Monday, April 1, 2013

Manic Monday

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

  • What a weekend!
  • On Friday, we went to the zoo with just us and the kids. It was so fun and so special. Their favorite moment was when the giraffe started peeing. They thought that was hilarious.

  • On Saturday, our sweet twins turned 2! We started the morning at the Bounce House in Williamsburg with Nicole, Jon, Connor, & Brody (aunt, uncle, & cousins). My kids couldn't have been happier to be with them. Jump! Jump! Jump! Is what they kept saying.
  • Reese was really scared at first, but finally bounced with Nicole. Hayden went all out, even on the big inflatable slides. 
Jumping, tackling, and laughing together!

Daddy and the birthday girl!
  • When we got home, they took a great nap. Afterwards, we headed to our friends' Tim & Nancy's house for dinner with lots of other friends from church. It was great!
  • Sunday was Easter! It's probably my favorite holiday because it is the most important to our faith. Christmas is great, but my eternity depends on a Savior who wasn't just born, but defeated the grave and conquered death. 
  • We put together two Easter baskets for the kids with a handful of clearance items collected over the last three months, little trinkets from Christmas from friends & family they never got to, and things literally from their baskets from last year (not food- ha). They also got their first Easter candy- jelly beans, a lollipop, and a chocolate yellow duck! They loved everything!

  • They had more sugar this weekend than ever in their life! Besides their party next Saturday, they are done with direct sugar. :) For kids that don't drink juice, they were acting like crack addicts.
  • We had our Shepherd family Easter breakfast (minus Uncle Jon b/c he was sick) and it was delicious like always. For someone on Atkins, big breakfasts are great! Omelets, bacon, and ham! I even resisted the biscuits, but did eat two hash browns and a small dessert.
I made Tastefully Simple's Almond Pound Cake which is one of my favorite desserts ever!
  • I whipped it up in The Pampered Chef's small batter bowl and baked it in our mini loaf stone pan. Added a dollop of Cool Whip and it was amazing!
  • I love that Reese and Hayden get to live nearby at least two of their cousins. Every day I wish that we were all nearby, but I'll take what I can get! Reese and Hayden are mildly obsessed with Connor and Brody. Here's one of my favorite's from yesterday!

  • At 6 pm we had our 2nd Easter service at Next Level Church. I can't believe it's been a year! What an amazing year it's been! It was an amazing service and I am honored to be a part of it all.
  • After a great weekend, we have an amazing week ahead of us. I love celebrating!
  • On Monday, we are taking the kids to my parents for an overnighter while me and Rob head to JMU for him to speak at Intervarsity. We love road trips & they've always been one of our favorite things to do together. We aren't spending the night, but driving home afterwards. It'll be a long but fun night. 
  • I'll drag myself out of bed Tuesday morning to go get the kids & hope to run some errands. 
  • Wednesday is our day to spend with Nicole & the boys- always a favorite day!
  • Thursday will be birthday party prep day for the twins.
  • On Friday, I head to the first bridal shower for Shima in Virginia Beach. I. Can't. Wait. 
  • On Saturday, we are having the twins' 2nd birthday party. It's a Toy Story theme for obvious reasons! Here's the invite! 
I think it is too cute!
  • I cannot wait to celebrate with the kids. They are at such a fun age.
  • On Sunday, I'm attending a baby shower for my dear friend, Kate, who is having a sweet baby girl! I can't wait!
  • My best friend's (Courtney) birthday is this week too! We'll celebrate her Saturday night.
  • Party, party, party!
  • I need to book some April Pampered Chef shows- let me know if you're interested in hosting a live cooking show or a Facebook show. The host rewards are amazing this week!

What's going on with you this week?