Getting To Know You...

Happy Thursday! If you're visiting from the link-up, WELCOME!! I'm so glad to have you here!
Sit and stay a while.
I hope you enjoy my little self-interview. Maybe it won't bore you too much. ;-)

Let's get this party started.

1. What part of the state do you call home?

I live this crazy beautiful life in Huntsville! My husband and I both grew up in Gadsden, moved to the Birmingham area for the first few years of our marriage, and have been up here for a little over 2 years. We love it here and plan to be here a long time.

2. How long have you been blogging?

My blog was born in May of 2010.

3. Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging simply as a way for our family and friends to keep up with the latest happenings in our lives...hence the name, "Lauren's Latest". It might not always have the most entertaining, capturing posts, but it truly is about "the latest". Sometimes you'll see a recipe post, or a Hudson post, the occasional (or more like rare) DIY post, what's going on with the family and how we spent our weekend. Or, since I'm 6 months pregnant with TWINS, you'll see a good bit of pregnancy-related posts around here nowadays. 

4. What is your favorite part of being a member of the Alabama Women Bloggers community?

I love connecting with other bloggers, getting inspired, exchanging ideas, and reading about how other people live.

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Well, I'm hesitant to answer this one, because as I've found in the last few months...plans change...drastically!! I didn't see myself as a SAHM to a 2 year old, with twins coming in about 3 months. Am I thankful? Of course! Am I nervous and stressed? OH YEAH!! But, at this point, in 5 years I see myself as a happy, busy mom and wife to 2 boys, a girl, and amazing husband!! Whether or not I'll still be a SAHM is unknown. I'd like to think I'll go back to teaching one day. We will hopefully be living in our dream home that we had built(full of all the wondrous things I've pinned on Pinterest, of course), with plenty of room for the kids to run, inside and out, and unobstructed views of sunrises and sunsets. Y'all know I'm a sucker for those.

6. If you could choose an actress to play you in your life, who would you choose and why?

Angie Harmon! She's southern, she's GORGEOUS(I mean, who wouldn't want a knock-out like her portraying them in a movie?), and seems like such a sweet person. She's a great actress too!

7. Name 5 things on your Bucket List that you hope you’ll check off before you die?

- Road trip out west. Must do.

- Dream vacay to the French Polynesia. (Fiji, Tahiti, Bora Bora...any will do)

- Adopt a family for Christmas.

- Be a contestant (and dominate) on Wheel of Fortune.

- Go to culinary school.

8. If you could be known for one thing, what would it be and why?

If I could be known for one thing....that's tough. I think I'd want it to be.....that I didn't judge others. I loved and treated everyone as if they were family. I accepted them as they were, for who they were. I looked passed the color of their skin, their socioeconomic status, or what they could do for me. I think this world needs more people like that, and hopefully one day I can be that kind of person and people will remember me as such.

9. Describe the best moment in your life.

Hands down, the day my son was born. I can't wait to experience that kind of joy again in a few months.(times 2!!)

10. If you could “be” anything (no consequences, no fear), what would you “be”?

Wow. These are good. Part of me wants to say a singer or accomplished pianist (neither would be a lie), but honestly, if I could "be" anything? A surgeon. I think I've got a pretty steady hand, the ability to stay calm in intense situations, and the human body fascinates me. I considered going to nursing school for a while in college, but changed my mind and went into education instead. I kind of really wish I'd gone to medical school. Maybe in my next life! 

11. What or who inspires you to blog?

My family definitely inspires me to blog. They inspired me to start it all, and now that Joseph and I have a little family of our own, I'm inspired daily by life's happenings. I'm also inspired by other bloggers. You ladies are so amazing, talented, and just watching your blogs evolve over time inspires me.

12. We’re headed to your neck of the woods… what restaurant would you recommend?

Definitely Rosie's Mexican Cantina!! Awesome, fresh, fabulous! Grille 29 and Connors are also fantastic date night spots.

