Christmas Dresses

I always remember having Christmas dresses when I was little. Perhaps this is an altered memory; because, I can really only recall a couple of dresses. However, I know that we always "dressed to the nines" for our annual Christmas program at school. Granted, my grandmother made most, if not all, of our dresses for us...even these beauties I have shared before:

I swear my memory wants to say that Nikki's bow was on the back of her dress, above her bum. It came off or something, so my mom put it on her head. Haha. Mom, correct me if my memory fails me. Sorry, Nikki; I just had to show it again. If it makes you feel any better, I will post my 4th grade photo on here sometime....awkward! Or, my freshman year photo.....oh boy...

Anyway, we had special occasion dresses when I was little. At Easter, we even had hats with our dresses. I loved it. So, naturally, since I am making my girls basically relive my childhood in the 21st century (ha!), I had to get Christmas dresses for them. Lucy has had them, so why would I treat Olive any different?

2010

Heath asked about this tradition, and especially about the expense involved. "How many times will they actually wear these?" I understand that. But, they will wear them three times. That's not too bad at their age. They barely wear outfits three times before they grow out of them! They need the dresses to see Santa, for Christmas card photos, and to wear to church on Christmas Eve - totally worth it! Nonetheless, I could tell Heath was a little skeptical....until...

the girls got their photo in the local newspaper.

When we went to see Santa, they weren't very many children dressed up. But, we wanted to have good photos, so the dresses came out. Since they were all dolled up, the newspaper photographer took their photo with Santa Claus. It was a proud moment for these parents; I tell you what...



Heath finally "drank the Christmas dress kool-aid."

It's a great idea. Hopefully my girls will carry on the tradition with their own children. Oh, and yes, if we decide to have a third, and it is a boy, he'll be in the photo too with a little sweater vest, khakis, and loafers.

Merry Christmas to all! And, happy dressing. :)

Dear...

Dear Hyundai...I sincerely apologize for the stains you have acquired in the last three years. I would blame it on Lucy, but even the driver's seat has some marks. That is what you get for having tan interior. What were you thinking?

Dear Chico...you are a lazy bum and I envy you in the worst way.

Dear Blue Sippy Cup...I am sorry that we had to part ways. You should know every time we poured milk into you, that you took a risk of being tossed. Perhaps you could have laid under the bed forever, with your sour contents. Unfortunately, I found you and after a mutual, family decision, we opted for the trash can. It's nothing personal; we have weak stomachs.

Dear Organizing Blogs...I've come to realize that it isn't simply putting items into baskets that make things look spiffy (although it helps). You must have matching bins/baskets and name tags to really look great. You make me feel mediocre...damn you.

Dear Heath...although I think Lucy's new freckles (10 or so, on her cheeks) are absolutely adorable, it isn't quite fair that she looks so much like you. :[  This is a picture of Heath, not Lucy, for anyone who needed the clarification.

Dear Chilis Restaurants...I think our city could totally support a Chilis. What do you say? Yay or nay? I think so.

Dear Olive...if you haven't heard by now, you look kind of like your sister, or so it seems. This means that we will have to explain your grumpy disposition all of the time. However, don't take it personal. You come by it honestly. :) I mean, look at your sister...

Dear Scale...if you could just keep that first number as a '1,' I would really appreciate that. I don't intend to see a '2' during this pregnancy, but I am getting pretty worried as of late. Help a pregnant girl out!

Dear Lucy...you can lie to us and say that you didn't poop your pull-up; but, you not sitting on your butt is a clear indicator something is up...literally.

Dear Motherhood Maternity Store...thank you for the adorable olive-colored dress that I purchased this weekend; however, I hated that I had to give you an arm for it. On another note: please consider giving the weirdo who helped me a different job, preferably in the back room where she can't be heard. Well, now that I think about it, you could also send the 90 lb, 20 year old wearing tightss back there too.

Dear Husband...I know you think I have an obsession with going to Sonic for slushes. But, I crave those strawberry slushes and Lucy loves getting one too.

Dear Olive...since we have confirmed that you are a girl, you are officially stuck with that name. :) I hope you like it.

Have a great day everyone! Any, "Dear..." letters you would like to send?

