Lovers getaway

A few weeks ago David and I flew down to Florida to lay in the sun, relax, and enjoy each other's company with no distractions. We stayed at Orange Lake resort. All I wanted to do was sleep in, float down the mile long "lazy river" pool, eat, and nap. So that's what we did... every day. We also went to 3 movies while we were down there. I couldn't remember the last time just David and I went to the movies. Some may think that isn't much of a vacation but there was nothing else I would have wanted to do. It was wonderful. My mom watched the girls for us. She is the best. I can fully relax and enjoy myself when I know they are with my mom. But I did miss them a lot so we skyped and talked on the phone a few times throughout the trip. :)

I am grateful for my husband for taking me on this little getaway. We had a great time staying up late, chatting and laughing. I just love being with him. I know it is important to take time to be alone with your spouse and really connect. I am big on date nights... it's hard with kiddos but there are always ways to improvise. This past weekend we had our date night on the drive way after the girls were in bed. We brought out lots of blankets and pillows and snuggled up in the chilly weather. We don't have street lights in our neighborhood so it was extremely dark.... the sky was clear and the stars were very bright. The date was free and one of the best. Win/win situation- I highly recommend it :)

Virginia State Fair

I have always loved the state fair. I love the smell of delicious, fried food the second you walk in. I love WATCHING the risky rides in action. I used to love riding them until my brother and I almost fell out of one. True story. So scary. Never again. This was the first year that we took the girls. There are a ton of kid rides. Tinsley has no fear. She would ride every ride there if they let her. We stayed about 7 hours. There were no lines so the girls (mostly Tinsley) rode and rode and rode. We had two exhausted little ladies when we got home that night but it was well worth it.

Pure happiness in that cute little face right there. They rode that slide at least 10 times.

I wish this picture showed Blakely's face better- she loved that ride. Blakely didn't ride too many rides... she preferred dancing to the music while big sister and daddy rode them.

This ride would whip around so fast. Tinsley was in heaven.

David and Tinsley on the dragon roller coaster. Hands up the whole time!

Super fast ride that T-Bo loved.

Dumbo ride

I love my family!

This baby was born just an hour before we took this picture. We saw it stand up and walk around for the first time.

Fried snickers. Need I say more? It was beyond delicious. We did not hold back. We also had fried mac-n-cheese, rib tips with mashed potatoes, and homemade ice cream. We also enjoyed multiple drinks of orangeade and lemonade. The first guy who made our lemonade had a conversation with me that went like this....

Lemonade guy: Looks like you're about pop!

Me: Oh I know but I actually have a few months left.

Lemonade guy: Really? Wow, you're going to be big as a house!

Haha oh it was so funny! I can't blame the guy for thinking I am about to pop... I get that a lot. But to say I am going to be as big as house? I probably should have been offended but I seriously wasn't. My weight gain during my pregnancies amaze me as well. My doctor has told me that people normally gain 25-30 pounds. I have 13 weeks left and I have already gained 30! I gained 60 pounds with Blakely and a LITTLE less with Tinsley. I'm hoping not to pass 60 pounds this pregnancy but with the holiday's coming up it just may happen. Oh well. I'll worry about that after the baby gets here. Until then... mama wants it all! :)

Whitney's baby shower

"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap" -Robert Fulghum

(Quote I put on the invitations)

Whitney is an easy one to love. I was more than happy to throw her a baby shower. I was so excited when the "milk and cookies" theme came to my mind because a cute theme + a cute and talented sister in law (who teamed up with me to give Whitney's shower) = a cute baby shower.

The table.

How cute are the hanging poms? My sister in law made some for Tinsley's birthday and was ever so kind to show me how. We made these together. Hate to toot my own horn but seriously? TOOOOT TOOOT!

From the beginning I knew I wanted mason jars with these darling straws in them. Aren't they just perfect?

Amanda and I did all the baking. She made some legit cookies. I wanted to have ribbon around the jars with cute labels of each type of cookie. Amanda made the labels- loved them! How cute is that cake? So dang cute, I know. Amanda made it. She really is amazing.

