickly helped him finish. see, she's thoughtful like that at 6:00am...lastly, elvis got in big time trouble when the girls found that he stole some of their underwear and thought it would be funny to hang them in our christmas tree in the den. abby told him matter of factly, "those are our panties, not ornaments." then she told me to pick him up and move him somewhere else since he didn't belong there. it was actually quite funny...overall, these are just a few of elvis' adventures that have been going on within the douglas home. other nights, he'll just casually move from on top of the fireplace to the bottom of a kitchen cabinet. he honestly doesn't have to do much because the girls still get a kick at the slightest movement from the sneaky, little, magical, red suit wearing doll. oh, and if they are misbehaving, the words, "elvis is watching" helps straighten them up fast. maybe this little fellow should hang around year round...hmmmm...

cousins are da coolest

2011-12-16T00:01:00.000-06:00

thursday's thoughts

2011-12-15T00:01:00.002-06:00

1.) Heard on the radio that "funny" rather than skinny...is the new sexy. My thoughts? I'll never diet again. #HeHeHe

2.) Random Fact #865: I love dorks because I am one.

3.) My 5 y/o's current favorite hobby: Videotaping herself on my phone where she narrates her day to a friend & then signs off by saying "Boom." #Hilarious

4.) Random Fact #864: Nothing is sweeter than a sleeping baby. #ItsTheLittleThingsInLife

5.) Not sure if it was the all day #PolarExpress field trip, my newly diagnosed hypothyroidism, or the late dentist appointment at four yesterday, but I fell asleep at 6pm. #MommyDown

6.) RT @Julius Sharpe: From now on when someone sneezes, I'm going to say, "Tebow bless you.

7.) Glad to see that #McwaneScienceCenter no longer uses those plastic badges, but now big stickers to wear. Both very practical & green. #Kudos

8.) Good friends show up when you ask them to, great friends show up when you don't ask them to, and best friends show up with wine. #SGP

9.) Lunch date with the Hubs: Where #Newks soup and sandwiches go to live and die in my belly. #YummyGetInMyTummy

10.) Tis the season to donate 13 bags full of clothes & toys to #HannahHomes. Clutter is gone & giving is good. #AWinForAll

11.) Overheard Abby tell her crush bye with the added pet name of "Fletchy-Wetchy" at which he responded back "Bye, Dougie-Dougie." #KindergartenNicknames

12.) I love the man already. Go Blazers!! RT @UABathletics: Question: What drew you to UAB? "It was the people." - #GarrickMcGee #NewFootballCoach

13.) Last night's pictures: All I can say is...you know it was a damn good time when tonsils are visible in nearly every pic. #NashvilleB!tches

14.) First weekend in months were it's wide open. No birthday/holiday parties/kids' extracurricular activities. Oversleeping, here I come! #Boom

15.) While holding my baby & making a whole new bottle of formula, she smacks it out of my hand & it runs down my leg. Yeah. That just happened. #Crappit

16.) Random Confession: Hi, my name is Kim. And I'm addicted to almonds.

17.) RT @badbanana: Bad news is I fell out of my rolling desk chair. Good news is I landed in some kind of yoga pose, so I'm counting this as exercise.

18.) Want to blog. Need to blog. #Charter connection slow as molasses in January. Uploading pic, pain in rear. Let me tell you how I really feel.

19.) Kids were jumping on couch & fell in the Christmas tree. Immediately, they start crying. Not because they are hurt, but because they are scared of getting in trouble after Mommy told them to stop. #MommysAlwaysRight

20.) Just spent last hour pairing up every single random sock that my kids own. As agonizing as it was, it needed to be done. #HateMissingSocks

21.) RT @anjeanettec: I've never experienced drug withdrawal, but I forgot my chapstick today and have been unraveling ever since.

22.) Monday annoyance #1: Waking up & realizing that I forgot my toiletry and makeup bags at the hotel, hundred miles away. Nobody look or smell me today, please.

23.) Hubs and I are slightly addicted to watching every episode of each season of #HowIMetYourMother. What would we ever do without Netflix? #OurNewFavoriteShow

24.) Monday annoyance #3: Garage door fell off the rail, found hammer & fixed it back into place. This only delayed me 15 minutes. That I didn't have.

25.) Monday annoyance #2: Accidentally stepped into a huge water puddle while running & carrying the baby & 3 year old to dance class in rain. Left pant leg remained freezing & soaking wet for the last 5 hours in which I was away from home. #NoBueno

26.) Monday Joyance #1: Finding $13 in my old jacket pocket. The day is slowly on the up and up...

27.) Cosmo's Pizza: The best in Birmingham. #Fact

28.) "You make the world a better place by making yourself a better person." -Scott Sorrell

29.) Monday Joyance #2: Finally home, eating yummy chicken-n-dumplins in a warm house with my family, & competing against Hubs in Wheel Of Fortune. #ItsTheLittleThingsInLife

30.) Thanksgiving quote of the day: "We can't go in there. We suck." Spoken by the three year old to her Tita Karmie. #HappyTurkeyDay

31.) When a family member crop dusts in kitchen & the smell of it makes it's way to dinner table...that's when you stop eating. #HappyTurkeyDay

32.) I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to wear to Turkey Day tomorrow & it makes me anxious. #FirstWorldProblems

33.) Christmas cards came today so I addressed, stamped, & sent them off. This is definitely an "earliest send out" record for me. #GladThatsOver

34.) Severe weather turned out tame so we enjoyed family night at movies to see #PussInBoots. Favorite quote: "Throw a rock, you'll feel better."

