greatest hits: port aransas

best ben quote of the trip:  "daddy, i thought the ocean was blue, but i guess it's just gray".

that's what we get for not driving to florida.  but to us, a beach = vacation, whether the sand is white or muddy brown.  the kids fell in love with the gray ocean and their daddy and i even managed to relax a little.

i cooked (we had a working kitchen!), we did laundry (we had a washer and dryer actually hooked up!), we played, we walked to the beach, we swam, we slept in a seperate room from our children (say what?) and chris and i sat up every night after the kids went to bed and talked.  simple as that.  you don't need turquoise water for that kind of goodness.

here is my photo dump.

 almost there.

 first time.

 his shark tooth necklace is cooler than yours, obv.

 candy shoppe.

 a home cooked meal.

 learning.

 argh.

 forest gump.

 a stroller/beach mishap.

 kissy the fishy.

 sunset.

 headed home.

 sunrise.

bbq pitsop.

looking forward to a 24-hour trip to the hill country to celebrate suzy.  

how was your week?  what are you looking forward to?

until next time,

xoxoxo

independence day

preface: i love my children.

last night as we were moving our children's beds into their own rooms, i told chris that this was our independence day.  he later cursed me for planting martina mcbride's anthem in his head.  ooops.  i also apologize for just planting it in yours.

you see, since we moved, we have all been sleeping in the same room.  for a month, y'all.  we are not the family-bed-co-sleeping type of parents either (if you are, more power to ya!)  as soon as we moved in (back in june, mind you), we ripped up the butt-ugly floors in every room of the house (minus a few).  this has prevented us from unpacking and placing the furniture in it's proper place, therefore preventing us from cooking an actual meal and sleeping uninterrupted.

upon our return from vacation, we were able to finally move their beds onto the newly finished floors in their rooms.  instead of staggering their bedtimes per the 'new' usual, we fed them and sent them on to bed.  in their rooms.

 and as we closed the doors, a choir of angels sang, 

"haaaaallelujah! haaaaaallelujah!"

chris and i celebrated in the privacy of our own room by making out jumping on the bed passing out the minute our heads hit the pillow.

before: camp bonner

after:  their own rooms.  complete with bunk beds.  boom.

free at last, free at last, thank god all mighty....

o.k. i'll stop.

this and that

here's a little art for ya.

*these gorgeous waves are not black and white photographs.  they are charcoal drawings, people.  amazing.  by artist robert longo.

source

* here are some iconic rock and roll photos for your viewing pleasure.

run dmc

and my new orleans-loving soulmate, michael stipe with r.e.m.

source

*street art and sarcasm.  two of my favorites.

artist: mobstr

source

* artist myoung ho lee places white canvases behind trees and snaps stunning photographs.  see?

source

* in chicago i fell in love with the bean.  these reflective outdoor sculptures make my heart go pitter-patter.

see more here.

*i will leave you with some super-nerdy art humor.

drawings by grant snider.

source

greatest hits coming soon!

xoxoxo

Beach diet

Some people eat celery for a week before vacation to make sure their body is bikini ready.

Other people eat beef ribs the size of your face.

We fall in the "other people" category.

Steadfast and true

Girlfriends rally. They sit in waiting rooms with you and for you. They stand next to you. They witness vows. They love your children. They listen about falling in love, not finding love, and falling out of love. They know your talents and vices. They only want the best for you. They know when to push and when to back off. They know your favorite foods, how you take your coffee and which brand of beer you prefer.

They are a text or phone call away from a happy hour to listen to you bitch about your boss, or husband or responsibilities. They are there to celebrate new jobs, new kids, new chapters. They grieve with you. They send cards. They bring food. They gather around their own to raise them up, but only when it is time. Until then, they cry right along with you.

I love you, Emily.

greatest hits

my momma had knee replacement surgery.  it went well and she is due home today with a long recovery ahead of her.  since it is unheard of to learn how to use a new knee properly with 3 rugrats tugging on you, my sister and i are taking care of each others kids while the other is at work until momma's knee is in proper working order.  it's gonna be an adventure, y'all.  this temporary set-up should be good birth control for my sister!  my little monsters can wear you out. 

here is a peek:

1) since my house is a construction zone, the cousins hung out at mimi's on my sister's first day back to work.

 {watch out, addelyn.  biggie smalls is after you.}

 {t.r.o.u.b.l.e.}

 {i sure did.}

 {angel pie}

 {mimi's house is like vegas.  what happens there, stays there.  the boys get to watch too much tv and eat chips straight from the bag.  brings back fond memories of my childhood.}

2) mimi's hospital is conveniently close to pepe and mito's, a fairly-new-to-us mexican food joint.  margarita=stellar, shrimp enchiladas=divine, and they serve their tecate fully dressed. 

 in lieu of my standard list of things i am looking forward to, i ask that you please pray for my dear, dear friend who very unexpectedly lost her father on thursday night. 

our hearts are heavy.

i hope you have a great weekend.  

now go hug your daddies.  and your mommas, too.

until next time,

xoxoxo