Wife Wednesday

I don't think I can say it enough. My husband is amazing.

I've mentioned in the last two blogs that kids were a little sick last week. Rob was a trooper. He rearranged his work schedule to stay home with them last Monday and Tuesday. My parents helped for one meeting on Monday and for a lot of the day Tuesday since he had to take both of them to the doctor. On Thursday, I went to get a pedicure with Danielle, so he put the twins down for bed.

On Friday, I left around 11:30 in the morning with Courtney and Danielle to go to the beach. Rob's day off is Friday, and we didn't have Connor this week, so he hung out with the twins all day. I know they had a blast. When they woke up from their afternoon nap, Rob loaded them up and took them to Target for fun and to buy diapers. Then they went to Costco for samples! We've got the kids hooked. Reese loves the samples. Thanks to Costco samples, she now loves guacamole. So, he gets home with the kids, does his thing, feeds them, gets them in their jammies, etc.

While on the changing table, Hayden starts coughing really hard. So hard, in fact, that he pukes everywhere. Then Hayden rolled over in it- face first. Sounds awesome, right? Rob left Reese in her crib, gave Hayden a bath, washed out the changing table cover, and redresses Hayden in new jammies. It sounds exhausting. After a day at the beach with my friends followed by eating dinner out with them (Rob had cereal), I finally came home.

I came home to 2 dozen roses!! What?

He gave me a full day with my friends and bought me two dozen roses while he was out alone with 2 one year olds. Told you he was amazing. He had also folded and put away three loads of laundry.   Don't get me wrong. Everyday is not this enchanting; however, it comes close. Rob doesn't do things like this to earn points or because he's done something wrong. He doesn't owe me anything. We love each other and that makes it easy to do things for the other. It's a wonderful cycle to get caught up in. He loves me and cherishes me, and it makes me want to love and respect him. It's like a fun game of tag. 

What's the last special thing you've done for someone special in your life?

Twin Tuesday

As I mentioned yesterday, all three Shepherd cousins were sick this week. Our nephew, Connor, had croup, so the kids couldn't go there on Monday or Tuesday, and he didn't come here Wednesday through Friday. We missed that boy! Surprisingly, the twins ended up having ear infections, so they were all down for the count. This is their first round of antibiotics ever, and I hope we get to stay away from them for a long time. The pink stuff smells so good though! I'm tempted to taste it, but I haven't. During the week, we laid low and took it easy for the kids. If I ran errands, they just chilled in their stroller.

Our neighbors have a small white dog named Casper. Our kids are obsessed with that dog! They've also figured out if they look out any of the back upstairs windows they can see down into the yard to see the dog. Now when I lay them on the changing table, which is beside the window, they arch their back, point their finger to the window, and say dog over and over. It was cute the first time. In the playroom, they pull themselves up to the window and say dog over and over. Their little legs can't quite get their eyes over the windowsill, so we give them the occasional boost. At the baby shower we went to on Saturday, there was also a dog. Once the kids saw the dog, all they wanted to do was crawl around saying dog, dog, dog. I'm pretty sure they said dog a minimum of 785 times Saturday. Rob tweeted the following and it made me laugh hard! "My kids have said "dog" about 1,347 times today. I wonder how long they will believe that dogs are like zoo animals and we can't own them?" Ha.

The infamous dog, Casper. Dog, dog, dog, dog.

Sweet Reesie girl playing outside!

The twins LOVE to walk around the house with their Mamaw & Papaw touching everything possible. They love to ring the bell, touch light switches, and pull the strings on fans.

They are obsessed with i-pods (probably because they see us on ours all the time). I had to get my old, old i-touch out, charge it, and put some apps on it for them. They love it! Especially the PBS app because it has Curious George and Elmo!

My aunt Rainey got the kids their own chairs for their birthdays, and they LOVE them! They think they are hot stuff sitting in them. They also like to climb up and flip out of them too- awesome!

Reese does everything possible to get to us when we are eating. She loves to eat our food- especially our cereal in the morning. 

Three reasons I chose this pic- 1. He loves sitting in his chair. 2. This was the day Avengers came out, so I made sure to dress him accordingly for his father. 3. He loves to show people he is 1!

Cool dude in his new sunglasses!

