Manic Monday

man·ic adjective pertaining to or affected by mania

mania noun excessive excitement or enthusiasm

Much like robshep.com’s Mind Dumps, Manic Monday is just a snapshot of the random excitement that is inside my head.

• I am tired and have felt extra distracted lately. Not by anything specific....just distracted. 
• I am thankful for my husband. Thankful that he loves Jesus, me, and our kids- in that order. I love that he felt called to do something and did it, despite it not being the popular decision. He doesn't make decisions to make other people happy; he makes decisions based on what he feels God is leading him to do. I'm more than good with that. I am thankful that he has a sensitive heart. Love you, Rob.
• For Mother's Day, Rob bought us tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson show. It was phenomenal. The talent was unbelievable. We love shows, music, entertainment, etc- so it was a win, win for both of us!
• The crowd at this show was so diverse; it was hysterical. The woman in front of us acted like she was at church. She literally worshiped, and it was a little sad. She came to the show alone (birthday present from her husband) and spent over $250 to be a "VIP" that night. She sat in the row in front of us, got a red bag, a poster, and a journal. Not sure it was worth the price difference lady. Since she had no friends with her, she kept turning around to talk to Rob. It was awesome and awkward.
• A few years back, Nicole got a recipe from a parent for a Harry Wallbanger cake. I know, right?? Harry Wallbanger?? The cake was delicious back then, so I decided to give it a whirl. Marcia did the grocery shopping for it (aka Mim, my mother-in-law) and I did the baking. I decided to bake one in a loaf pan in the oven and put the other in a loaf pan in our crock pot. The oven took about 35 minutes, but the crock pot took 3 hours. CROCK POT FOR THE WIN! 

Harry Wallbanger from the oven. Tasted ok; the cake fell.

Harry Wallbanger from the crockpot. Cooked up to the rim; didn't fall; super moist; and my pick!

• Courtney said the crockpot cake looked like cheese on the top because it was so moist. Rob hates the word moist, so I thought I'd work it into this segment as much as possible. I sprinkled powdered sugar over the top to hide the said "cheese"/moist look. Overall, it was a tasty pound cake with a bit of a citrus flavor. I'll make it again one day, but it's not a regular.
• Saturday was a great, but crazy busy day! I ran a few errands in the morning, and then headed to Leah's for a Mother's Day brunch.
• Here's what you need to know about Leah- she is so creative and thoughtful! If she could throw themed parties for a full time job while staying home with her daughter, Avery, I think she would. She must send out more invitations a year than anyone else I know! It is awesome!!
• 15 ladies got together from all different walks of life to celebrate being a mom together! Some were friends & some were strangers, but Leah was the tie that binds us. She hosted a beautiful party! The food was delicious and it was so sweet. She made a mean breakfast casserole, fresh fruit, blackberry muffins, bagels, and such. 

She hung pictures of each mom there with her kids. At the end, we each chose a picture of another mom so that we could pray for her and encourage her this year. How amazing is that! What a cool idea. Love it and hope I follow through!

She customized a game called "Find a Mother Who..." that allowed us to socialize and get to know one another. Again, she is always so thoughtful. It had funny things on it like find a mother who has baby wipes in her purse or has changed a blowout diaper recently. Ha!

Love a good party!

I stole this one from Leah's facebook. New moms & tenured moms- so much to learn from each other. Over 25 kids between us all & at least one more on the way!

• From here, I headed to Lisa's baby shower. Lisa and I met in community group last year, and she is going to be a great mom to baby boy Kellen! We wished Jordan and Lori were there to celebrate with us....and that other lady from group. Ha.

Lisa, Christi, me, and Candice!

• I celebrated my second Mother's Day yesterday, and it will never get old. Every single day I thank God for blessing me with Reese and Hayden. I wasn't sure I'd ever get to celebrate Mother's Day with kids I'd birthed (knew we'd adopt eventually), and it amazes me that God gave us two of our very own. I never take it for granted especially because I know it doesn't always happen for every woman. I'd have been over the moon happy with just Rob for forever, but so thankful God chose me to be Reese and Hayden's mommy too.