Greetings from Seattle

How about we just pretend that I haven't been MIA for the last several weeks? Good? Great!



This is the view from my oh so lovely hotel room in Seattle. Not too shabby right? Each year I attend one of my all time favorite work releated conferences, the American Railway Development Association Annual Conference, and it is always held in excellent locations. (Next year is Disney World and you know the fam is going along for that little trip!) The travel here was exhausting, mainly because there were no good flights from AR to Seattle and it took me 9 HOURS to get here. Ugh. But it really is a beautiful city and has THE BEST SEAFOOD EVER.

The only slightly sad thing about these conferences is that I actually have to work when I'm in attendance which means not a whole lot of free time. According to Jeremy its the price I pay for "being important". We all know the hubs is not exactly the social butterfly so he just can't figure out why I joined the Executive Committee with ARDA and took on all kinds of responsibilities. I can answer that with one word- NETWORKING. And it pays off big cause it's all about who you know in the railroad industry.

Luckily for me, my major responsibilities are complete for this trip so I can relax a little for the rest of the conference. But as soon as I get home I'll be running crazy again. I have about a million and one things left to do for my friend's baby shower this Sunday, my brother and his family are going to be in town on Friday, I will be in southwest AR Saturday morning for a work event, and then there is a crawfish boil at a friend's house that afternoon. Whew! And somewhere in there I have to find the time to be crafty, buy some girly booze, and bake a whole bunch of sweets. And possibly detraumatize my kiddos. Hubs sent Seeley to daycare today without any lunch . . . my poor babies need their mommy back!! :)

10 Things I love

My friend Jenn tagged me in this post and I figured I'd be a responsible blogger and re-post before it becomes ancient history! :)

Sooo, 10 Things I love . . .

1. The hubs. (obviously) I think we are the perfect example of how opposites attract. Most of the time our different personalities and temperments complement each other, and when they don't, well, its a great side show for anyone who happens to be around! :)

2. My sweet little wiggle-butt Emma and monkey-man Seeley. I seriously cannot imagine my life without my kiddos, even when they're making me want to pull my hair out.

3. My family and friends. Best ever. Enough said.

4. My kindle. I read as often as possible and this little baby is my accomplice!

5. Wedge shoes. I realized this week that I own around 10 pairs of wedges. Why? Because they are the most comfortable shoes for me. I can bust out a 4" wedge and wear it all day. A 4" regular heel has me limping in like 2 hours.

6. Hobby Lobby. Where else can I fulfill all of my creative needs?

7. TOMS. I'm addicted. I totally admit it. But come on! They are the most comfortable shoes in the world, how can you not love them and live in them?!

8. Sonic. The genuises at Sonic have finally helped me break my Dr. Pepper habit (sort of). Cherry vanilla DIET Dr. Pepper. This is the only way I can drink diet. Period.

9. Mexican food. God bless the guys at our local mexican restaurant. They know us by name and are already carrying a bowl of cheese dip to our table before we even sit down. Ha!

10. My God. Somehow, someway, He gets me through it all.

Being a Responsible Parent

I've always thought I was a fairly responsible parent. The kids' are always bathed and clean, teeth are brushed, not too many sweets or sugary drinks, I watch them like a hawk . . . but I discovered that I've been slacking in one important area- severe weather safety.

Living in "tornado alley" has kind of dulled me to the seriousness associated with severe weather. We get a lot of severe storms and possible tornadoes in Arkansas and I tend to just take note of what's going on and then go about my business. I've never even come close to being in a tornado and I guess I was suffering from the "it can't happen to me" mentality.

Last night a dear friend and her family lost their home to a tornado. In fact, its estimated that 60-80 homes were destroyed in their little town. Thankfully God was watching over my friends and their little family is safe and sound, but there were others who were not so lucky. I can't imagine how scary it must have been to watch as a tornado destroyed the house around you.