Oh and I lied.... we didn't do all the baking... my sweet momma made her award winning chocolate chip cookies.

The milk. I got these bottles at TJ Maxx. These also were a must from the beginning.

Sweet Whitney and the table.

Amanda, Whitney and me. Whitney is pregnant with TWINS and due next month... I am pregnant with ONE and I'm not due until January. Why do I look as big as her in this picture? I haven't even gained my 60 pounds yet! I remember being excited to take this picture... I knew for sure I would look tiny next to her. Um... fail.

Aunt Toni and Whitney. Gorgeous in leopard! No, they didn't plan this. We also had some yummy fruit and veggies thanks to Toni.

Opening gifts.

My beautiful cousin. Love you HayBay!

Alecia, Amanda and me. Big thanks to Alecia for letting us have the shower at her house and for all her help. And for the pizza the night before the shower :)

Amanda, you really are very talented and amazing- love you!

Thanks to everyone who came and helped. Hope everyone had as much fun as I did.

Love ya, Whitney! Can't wait for those cute little boys to arrive. They sure are blessed to have you as their mom.

Charity Never Faileth

When we were living in Colorado I attended the Relief Society broadcast with my mother in law. I LOVED President Thomas S. Monson's talk. It was perfect. Go here to read his entire talk. You won't be disappointed. But here on my blog I just wanted to copy and paste a story from his talk. Here is the story.......

A young couple, Lisa and John, moved into a new neighborhood. One morning while they were eating breakfast, Lisa looked out the window and watched her next-door neighbor hanging out her wash

“That laundry’s not clean!” Lisa exclaimed. “Our neighbor doesn’t know how to get clothes clean!”

John looked on but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, Lisa would make the same comments.

A few weeks later Lisa was surprised to glance out her window and see a nice, clean wash hanging in her neighbor’s yard. She said to her husband, “Look, John—she’s finally learned how to wash correctly! I wonder how she did it.”

John replied, “Well, dear, I have the answer for you. You’ll be interested to know that I got up early this morning and washed our windows!”

Let me say that I didn't feel like I was a very "judging" person. But as he shared this story at the beginning of his talk and I realized that it was about judging others, I thought in my mind... "Oh this is on not judging others... I hope "so and so" is listening to this." Quickly I caught myself and realized how quick I was to judge! After I made that judgement in my head I began to wonder how often I did that. Even though I don't say it to other's it's still there for the most important person to hear... Heavenly Father. And no one loves that person I am judging more than Him. I know it hurts Him just as it would hurt us to have people talk or think unkind and untrue things about our family and loved ones. For the next few weeks, after hearing this talk, I made a conscious effort to not judge others... even in my head. I don't think we realize how often we judge others. Over those few weeks it was sad to see how often I found myself needing to change my thoughts about people I didn't even know... people that I would see in places such as the grocery store or the person in the car driving next to me. As judgements would come into my mind I would try to replace them with a kind thought about that person. Or say a little prayer for them. Well life went on and my conscious effort wasn't there like I would want it to be. But today I was reminded of this talk and want to try again! Wanna try with me? I promise you will feel happier and better when those judgements that come to your mind about others are replaced with kind thoughts or a little prayer. Or when you decided to be quiet and not speak unkindly about others or walk away or don't participate when others are doing it. You will even feel a love for those people!

Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from this talk...

There is really no way we can know the heart, the intentions, or the circumstances of someone who might say or do something we find reason to criticize. Thus the commandment: “Judge not.”

Rather than being judgmental and critical of each other, may we have the pure love of Christ for our fellow travelers in this journey through life.

Tender Mercy

I was having one of those mornings. Nothing serious.... I just woke up tired and emotional. After I laid Blakely down for a nap I pulled out paper and crayons to entertain Tinsley so I could sit down and have a good cry for a minute. You know... just let it out so I could be done and move on. As soon as I sat down Tinsley announced that someone was here just as the doorbell rang. An unexpected visitor (other than my momma) was the last thing I wanted. Guess who it was? My wonderful Aunt Diane! I would have never thought it would have been her at the door! I was so happy to see her! I cried as I hugged her and told her she couldn't have come at a better time. I immediately vented and told her how my morning went. She was so loving and understanding. After that we just sat and chat. I kept thinking how it was truly a tender mercy from the Lord. He knew exactly what I needed and exactly when I needed it. I was reminded again that He loves and cares for us. He even cares about the "silly little things". If they matter to us then they matter to Him. I love Him for that! And Aunt Diane, I LOVE YOU!