13. What’s a southern tradition you and your family have?

Well, we have a lot of southern traditions(like most of us, I'm sure), but one tradition we take VERY seriously is FOOTBALL!!!!! We're huge Alabama fans around here and we live for football season. The games, the food, the togetherness (even if we're together with some fans from that other team). ;-)
We also believe in sweet tea, barbecue, and saying ma'am, sir, please, & thank you.
I love living in the south. The hospitality, cook-outs, hot Summer nights when the sun stays out until 8:30, the fact that you never meet a stranger, and people are always willing to help other people.
I wouldn't want to live anywhere else! 

14. If you could pick your favorite blog post from your blog this year, what would it be?

I'd probably have to say....our special announcement back in February!

15. We all love social media, tell us your links so we can follow you!

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Pinterest

Can't wait to read the answers to your self-interviews and get to know y'all a little better!!

Bloglovin' - Don't Forget!

Hey y'all!! You may or may not remember that Google Reader is shutting down on July 1st!! If this is how you follow my blog and read the posts, then you should consider switching over to Bloglovin'.

If you don't currently use GR and read my posts another way, then don't worry about changing a thing. Although, you might still want to look into Bloglovin'. It's very user-friendly and is set up a lot like Google Reader, but I like it much better. You can customize your settings so that you're notified when someone follows your blog, and you can have new posts of the blogs you follow sent to your email. I don't do this, but it's a great feature. I just open Bloglovin' in my browser and read them from there. You're given a picture and a short snippet of the post to preview it and you can decide if you want to read it right then or save it for later. There's also a Bloglovin' app, so I love that I can keep up with my favorite blogs when I'm on the go!

So, I just wanted to remind you guys to please....
 
so you don't miss a thing!

If you don't like the whole blog reader thing, you can always follow by email by typing that in over at the sidebar under my Bloglovin' button! It comes straight to your email after a new post is up.
I appreciate each and every one of you for following along with our little blog and don't want you to miss out, so choose the option that's best for you!


Hey there!! Don't go just yet!! I've got a sweet girl to introduce you to today!

I'm highlighting an awesome sponsor, Rachel, and I asked her to share a little about herself with you guys.
Without further ado...

Hi! I’m Rachel and I write over at Rachel is Elsewhere. My blog is a mix of thoughts, eBay finds, occasional recipes and reviews, I haven’t really limited myself to one topic. I’m 19 (and a half!) and I live in New Zealand, where I study sociology and linguistics at university. I started my blog in February 2013 after reading blogs for most of 2012 and thought that it looked like a lot of fun. I was right! Blogging is fast becoming my favourite hobby and I strongly encourage other people to give it a try. I love the sense of community it brings and it allows me to think creatively.

I love the variety of Rachel's posts!! Those are my favorite types of blogs, because I get to see the different aspects of a person...their likes and dislikes, recipes, families, trips, random thoughts, style, etc.
I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Rachel through her blog and I think you will too!!
Please be sure to go check her out and add her to your list of followed blogs on Bloglovin'!! :)

Happy Wednesday, Hump Day, So Close to Friday You Can Smell It Day, whatever you call it!!

26 Weeks & 36 Years!

Whew, it'd be scary if those numbers were reversed!! 36 years pregnant? Ouch.

Let me first of all start off by wishing my amazing parents a Happy 36th Anniversary!! 

God knew what he was doing when he put these two together. I got to grow up with the best examples of a loving, committed marriage. They have one strong relationship that I admire more every day. And I'm so thankful that they love each other the way they do, and that they tell and show each other as much as they can. 

Happy Anniversary, mom & dad. Here's to hoping your day is as special as the two of you are to each other...and to me!!! I love you both with all my heart!

                                                                                                                                                                   

Also...I'm at 26 weeks today! As in, 2 weeks away from the 3rd trimester.....10-ish weeks away from having newborn TWINS! Oh the things to be done before they arrive!! Order bedding, put cribs together, curtains, find a dresser, newborn essentials, car seat for one of them(one will use Hudson's old seat), the list goes on! Too bad I can't have a drink...I'd need one right about now!!

I'm not doing the whole survey this week, but wanted to check in. Things are still going great. Besides getting tired out just walking down the hall, and feeling like an 89 year old instead of a 29 year old, I'm feeling really good! I still don't have any swelling going on so I'm taking advantage of that while I can. 

