Party of 5

"No F*$%ing way" was the first thing out of my mouth. And then I ran down the stairs. Its funny because at the top of the stairs I was kinda smirking...but by the time I got to the last 2 I was in tears. I was sure in that moment I had ruined my life and my kid's lives and we were never going to be able to go out to eat again. LOL!! Because apparently going out to eat is just as important to me as raising happy, healthy kids ;) Anyways, I'll cut out all that went on those next 2 weeks, but I can sum it up with: Lots of Crying. And for so many reasons. Having kids 20months apart is a lot of work. So the idea of having 3 kids each 20 months apart scared the shit out of me. I'm a bit overwhelmed with life right now so this news probably threw me over the edge. Well not really, but it did lift me up and dangle me over the edge ;) I was really sad that I was changing the dynamic of my family. We're an even number, even sexes, the dynamic is perfect! Gentry and I can each manhandle a child, when necessary. The middle seat in our car is open for that 1 lone person that wants to ride with us. And I've always seen myself as a Mom of Two. So add all that to the fact that I'm not the most flexible person in the world, oh and I hate change, especially to my life plan, and multiply it by pregnancy hormones and you've got One CRAZY Lady!! During that time though some very special things happened. I've never really needed to lean on people like I did during that time. And honestly, I had no idea I was even leaning on them, but my girlfriends were absolutely amazing. I was constantly getting texts, or notes, or calls, or having conversations at the park. They were just "checking" on me. No one was telling me what I should do or giving me any advice, just simply letting me know they loved me and were there for me. It was really apparent how lucky I was to have such amazing woman in my life. I am one lucky girl and I have absolutely amazing girlfriends!! Its funny how people rally around you when you don't know they are and then you look back and realize it. Its a special thing! And I thank you all so much!

Ok. So of course my Doctor has the most jam packed schedule ever and it took 2 full weeks before she could see me. They were going to make me wait 4 but I told the girl that answers the phones, "I'm on the pill and theres NO WAY I should be pregnant. Please!" Lol. Yes, that's another awesome part of this story. I'm def on the pill and religious about it. Which also meant that all my girlfriends on the pill that don't want anything to do with babies are freaking the eff out. HAHAHA. Don't worry girls. Its like less that a 1% chance, and I feel like since you know someone that is officially that 1% you're in the clear ;)
The same day I went to see my Doc I also saw a Psychic! It was great :) My best friend's Mom mentioned that she saw one when her 1st baby was little and it was a great experience. Just to hear her say "Its all gonna be ok." Seeing the psychic was awesome. Except at the end when she told me she saw me having TWO MORE KIDS. And she thought she saw TWINS!!!! OMG. Yep, there I go again. Off the deep end. Bahahaha. And of course my doc had to tell me that my Hcg levels were high, which can mean twins. And did you know getting pregnant on the pill increases your chances of having twins? So I had to wait ANOTHER 4 weeks to confirm there was only 1. That was intense, to say the least.

So Thursday was my 11week appt. She's 90% sure there's only 1 baby. When we go in the next 2 weeks they'll be able to confirm 100% theres only one. Baby looks great. In the ultrasound pic baby's hand is up and totally looks like its waving. Or probably saying "What's up?!" I haven't been sick at all. Like maybe 15 seconds of nausea, but it was because I was hungry. The last 8 weeks I've been starving. And exhausted. At 10am I'm ready for a nap. This week I've felt pretty good. Probably the best so far. Still get pretty tired pretty fast, but not eating everything I see and sometimes actually feel energized. I'm guessing its another boy. I just can't believe I could be having another girl and no morning sickness. Doc said she'll be able to tell me the sex in 6 weeks! That's exciting :)

And yesterday I posted our announcement picture and got the sweetest feedback. More likes and comments than I imagined it would get. And I'm so pumped now!!!! For the first time I'm really excited. All the excitement of the people that made comments is pretty contagious, so I thank you all for the super sweet words! Especially those that said I looked cute ;) hehe. Cause the 1st trimester is the total "fat phase" and every time I get dressed I wish I could just put on a shirt that says "I'm not Fat, I'm pregnant."  I saw a newborn the other day and got so excited thinking about what this baby is going to look like!

