What I Wore Wednesday

This week has been full of beginnings. Ty has had his first week on a new school bus to and from school. In his world a new bus is like a trip to Disneyworld every single day. The bus is super cool to a four year-old! (It's his second week of school.) The girls start school this week too--Charlie went today and Joy starts Thursday. When I picked Charlie up she said she loved her new friends but she didn't know any of their names. Hmmm.

The first outfit was just to show you the thrift store boots again. Actually this whole outfit cost $21.






Dress: Target clearance
Belt: antique shop in my hometown
Boots: thrift store in Edwards, CO






This shirt got three outfits' worth of wear this week. I wore it Sunday tucked into khaki linen pants, (which looked best I think,) and then yesterday.

Shirt: Anthropologie sale
Shorts: Fossil




This was what I wore to the dermatologists office and I ended up leaving it on the whole day because it was like wearing pajamas.

Skirt: ASOS
Shoes: Ross about 5 years ago

I love to read Kristina's blog and totally copied her outfit here. She has a fun and heartfelt blog about her life and wearing girly clothes.

Since I wrote the check to secure my girls their spots in preschool for the year we've had three showing appointments made, (one today, two tomorrow.) I
told Sean now that I'm settled into the idea that we'll live here through this year and paid for everything/made plans we'll probably get a bite on the house and need to move out in two weeks. It's just the way it works around here sometimes. :) Thankful to be here right now...and thankful that I honestly feel that way.

Out of order but so what

Instead of telling y'all more about the trip I thought I'd pause to show you what I've been working on since we got back. A recent change of events made it possible to sign Joy up for preschool. Yipeeeeeeeeee! She will love it and has already said, "I go school too with sista!" I'd gotten Charlie ready equipment-wise but as of Friday I started figuring out what Joy would need. Because Friday was the day I signed Joy up. Lord knows if I can't fly by the seat of my pants I don't know who can.

Mom made Ty's nap mat, which is now Charlie's. Ty only used it for a few months before starting his current school where he doesn't nap. Charlie used it all last year and mom put her name on it for her. It's made of fun numbers fabric from Ikea. Right after finding that fabric we found similar fabric with hearts on it and mom agreed that one of the girls would use it someday. Well my friends, that day is today.












I used the roll of fabric, (I think it was $8.99) plus some soft fabric that mom found at her thrift store. Bonus: somebody had already cut it into squares. So today while Ty played with his leggos, (an early bday gift,) I went to town.
























See the pins? There were around 51 million of them to hold my blanket together. I worked on the blanket first because I'm actually begging myself to learn to quilt. I don't know why really I just notice quilts now and want to make one. So this was my first very uneducated attempt. I sewed all of the squares together then sewed the finished side to a piece of the heart fabric. Then I made the nap mat. I copied what Mom did with Charlie's, minus the actual seamstress work. I sewed the sides together, flipped it inside out, then stuffed it with quilt batting. Then I sewed the ends together again real wonky-like. It's a masterpiece. See.















Not sure if you can see it but I use white thread for everything I sew. Ask my Mom. It drives her crazy.











I know one little girl who won't care if it's all wonky. This girl












Man does she love watermelon.

Anyway.

During my sewing fiasco and after the girls woke up we played baseball.












That's home plate.












Ty never stands still anymore. It's like the boy in him just went all-boy on me. He wants to play baseball, basketball, or tackle football all day. Emmy took him to a Rough Riders game last week (they're the Rangers minor league team,) and ever since he can't get enough baseball. The little league world series couldn't have come at a better time!

Okay I'm tired from all the sewing. Sean looked at me all covered it scraps and thread a minute ago and said, "Little did I know I married that chick from Little House on the Prairie."

Goodnight.

The full story: Part 1

So y'all know that we are home from a quick trip to Colorado. I forgot to mention a few details:

The high the first day we were there was 80 degrees. The low? 42.

The second day we were there was 79 degrees. The low? 45.

The third day, well, you guessed it. LOWER THAN IN TEXAS.

We truly wanted to stay there. Not that we wouldn't miss it here, mainly because our friends and families are here. But to be able to play outside with the kids and to see them just blissfully happy to play out in the sunshine--it was enough to make us think about the possibilities of living away from this Texas Africa Heat. No way it'll happen though. Just dreamin'.

