Dinosaur Train

My parents had big plans to take Wip & Lucas on a Dinosaur Train adventure in New Haven, KY. Sadly, the surgery got in the way of those plans, so I took the boys. As you can see below...we had a blast!

Wip gave it a "thumbs up!". Thanks Grams & Poppy!

Bye Bye September

Bye, bye September. 

It has been a month filled with birthday celebrations, soccer games, golf matches, start of school craziness, and my dad telling his cancer "see ya, wouldn't want to be ya!". 

I realized how quickly the time is really passing. We had our cabinet doors painted in the kitchen and it made me realize that we no longer needed the "child proof" hooks that kept the children out. Tear.

Wip taught me a new song, click here.

I could not have felt more loved on my birthday...I feel like it was celebrated all month long!

Wip got his first shiner:( Apparently his cheek ran into his friend's head. Not a good combination.

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The boys had plenty of time on the soccer fields and golf courses. 

My favorite picture of the week from school.

The boys showed me how they can help each other out. They both took turns pushing each other on the bike. Click here to see how the term "helping a brother out" went a little deeper.

Finally, it has been a long road, but I am confident that my dad is going to be just fine. He had surgery last week to remove the yucky tumor that has been a total pain in the leg (literally). Dr. O'Donnell and his team were amazing! The predicted 8-10 hour surgery lasted only 5 hours and although the the tumor was the size of a cantaloupe (right behind his leg) and was "monstrous", they think they got all of it. My dad is still recovering at UK hospital, but this is hopefully the final step to him being able to get on with living and enjoying his grandsons. Thanks for all of the calls, texts, thoughts, and prayers...it really means so much.

So, as you can see September wore us out! Just click here for proof.

Lovin'

1. I don't know what it is about this  Michelle Williams ad campaign for Louis Vuitton, but it is totally doing it for me. I love her and I love the bag.

2. What do you know, another article about raising a son that made me cry...click here to see what I mean.

3. I subscribe to a ton of look better, feel better, dress better websites...some I like, but this new site from Clementine Daily I love. Click here to see if you love it too!

4. I click here  everyday to see if this skirt is still sold out. Something about it makes me so happy.

5.  My boys are famous!  Click here for the proof.

I am 37

So, I turned 37 on Friday.

Sadly, I had to attend a funeral, but it was for a man that lived a long life and was kind to everyone he met. This made the service a true celebration of his life. Rather than freak out because I am closer to 40, I am going to celebrate (mainly because I can still say I am in my 30's:)

Here are a few of the things 37 years on this earth have taught me:

1. Always ask yourself "what would Tami Taylor do?" (WWTTD?)
It is no secret that I am completely obsessed with Friday Night Lights (Texas Forever!). In my parenting and dealing with my students, I have often asked myself "what would Tami Taylor do?". If you have no idea what I am talking about, stop what you are doing and watch all five seasons of Friday Night Lights. Like right now.

2. 3-Day Cleanses are a complete and total waste.
So I posted a few days ago that I was doing a cleanse with a friend. I made it a day and a half. My friend called me a day in and told me she had to be put on a z pack and the doctor told her that she needed to eat something more than the shakes. I went to Red Robin with my sister and the boys for dinner (who could ever deny those fries? I mean the darn things don't end). My sister-in-law told me about this article, and I must say that I completely and totally relate to this chick. I have learned that good ol' eating well and exercise will do the trick.

3. Read. Everything. You. Can.
I know that the ladies in my book club want to kick me out because I never finish the book. But, I do love that feeling of getting into a good book and flipping that last page. I also love finding a good Slate article, reading something that comes through on a tweet, clicking through endless adorable blogs, and most of all reading the boys bedtime stories.

4. Family is everything.
I love my friends, I love my job, I love coaching soccer, but nothing like the love I have for my family. They will never know how much they really mean to me.