So that's whats been going on the last few weeks! Its crazy how you can pee on a stick and your life changes just like that! I'm gonna be a Mom of 3. OMG!!! Oh yah, and I'm due 11.10.12! And as always, we ended up with a couple cute ones so I'm sharing my favs. The top one is the actual one I used to announce this baby on Facebook.

On that note....have a good weekend!!!

Nail Effects ♥ ♥ ♥

I haven't done a What I'm Loving Wednesday in awhile, (and I actually did this one last week but didn't add it to the WILW list until right before midnight) and I've been meaning to because I've become OBSESSED with the Sally Hansen Nail Effects. They're nail polish stickers that are freakin amazing. I CANT STAND when my nail polish chips and because I wash my hands 478 times a day it usually chips the morning after I paint them. Wellllll, not with these bad boys. I get a solid week out of them and the 7 days after that they still look good enough to usually keep them on for a full 2 weeks. (The package says they stay on for up to 10 days)

So I don't know the scientific reasoning behind them. They're made from real nail polish, but when you get them and peel them off the backing they feel like a thin, stretchy sticker. They come with directions that are easy to follow, but basically after prepping your nails you find the ones that match your nail size and press them on like a sticker. After you rub them down a little you file the extra off the top. They're SUPER easy. And if you have short nails like me you can cut them in half and get 2 full manicures from one box. NOTE- they come in an air tight container. There's 8 stickers in each airtight package. And theres 2 packages in every box. You get 8 stickers so you can pick the best 5 that fit your nails. Each package is for one hand, but like I said, if you cut them in half you can cover all 10 of your nails with one package and save the other package for a whole new manicure. But DO NOT open the airtight package until you're ready to do your nails. I opened one to get an extra nail out and then when I went back to it a week later to touch up a nail all the stickers had lost their stickiness and I had to throw them away. So the air tight seal definitely has something to do with their effectiveness, just an FYI :)

There's a TON of different patterns, glitter and solid colors. I got a bunch for Christmas and my Birthday and I can hardly wait to use them all. Lol. I most recently did the black and white pattern and got a ridiculous amount of compliments. Man, I wish I could sell these things like Mary Kay. I'd be so rich. Haha.

Decisions, decisions...

Sooo, if you're looking for nail polish that lasts, is super easy and looks like a professional manicure, these are perfect! At Target they're $8.50 and at Walgreens they're closer to $12, but lately they've been doing a Buy One get One 50% Off, so not too bad. They're definitely pricier than nail polish, but so worth it. And now that I think about it, if you're buying OPI they're probably cheaper!

I've also put a clear coat over the top the morning after I put them on and touch it up with a clear coat after the first week and seem to get a little longer wear outta them.

Annnnddddd, I did Raya's nails too :) Since I only used 5 strips from one package, I cut the other 3 into smaller pieces and used them to do Raya's.

PS- If you're a new reader or follower leave me a comment with your blog link. I only follow maybe 4 blogs so I'm looking for new ones to fill my reader up with  :) Happy Wednesday!!!

Hi Fall!

It's weird how fast the weather changes as soon as "Fall" officially starts. Its suppose to be in the 80s this week though...so I only got a taste of my fall wardrobe. And it felt good :) I'm ready for fall weather and fall fashion!

The other day I twisted Raya's hair and it turned out so cute. I did it really fast so it wasn't as "clean" as it probably could have been. AND it was my first time...so I know how to do it better next time. I did it again this weekend and it was even cuter. And its great because she took a bath today and it stayed in place and looked just as good after it dried.

Kallen was pretty fussy last week. Not through the night, thankfully. But during the day he'd only play for short periods of time and the rest of the time he wanted to be held. Just wanted me to take him around everywhere. I know its cause he's teething. I could see both of his top 2 front teeth getting ready to break through. Then Friday we wake up and a tooth on the bottom had broke through! I only ever saw the top ones and before they even come in this bottom one comes outta nowhere. Poor kid. Raya never had teething issues. She literally got 2 teeth every month starting at 6 months and by her 1st bday had 12 teeth. LOL. And they never bothered her when they were coming in. I'm super thankful that Kallen is sleeping through it!

