I am so hosed!

I shouldn't check my email. To be more accurate, I shouldn't click on any email from Children's Place. I have a weakness. (Isn't admitting I have a problem the first step!?!) I absolutely LOVE to shop for clothes, shoes and accessories for Brooklyn, and that store is by far my favorite. If you don't believe me, you should walk into Brooklyn's closet and you'll basically be walking into a mini version of a Children's Place store.

Back to my story... I login to my email, and voila, there's a Children's Place email. The title of the email? "Our Newly Expanded Shoe Collection has arrived." I should have stopped there, but did I? No. I clicked on it, and it took me to their website. I spent the next five to ten minutes oohing and aahing over each shoe, making sure they came in Brooklyn's size. Guess what, they did? Then I went to check out what clothes were on sale. But, guess what? They are starting to introduce their new fall line. Ahh!! Why do they torture me so??

After a few more minutes, I came up with the cutest fall outfit for Brooklyn. Here it is...

I just love that chocolate brown color, and is quickly becoming my go-to color for any new clothes. Brooklyn looks absolutely adorable in that color, too.

Kevin tries his hardest to keep me away from Children's Place because he knows I get so weak and that I have an addiction to that store. I spent almost an hour shopping for my goddaugther's birthday present. I just had to match everything, and I was being very picky that day. The worst part about shopping in the store is when you go to checkout. The ladies behind the counter always offer their Children's Place credit card, which will save you 15% off for the first purchase. Ughh! I always say no to their offer though because it isn't necessary, but for a moment, I think well if I did, than I could buy that other skirt that I was eyeing but decided against.

So, yeah, I am so hosed. Is there a group I could go to? Something like MATSFKC (Mommies Addicted To Shopping For Kids' Clothing)?

Brooklyn's 1st Baseball Game

As you may know, that's Coors Field in the background on the photo. Brooklyn went to her first Rockies game on Saturday as part of her PaPa's 55th birthday bash in downtown Denver. We had a great time at the game and even got cooled off with the nice downpour that sent us out of our seats to wait under a big metal girder while the rain stopped long enough to remove the tarp over infield to let the game resume. Kevin found it particularly funny when the lady who guards the seats and checks your tickets to make sure you are in the right area, told him and the rest of the crowd to "stay back because of the horrific lightening." As he said, yeah, go let's go back and crowd under the big metal girder because that's safe!!

The game got a little delayed because of the rain, but it turned out to be a good one. Everyone enjoyed themselves, the Rockies won, Brooklyn got to meet Dinger (as proof by the photo), she stayed awake until the middle of the 8th inning when she finally crashed in mommy's arms, and my dad had a great birthday and was truly surprised that we were taking him to the Rockies game. So all in all...a great time!

Today changed my way of thinking

I went to a funeral today for my childhood friend's aunt, Jeanette. My dad and her dad have been great friends for many, many years. I didn't personally know her aunt, but being that her family was my second family growing up and her mom and dad were always like my second parents, my heart told me to go and lend support to the family. The funeral, which was more of a celebratory ceremony honoring her life, was very beautiful and very emotional. My friend and two of her three sisters sang two songs and quite a few family members shared how Jeanette touched their lives through songs, prayer, stories, letters and poems. What a wonderful woman who embraced the Lord's plan for her life and worshipped and praised Him in everything she did, and she was definitely quite the singer! Jeanette's husband had recorded her singing talents and a few songs were played during the ceremony. By the end, I began to feel very sad that I did not have the chance to meet this talented woman who touched so many lives. But, as others said several times, she is now in a much better place where there is no pain and she can walk beside the Lord as He has promised.

As I drove back to work, I called my dad to tell him about the ceremony as he couldn't get off work, and during our conversation, the phrase "best friend" was used. This phrase hasn't bothered me at all until today. It wasn't that it was used in a bad manner, it's just that the "best" part of the phrase made me feel sick to my stomach. What makes someone better than another? What makes a friend the "best"? And, do we have "worst friends"? I have fallen guilty to using this phrase to describe a woman in my life whom I have known since sixth grade and whom I am very close with. But, I have another girlfriend (the one who I saw today at her aunt's funeral) that I am very close with as well. What title, if you will, does she get? Simply "friend"? Sadly, yes. Is that fair? It's not a matter of being fair, it's a matter of being true. And, to be true, you have to genuine and to call one of these women my "best friend" and the other "friend," makes my heart hurt because I feel like I have lifted up my one friend and not the other other. Both of these women are so very near and dear to my heart and I love them both like a sister. So, from here on out, the term "best friend" goes out the window. I don't want to label my friends and I don't want either one to think that the other is superior because that's not the case. I have shared my heart, stories, tears and laughter with both of them. We're all riding the roller coaster of life as we all are mommies, wives, daughters, sisters and believers in Christ, and the last thing any of us needs is to be judged. They are both my closest girlfriends, and I will leave it at that.