Hormones are raging, which means my patience has been better. The current irritant is the sound of the dogs' nails on all these wood floors! Y'all. It's like nails on a chalkboard for me. I need some more rugs or something!! Of course, there's also people trying to make things their business when it's clearly NOT or assuming that they know anything and everything, drivers who cut me off in traffic, the hot weather, the fact that I'm out of orange juice, and that I'm not at the beach right now with a cold strawberry lemonade and some crab legs!

Where was I?.....Oh yeah...feeling great!! I honestly can't complain about this pregnancy because I don't think it could be going more wonderfully. I'm blessed and thankful. I also have to give a big thanks to my sweet husband for being so patient and understanding, even when it must be reeeeeaaalllllyyyy hard! He does so much for me around here that I'm either unable to do or am just too tired to do.

I'm kind of afraid of how much bigger I'm going to get before these babies are born. I feel like I'm so big already, and some of my maternity shirts are already getting a little short. I mean....maternity shirts, people!!! It's the normal shirts that are supposed to get short! I guess I can always rig up a bed sheet as a dress for the last few weeks if nothing else fits. ;-)

Hope you're having a super Tuesday!!

Until next time....

We Made It!

Hey, y'all, and Happy Monday!! 

Well, if you're reading this, it means I survived the move this weekend. Barely. For a second there, I wasn't sure I would. But thanks to my awesome, helpful husband, and 4 of the BEST movers I've ever seen in my life, I did. We all survived!! And if I never have to move again I'll be perfectly fine with that.....except that I would like to build that dream house of ours. But right now, the word "move" is a bad word to me so we won't mention moving or building for a little while around here. :)

I don't have too much to report today, but I did want to share a few pictures from the last few days. 

Friday, we went by the house to take some things and give the house one more look before moving in on Saturday.

Surveying the backyard to determine the perfect spot for the play set.

Everything worked out perfectly for the painters to come Friday morning and paint our bedroom and the twins' room. Our decor(and theirs) just really relies on the gray walls to complete the looks so it had to be done. I mean, it was a must, OK? ;-) They had both rooms done in less than 4 hours and did a GREAT job!! It was so nice to have someone else take care of it for us and knock it out.

We have a LOT of "stuff" so the movers had to make 2 trips. Luckily the houses are only about 5 minutes away from each other, so that wasn't a big deal. These guys were rock stars and were over at the new house in far less than TWO HOURS with the first truckload. The babysitter(see photo below) occupied Hudson for a while so I could direct them, clean up a little, and start unpacking some things.

Mr. Nosy over here loves the big windows in the front doors. 

Momma will be covering them with little curtains for some privacy, though.

The view from our backyard Saturday night. 

The first cup of coffee in a new house always makes it start to feel like home.

This little guy loves apples. Like, LOVES! Yesterday we bought some at the store and he saw them on the table. He wanted one and I told him I'd cut him up one in a minute when I made his lunch. I guess that wasn't sufficient.....I found this a few minutes later.

Caught this sunset last night on the way home from dinner and just wanted to share it. You can barely see the pink sun down on the right side, just above the trees.

I'll get back with the program this week as things slow down. We've gotten a lot unpacked and put away, especially in the kitchen, which is a top priority for me! Hudson's room is all set up and ours is too, for the most part.

My goal is to tackle one room a day.(not to mention the 1.7 million flies we've accumulated in our house from having the doors open during the move. Summer moves = no bueno!)
I'm taking advantage of no swelling feet/ankles yet so I'm working while I can! I'll share more when it's all done!

I hope you guys had a great weekend. Can't wait to read all about them!!

Latest Loves

Just a few random things I'm loving here lately....

Sonic Lemonberry slushes. Holy cow, y'all. These babies are so good and this momma is loving them right now!!! A slushy strawberry lemonade? I'll take 4!! That's basically what it is and it's divine. Try one the next time you're there. The perfect summer drink!

I could eat a big soft pretzel every day of the week. Don't worry...I don't. This was only my second one during this pregnancy. I rewarded myself yesterday at the mall for a good doc appt. Plus, I was starving after only having part of a pop-tart for breakfast that morning. The 3 of us needed a snack. ;-)

 Not pictured is the delicious cheese sauce that completes the pretzel!