And I know I've said it a couple times now, but I was pretty positive Kallen was going to be way behind Raya in their Physical Milestones because at first he really didn't seem to be interested in moving or crawling. Welllll, I'm thinking this 8month old of mine might be walking in the next few weeks. Raya stood unassisted for the frist time at about 9.5 months and then started walking a week before she turned 10 months. For the last 2 weeks Kallen has been standing totally unassisted and for long periods of time. We can literally set him down on his feet, give him a second and he gets his balance and stands there. All day he's picking up toys and standing in the living room playing with them. It's so crazy to me. HAHA. He's cruising the furniture and really looking like any day now he's going to take a step. I can tell he wants to but he can't quite figure out his first move. And all weekend Gentry's been trying to bribe him with toys to take a step towards him and I try and push him down HAHAHA. I'm like "DONT ENCOURAGE IT." I was kinda excited thinking that he wouldn't walk until he was about 1 because as soon as Raya started walking life got intense. So knowing he could be walking in the next few weeks kinda freaks me out. And makes me NOT want to push the issue. But it still makes me proud in a totally "Competitive Athlete" kinda way. Hehe.

And one of the first really funny and mature things Raya said to me today:
We were outside and she kept kicking our dog's empty water bowl. Its metal. And empty. So its really loud when she kicks it against the concrete. And its even more annoying. So I say: "Raya, stop kicking the dog's water bowl!" And she says, without thinking twice or batting an eye: "Calm down." HAHAHA. I immediately started laughing. She said it clear as day and totally meant it.

And the last 2 Fridays I've done the Makeup for Fashion Shows! I'll do a whole post on it, but its been so much fun! The first one was an actual Fashion Show and the second was a Artist Showcase. I got to work with some great people. And everyone was so fun to be around. And we stayed and danced our lashes off after. Lol. Good times!

Best Friends Wedding

One of my best friends got married in March. I wrote a post about it then: Wedding Bells for a Bestie
She sent us the link to the story board and all the pictures. The photographers are Blue Window Creative and heres the link to the AMAZING story board: Cathleen and Tyler's Wedding.

Then this week Grey Loves Weddings featured their wedding on her blog: Donut Soup Weds Indie Style. Its another great story board. I am blown away by the pictures. They are absolutely gorgeous. Only thing I'm bummed about is theres not a single picture of Raya! Dang it. Her dress was so amazing, so I was excited to see how it photographed. Good thing I took some :) There is one that I LOVE LOVE LOVE. Its the back of Raya and in black and white....she's walking to Cathleen and Tyler and I'm in the background. I think its just perfect. Very symbolic of the day and how Cathleen and I both thought all weekend how crazy it was that MY daughter was in HER wedding. Ahhh, life.

And one of Us

Cathleen: "I really am pretty, huh?"
Me: "You are, and I did a really good job on your makeup."

HAHA. Not sure what we're really saying, but this could easily be it. LOL!!!
Also, the story about Cathleen's dress is one of the best ever wedding dress stories. She talks about it on the Grey Loves Wedding post.

And here's a couple of me doing her makeup. They're not good quality because I took a picture of the picture while it was up on my computer screen :)

Cathleen was seriously a stunning bride. And everything was just perfect! I was honored to be a part of such a special day for such a special friend.

Sophia Nicole

Ok, so I wrote this post hours after hearing the news about my niece, Sophia. I was still very raw with emotions...which is why this post is pretty raw with emotions. I wasn't going to post it, but after talking to all the people I did this weekend and after reading blogs by moms who had actually gone through the same thing with their baby I decided it was ok to share where my head and heart were. I know I'm not the only one to go through these emotions and I know I won't be the last. Grieving is natural and different for everyone. My strongest emotions were anger and sadness.

