Christmas Card 2015

Hello Everyone and thanks for stopping by!

Hope you are all doing well, we are a pretty low key family these days as I do not like to take the twins to many places so the blog posts are limited due to lack of content. 

We have been having some wishy-washy weather so when it came time to take pictures for our Christmas Cards, I knew it had to be the right weather since we would be taking them in front of a Christmas tree that is at the park nearby. I settled on a Saturday after the Mr. got out of work, and I dressed the kids in fun Christmasy outfits. I wanted us to all sort of match, and as much as I tried to plan it all out and have the pictures look good, our first attempt was a major failure. I own a tripod for my Canon Rebel so up until now, I have taken all of the major photos we have used for any important images myself, birth announcements, monthly pics, so on, but I have learned my lesson and have decided to hire someone to do some photography for us from now on. 

We arrived at the location ready to go, and Ford decided to go #2, now usually that would be no big deal, but I wasn't prepared for this so fail No.1. Next, as I got Sloane out of the car, her shoe fell off and I didn't notice till we were already on our second shoot spot where I was going to take pics of just them, and because I wanted to hurry, I didn't go back to get the shoe, fail No. 2. Then, after we set up the tripod and were ready to take pics, I set it and ran back in front of the tree, only to be winded and stand totally awkward while holding Sloane (Fail 3). After attempting our family picture several times, I gave up and just went for taking the ones of the babies. We set them over by the river and as it turns out Fords shoe had also fallen off somewhere so we just let it go and did barefoot pics. We tried family photos one more time only to have them all be unfocused when I reviewed them. Major fail (No. 1000 at this point). We ended up leaving and as we drove off and I reviewed the pics, I literally had a tear in my eye thinking, "why is this so hard?!" Maybe I was being dramatic, or hormonal, but I came back to my senses and realized I was being ridic and that was that.

We decided to drive to Tulsa the next day and since I still had my hair did from the day before, I thought, lets give this another shot, no planning, no stressing over outfits, lets just go take a fam pic one more time, and we got our shot!

So here it goes, our Christmas card...

What is hilarious, is that Sloane dropped her shoe again, and again I didn't notice till were got back in the car, and Ford's pants are scrunched up (I know, I'm being OCD) but I think we all look pretty descent and I was happy with the choice.

Receiving the cards was a whole other ordeal...

We used Photo Affections and I was pleased for the most part. After ordering the cards the week of Thanksgiving, I was pleasantly surprised to come home and find the box on the porch on the Friday after we got back from going to Tulsa. I was so excited to see the cards but as I looked closely at the pics in the back of the babies, I noticed the website editors had added a red-eye dot on 2 of the 3 pictures of Sloane and she looked kind of wonky. I was so mad. I called them and after several emails back and forth, they agreed with me that she looked weird and sent me another set of cards.

Slowly but surely (as I get older) I am realizing that I have major anxiety when it comes to my perfectionism. I pray everyday that God gives me patience and understanding, but it is so hard! I guess it is to be expected when you are dealing with 2 babies :)!

Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season. It has definitely been fun starting new traditions with the babies and I can't believe we have 1.5 weeks till Christmas, eek...!

~Mrs. S

Weekend Update

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a great Halloween weekend and are ready for a wonderful November!

Life around here has ben pretty hectic as the twins have started to climb up on everything so it is a constant battle to get them settled in one place. 

The Mr. had an away game last Friday (which they won!) and I had a Halloween part 1 and 2 marathon watch party by myself. I don't know why, but I loooove those movies this time of year! Something about the scary movie element yet they are not scary enough like some of the crazy horror movies that have come out in the past few years... Give me a predictable 70's slasher film any day over "Annabelle" and "Paranormal Activity"!

I knew the babies were way too young to go trick or treating so Saturday we headed to Dallas for the SMU football game while the Mr. was at work. 

I didn't get the kids actual costumes because there is no where in Ada to get any (except WalMart and they were terrible) so I decided to make them some. I know they were not the most elaborate, but they were a hit on the boulevard.

We got to visit the Mustang Club and it was catered by Central Market, super cool!

We came back to Ada just in time to hand out candy to 1 set of trick or treaters (boo us)!