Hanging out with daddy at the baby shower Saturday. Check out her new shoes! LOVE!

Buddy the dog being stalked by my children.

Rocking in Papaw's chair! They think it's a ride at Busch Gardens.

Strange picture, but love those eyes & eyelashes!

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.

• We've been living in our new digs for just over 7 weeks. We definitely feel at home, but maybe too at home! Our stuff is gradually spreading around the house. It's hard to keep all the junk that accompanies two one year olds contained.
• I love our new neighborhood! Everyone is so friendly; it's a big change from our last street. On our last street, I would say hi to some neighbors and they would straight ignore me. 
• We also have sidewalks in this neighborhood with makes walking with the twins so much more fun. There is no HOA in this neighborhood, and it is still looking great! I understand why people feel the need for them, but ours did nothing but drive me nutso. 
• For example, when we moved in our front door was a cream color, and it matched our trim. We got a notice week two stating that our door was the wrong color. Since we lived in a house with green shutters, our door had to be white or red. White? All the trim was cream! PS- That's the color the door came in when we bought the house. Shouldn't they have taken that up with the previous owner? 
• I know we didn't pay much compared to some HOAs ($120 four times a year), but we didn't have sidewalks, we have no commons area, no park, and no pool or clubhouse. They were also inconsistent when they did their walk throughs, and not much drives me battier than inconsistency.
• Our week started super crazy because our nephew, Connor, was sick so the twins couldn't go to Nicole's Monday and Tuesday while I worked. Good thing too because by noon on Monday Reese had a fever and Hayden was acting wackadoodle. 

I know he doesn't look sick, but he was. I love this picture!

My pitiful little girl. She was very snuggly when she wasn't feeling well.

• Thank goodness for Rob watching the twins because I couldn't find a sub Monday. My parents came to help for a few hours because Rob had a meeting in the afternoon we didn't want to cancel. My parents offered to come for the day Tuesday so that both of us could work. 
• Rob and my dad ended up taking the twins to the doctor on Tuesday because of high fevers, and they ended up having ear infections. Both of them- how bizarre!
• This past weekend was one of my favorites in a long time!
• On Wednesday, we went on a double date with a couple that we have known for a long time, but recently renewed, if you will, our relationship. I love their hearts, their passion, and hanging out with another married couple that values marriage. Plus, we ate at Plaza & it's one of our favorites!
• On Thursday, I cooked dinner for the family, and Rob put the twins down so me and Danielle could hang out. I had a ginormous gift card for my favorite pedicure place, so we went and got pedicures together- for free!!
• After that we met my in-laws at Love in a Cup for yogurt- basically for free! Danielle had a groupon. It was my first trip there & it was tasty.
• Here's where it get better! On Friday, Rob hung out with the twins all day. I went to the beach with Courtney and Danielle! We drove with the top down to 68th Street in Virginia Beach- our favorite place in the world! Danielle had accepted a new job she'd been wanting, so we had even more reason to celebrate!

Toes in the sand!

The water was too cold for us, but the surfers were hardcore.

• We sat on the beach all day, had slurpees, and read books all day. We dragged ourselves off the beach around 6:30 pm, and headed to Shorebreak for a pizza dinner.
• It was a magnificent day, but such a horrible tease for summer. I'm hoping to work a few more of these days in over the next few months!
• On Saturday, the whole family headed to a Cinco de Mayo themed baby shower for our dear friend, Mollie! We met Mollie when she was a wee 6th grader while we lived in Farmville. The fact that she is married and has a child on the way is mind blowing to us! We're excited she's having a girl so Reesie will have a little girl friend. 

I laugh each time I see this! Reese is classic.

Me, Hayden, & mommy to be Mollie!

• On Saturday evening, I was able to see Avengers with Rob, Courtney, Lindsey, Ryan, and Candice! It was a fantastic movie! I give it two thumbs up.
• For Mother's Day, Rob bought us tickets to see Michael Jackson's Cirque du Soleil's Immortal tour. Do what? I've always wanted to see a Cirque show, and we both love Michael Jackson- win win! We're going tomorrow night- can't wait!

How was your weekend? What did you do? Do you like the beach?

