InstaWrap {02.08.13}

Well, my first week back at work is officially wrapped.  It was a great week, but I sure did miss my sweet babes!   I am very grateful for the weekend- I am wiped.  Plus, I get to see these baby bums for four days straight. 

I digg.

Check out this tummy time action.  Parker keepin' it real and simple, and Jolie..well she just keeps it simple.  She usually feels it necessary to take advantage of this opportunity to take a nap.  And those BabyLegs.  Love and adore!  These are perfect for the unseasonably warm {77 degree} weather we've been having.  Easy to pull on and off as needed for my girl's baby legs. 

I obsessively missed sushi while I was pregnant- so finally finally after church on Saturday night, Jordan and I had a dinner date while BB and Poppa watched the little bits.

I may or may not have eaten this Ahi Tower all by myself.  Don't judge. 

My, my this girl is so precious.  Her gray eyes match her momma's exactly.  I still cannot believe she is mine.

..and this little girl totally melts me. I just want to eat her alive.  This was Sunday morning before I went back to work on Monday.  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect {last} day with them.

I mean.. look at this face??  So happy:) 

The nursery reveal happened.. #betterlatethannever #tookforever #iknow

Monday marked my first day back to work in 6 months... it was almost as if I never left:)

Work was great, loved getting back into the swing of things..But then I remember the two sweetest things on earth at home waiting for me- and was really ready to go home to snuggle them!  Day one = success!

Day two back back at work was harder than day one, hands down.  Parker was really congested and coughed the entire night before, and momma couldn't stay home to love on her the way a momma should when her sweet one if sicky.  It made me really sad- and a little stressed because neither have ever had so much as a runny nose in there {2 month} life.  So thankful for Jordan to have been home with her.

We were both so tired by the end of the night.  Parker didn't nap all day long, and we were so worried she was going to be up all night feeling bad.  I stopped to get Simply Saline at the pharmacy before heading home and it made a world of difference!!  She could breath and totally passed out- sleeping the whole night through. 

Daddy with 2 of his little ladies:)

Jordan sends me pictures of the girls all day long while I'm at work and it helps me get through my day without complete withdrawls.  Jolie has become quite the little ham.  The first picture on the top right is just precious!

My sweet Parker Jane was feeling 100% better!  My little sunshine- she totally brightens my day!

and.. to round out the week.  A little R&B love.  What many don't know about me is my random love for r&b/rap music.  I know- random, right?  I jam to Ludacris and 50 {fiddyy} cent.. and especially to this guy. 

He's my fav. 

Fo shizz..

TGIF, friends.  T.G.I.F!

Linking up with From My Grey Desk and Life Rearranged 

Michael Kors Giveaway!

While it isn't my giveaway, I wanted to tell you about it:) 

I am a sucker for a fancy watch.. and one of the Michael Kors kind ranks at the top of my list.  I've been waiting (patiently) to get my hands on a chocolate brown one- staring google-y eyed at it every time I see it.  I justify it's purchase to the hubby everytime:

• It would go with so many clothes I already have in my closet (not to mention the clothing I would buy to specifically match it)
• It would bring out the color in my eyes (not reallyy..)
• It would enhance the color of my hair (for sure..),
• And it would totally make me a better person for having one
• (I may or may not be fibbing on this one..)

I just need/want/must-have one, okay?  Reason enough, husband. 

Sweet Shanna and 17 other's are hosting an amazing giveaway to win one of these very watches. 

Hello, amazing! 

Gimme, Gimme!!!! 

So.. do yourself a favor and go enter for your own chance to win one of these babies.  You will  for sure be a better person with one adorned on your wrist. Plus- your eyes- they'll be brighter and more beautiful, too;)

WIWW: Bubble Necklace & Plum Cords

Happy Wednesday, readers!  Whatchu wearin', today??

The cheesy poorly un-posed 'look-away-from-the-camera' shot.  Totally unplanned.  Swear.

Me: 'Jordan- Let's take my picture out in the front.' 

Jordan: 'You mean, you are not only subjecting me to being your photographer, yet again, but now you're making me do it in front of all our neighbors?  I thought we were through with this picture-taking business after your last 'belly' picture.'

Me: 'You thought wrong, bub..'   

