Here Birdie Birdie

So I am on the wall-decal band wagon. I have "All Star" up in Jagger's room, along with a bunch of other sporty decals that I have yet to put up. And I have been looking for some fun graphics for downstairs, too.

Well today, while getting my daily does of this decorating blog, I stumbled across a free giveaway for your choice of a free art. It's from Lewa's Designs.

If you blog about Lewa's Designs, you will win your choice of a

Medium caterpillar

Baby Swirly Bird

or

Baseball Wall Decal

in the color of your choice.

You can write whatever you want, just make sure to link to

Lewa's Designs website or Etsy shop.

I think I am going to choose the little bird. Wouldn't it be cute perched on a window or door? Or maybe it would liven up the laundry room?

Once you've blogged about Lewa's Designs, send an email to contest@lewasdesigns.com with with a link to your blog post along with your choice of decal, color desired, name & mailing address.

Good deal, eh?

Must love shoes

Every once is awhile, the house gets eerily quiet. This is when I know the boys are up to no good. In the past quietness, I have found one or the other playing in my make-up, drawing on the cabinets, or playing in the toilet. So I always have a mini heart attack when I can't see or hear the boys.

The last few times, though, haven't been so bad.

Meet Cash's new favorite spot in the house: The bottom of my closet. The boy loves my shoes. What can I say? It not too bothersome, except for every once in ahwile he gets attached to a couple and will carry them around the house all day. Occasionally we find a random red heel in the shower and Grant will look at me and wonder what I was doing. As if.

Oh, Cash Money. Now if only I could get him to organize them while he is down there.

Zoo and Magic House

Last week Grant had a some sort of lab thing he had to be at in St. Louis. They were putting him up in a nice hotel the prior night, so the whole fam decided to tag along and make a little trip out of it.

The hotel was great, right downtown across from the ballpark and arch. It was nicer than we are used to, so that was a treat. We actually stayed alongside the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, which was kinda neat.

The next morning Grant had to work, so the boys and I hit up the zoo. (I really wanted to go to the outlet mall instead, but Grant told me I would be a bad mom if I took the boys shopping instead of to the zoo. Argh. When he puts it like that, I had no choice but to give in.) The zoo was great though. Although, Jagger will tell you that the highlight was when we stopped for ice cream. Hmm, we could have had ice cream at the mall, ya know, where it's air conditioned and there are bargains to be had. But anyway. I was a trooper.

Cash and an elephant

Jagger and a waterfall (his 2nd favorite thing at the zoo)

After lunch, we picked up Grant and headed to the Magic House, a children's museum. It was a very cool place. The boys had such a great time there we will have to go back another time this summer, to catch all the stuff we missed.

Kisses from Grandmas and Kisses From Frogs

A couple weeks ago Cash and I enjoyed a visit from my parents and grandma. We just visited and ate, and shopped.

Grant and Jagger were down at the lake that day.... doing more boy-ish things, like catching fish and frogs.

To each his own.

Mother's Day, Literally

Happy Mother's Day to all the hardworking Mommies out there!

Missing T-Shirt

A few weeks ago I found a shirt online that I really needed. It was on clearance, and I can't pass up a cute $6 shirt.

$6 shirt + $6 shipping = Still a good deal, in my opinion.

So time passes, we go outta town, and I forget about my pending delivery.

A couple weeks later, I remember that I should be sporting this new shirt of mine by now.... but I am not... because I never got that package.

So I check online, sure enough, the package was delivered to our house while we were outta town. Grrr. Now I am mad. Call Grant to make sure he did not take my shirt. Call the neighbors who were in charge of taking in our mail to make sure they did not take my shirt. Negative on both.

Logical conclusion: Someone in Columbia stole my shirt!!!

So I call Victoria's Secret to clear things up about my missing shirt. They are super nice about it, by the way, and offer to replace it, no questions asked. BUT, since this $6 shirt was such a good deal, they are sold out. So they replace my money instead. I'm am happy about the refund, but totally bummed that I lost out on a cute shirt that was such a good deal.

Joke's on the thief though....

Here's the shirt they stole!

