Best. Surprise. Ever!

I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine - she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights. ~Adabella Radici

I'm the kind of person who gets joy out of making other people happy.  Surprising them, making their day, especially when they least expect it & most deserve it.  I, myself, on the other hand am very hard to surprise.  I don't like being surprised, I like considerate thoughts in little things, but as for big surprises... they scare me.  I am & always have been a self proclaimed control freak.  The planner, the one in charge.  But enough about history....

Last week, my bestie Maegan emailed me asking me if we could have dinner Friday night.  "Yes!" I always get excited for girl time (and food of course).  My 30th birthday is over & done with.  My husband did an amazing job at executing my "Happy List" for  my birthday and making my day amazing.  Then he & Maegan planned a perfect adult weekend, which I previously blogged about, and it was amazing as well!  But Friday, just when I thought it was over & done with.... they did something I never EVER thought possible.  They planned and brought my mom back, from Texas for me.  

Cue the ugly cry!!

For a couple months now, they emailed and planned for her to fly back & surprise me.  Just for me.  Just b/c they love me & wanted to show me surprises can be great & I deserved this.  I miss my mom, daily.  We are best friends.  BEST friends.  She's been down in Texas for almost 5 years now.  We talk daily, email every hour, Skype (gotta LOVE that!)... but having her here in the flesh is a gift that overwhelms me. 

This was Friday night at my surprise dinner.  Me with my mom, my bestie & my aunt Cindy =)

To have a best friend, Maegan, and a husband who would plan something like this just for me leaves me feeling oh so loved!  Enjoying every single minute with my mom.  Watching her with my kids, tea parties, dress up, baseball, ice cream dates, shopping.... much much more.  I won't want to send her back on Saturday, but I will never EVER forget this time.  Just for me.

I hope everyone has an amazing week!

Confessions of an Addict Part I

It's been a while since my last link-up, and now that my big kids are back in school I actually have a little time to play along!

 Here's what I'm confessing today!

I confess to being addicted to the following things:

Coffee: I started drinking coffee shortly after high school, it replaced my need for mountain dew every morning (and I have not drank a sip of mountain dew since HS! ).  I love coffee, and love trying new coffee's.  I'm not a fancy coffee lover, I'll drink anything as long as it has some sugar & milk in it.  Right now I brew vanilla coffee every morning.  God bless my self timed coffee maker, it's ready when I wake up & it saves me time.

French Onion Dip: and I hate onions!  But I can barely go a single day without this stuff.  I only like the kind made with sour cream & I love to eat it with plain ole' tortilla chips!  Carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, cauliflower, peppers, pizza rolls, chicken strips.... my list could go on & on.  Sort of like ranch dressing, I could eat this stuff with just about anything!

Vacuuming: I have to vacuum every single day.  The whole house & rugs.  It's like self medicating or something.  I did home daycare for 5 years when Kaydee was born, and the carpet in our entire house paid the price for all those little ones running wild!  We replaced the whole house last year, and ever since I've been obsessed with keeping it clean.  We just had it professionally steam cleaned too, and now I can't stop staring at the floors.  I know, a lame sickness.

Cherry Dr. Pepper: I have one & only 1 every day.  I prefer sonic's cherry dr. pepper but we keep it on hand if I don't feel like going to Sonic.

Entourage: Classic HBO programming.  I love me some Vinny Chase!  Hubs & I watch it together. Ari totally makes that show, one of the funniest actors around these days.

TV shows dealing with FOOD: Food Network, Travel Channel, Bravo and whatever other channels carry shows with food!  Top Chef, Man v. Food, Iron Chef (one of Chris' favs), Heat Seekers, Rocco's Dinner Party, Diners Drive-In's & Dives..... again the list could go on & on!  I love new ideas, especially quick & healthy ones.  Bring it on!

To Be Continued....

This is just a small list of the things that I love and consider my self addicted to!  What do you confess to be addicted to?  I'd love to know!
LINK-Up Here! 

Part II of my Confessions of an Addict next Friday =)

Have a great weekend!!

I AM.....30.

I have been 30 for 2 weeks now.  Getting used to it, still have a hard time saying it.  I sort of feel wiser, instead of older.  Using the knowledge and experiences of my 20's to make my 30's kick ass!

So for my big day, the hubs asked me the week prior, to make a list of things that would make my birthday perfection.  After much consideration and thought, I made a sort of long, but very simple list of things that just make me HAPPY!  That's what I wanted to feel on that day, was happy!  We don't do store bought gifts, often.  I appreciate them from other people, just not my husband.  He executed my list, along with the kids help on some of them, and my birthday was amazing.  Simply amazing!  I cried that day, but not b/c I was another year older and entering a new decade of my life, I cried with overwhelming emotion for what God has given me already and how blessed I am to have what I have.  These people I share my life with are rare and wonderful!

So enough with the mushy stuff..... you can't turn 30 without having lots & lots a few adult beverages right?  Ok, so the bestie & the hubs got together and planned an adult weekend in KC for our group of friends.  Hotel reservations & all!  Hubs was committed to a golf tourney that morning, so the bestie & I headed to KC bright & early to enjoy the entire day together!  Loved every minute of it.  Once everyone was in KC, we drank, had dinner, drank some more, danced, drank some more.... and more... and more... and then had breakfast & crashed back at the hotel.  It was like old times, times before any of us had children to wake up to =)  Here's a photo re-cap of the weekend that is now in the history books.  I am lucky, and thank God every day for what I have in life.  