Friend Friday: 0-5 Edition

Tomorrow marks a national holiday. It's not just Cinco de Mayo; it's National 0-5 day! Circa the beginning of tenth grade, the stars aligned and I started hanging out with four of the funniest girls on the planet. We had a pretty big group of friends, but at some point, someone referenced us as the original five in the group. Enter 0-5. The Original Five. I know. It sounds totally lame, and I'm embarrassed a little typing that. I'm sure some of them will be slightly mortified I'm writing this. We even had our version of a gang sign. I mean, as gangster as you could be in Virginia Beach at Cox High School. Some of my favorite memories from life are with these girls. I wouldn't be who I am without them. I take great pride in the fact that we are all still friends, we celebrate life events together, and are there for each other if we need anything. We are spread across the US- from Los Angeles, to DC, to Wilmington, NC, to Lynchburg & Hampton, VA. Meet 0-5.

Shima Razavi: We met in middle school, and secretly say we are the original two (0-2). I wrote a blog about her here. For more information on Shima, read this. In high school everyone loved Shima. She was (and still is) full of joy and loves butterflies. We might have had one or two classes together, but not many because Shima is smarter than me. We weren't what you call "sporty", so we hung out at our friends' games to cheer them on. She'll deny it now, but she also was involved with SCA stuff and was bursting with school spirit. After high school, Shima graduated from NYU, and now he lives in Los Angeles, is dating Eddie, and has an adorable dog named Egon. Rob and Eddie like each other a lot and that is important to me.

Shima & I home from college for the summer. Later in the night she ended up in a full scuba costume. You can't make this stuff up.

Erika Temple Calle: I literally met Erika on National Make a New Friend Day. I don't remember why we knew that, but we did. Erika is hilarious and has sweet dance moves. She played sports and drove big trucks. She may or may not have always had a boyfriend. Erika and I had almost every class together our sophomore year, and it was awesome. I spent the night at her house all the time- even on school nights. Erika successfully received 7 different tickets with me as her passenger. You can't make that stuff up. Most were for speeding, one was for drag racing (for which we went to court even though she wasn't drag racing), and one for running a stop sign. I've never gotten a ticket while driving in my life. Erika got her license first, so she drove us everywhere, and she had a boat, so she was always toting us around! Erika played field hockey at VCU where she graduated with about three majors and six minors all related to business. Erika and her husband, Eddie, currently live in Lynchburg, VA, with their two girls, Jade and Jordan.

Erika and I always took the photos ourselves. I have about 100 of the two of us in this pose.

Marie Kassir Payne: She is still one of my favorite people in the world. Marie is the red head in the group. She is spunky, classy, bold, and witty.  Don't let this petite shorty fool you; she is fierce. We choreographed dance routines to Bangles' songs in her bedroom. Marie and I were co-chairs of our Junior Prom and maybe our Senior prom. I also had the privilege of rooming with Marie our freshmen year of college at Longwood. We lived in an all girls dorm with no air conditioning. There were some nights we were sure we would die of heat exhaustion, but we made it. She left me for JMU the next year, but freshmen year was still the best. We galavanted around to just about every college in Virginia on the weekends, but became regulars at Randolph-Macon. Marie is a lobbyist (I think that's what she does) in DC, and is married to Tanner the Texan.

Yay for just graduating from high school!

Britt Moore Thompson: Britt is our all-American member of the group. Everything she touches turns to gold; she's literally good at everything. Varsity cheerleader, varsity field hockey, and gymnast; however, she can't just be a gymnast. She went to Junior Olympics because she was that good. I never had classes with Britt because she was in all AP classes. Me? Just Honors stuff. We did, however, write cheesy songs for SCA events and got things done. Britt wrote the best notes in high school and sent the best letters when I was away in the summer. Britt graduated and headed to UVA (where she was a first year mind you; not a freshman!) and then went to William & Mary for her Masters. Here is where she met Matt, and they are living happily ever after in Wilmington, NC, with a daughter, Perry, and new son, Lane!

Britt & I at our ten year high school reunion. She has the best laugh in the world!

