a girl can dream

Is this not the most beautiful bag ever?

I just bought a much-needed new purse the other day and when I stumbled across this lovely vision online this morning, I was actually a little bummed for fear that I bought the wrong bag. Luckily, I soon realized that Lockheart's dreamy Cut It Out Candice Hobo was an astounding $555 and (also fortunately) no longer available.

While drooling over the Candice Hobo, I was distracted by this dreamy thing...

While slightly more affordable (hah!) at a mere $345, Lockheart's Victoria Jeweled Leather Hobo, is still definitely out of my price range and also no longer available.

...'cause, ya know, they're both sooo last season ;)

So, I took some deep breaths to steady my racing heart and trembling hands (can you blame a girl for feeling a little faint after seeing such stunningly gorgeous fabulousness?) and headed over to Lockheart to see what I could find in this season's collection. And ya know what I found? Ready?

Brace yourselves, Ladies...

{sorry that they're mostly all within the same color-range, it's the default setting on the website}

*dreamy sigh*

be still, my heart, be still

{if you want to see even more rampant fabulousness, go here}

let's get physical

So, I have a question for all y'all out there.

How, exactly, do you find the time to work out? When do you do it? How do you fit it in with the kids and husband and just...everything? What types do you like? I want to work out, I really do, but I just can't seem to ever fit it in regularly. We can't afford a gym membership, let alone the childcare to go with it, and with Spencer going to bed so early, I can't really depend on him to watch the kids for me while I do it. Honestly, it probably doesn't help that I've never been a huge fan of any physical activity other then dancing and making out (oops, how did that slip in there?). So, really, how, in heaven's name, do you do it?

Has it really been 2 weeks since I've posted? Goodness, that went by fast! I've actually been in Idaho (or traveling there and back) since the 13th, so that explains at least some of it. I'll do a big catch up post soon, I promise (and I also promise I'll get around to it quicker then I did last time), but in the meantime, I thought I'd share some exciting news...


no. it's not *that* news.


As a 1-time C-section and 2-time VBAC mommy, it's big news that The American Congress of Obstetrician and Gynecologists has just released new, less restrictive guidelines for VBACs (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). The guidelines direct doctors to allow and even encourage previous C-sections mothers (including those who have had 2 previous c-sections or are pregnant with twins) to seriously consider a trial of labor (in the hopes of having a VBAC). The guidelines remind doctors in strong wording that VBACs are a very safe option, stating that "A VBAC avoids major abdominal surgery, lowers a woman's risk of hemorrhage and infection, and shortens postpartum recovery. It may also help women avoid the possible future risks of having multiple cessareans such as hysterectomy, bowel and bladder injury, transfusion, infection, and abnormal placenta conditions (placenta previa and placenta accreta)." While I don't know if it'll change much when it comes to VBAC bans in hospitals (something I had to deal with for Georgia's and Scarlett's births), I do think it's a definite step in the right direction.

Read more about it here and here.

Oklahoma and all that jazz

Are you guys ready for the upcoming mish-mash of pictures? I'm not even going to pretend like this post has any cohesiveness to it, because it pretty much doesn't. Just consider yourselves warned.

As I mentioned in my previous posts, I spent early June down in the ol' O.K. While there, we had loads of crazy fun, emphasis on the crazy...10 kids, ages 8 and down and 7 adults, all staying in the same house will do that to ya. While I'm a loser and didn't take pictures of half of the stuff we got up to, I thought I'd share the bits and pieces I did manage to collect...

Best Frenemies Forever

Cooper (Humphrey) and Gavin (Applegate) feelin' the love

Georgia and Ella (Humphrey) are the best of friends. I swear, they're absolutely attached at the hip whenever we're with them (which, for a year and a half of Gee's life was nearly every. single. day.)

*note: there is a third to this company. Gunnison (my nephew) is smack in the middle of Ella and Georgia age-wise. They're best buddies and are always together, I just oddly didn't seem to get any pictures of all three together this go-round. bummer.

If you think Georgia riding on top of Ella's car (both in full royal regalia) is exciting, you should've seen when Scarlett got in on the act.

G & E being butterflies. Yes, I know one has ladybug wings on and the other has bumblebee ones, but I won't tell them if you don't.

Gunnison (Applegate) and Georgie going in for a hug

Scarlett sharing her shoes with Emmeline (Applegate)*

Scarlett thought "Baby Em-Em" was the best thing since sliced bread and nutella.

*yay! yay! for an Applegate girl! Never thought you'd see one of those, did ya?

Pops!!!

I'm tellin' ya, if you're ever doing the whole Route 66 thing, stopping by Pops, which is only the coolest soda pop shop ever, is an absolute must!

A verrrrrry satisfied Gavin (Applegate)

I'm in love with the fact they have these juice sippies for the littlest so that I don't have to pay for a big ol' pop bottle she's just going to break, spill, and/or dump out on the concrete and dance in.

Miss Ella Grace (Humphrey)

Georgia, Mimi, and Georgia's (predictably) pink pop

The oh-so-handsome Josiah (Applegate)

Endless amounts of sugary nectar? Pretty sure you know why Ezra is smiling so big.

An adorably-sweaty and pink-cheeked Greyson (Humphrey)

Goodness, is that really all the Oklahoma pictures I got? Scratch the half, guess I only got pictures of one-tenth of the craziness we got up to. Moving on then...