Second Child

Being a second child myself, I understand. You always have hand-me-downs - clothes, shoes, bows, toys. You don't have many pictures of yourself alone as a child. Or, you don't have many pictures of your childhood at all.

I'm on the left, obviously. Nikki was always much more put together than I was. I was a wreck of a dirty child. And, yes, I have both of my hands down my pants. This was a common thing. Lucy does it too! haha.

As the second child, even rules get handed down to you, although you haven't even had the chance to break them yet.

Your milestones are often compared to the older child. I apparently took longer to walk, talk, and potty train than my sister. She got all of the good stuff first - a new bike, her own telephone line, a television in her room.

You are probably thinking this is similar to the "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha" episode of The Brady Bunch. Don't fret; it won't be. You see Jan Brady was the middle child. Something that I've only studied in school and watched on television. Although the second, I was also the youngest. That means along with the bad, you get some good.

You get to learn from your sister's mistakes and see your parent's reactions for punishment. Nikki's teenage rebellion years were coupled with my uneventful years in 6th and 7th grade, which automatically made her seem like "the trouble child."

And, I got all of the fun stuff a few years after hers had aged. I remember her pastel colored bike being two years old when I got my brand new, neon colored bike. She was pretty upset...although I paid for it when her and our friends made fun of me. I was the only kid in town with a Murray bike, everyone else had Huffy bikes.

On Nikki's birthday, I also got a present from my grandparents, probably the most unfair youngest child tradition of all.

I was also pretty spoiled rotten by our grandpa. :) I miss him so much.

The second child is something that I've been thinking about a lot lately. For the most part, Olive will get Lucy's hand-me-down clothes. I know that we will get her new items; however, we have totes and totes of baby clothes that Lucy wore just a few times. Olive will wear them. (Sorry future Olive reading this; it is financially the best decision. Perhaps all of the money we saved on baby clothes went to fabulous, family vacations or your college fund. Think of it that way. ;) ) 

Olive, no doubt, will have twice as many toys as Lucy. Since she will get to play with Lucy's (sometimes) and her own. She will of course get her own at Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, etc.

I vow to try my hardest at taking just as many pictures of Olive, writing just as many blogs about Olive, and filling out Olive's baby book as much. However, I understand with two children, it's going to be tough! I am going to try though...really.

I hope to give the girls equal presents, as to squash jealousy. However, Olive will not get presents on Lucy's birthday, or vice versa.

I really hope to make my girls' childhoods similar in parenting and spoiling. It is hard. Some things you just can't help. But, there are perks to each stage - oldest, youngest, or middle - at least in my opinion. I just want to focus on her as much, yet not neglect Lucy. It's a hard balance that I will undoubtedly discuss in the future. Stay tuned...

I wanted to leave you with this photo from Pinterest.com. It made me laugh...children of the 90s.

Maternity Models

I was recently sent a maternity catalog in the mail. It featured clothing lines from Motherhood (I get my maternity clothes from there) and A Pea in the Pod. I was excited because I knew that a Pea in the Pod was Nichole Richie's line and I love celebrities. :)

So, I quickly opened and started perusing. I found the cutest top.

Cute! Hmm...I wonder if i would look like that though.

Then, to my annoyance I saw this picture.

Look at her legs! Here is a closer look:

It then dawned on me that these were models with fake bumps. Granted, I understand why the companies would do that; but, this was just unrealistic! Hardly any one's legs look like that normally, nonetheless pregnant! Those thighs? I don't think so.

I admit; I was borderline insulted. And, I felt completely alienated.

Then, I got to this picture.

That bump doesn't even look real. It's awful. It ruined the whole catalog gazing experience for me. :(

I know some celebrities look like that pregnant, but not this gal! I look a lot more like this celebrity when I'm pregnant:

 

If you think that the picture is skewed or making her look bigger than it appears - no. That is actually how big she appears.

Who knew me and Jessica Simpson had so much in common?

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I am loving...

...my new dress that I got from Target last weekend (thanks for the gift card dad and Rhonda!) Today, I paired it with a black cardigan and black tights (thanks Jeannie!). I could get used to this whole Birthday thing. ;)

...Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game (both the book(s) and the television shows!). I seriously am upset every Monday when they are over. Can't they go on forever?!

