As of late...

I feel totally redundant in my picture posting, but I'm trying to reach various family members through the use of social media/blogging, so I gotta do it all, ya know. :) Plus...I really do think my children are THAT cute to plaster them all over the internet. They're gonna take over the world, you know. 

Did I ever post this adorable picture? Even if I did, it's so cute that it's ok.

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IT STOPPED RAINING!!!! YAY!!!! We have finally been able to play in the water! HOORAY! 

This was hilarious because Jared kept laughing at her bum in his face. It's a pretty cute tushy if you ask me. Kids...

I sort of wish I wanted to do this....but now I find it gross. As a kid hose water tasted like heaven.  

I love water fights. LOVE them. Jared loves anything that squirts and soaks. He is totally my child. Claire hates water in her face. Brian shrinks at the sound of "cold water." They're already 90 years old in the fun book. 

Hailey...well, she's a little bit of both. Good girl. 

Monkey face! 

Claire "graduated" preschool this week. I always get sad when we have good teachers, but such is life. Claire sticks out like a sore thumb. Haha. She felt very out of place at the beginning of the year because "Mommy, I don't have brown skin and brown hair like the rest of my class." I'm glad she learned how to fit in as the minority. :) She has some really adorable friends in her class. 

Not gonna lie, her awards ceremony was underwhelming. No specific award, 15 minutes long, and done. Not even a song. Oh well. She's cute!

Haha....are we in America? I find it hilarious that her preschool sign is all in Spanish. In fact, her teacher just got laid off because they don't need English speaking teachers. 90% of the students are spanish speaking. 

And today, Jared and Hailey were friends. Friends that held hands. It was adorable. 

Watching trees get taken away by the city.

Hailey played with bubbles today. It wasn't that exciting, but it sure was cute!

Port Aransas Vacation

Did I ever mention that I am married to the most wonderful man alive? Too bad for every other woman out there, but I took him.

Amen.

I guess he was listening to me when I said, incessantly, that I needed a family vacation. I needed to get out of our flooding house, just the 5 of us. I needed to love my kids outside of our walls and I needed to spend hours talking about nothing with Brian. I didn't want anything for Mother's Day (other than a day off....which ironically never happens), but Brian surprised me with a weekend get-a-way to Port Aransas. I didn't care what we did just as long as we got to go somewhere together.

The forecast for the entire week was rain, rain, rain. Friday was supposed to clear up and be sunny other than 1-3 pm, when there was some scattered thunderstorms. I can deal with that! Beach, here we come!

So, Friday morning, 5:30 we took off on our 6 hour drive to destination: HOTEL! Our kids were terribly excited to stay in a "new home" for the night. Our kids did not sleep a wink for hours. HOURS!!! Seriously, it was 5:30. Now we know. The drive down was.....rainy. Remember how I wanted to talk about nothing for hours? Well, we said absolutely nothing...for hours...because the rain was so bad whoever was driving had to really focus on the road. Good heavens, this rain! The kids were pretty good for the most part. Lots of bathroom breaks and lots of snacks made the trip doable.

So, here we are, 1.5 hours away from our "new home" for the night and it's pouring rain. We were supposed to go to the beach on Friday so we'd have a shower at the hotel afterward (we only had a hotel for one night before we headed to Houston), but there was no beach adventure in sight. Only rain. Since we didn't see a break in the weather, Brian suggested to go to the National Wildlife Preserve since it "only added 5 minutes to the drive time". Well, there was nothing else to do, so why not.

Wildlife preserve. There's supposed to be wildlife sightings. We saw lots of deer. Oh....wow....deer. I've never seen a deer before. Wait, yes. Yes, I have. To be fair, we did see these fellers:

 See him in the middle?

Just as we got to see our alligators, our first tornado warning came into effect and we got to spend the next 45 minutes in the basement of the visitors center. It smelled like rotten eggs and they fed my children cupcakes that I thought may have been questionable, but they were very nice and tried to be accommodating.

