thursday...

today was libbi's last day of school (*tear*) and i still have to blog about laney's 1st birthday (*again with the tears*) but while i'm organizing my pictures, pretending my babies aren't growing, compiling posts, and trying to mop myself off the floor- i thought i would take my mind off things with a random post. 

*starting with.... when i typed that last sentence, i accidentally typed "ransom" instead of "random" haha. wonder what the going rate is for a kidnapped blog? ;-)

*my hair is out of control. like two feet longer than i'd like it to be. it's hard to get my hair done as often as i'd like when there's a certain someone (LANEY!!! i'm looking at you!!) that won't let me out of her sight and relies on me for sustenance. i've always had short hair, until i started having babies. that being said, my hair has been "long" for at least a couple of years now. so why does it still freak me out when i see it or feel it over my shoulder? i can't tell you how many times a day i think there's a spider crawling on me only to realize it's just my hair. 

*my sister is the only person i know that when you ask her what she wants for her bday/christmas she will send you an itemized list. she recently sent out her birthday list in a text to my parents asking them to "spread the word." we laugh about it, but i think she's the one getting the last laugh....because we all purchased something from her list. :) 

*one of my most favorite memories of my grandad is the time he got pulled over for running a red light. scratch that...ONE of the times he got pulled over. He was adamant that it was because he was drinking a "big gulp" and it blocked his view of the light. i don't think the police officer took too kindly to that explanation. i'm pretty sure he still got a ticket, but he never bought another big gulp. 

*another time, grandad and mawmaw were eating their dairy queen ice cream cones in the car. when he finished, she offered to throw away his trash (the wrapper around the cone).... only he didn't have any. and it wasn't because he'd already thrown it away. apparently the paper taste just blended right in with the sugar cone. mmmm! 

*i forgot to mention that we recently found out we're going to have another niece! my brother and sister-in-law are having another little girl in october. we're so excited!! that will make four grandGIRLS for my mom and dad :) 

*libbi is very into singing these days, but she doesn't always get the words just right. most of the time it's too cute to correct her. she likes to sing jesus loves me....

"jesus loves me, this i know. for the bible tells me so. little ones whose hair's too long. they are weak...." and another favorite is "row, row, row, your boat. mimzy goes to sleep. merrily, merrily, ...." 

*this is my dad's profile picture on facebook. it makes me laugh every time i see it. so i made it the picture on my phone when he calls. i always forget that i did that, so every time he calls i laugh all over again. (btw, he's the one in the red shirt....)

*and on that note.... i think i'll wrap it up! :) hope y'all had wonderful thursday. 

happy friday eve, friends! 

ebates....

just a quick post to remind y'all that if you haven't signed up for ebates, yet....do it now!!!  today is their birthday celebration, so there are tons of stores that are offering 13% cash back!

it is SO easy to make money this way. you just sign up for your free ebates account (you can do so through my referral link HERE and you'll score a FREE giftcard to a place of your choice or we'll both receive a $5 bonus in our accounts!)

when you're ready to make an online purchase, simply log into ebates FIRST, then click on the store you're going to be shopping at. it will automatically send you there and your purchase will be counted towards your ebates cash back.

nordstrom is on the list of stores that is offering 13% cash back today only. jeffrey ordered me a pair of TOMS for mother's day and we did it through ebates. shipping is free through nordstom, and since i used ebates, i automatically got almost $8 CASH deposited into my ebates account (which will then be transferred to my paypal account)
how easy is that?!

it is literally FREE money just for shopping through ebates. you don't even have to have a paypal account, you can have the money mailed to you or automatically gifted to a charity of your choice.

there are tons of stores that offer cash back every day (zulily, groupon, nordstrom, old navy, and so many more) but for TODAY ONLY there is a long list offering 13% cash back. so hurry and check it out if you haven't already! :)
let me know if you have any questions :)

happy shopping, friends!!!

first year...

We had such a wonderful time celebrating our laney girl today! She is one blessed little girl to be loved by so many!! I'll share pictures of her party soon, but tonight I wanted to share this video of her.
I literally feel like her first year passed as quickly as this five minute montage begins and ends. It went by so quickly!
I realize this clip is probably only interesting to the grandparents and that's okay ;) and I also realize that not everyone will watch it back to back to back and bawl like a baby...not that I did that or anything ;)
But, if you do watch it, I hope you enjoy watching our sweet laylay grow!

one....

precious, precious laney james. i absolutely canNOT believe that you turn one today. as much as it feels like this year flew by, at the same time it seems as though you've been with us forever.

it amazes me to think that this time last year, we had no idea if you were a boy or a girl. it really amazes me to think of how many chances i had to find out and chose not to. ;-)

you are your momma's girl through and through. there's a part of me that thinks that your attachment to me may be attributed to the fact that we didn't find out your gender before you were born. (and let it be noted that for future babies (God willing) we will absolutely, positively find out the gender!) while i was pregnant with libbi, we knew she was a girl and we named her early on. we spent the remainder of the pregnancy calling her by name, monogramming her things, and dreaming and planning what she would be like. when she was born, i felt like i already knew her. and as a new mom, that was a comforting feeling.

with you, things were different. we didn't know your name, your gender, or have anything planned and waiting for you. there were a lot of tentative plans and lists, but nothing set in stone until after you arrived. i loved being pregnant and feeling a baby move and kick was just as exciting the second time around as it was the first. but, if i'm being honest, while i loved you already, i didn't feel like i knew you just yet. and even though i thought you were a boy, when i heard the doctor say, "it's a girl!" i wasn't the least bit surprised. i thought you were a boy, but i knew in my heart i was meant to have a daughter. meeting you for the first time was a beautiful moment that i'll never forget. it was my first time holding you, calling you by name, seeing your sweet face, and knowing without a doubt that you were mine. i could feel it. we were connected

when libbi was born, it was a shock to my system, for sure. and honestly, it took me a good six months or so to be comfortable with my new role of being a mom. i loved libbi with every ounce of my being, but learning how to be a mom, while balancing that with being a wife, a friend, a sister, and a daughter was hard! when you were born, i felt like my confidence in myself and my abilities as a mom were so much greater and while i still didn't have all the answers, this time - i knew i didn't have to.

i feel as though we've spent this year learning about each other. your daddy and i have been learning how to parent two children. (daddy has been learning more about little girls than i'm sure he ever dreamed he would - haha!) libbi has been learning how to be a big sister and (reluctantly) how to share the spotlight. and we're all still learning the dynamics of our family of four. while some days we operate like a well oiled machine, there are still those days where i wonder how we made it home in one piece :)

adding another baby to our family this past year has been beautifully, wonderfully hard and yet seamless all at the same time. looking back, i know that i worried about how libbi would feel not being "the only" anymore. she was my first baby and i worried that she would have a hard time not being my only baby anymore. i can absolutely, positively say that from the second you were born, i have never given that a second thought. there is nothing i love more than seeing the two of you together. knowing that you are not just sisters, but friends for life. my heart is full.

laney james, you have changed our family for the better. you have made us more mindful of being present with each other. you have helped us to rely on each and on other members of our family for help when we've needed it. you've made us laugh and cry and everything in between and we wouldn't change one second of it. we love you with all of our hearts laylay and we are praying that you will do BIG things in your life.

happy first birthday baby girl!