35.) Just had a flashback that made me shutter and giggle to myself. Three words: Dean and Company. #Yowzas

36.) Random Confession: Nothing makes me feel more empowered than wearing a new bra. #NewfoundSupport #ItsTheLittleThingsInLife

37.) Had such a fun day at Abby's first field trip to the Polar Express today. Funny observation though...watching all the moms tell their kids what to do as they continue playing, however, as soon as the teacher says, "Let's go"...their ears perk up & they quickly obey. Conclusion: Teachers must have super human powers.

wordless wednesday

2011-12-14T00:01:00.000-06:00

fruit anyone?

2011-12-12T01:51:00.004-06:00

so my cousin maress sent a sweet surprise in the mail for baby jem-jem. it was a package of toy fruit in which she loves to play and drool all over. and why yes, my juicy baby is currently teething so she loves it. wanna know who else seriously adores playing with the various fruit? yep, it's the 3 year old.

much to my surprise one day, i opened up our refridgerator wanting to grab a diet coke (confession: i have a slight addiction) and noticed the plastic banana, orange, and peach laying there in between the boxes. it immediately brought a smile to my face. good golly, i absolutely love being a parent.

where purging finds a lovely reminder...

2011-12-10T01:24:00.003-06:00

i'd love to tell you how exciting our weekend was, but unfortunately it was exactly the opposite. and oh, how nice and refreshing it was. lol. i believe it was our first weekend in a really long time for us to be able to oversleep (actually, there's no such thing when you have young kids...who am i kidding?) and just enjoy lounging around. of course being the busybodies that we are, we couldn't sit still long enough before deciding that now was the time for some serious purging. as in decluttering and cleaning out our entire house. even my wonderful hubs cleaned out the garage and found a 2006 phone book in the closet under our stairs. like, whoa. our garage needed some organization in a really bad way. thankfully, the christmas lights from last year that rested in the middle area in between our cars are now where they belong and are decorating our yard.

i suppose since we have offered to host christmas at our house this year for jay's side of the family, it was enough motivation to simplify things and make every nook and cranny look somewhat decent. whew, it feels sooo good to finally get that done.

lastly, i stumbled upon these old framed collages of pictures from our yester years and sat in front of them just reminiscing for awhile. most of the pictures are from jay and i's freshman/sophomore year in college. see the big red heart? that was his personal invitation to my sorority's crush party from me. funny how a crush nearly 13 years ago turned into my one and only love of a lifetime. i am getting ridiculously giddy just thinking about it. good golly, i absolutely love that man.

girls dinner date

2011-12-09T01:08:00.004-06:00

friday night, i had plans for dinner with a few of my favorite college girlfriends at 26 located in southside at 7:30pm. jessi coordinated the dinner since she knew she would be in town and it worked out perfectly for the rest of us (karla maria, talley, maggie, and slammy). admittedly, she is really good at planning this stuff since we usually always try to get together during the holidays and in the summer for her birthday. it's always so nice to see everyone and catch up. dinner, drinks, and the company was absolutely wonderful. love you girls! xoxo. until next time...

abby's 1st school field trip

2011-12-08T23:34:00.014-06:00

thursday morning, i dropped off abby and lyla at school and then met abby inside the church for a school-wide liturgy since it was a holy day of obligation, the immaculate conception. i got to sit beside her with her class as father walked around asking the questions to all the kids during the homily. it was a nice experience and reminded me of my childhood with the exception of trying to learn the new wording in some of the prayers. but that's a whole nother post that i'm sure i'll never get to. anywho.

after mass was over with, both kindergarten classes loaded up on the big bus as a group of moms loaded into big bertha so that we could all conveniently carpool together. we drove to calera at the heart of dixie railroad museum for a "polar express" themed field trip. once we arrived, all the moms helped set up the picnic tables with cookies and hot chocolate for a quick snack before boarding the train. here are some pics...once all the kids finished their snacks, we climbed on to the train and sat in our seats. there was a surprise mystery reader (OLS's 3rd grade teacher) who read the polar express book to everyone on the train. she even wore a conductor hat and a mustache. it was a nice touch. after listening to the classic story being read, abby and some friends stared out the windows and played with an app on my phone as we waited to arrive at the north pole. we finally arrived, and santa entered the train with a bunch of ho, ho, ho's. here are some pics...abby was excited to see the fat jolly man as she sat on his lap and told him what she wanted for christmas. santa gave her a silver bell from his sleigh (just like in the book) and a little snowman as a gift. abby, brooke, and isabelle were all so excited to shake their bells together and listen to the sweet little jingle in amazement. here are some pics...after each classmate had their visit with santa, we arrived back from where the train first started. we all unloaded off and made our way to the grass area where we laid down some blankets and enjoyed a picnic with the lunch that we brought.