What took me to the mall in the first place was the need for some new kicks!! I'm a little embarrassed to admit that my New Balances are pushing 10 years old. They're just the simple, gray kind so I don't wear them for running(that I don't do) or anything. They're still in great condition and are SO stinkin' comfortable. As soon as these babies are born, momma's planning on getting her body back so new comfy workout shoes are necessary. These will also be nice for moving day, 'cause I'll be on my feet a LOT! Shout out to my sweet in-laws for the Belk gift card for my birthday. 

You funded these bad boys!! :)

Hudson and I took a quick trip to Lowe's this evening to get the paint for the new house. We're having our bedroom and the twins' room painted the same gray we have in our current house(Valspar Woodlawn Colonial Gray). Afterward, we stopped by Publix for a couple things. Running out of diaper pail bags? No bueno! First of all, Publix on a Wednesday(which is new weekly ad day) at 5:30 in the evening. Never. Again. On the plus side, I used this park for probably the first time ever. Like, ever. The parking lot was cray-to the zay and I was so thankful to find this spot open just for me! I usually don't park in it, but today it was welcomed. It had been a long day, I was hot & sweaty, & I took full advantage of my "expectant mother" status. Winning!

I was a little skeptical about this product I've been seeing on TV. The new Windex Touchup cleaner. Well, they were on sale so I decided to give them a try. I haven't used the bathroom one yet, but used the kitchen one this evening and really like it. It's great for granite countertops because it shines them, but it's also anti-bacterial so you know you're getting them clean too! I usually use Windex to clean my countertops but this is so much more convenient and it's disinfecting and shining at the same time. Just grab a paper towel, pump it, wipe it. Done. And it smells nice and fresh. It's great for all kinds of surfaces so you can pump, wipe & have everything clean in no time.

OK, enough with my ode to cleaning products. I am SUCH a Monica!!

Please don't forget to stop by and say hello to the fabulous Rachel! We'll get to know her better soon, as she'll be sharing a little about herself on the blog in the next week or two. Until then, catch up on her blog and check out the giveaway she's got going right now!!

Happy Thursday!

25 Week Checkup

We went for our 25 week checkup this morning and I thought I'd update on how things are going. 

Grayson & Raegan are doing GREAT!!! I continue to be so thankful for this healthy pregnancy I'm having. Blood pressure's great, weight gain's good (not to me, but whatever!), babies are growing right on track, with no issues, fluid levels are perfect, and I just feel so blessed.

Here's the babes' 25 week ultrasound pics...

Grayson is in the left two, with his profile on the top and 3D on the bottom. His heart rate was a fast 167 this time. Joseph and I both think he looks a lot like Hudson. They have a very similar profile and look a lot alike from the front as well. Grayson appears to have slightly juicier lips, though. ;-)

 Miss Raegan is in the right two pictures. Her heart rate was around 150. Poor thing, brother has hogged all the space and she's so crammed that she's practically eating her feet!! This is why we can't ever get a good profile or front view of her. He's still kicking her in the head from time to time. I'm pretty sure we've seen this happen on every ultrasound. She's gonna get payback when she busts outta here, though, I'm quite sure of it. I guess she'll have to learn to be tough early on with 2 brothers.

They both weigh 1 lb, 12 oz!!! I mean, they're almost 2 pounds EACH!! And I was worried they might be on the small side. Yikes! Raegan is measuring 3 days ahead, though, and the tech said she's got some long arms. (I guess she'll have her momma's long monkey arms!)

I go in 3 weeks to the lab for my glucose test (BOOO!!!). They just do a 2 hour test and if you pass, you pass and if you fail, you have GD. Oy! This makes me nervous! I failed my 1 hour test with Hudson, but passed the 3 hour test, so I'm hoping and praying I pass this 2 hour test! 

I also go back in 3 weeks for my 28 week checkup and will go EVERY WEEK from there on out!! Weekly visits already? They'll do non-stress tests at each weekly appointment and the usual checkup stuff, but I also have monthly ultrasounds too, so I might as well just set up a cot and move into the OB's office for a while. ;-)

I snapped a pic today after we got home, before I put on my "home" clothes. Y'all, this belly!! I feel like it was just yesterday that I was in the "pudgy" stage, when you look like you've just eaten too many cheeseburgers and you're not obviously pregnant to people yet.

