Happy Birthday Kim!!

I enjoyed a night of fun with the girls earlier this week as we got together to celebrate Kim's birthday. Oh, how much fun we had! I just can't even tell you. There is just something therapeutic about being with people who you can trust. People who are on the same page as you; people who you can be yourself around. And when you leave, you leave better. Not "high maintenance" friendships. Just steady, normal, consistent people. Who encourage each other and help each other. And these girls are just that. They are a group of truly awesome women, all successful in their own right. Isn't it great to get to have some free time away from the house and the kids just to laugh? (shout out to the husbands here!) Well I assure you there was plenty of laughing going on. Here are a few of our pictures:

Kim with her birthday cheesecake. Doesn't she look great for 42?
Shannon & Kim pose for a picture.
Me and Erica smiling for the camera.I'm sorry. I don't know how this picture made it on the blog! Oops! This is me, Kim, Shannon and the neighbor boy on his golf cart acting silly. Erica is not in this picture but that is probably a good thing; Erica and I have a history of knocking off the roofs of golf carts. (but that's a whole other story altogether!)

Okay, I was kidding earlier when I said Kim was 42. She's really just 40. Okay, kidding again. She is still a youngin' in her early 30's. I added this last video reluctantly because you can't see anything. Literally, the screen is almost black. (And yes, this is a first for Southern Housewife. I typically don't add videos unless you can see something. Isn't that the point of a video?) However, I added it anyway because you can hear the one thing Kim says in this video and its pretty funny to me. Check it out:

I hope you enjoyed the latest installment of Southern Housewife!

Time in the Nursery

Our kids love the nursery at church. It's a time for them to play with other kids their age, and it's a big room full of new toys. Doesn't that sound great to you? Well, we drop our kids off and pick them up, but how many of us really know what happens in the nursery? Well, my mother and I are now working in the one year old class with the twins once a month, so I got some video footage that you are going to love. Yes, you are going to love it. They are all so stinkin cute you may not be able to stand it. Okay, here goes:


This first video is of Kensi & Camden playing ring around the rosie. Their friend Roman comes over and joins in and Camden and Roman end up in a pile on the floor and Kensi just laughs at them:

Our next clip is from snack time. Kensi, Camden, & Roman are at one table, and Tanner and Hailey are at the other. Wow, these kids love their goldfish!

So, that's what it's like in the nursery with the kids. They all have such a good time. How funny will it be to look back at these videos when they are 18 years old? I have lots of pictures for you to see as well. Take a look:

Kensington, Roman, and Camden discuss politics over their goldfish and apple juice.
Roman says, "You're absolutely right Kensi. We must have immigration policy reform!"
Tanner and Hailey enjoy snack time.
Kensi & Roman hanging out.

Group shot. This is what happens in the one year old class.

Camden & Kensi practice ring around the rosie some more, while Hailey chews on Romans boot.
Here are the kids playing together.

Here's the boyz from the south side rockin' it old school in the nursery.

Hello everyone!

Does anyone still check this thing? I think a couple people do because I keep getting asked! Thank you for reading! So its been almost a month since my last post. We've been kind of busy. But that only means there are lots of stories and pictures and videos stored up and waiting to be posted for your daily amusement. I have lots to choose from so let's jump right in. Here are some videos from the past couple weeks:

This cute little clip is of Camden, The Hubby, and Paw Paw chillin' on the sofa watching the Iron bowl. The Hubby is teaching Camden how to cheer for his team:

I was Christmas shopping with my Mom and the twins one day, and we decided to meet up with my Dad and brother for lunch. Here we are having burgers and fries and lots of laughs:

More to come! Keep checking...

They grow up so fast

Yesterday I took the kids out to get lunch with our friend Leigh Ann. The kids love to get out of the house and so do I. We ate at this great little Greek place I have been anxious to try called The Pita Hut. (cute, huh?) My mother-in-law had told me that she tried it before and that I would probably like it. It was great. (For those of you who live in B'ham, you've got to try it. It's on 280 behind Sneaky Pete's and next to Wal-mart.) Anyway, the twins had such a great time as you will see in the below videos and pictures. Their personalities develop more and more every day. I am amazed at the things that entertain them. They are so funny to watch!

And a special note here: A grateful thank you to Leigh Ann for taking the below videos and pictures of the kids. She really has a great eye for photography.

Our first video installment of the day is me, trying to feed Camden some vanilla pudding quite unsuccessfully:

Did you notice how the pudding is hanging above his eye? In this next clip I am trying to clean it off his face. He thinks this is really funny now.

This next video is one of my favorites. It shows Camden's newly found personality so well. He is laughing at a straw. What is so funny about a straw? Nothing unless you are 1 and half, I guess.