Once we realized that there was a plethora of neighbors out and about outside right at that very moment, we stopped for photo-op at the front porch. 

The porch pillars hid our shenanigans with the camera.. So our still-new neighbors don't think I'm this excessively vain woman thats come out of hiding after months of (being on bed rest) living on their street.   

top / Loft (last season) * undershirt/ Express (old) * corduroy pants / Loft (last season)  

 bubble necklace / Amazon * shoes / Steve Madden (borrowed)

I was excited to wear this shirt, finally.. after 9 months!  I purchased it right before I became pregs with the twinsies, and ended up only wearing it once to work before it became too short to cover the growing bump.  As for these cords- amazing.  I LOVE them.  I have two pairs- one in this gorg plum color and some in navy.  I must say that Loft knows how to make a well-fitting pant of the cord kind.  I wear their Modern Fit- fits me well in the rear and sits lower on the waist.

I got the bubble necklace (my very first, finally!) for Christmas from the fabulous MIL (mother-in-law).  She ordered it off Amazon, and after purchase realized it wouldn't be here until mid-January.  Much to her surprise it came with plenty of time for gift giving- making for a very happy DIL (daughter-in-law). That woman sure knows how to accessorize me.  Jordan tells me I have a hoarding issue with my ornate collection of jewlery- but I can totally blame her for all that I have.  Totally.

And those adorable leopard print pumps.. borrowed from my friend Ashley forever and a day ago.  I forgot I even had them until I did an inventory looking for outfits to wear my first week back to work.  I should probably return them to you, sweet friend.  You love me.

Linking up again with Tucker Up, Because Shanna Said So, The Pleated Poppy, Get Your Pretty On, and Rolled Up Pretty, Stylelixir

First Day in 6 Months..

Its been a long while since I've worked.. 
..A long time since I drove the road most traveled about 6 months ago. 
..A long time since I've worn my business-casual attire and slipped my feet into a pair of suh-weet looking heels.. 
..And an even longer time since I've sat at my desk. 

After yesterday, I totally realized how much I actually missed all these things. 

I am happy to say that this Momma made it through her first day back.  I can't say I did it without a few welling tears, but it was a fabulous first day to work in six months.  I felt really great- pretty and confident in a new outfit I picked out special for my first day back. For Christmas Jordan surprised me with several items of clothing to add to my wardrobe- he said it was a 'reward' for months of bed rest and growing babies:)  Everything was from Loft, he knows me so well.  Perfect man, right?  I know.

On Sunday night I felt like I was getting ready for my first day of school or something!  Making my lunch and laying my clothes out.. sifting through the small box of stuff I brought home with me on my last day of work back in August, making sure I had everything I needed.  And of course, I was certain not to forget new pictures of my babies for the frames on my desk! 

I loved seeing everyone, and honestly I felt as if I had never even left.  A good feeling to walk into.

I say all this, but really- I missed my baby girls terribly.  TERRIBLY.  I don't know that I was prepared for the heart-wrenching lump in my throat that occured after I got the first text message from Jordan giving me an update on the girls, and it was a not-so-happy one. 

During their first feeding of the morning, Jolie had a rough time taking the bottle.  Jordan described it as "Bloody murder scream and cry.  Tears running."  What?  I've never seen tears roll down either of my sweet girls' faces, let alone a cry hard enough that warrants them.  My girls don't cry like this.  How can that be?  I just wanted to pack up my things and head home, never leaving their side again.  Ever.  My poor girl doesn't have much experience with the bottle at all, and so to have to take one was new to her. Thankfully the next update from the hubby was much better, and he included pictures and videos.  Really healped me get through my day without the three of them.  By bottle number three of the day, both girls had it down pretty well and ate to their little hearts desire. 

When my day's end rolled around I was actually surprised it was already time to head home.  Even though it was a good one, I was SO happy to be gettin' my hands on those sweet girls in just the time it takes to drive home!  Can I mention that my drive home was like the sky parted and God reached his loving hand down to remove all obsticals preventing me from getting home in no time?  He is so good. 

Man, I missed them so!  Everyone told me that leaving the baby(ies) was the hardest thing they ever had to do- and I can confidently say, they weren't lying to me.  It went better than expected- but still pretty rough not getting to see their smiles and hear their coos in person.  I've been the one sharing videos and pictures of these things all this time, not someone else!  But, I'm a strong momma and can totally handle this 'back-to-work' thing, no problem.     