once everyone was finished eating, we made our way into the museum so that the kiddos could walk around and explore all things trains. after the museum visit was done, it came time for the class group picture with their teachers in front of one of the huge trains. abby's class lined up perfectly since mrs. philbin bribed them with five extra minutes of recess if everyone cooperated appropriately...which of course, they did. that my friends, is why i love her teachers. all in all, it was wonderful first field trip for everyone. i'm so glad i got to experience it with abby and watch her play with her classmates and friends while enjoying new things. here are some pics...

mcwane's winter wonderland

2011-12-07T02:29:00.006-06:00

after lylie's school assembly, we met up with friends at the mcwane science center to play with their newly opened "winter wonderland" exhibits. one of our personal favorites is playing in the faux snow area. lylie and charlie had fun making creations and filling up their buckets full of the cold white goodness. i was able to snag a quick pic as they stood beside the snowman, and then later we made our way to the other different levels. here are some pics...after playing with friends at the mcwane, we met up with tita karmie for some yummy lunch at cosmo's pizza. from there, tita karmie took lylie with her to the galleria for some fun shopping and a ride on the carousel. it was definitely a great day with my favorite three year old.

lyla's school assembly

2011-12-07T02:04:00.006-06:00

wednesday morning at 9:00, we went to lylie's school for the "singing santa" assembly that took place in the family life center. she sat with her classmates and even baby jemma sat beside her for a bit too as santa played the piano while everyone sang some fun christmas carols. here are some pics...once santa was done singing, all of the wee-k classes sat down at the tables where they enjoyed some yummy milk and cookies. it was a real treat as santa stopped with each child and asked what he/she wanted for christmas. our lylie's response? cheese. yes. she said cheese. :o) here are some pics...

wordless wednesday

2011-12-07T01:59:00.002-06:00

rockets cheerleading party

2011-12-06T01:27:00.001-06:00

tuesday night at 6:00pm, abby had her end of the season cheerleading party at our local skating rink. her and little sister lylie put their skates on along with daddy and enjoyed skating lap after lap. they had so much fun as baby jem-jem and i watched. later abby enjoyed skating with friends, lexie and bailey. here are some pics...after skating around for a bit, it was time to go inside the party room where they all enjoyed pizza and drinks. their coaches named out each girl as they received their trophy and a goodie bag full of candy and surprises. abby was so excited about her trophy and we are so proud of her. here are some pics...

girls nashvegas trip (continued)

2011-12-03T00:16:00.016-06:00

saturday morning we overslept a bit, ate an amazing brunch, some went to the gaylord opryland resort to look at the christmas lights, some did some shopping at the green hills mall, and i got an hour long massage. that's what i love about this group. everyone knows that we're all on a "vacation" so you pretty much do what you fancy, but always end up with the group for dinner and the night time festivities. this night, selena had booked our tickets for this (and it was ridiculously awesome):

NashTrash Inc is proud to present our new series, The NashTrash Murder Mystery Dinner Tour! Climb aboard the Big Pink Bus for a rollicking adventure featuring a brand-new original show, "A Grand Ole Murder."

Join an all-new outrageous cast of characters as they try to find out who committed a dastardly murder that happened backstage in the hallowed halls of the Grand Ole Opry.

We've rounded up a cast of should-be country stars, and they'll have you rolling in the Big Pink Bus aisle. Help 'em solve the crime, or even join in the fun by being a part of the cast. It's murder, mayhem, music and mystery, NashTrash style!when we arrived, they asked our group if any of us wanted to be in a part of the show. without hesitation, i nominated stacy and karla maria (my two BFFs) because i knew they would be awesome sports about it and i needed some good pics. ha! also, their ad lib was impeccable. here's more of what the night entailed...

BYOB! Bring your own tasty beverages (beer in cans, wine with plastic cups only, the trashier, the better), then you'll enjoy a country-style buffet supper at the fabulous Monell's at the Manor. And hey, they'll let you bring in those drinks for dinner, too! The cast will dine with you, so you can gather more clues to figure out who committed the dastardly deed. On the way back to the Farmers Market, your belly will be full and the case will be solved.

here are some pics...after the oh-so memorable nashtrash mystery dinner tour, we decided to enjoy the remainder of our night near the 2nd avenue district where the nightlife is just as fun. luckily, we found a bar with the most awesomest awesomest band ever. they played a vast variety of different songs that everybody in our group knew. love me some great cover songs, new and old. we all danced and sang the night away. we were given the reserved VIP booth that was located in the back of the bar shortly after arriving. we did kinda deserve it considering we walked into a ghost town bar, started dancing front and center to the band and no lie, about 20 minutes later, the place was slammed packed. we bring the party, b!tches!! hahaha. here are some pics...lastly, i don't really remember the walk home that night, but i was told that christi and lynda help escort mag and i back to our rooms...with the help of the luggage cart. yes. you read that correctly. don't judge me. i had the time of my life and i am forever grateful for friends like these. i'd have to say that this was the best girls trip yet. love to you all!! xoxo

girls nashvegas trip

2011-12-02T00:31:00.018-06:00

the destination for our traditional girls trip was in nashville and we were all so excited considering it's a quick easy trip with so much fun stuff to do, especially their night life. karla maria, melissa, maggie, and i all carpooled together and left early on friday morning. we were the first ones to arrive including selena who was already there visiting her parents. the rest of our clan met up with us later that night. as for us, we checked in to our room at the doubletree hotel (perfect walking distance to everything) and then decided to start exploring our surroundings.

