Sweetheart n Sunshine: TTT: Season 3, Episode 29

1. Itellyouwhat, last Friday when I sat down to write my late blog post, I certainly had no idea what I had in store for the rest of the day! With Ben and Erin in town (and other family scheduled to arrive that night), the plan was to take the kiddos over to my parents, have a little double date at a local restaurant, and then head back to my parents where hopefully Pat, Abby, Andy, and nephews would have arrived. Instead, when we arrived at my parents house, I was greeted with an awesome surprise 30th birthday party! Being the goon that I am (and my mind being a million other places than at a party) my first reaction upon walking in the door and seeing a huge crowd of people dressed up in sombreros and fake mustaches was more of confusion that surprise. I spun around to see if the surprise was for someone behind me, and really, it took me a sec to realize it was for me! I was expecting to see some people (the aforementioned Pat, Andy, Abby...) but then there were plenty more who I had no idea were coming out to surprise me. My cousin Mandi, her husband Joe, and their three little ones drove all the way down from Lubbock just for the weekend to be at the party. My cousin Kristen came over from Austin. Our good friends Jared and Katie were in town for the wedding but drove up from Katy for the party. And of course my beloved local aunt and uncle, Kirk and Cathy and cousin Helen were there too. I can only speak for myself, but I think it's safe to say that a LOT of fun was had by all! The house was strewn with fiesta decor and a plethora of pictures of yours truly throughout the years. Plus plenty of good Mexican food from Berryhill, Mexican beer and my dad's margaritas, my favorite German chocolate cake...I know...that totally busted the whole Mexican theme, ha!...and the most awesome homemade pinata ever! You know, I may not get to see my family all that often or my nearest and dearest friends, but can I just say that between this weekend and the one we spent with Mark's family on my actual birthday, it's very safe to say that I have the best family and friends in the whole world. I look at my life and see how richly God has blessed me and am just so thankful. Any chance I can turn thirty again next year!?!

2. So after the huge hullabaloo that was my 30th birthday party, we got to spend an enjoyable Saturday morning with Mandi and her crew, and Erin and Jacob. It was fun to have the kids together and certainly made me reminisce on our days in Lubbock. Then it was time to get ready for Lisa's wedding. As discussed in last week's post, the rain decided to make it's daily appearance right as we were leaving for the church, but luckily it cleared up just in time. Lisa's wedding was beautiful! I did spend a good majority of the time in the back with tweedledoo, but quickly discovered that the back isn't exactly a bad place when attending a wedding mass. I got to see every last bit of it...without having to stand on tippy toes or lean around someone! After the wedding, we headed back to The Woodlands for the reception. It was held at a local Country bar/restaurant that is famous for hosting country artists in a more intimate setting. It was perfect for Lisa's Texas themed reception. We may have pushed the kids a bit by dancing the night away, but hey, we only get to attend a wedding every so often so exceptions just have to be made! Plus, they were having a blast too. Most of all, we loved getting to see Miss Lisa in love. It was so refreshing to see a couple just completely head over heals for each other and completely proud and confident in their love for each other and God. Such a fun, fun night!

3. There's too many other things that I want to talk about so we'll go random for Numero Tres.
- We had so much fun with Ben, Erin, and Jacob. There was that awkward I-wonder-if-its-going-to-be-the-same-as-it-used-to-be question in our minds before they came. It was squashed the second they arrived. We love them. Mwah!
- My "shop assistant" started this week on Tuesday! Yaaaaaaaaaay! Especially since I got like nine million orders over the weekend while I wasn't working. She'll be back today to help again. She's adorable.
- My parents are awesome. They helped me with the boys Monday and Tuesday so I could get caught up a bit.
- I have hormonal issues. No, not of the psychotic nature. More of the dermatological nature. Anyone know what to do with dry bumpy patches on the face that just won't go away? They've been there in varying degrees of bad for a few months. I've tried: coconut oil, cetaphil lotion, neosporin, hydrocortisone, etc. All the usual suspects.
- Kolbe got on our bathroom scale yesterday and weighed thirty-five pounds. That's good for him! I was proud. Until he asked me how much I weigh. I told him one hundred pounds more than that. And his response was, "Wow, Mom. You're real fat." Didn't help with the hormonal issues.
- After the surprise party/wedding weekend, I now have two big blog posts of pictures I want to do. This one and the birthday extravaganza from a few weeks ago. Must. Get. Pictures. From. All. Cameras. Present!
- I know I already mentioned this once, but I love my life. Love, love, love it!

People that are awesome: My cousin, Mandi. She made this pinata for the party! And let me just tell you she did not go cheap on the cardboard! I had to go at it with a real baseball bat! And it was filled with plenty of "granny items", my favorite candies: Riesens, Reeses, Haribo gummies, Coke gummies, and butterscotch candies, lotto tickets, and little mini bottles of liquor. I suppose a little rum in my Coke after the kids go to bed isn't such a bad idea!