...I am still loving all of the benefits from my birthday (the clothes, the food, the books, and movie)! Plus, I love getting to see my family!

...my new iphone cover, from my hubby for my birthday! :) It's super BA ("bad-ass" for all of the non-minor ears out there). :) Who knew I would love metallic so much? Plus, it is a different brand, kind of expensive, but much thicker. The picture doesn't give it justice.

...that Lucy can almost say her prayers with me. She is getting so good at it! The other night, she didn't want to say them, so at the end I pretended I forgot what to say and she corrected me, "Amen." :) I loved it.

...Lucy's cake that her cousin Hannah made her. Hannah and my Aunt Amy couldn't make it to Lucy's party because of the weather, so they made her a cake this last weekend to celebrate. Hannah is becoming quite the cake maker! Envious....

Which reminds me...I own you all a Lucy's 2nd Birthday Party post...I'll have to get on that. :{ Anyway, on with what I'm loving...

...that we got a lot of items for Lucy's big girl room this last weekend. I will have to write a post about that too; so, I can share pictures of all of our goodies! :)

...Lucy's new book that my sister and her family got for her. It is personalized. I wish I could tell you where Nikki got it; but, I don't remember right now. Sorry! Lucy likes hearing her own name and family members' names in a book!

...American Idol. Oh no, are we back there? Yep. I obsessed over it last year and well, it's back! The talent is amazing and I have some favorites. I definitely look forward to this week's!

...fruit snacks. I never really ate these when I was little; but, Lucy liked them. Then, I got a coupon for them and I was able to price match and that is all it took. Only $2 for a regularly $4 item? Yes, please! We now have two large boxes of these, below. Delicious! :) It is a great snack. (I recommend the purple-ish/blue-ish box.)

...the geese on the little lake in town. There are SO many. Lucy loves to watch them. There are even a few ducks. Mostly you can only hear the honking of the geese though. :) And, yes, I sit in the car; because it's too cold. :[

...like always, I love my baby girl, Lucy.

... my amazing hubby, who surprises me with cleaning up the house all the time!

...my family, friends, and readers!

Have a great Wednesday! What are YOU loving? :)

Parents

Let me just say that parents are funny. I say that, all while forgetting I'm a parent too now.

I often discuss my family and how much I love them. I talk about becoming a mother and how thankful I am to be blessed...etc. Never do my parents comment on those types of statements. I occasionally get a comment about how cute Lucy is or possibly a chuckle over something I mentioned. But, after yesterday's post, both had something to say. Apparently the joke about my jeans hit a chord.

My mom asks out of nowhere, "You were being sarcastic weren't you?"

"What?"

"You were being sarcastic about the jeans."

"What? Oh, ha ha; I was just kidding."

I didn't really think much more of it, until I received a text from my dad just half an hour later.

"I really don't see that much wrong with those jeans-?"

I couldn't do anything, but laugh. I was kidding mom and dad. Of all the things, that is what they both comment on.

Now, I will tell you why I was kidding about the topic though, and I'm sure all children say this. My parents put my sister and I in some pretty hilariously awesome outfits through the years.

I would like to enter this photo into evidence, as Exhibit A.

My grandma made these dresses for us, which is pretty cute. :) And, velvet was in back then. However, the bows were just over the top. Ha ha. I laugh because I got the sweet end of this deal. My shoulder bows are only about half the size as the one on my sister's head. It actually flops to one side, because it weighed so much!

Please know that there are a lot more photos where that one came from; but, I don't have time to show you my childhood albums. :)

Oh well, what can I do now? I guess I do what I have to do. I, now, must put Lucy in embarrassing clothing. I can blame it on the heredity cycle. :)

Shout out to my parents (because apparently that phrase grabs their attention) - the joking is all in fun. The eighties and nineties were horrible to anyone and everyone.

Cough, tight perms, cough, shoulder pads, cough, mini-mullets...hmm, I must be coming down with something. :)

I love you mom and dad. Although most of my childhood photos are embarassing or are of me in the background of Nikki's photos, haha, I loved my childhood just the same. :) It was a good time. Thank you.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Seven More Things

1) I love to be tan; but, I am getting more and more scared of skin cancer and wrinkles as I get older. I am liking the idea of spray tanning more and more these days! :) Healthy!