I can't even imagine how many hours we spent together. Our favorite things included: dancing, eating, laughing, singing loudly while we drove as we performed synchronized dance moves, trips to Nagshead, and sleepovers. One of the best parts was that we didn't always have to be together. There wasn't drama or jealousy if two or three of us were together without the others. However, it was just natural to all be together. There were adventures with boys, we got caught skipping school, we snuck out at night, we pulled pranks that we thought were hilarious, and we were obnoxious; however, we were good girls. I will never be able to listen to Karma Chameleon, Madonna, Counting Crows, Mariah Carey, or the Bangles without a giggle, smile, or a subtle dance move. One thing that made us so fantastic was/is our parents. All ten of our parents loved and supported us, and provided opportunities that made life easy. Rob says my high school experience was like 90210. It wasn't that extreme, but it was a pretty charmed four years.

Our original five has grown. We have welcomed four husbands and six children into our lives. (We are anticipating welcoming another husband before we're 40- yes, I'm calling you out.) We have cried tears of happiness together, and unfortunately we have mourned together. I get teased by them for loving & remembering our memories so much and because I took way too many pictures of our last 18+ years together. It's not that I live in the past; I just appreciate it. I didn't bring much to the table, but they accepted me, loved me, and instilled a sense of security during high school. Not many girls get to have that.

I have approximately 1,000 photos of us, all of which I adore. I also have oodles of VHS tapes of sleepovers, homecomings, and general nonsense. I think it's all hilarious, but I know they'd disown, if not kill, me and I need them in my life. I chose a few. Enjoy.

Ring Dance, Junior Year

Spring Break in Nagshead, 1996ish

Christmas Break in Nagshead, Senior Year?

SCA Shenanigans 

Maybe a homecoming?

Freshman Year- visiting Randolph-Macon

Marie's 21st Birthday

Going out before my wedding! 2001

Wedding Day! August 4, 2001

Britt's wedding~ 2004? (Bad friend)

Fun Fact: Rob performed both Britt and Marie's weddings!

Side note: I can't find our photo from Erika's wedding. Fail.

Baby shower for Britt at Marie's house~ 2009

Christmas 2009 with our men at a Razavi party

Marie's wedding~ Fall 2011

I warned you we had a gang sign. I have this pose of us at every dance, graduation, wedding, and reunion we've ever had. 0-5, get it? 

Did you like high school? What were you like then?

Thinner Thursday Update

We went on a double date last night, so I didn't make time to blog; hence the late post today.

Today's weight is 207.4. I'm down 1.2 pounds from last week. I was doing better, but gained on Wednesday. Courtney and I split a blizzard. They have a new Confetti Cake Blizzard that doesn't have a drop of chocolate in it, white cake, and sprinkles- all of my favorites in vanilla ice cream. Now that I know they exist, it is a dangerous world. I have Candice and Ryan to blame for this. Courtney and I did share a small though for whatever that is worth. We met friends at Plaza last night, and I was starving. I had no self-control and I ate too many chips in addition to my meal.

I did take the kids on a 30 minute walk this week, and Rob and I started developing a plan for me to build in exercise. Friday and Sunday mornings I will do something such as a power walk, a jog, or eventually the gym. I will also be working with Faith Roberts through the summer. She's a personal trainer, and you can check her out here. Due to our schedule, I have to wait until school gets out, but I know this will make such a difference. I've really leveled off and haven't been losing anything- just bouncing back and forth. I have faith in Faith. Ha. Check her out here! Like her page on Facebook, too!

What is your blizzard of choice at DQ?

Wife Wednesday: Guest Post by Alicia Medford

This week has been nuts with two sick kids, teaching, and life in general. My dear friend, Alicia Medford, has made it clear to me that I am not allowed to skip Wife Wednesday ever again. Not wanting to disappoint her, I asked her to guest post. Now don't get confused: Alicia's husband's name is Rob, too! Alicia is a dear friend, a wonderful mom & wife, a basketball player, and a bargain shopper. My Rob had the privilege of marrying Alicia and her Rob. We have mommy and kid play dates regularly, and we're looking forward to more adventures this summer! Rob and Alicia are expecting their third son this June! Watch out Duggars. Love you Alicia! Thanks for the post!