Sunday, we hung out in the new play yard and had apple juice for the first time. It was delicious, but I didn't realize it was a laxative cause both babies had some pretty bad diapers after 20 minutes of drinking the stuff!

My in laws came into town to watch the Cowboys game and eat some chili. It was a fun time, despite the Cowboy failure. 

How cute does Sloane look in her Old Navy outfit and chucks?

Well, that's all for now folks!

Thanks for stopping by and I'll try to be back later this week!

~Mrs. S

Weekend Getaway to Dallas

Hello lovely readers!

Last weekend we headed to the big city (ha!) to celebrate my MIL's birthday.

The Mr. had a day off from work on Saturday, so we decided to make a weekend of it and stay the night. We left Saturday morning and settled in our hotel before visiting Nebraska Furniture Mart (holy moly, that place is awesome!) and then enjoyed an amazing dinner at Estillo Gaucho, a Brazilian Churrascaria in the Frisco area. It was nice to have everything near by and not have to drive to Dallas. We even had brunch at the Plano Blue Mesa on Sunday, and it was delish!

Here are some pics of the happenings...

Like I have said before, I am fascinated at how much the twins love hotels! They are all about rolling around and being high up where they can see everything.

My MIL and us at dinner

This place is so delicious I can't stand it! The mini rolls are baked fresh and have cheese in the middle, and the smoked salmon is to die for. 

I had to take a mirror selfie in the hotel of our denim outfits and Sloane's successful attempt at mixing prints, she looked darling :)

Ford showing off his OU hat.

My plaid babies!

We had a wonderful time with family and hope to get back to Dallas soon!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend also!

~Mrs. S

growing up simmonds

Hello all,

and welcome to to my new blog 

growing up simmonds!

Notice the lower caps as I decided that eventually when I feel the timing is right and the kids have grown a little, I will change it to upper case :)

So, my first post will be dedicated to scenes from our weekend.

The Mr. did not have a game Friday night, but he still had to go scout for the upcoming game, which means it was an early night for us here at home. 

Saturday morning we watched the unexpected loss of my newly adopted team the 

Oklahoma Sooners

My little sooner fan

It was nice for the kids to spend some quality time with their daddy

We visited a local pumpkin patch in the afternoon. The patch was located at a nearby church ranch on acres upon acres of land, which meant we had to take a hayride to the main grounds which had a petting zoo and snacks for kids, then another hayride to the actual pumpkin patch. Unfortunately, the hayride did not wait for picture-takers so no pics from the patch...

The twins met some sheep and Ford even got to meet a baby pig

Saturday evening we had dinner at a local Mexican place and although it was good, it made me miss Dallas Tex-Mex so much :( there's just no comparison to Mi Cocina!

Sunday was spent relaxing, walking to the park, and making the most delicious slow cooker chili. 

I hope you all had a great weekend and I look forward to hearing from you!

~Mrs. S

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Hello Everyone!

You may have noticed something different about my blog here today.

I was inspired to update my blog yesterday after one of my favorite bloggers, MissDixie shared her new look. I not only decided to change my whole look, but also my blog name!

I wanted to give you all a heads up that beginning Monday, October 12th, I will be located at 

www.growingupsimmonds.blogspot.com 

Considering we now live in a small town in Oklahoma, I wouldn't necessarily call us suburbanites and while we may live in a big city again one day (or the suburbs) I figured the majority of my posts will likely center around raising the twins and our journey in life through our faith in God, our love for our family and friends and our hope in Jesus that he brings good health and prosperity our way. 

I hope you all decide to follow along, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on my new look!

~Mrs.S

A win and SMU homecoming!

Hello again my lovely readers!

I am so proud to say that my husbands football season is taking a turn for the better.

They lost their first game, won the second, and lost their third so it was really important that they win their fourth game because not only was it at home but we were hosting the after game dinner at my house! The game was really close till the last 2 minutes and we WON! Everyone was in great spirits after the game and I really think we are going to do well the rest of the season.

The team plays their games down the street at East Central University so the stadium is pretty cool. The weather was perfect and the moon was beautiful.

Mid game selfie with Sloane

After the game we set up my (tiny) dining room to host the dinner... We had quite the spread with sandwiches from Jersey Mikes and tons of sides sadly not pictured :(

Saturday, the football fun continued at SMU homecoming. This year marks the 100th year of SMU's opening so there were quite a few reasons to celebrate!