After that bout of tornado warning nothingness (thank goodness) we went back upstairs. Five minutes later another tornado warning was issued. We determined the weather looked alright and stayed inside and upstairs to walk around and get away from the basement smell.

Doesn't he look so enthused to show me his wingspan? :) Am I embarrassing him already???

Dad is much cooler. 

So, This is where our trip went down to the funny farm. After the second tornado warning time lapsed, we wanted to drive down the 9 mile scenic route to the boardwalk at the end. We got in our car to venture out and....WHOOPS....guess Brian forgot to check the gas gauge and fill up the car. We didn't have enough gas to make the 9 mile drive and back to a gas station. We also didn't know where the nearest gas station was, so we pulled out our "trusty" google maps. Gas Station: ETA- 7 minutes. OK...Here we go. At this point, the sky was lookin' pretty nasty as we were getting a little worried that we may actually be unfortunate enough to see a tornado. Google maps directed us to Saen's Service Station in Austwell. I wish I could have taken a picture of it, but the rain was too bad. I believe this place was possibly built 50 years ago and went out of business 70 years ago. Wha....???? It looked like army barracks from way back when and I don't believe it ever pumped gas. Strike 10 Google Maps!!! I was so scared we'd now run out of gas IN a tornado. Brian has THE WORST timing with his gas carelessness. 

Luckily we made it to the correct gas station built in this century and then made our 20 mile trek back to the 9 mile loop. We started our trek down it and were stopped by the ranger for ANOTHER tornado warning. I was about to ignore him and keep going, but there was one that actually touched down, so we headed back to the visitors center. Honestly, my nose could not possibly be stuck in the basement for another hour, so I opted to just stay in the car. Once it really started to pour, Jared informed me that he needed to pee. Well, we were stuck in the car, so I weighed my options. It was raining far to hard to run inside, so he had the delightful first experience of peeing in his slurpee cup. We all started laughing about the situation except for Jared. He was concentrating pretty hard and then was very excited about his urinary results. Peeing in a slurpee cup makes, "Wook mom! Orange!" At least they were excited about playing in the car.

Finally, we drove down this long anticipated loop where we saw zero animals, went on the boardwalk for about 1.5 minutes and ran back down the ramp out of the wind and rain. To be fair, there were a lot of nature trails that went right out to the ocean, pull outs to lakes, supposed to be lots of animals, that on a sunny day would have made this place pretty cool. 

Downloaded blurry from my phone, but this is the lookout from the boardwalk. 

Jared wanted to run to the car. It was very windy. 

Our experience was just laughable and a little pathetic. Here is what the roads/fields looked like when we finally left the wildlife preserve:

Alright, so we finally made it to our hotel. We were so tired of sitting in the car, so we walked to H.E.B. to buy popcorn, walked to Dominos to eat dinner, got followed by a super weird drunk guy, accidentally stepped on a baby frog, and went back to the hotel where we got to watch the almost riveting Ella Enchanted. Sarcasm. 

Trying to get three kids to go to bed in one room was a joke. Hailey is so attached that we cannot be within sight or else she goes ballistic. Every time Claire spoke, she'd start screaming. We were really hoping not to bother any neighbors, but goodness, she had to go to sleep somehow. Claire just wouldn't get the memo that she needed to be quite, so I laid in bed with her for a while. When Hailey spotted me, she turned it up a notch and I had to make my hideout on the floor. Brian cuddled up with the kids, I fell asleep on the floor and everyone eventually passed out at 9:30. By the time I woke up stiff, it was midnight and I was far too tired to anything else but collapse on the bed. Isn't this the most romantic story ever told about 2 adults in a hotel with their sleeping children? 

Because I must remember this, I must write it. Hailey woke up at 4 am and I had her in various positions trying to get her to sleep from 4-6. I thought Brian had tons of sleep, of which I was mistaken, and he took her to breakfast at 6. He couldn't get to sleep at all after he woke up at midnight (thanks Anderson sleep genes), so we had Hailey to thank for making us extra tired. So, by the time we got ready to leave for the beach, this is how we found Hailey:

Shoulda slept when you were supposed to, Squish!