Top 5 Rules I Live by as a Wife

1.       Pursue Jesus: When I am pursuing Jesus in my daily life, it leads me to love Rob more than I love myself. It leads me to acknowledge that he is the provider, leader, and protector that God has entrusted us to follow. Pursuing Jesus allows for me to see less of his flaws, more of his gifts, and provides power against Satan trying to get a foothold into our marriage. One night in our first year of marriage, Rob and I were talking and I said to him, “Loving you is worship to my Savior”. Worshiping God is daily. It’s a lifestyle. When I do my best as a wife, I believe that is worship to my God who gave me this journey and life to live.

2.       Respect: Bite my tongue, not physically, that hurts, but figuratively. I made a promise to myself before Rob and I got married that I would not become one of those wives who bad-mouthed, bashed, belittled, or talked negatively about him to anyone. He is an amazing husband and father; his flaws should not be held against him, including by me.

3.       Prioritize: Rob is a firefighter and works 24 hour shifts every other day. I prioritize my time around HIS schedule. It’s not the other way around. We have a lot of time together, but have a lot of time apart too. On days Rob is working I do things like: clean, go to play dates, hang out with friends, shop for the kids/house, watch what I want to watch on TV. On days when Rob is home I don’t do any of those things, except what is necessary. I believe that maximizing our time together as a couple and family is more important than cleaning the house, having a play date, or “me” time.  When he is home I can focus my energy and attention on him, our family, and our marriage.

4.       Communicate: We talk about everything. Neither of us buys things without the other knowing and authentically receiving permission. I tell him when he hurts my feelings. He tells me when I need to change a behavior or attitude. There is no fear of judgment, ridicule or even anger. We feel blessed that God has put us together and overall we communicate very well, but the reason we do so is because we have no secrets, tell it like it is, and have 100% trust in each other’s decision making and motives.

5.       Bed: This rule is two-fold. First, our kids (Elijah, 6; Abram, 15mo), have 7pm-7:30pm bedtimes. 7ish bedtime allows for Rob and I to still have an entire evening to spend quality time together. I believe firmly that kids need sleep and parents need time ALONE together.  The second part of this rule is that Rob and I go to bed together. Obviously not possible when he is working, but possible when he is not. Sometimes this means one of us goes to bed not really “tired” but because it’s a rule, we have followed it almost every night of our marriage.

What rules do you have as a wife/husband? What time do your kids go to bed? 

Twin Tuesday

My kids make me laugh. When they are in their own cribs (the cribs are end to end here), they just laugh and carry on together like the are the best of friends. When they are in the car seats they play peek-a-boo together and just laugh and laugh. Even in their high chairs, they share food and point to each other and laugh.

You sit them down near each other, they battle. They want the same toy; they battle. Battle is too strong of a word, but they get it done. Reese especially. She now gets both arms swinging and slaps the mess out of Hayden. Last week she scratched him good on the arm. Hayden is sensitive like his daddy. When Reese attacks, he pops his lower lip out and does a really sad cry. He seems geniunely hurt that she would beat him. She also likes to smack the top of his head whenever she gets the chance. They get popped on the hand, a stern "No, sir" or "No, ma'am", and a time out if it continues. They don't seem to care a few minutes later when they are beating each other again. Reese is the fighter; Hayden is the lover. He rarely attacks first. It's funny to me because no one has taught them to be selfish or angry, they come by it naturally. We are trying hard to to teach them the opposite. Rob calls them our dirty, rotten sinners. Aren't we all?

Here's a few pics from this week:

Rob's dad, aka Did, with three of his six (soon to be seven) grandchildren. Poor guy can't get anything done at home when we are all here. Connor, Hayden, and Reese all want their Papaw! Connor loves to build block houses with him, and the twins love to walk around and tour the house.

Danielle and Courtney fed the kids Saturday night while I cooked the adults dinner. They currently love mac n cheese, grilled cheese, PB&Js, Ritz crackers, Greek Yogurt, bananas, cereal straight from our bowls (Kashi shredded wheat?), mini Nilla Wafers, and Goldfish.

The twins' new favorite thing in life is being under a blanket "tent" together. On Thursday, I threw a big blanket over the three of us and they went nuts. On Saturday, Danielle played tent with them and they went nuts. I threw this sheet over them on Sunday, and they lost their minds with happiness. I couldn't get one of them laughing because they were all blurry because they were flailing around so much! They just laugh and laugh at each other when they are under there. They also love going on walks in their stroller, pointing at things and saying "touch", watching my dad juggle, and dancing to music.