Now, here I am on Day 2. 

Bring it.    

Parker and Jolie's Nursery

Finally.  I know, right?  It has taken me too long to pull myself together to get pictures taken and organized to share with you what my baby girls' room looks like.  I have gotten a plethora of emails, messages and requests to share- so here it is!!

My girlfriend's made this wreath to hang on the door at my Sugar and Spice baby shower.  The flowers are from Hoppy Lobby in the jewelry section.

My mother in law hand made the frames hanging over each of the cribs and this one as you enter.  The frames were pin-spired from these frames.. I was so set on having them, but not willing to pay for them.

By hand made I mean cut the wood, nailed, painted, and stenciled.  She has quite the talent!  I've convinced her to make some for our master bedroom.  If their are plenty of interest in others that want these frames, too, she is willing:)

The metal flowers on the wall and on the frame were found randomly at a local store.  They happen to match the nursery colors perfectly!  It was meant to be.

Remember when I wrote of my inspiration for the nursery? I was going for bright coral with bold accents.  We painted the nursery three times before I finally said 'OK' to this color.  I really wanted a greyish purple- but they all ended up being too blue.  Oh, well.  This purple/grey/lavender color turned out just a pretty.

I knew from the very beginning that I didn't want to go with a bed-in-the-bag type bedding for the nursery.  Mainly because nothing I had seen in store really jumped out at me, and I just couldn't find the right color I was looking for.  So, I decided I was going to have it made.  I spent hours searching for the perfect fabric and the perfect person to make it for me.  I hadn't a clue what I was going for until I stumbled upon Nicole's shop on Etsy.   She had the perfect fabric swatch for what I had envisioned in my mind, so it seemed a no brainer to me!

I placed my order (in July) without a problem making note of the 12 week waiting period declaimer for crib bedding creation.  Over the next several months I had little contact with her and even after attempting contact on multiple occasions to see where we stood on the bedding production- I got no response.  NOT good for this momma going halfway crazy on bed rest.  We did finally receive the bedding.. about a week before Thanksgiving.. just a couple weeks before the girls made their debut.  While the bedding is absolutely beautiful- the work of a professional, no doubt, I probably wouldn't use her again.

The 'changing table'.  We found this dresser at the World Trade Center in Dallas- it was painted metallic silver and black checkered print.  We saw it for its shape and design with a definite plan to paint!

We matched the coral paint to a swatch of fabric from the girls' bedding.  Then painted over it with a linen white paint- and took to distressing it for the coral accent to come through.  It turned out exactly as I had pictured it to in my mind.

I found the knobs at Anthropologie.  The coral matches perfectly!  

The wall decal is so precious
..and as for the purple changing pad liner- pure genius.  The first week home with the girls we washed the changing pad cover 4 times.  F.O.U.R. times.  So we ventured to BRU to get a back up cover and stumbled upon these liners.  Total lifesavers.     

One of Jordan's mom's dear friends had these piggy banks hand painted for the girls.  I LOVE them.

Jolie's side of the room

The rocker is SO comfortable.  We ordered it online blindly- so out of character for me and the hubs to do.  But all of the rockers/gliders we saw in store weren't quite what we were looking for.  This was delivered right to our porch!  Getting it in the door was another story..

I love and adore these giraffes.

Jordan's Aunt Judy made the girls each a quilt with their name on it.  We use the ALL the time.  Parker's quilt is currently in the living room regularly used for tummy time.

There you have it, friends!  My sweet girls' nursery revealed!  The room for the nursery is not very big, so we did what we could with space and furniture.  

 

I halfway wished to have painted the room with a grey stripe pattern.. another pinterest inspiration.  I made this request to (re)paint the room last week.  You can guess what Jordan had to say.  Still working on convincing him:)

Cribs- Baby Italia Mayfair via Babies R Us
Bedding- Dandelion Baby Blanket via Etsy
Ceramic Dresser Knobs- Anthropologie
Purple Changing Pad Liner- Babies R Us
Large Wood Letters- Canton First MondayTrade Days
Large Wood Frames- Handmade by grandma BB
Curtains- Bed Bath & Beyond
Shaggy Raggy Lavender Rug- Rug Market America via The Wooden Swing
Glider- Little Castle via Target
Your first breath took ours away Wall Decal- c/o Welcoming Walls via Etsy
Shelving- DIY kit from Home Depot and painted linen white

InstaWrap {02.01.2013}

How on earth is it February?  I started to type in a January date and then was reminded that it is no longer the first month of the year.. and the first month of Parker and Jolie's life has come and gone in a blink.  This week they will be two months old.  What?  Since when?