5.  Get facials and wear sunscreen.
It is very hard to keep the facial part in the budget, but man does it make a difference. I have been going to Skyn Lounge and what I love is that yes, she recommended a few "pricey" items, but she was also all about the aveeno face wash and clinique toner. She also insisted on a higher SPF everyday (like 50).

6. Enjoy a good meal (and a date night) every once and a while.
We went to Milkwood for my birthday dinner on Saturday (it was amazing). I not only enjoyed every bite, but I also really enjoyed the company:)

7. Figure out what makes you happy and enjoy it.

As you can probably guess, those little monkeys above make me so incredibly happy. With their unique personalities and absolute adoration for each other...watching them grow up has been pure joy. 

8. Keep your promises. 

No real epiphany here. It just makes life easier.

9. Wish big.

There is nothing like making a wish and watching it come true. 

10. Finally, if you get nothing else from this "what I have learned in 37 years post" please read this last tip closely...watch Breaking Bad. Please. You will have no regrets. For me, there is one more episode left to watch. If they kill Jesse I will go back and rewrite this to read "don't even bother...it will rip your heart out". But for now, go watch the show.

Whatever He Wants, He Gets

The other night I was reading Goodnight Washington D.C. to Wip and when we got to the above page he said "that is mommy, daddy, Duncan, my sister, and Emma". When I asked him where he was he replied "I am in that building, getting something to eat".

Because I get Wip whatever he wants, I picked up a sister for him (jk, she is my friend's little girl). When I picked up Cooper from school and asked if she wanted to come home with Wip and Duncan to play for a while, she replied "yes! I need to be their babysitter!"

It was a beautiful afternoon so we had lunch at the park, ice cream cones on the back patio, and those three seriously played just like she was their sister. When it was time to take Cooper home, she said "but, I thought I was spending the night?!". I told her that she was going to have to come over and play again soon. They were too cute.

This

So this is a random post in which I use the word this a lot. Enjoy!

This is what I need in my home every week (fresh flowers and booze).

I feel like I need want a trench coat. I have a nice "dress up" coat and I have a "puffer" coat, but I do not have the "I can throw this on with anything and walk out the door" coat. This is practical, not outrageously priced, but it is not in my size. This is gorgeous, exactly what I am looking for, and I am sure will last forever. But of course, I keep going to this because when I think of a classic trench coat, I think of Burberry. Oh well, a girl can dream.

A long time ago, I took a girl (who now babysits for us) trick or treating. She and her friend dressed up like old men and they made me laugh the entire time with a song that they made up called "Imanoldman". The other day I discovered this in my inbox and it made me smile. The quality is awful, but the memories are priceless. Hard to believe she is now a senior!

You know when you "pin" something to the "yummy board" and it just sits there? Well, I actually made this from my board. I did not have the ripest peaches so it was far from perfect, but I did learn that challah bread makes the most perfect french toast.

We went to a dinner party this weekend and I made this. In theory, it sounded really good, in practice it was not the easiest thing to munch on at a party..lesson learned. Thank goodness there was tons of good food to enjoy (including but not limited to Krispie Kreme bread pudding...yes, I typed that correctly).

I am doing this 3-day cleanse with a friend of mine starting on Wednesday. Wish me luck (I am going to need it!).

I made this for the boys this weekend. Clearly not as cute at the blog, but it will do the trick.

This is my favorite picture of Wip from the week. The boy never naps, but after playing all afternoon with his cousins, he was wiped out!

We had a ton of fresh corn in the house, so I made this (including the beer bread). It was a keeper and perfect for the change in weather.

This letter was not only beautifully written, but ohmmmmmgeeee did some of it hit home (ha!). It made me proud to be a Lexingtonian.

This was my favorite picture of Duncan from the week.

I typically do not introduce much to my husband when it comes to technology and music. I was shocked when he did not know about the Ctrl/Alt/T command that will bring back the webpage that you were looking at in Chrome if you accidentally click out of it. I also told him about this song/artist. I seriously listen to this song about 10 times a day. I also really like this one. FYI, she is only 16 years old!