So here's the run-down of events: On Sunday afternoon Mom and Dad took us to the airport. They were going to keep Max, (lucky them,) so it made sense for them to drop us off since they also have a suburban. We ended up taking our car, (???) but still, it made sense. I managed to pack all of my stuff, all of Charlie's stuff, and all of Joy's stuff into one big suitcase. Sean packed Ty's clothes in his bag, which is his work bag that is small enough to carry on. So for five people we checked one bag. Sweet, right? And that is how it's done, you seasoned travelers. This rarely-flying momma has got it all figured out.

At least until the trip home when my bag weighed 59 pounds. And at least until I found out that if your bag weighs more than 50 pounds you pay $100 American dollars. Um, chunking the lotion, gel, toothpaste, switching to the heavy shoes for the flight, etc.

Moving on...

We arrived in Eagle at 6 local time, 7pm Tx time. The kids go to bed at 7 so it was kind of interesting how they acted once we got there. Obviously they were excited about the plane, the people, the dogs that were on the flight, (there were like, 5, no lie--people from Colorado apparently travel with their pets everywhere,) so they weren't tired at all. Joy cried the last ten minutes of the flight and held her ears. I kept trying to give her things to eat and drink but she didn't want anything. Once we landed she was much better, and when she saw Pops, Sean's dad, she was so happy. We loaded the car and started the drive home. About fifty yards from the house Joy started vomiting.

Moving on...

She was fine after she got out of the car and I was reminded of many car trips to Colorado when either my brother or I would get sick from the altitude change. We made sure she was better before bed and then made sure to give her a 1/2 of a Dramamine on the flight home. We let the kids play while we set up their beds and since there were two rooms close to each other we put them in one of them and we took the other one. They loved sleeping in the same room. Like their joy was palpable. I kept hearing them that first night giggling and I thought, man, this is pure joy for a mother's heart. Then I heard them telling knock-knock jokes. Then it was a surprise game where one of them surprised the others with a crazy dance. Then it was just a mess. Then we went in and made them go to bed. It was about 10 pm Texas time.

And we paid for that the next day ten-fold. But after that night they settled right in and enjoyed pretty much everything for the entirety of the trip. They swam, they played, they got to go up the mountain, they showed their grandparents all of their tricks,and they tried new things. We rode the gondola up the mountain and though we were worried that Ty wouldn't like it or be afraid he cozied right up and had a blast looking down at all of the trees. Both of Sean's parents went up too and they enjoyed seeing the kids' faces when I jumped on the trampoline. I tell you what-nothing makes kids more proud than their parent jumping on a trampoline and doing an occasional back flip. It was one of those trampolines connected to a bungee cord. Who knew after all this time I could still do a flip? Well, connected to a very strong piece of elastic that basically created artificial gravity. I had so much fun that I was still sore this morning. Joy jumped beside me and she wasn't afraid or apprehensive at all. She still says that jumping was her favorite thing she did in Colorado. Oh, and she also rode a pony. Her big bro and sis? Nada. They watched and weighed their options then decided to sit back and have their fun from afar.

I've posted pictures already so I'm sure I'm remembering things out of order but y'all don't care about details, right?

Right?

Okay I should stop with the play by plays then! Gotta hit the hay. More on Colorado tomorrow!

Flashback Friday

Little toots in the Fall edition





Two years ago we left baby Joy with Sean's mom so we could go to the Dallas Arboretum and see the pumpkins. It was a fun day, mainly because it was a little cool outside. What I'd give for a little slice of cool today! I tried to bring the cool air back from our trip with me but it didn't work.

Happy Friday!

Don't Mess with Texas

We are home. Dang it's hot here. About halfway through the flight Charlie asked me of we were in Texas. I told her no but we are getting close. She said, "Oh I'm glad mommy. I sure like Texas the best."

Amen sister. But that weather in Colorado could certainly convince me to move there. Until winter rolls around and I get so cold I change my mind.

Anyway.

Here are a few more pictures.


The girls on the trip home this morning


Joy was suffering from altitude sickness (ahem...the gross kind,) on the trip from the airport to the house in CO so today we gave her 1/2 of a Dramamine. Thankfully I checked with the pharmacist before we left to be sure she could have it! I thought I'd need it for Ty but he did great. So anyway Joy was tired on the flight home. She never slept though.

Y'all, I love a bargain. When Sean's mom told me there was a thrift store down the street from them I begged her to take me so she did. Then I went again on my own the next day because I regretted not buying one of the finds from day 1. These are the best deal I found:



Tony Lama black boots in my size, barely worn. 15 American dollars=score. I also found a tricycle for $8 and four Oilily shirts for Charlie for $2 each. It's things like this that make me believe it's worth it to hold out for a bargain. It's also things like this that cause my bag to weigh 58 pounds at weigh-in today, which apparently means that you either chunk stuff to make it lighter or hand over $100. Bet you can guess which one we chose.