And now, here I am with this huge cantaloupe under my shirt!!

I know I have LOTS of growing to do, though, and with that (and especially in this heat) will come some swelling. So, I'm enjoying being able to get out and do things on my feet without having them swell up to twice their size. I had a lot of fluid the last few weeks with Hudson, which caused big time swelling. I'd love to avoid that this time around, but I doubt that's possible. The hot weather will only add to it, I'm sure. I'm eating those words I once said about never being pregnant during the Summer!! Never say never!!!

Yeah....no caption necessary. Yowza!!

Moving right along....

I hope you're having a great Wednesday! The next few days will probably be a little crazy around here so if I'm MIA, I apologize. I promise to be back ASA-Please (Duck Dynasty, anyone?). 

Y'all be good!

25 Weeks

Excuse me, but when did the 3rd trimester get so close??? I've got 3 weeks left in the 2nd trimester, then we're in the home-stretch. I don't know if it's because I'm preoccupied with a toddler 24/7 or what, but this pregnancy has absolutely flown by!!! I mean, y'all. I could have these babies in like 10 weeks!!! Of course, the longer they stay in, the better, but it's very common for twins to come as early as 35-36 weeks. Eeekkk!!!

Part of me is SOOOO ready to not be pregnant, but then the other part is thinking, when I'm not pregnant anymore, I'll have TWO newborns to care for!!! How am I gonna handle that?? :)

How Far Along? 25 Weeks.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I haven't been weighing myself, so I'm not sure...and frankly, I'm totally fine with that! 20ish maybe? Whew!

Genders: BOY AND A GIRL!!! Grayson Wells and Raegan Elise!

Maternity Clothes? Yep!! Pretty much the only regular thing I can wear is maxi dresses/skirts or yoga/stretchy pants. Definitely in pants/shorts and shirts for length...even some maternity shirts are slowly getting a little short. Oy! I can still wear my pre-pregnancy size in the maternity clothes so that's encouraging

Stretch Marks? No. I didn't get any with Hudson, so here's to hoping I have the same luck this time around.

Sleep: Eh. It's OK. I'm pretty much confined to side-sleeping now so I do a lot of flip-flopping from one side to the other. I'm at the point where breathing gets difficult when I'm laying down so I have to prop my head up a little bit. As long as I don't get too hot, I sleep pretty well most nights. I like the room COLD right now!!

Movement: Yes. Anywhere and everywhere!

Food Cravings: I've really been into lemonade, peach punch, lemonberry slushes from Sonic. Fruity drinks are so good to me right now.

Food Aversions: Aversions are pretty much gone now, thank goodness. If I get a whiff of something less than appetizing in the morning, that'll get me though. Toaster strudels and coffee do NOT taste as good coming back up, unfortunately. :/

Labor Signs: No!

Symptoms: Sciatic nerve pain, getting tired out quickly, short of breath, and some head/backaches. Oh and don't forget the potty breaks every half hour. ;-)

Belly Button In or Out? Definitely starting to protrude, especially at the top.

Wedding Rings On or Off? On

Miss Anything? Not really.

Best Moment This Week: A few good moments...knocking out a lot of packing, getting excited about moving into the new place, celebrating and spending time with the dads in our lives for Father's Day, and seeing Hudson become more aware of the babies in my belly. He loves giving them hugs and kisses. LOVES it! Most of the time, he has to lift my shirt to do this, though (or at least he thinks he does!) so this can get kinda awkward at times. HA!!

Looking Forward To: Getting settled into the new house this weekend! We have our 25 week checkup on Wednesday. Excited to see how the babies are growing. 

Even though I'm kinda ready to not be pregnant, I really can't complain too much about this pregnancy, especially with it being a twin pregnancy. I've been so incredibly blessed with a healthy pregnancy thus far and I hope and pray it continues this way. Sure, things are getting uncomfortable, I'm dealing with those tough parts of pregnancy earlier on than I did with Hudson (trouble breathing, sciatic nerve pain, etc) but they're all tolerable at this point and as long as we all continue to be healthy, I'll tolerate the uncomfortable parts.

I Got Some 'Splainin' to Do!