Mr. Romantic

I have to say that my wonderful husband hasn't always been the most romantic... I once told him that I wanted a love letter for Christmas and his response was, "A love letter? From who?" No, he wasn't joking. Bless his heart. But I must also say that when it comes to holiday's and important dates (like out anniversary) he always takes real good care of me. But I love to hear him tell me what he loves most about me just as much as the other stuff. I think most girls would agree.

David took care of the plans for our anniversary last night. When he got home at 7 he had me wait in our room for a few minutes while he set up dinner. I was so excited to see what he brought to eat- I have a passion for food :) I came out of our room to see the delicious food from Francesco's- the MOST DELICIOUS italian restaurant ever. It was heavenly. David even got candles to put on the table. I giggled when I saw that he also bought the legit towel-like napkins and a tablecloth. Oh he's the cutest! Dinner was so fun- enjoying good food while chatting- just me and him. After dinner he told me to sit on the couch for a few minutes while he went to get the next surprise ready. A few minutes later he brought me into our bathroom where I found a hot bubble bath surrounded by candles- just for me! Come on, you know I wouldn't have shared this story otherwise :) More good conversation during that time- just sitting and talking to David is one of my favorites. Next, David pulled out these index cards and he said, "Let's take a walk down memory lane." Each card said something different on it... things like... when we first met, when we first hung out, the first time I thought I was going to marry you, the day we got engaged, the day we got married, etc. He went through each card and talked for a few minutes about each one. I was crying and laugh. It was so sweet. Last but not least, he gave me my present- a new handbag from Kate Spade! I love it! I've been trying to find the perfect green bag and now I have it. It is a beautiful kiwi green. As much as I love my bag I loved the other parts of the night much more. I can honestly say that! Don't get me wrong though... I do love my bag. I am totally bragging on my man right now but he deserves it after being so wonderful yesterday!

Oh and ps. I got him some new shoes and shorts- don't want anyone thinking I forgot about my man. :)

I love sisters.

Are you into having your little ones on a schedule? I am the queen of schedules when it comes to my little loves. Having them on a strict schedule makes my life so much easier. I feel organized, in control, and I have happy little girls. If you know me on a personal level you know that I have been known to be a little crazy hardcore when it comes to my girl's schedule. But I have gotten soooooo much better- more relaxed. In fact, last week when we were at Disney World their schedule was completely off. And guess what?... there were no major meltdowns.... not even from the kiddos :) Now that we are home I am getting them back into their routine... naps back to the regular times... breakfast, lunch, and supper at the regular times... bath and bedtime at the regular time. Tonight after they were fed, bathed, and in jammies, it was time for scriptures, prayers, and then bed... but my two sweet girls were laughing and playing so cute together that I couldn't help but enjoy sitting there and watching them. It made me so happy to see them laughing and playing together.

Side note: one reason why I have them go to bed every night at the same time is because if they go to bed later they wake up earlier. Weird. But true.

I knew the clock was ticking and bed time was passing. But I didn't care. An hour after bedtime I finally stopped the party to read, pray, and put them to bed. It's times like these that I am glad I have become a little more relaxed. Tonight will forever be one of my favorites. Here are a few pictures...

The girls.

Buddies.

Easy on the arm, T-BO!

Fell down and laughing.

Tinsley being funny and making her sister laugh.

They were so so cute!

Cutie pie.

No idea what Blakely was doing but she had me laughing!

It looks like she's crying but she was laughing REALLY hard!

:)

So fun!

4 years.