we made our way to broadway where we decided to eat lunch at the big river grille and brewing works. this restaurant has always been one of my favorites. from there, we decided to stop at the ryman auditorium for a tour of where the grand ole opry took place. walking around the historical theater was pretty cool. i visualized good ole patsy cline up on stage along with some skits from the ever comical hee haw tv show. we even got to get up on stage for a picture as we hammed it up with some guitars and the microphone. after that, we enjoy a margarita and live music at the nearby bar, the stage. our girls trip was definitely off to a great start. here are some pics...the rest of our group finally arrived as everyone freshened up and then met in the hotel's martini bar. from there, we all decided to cram into one cab (funniest cab ride ever and yet the night was still so young) where it took us to our dinner plans at demo's. it was family style italian, cheap and yummy. here are some pics...after eating a late dinner, we walked back to broadway where we all jumped back and forth to the different bars with various live bands. that's what i love about nashville...there's something for everyone's own personal music taste. there was new country in one bar and bluegrass in the hipster bar next door. the latter is where we met santa himself who seemed as nice as can be. he even took a picture with us as he talked about just leaving a kid's party. we told him how we were all moms with multiple kids and excited about having just a quick trip away for a bit. needless to say, santa got in a bar fight later in the night and we thought it was hysterical. here are some pics...lastly, i leave you with some pics of the highlight of the night where karla maria decides to ride a mechanical bull. ya'll she was pretty much as sober as one could be. she simply told the lady, "please go slow...i just want a picture on the thing." graciously, the lady made it nice and easy for her. i snagged some pics and we all laughed the whole time. the funniest part though was watching karla maria try to get up on the thing. thankfully, a big gentleman knelt down and told her to step on his knee in order to hoist herself up. again, it was hilarious. oh, how i absolutely love innocent fun on these girls trips. here are some pics...

gardendale christmas parade

2011-12-01T00:13:00.010-06:00

2011 family christmas card

2011-11-30T23:52:00.003-06:00

FRONT:

BACK:

growing like weeds

2011-11-30T11:55:00.007-06:00

as tradition would stand, every year around each of the grandkids birthdays, pawpaw would measure their height against the corner wall of the lakehouse. since everyone has been so busy, thanksgiving was the best time in which he had the opportunity to put both abby and lyla who have late summer birthdays (july and august) up to date.

truth be told, i always love when my dad does this because although i am aware that they have grown, it is nice to see just how much and especially in comparison to each other. for example, at one time abby, carson, and lyla were all around the same height. it wasn't until this last year where lyla has definitely taken the lead for being the tallest at age three. i could hardly believe it. looks like we'd better make more wall space for when baby jemma and grant take their turns. gotta love it...

christmas decorating...

2011-11-29T23:37:00.003-06:00

tutu cute

2011-11-28T02:15:00.003-06:00

opryland's "a country christmas"

2011-11-26T21:17:00.043-06:00

saturday morning, we woke up to a dreamworks character wake-up call. lyla answered the phone and it was shrek himself. he gave her a special greeting of good morning and then told her to listen closely as he let out the longest nastiest burp ever. it made lyla laugh and even abby heard it too as she sat beside her. that was definitely a fun unique way to start their day. soon after getting ready, we headed down to the restaurant where we ate a shrek breakfast feast and were told to "eat, stink, and be merry." here's what it all entailed:

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Become an honorary Ogre and join Shrek, Princess Fiona and friends for a fairytale feast fit for a king. Discover a Magic Fountain bubbling over with intoxicating chocolate potions. Solve riddles and puzzles to earn your ogre ears. Shrek, Princess Fiona and friends will visit you tableside for hugs and photos.

it was really cute and the girls absolutely loved it. even the waffles were shaped like the big lovable ogre, and everything was delicious. it was the sweetest thing watching our girls get so excited since they adore all things shrek. even puss in boots made an appearance. it was awesome. here are some pics...after breakfast, we headed over to the ICE! exhibit where the dreamworks theme was "merry madagascar." inside there were 2 million pounds of larger-than-life colorful ice sculptures and incredible 20-foot-tall ice slides. upon entering, we were all given a shnazzy little blue parka to wear. they even had baby jem-jem's size. it was too cute. she was bundled up so nice and warm that she instantly fell asleep. it was perfect.

furthermore, we walked inside and relived the story of how alex the lion and his friends saved christmas after santa and his reindeer crashed into the island of madagascar. the ice sculptures were absolutely amazing and going down the slides were SO.MUCH.FUN. every single one of us (minus the baby of course) got to enjoy going down the slides multiple times. here are some pics...after having fun at the ICE! exhibit, we made our way over to do some gingerbread decorating with gingy (another fun character from the shrek movie). this was a really fun laid back activity that we all enjoyed. abby and lyla picked out a gingerbread house ornament to decorate and they really took their time with each placement of the gum drops, red hots, sprinkles, etc. they were having so much fun getting crafty and eating a couple of pieces here and there while jay and i enjoyed watching them.