We headed down Saturday morning and made it to the Boulevard for the homecoming parade and some BBQ at the Meadows tailgate.

The babies enjoyed seeing all of the parade floats and people watching. 

Sloane was so cute in her cheerleading outfit!

Ford in his Mustang hat...

We didn't last too long at the game, but we did enjoy being at Ford stadium.

We headed to our hotel only to find out that the twins loooooove hotel beds! The must have wiggled around and played for about 2 hours! They didn't fall asleep till 10:30 or so....

On Sunday. we headed to the Dallas Arboretum to take pictures at the pumpkin patch.

The babies were tired and it was kind of hot, but I got a couple of good shots. 

We headed home, and slept in on Monday!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

~Mrs. S

September 19th, the day of weddings and music

Hello everyone!

I hope you are all having a great start to your week.

We are almost to October but well into the fall season here in Oklahoma, the weather is in the 70's in the morning and late evenings, and football season is well under way.

Two weekends ago I had one of the busiest Saturdays in forever!

My good friend Megan got engaged last year so her wedding finally came around on the 19th. 

For months I was so excited because I knew it was going to be an unbelievable affair, but I never expected for 2 other events to pop up on the same day...

My long time friend Natalie got married about a month ago and had a small ceremony with her immediate family. Her in-laws decided to host a big celebration, you guessed it, on the same day as Megan's wedding! However, God must have known I was already going to be in town and that I would have a break between Megan's ceremony and reception so I could attend Natalie's party :)

And finally, when Garth Brooks announced he would be making a stop in Dallas for a 6 day concert tour, my husband made sure we would be in attendance. The morning the tickets went on sale, we bought them for the 10:30 show the night of the 19th since we would be in town for the wedding.

I must have driven about 500 miles that day, but it was well worth it! Here is a photo recap of the day.

I arrived to Dallas at exactly 2:00 after a 2.5 hour drive from Ada just in time for the beautiful ceremony at Christ the King Catholic Church.

After the ceremony, the beautiful bride and handsome groom.

Finally got to catch up with my Dallas gals!

I headed to Natalie's celebration in Rockwall at 4:00

Back to the cocktail hour at the Four Seasons in Las Colinas at 6:00

Dinner reception at 7:00 in this stunning ballroom. 

It was the most beautiful reception I have ever attended, the room was so spacious and there were flowers everywhere!

The cake was beyond words!

My gals Michelle and Ashley

The beautiful bride

My favorite Amy!

Such a sweet first dance, Happy Marriage to Megan and Justin!

I had to go back to our hotel to check in,

Then we UBERed it to American Airlines for a 10:30 show.

It was amazing to say the least.

This guy was so energetic and fun.

We didn't make it back to the hotel till about 1am, but we had a great time. 

What a day!

~Mrs. S

Blue Apron Goodness

Hello Everyone!

I hate to admit that I am not the worlds greatest cook. I am impatient with recipes, I always forget an ingredient, and I can't stand the thought of cleaning up 3 or 4 pans after a lengthy meal. I would rather just pick something up or eat something that requires minimal preparation. This is why when Blue Apron came in the picture, my life changed!

I can not believe it took us this long to find this service, and I am so glad we did!

There are all kinds of services that deliver ingredients to your home, but we went with Blue Apron because of the low price and the many options of meals you can receive. 

This is our third week enjoying the service and so far we have been impressed with 6 of the 7 meals. The one meal we didn't like was a chicken tandori that was too spicy for us. 

We have received everything from cod (below) to beef, salmon, chicken, and shrimp.

The box of ingredients comes with a full page of info including all of the products you will need, nutritional information, and the recipe.

These are all of the menu items we have received. (By the second week)

This was one of my favorites so far, meatballs with summer squash salad, who knew squash could taste so much better with a little olive oil and lemon zest!

The front of the page gives an overview of the meal...

The back tells you exactly how to cook it.

Every meal comes with "knick-knacks" and those include spices, garlic, butter, vinegar that kind of thing

We made the shrimp and grits last night, and it was so delicious!