While this was happening I was blissfully unaware and giving the kids a bath. Stupid on my part to not be paying closer attention to the weather. An hour after the tornado hit I heard about it on the news and started praying hard while I tried to find out if they were ok. I can honestly say that those 5 minutes where I didn't know if they were safe ranked right up there in the top scariest moments of my life.

After things settled down for the night I started thinking about what could have happened if it had been my house in the path of a tornado. Would I have paid enough attention to the weather advisories to know to seek shelter? Would my little family have been safe and sound this morning? Scary thoughts when you have kids.

So today I'm thanking God for the safety of my friends and the well deserved wake-up call.

Emma's Best Week Ever

Emma's latest and greatest catch phrase is "This is the best day ever!!". She says this at least twice a day thanks to her new favorite Disney character, Rapunzel from Tangled. We seriously watch this movie once a week. Three times in a row the first day we had it. I'm getting close to being able to quote the movie line by line . . . And if you know me, you know that Disney movies are my guilty pleasure. I have around 60+ Disney cartoons that I began collecting even before having kiddos. You name it and I've got it. Sooo, I'm kinda right there with Em in loving it.

This week I took some time off work and Emma and I had a girls day. Thanks to a super sweet girl I went to high school with we had some awesome rink side seats at Disney on Ice. In fact, as I was sitting there I realized that we had our own little mini MCHS section! Ha! I surprised Em with the outing and we met up with our BFF's Mollie, Baylie, and Allie for a little Princess action. Disney on Ice has never failed us, the shows are always good. And if it can keep a 3 year old's attention you know that's some good stuff!

After Disney on Ice we went to lunch at the Purple Cow

and then did some shopping. Sooo much easier shopping with one kiddo versus two. Seeley is an excellent shopper, but Emma must be watched at all times and dividing your attention between two kids doesn't allow for a lot of quality shopping. Sometimes when I've been particularly frazzled I've thought about investing in one of those kiddie leashes . . . .

Emma also had an Easter party at school,

church in her "lovely" new dress,

and a visit from the Easter Bunny and some egg hunting with Seeley and her cousins Parker and Holton.

Whew! I am one tired Mama!

Now I know . . .

. . . that dogs like Cadbury Eggs. A lot.

Rosie and Maybell, aka the fat asses, busted into my stash of Cadbury Eggs and ate ALL 20 of them. 20. And they still lived to tell the tale. Unfortunately.

. . . .that Seeley is going to be a big fan of climbing.

I discovered this when I turned my head and he climbed from the chair to the coffee table. Fun times ahead.

. . . .that 2 full size carseats will not fit into the back of a Civic Si.

Well, actually I already knew that. Jeremy played dumb and got a big ol' dose of "I told you so" along with a new vehicle. New as in a used Honda CR-V. He's lucky I didn't push a minivan on him, ha!

. . . . just how hard it is to back up a 10ft trailer.

What do I get for offering to help the hubs out by hauling the trash to the dump? A big load of embarassement that's what!! The dump was super crowded which made navigation a nightmare. End result- a nice worker backed the trailer up for me amid smirks from the rest of the male population that was watching. I made Jeremy promise to take me to an empty parking lot soon so I could practice.

. . . . that I hate dumps. And men who frequent them. And living in the county where there is not trash pick-up.

Week in Review (a few days late)

Work was chaos. I have several big projects that are wrapping up at the same time, which means I need about 2 more of me in order to pull everything together. Yuck.

Seeley had yet another ear infection. Poor guy. The tubes are obviously helping, but he still gets uncomfortable when he has infections.

Uncomfortable baby boy + inability to sleep = mommy "sleeping" on the couch holding baby boy. One of my coworkers mentioned how rough I was looking last week and got a verbal beat down. I'm not normally rude, but since this person doesn't like me and is always making snide comments I figured what the heck?! Let 'em have it! I've definitely let Jeremy be a bad influence on me!

We were actually quite social last weekend. Surprising right? We went to a fish fry at a friend's house and stayed out past 9pm. Watch out!! The kiddos were half dead by the time we got home and went straight to sleep. Maybe there's something to be said for late nights.