Even though, I never met Jeanette, I feel that through listening to those she loved share her life with me today, it has changed my way of thinking, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Family, Friends, Fun & Fireworks

At 11:45 p.m. last night, Kevin and I sat on two lawn chairs in our backyard enjoying the cool night breeze, the booms of neighbors still setting off firecrackers, the sound of an airplane flying over our house and the buzzing noise from the baby monitor as Brooklyn was fast asleep in her room. We both agreed that this had been the best day!

It started out with homemade waffles with fruit for breakfast and ended in an amazing fireworks display. The best part about the whole day was spending the day with our family and friends. Brooklyn started a water fight soon after we had lunch. When I say started, I mean she was running around the yard with the hose in her hand throwing water on people, namely me to start with. Everyone was laughing so hard, she kept doing it! It escaladed to the grown-ups grabbing cups of water then jugs of water and chasing each other around in the backyard waiting for the right moment to attack. Some people were held down as they got soaked and others were simply sprayed with the hose. Kevin got the wettest as Brooklyn was highly encouraged, even had some help, to spray her daddy with the hose. He just sat there and let her spray him. The water fight ended with Kevin running to the front of the house to grab the front hose and spray to the backyard. By the end, everyone was either soaked, damp, and Brooklyn who started the whole thing, was swinging away.

Kevin got to show off his 250+ TV channels, Brooklyn got to spend a whole day outside with water and her playground, I got to toss around (and pitch some) a softball with my dad and sister and everyone got to talk, share stories and laugh. By the end of the day, everyone headed home and Brooklyn, Kevin, my sister and I headed to a fireworks display. After sitting there for about 30 minutes and with the wind and rain threatening a good fireworks show, we finally began the countdown. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1....


Brooklyn's eyes were the size of quarters, she was clapping, dancing a little, saying "go-go" and "yea!!" That's the only way to enjoy fireworks when you're that little, and it was worth sitting in an hour's worth of traffic leaving the show just to see her face and watch how excited she was. As we sat there watching the fireworks light up the night sky and listen to the music montage that was playing, I was reminded how truly great it is to be an American!!

"And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. And I gladly stand up, next to you and defend her still today. ‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA."

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

My best friend just called me from the baby's aisle at our local grocery store. She said with a lot of excitement in her voice, "They are having a HUGE clearance sale on diapers, you want me to pick you up a pack?" I got giddy right away. Diapers are an absolute necessity, but they are so darn expensive!

We spent the next five minutes going back and forth about different brands, the number of diapers and the cost per diaper. I usually get Brooklyn's diapers at Sams Club, because I have found them to have the best prices - $34.99 for a box of 144 diapers. Now, that's about 24 cents per diaper, pretty good deal actually for the brand I prefer - Pampers.

The grocery store was offering 144 diapers for $14.49 - that's 10 cents per diaper. They are my second diaper brand choice, but I couldn't resist the deal. And, it's really perfect timing because we were going to have to make a Sams Club run very soon.

I'm still buzzing about it. I even ran into my co-worker's office to share the good news. She looked at me and said "Yep, you're a mom!"

Dating sucks, but it's worth it

Dating. Ugh, gag. That's the first reaction I have when I think of dating. It can be very daunting as you search for the person you are meant to spend the rest of your life with.

Let me be honest, I had quite a few boyfriends in high school and had some boys that chased me, but I didn't give many of them the time of day. Am I proud that I went from boyfriend to boyfriend? Not reallly. I was on the hunt to find that "perfect" boyfriend, much like many high school girls who want to be in a relationship. My freshman and sophomore year, I dated what my parents refer to as "losers." These are the guys that needed their pants stapled to their waists and they need to sit through a couple lessons with Miss Manners. Point in case, one of these "losers" gets into my parents' car after the Homecoming game, and yells to my dad "Hey Pops!" Nice, huh!?! My dad was less than impressed.

My junior year, my interest in the opposite sex changed. I wasn't into bad boys anymore. I started dating a guy a year younger than me. He was in ROTC, the school's version of the military, wrestled and played JV football. He came from a nice family, although his parents smoked like chimneys, and had a stable home life. Sounds better, right? Well, the day he came to school dressed in Army camouflage, my best friend and I bolted to her car and raced away for lunch leaving him standing by my locker wondering where I was. The next day, it happened again, this time, he came in a cowboy hat and spurs. I bolted away again. Shallow? Looking back, yes. Mean? Probably. During this relationship, I had another guy, a year older flirting with me, wanting me to be his girlfriend. I wasn't interested in anything more than his friendship. I also had another guy, a very innocently shy (when it came to girls) guy start asking me for dating advice. He wanted to ask out a girl that he worked with but wasn't sure how and what moves to make. When he got a date with her, another girl and I showed him how to make the not-so-subtle arm stretch move in the movie theater. I was his model. He tried the move out on me, and something instantly clicked, I really liked this guy. For those who aren't sure, yes I was still with my boyfriend, the camouflage wearing wrestler.