I know, I know. I have been MIA the last few days. Unfortunately, I'll probably be MIA some this week too. We're moving on Saturday, so we're busy busy getting the rest of the house packed up. Between that and taking care of an even busier 2 year old, well....you can imagine that really doesn't leave much time for blogging, or anything else. For example, as I'm typing this, I'm hearing Hudson unpacking things I've already packed up but have yet to TAPE up! Thus life with a toddler. :)

I did want to take a minute to share a few pictures from my MIA period.

There's a couple of amazingly wonderful things about this picture. First, the Haagen Dazs Sea Salt Caramel Gelato. Get some. That is all. And secondly, I made THE BEST brownies ever last week!! Oh, and the only trouble I went to was just adding a cup of Nutella to the batter. (I used boxed fudge brownie mix) I can't even explain how ooey, gooey, & delicious these babies were! I upped the baking time by about 10 minutes. So easy, so sinful!

Exhibit A of moving/packing with a toddler. 

Have you tried these little treats? They're such a good snack when you want something sweet. You can find them with the frozen fruit. If they'd put a layer of peanut butter under the chocolate.....OMG!!! 

I'd buy every pack they had!

The new Chick-fil-A near our house is finally open and I think this could be a really dangerous thing. It's less than 5 minutes from us and it has an indoor playground. Good for occupying Hudson....bad for momma's pregnancy weight gain. :) Of course, we'll have to avoid it for at least a month, if not longer, until the novelty wears off. People go crazy when new things open...you'd think they were giving away a million dollars or something!

I hope you had a great Father's Day weekend with the dads(or moms who fill the role of dad) in your life. We got to have lunch with Joseph's parents on Saturday and they helped us get some things packed, which was super duper helpful! We spent some time with my parents and grandparents yesterday and just enjoyed watching Hudson play with his Russ-man & Papa. 

Y'all have a great week and hopefully I'll be with the program more this week and not totally neglect the blog! :)

Rolling With It

I think Steve Winwood said (sang) it best....

"Roll with it."(I love Steve Winwood, BTW)
It sounds so easy, right? But sometimes rolling with it(ya know...life, the punches, etc.) is a lot easier said than done...especially if it's something that we may possibly have control over, or could have done differently if we had made another choice. I think it's safe to say that most of us have this idea or this picture of how things are supposed to go. We have a plan, and of course, if you have a well-thought-out plan it can't fail, right? HA! I can most assuredly testify that plans...even the most thought-out, detailed, prepared in advance plans...fail. Now, let me go ahead and say this: I am not saying any of this to complain about my life or how it's turned out. That's not what this post is about.
I consider myself immensely blessed to have the amazingly supportive family & friends I have, share my life with a hard-working man who also happens to be the love of my life and best friend, and be a mommy to the most wonderful little boy in the world (and let's not forget about his brother & sister growing healthily in my belly). I am a blessed woman and I realize that. Blessed beyond what I deserve. I appreciate all the hard times, curveballs, and obstacles that I've been presented with in the past. I'm a better, stronger person because of them.
That doesn't mean life hasn't thrown a few curves, some of which were harder than others to adjust to, and I've had to learn to just roll with it.

I think a lot of us get so wrapped up in what we think our lives should look like. I'm going to have this job, making x amount of money, marry a guy who fits this description, because I'm so sure he'll be perfect for me, go on dozens of exotic travels before we build our huge dream house and have 2.5 kids by the time I'm 30.(I've always assumed that .5 is a dog? I dunno.) Of course, some of those things are certainly attainable through hard work and dedication. And if you have a dream, you should definitely work hard to achieve it! What I've learned over the last few years (and am still trying to learn) is that we have to be willing to adjust our plans from the way we want them to be, to the way they're meant to be.

If you had asked me 6 years ago, just 6 months into our marriage, if I'd be forgoing my college degree in education to be a full time stay at home mom, I would've said there's no way. If you had told me that I'd have a 2 year old, with twins coming in just a few months, I would've called you cray cray. And if someone had said I'd be packing to move into our 5th house (including our first apartment) in 6.5 years, I would've told them they must have the wrong person. I'm not the moving from house to house type. Yeah...so much for that. Luckily, it's not the house that makes the home.
It's the people with whom you share the house. And as long as you have them, you can handle any changes that may come.