So we ran into some "men" in the elevator.  One asked me what I was drinking, I was quick to reply "Oh, it's just lemonade". "From where?" he asked.  "Malibu" was my response.  You had to be there, it was too funny.  It was malibu & pineapple juice.  Oh. So. Yummy.

Ain't we purdy?

Not sure what's up with my face, I was having a good time though =)

This was prior to dinner, and I'm still trying to figure out why Chris appears to be a midget when he was in fact the tallest man in the room at 6'4". 

Again with the face.... I have no words.  I love this man =)

Cheers to 30!!

My favorite people =)

Have a great weekend all!

The last post of my 20's

Sad but true, this is the very last post that I will type as a 20-something woman!  Wednesday, right around lunch time, I will officially turn 30.  Although my mom did go 2 weeks late with me so it could have happened sooner!

Sitting here I honestly can't believe I'm that old.  Not saying 30 is OLD, just saying sometimes I still feel a lot younger.  It seems like just yesterday I was 19 years old and being told by Dr's that my Endometriosis could prohibit me from ever having children.  Now I am blessed beyond words with 3 beautiful healthy happy babies.  During my 20's I spent 38 months either pregnant or nursing!  I honestly loved every minute of it.  I could be pregnant forever & ever!  But never again, hehe =)

During my 20's I traveled a little.  Chicago (for my 21st bday), Texas so many times I can't even count, Florida 3 times, went on an amazing cruise with our best friends! VEGAS! and many other less exciting states & places =)  We have plans to travel to so many places now that we are done having kids!  I'm excited to see what the 30's  have in store for us, many family adventures to be had!

There are days that pass, and I am so consumed with joy it brings me to tears.  I am never a person to complain or act unsettled with my life.  Some people are constantly looking for ways to have more, get farther, and stay busy that they miss out on what's happening in their life NOW.  So many blessings in my life, small potatoes to some people, but huge huge mountains to me.  We have never been one for glitz & glamor, we don't try and out do or keep up.  We take every day as it comes and really really enjoy lifes simple pleasures.  They are the best!

Thank you to my friends for putting up with me, supporting me, loving me through everything that you have.  Not many groups of friends can say that they've stayed this close since elementary school.  Just the 4 of us.  I wouldn't have it any other way!

Thank you to my husband for this life we share.  For working so hard every day to provide for me & our children.  For seeing me at my worst & loving me anyway.  For making mistakes and admitting to them, and not trying to be or act perfect.  There is no perfect and I love our imperfections =)

Thank you to my parents for giving me life & giving me a brother ( not sure I've EVER said that before! ).  My mom is one of my best friends on this planet.  I feel blessed to have her and have the bond that we share.

And to my kids, the reason I wake up every day and smile.  My 3 little miracles that amaze me, surprise me, love me & keep me going.  I love being your mother, I hope that when you grow up you appreciate everything you had, and everything you didn't.  My life revolves around you & I wouldn't want it any other way!

Enough with the mushy stuff.... here are some random pics to sum up my 20's!

There are in NO particular order!  

My wedding day May 10th 2003

 

 

Me & my curly haired young man! 2008

Cabin fever at the votaw house - 2009

Texas trip #1 2009

Wedding 2009

I love fall!  2009

Halloween 2009

This is what life's all about!  I treasure pictures like this.  Notice she even included baby in belly =)

Very first drink in VEGAS 2010 - bloody mary!

28 & still got it! 2010 VEGAS

Maternity pic 2010.  I edited the ribbon in pink AND blue since we didn't know what she was =)

my last delivery February 15th 2010 - IT'S A GIRL!

Big brother - priceless

My life, my everything.... right here.

My husband, my rock

another maternity pic 2010... thank you Tina!

Bffs minus 1!

New Years Eve kiss in KC 2007!

one of my favorite pics of all time, Ty floating in the ocean at Clearwater Beach at sunset. During our Disney trip 2008.

Family of 4 soon to be 5!  Baby cooking in the tummy =

) 2009

I can't wait to see what my 30's have in store for us!

Life is a gift, every single day, enjoy it!

The House that built me

Hope you all are having a lovely Thursday!  After weeks of residing in "Death Valley" Kansas (that's what I've been calling it) it finally rained this morning!

Oh it was a good rain too!  It sounded good, smelled good and my yellow grass is thankful for it!

Any hoo...

My 30th Birthday gag is quickly approaching.  6 more days.  My husband took his 30th in stride, with a smile & like a man.  Not so much for me though.  I am very grateful for my life as of now.  Where I came from, who I am, and what we have planned for our future.  I've lived here my whole life, in this town I call home.  My parents were working people, God bless them.  I spent my childhood days at my grandparents house.  It's been just recently I've realized how grateful I am for what they taught me, showed me, and for the amount of love they gave to me every day.  They taught me what fresh food was, NOT FAST FOOD.  

They have an enormous garden which they live on & love.  They taught me portion control, not all you can eat.  Many of the things I cook for my family now are things my grandmother & mother cooked for me when I was growing up.  We played outside.  We ran, swam, played tag, played on the swing set, picked food from the garden, collected the chickens eggs (oh not me on that...my brother maybe. deathly afraid of anything with wings).  The older I get the more I come to appreciate my days over there.  The lessons I learned and the things that help make me the mother I am today.

If anyone says I looked like a boy, the are automatically banished!

Me & my Grandma =)

Me & my mama (ain't she purdy)!

See i had style once! Haha!

Just a little trip down memory lane, thanks for joining me!

Happy Thursday!