also, gingy made an appearance himself where the girls immediately ran to him for a heartwarming hug. i have to admit, i thought gingy's entrance in and out of his house was perfect...if you've seen the movie, you will know why. it jut makes me chuckle to myself. here are some pics...after decorating their own beautiful gingerbread houses, we packed their masterpieces up and walked over to the 48-foot-tall christmas tree located in the delta atrium. we knew this is where santa was located and wanted to let the girls tell him what they wanted for christmas as well as get a picture with him. jay jokingly told abby to tell santa that she wants auburn to win their game that was about to start (iron bowl championship), but unfortunately, santa can't work miracles and auburn lost. instead, abby requested for an all american girl doll and lyla requested for some make-up. here are some pics...after pics with santa, we stopped to eat lunch and watched the iron bowl for a bit. the game was nothing worth sitting through and the girls were still so excited to be there that they repeatedly told us, "please can we go on another adventure!" so that we did. we opened up their dreamworks character passports and map to enjoy a scavenger hunt along with some meet and greets.

we strolled through shrek's beloved swamp for a face-to-face encounter with the green ogre and ogress; explored the island of madagascar where we saw gloria the hippo and later the two penguins. then we discovered china's ancient valley of peace where po, the kung fu panda, has become a true kung fu master. with each character and clue they found, they received a stamp on their passport. the puzzle was solved and the girls were rewarded with coloring books, crayons, and the final magical beans. they were so excited and thought it was the coolest "adventure." here are some pics...exhausted yet? almost. after the scavenger hunt throughout the resort, we decided to partake in another activity that was low-key: the scenic boat ride. we cruised around where our tour guide gave us bits and pieces of info regarding each area within the resort. we passed by beautiful waterfalls and it was a nice relaxing break after the scavenger hunt. here are some pics...lastly, time for dinner had arrived. our many many adventures throughout the day had rendered us starving. jay let me pick out the place and of course i chose my favorite...italian. loves me some pasta. i ate the scallops and sweet potato raviolis in a basil cream sauce and O...M...G...it was amazing. i know it may sound a bit weird, but it was the best thing i've put in my mouth is a really long time (go ahead...insert a "that's what she said" joke). jay enjoyed his steak and the girls enjoyed their pizza as well.

the cutest thing was watching lyla constantly trying to blow out the faux candle that was in the middle of our table. she couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that it wasn't real. after dinner, we walked around a bit more in the garden conservatory and made our way back to our room for a good night's rest. there was definitely no rocking babies because we were all wonderfully exhausted with many memories that were made. we had such a great experience that opryland has now been claimed as our annual family holiday vacation spot, griswold style!

opryland's "a country christmas"

2011-11-25T01:24:00.016-06:00

friday, we headed to nashville for our first family vacation of the year. now that things have calmed down with baby jemma and she is doing well (thank god), we decided that now would be a good time for a final family of five destination. we chose opryland for many reasons: 1.) the travel time is only about 3 1/2 hours which makes it easy, 2.) we've heard it's absolutely beautiful during christmas time, 3.) the girls and i have never been, 4.) they say it's the perfect place for families with small children. those seemed to be the perfect reasons so we booked our stay and were on our way.

we arrived, checked in, and walked around inside all of the gorgeous holiday glory. every inch of that place was breath-taking. i really could have taken pics of every detail, but had to restrain myself. instead, here are just a few...
so we made our way to our room where we unpacked, got settled, freshened up a bit, and then decided to go exploring (or as the girls would say, "let's go on an adventure!")...we went on many many adventures throughout this weekend. after walking around the garden conservatory, the cascades, and the magnolia and delta areas, we finally made our way outside to enjoy the beautiful christmas lights. i had absolutely no idea how huge this resort was.

once outside, we walked around for a bit just taking in the pretty glow of lights that surrounded us. the weather was still unseasonably warm so we left our jackets inside and ventured through the front gardens. we came across the huge nativity scene where they played christmas music and had a little audio being played that was the story of jesus' birth. abby said that this was her favorite part, and as her and lyla both stood there gazing at the beautiful angels and listening, they folded their hands up and bowed their heads as if they were listening to a prayer. seriously, i thought it was the sweetest thing. i want my girls to be spiritual and find their own sense of companionship with God...watching this just validated that they indeed have that connection. it melted my heart. here are some pics...later, we enjoyed a horse-drawn carriage ride where the girls waved at the people going by and pointed at the huge trees that were covered in over 2 million dazzling christmas lights. they supplied us with blankets that we draped over our legs as we cuddled up and enjoyed the ride. towards the front of the resort was a 50-something foot tall christmas tree decorated in lights. it was beautiful. here are some pics...after taking in the amazingly decorated christmas scenery, we had all worked up an appetite and decided to go back inside for some yummy dinner. jay chose to eat at the nearby jack daniel's restaurant since he was craving some good home cooking and tasty meat. the waiter recommended that we order the "lemon drop" drink which indeed kept us warm and fuzzy. it was delicious, but i'm glad i just had one. after dinner, we made our way back to our room where the girls received a free christmas ornament on their bed. they were excited and i'm glad it had the year on it because i have a feeling that it'll be the first ornament of many. our holiday vacation was off to a great start. here are some pics...