(Similar to it anyway... the one I really wanted isn't pictured online anymore)

And chances are whoever stole my shirt isn't big on the Jayhawks. After all, there are only like 4 of us in the city. So I imagine some mean Mizzou thief dumped my shirt in the trash somewhere.

Sad day!

A hairy situation

For the last 3 months or so, Grant and I have had the following conversation daily, if not more often.

G: Come on, seriously, don't you think Jagger needs a haircut?

B: No, I seriously think it looks cute.

G: It's almost long enough to braid. Seriously.

B: No it's not. And that's the style now. It seriously looks cute. No haircuts!

G: Well I am taking him to get a haircut the next time you fall asleep, seriously.

B: *Rolls eyes* I am serious about this... you better not.

So after 90 plus days of the same conversation..... I reluctantly gave in.

And because everyone loves a good Before & After:

I miss his hair. But I have to admit, he still looks cute. Seriously.

House Rules

I feel like getting crafty this weekend, and have decided I need to make something to hang on an empty wall I have. After searching blogland for some inspiration, I have decided I need a plaque of house rules. Here's what I got so far.

House Rules
Grow to know Jesus
Love each other
Obey Mom & Dad
Always say “please” and “thank you”
Laugh a lot
Wash your hands
Say your prayers
Be kind
Clean up your messes
Dream big

Am I leaving anything out?

Well, we did it.

Grant, Brei, Kenzie, Alisha @ Nashville Country Music 1/2 Marathon

But I hated every second of it, especially the running part. That being said, I am considering doing it again. My stupid, uh...I mean, loving sisters are peer pressuring me into it.

Chicago in August???? Virginia Beach in September???? We'll see.

I will make a little list to weigh the pros/cons. I really like lists. I wish I could make a chart or graph. Anyway.

Pros

Miles 1-3
New running gear
Free babysitting
Nashville
Burning a few calories
Free t-shirt
My parents, sons, brother-in-law, and nephews cheering us on
A new medal for Jagger to play with
Being able to say I did it

Cons

Running
Miles 4-13
Blisters
Port-a-potties
Running
Waking up at 4:30 AM
85 degrees
Sore/Tight calves
Running
Hills
Kenzie yelling at me

All in all, it was a great experience and I am really glad I decided to get off the couch and do it. Kenzie decided to run with Alisha and me, even though she is faster than us. She ran circles around us though. She tried to be encouraging, but we just viewed her as a Nazi and didn't like her very much for those 2 hours and 44 minutes. Grant, of course, finished way before us, but was still disappointed with his time. Dear, maybe that's because you only ran like 4 times since January. You think that had something to do with it? Anyway. One of the best parts was seeing our family sporadically throughout the race. They were there at mile 6, mile 7, and right before the finish line. It was great to see and hear them. Very motivating.

On another note, I gained a pound this week. Can someone explain that one to me?

On being a Mom

What I love now, and want to remember always:

1. I love the resourcefulness and the (limited) creativity that they have instilled in me. Whether it be creating a meal out of virtually nothing, a Halloween costume out of odds and ends we have around, or the fact that I can doing many things one-armed (while Cash occupies the other.) I am forced to be prepared and think a little more. I love doing that for their sake.

2. Although I do not love it when my kiddos are sick I do love being the one who helps them feel better. I love being able to hold them tight and give them the sweet kisses that only a mommy can. This is also one of the few times where they will let me hold them extendedly anymore.

3. I love being able to watch them grow and learn from the day they were born. I love approaching new milestones, and to see their little minds turn, is fascinating. I learn a lot about keeping it simple from them.

4. I love seeing their relationship grow. The boys are becoming the best of friends. I love listening in on their conversations (as one-sided as they may be at this point.) I love their sharing and their teamwork, and the sweet hugs they give each other.

5. And most importantly, being a mom hass allowed me to see how much Jesus truly loves us. My love for my boys never grows weak, even when we are in meltdown-mode. I do not love them any less no matter what they do. Because I love in this way, I better understand the love and forgiveness given to me by Jesus, and the fact that I will always have a home in Him.

Happy Easter Friends!