So now I am still the happy owner of my new finds BUT we now need to replenish our supply of contact solution, shampoo, deodorant, lotion, and sunscreen.

It's the important things in life.

See y'all tomorrow for Flashback Friday!

Pets

Mimi and Pops have two dogs and a cat. Everybody likes the dogs.



They share space with them.


They give them treats and put on 'shows' for them.


Then there's the cat. He's 18 years old and very very moody. If the cat comes within twenty feet of Ty it scares Ty to death. But the girls...well the girls think it's hilarious when he hisses at them.

So far going up the mountain, (Beaver Creek,) yesterday and watching the cat are the girl's favorite parts of the trip. Ahem.

Today's agenda: go swimming at the indoor pool in Avon and sitting outside for as long as possible to soak up the cool air.

By the way we are hoping our flight gets cancelled tomorrow so we can stay in this weather until November. I'll keep you updated.

We've only just begun

Highlight of the trip so far for Ty





I did this too. Not kidding.












Having fun!

Colorado

Goodbye Texas, hello Colorado

The flight

There was pure joy


And pure exhaustion


And only ten minutes of crying. From Joy not me...thank the Lord! Where are we? I'll show you tomorrow.

Six

Today is our wedding anniversary. Six years ago we signed up for a marriage, not knowing for sure what it all meant but knowing that we loved each other and it was worth it. We stood in this small church with even smaller air conditioning capabilities and said our vows. The future was mysterious and bright. I was so grateful for who Sean was and how he loved me. I loved how grounded he was. He was grateful I was spontaneous (his word) and flighty. (my word...) We had no idea just how dynamic those differences would be :)

One of my bosses used to tell me that if you want to learn to be like Jesus you should get married. What he meant was that it would take the patience of God Almighty to withstand everything your spouse might throw at you. Ha. And while Jesus has indeed had to help us thousands of times, we have Him with us. We ask for help when we need it. We push through scary times like we had with Joy before she was born. Like now when we need to sell our house and it hasn't sold. We trust that God is molding us to be more like Him and His grace allows us to keep on trying. We have more understanding of what our marriage is now=It's one half circus, one half very calm nights by the stream. Not that we have a stream by our house but you know what I mean. The kids provide the circus. It's our imperfect life. It works. It is a gift and it is wonderful.

Happy Anniversary babe. I love you more every single day.

WIWW

Late edition




And one outfit edition.

Be excited. Be very excited.

Shirt/tunic: Forever 21. Very lightweight, not as hot as it looks

Shorts: gift from my MIL

Shoes: Ruche

Got a lot going on around here...taking a family trip soon and my self-counseling skills are being put to use. Airplanes and I have a long long history. Prayers appreciated.

Up to speed

It was a fun weekend. I'll let the pictures do the talking.






























She wanted to go home with the pony. She was the only one brave enough to ride the pony, by the way. I mean of my kids.

Yesterday I cleaned out my makeup drawer.





Exciting, I know. But for me cleaning out anything is monumental.

Today I kept a friend's kids while she took one of hers to the doctor.






An 8 week-old baby...me...you never know what will happen. I'm happy to keep a baby now, what with all the sleep under my belt and my ability to give them back to their momma at the end if the day...but still...I'm not always a good baby person, y'all know that.





Here I am, frazzled. Do I still have the touch?





Yep yep I sure do. Keep in mind I had a bottle to give him so I wasn't totally on my own. Her other two kids who stayed at our house entertained my kids so really it was a breeze. Who knew six kids five and under could be doable when I'm in charge. I'm as surprised as you are.

This afternoon Emmy took Charlie out for a little date.





Could she BE any happier? No.

And Emmy bought her a pink heart-shaped necklace. She is complete.




Tonight we went to the rec center since the days of pool fun are dwindling. I'm sad but the ending of pool days means school is starting and Fall is coming. In other words, relief is in sight!

See y'all tomorrow for WIWW!

Flashback Friday on Sunday

And today

Meet Buck

Buck is our newest pet. We all love him and visit him often.



He's a good pet.


We don't have to worry about him biting the kids. Or us.


Charlie asked if he could sleep with her in her bed.

Um yeah.

Thank you, Cabelas. You are as good as Disneyworld to us.