Jingle Bells

Both photos are from Details & Dragonflies Warehouse in Fort Worth.

Well it's so close I can almost smell it, taste it, touch it! What? CHRISTMAS! Ahh. The kid in me gets all excited. Bubbling over excited. I would buy a present for every person I have ever met, if my husband would not pass out over the credit card bill! The wrapping, the bowing(I am anti-giftbag), the lists and organization of it all. And I start early every year. Not because I want to get it out of the way. I admit I continue to shop for little things all the way up to the week before. But that is only because I love it. All big stuff is bought by Thanksgiving so I can start the WRAPPING! I am doing a White Christmas this year. All white wrapping paper and powder blue bows. It will be gorgeous!

Anyway enough of that. On to the shopping:

Drum Roll, Please....

#1 Fav is Dallas Market Sample Sale. Nov 6-8 10-7 F&S and 10-5 on Sun. Amazing toys, kids clothes, and so so much more. Free to get in, long lines so get there early!

#2 We have talked about before: Details and Dragonflies Warehouse Sales Nov 12-14 and 19-21st. 10-5pm 2221 W Broadway Ft Worth

#3 Learning Express in Southlake next to Central Market. Day after Thanksgiving 6am! Big SALE! Plus free coffee and donuts.

#4 http://www.etsy.com/ Gotta check it out! AMAZING hand made gifts.

#5 Anthropology! Hands Down my Favorite Chain store. Make that my ONLY chain store!

#6 THE BEST Christmas Photo Cards are http://www.tinyprints.com/ You can upload your own pics!

#7 Stocking Stuffer Lovers check out Penny Lane in Colleyville. They have the most unique collections of ornaments, great baby Sussies, & fabulous selections of gifts.

#8 Owls Nest has more unique toys than anyone. And they do the best real gift wrapping of anyone. If you have never been, stop by for playtime. They have plenty of toys out for kids to "TRY OUT".

Lastly, let's do our part in keeping our friends and neighbors in business. Support LOCAL Boutiques and shops! Buy Unique! We all win.

We did it and we'll do it again

Well after 4 years, lots of encouraging, months of planning, 1/2 an anxiety attack--maybe a full one, many tears later, we, my sweet adorable, loving husband and I went on a trip. ALONE. No kids. No dog. Nothing but ourselves. We remembered why we took almost 7 years to have kids. We like each other. We have fun together. We love traveling. We talk. A lot. NO interruptions. We laugh so much together. Traveling is our thing! We just forgot about it over the last few years.

So new page in life: We are now the parents that can leave our boys and go away and come home refreshed and ready for life again. Who knew this was a great way to refuel your energy? Oh I guess all those other parents that do it ALL THE TIME. So while we were late to the party, this is one we will not miss for years to come.

We had the most amazing time. I would rank it up there with honeymoon in Hawaii and Valentine's in Paris! It was an all around amazing trip. The Northeast has wonderful food to offer and we tried it all. Lobster is my new all time FAV food. I knew I liked it before but having it there does not compare to anything Texas has to offer. Sorry Trulucks! I found some new cities to add to my fun list. Portland is almost as weird as Austin--in the good way. Food was so fresh, everything was organic and an Irish Pub in the middle. Who doesn't like that? Portsmouth was better shopping than, I dare say, Chicago! I could do that again. In a second. Conway, NH and Jackson NH are two ski towns on the list to take the boys to when they are older! And Harvard is just as prestigious as you would imagine.

So for my fellow separation anxious mom's out there, you can do it. I now understand why my friends said your kids will be better for it! And YES, we are already planning where to go next. Any ideas???

It's a GIRL!

MOM-TINIS, ANYONE?

Or at least it is going to be in March. And NO I am not talking about me! I am talking about my dear sweet Heather Lou. This is the girl who said since high school she was going to Vegas to get married. Then she, the last of the girls to get married, had an over the top wedding. Food to die for, beautiful princess gown just all round beautiful!

This is also the girl who did not think she would ever have kids because she did not think she was motherly! So of course we all know she will also be an over-the-top, amazing mom!

The best secret in the world for me to keep from that day in August, was about this sweet baby girl! I picked the restaurant because girlfriend intuition had given me a feeling. Mi Cocina is where I told another good friend of mine I was pregnant with Berkeley. So on a whim it seemed like the right restaurant.

And I, the mother of two adorable dirt loving, rock throwing, stick waving, frog hunting BOYS, get to throw the best over the top GIRL baby shower. Even if there is no pink! Help from two of my favorite websites will be key to making this the biggest success! http://www.hostesswiththemostess.com/ and of course www.tinyprints.com

PS: Photos are straight from Hostess With The Mostess.

Lucky Lucky Me

Watch me! Mom, did you see me? That was the BIGGEST jump EVER!

"Charlie, I'm not feeling lucky, I AM lucky!" (quote from Lola)

Reality Bites. I want to raise two boys that are strong, confident, healthy and compassionate. Sometimes this comes at a cost. That means what I want is not always going to happen! ARG! I really wanted to dress the boys for Halloween as a fireman and Dalmatian. Cute, huh? But Bradford made his mind up himself on what he wanted. He is a glow in the dark skeleton. And not because it is scary or anything. We received our first order of Scholastic books we ordered and have been reading the one about your body. So he is a pro on the pupil of your eye, your kidneys and THE BRAIN! So for him the skeleton is pretty cool. He will show you on his costume where his femur is!

So no matchey matchey costumes this year unless I can think of a link between a skeleton and Nemo.

Bradford amazes me everyday with his excitement for life. There are days where he wants us to stay home and hang out together but more than anything he loves school, his teachers and his friends. So when I don't have control of everything and he makes his own decisions sometimes, I have to remember he is becoming exactly what I want him to be: HIMSELF!