2) I am on a salsa and avocado kick lately. My favorite salsa is Chili's salsa with ranch. YUM!

3) I love buying exercise clothing. Is that odd? It motivates me to work out. haha.

4) When I pick Lucy up from daycare and she comes running at me, smiling, and gives me a big hug - that is the best feeling in the world! :)

5) I think that I'm too mean. I wish sometimes that I was a nicer person. :(

6) Lucy got a new kitchen set and I think that I'm more excited than she is (as of now). We are going to have a blast with that thing!

7) I wish on stars regularly and I always make a wish when I see the clock at 11:11.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm loving...

...that May is almost here! Bring on even warmer weather!

...Lucy's hair turning strawberry blonde! My hair turned that color when I was her age, just before turning really blonde! :) She may just look like her mommy yet!


...that I cleaned.....okay, 'picked-up' our entire house on Monday. Whew! It was a lot of work and lots of trips up and down the stairs (yay for burning calories!). But, I much rather come home to an organized home each night (even if I need to dust - really bad!).

...how my newest diet has been going thus far. Okay, so it has only been two days; but, hey - you gotta start somewhere! Thank goodness I got in some really good Easter crap-food before hand. :) I stuffed some Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs....YUM!

And, I was able to eat this scrumcious snack too, before the big diet.

 Isn't the bunny cute? My boss gave these to me.

And, last, I had creamy brownies with cream cheese frosting at Easter too.

I had two of them and some crumbs that fell off of my sister's....haha.



...my new Sperry Top-Siders.



...again, Lucy's new playroom! We have been getting a lot of use out of it too:

...my new favorite posts page! It gives readers a chance to read past posts, without reading everything.

...my readers, commenters, followers, visitors, and subscribers.

...my family, specifically my husband; he was mad that he didn't get a personal shout-out last week.

"You weren't lovin' me?"

So, there you go Heath. ;) I'm always "lovin'" you!

..as always, my Lucy.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Again, I'm linking up with Jamie from this kind of love for What I'm Loving Wednesday.

I'm Loving...

...that American Idol is on tonight. I think I'm borderline obsessed at this point. I love Casey and James!

...the way Lucy puts her sunglasses on. This is how she wears them:

and, at night...no doubt! :)
"I wear my sunglasses at night..."

...that my dad is getting married in Texas soon and we are traveling down for the wedding! :) Vacation! Yay!

...our new playroom! Go here to check out all the pics!

...that this weekend is Easter! I get to see family! And, it is a long weekend! Yippee!

...that we are dying eggs this Friday night! I got the glitter pack - hope it works! I'll let you know.

...my new lunches! I was getting sick of the same old thing (SmartOnes pastas); so, I found some new favorites!



This is really good. I love the asparagus! But, it makes you have garlic breath; so, have the gum or toothbrush on standby.



Can you tell I like garlic?  Beware: as good as these are, they are very strong smelling!! Thank goodness my co-workers don't mind!



These Mini Cheeseburgers were surprisingly good, to me.

...my new 'Lose It' app for my iPhone. You can set a goal of how many pounds you want to lose a week. Then it tells you how many calories to eat per day. It has a search-able food center to log calories. And, it has an awesome log for exercising and how many calories I've burned (and get back! :)).

Check the application out!

...our new red mulch! It has changed the look of our entire yard. Plus, I price matched it at Walmart for only $2.25 a bag! Heck yes! It looks awesome, was a good deal, and I burnt a ton of calories working in the yard.

...MyPartyShirt.com! I heard about this site from Randi at S Club 4. She is even having a give-a-way too! The site has a lot of great items; but, I think I want the one below most.

If you don't understand this, shame on you. It's off of 'Saved by the Bell.'

My sister already got me this shirt below for my birthday, two years ago:

My sister and I LOVED the 'Mighty Ducks!'

Please excuse the big mouth! haha.

Adam Banks was my favorite. I had a crush on him! :)

...my family, friends, readers, commenters, subscribers, and visitors.

...as always, my baby Lucy. :)

What are you loving this Wednesday? Anything that I'm loving too?