So much to say..

Happy Monday, everyone!  Happy, indeed!  Adam, Aaron, and I went to the Doc today for my 20 week anatomy scan and baby girl looks great!  She's officially 11 ounces, and moving up a storm.  We could see her feet and arms just going and going.  I think she's definitely got her mama's dance moves! ;)  All the organs looked good, and the best part.........

THE HEART LOOKS NORMAL!!!!!! 

I knew that the heart looked normal from the 16-week heart ultrasound; however, it was so nice to be able to see the heart four weeks later and see that the heart definitely had 4 chambers.  I could see the chambers so clearly!  Praise God!  I will have a Fetal Echo done in about 6-8 weeks where they'll perform a very in-depth heart ultrasound screening at the Pediatric Cardiologist's office.  Am I nervous?  Heck yeah!  But from what we could see today, my Doctor feels pretty positive that everything is normal with her sweet heart.  That's all I can ask for.  Yay yay yay!!!!!

Here's a peek:

What a great start to the week!!

In other news.........we bought a house.  Yep- it's true!  We are under contract, y'all!!!  Okay, let me start from the beginning: this is not the house that I've been posting about in recent weeks.  We submitted our final offer for that house and never heard a word.......now I know why.  Adam and I went to see this house Friday.  We fell in love with it as soon as we walked in the door.  I mean, I saw Christmas- that's how I knew; I never saw Christmas in any of the other houses that we looked at.  This house is perfect for our family, we are in a great neighborhood, and awesome school district.  We could not be more excited!!  I promise to post some pics and go into more details once it's a sealed deal.  Our closing day is June 14th- eeeeekkkk- I still can't believe how blessed we are.  We also have great tenants moving in, so that of course, is the icing on the cake.  It's so true that God has a plan, but it happens on His terms, not mine.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

So that's it.  We've had quite a busy past few days!  Between seeing our healthy little girl and buying a house, we're feeling pretty excited!  Adam finished the updates to our kitchen Saturday, and I'll post a picture of that this week.  Next up: the driveway. 

Before I go, we've got to talk about the Scandal season finale.  I know I am sooooo 4 days late with this, but Jesus!  This show is cray!  These are my thoughts (for anyone that's interested in reading):

• I LOVE Olivia and Jake (Scott Foley's character) together.  I think he's dreamy and he loves her.  Plus, he's not effin' married either!
• I can't stand President Fitz.  He's an asshole.  And I think it's high time Mellie (the wifey) takes him for a ride on the crazy train.  I don't care that he's the President, and I also don't care that Mellie is annoying and bitchy- they're married!!  It's take for some serious payback; he has it coming, y'all!!!

That's it.  Just those two things.  Feel free to add your thoughts!

Enjoy your day!

~LL

Summer Makeup

This hot weather has me seriously over wearing makeup.  Yeah, yeah, I know it's only been a few days since it's been "hot" outside.  Up until last weekend, I was wearing a cardigan to keep the chill off (Hello? Am I a grandmother??).  Well, the eighty degree days are back in full force and I believe they're here to stay.  You know what's totally not about to stay on my face?  Eyeliner.  This is maj, y'all.  I am a total eyeliner sociopath.  I'm obsessed.  Always looking for new ways to wear it, switching from a pencil, to powder, to gel, etc.  Lining the outside, lining the inside, yada, yada, yada.  I'm an eyeliner freak.  I've watched so many videos on YouTube on how to expertly apply eyeliner (among other things) that I probably could do people's makeup as a side job.  Seriously.  Some days my makeup is a hot mess, but for the most part I think I do pretty good.  (If my makeup sucks, please just send me an anonymous letter/email; OR just don't burst my bubble, k?  Thanks!)

Okay, I might be a little too drastic in saying eyeliner's completely off the table.  I've decided my look this summer will be eyeliner just on the top lid.  I love it too much to completely part with it for 3 long months.  Of course, I'll do the typical going-out smokey eye at night for special occasions (Now that I think about it, that's doubtful as well.  I'm going to be as large as a hippo and probably sweating like a whore in church (Ha! Kidding!)  Might just be best to stick to my new summer makeup regimen of "less is best."  Don't want to scare anyone.)