Those same friends came over on Sunday and we enjoyed the pretty weather by playing outside. They have a little girl who is two, Ava Preslee, and she is one of Emma's BFF's apparently. It was hilarious to watch two bossy little girls try and boss each other around. We're working with Emma on playing softball but she can't seem to make up her mind which hand she wants to throw with. She's left handed in almost everything, but for some reason when it comes to softball she's willing to throw with whatever hand picks up the ball first. Crazy and frustrating.

I'm also working on two parties for June. I'm co-hosting a baby shower for a good friend from college, Jennifer, who is having her first baby, a sweet little girl named Jade whom I can't wait to meet. I can't put any details about the shower on this blog though because it will ruin the surprise for Jenn. I'm really excited, and warned her that it might not have been a good idea to let me do this sort of thing. See, she's having several other showers and since I'm the most competitive person in the world I'm bound and determined that this shower will be the best. :)

I'm also pulling stuff together for Mr. Big's first birthday. I have no idea how he can be turning one already. We're going with a circus theme since that was his daddy's first birthday party. More to come on that.

I also took Em and See to the doc for their 3 yr and 9 month check-ups, despite the fact that Em has been three since November. Bad mommy. Em is rocking right along in the 50th percentile- 31lbs and 36.5" tall. See is holding tight to the 98th percentile at 23.5 lbs and 29" tall. Yeah. Somebody is going to outgrow big sister very soon.

And this is where we have spent most of our time this week, yours truly included.

The kids have been obsessed with this tent. Em even watches tv and eats snacks in there.

Here's hoping I can step up by blogging game next week!

Pearls of Wisdom

Sunday was my 29th birthday- yay me! I didn't have a party like I'd originally planned, but there is just entirely too much going on right now! No party is better than a half-baked attempt at a party.

My sis was teasing me about being old and asked what pearls of wisdom I could share with her thanks to my vast knowledge gained in my old age . . . did I mention she's a smart-ass?!

But maybe what I shared with her can be helpful to some other young 20-something. So, here are Stephanie's Tricks to Living Happy:

1. Don't rush through college in 3 years like I did. 4-6 years is perfectly acceptable. Just don't take 7-8 (for a 4 year degree) or then you're the creepy old person trying to hang out with young kids. There is no such thing as a real life Van Wilder, promise.

2. A "big girl" job isn't all its cracked up to be. Yes, its awesome to have a career and exciting to have an adult life at last, but I have three words for you- No Spring Break. No little mini breaks thrown in throughout the year. Vacation days are just not the same.

3. When you do finally get a "big girl" job, make it something that you love.

4. Live within your means. Credit cards can be your friend as long as you don't abuse them.

5. It's easier to stay in shape than it is to get back into shape. Just because you don't have to run 4 miles a day anymore doesn't mean you shouldn't. You'll regret it later when you promise a friend to run a 2K with her in a few months and you're still trying desperately to figure out how to run more than a mile without passing out . . . .

6. Tampon boxes are the best hiding places if there's something you don't want your boyfriend/husband to find. Most won't even go there, but if they do they'll have a tough time explaining why they were looking through your tampons in the first place.

7. Being a mommy is the hardest job in the world. But its also the best.

8. Being a working mommy is not easy. Those people that make it look super easy all the time are probably popping a few happy pills.

9. Surround yourself with people that you love and who love you. Let go of any friendships or relationships that are hurtful or bad. Those people are not worth your time or energy.

10. And most important of all- Trust and believe in God. Put your joys and concerns in His hands. I'm a worrier by nature and giving my problems to God is still something I struggle with everyday. But I'm working on it!

I have the following scripture in my office that I read whenever I find myself overwhelmed and it always helps:

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40: 29-31

So there you have it! My tips to living a happy life. Pay particular attention to number 10 folks, I saved the best for last for a reason!

XOXO