Rewind to 4 years ago. It was May 11, 2007. A little after midnight.... I kissed my fiancé goodnight after a fun filled day with family and friends. He went to his hotel room and I went to mine. I woke up around 6ish to shower and curl my hair. I felt so peaceful. Off to the temple with the family. Came out married to the best man I know. When we look back at our lives before we met.... before we both decided to go to Southern Virginia University (where we met) it is amazing to see how the Lord's hand was truly in it from the beginning. There isn't any doubt in my mind that David and I were supposed to be married. He is my one and only. We are a perfect match. :) Even though there are hiccups in every marriage... disagreements here and there... I am always grateful for the respect he shows me even in those times. I love growing and learning together. He teaches me so much. He has so many qualities that I hope to one day to have. I am grateful everyday to know that I have him for eternity. Happy Anniversary to us! :)

Motherhood

With it being Mother's day yesterday, I have been thinking a lot about motherhood. I LOVE BEING A MOM!! When I was a little girl and was asked the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" My response was, "A mom." I am far from being a perfect mom but I try to never let a day go by without telling my children that I love them, teaching them something about the Savior, giving them hugs and kisses, and making them smile and laugh. I feel the responsibility of being a mother. There are definitely times that I get frustrated, impatient, and overwhelmed. But I know that just as we want to help our children, Heavenly Father wants to help us. I know that as we seek help from our Heavenly Father that He will guide and direct us in motherhood.

Search... Ponder... and Pray.

Recently David and I decided to try to finish the Book of Mormon before General Conference. He finished a week before and I finished during the opening song of the Saturday morning session :)

(General Conference is when the leaders of our Church speak to us... including the Prophet, Thomas S. Monson. We hear from them the first weekend of every April and October.)

Every time I finish the Book of Mormon I feel so empowered and happy. I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know without a doubt that it is true. I know it because of the spirit that I feel when I am reading it. If you haven't read the Book of Mormon I challenge you to do so. I know that as you read it daily your days will be better. It will help you to resist temptation. You will learn about Jesus Christ. I testify that if you read the Book of Mormon prayerfully, you too will know the truthfulness of it. If you don't have a Book of Mormon and would like one, I have extra ones just for you! :)

Picture of David when he was on his mission in Brazil.

This was a family he and his mission companion taught the gospel to. The family read from the Book of Mormon and prayed to know if it was true. They were all baptized.

What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man!

David calls me his little southern belle. He loves my southern ways but sometimes even a southern belle has to admit that Salt-N-Pepa says it the best.

Yes baby, you are a mighty mighty good man!

Can I just say that I have the BEST husband ever? I seriously do.

The last couple of days were hectic. But of course, when things get crazy my man comes in and saves the day!

Nothing calms me more than a hug, hands on my face while giving me a smooch, and an "I love you. What can I do to help?"

Mmm- LOVE HIM!

And he loves me too :)

Ps. David Borland, you make me wanna Shoop!

Ground Breaking Ceremony

The Saturday after we moved, the branch we now attend had a "ground breaking ceremony" at the location where the new building will be built. It was the sweetest experience as the few members of the branch gathered in a circle in a grove of trees. The branch president spoke of the wonderful things that would take place in the building that is going to be built there. He spoke of our children learning about the Savior there, missionaries that would be sent from our branch and other things of that nature. Then a brother sang a beautiful hymn. After the stake president gave the closing prayer, the branch president broke the ground first with the shovel. He then passed it to the children there. Tinsley even got a turn taking a dig into the ground. The spirit was strong. I was so happy I attended. Until the building is ready, the branch will continue to meet in small motel rooms at a local Forestry. I love the branch and am looking forward to serving and getting to know the members better.

Hi, I'm a homeowner!!

Yes! We bought a house!

A darling, beautiful, out in the country, homey house!

I am in heaven.

I want to paint all the rooms just because I can.

At night it gets so dark. The stars look amazing.

I cannot tell you how it all just fell into place.

The Lord's hand is truly in each of our lives.

I feel so blessed.

Pictures to come soon!

I'm the worst blogger ever. Blah blah blah.

Will you believe me if I tell you that I am going to become a regular blogger? Probably not, huh?