And this last video is of our Kensi-bear playing with her cup and talking:

And now, for some pictures!

Leigh Ann poses with an adorable look from Camden.

Kensi really liked the Greek food. I mean REALLY liked it!

close up of Camden drinking his lemonade.

Camden poses for a quick shot as Kensi looks on.

And this was lunch; Playing with Styrofoam cups the whole time.

Look at our beautiful little girl! Even with food on her face she is such a sweetie pie!

Broken Sunglasses

Okay, I have this pair of sunglasses that I love. I got them last year while we were in Seattle and they have been a prized possession for me ever since then. They are the trendy, Jennifer Lopez type of large sunglasses with gold detailing on the sides. They're functional, beautiful and exciting. Ever since I purchased these sunglasses from Nordstrom I have been more popular, made more friends and had a better life. Okay that's not true but darn it I loved those sunglasses!!!

Well, my daughter broke them today. *tear.* Here are a couple pictures of the damage:

Yep. She snapped the left earpiece clean off. Metal and all.

Poor little sunglasses. Can't you hear the funeral march right now?


Here is a picture taken of me this past weekend at the Auburn vs Tennessee Tech football game wearing my (now unusable) favorite sunglasses ever:

The hubby is taking this picture. That's why his arm looks weird and my head looks big.

We stop for a quick photo on the Auburn campus.

Here are Dennis and Lindsay. They took us to the game and showed us around being that they are both Auburn Alumni. I know you can't tell, but Lindsay is two months pregnant! Congratulations to them both!

Here the Auburn band stands in position to welcome the team to the field. Lindsay used to play the trumpet in the Auburn band.

Here is our view of the game.

Did I tell you that the Hubby is a graduate of Tennessee Tech? He is very proud of his school, regardless of the score of the game and the size of their athletic program. Tech is a very small school but they are one of the best when it comes to Engineering. The hubby's degree is in Mechanical Engineering and he is very good at his job. He's just good at everything he does, really. Except maybe ballet. I haven't ever actually seen him do ballet, but I imagine he and Mikhail Baryshnikov wouldn't compete in the same division if he did.

The yellow school bus

We have this cute little yellow school bus toy that the kids got from their Nana for their first birthday. It teaches the kids letters and words, but also plays the ABC song. The kids love the ABC song. They dance and act silly and sometimes try to sing along and it's really funny. So here are two videos of the kids dancing to the school bus ABC song. First is Kensi, second is Camden:

Movie review soon to follow...the movie I watched and will be reviewing is: Giant!

Welcome Back!

Yes I know. It's been awhile. I do this every now and then. Go a week or two or three; and no posts. Life gets busy sometimes, you know? I have been busy working with NASA to try to get their latest satellite launched and the CEO of Apple keeps calling me wanting me to help him with the newest software release. A girl can only do so much! I had to make time to be with family, first and foremost; and of course catch The Phantom of the Opera downtown. It was amazing. Simply divine. Third row seats! I sit there the whole time imagining myself in the role of Christine Daae; I picture myself singing "All I ask of you" or "The point of no return." I was a music major in college after all. Maybe it could be me up there? Then I sit back and think about what their lives must really be like. Traveling all the time, living out of a suitcase. How often do they get to see their families? They perform for a new audience every night; but like the saying goes, you can't take an audience home with you. Then I look to my left and see the hubby mouthing the words to "Masquerade" and realize that I have what so many people dream of. A gorgeous, wonderful husband (who endures Broadway performances and every Jane Austen movie ever made for me). Two amazing and sweet children, the love of so much family; I am filled with exhilaration and contentment as I realize how happy I truly am with my life. The point of this is to remind myself and you, to take inventory of your life where you are right now, and be thankful for what you have. It's a part of life to have a curve ball thrown at you now and then. Everyone in life does, to varying degrees. But we can't live in the past and imagine all the things that could have been. It's a sad place to be stuck in the "what ifs." We have to move past the wondering of "If only this or that could have happened." Let's live life in the here and now. What about today? Let's make everyday the greatest it can possibly be.

Okay that's all of my when life hands you lemons make lemonade speech. But it's good to remind yourself of it now and then, right? Okay now for some video and pictures!! Yea!

This video is basically just thirty seconds of the kids riding their zebras. They love these things!

Our nephew Trent watches out for Kensi as she climbs in the jungle gym at McDonald's.

Camden has the Frisbee and Kensi wants it. She will probably take it from him.

Or just grab him by the back of the neck and shake him until he drops it...

She gets so thirsty after wrangling that Frisbee from Camden!

Movie Update: I have received my first movie from Netflix that was a reader recommendation. I will not release the title yet, but I have watched some of it and so far and it is really good. Keep checking back and I will tell you all about it.