Anyway, I think my summer makeup basics will include: tinted moisturizer (or BB cream), a light powder to prevent the shinies, some bronzer and highlighter, eyeliner (top lid only), mascara, and of course lipstick.  I know lip gloss rules the roost in the hot days of summer, but I am a total lipstick fool.  And the less heavy eye gives me more drive to wear a bright pink lip.  And when I say bright pink, I'm totally thinking Kourtney K:

So pretty, right?  Via

Here's some of my pinspiration:

Pretty much what I'm thinking of  my summer makeup essentials.  Via

 

 

 

So effortlessly pretty.  Via

If I could afford every item in this pic, I'd buy in a sec.  My birthday is less than a month away..... ;) Via

What are your summer makeup must-haves?

~LL

One more day left!

My eyes are swollen shut this morning.  I stayed up late last night watching the Naomi Watts movie, The Impossible, and I cried through the whole movie.  If you haven't watched this movie, watch it.  It's a true story based off of a family that experienced the 2004 tsunami in Thailand.  I have a weird obsession with tsunamis (don't ask.....don't know where/when this happened) so of course I was on board to watch this movie as soon as the previews came out.  I picked it up at the Redbox yesterday, and after I got my rug-rat in the bed I watched....and cried....and cried.   Trust me- it's worth the tears. 

So, I have news about the house and it isn't good.  Doesn't look like we're getting it.  (Sad face.)  For the past two days we have gone round and round via our Realtors with this offer/that offer.  We did stand firm on our final offer which we submitted Tuesday, but the seller was not on board.  Ugh!  So disappointing and aggravating.  I was talking to Adam about it last night, and we both agreed that if someone showed up on our doorstep offering to buy our house for $10,000 cheaper than when we bought it, provided we pay the closing costs, we'd jump at the chance.  I'm guessing maybe the owners aren't in such a hurry to sell because the house is an estate??  Who knows.  Honestly, I'm disappointed but I'm okay with the current situation.  It's all in God's hands.  Maybe He has something better for us?  The old me would fight for this house tooth and nail, not praying and asking God if this is where He wants me to be.  I'm just trying to listen this time around.  I know the answers (and house) will come with a little trust and patience.

In other news....have y'all bought Mother's Day gifts?  Ideas?  Aaron Mo and I are going shopping tomorrow morning, and I have no ideas of what to get my mom and my two mother-in-laws.  All of these wonderful women are different in so many ways, but I would like to do something other than a gift card.  I would look on Pinterest, but I don't have the time/energy to put together the "ultimate Mother's Day" gift; i.e. something homemade, super-duper cutesy, and absolutely over-the-top fabulous.  Pinterest has made everyone else look pathetic in the gift department if you hand somebody a card with a (gasp!) gift card inside it.  It has to be a handmade card, in the most beautiful calligraphy imaginable, with a balloon attached, an adorable poem, and a puppy.  For reals.  I can't handle it. 

 Final thoughts:

• I have a maj crush on Deacon from Nashville.  Loving the fact that he and Rayna are finally gettin' it on.  Knockin' da boots.  Bumpin' & Grindin'.  (I told y'all......this little girl in my belly has my Pandora station permanently on early 90's R&B.  "You Remind Me of my Jeeeeeep....")
• I put on makeup for the first time all week, and I literally came back to life.  I think I was a tad depressed until I put some eyeliner and bright pink lipstick on.  Note to self: wear makeup.  Even if you're depressed.  You'll feel better.
• I cannot stop jamming out to will.i.am and the Bieb's new single, #thatPOWER.  Love it!  Me, this baby bump, and Aaron seriously had a dance party when he performed this song on Ellen. 
• I cannot stand Sabrina on General Hospital.  I know this is a random thought, but it's been on my mind and had to be said.  I think she's incredibly annoying and it's high-time for Robin to come back from the dead.
• True Blood comes back on in exactly 31 days.  I am SO ready to spend my next 3 months obsessing over ASkars and who he's dating.  Heart him.

Enjoy your beautiful day!

~LL

Updates

Wow- this week has really dragged by.  BUT, it's hump day so that means 2 days closer to the weekend- whoop!

I've been keeping my friend Nicole's little girl, Zowie, this week.  She's nine months and adorable.   It makes me really excited to get a glimpse of what life will be like with a baby girl.  Aaron has been great with her (for the most part) so that gives me hope that he'll be a great big brother.  Fingers crossed!