This year is flying by me- good thing I take 137593953 pictures every day to capture every moment- just in case I happen to forget one (Highly unlikely.  Maybe I'm giving myself too much credit.)

Here are this week's highlights via my IG feed:)  Enjoy!

Saturday I took the girls up to visit their daddy at the fire station for the first time.  Jordan's mom was sweet enough to tag along with me.. you know, to carry a baby or a bag, or a cart of diapers.. something.  The guys at the station took no time to pull these babes out of their car seats and begin the pass around.  Most of them are built like Jordan and the girls were swallowed by their big arms and chest- which the girls took as a perfect opportunity for comfy nap.  This was the first, and definitely not the last visit to daddy's station.

Next stop?  Poppa and his guys down at the alarm office:) Irving FD runs their own ambulance service, so when you call 911, guys on the department answer the calls.  Jordan's dad has been in Irving for over 30 years, and now has made his place down in the alarm office for the past several.  It isn't often that Jordan and his dad work on the same shift, so this was a perfect time to visit him, too!

SO excited for my new blog design.  I still just pull it up on my phone or the iPad to look at it.  Aubrey is amazing.

I was tagged by Sarah to post a random picture on my phone to IG.. it happened to be one of my favorites of my sister-in-law and me.  We were at a wedding last October.. always a good time with family:)

My sweet Parker.  Look at this face.  How in the world can you NOT want to kiss every inch of it?

Jumped on the bandwagon this week and made a Vine account.  Still learning to use it- but I am really diggin' these videos!  I have heard of the questionable material popping up here and there, but I've never seen anything inappropriate, so my account still stands:)  I got the most precious video of my chatter box baby, Parker.. and also one of Jolie as she sleeps- snoring loudly on my chest.

Baby stretches are my favorite.

In attempt to swaddle little miss, she passed out cold.  UGH.  She is so cute.  

Cold morning caused for serious snuggle time- and look at this set up she has going..  Who can get this set up for me?  I'll pay you.

Ok.  Baby stretches AND baby yawns are my favorite.  (Pretty sure my 'favorite' list is forever long when it comes to these two.)   

Parker being the complete HAM that she is.  The other day while daddy was at the fire station I was able to catch her talking and laughing at me.  I would squeal every time, and startle her, which made me laugh even harder.  It was the best 20 minutes of my week.

Jolie would rather snuggle than be social like her sister.  I was double fisting the two girls while attempting to snap photos of Parker laughing.  I have become quite multi-talented in my new new role as momma.

This week I had to go into work for my "return to work" clearance review by employee health (fun.)  While we were there we made a stop into the office to see everyone and then made our way downtown for lunch at Gloria's.  Pounds of chips, salsa, and their famous bean dip for momma and daddy, and a big ol' bottle of milk for the little bits.

Throwback Thursday to 2008.  This is one of my all time favorite pictures of Jordan and me.  We have in blown into a canvas print and framed in our bedroom.

And, ending the week strong with my girls.  Jolie was moving like a wild woman and I couldn't get her to look at me.. hence her somewhat blurred hands.  I have a feeling Parker is going to love the camera.. of course she gets this vanity from her father.  duh.

Here it is, Friday, and while most are yelling TGIF- it is bittersweet for me.  I cannot believe this week is already over.  My last week home full time with these sweet babies- and I'd say it was a pretty good week overall- although, WAY too short.  I am excited to go back to work and see some of my favorite   faces everyday- but nothing will replace staying home with my sweet Parker and Jolie.  I'm thankful for Jordan and his schedule so that he will be home with them when I am not, and for my mother in law to keep them sometimes, too.

Happy weekend, friends!  Excited for a good weekend ahead, spending time with Jordan and the girls. Hope your's is a good one!

Linking up with From My Grey Desk and Life Rearranged