happy thanksgiving: round 2

2011-11-24T00:58:00.011-06:00

after celebrating with my side of the family in cullman, we left and headed back home and just one street over to nan's house to celebrate with the douglas clan. our thanksgiving dinner started around 4:00pm where nana lin and nan had most of the sides already prepared. papa john brought over the yummy turkey and everyone else brought either another side, appetizer, or dessert to share. everything was scrumptious deliumptious, and at one point, baby jem-jem was placed as a centerpiece in the middle of the table while jay fed her some mashed potatoes. it was pretty cute. here are some pics...due to the april tornadoes that wiped out the family's restaurant business, this year marked a new location for the festive holiday. thankfully, the seating arrangements worked out great and all the kids enjoyed running around and playing with each other in nan's den. although the area is no where near as big as the restaurant was, we all enjoyed being together. and that's what thanksgiving is all about. hope everyone had a great thanksgiving! xoxo

happy thanksgiving: round 1

2011-11-24T00:32:00.018-06:00

our thanksgiving day started off by celebrating with my side of the family up at mamaw's farmhouse around 11:00am. my dad cooked the turkey while mamaw made all the sides and aunt reda baked the desserts. everything was absolutely delicious and it was good to spend some time with our cousins that we don't get to see too often. here are some pics...later after everyone ate and enjoyed their meal, we walked outside in front of the old barn where it was decided that it would be the perfect spot for this year's traditional family picture in which my mom and dad will use as their christmas card. as usual, jay set up his camera as we all smiled our best smiles. then we took a couple more different variations of pics. here they are...of course with our normal, pretending to be a civilized family comes the after "crazy shot" pictures...because let's be honest, you know a few were taken. here are a few of those gems...last but certainly not least, comes the highlight of the day. so rewind if you will. perhaps a couple of years ago, lola started bagging some of our old stuff up and putting it in the old barn for preparation of her yard sale that she was planning to have. after scanning through some of our old belongings that rested on the floor, karmie spotted an old box that had many different old hats inside. she wondered, hoped, and prayed that perhaps maybe her favorite baseball cap of all time (her stanford hat) would be inside. sure enough, it was. she retrieved said hat, made the loudest shriek i've ever heard, and ran around in circles, screaming in celebration. it was hilariously awesome. oh, and i found my old john carroll hat from high school too. score. here are some pics...

wordless wednesday

2011-11-23T00:26:00.001-06:00

new things: two toofers & standing up

2011-11-22T00:28:00.004-06:00

believe it or not

2011-11-21T00:11:00.000-06:00

the week before thanksgiving, the weather here in alabama was oh-so unseasonably warm. in fact, the temperature was in the mid-70s. even the ice cream man was patrolling our neighborhood. our kids and some neighborhood friends (lexie and chase) went batty when they heard the little jingle get closer and closer. we seriously scraped our bowl of change (we never have cash on us. like hardly ever.) while the kids flagged down said ice cream man. they were so happy to be able to each pick out their own treat...

baby grant's baptism

2011-11-20T01:52:00.010-06:00

sunday marked a very special day in which our sweet nephew, baby grant, was baptized into the catholic church. location took place at our lady of sorrows around 2:00pm and the ceremony was performed by father jaya. tita karmie was honored as the godmother and jay was honored as the godfather. both godparents are more than happy and proud to be sponsors of such a beautiful child. close family and friends were there to witness the wonderful occasion. here are some pics...after the baptism ceremony, we all enjoyed brunch at brio's in honor of baby grant's first sacrament. karla and tre supplied a yummy cake for dessert and everything was delicious. while waiting for our food to arrive, baby jem-jem munched on some yum-yums and her own set of toy keys. she loves them and never leaves home without it. later, jay and tita karmie challenged each other to some games of tic tac toe while pawpaw held jem-jem and the newly baptized bundle of boy peacefully slept in his carseat. overall, it was a wonderful time spent with family in honor of baby grant. god bless you, sweet boy! xoxo

rockets championship game

2011-11-19T01:55:00.000-06:00

saturday morning marked the 75# mid-state championship football game between the gardendale rockets and the clay-chalkville cougars. the competition took place on neutral soil at leeds' high school football field at 10:00am. the guys played their little hearts out while our girls cheered them on. we came out with a win and it was so much fun celebrating being champions. those little rockets deserved it after having a great 2011 season. (side note: in the second to last pic, abby is standing beside one of her great friends and neighbor, lexie. she comes over to play all the time now and our front door is always swinging open. they love playing with each other.) here are some pics...after the football game, all of the cheering going on really worked up our appetites. jay and mitchelle were craving some yummy wings so they decided that we'd all meet up at the nearest buffalo wild wings for lunch. the kids all played with the video games while we waited on our food to come out. bailey came with us too and everyone played great. we watched the football games on the big screen and demolished some wings. after lunch, the mitchelles invited us over to their house to watch the bama game so that we did. gotta love game day with our favorite people. hooray for football saturdays in the south and go rockets!!

twilight: breaking dawn premiere

2011-11-17T23:59:00.003-06:00

thursday night was an evening some friends and i have been anxiously awaiting for quite some time. it was the night of the twilight saga: breaking dawn premiere and words cannot express how giddy we were to finally see it at midnight. thanks to birminghammommy.com, we all ordered our movie tickets through them which entitled us to early access where they rented out their own theater at the carmike summit. their doors opened up for us at 10:30pm. it was perfect. no waiting in lines or sharing a theater with a bunch of overly excited screaming tweens, but instead a group of giddy slap-happy twilight moms. it was awesome.

