Birthday Recap

I have had such a wonderful birthday! Yesterday, my actual birthday, we didn't do a whole lot, but it was still a really nice day. We ran a few errands and went to a new restaurant that was *amazing* (more on that at a later date). My hubby did surprise me earlier in the day over his lunch hour and brought me lunch and cupcakes he had special-ordered, so that was a sweet gesture!

He also got me a card that I just had to share with you, it is too funny!

Just in case you couldn't hear it (or see it dancing around), here are the lyrics to the little jingle:

"The Present Song"

I'm a present

Yeah, I'm a gift. 

I got nothin' inside me

but this birthday wish! 

I'm your birthday present

in and of myself, yeah

Well, I hope you like me,

'cuz you ain't gettin' nothin' else

It cracked me up! Mitchell did get me two presents that I really wanted but he found that card and couldn't pass it up. Another thing I just had to laugh at was the fact that he spent eight bucks on the card. Eight dollars. Only a man...! :)

This morning, I invited Ashley and Toby to meet us at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. Mitchell and I have a family pass and it's a good place to beat the heat and have some fun and burn off some toddler energy before nap time! Ashley and Toby had never been so I think they enjoyed themselves! They were impressed by how big it was and how kid-friendly.

Toby and Piper in the Grossology exhibit (yes, that is a GIANT nose behind them)

Hissssss!

A rare picture of Piper w/ mommy (I am not a fan of having my pic taken)!! :)

After we left the museum, we grabbed a bite to eat at a local favorite pizzeria, Nizza Pizza. It was delicious, as usual! Then, we headed back to my casa while Piper took a nap and we hung out and visited while she slept. Once Mitchell got home, Ashley helped me hang a few pictures up that I've been meaning to hang and then we headed out for a low-key supper at Which-Wich sandwich shop.

We came back to our house again, exchanged bday gifts, and visited some more. Ashley helped me with the arduous task of ordering window treatments - that's something I could stand to never do again in my life! Gosh, I hope the ones we chose work, because that was a serious pain in the butt.

All in all, I had a fabulous 24th birthday. Two great days in a row, what more could a girl ask for? :)

A tale of two twins : Happy Birthday, Ashley!

If you know me at all, even just a tiny bit, you know I have a twin sister, Ashley. You may or may not know how awesome she is, and you may or may not know that is my best friend. Let me remedy that for you. :)

Today is our 24th birthday. For once, I can finally say my age is catching up to where I am in life. I still feel a lot older than I am most days, but that's okay, the years are starting to speed up, so I'll just choose to be content with being a youngin'!  My 24th year has big shoes to fill, for sure. I was engaged at 18, married and moved to Salina at 19, moved back to GC and got pregnant at 20, became a mother at 21, moved to Texas as 22, and became a homeowner at 23. I'm not sure what this coming year has in store for me, but I'm sure it will be great and I'm looking forward to it!

That said, I just wanted to take a minute to say Happy Birthday to my sister, Ashley. Almost exactly 24 years ago, we were born via c-section, smack dab in the middle of wheat harvest. Talk about bad timing! Everyone in my family remembers how hot it was that day, too. It was a scorcher!

The first question we are always asked is "Who's oldest?". I tend to avoid that question, but the truth of the matter is, she is. By one whopping minute! What a turd.

My sister is the most generous person you could ever hope to have in your life. From a young age, she was always willing to spend her last dollar if it meant she could buy something for you, too. She's the most honest, up-front person I know - if you want her to tell it to you straight, she will. She is kind, tender-hearted, and compassionate beyond belief. She has big feelings and loves bigger and more openly than anyone I know. She is fiercely loyal to her family and doesn't tolerate any riffraff when someone makes a slight against any us.  I'm lucky to call her my sister.

We have an unbreakable bond and I like to think a lot of it is because we have navigated this crazy thing called life together every step of the way, from the moment we were born (and even before then!). We were never apart and we chose to spend all our time together. Sure, as kids, we fought like cats and dogs on a regular basis,  but we could never stay mad. Within minutes, we were back to being best friends and it was like nothing had ever happened. There were few milestones we ever had to do alone - we always knew we had our support system, our built-in lifeline.

She is an amazing aunt to my sweet little girl. Piper loves aunt "Ashee" so, so much. Their relationship is so special and I can't wait to be an aunt to her children some day. I have no doubt that our kids will be the best of friends.

Here's a quick stroll down memory lane..

Newborn aliens! (Ash on left)

I told you we were inseparable. LOL.

I've always insisted she was the sinister one! :P (Ash left)

80s kids! Ha. Ash left, me right.

Me left, Ash right.

Senior Prom

My wedding day!

Happy Birthday, Ashee Booger! I love you bunches.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

--I love the fact that for the first time in two years, Piper fell asleep in her car seat while we were out and about! We went to the mall this morning and she shopped 'til she dropped. She does not EVER fall asleep in the car, but she was out within five minutes of leaving the mall to head home. I couldn't believe my eyes when I turned around and she was conked out!

--I LOVE China Glaze's new Summer 2012 line of Neon Nail polish. I have four shades so far and I love them all.

--Speaking of nail polish, I also love a new brand of top-coat I have recently discovered. A lot of friends recommended it to me after asking for suggestions, and it really IS awesome. It's called Seche Vite. Quick tip : you can order it on Amazon with free shipping for half of the price you can buy it at the beauty supply. It also helps expedite the drying process. It's a miracle in a bottle!

--Turns out, I also love Chick-Fil-A. I had tried it once before and didn't really care for it too much, despite rave reviews from everyone I know. I met up with a new friend so our kids could eat/play and we ate at Chick-Fil-A and it was actually really good! I still don't like their fries, though. Those could use some improvement. :P I highly recommend the deluxe spicy chicken sandwich, however!

Tomatoes, cucumbers, and compost, oh my!

We have been so busy lately - sorry for not updating as much as I should be! I'll get back into the swing of things soon. :)

Just posting a quick update on our garden! Things are going really well and our plants are producing lots! We've had a problem with the mockingbirds eating at least half of our ripe tomatoes but we're told that's a common problem in TX! We also live near two grocery stores and a bunch of fast food restaurants so there are a lot of birds in our area.

Here was last night's haul for the tomatoes (we've been picking them a little early in order to keep the mockingbirds from getting to them first).

please excuse the dusty patio table :)

I have NO idea what type of cucumber plant we purchased but it produces the biggest dang cucumbers I've ever seen in my life!We also added a new batch of compost to the garden again last night! :) It is so dark and nutrient dense - it's so neat to toss all of our compostable table scraps into the bin and just see it disappear. I have no doubt this a huge reason our plants have been doing so well!

We've definitely been enjoying the "fruit of our labor"! :)