Well, after a short drive, a ferry, and a jaunt through the adorable Port Aransas, we finally made it to the most wonderful beach I've ever been to. The sand was perfect, the beach felt almost to ourselves, and we were all blissfully happy to be in the water and covered in sand. This is what Heaven feels like. 

Hailey was content on the beach. Since there had been so much rain, there were pools of water up in the sand that she was enjoying. It turned out to be perfect.

Jared and especially Claire couldn't get enough of running in and out of the Ocean. 

Jared spent a lot of time with his squirter here. He liked to fill it up, pretend he was Spider-Man and chase birds trying to squirt them.

Claire and her seaweed collection. I think I relate to how Hailey's feeling here. 

'uh...gross...what is that'.... 

"Ew! Please get that out of my face." 

Me and my girls! Gosh, they're so cute! 

Everyone needs a little boy! 

Everyone liked to sit on Daddy. 

After we wrapped up at the beach, we headed straight to Houston. It was about 4 hours away and the longest, most whiney trip we have ever endured. Brian and I were both so exhausted from the night before that I'm sure that contributed to how patient we felt. We thought it was a good idea to feed the kids before they fell asleep, but that meant that Jared didn't even take a nap and he was horrible. Halfway through, at our bathroom break, I discovered that my legs were so burned I was emitting enough heat to cook breakfast on them. Oh goodness. What was I thinking? Three hours at the ocean and we didn't reapply our sunscreen. That's the curse of thinking you weren't there that long mixed with a windy day to make you feel cool enough to stay in the sun. Luckily the kids weren't that bad and where they did burn, it was gone by morning. I, however, couldn't wear any bottoms to bed for the next 3 days. 

Houston was fun and short. We wanted the kids to play with their cousins and they had a blast. We were there a little less than 24 hours, so it went quickly. Normally I forget to take pictures while we're there and I wasn't that much better this time, but there is one to document it. :) Hooray. 

The drive home was much better. No rain. Kids played with playdoh and were awesome. Our house was totally flooded when we got home, but I had a vacation to help me breathe deeply and endure. 

Now....just STOP RAINING, TEXAS! 

And...for the record...I really, really, really, really, really like my family. Vacations are amazing.

The Art of Getting Ready

I find it funny that people comment on how impressed they are that I get ready every day. To me it's almost like saying, "I'm so impressed that you eat breakfast every day." Some people eat breakfast and some people don't, but I don't find it very impressive that some people actually wake up and take the time to feed themselves. I feel this way about getting ready. Some people get ready on a daily basis and some people don't. I don't think it's remarkable of those that do get ready daily just because of the way I feel about my own daily routine.

So, as I was in the shower this morning, I was thinking about why I get so many comments. When I was first married I worked at home. I never left the house and I never really saw many people other than my husband, but I still got ready every single day. Makeup, hair, and clothes. My friends mom came by to say hi and she praised me for getting ready even when I work at home. That was my first thought at...."uh....ok.....thanks?" I wasn't sure what it meant or if she was referring to a past occurrence that I looked terrible. To my memory, I never saw her at my worst. Then, as I became a mother and my friends have become mothers, I get these types of comments all the time.

"Wow, you always look so nice"
"I don't know how you do it."
"Every time I see you, you have it together."

The list goes on. I'm not trying to praise myself or give myself a pat on the back, but what I look like doesn't always reflect how I feel. I don't always feel so glamorous, I don't think it's all that hard to do it, and I DEFINITELY don't have it together all the time.

However, I do have strong feelings about getting ready everyday and I will preface this:
I do not judge people for what they look like. This is solely about how I feel about myself.

I heard something once that has stayed with me. I remember hearing that you should never let yourself go once you get married. We don't get ready all our lives and then suddenly stop when we have a ring on our finger. These husbands of ours go to work everyday and work among sometimes very attractive women (even if there's only one...which Brian claims about science). Why would he not look that way at times when he comes home to someone that looks like they should be named Bertha or Helga. I never wanted to resemble Helga. I want my husband to come home everyday and think, "Man! Look at that babe I married!"