so rewind if you will. before the theater opened up at 10:30pm, we all met up to retrieve our movie tickets at their will call at sweet bones alabama (aka, the twilight lounge) where the breaking dawn pre-party took place from 7:00-10:00pm. we all arrived around 7:30pm and to no surprise, the place was packed with no seats available. since we all wanted to enjoy a bite to eat and slurp on some drinks, we decided to avoid waiting and headed over to chuy's for some mexican. of course they were packed too so we grabbed a few high top tables at the bar and started ordering some grub. the night was off to a great start. here are some pics...after dinner and good conversation, we jumped in our cars and headed to the nearby theater. stacy and i brought our snuggies from home because we know how cold theaters tend to be and nothing gives off better warm and fuzzies than a snuggie and all things twilight. upon walking up to the theater, we spotted a volvo (just like the one edward drove in the movie) parked on the platform which was supplied by royal automotive. it even had a cut out of the vampire sitting in the front seat. umm, did someone say "cheesy photo op?" of course you did. here are some pics...so we all walk in with tickets in hand and spot the red carpet which led us to the huge backdrop of the breaking dawn poster board. there was a lady taking photo booth style pictures and again (of course), i brought my own. we snagged a few quick pics, formed a line, and were then allowed to go inside our reserved theater. inside they supplied royal cup coffee and many doughnuts from donut joes. it was cute in the fact that some of the donut holes were made resembling vampire fang marks with two tiny dots and red jelly (blood) oozing out. i thought that was a cute touch.

also, there were swag bags located in each seat and door prizes were given away as we waited for the movie to begin. our row really racked up, and i'm proud to say that i won second prize which was a gift basket full of coffees and chocolates from royal cup. i seriously thought that i wouldn't win jack so it was a pleasant surprise. furthermore, keri won a nook and to say we were all happy and excited is an understatement. we also ran into other mommy friends there that night (ie, girls i went to high school with, old moms group peeps, and one of my favorite cheerleading moms). here are some pics...overall, it was a fantastic night. we really enjoyed ourselves and what i thought was going to be a looooong night, ended up flying by with fun. the movie was great with the exception of the campy scene when the werewolves started having a full conversation with human voices yet in animal form. i couldn't help but feel awkward during this scene and the moms sitting behind us felt the same way because they just started laughing at it. other than that, it was really great. hopefully the name "renesmee" won't be in the girls most popular names for 2012...something tells me i shouldn't bank on it though. hehe. all in all, a wonderful evening. thank you, birminghammommy.com!!

gobble, gobble

2011-11-17T23:09:00.000-06:00

today at lylie's school, they got to dress up like indians too. each child got to print stamp their own dress or vest just the way he/she wanted and covered their indian hat with fingerprints dipped in paint along with added different colored feathers. they also got to string many beads into a necklace which completed their ensemble as they toured the school showing off their cute crafty indian outfits.

furthermore, her class got to visit the library and computer lab where they took a picture with mrs. dorn. they sang songs and poems for her and they also learned many words about the first thanksgiving, the Mayflower, the pilgrims and the indians. lylie had the best day and was thankful for a fun learning environment. here are some pics...

thankful thursday's thoughts

2011-11-17T00:19:00.002-06:00

1.) i am thankful that sweet baby jem-jem has just recently learned how to wave "bye-bye" with her hand. these little milestones are popping up right and left lately. it is bittersweet. my baby is growing fast.

2.) i am thankful for a messy house that i pick up every night once everyone is asleep because it means that my kids are happy and alive.

3.) i am thankful for challenges because they make us stronger. oh, how they make us stronger.

4.) i am thankful for my abby who although is shy one minute, she is super silly the next. she hates to disappoint or get in trouble and she loves doing homework.

5.) i am thankful for my lyla who is super lovey dovey one minute, and then telling you to "go away" the next. she loves to help mommy clean up and loves to point out every dog/cat/squirrel that she sees while on our drive home.

6.) i am beyond thankful for my hard working smart husband. what people don't realize is that this man works nonstop. seriously. nearly every hour of the day and night. that's the glory and fun of being VP of IT...you never leave "work" at work and yet he still makes so much time for us. with this debilitating economy, we are extremely blessed even if little to no sleep is involved. he is unbelievably amazing.

7.) i am thankful for sarcastic humor with a side of dirty and the friends who can appreciate it.

8.) i am thankful for my patience. the older i get, the more tolerant i have become. i have finally started to realize that letting something bother me is not worth the wasted negative energy. just ignore it. it use to be so hard, however now i know that "patience truly is a virtue."

9.) i am thankful that we are making life decisions based on what we believe is right for our family and not anyone else's.

10.) i am thankful for rainy days spent cuddling with my baby, list-making, steam cleaning the carpets, lunch, laundry, and carpool.

11.) i am thankful for family vacations because time spent together making memories and laughter are better than any inanimate object in our book. they are what make us feel most alive. we haven't had one yet this year so to say we are excited about our upcoming one is an understatement.

12.) i am thankful that hubs jokingly tells our girls that there will be no dating until they are driving and employed. there's always a slight truth in a joke. love it.

13.) i am thankful that baby jemma is going through a stage of separation anxiety when i leave the room. because what once use to annoy me because i felt like i couldn't get anything else done, now makes me feel needed and appreciated. i will soak up this cuddle time. don't doubt me.