Sophia is my step-sister, Alana's, daughter. Alana and her husband Richard are one of my favorite couples. Its always great to see them and spend afternoons or dinner with them. They live in Texas so we only get to see them when we're visiting, but its always a great part of our trip. They have a son, Christopher, who is exactly 6 weeks older than Raya. Kallen is exactly 6 weeks and 6 days older than Sophia. How cool is that?! Last Thanksgiving Alana and I were both pregnant. She didn't know what she was having yet, but we knew by next summer the number of grandkids would double! Sophia was born June 9th. A healthy, happy, beautiful baby girl.

Saturday morning my Dad called early and when I asked him how he was and he told me, "Well, not so good," I knew it was bad. He told me Sophia didn't wake up last night. I just cried. All I could say was "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness." And just cry. How does this happen? Why does this happen? This isn't fair! Everything DOESN'T happen for a reason. This WASN'T in gods plan. She's NOT in a better place. She needs to be here. She's brand new! She has a big brother that needs her. She has parents that will never be the same without her. This isn't fair! Why does life do this?
My heart is absolutely broken. Broken for Alana and Richard. Broken for Sophia's PawPaw and G-Daddy and Grandma. Broken for Christopher. Broken for her Aunt and Uncle. Its just horrific. This is the worst heartbreak and pain I've ever felt in my life, and its not even my baby. Being a Mom is so scary....scary for this exact reason. You're not suppose to outlive your child. You're not suppose to lose your brand new baby girl.
All I can do is cry. And a lot of it is because I'm just sad, but even more of it is because I'm devastated for Alana and Richard. My heart hurts for them. There's nothing that can be done to make them feel better. I'm sad because when they leave to drive home they'll only have one of their babies with them. I'm sad because their lives will forever be different. I'm sad because of the pain they are in. I can't say I know how they are feeling, but I really can imagine it. If something happened to either of my kids I just couldn't take it. And knowing that theres no way to keep them completely safe and healthy makes me absolutely crazy. No one ever talks about this part of motherhood. About the scary parts that could happen. We live on our toes 24/7. Its a type of worry/hope/anxiety that I never knew existed until I had kids, and its one of the worst things about being a parent.
I'm angry the world works like this. I'm angry there's not a higher spirit that protects these little babies. I'm angry that nothing can be done!!! I'm painfully sad that people have to experience this kind of loss. I'm not a "pray-er" or very religious, but I pray with every being in my body that Alana and Richard and Christopher and Sophia's Grandparents and family and friends can have some kind of comfort. But honestly, what the hell could that be? What kind of comfort could possibly help them right now? I wish I lived closer. I wish there was something I could do then just hope and pray and send every good vibe I can think of their way. They are all on my mind and will continue to be.
I didn't think I could love a baby girl that I hadn't even met yet, but I do. And I'm sad for her. And I miss her. And she'll forever be on my mind and in my heart. Love you Sophia Nicole!

Big brother Christopher loving on his baby sister

Extreme Couponing + Krazy Coupon Lady= My Little Obsession

Ok, so some of you know I've started, du du du, Couponing! And I don't know if its the athlete in me, or maybe I really do like a challenge, but I'm kinda obsessed. Not to the point where I've walked out of the story with a cart full of groceries for $20- but I feel it comin! And I can't fully break it down because I'm still a "Coupon Virgin" BUT I did want to share some of my favorite things that have been super helpful so far.
Ok, first of all, if you're really serious about becoming a Krazy Coupon Lady, get this book: Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey. Its by the Girls who run the Krazy Lady Coupon website. I've had the book for over a month and just started reading it last week. It's VERY helpful. It breaks everything down and makes the whole "Coupon Process" so much easier to understand. You'll definitely want to make a Coupon Binder, this is the key. I use to have my coupons in an accordion file thing and sometimes I'd have it with me, sometimes it was at home, sometimes in the car, rarely where it needed to be when I needed it...there's a whole chapter about why you really need a binder. It's all about being organized so that when you're in the store and see a sale you can get to your coupons easily.
The key about Krazy Couponing is Stacking. You want to stack a Manufacture Coupon with a Store Coupon while the item is on sale. Although you don't always have to do this. You can still get good deals with 1 coupon + a sale.