The other part is that I have partially low self esteem when I'm not ready (thank you invisible eyelashes). I've gotten better over the years, but it's still there. I can make it through going to the store in the morning looking like trash and I have gotten over thinking that I am quite hideous without makeup. Thanks goodness. I guess two weeks of pink eye will force you to see your natural beauty.

Now, since I've given a rather long introduction (true to my nature) I've thought up my own list of how it's done in my world.

1. Makeup
After I shower, this is step one. I feel like this is the most important. People have told me that they just don't have the time to wear makeup every day. I really believe that you have time for what you make time for. Wearing makeup is part of my daily routine and I can't really move on unless it's done. It's as important as my morning shower. I make time for it every single day.

Reasons I do it other than feeling better about myself, which I personally think is enough reason right there. SOOO many times in my life I've had those - I'm not doing anything today so why bother- days. More often than not I ended up doing something and I was already prepared to do it. Instead of starting from scratch, usually I just had to change my clothes and run out the door to accomplish this newfound task. Also, there have been times that I see someone at the store I haven't seen in years. (I once saw my brother's friend at Wal-Mart, but wasn't sure it was him. I didn't have makeup or a bra on and therefore didn't say hello. He then texted my brother of my rudeness. Ha! I'll have to make it up someday with a bra, a full face of aesthetics, and a friendly hello.) Lastly, I'm married to a pretty awesome guy. He thought I was attractive once upon a time and I just want to get better looking instead of looking more frump dump than ever before. Once you catch them, they aren't always caught forever.

Now, I'm all for using the products you already have, but going from drugstore makeup to better quality, I feel like what you have isn't always helpful. I used to spend quite a long time trying to get my makeup to look prettier and I never succeeded. It was fine, but it was sub par. I once swore to my friend that I would NEVER buy eyeshadow that cost over $5. There was no need. Oh, little naive me. How little I knew. First purchase at bare minerals and I'll never go back. BUT, I'm not advocating that everyone MUST have expensive makeup. You definitely do not. Use what you have. Have fun with it.

If you hate makeup....I dunno what to say....I love makeup. It became a hobby once I started getting into it.

I do not wear a full face every day though. I feel like it's important to experiment a little, have days where you wear more than your comfortable with and see how the day goes. It's just one day. Most days I recommend what Carmindy on What Not to Wear says: Have a 5 minute face. Makeup that takes 5 minutes from start to finish. For me that includes eyeshadow, liner, mascara and eyebrow color. I can grab my lipgloss from my purse and be set all day. In fact, I usually only wear foundation, bronzer, lipstick, and blush when I go out with the hot Hubster or at church on Sunday.

2. Hair
I used to wash my hair every day and now that I've discovered dry shampoo. Oh Glory to the shampoo gods! My morning routine has been cut down by 10 minutes. Now I'm 20 minutes and ready. Bam! I never leave my house with wet hair. If you're blessed to have hair that dries normally, than I envy you. Mine gets puffy on the top, flat in the middle and flips out at the end. It's like a 1950's horror film. I must dry my hair. Must. Unless it's a ponytail day, then I dry my bangs and put it up.

Point being, I do my hair every day....and it kind of looks the same everyday, but at least it's done.

3. Clothes
This one is still a work in progress for me like most people, but I feel like I have a better sense of my style than in previous years. I only recently realized that I dislike cotton T-shirts. They ball up after little use, shrink faster, and look old faster. They make me feel a little too dressed down and I don't really feel comfortable in them. I like silky fabrics, soft, flowy material. I feel dressed up enough that I could go anywhere and feel ready, but not so much so much that I feel overdressed. It works for me.

That's my style though and not everyones. Since everyone has their own style, I would suggest this: What you have is what you wear, so make it nice. 