Things started going downhill for my boyfriend and I as I kept getting close to this other guy - we were purely friends by the way, nothing more. Our boy's basketball team had made it to the playoffs and they were playing in Evergreen. I asked my boyfriend to come to the game with me. His response: "I don't support people that don't support me" meaning they didn't watch him grab other guys in his little leotard on the mats. That made me so mad. I ended up going with a bunch of friends, one of them being the guy I was starting to fall for. Our team won! On the ride home, I was sitting next to the new guy and I fell asleep with my head on his shoulder.

It only took a few weeks, and a very sentimental Val-O-Gram from me to the new guy, and my boyfriend and I were done. I broke up with him over the phone (the worst way to do it). The next day, my guy friend asked me to be his girlfriend. Yeah! We lasted three weeks, and then I had to end it (actually my mom told me to) because I really wasn't over my ex-boyfriend. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. Spring break was only a day away meaning 1) I wouldn't have to see him for a week and 2) I could work on getting back together with my ex. The day before spring break started, I saw him flirting with a girl I thought was my friend, but she was flirting back and they were singing songs and playing hangman during our yearbook class. It made my heart hurt.

Spring break was finally here, and my mom took it upon herself to call several boys and set up a date a night for me. No, my mom isn't controlling, she just saw something that I didn't at the time, and she wanted to help me find the right path. So, I went on several dates, and finally when Thursday rolled around, I realized that I really wanted to be with the guy who went with me to the basketball game in Evergreen, the guy who was so innocently shy about girls that is was so endearing. I called him that night and he had just gotten back from a date with the girl he flirted with less than a week ago. It didn't work out, and he was very upset, almost crying. We talked for hours and hours about his date, what happened between us and life in general. A few days later I was at his house studying for the ACTs and watching Phenomenon. He started tickling me and one thing lead to another, and we were back together after our week apart.

If you haven't guessed it by now, my new love interest was Kevin. We met for the first time when we were in fifth grade, went our separate ways to different middle schools and different high schools until spring semester our sophomore year. We didn't officially start talking again or acting like we knew each other until junior year. And, after that initial arm around my neck, the sparks began to fly, and we began to fall in love with each other.


Three years later, he asked me to be his wife, and of course I said yes, and I couldn't be happier that I did! He's my best friend, my confidant, my shoulder to cry on, my teddy bear, my biggest fan, the one who keeps me grounded, the father of my daughter and the love of my life. I guess dating isn't so bad, after all, it brought me a fairy tale ending with the man of my dreams. Would I do it again? Absolutely, if only I could guarantee the same end result.

Random Friday

Just a few random thoughts...

• It's amazing to me how much Brooklyn watches our day-to-day activities. When I get home from work, and take off my shoes, she immediately is eager and willing to put my shoes away for me in the closet where they go. Last night, Kevin pulled the broom out to sweep up a crushed ice nightmare on the kitchen floor, and she was over the top eager to use the broom herself. Even though it's much taller than her, she does a pretty good job of using it to move things around on the floor. On Saturday, we were at Brooke's (my best friend's daughter and Brooklyn's friend) 1st birthday party. As Brooke dove into her cake, smearing the frosting all over her nose, chin, cheeks and forehead (completely missing her hair!), Brooklyn sat on my lap and kept trying to hand Brooke a napkin to clean up. It really began to bother Brooklyn that Brooke was such a mess. She showed her what she wanted her to do by wiping her own face and then thrusting the napkin toward her.

• After months and months of watching Brooklyn's interest for the outdoors increase - particularly her backyard and parks - we have decided to get her a playground for our backyard. We picked up the playground last night, getting an incredible deal, and took it home to sit in our garage for another week. We just submitted the correct forms to add a playground to our backyard to our HOA a couple days ago and awaiting their approval. We don't forsee a problem, which is why we went ahead and got the playground. She just squeals at the box because there's a full-color picture of what it will look like.

• After spending Monday and Tuesday with my best friend and her kids, I have decided that having a second kid is doable. Kevin and I have always talked about having more than one kid, but after Brooklyn was born, I began to wonder if it would really work. I love giving her all my attention, and she loves having all our attention. And, how could I ever love another kid as much as I love her. My mom told me that a mom's heart grows with each child, and I believe her, she does have two daughters, but I still had my doubt. But, it just gives me a peace of mind watching my friends with two kids handle it and know that it's all okay. Side note for my mom and mother-in-law who are getting giddy now, we aren't ready to try yet.

• Father's Day is Sunday. It just makes me incredibly thankful for the four men in my life that are dads (and grandpas): my husband, my daddy, my father-in-law and my brother-in-law. Without these men, life wouldn't be the same, and I know that the women in their lives think the same thing. This day also makes me miss my grandpa, who I've mentioned before for his strength and the love he had for his family.

I guess that's it for today. Just some thoughts that I wanted to share.