We Adam finished the kitchen floor Monday night.  I love it!  Here's a pic:

Excuse the counter clutter

Since I'm lame and can't figure out how to do a before and after shot, here's what the floor looked life before. 
I truly think he did an amazing job.  You can see how the floor darkens the kitchen, so keeping the cabinets white is really our only option.  The next time the hubs is home, he and my father-in-law are repaving our driveway, so we're not looking at repainting the cabinets until later on this month.  In the meantime, I'm happy with my new (or what feels like new) kitchen!

Now onto the house situation......grrrrr.......not really going like we hoped.  We put in our offer Monday, they counter-offered yesterday (not a really great offer in that they barely came off the listing price), we put in our final offer, they counter-offered again last night (again, not that great of a counter-offer), and we're standing firm on our final offer from yesterday.  Lucky for us, we have an excellent realtor who is supporting our every decision and keeping us updated minute-by-minute.  When they counter-offered the first time yesterday I cried.  I know, I know, I need to toughen up.  Blame it on the pregnancy hormones and just the general aggravation of it all.   I know this is common procedure in the real estate market these days.  When Adam bought our house in 2006 it was so much more simple.  The house was on the market for two weeks, Adam submitted his offer, the seller agreed, and he was closing within three weeks.  I'm just trying to stay positive and know that it's out of our hands.  If it's meant to be, it will be.  Repeat mantra......

I'm getting my hurr did Saturday and I am so pumped!  No cut as my hair is finally growing out after 9 months, but color and I'm thinking ombre.  Here's some of my pinspiration:

Gorge via

So pretty via

Pretty but my least favorite.  I guess b/c she's all the way blonde & I'm brunette.

Love how subtle the ombre/highlights are via

I haven't gotten my hair colored in awhile so you can imagine the excitement.  I'll be sure to post a pic!

Enjoy your hump day, friends!

~LL

Weekend Randoms

I can't believe it's already 5:50 on a Sunday afternoon.  Where did the weekend go?  You would think it would have dragged on by considering the lazy weather.

We have been incredibly boring; correction: I have been incredibly boring this weekend.  The most productive things I've done over the past 2 days is go grocery shopping and take Aaron to get a haircut.  My hubby has been busting his behind in the kitchen all weekend laying our new tile.  I'm so excited about the finished product!  We decided that we're going to repaint the cabinets white.  After much deliberation, we just decided it'll look a lot better than painting them brown.  Our kitchen is pretty small, so the lighter we can keep things the better.  I'm thinking we'll put in some turquoise accents- I love those two colors together. 

I'm of course thinking like we'll be here longer than we are, when in fact we'll need to be out around this time next month.  Yep folks, we have tenants!  And good ones at that- yay!!  They need to be in mid-June as they're getting married next month and want to be in the house before the wedding.  Which leads me to my next thought.....

We found a house!  It's actually the house that I was talking about in one of my blog entries from last week.  We went back to Griffin Friday so Adam could see the house and he liked it.  We're putting an offer in tomorrow.  Eeekk!  So excited!!  Once we've negotiated and signed the dotted line, I'll post a pic.  It's definitely not ours yet, so just hoping and praying everything will work out.  It just has to!  Aaron Mo needs a big boy room, and Harper Beth just needs a room.  I'm already envisioning tons of girly things for her room: a chandelier, pink/green accents, pictures, paintings.....the list goes on.  Agh!!

BTW, Adam and I watched Skyfall (the James Bond movie) this weekend and I just have to say that even though Javier Bardem is a total psycho in the movie- I still think he's a hottie.

via

I'll post pics of the kitchen when Adam's finished!

~LL

Sometimes I think I'm an entertainment critic

While at the grocery store today I picked up the Most Beautiful issue of People that featured Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover.  Sadly, I haven't committed myself to a book since.....uh....January.  That's bad, right?  Don't get me wrong, I pour over What to Expect When You're Expecting almost daily, but reading for a hobby has gone out the window for now, so magazines it is!  Maybe I need some good book suggestions......