14.) i am thankful for God and my faith. i believe in Catholicism and I refuse to let anyone take that away from me by telling me that i'd like xyz church better. no thank you. my roots are strong.

15.) i am thankful for pictures because they make me so incredibly happy to have those precious moments frozen in time forever. and ever. amen.

16.) i am thankful for back rubs and nights where i get to pick the movie off netflix. FYI: "let me in" is a great slightly old movie that hubs and i both enjoyed which says a lot because usually jay falls asleep within the first 30 minutes of something i pick out. lol.

17.) i am thankful and over the moon because my sweet juicy baby just said her first word & it was, "Momma!!!" This is a big deal for me because both of her older sisters' first word was "Dada." Yay!!!! 3rd's a charm & my night is complete.

abby's thanksgiving feast

2011-11-16T23:26:00.009-06:00

today, jay and i headed over to abby's school in honor of her class's thanksgiving feast which took place an hour before dismissal. both of the kindergarten classes dressed up as native americans with a headdress full of different colored feathers and their indian name. abby's was "water lily." she looked adorable and was so excited to see us once she entered into the family life center. upon their arrival, each classmate had the opportunity to have their picture taken in front of the super cute thanksgiving set up of bails of hay, pumpkins, scarecrows, and fall leaves. here is abby...so after having their picture made, each child found a seat at the long row of tables. baby pumpkins were used as centerpieces along with a trail of their snacks that real indians love to eat (popcorn, apples, oranges, raisins, cranberries, and water). lyla was currently in her own class, but baby sister was there in which abby was excited to see her. thankfully, aunt stacy held her for awhile while i took a few pictures. here they are...everyone said the blessing before eating and then later, each child told the audience what they were thankful for. abby's response, "my friends." it was sweet, but one of my favorite responses was from lila who said, "mrs. westbrooke's treasure chest"...that's where you get to pick out a surprise for being good. such truth in sweet small children. abby and lila also shared the same indian name although they are in different classes. all in all, it was a cute little celebration in honor of the upcoming holiday. hope everyone has a happy thanksgiving!

wordless wednesday

2011-11-16T00:04:00.000-06:00

best friends always

2011-11-14T00:49:00.000-06:00

abby has made some great friends in her class this year, but one who really stands out at the moment is isabelle. she talks about her nonstop and always wants to draw a picture for her or write her a letter. isabelle also enjoys doing the same and even made a "best friends always" friendship bracelet for both abby and brooke along with a friendship ring with a silver charm bearing their initial. isabelle's mom told me that she had to make them "BFA" bracelets because there weren't enough Fs to make two "BFF" ones. how stinkin' cute is that?

little girls are so incredibly thoughtful and sweet. i want to record this stuff so that one day abby can look back and remember how close she was to a certain classmate. i know for a fact that my mom has kept all of my old letters/drawings/etc from when i was in school and looking back on it all still makes me very happy. what can i say? i am a huge "it's the little things" kinda gal and i hope i can raise three sweet girls who will appreciate it as much as i did, do, and will continue to. here are some pics...many thanks to jenn who took the last picture while eating lunch with the girls at school one day last week. those three are absolutely adorable!

uncork education

2011-11-13T23:50:00.009-06:00

sunday night, jay and i escaped the house and kids for a bit and attended the "3rd annual uncork education wine and beer tasting event" benefiting the UAB alumni society. the event started at 5:30pm and lasted till 8:00pm where there was a silent auction, heavy hors d'oeuvres, and live music from the UAB jazz combo. we met up with friends and as funny as it sounds, it was refreshing to be at a grown up event where you felt the need to be on your best behavior...you know, civilized and sophisticated and the such. luckily, there was a photographer there who walked around taking many pictures so we felt it was appropriate if we took a few of our own. i love when i'm not the only one with a camera. lol. here are some pics...lastly, some highlights of the night were when jay and stinky realized that they were indeed wearing the exact same camel colored blazer from jos a bank...what was even funnier was when jay said, "yeah, i got mine on a huge sale" and then stinky said, "well my grandmother gave me mine." it was awesome. then they wanted a quick pic and stinky said, "yay, i'm making kim's blog!" his comment cracked me up. i love my friends because they know me well. this one's for you, stinky...lastly, one of the items up for winning was a mini bar stacked with a variety of different liquors with a value of $1k. jay along with a few of the other guys bought a key for a chance to win. throughout the entire night, all the guys walked around comparing keys to see if they matched up thus guessing who might potentially have the winning key. jay couldn't find one who matches his so we thought our odds were high. long story short, i was handed about 10 keys from the guys knowing that their key wasn't the winner because it already matched up with someone else's. when it came time to go up as your number was called, i went 10 times. i'm sure everyone thought, "whoa, this lady really wants to win." hehe. our last key was #41 and the winner was #42...too bad, so sad, we didn't win...but it sure was a ton of fun playing the guessing game on who would. we really really really enjoyed ourselves that night. walking back to our car on UAB's campus on such a beautiful windy night gave me butterflies as i held jay's arm and told him, "wow, we haven't walked these streets like this in years." it was a great reminder of our younger more carefree days. great night. great night indeed. here are some pics...