As I'm preparing to move into our new house(the 5th one), 6 months pregnant, I keep reminding myself of this. I know that a house is just a house, and it doesn't matter where life may take us, as long as we've got each other life is pretty darn good.

Any kinks or changes in my plans have led me to where I am today. 

And I think I'm at a pretty awesome spot, and I wouldn't trade it for anything or any place in this world. The sooner we learn to "roll with it", the sooner we can begin to live our lives the way they were meant to be lived. Whatever hand we're dealt, we must remember to play it wisely...with grace...with a positive attitude...and with faith. And it's something I know I'm still working on, daily.

Forever 29!

Today I celebrated my very first 29th birthday! It was a great day, filled with lots of partying and fun adventures.....not really.....Hudson and I stayed home in our PJs all day, decorated ourselves(and the dogs & the furniture) with Bubble Guppies stickers, and he suddenly became obsessed with kissing and hugging the babies. HA!! I tell him about the babies all the time, but I think it's finally sinking in that they're in momma's belly. He's been lifting my shirt, and hugging, kissing, & patting the babies. It's the most precious(& awkward) thing ever. He's a sweetheart.

And a stud, so watch out ladies...

So, we may not have gone out and done something super cool or anything. But, I got to spend my day with my #1 dude...on the last birthday before his little brother/sister join the family. There's really no other way I'd like to spend my birthday...except maybe if daddy had been home with us.
Oh...here's a picture to prove that I was the cutest baby ever to be born...

Love that 80s hairdo, mom!!!

This would be me next year, if I weren't staying 29 forever.....

but I AM, so I'm not worried.

I was planning on just cooking spaghetti for dinner, but Joseph insisted on something nice so he brought home Ruth's Chris. I was just thankful to get a night off from cooking, so anything would've been lovely, but he went all out and it was such a treat!!!

He's a keeper!

29 is a great age, and I'm looking forward to many, many more 29th birthdays. :)

The Target Love Affair Continues...

Y'all know by now that I love my Target. It's a deep love, really, similar to the love that the Target lady has for it.

And it can get me in trouble sometimes.

Oh how I miss the Target lady skit!!! The episodes with JT were always the best...

Overall, I think they have pretty good prices. And they also have FABulous things. But, when you buy 10 fabulous things at pretty good prices, that can add up, yaknowwhatI'msayin'?

So, when I go to Target (which is sometimes multiple times a week more than I should admit), I have to stay focused so I'm not basically paying their rent every month. My heart says "Oh girl, you only have 37 other cute coffee mugs, you have GOT to have this one!!", but my mind says "Lauren, you have at least 37 other coffee mugs like this, you do NOT need another one!" I'm pretty good about restraining myself most of the time.

However, since tomorrow's my first 29th birthday the last year of my 20s begins tomorrow, I treated myself to a few new shiny things. 

The first couple things aren't really gifts for me, but since I am the one obsessed with home decor around here, I guess they might as well be.

I've been wanting some new lamps for a while but just hadn't found what I wanted. We had some silver ones that were slightly more formal and the shades were the usual flared out shades. I wanted something more modern, with a pop of color and Target's got a great selection of mix & match shades and bases.

I love the pop of blue these bring to the room and they're more substantial than what we had. 

Our kitchen rug was nice, but somehow it had gotten bleached in a couple spots so it was looking sad. I found this little thing on clearance for about $13 and couldn't pass it up. I always love a splash of geometric print in a room.

Momma's been carrying the same mustard yellow purse for a while now and I also use it as a diaper/out & about bag for Hudson. A purse has to be big enough for my things, as well as some wipes/diapers for Hudson, snack, cup, and a few other small things. This one has a middle zippered pouch for all of Hudson's things, so it keeps them contained better. I love the mint color and the price was great too, in my opinion. I really love this for a beautiful Summer bag.

Another reason I love my Target....always the most beautiful sunsets from the parking lot. I took this last night. No filter or anything. My husband thinks I'm crazy for snapping a million pictures of every pretty sunset, but it's seriously my favorite thing. When we build our house, a must-have for the land we build on is a perfect, unobstructed sunset view. 

OK, those are my latest loves from Target. What have you found lately?