I have never, not once in my life, owned a pair of sweats. (People usually gasp at this). Why, you ask? Because if I had them, I would wear them....and I might wear them too much. I have pajamas and I have clothes. I do not have clothes that are in the middle. They are not everyday wear pajamas. I don't think these clothes really should exist. (HAHA! I'm married to the kind of loungewear. As soon as he walks in the door he's in basketball shorts and an athletic shirt. And no....this does not bother me at all. What other people wear has no influence on me.  If he feels good, that's great, but we have been known to go out on date night with basketball Brian and dressed up Stacy. It's kinda weird.) Anyway, I'm a big believer in getting rid of clothes that you don't feel comfortable in, clothes than look old, and clothes that just might not fit the right way. You always pull them out thinking, "It's such a cute shirt...I'll wear it someday." Chances are you won't. If you can't get rid of it right away, but it in a bag under your bed so you'll forget about it. If you don't miss it during a two week period, get rid of it...You won't wear it...or cut it up and use it for something else. I treat old shirts like yard of fabric....waiting to be turned into a child's quiet book.

Now, Yes, I get dressed everyday. In clothes. Some people hate jeans and I used to be one of them. I didn't like the way they fit my body, I didn't like the way they looked on my body, and they weren't that comfortable. Guess what, I started buying jeans that actually fit me (instead of trying to be a size smaller than I really was, and wouldn't buy them unless they looked good.) Some pants just really don't look good on you. It's ok. They'll look good on someone else and you need to find that pair that looks killer awesome on you. They do exist. My clothes are comfortable. I don't buy them unless they are. I feel like my clothes and Brian's polyester shorts are on equal comfort turfs while watching a movie. Same goes for shirts. If they fit me, if I like the way they feel, and they are comfortable, then I will buy it. Try imagining a closet full of clothes you actually wear. Not a single one that you're saving for a better day. That's a good closet.

When you have this dream closet, you don't need to buy a bajillion items to try and feel better about yourself. If you buy a new white shirt, vow to get rid of one. I promise you'll think 3 times about getting it if you have to throw one away. If you like the one at home and don't want to get rid of it, there's no need to buy a new one. It saves me lots of money at times....although I'm not a pro at this step yet. I really like a new shirt.

As for accessories. I love them. I feel like they can make or break an outfit sometimes. Not totally necessary, but when I wear them, I feel like I have a finished product instead of a painting without detail.


4. WHY?
Why do I get ready everyday? I do it for myself. No one else. My husband has even said multiple times, "It's Saturday, why don't you just wear pj's?" I just don't. If I plan on doing yard work or sweating half the day, I will wait until after that's all done, but most of the time I am ready by 10 am. If I make it a point to get ready in the morning, then it done for the whole day. I am prepared to do anything I need to or we feel like doing. It's allows for an oxymoron: prepared spontaneity. Does that sound so lame or what? I guess I'm not truly spontaneous, but at least I feel prepared. I'm prepared to meet co-workers or his boss (which have both happened to me with and without makeup. I prefer with.) I'm prepared for the last minute phone call to play the piano at a funeral or baptism. I'm prepared for a random date night I wasn't prepared for. I'm even prepared to lounge on the couch and watch a movie at home.

I also believe in taking time for yourself. Being a mom is an easy way to get lost among the laundry and to do lists. All the needs of other people almost makes us feel like paying attention to ourselves is a selfish thing. I relate this attitude to the falling airplane scenario. You can't take care of anyone else until you take care of yourself in an emergency situation. In everyday life, I believe you can better serve others when you take care of yourself first. I can teach my children best of how to exercise and look presentable when I am doing it myself. I want my children to succeed, which means my mom wants me to succeed. That doesn't mean letting myself get lost on the back burner for years. That creates all sorts of problems. If I give myself an hour in the morning, one measly hour, I am ready to face the world in a better way. It's an hour of me-time. An hour all by myself. Something we all crave and something we all need. It requires sacrifice. Heaven knows I would rather sleep in, but I get up, work out and get ready so that I can take care of my family and those past my front door.

Best of all, I feel like the best me. I have one chance of being me, so I want to do it in a good way.