Anyway, I just put the magazine down and had to blog: Gwynnie looks amazing, y'all.  I think People totally nailed it this year.  Don't get me wrong: I've never been a Gwyneth fan.  I mean, my distaste for her doesn't go as far as Angelina "Hoelie" (haha- cracked myself up);  Gwynnie's always seemed like a know-it-all and a bit of a snob in my opinion.  Now: I think I might be wrong.  After reading her interview I really like her.  To sum it up:

• She exercises 2 hours a day Monday-Friday. Not really realistic for us normal folk, but I'm not totally shocked by this.
• She has a protein shake for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and whatever she wants for dinner (so she says). 
• She still takes baths with her kids.  Who are 7 and 8.  I find this really weird, but maybe parenting styles are different in London......or England.....where does she live, again?
• She admits that her and hubby (Chris Martin) have been through some really tough times but they're still hanging in there and still married.  This makes me wonder if the rumor that he and Kate Bosworth were hooking it up a few years ago is true??
• She shares that she suffered a miscarriage in her second trimester.  I don't know when this happened, or even how far along she was, but I felt bad for her.  The loss of a child- even a child you've never met- is a horrible thing to go through.  She says that the "door is not shut" as to having another child, and that a friend told her not to base the number of children you have off of "the pain in the ass of infancy" but rather as to how many people you want around your table at Thanksgiving.  I liked that example.  Maybe Adam and I will go for another.....kidding!

As you can tell, I thoroughly enjoyed the interview.  If I just completely bored you, I apologize.  Here's a pic:

This woman is 40.  She looks like she's 25.

Via

The rest of the magazine featured the obligatory pics of Halle Berry, Blake Lively, Megan Fox, Jennifer Aniston, Michelle Obama, Catherine Middleton, etc.  Some were asked what their least favorite thing about themselves was and JLaw said she eats like a caveman (love her), and JLo said that her wrists and ankles are too skinny.  For real?  Cause we all know you've stressed that a$$ at some point in your career.  Ugh!  Get real, woman.  Stop acting so damn perfect!

Connie Britton was listed for having the most beautiful head of hair.  I agree.  That woman has the best head of hair period.  And (gasp) she only washes it once a week! 

Gorge.  Via

And that's that, folks!  I'm definitely thinking my year will probably be next year once I lose this baby weight! ;)  (kidding!)

~LL

I might need to get a job....

To pay for all the adorable girly things I keep seeing everywhere!  I knew girls clothes were much more abundant than boys, but dang- it's really not fair.  Walking into Dillards last Thursday the whole section was dominated in pink, ruffles, and frou-frou.  There was one (maybe 2) racks of boys clothes.  And I know it's not just there.  I've got to keep it all in perspective.  If I don't, I'll go bankrupt.  Luckily, Harper has grandmother's that love shopping so we might not get into too much trouble.  It also helps that friends who have girls have been so kind as to offer their hand-me-downs.  If you read this, thank you, thank you, thank you!  I have already learned by having one child that they don't have to be in smocked bubbles/jumpers/and Kelly's Kids latest trends every day; Aaron wears Walmart and he always looks like one of the coolest dudes in the room. ;)  Harper will have some Mud Pie dresses and Matilda Jane jumpers, but I won't hesitate to snatch a dress off of a Sock Shoppe rack if I like it.

Speaking of clothing, I ordered more maternity clothing today.  I got so excited to see an email from Loft this morning saying that everything was 40% off, until I went to their site and saw that even if I used my 40% off promo code, I'd still be paying at least thirty bucks for a shirt.  Um, no thank you.  Old Navy it is!  I think my look this summer will be simple clothing in solid colors.  Nothing flashy or busy.  1- I'll be big as a house and don't need anything else to make me look bigger; and 2- It's going to be hot as h*ll.  I ended up going with 3 tops and pair of denim cut-offs.  Total (with their promo code) was $65.  Not too shabby.  Another prego friend of mine told me that Ross has a maternity section so I'll probably be checking that out, too.  At first I was kicking myself for getting rid of all my maternity clothes awhile back, but I guess it doesn't really matter now.  When I was pregnant with Aaron (and sweet Luke) I was pregnant during the cold months.  This bambino is going to have me sweating as soon as I walk out of the house.  Therefore- as little clothes as possible- ha!  All worth it in the sweet end. :)

I hope y'all had a good weekend!  Between looking at houses and going to baby showers, my weekend flew by.  I'm so excited because I think I might have found our house.  Adam hasn't seen it yet, so we're going back Friday.  It would be perfect for our growing family.  Perfect size and beautiful, huge backyard with a deck.  Harper could probably have her wedding reception back there.  Just praying and crossing my fingers that it'll work out.  If Adam likes it, then we'll probably put an offer in.  I'll keep you posted....

Have a good Tuesday!

~LL