For Example :)
The other night I went to Walgreens for Swim Diapers.
Originally they're $9.99
They were on sale for $6.99
I had a Manufacture Coupon for $2 off one pack of Swimmers
I also had a Walgreens Coupon for $2 off one pack of Swimmers
That made my total $2.99
AND the day before I bought 2 packs of diapers that gave me a $3 Walgreens rewards (its a coupon that prints off when you're finished paying and its good for your next purchase.)
I used the $3 "Catalina" (that's what these type of coupons are called. Ya know, like when you're at Albertsons and they hand you your receipt with some long coupons that print of with your receipt-those are called Catalinas)
Soooo, I walked out of Walgreens with the Swimmers for Free! (Well I had to pay about 40cents in tax, but that's fine with me!)
Also, the website is VERY helpful. They break all the stores down and highlight good sales and hot items. They also have a facebook page and if you "Like" it, the hot items constantly pop up in your news feed. It's very helpful.
One of the hot items that I saw in my newsfeed was "Similac for Free"
So I read that there were $5 Coupons for any Simliac item and the Ready-Made Formula that's usually $6.99 was on sale at CVS for $4.99. So with the $5 coupon it would be free! Well I didn't have any of those coupons-because I'm just starting out and still need to work on getting 4-6 sets of coupons each Sunday :), but you can buy coupons in bulk from eBay. So I found someone selling 10 of the $5off coupons. I bought those for $10. And it was actually a really popular listing. There was like 10 different listings for the same coupons, they were going like hotcakes!
So I got my coupons but didn't make it to CVS before the sale was over. No problem, Ralphs had them on sale for $5.99, so I had to pay 99cents a bottle, which is still a steal! And I heard Walmart has them for $5.49, so I could've gone there...
At Ralphs I bought 10 bottles, used 10 $5off coupons and got all of them for $10(plus the $10 I spent at eBay, so I really spent $20 but I got $60 worth of formula). When I was there they also had a bunch of colgate toothbrushes and toothpaste on sale for 88cents and I had a couple $1off coupons for them so I ended up with 2 toothbrushes and 2toothpastes for free! FYI- the SoCal Ralphs doubles coupons. Awesome!!

So if I was REALLY good I would've gotten that all for Free, but I will as I get better! If you're really serious about couponing, get the Book, get on the Website and Like their Facebook page. The first few weeks are a little overwhelming, but its just cause its a lot of information. So if you get frustrated or overwhelmed just stop for the night. No big deal. Eventually you'll only spend about an hour or 2 getting all your coupons together and saving lots :) It took me a good month to really understand everything and feel comfortable. Now I'm a little Sales Scout. Lol. Its fun trying to figure it all out to see what I can get for Free. My biggest focus is getting my groceries as cheap as possible. Its easy to get beauty supplies for cheap, so I need to get better at the food side of couponing. Although, anytime I can get a free nail polish I'm all over it!
Sooo, if you have any questions feel free to shoot them my way. I can't promise I can answer them, but if I can't we can work together to figure it out because I'm sure its one I need to know the answer to too!

What I'm Loving WEDNESDAY!!!!

Linking up with Jamie at This Kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesday. I love ALOT of things :) So I can't pass up an opportunity to blog it up!

I'm l♥ving Magenta!
I can't get enough of this color right now. The picture of the nail polish doesn't do it justice. Its much more of a pinky-bright purple then what its showing up. It looks fabulous on!! And cute on little 2yr old toes too :)

I'm l♥ving pictures with my iPhone. Its no surprise it takes great pictures...I have over 3,000 on my phone :) but I can't get enough of the photo editing Apps. I used ColorSplash to bring the color back to his eyes and then used Instagram to put a filter on it. His eyes are still a dark slate grey, so the sun reflected beautifully in them. Possibly my favorite picture of him to date.

I'm l♥ving Jenny Craig. So weird, I know...but I've been thinking about doing it for about a month and yesterday on Good Morning America it got the best reviews and then this morning it scored highest in the taste test. Oh and Oprah yesterday was all about weight loss, so I can take a sign :) Haha! Oprah was about 100+ lb weight loss...I'm only looking to lose about 15. My goal is to be able to wear my old favorite shorts. We shall see!