Fourth of July

We started off the weekend with a wonderful 3 mile hike up in Missouri (sorry, we totally forgot the camera. oops. On second thought, it might be for the best since I had really, reeeeally bad hair that day). It was a little longish for the kids, even with the hour-long lunch break in the middle, so I don't know if we'll try one over 2 miles again for a while. Overall, though, it really was a lot of fun.

We spent Sunday going to church (where we battled *all* of our children the entire time) and then making patriotic cupcakes. I kept on reminding Ezra and Georgia why we were making the cupcakes red (although really they ended up being more pink then red), white, and blue, but they were still a little disgruntled that there wasn't any purple or green in the mix.

This is Scarlett's newest "cheese" face. Lovely, isn't it? :P

The ever-enthusiastic Chef Ezra

Oh look, it's Georgia being nearly naked again. shocker.

The Finished Product:

(pssst...these are actually only a picture of the ones that Ezra and I decorated. Believe you me, you really don't want to see a close-up of the ones that the girls did.)

Other Random Pictures

Lately, Ezra has taken to sneaking into the girls' bedroom late at night and sleeping with them. While I most definitely don't hope to be repeating those words later in life, right now I think it's kinda cute. (we were going through some of the girls' clothes, hence all the boxes)

A (blurry) picture of Scarlett showing everyone her huge mouth. What, you might ask, can one do with a mouth that ginormous? drumroll please....

TA-DAAAA!

The End.

waiting out the storm

Today was a rough day. Lots of screaming, crying, and pouting...not to mention throwing things at heads...mostly all by me. (Spencer calls it spousal abuse. I call him a big baby.)

It ended, however, in absolute bliss.

You know those moments when the world just seems to slow to a standstill, you take a deep breath, and know that you'll remember this moment forever?

Yesterday, the only thing Ezra could talk about was seeing the fireworks. He ranted, he raved, he reminisced about last year's fireworks that Grandad set in the road. When the long-awaited darkness fell, we bundled the kids up, drove a mile up the road, found a good spot to watch from...and then the heavens opened and the rains came...and came...and came. We stuck it out until the 9:30pm start time just on the off-chance they somehow started the show anyway (after all, Ezra did say a very serious prayer about the rain stopping so we could see fireworks), only to turn around and morosely splish and splosh our way home.

Today was just as wet. I knew that in case of inclement weather (which had obviously happened) they were planning on setting the fireworks off tonight (the 5th), but as it had rained on and off all day, I didn't consider the chance of them actually doing it. Not to mention the kids were more then a little cranky from last night's un-fruitful rendezvous. So, to bed they went like normal, as did my husband. (paper route=very early bedtimes)

Well, at about 9:30 tonight, just as I was finishing up a quick run to Wal-Mart, I walked outside to be greeted by fireworks in the distance. Racing home as quickly as five miles over the speed limit would allow, I got home only about 12 minutes into the show. Rushing inside the house (and dropping items along the way), I woke up Ezra and told him there was a surprise outside. When he saw the fireworks, he couldn't stop his tired, little boy smile. Because of the big trees up and down our street, we couldn't see much of the show, but that didn't matter to Ez. We just sat on our wet lawn and watched the sparkles of color through the leaves.

At one point in time, Ezra asked me why I just got him up, instead of everyone. I told him that this was something that I just wanted to share with him and that sometimes being the biggest is tough, but sometimes it means you get to do special things. Then we giggled about how Scarlett would be running around and splashing in the puddles, instead of watching the fireworks and Georgia would most likely be laying on the ground whining. I remembered then what it's like to be a very small one in a family of many. Those times spent with just Mom or Dad are rare and priceless. When it comes to Ezra, especially, I spend time alone with him so infrequently. He has some difficult personality traits and would prefer to spend time with Daddy, so when we split the kids up, I typically take one or both of the girls and Ezra goes with Spencer. I guess I just forget how much I love just being with Ezra, my very first baby, and how much he loves just being with me.

Another thought I had was how our loving Father in Heaven found a way to answer a small, towheaded boy's prayer. Like I reminded Ezra last night after his very serious prayer, God answers in all sorts of ways, often in ways that we're not expecting. Yesterday, the rains didn't stop like Ezra wanted them to and he didn't get to see the much-anticipated show. But you know what, the rains did stop today and he did get to see his fireworks after all. I guess sometimes you just have to wait out the storm first.

A Message From My Father

My father sent me this video this morning. It was a much-needed reminder that even when the world doesn't recognize and appreciate the importance of motherhood and the hard work that goes into it...that our Heavenly Father appreciates it. That He sees us and loves us, especially on the rough days. That He wants to help us raise up their sweet little souls to Him, He wants to help us find the patience to last the day, we just have to ask Him for that help.

So often the world gives us a line about "being a mother is hard work," but it's just another platitude to make us feel like they're recognizing us...but they don't. They dismiss what we do, insisting that we should do and be more, that mothering is something we could just as easily pay other people to do for us, that we're not doing enough or that we're doing too much for our children. But, our Father in Heaven really does recognize us.

I guess that's what this video meant to me. That He sees me and recognizes the work I do. That when no one else is up with me during the 2am feeding...He is. Even if it doesn't seem to matter to anyone else that the floor is dirty 2 seconds after I clean it and the kids don't listen when I try to teach them...that He sees that I tried in the first place.

Thanks for the reminder, Dad...both my Heavenly and Earthly one.



ps-I know, I know, I posted this on Hot Chocolate Talk too. I don't ever double-post like this, but after having thought about it for an hour or so, I decided that this was too important of a message not to share with everyone.