It's a party....and you're invited!!

Yep, that's right folks....I'm guest posting today over at Living in Yellow!  She's got a link up party started and YOU are invited!!  Come and join the fun by clicking on her link below!



Have a great weekend everyone!!!

I will remember this moment....with you.

Eva and I attended her very first concert this past weekend....Taylor Swift.  I honestly can't put into words how amazing this experience was for both of us.  There were soooo many times during the course of the night I just wanted time to stand still...I wanted to just let the moment sink in and forever remember it. 

Instead of giving you a rundown of the evening...I thought I would share each of the unforgettable moments I never will forget with my little girl...

I will never forget the look on your face when Daddy surprised us with the tickets.  Your smile was contagious.  I loved how you had to tell someone about it....and the closest people you could reach were the neighborhood kids out riding bikes.  I loved how you ran out into the road and announced to the neighborhood that you get to see Taylor Swift! 

I loved getting ready with you...just us girls.  I loved how you really didn't care about your outfit as much as you did the little details...like writing a "13" on your hand just like Taylor...and using stickers to write "Taylor" down your arm....and how we both had "TS" stickers by our eyes.

I loved your sign.

I loved how you wanted to make a bee line straight to the souvenirs as soon as we arrived at the arena.  You knew exactly what you wanted...a Taylor Swift glow stick and a Taylor Swift T-shirt.  Later on I loved watching how you quickly caught on to the idea of swaying that glow stick back and forth on the slow songs.

I giggled at how Daddy spoiled us rotten with our amazing seats...you could see everything up close and personal. 

I was surprised to run into our neighbors as we waited for the concert to start...and I giggled at your pure excitement in sharing this special event with a friend...even if it was only for a few minutes.

I will never forget your expression when Taylor Swift first appeared.  We were both jumping and screaming!!  I had tears in my eyes watching you.  I loved how you asked me just HOW she was able to come out of the FLOOR?!!!

I savored every single moment of you standing on your chair with your arms tightly wrapped around me....how we swayed back and forth and sang along to all of our favorite songs. 

I loved that our picture was on the JumboTron screen...twice.

I giggled at how both of us would jump and down with excitement when Taylor would play one of our favorite songs....and how often you would rock out singing along with her.

I laughed that between your camera, my camera, and the camcorder on my phone we were both always stumbling for something to record moments with...it was as if we BOTH never wanted to forget it.

I'll never forget how about half way through the concert you got sleepy and you crawled up in my lap.  I could have sat there snuggled up forever with you.

I loved how you quickly got a second burst of energy when you heard just the first few chords of "She Belongs with Me"....I also loved how I quickly started videotaping it and you were "directing" my videotaping to make sure I got absolutely everything that was important to you during the song. 

I loved that you commented that Taylor Swift wears "earplugs" just like you do!!!  (Hers, of course, are for sound...yours are for swimming...but you don't need to know those details).

I'll never forget the last song..."Love Story"....how Taylor Swift rose up over the crowd and was right over us.  I'll forever remember how you and I were both screaming, laughing, and jumping up and down!!

I got such a kick out how at the end of concert it was important to you that we gathered some of the confetti that had dropped....and how we waited patiently for people to leave so we could scurry around on the ground picking up it up.  You were sooo excited about it.

I loved walking back to the hotel together and snuggling up in bed looking at our pictures and videos...as if we knew we had just witnessed something that we would forever remember.

The whole experience was absolutely amazing.....because of Taylor Swift...but more importantly because of you....

"I said remember this moment in the back of our minds.  The time we stood with our shaking hands and the crowd went wild.  We were the kings and the queens and they read off our names...the night you danced like you knew our lives would never be the same.  You held your head like a hero on a history book page.  It was the end of a decade...but the start of an age."

--Taylor Swift, Long Live

Annual Girls Night....gone a little wild.

Kim and I recently enjoyed our annual girls night away.  We have done this for nearly 6 years now and I look forward to it every year.  It's always a good time and this year was NO exception!!  To sum it up here is a peek of what we were able to fit into just over 24 hours together....

Lots of shopping (surprise anyone?!)

Some beach time.

Amazing conversation (without interruptions)!

A dinner so good I considered licking my plate.

Ice Cream!

And we topped it off with....waaaaaay too many martini's....

 Which resulted in soooo many laughs my stomach hurt...

...and that, my friends, is a beautiful thing.

(It also quite possibly resulted in one of us getting cut off at the bar....but the details on that are a little fuzzy).

Love you and your friendship Kim!

"Most of us don't need a therapist as much as we need a friend to just be silly with."

--Robert Brault

Ahhhhhhhh.......

Have I mentioned how much I love summer?!

Swimming Lessons...

I think it's fair to say that this little girl looooooved swimming lessons...

And this little boy did NOT...

Matt and I are not exactly sure why except that he complained every single day that the water was just waaaay too cold!  Poor guy!



A much needed break....

This past weekend Matt and I took a little time out just for us....a weekend away without the kiddos. 

A much needed break.

I love spending time alone with my guy....just getting back to who WE are...without the hustle and bustle of every day life.

I love laughing with him....and the serious conversations....and maaaaybe having one too many drinks with him.

It's all good.

On top of that, read my post below to see how this amazing guy of mine topped the weekend off for our family.

Thanks Matt for an awesome weekend.  It was a much needed breather for this wife of yours and I'm forever grateful for you!

"Love one another and you will be happy.  It's as simple and difficult as that."

--Michael Luenig

Best. Husband. Ever.

After Matt and I got home from our amazing weekend away he had a little surprise up his sleeve for the kids and I.  He had been saying for weeks that he was planning "something" but would not clue me in on what that "something" was....just that I was suppose to keep a certain date open.  Well, we got home from our trip and he told Eva, Jaden, and I to have a seat on the couch so he could tell us what our SURPRISE was (I looooove surprises)!!

He said he had a surprise for Eva and I, and then a separate surprise for Jaden.  I was thinking to myself, "Awww...he probably got Eva and I an afternoon at the spa or something like that".....boy was I wrong!

He had us close our eyes and he handed Eva and I a large paper.  Here's a pic of us when we looked at it....



Can you see the paper we are looking at??

Yep, my little girl and I are going to see Taylor Swift in concert baby!!!! 

I'll be honest, we look fairly calm in the picture...there was definitely a bit of screaming and giggling that took place afterwards!  My little girl has got me hooked on Taylor Swift and I can't think of anyone else I'd want to experience her concert with.  The thought of singing along to all of her songs LIVE with my little girl brings tears to my eyes already....I'll be a total wreck at the concert!!  Ha!

Matt made sure Jaden got something special too.   While Eva and I are at the concert Jaden and Matt are going to go bowling, play video games, and - get this - go see the time trials of REAL race cars!!  Jaden is PUMPED!

I'm not sure Matt could have surprised any of us more than he did....and I will forever be grateful for his thoughtful nature and loving heart! 

"A laugh is a smile that bursts!"

--Mary H. Waldrip