I'm l♥ving headbands on little blond heads. She hates things in her hair, but she wore this long enough to get some cute pictures.

I'm (kinda) l♥ving couponing. It's definitely getting much easier. I started "doing it" about 2 weeks ago. I've only really saved about $10 each trip, but hey, as my mom would say, "It's better than a kick in tha a$$" lol. I was hoping I'd spend like $0.67 for 2 weeks of groceries, but I'm learning that would probably only work if I bought all hotdogs and toothpaste. I did buy the Krazy Coupon Lady book, so I need to read that asap. If you "like" the Krazy Coupon Lady on facebook they post all kinds of great deals throughout the day. And their website/blog has been the most helpful for me. And yes, the Extreme Couponing show on TLC is being DVRed :)

Finally, I'm l♥ving the beautiful weather we've been having!!! It's been Sunny and 70 for like the last week (ok, so it may or may not be like that 90percent of the time here, but still). Its been GREAT! We've had time to be out in the pool and in the yard. Lovin it!

Ps- If you're a New Follower please leave a comment with your Blog link (if you have one ;) I LOVE new blogs!!!

Raya Recently

It just so worked out that Raya's 2yr check up and Kallen's 4month check up could be scheduled together, so Friday was our big 'ol family trip to the Doctor's. Raya's Stats: She's 27.8lbs and 36 inches. Shes in the 90percentile for height and about the 50percentile for weight. She's been in those exact percentiles since birth...so maybe I'll have a tall daughter?! At the playground its clear she's in the 90th percentile because she's an inch or 2 taller than kids her own age and usually as tall or taller than kids a year or 2 older. 

She loves her doctor-Dr. Willis. Their birthdays are a day apart, which he always tells me when we're there :) He has a grandson her age, so he's really great with her. He always takes her with him after the appt and walks around the office with her. Its so cute. This appt was a little dramatic. She SCREAMED when Gentry tried to put her on the scale. And then SCREAMED when we laid her down to measure her length. And SCREAMED when the doctor put the stethoscope on her back. So you can guess what she did when he checked her ears and mouth. Wowzers. That was intense. And that's without having to get any shots! So clearly she doesn't like the doctors office. Well, not so much the Doctor or the office, but she doesn't like what you have to Do there. Lol. She LOVES the toy part. Pretty sure we left with 3 toys and a table decoration off one of the nurse's desks. Haha. The nurses let her take out and examine every toy in the treasure box. She'd come back with one and then take it back and exchange if for another. It kept her busy during the time we were getting Kallen's shots set up and done. At one point I poked my head out to check on her and she wasn't out there and I could tell by the nurse's face that she wasn't quite sure where she was either...Oh she's just in another room with Dr.Willis while he checks out a little girl's sprained ankle. Pretty sure that's not proper Doc Office etiquette Ms. Raya :) 

She's been incredibly sweet the past week. She's always been my sweet girl, but she's been extra loving lately. I don't know if its because she's a little older or she's just teasing me before she fully emerges herself into the Terrible Twos ;) but my days with her have been extra amazing. She kisses my "owies," she holds my hand, she hugs me really tight-like almost clamps onto me like a little koala. When she sits in the big chair with me she hugs my arm and rests her head on my shoulder. She still plays with my hair like its a drug. She hugs my leg and hangs on when I'm standing in the kitchen. She's very helpful-well, when she wants to be. She runs to Gentry when he gets home from work and literally jumps into his arm and gives him the biggest, sweetest hug. Man oh man, its such an amazing age. Knowing she's always growing up is still hard for me, but it really is priceless. Or amazing. Or wonderful. Or PriceAmazful? There's just no words for it. I feel like the luckiest girl to have this little being that is so happy and loving and brings more joy to my life then anything. Ever. And as I write this I have a 4 month bundle of love sleeping so perfectly in my lap. Really, Life? Sometimes I can hardly believe the kids I've been given, but ya betta believe I know I'm beyond lucky and thankful. Luckful? LOL. I crack myself up :)