Every meal is healthy, and has enough for you to actually get full. And the best part, there is only 1-2 pans used in the whole process so very little clean up! Y'all know I can appreciate that since the twins take up so much of my time.

I am very impressed with the service, and can't wait for future meals.

Click to order from Blue Apron!

~Mrs. S

Blogs I love!

Hello Everyone!

Today I am going to share with you all some of my favorite blogs.

I have been blogging for a little over 5 years and at first I did it because one of my closest friends had a blog, but eventually I decided that I really enjoyed blogging and am so glad I embarked on this journey to exploring the blogosphere!

My first blog, was a bust. I was learning the ropes and mostly searching other blogs and picking up things here and there about content, design, and what makes a great blog. But eventually I picked it up a notch and started a new blog and actually paid someone to design a layout for me.

My blog has become a fun little hobby where I document my life and the events surrounding it, and after several years I have come to realize I may not make money doing it or have thousands of followers like other bloggers, but I still love it!

I especially love following along with other awesome bloggers that I want to introduce y'all to.

First up is my girl Chelsea of "The Perfect Catch" blog.

Chelsea is a super sweet fellow Texan who is happily married with a darling boy Jack, and another on boy the way! Chelsea has a beautiful home and blogs about everything from her love of Halloween to trips to Colorado with her family. Chelsea has always been a big supporter of my blog, and for that I am thankful!

You can follow her on IG

@chelseapurifoy

Next up is Natasha's "Hello Happiness" 

Natasha is a Nashville native with a fun blog that pretty much could teach a course on blogging.

She has 2 sweet girls and throws them the cutest birthday parties, ever, and is now owner of the online shopping site "Sugarbit" She hosts a popular linkup every Friday "5 on Friday" and can be found on IG

@nashvilletash

Annie of "Home of Malones" is another favorite blogger of mine, and lives where we all wish we could live, in Florida!

As you can read from her "About Me" section, she has something in common with everyone. I have followed her for a while and love how she blogs about things I can actually use, like her post today on organizing your email! I knew this service was available, I just never actually took the time to research it and do it, she makes it seem so easy. You can follow her on IG and catch a glimpse of her adorable boy, her growing belly with a baby girl on the way, and her fabulous house at:

@homeofmalones

Anyone with a blog name the same as a Beatles song is all right with me!

"All you need is Love"  is a lifestyle blog written by the lovely Emily, who lives in Princeton, New Jersey. Emily shares her everyday life as a mommy of a toddler, and soon a baby girl. 

This lady is a consistent blogger, and writes about everything from living in the North East to the best baby products. I love her fashion sense and enjoy reading her blog. 

She is also on IG 

@emily8463

Ashley is everything every girl wishes she could be, smart, athletic, beautiful, and witty.

"Run With Me" is a blog that I think is supposed to document her life and love of fitness, but really is a hilarious look into the life of a hard working and self aware person who cares more about her convictions than following the trends, or at least that is what I have picked up. She has posted some pretty honest posts and I really admire her for that.

Her Instagram is a great way to see this "real" lady and her life in the ATL.

@ashleykrieger

Well, I hope you all enjoyed checking out these blogs, you probably already follow them, but if not you should!

Here's to one more day till the weekend!

~Mrs. S

Oakley PRIZM Launch

Hello Readers!

Today I am going to tell you all about an exciting new product that is offering pre-orders today!

If you are anything like me, you will not leave the house without your sunglasses. I have pretty bad vision and that alone makes my eyes sensitive, but put me outside without sunglasses and we are talking torture!

Since I have started running outside lately, I have had trouble keeping my sunglasses in tact while sweat drips down my forehead (I know, gross).

However, this is why I am so excited that the new Oakley PRIZM prescription sunglasses are going to be available in all sports-specific and everyday styles; starting TODAY for pre-sale purchase only at Salt City Optics prescription eyewear!

Visit this link here to pre-order yours today!

Whether you need sunnies for fitness or athletic purposes, or you just love sporting your fashion friendly aviators, there are many benefits and options to customize your needs with Oakley PRIZM prescription sunglasses. 

Visit the link http://www.saltcityoptics.com/prescription-eyewear-blog/oakley-launches-prizm-prescription-lenses/ to orders yours today!

I hope you are all having a great Monday,

~Mrs. S