Juliana's Tips for Cruisin'

1) Find a cute boy with a cool ride (Real men aren't afraid to sport pink).

2) Look both ways before departing on your drive. You never know if the streets will be busy with other cruisers.

3) Don't be afraid to snuggle up close to your man if he takes the turns too quickly. They're called Opportunity Curves for a reason!

4) Always put the top down when you cruise. You definitely want to see and be seen by all the peeps out there.

5) If for any reason you have car troubles while cruisin', don't act alarmed. Just sit there nonchalantly while your date shows off his car skillz.

6) Most importantly, have fun! You're only young once - might as well let the sun shine on your face and wind blow through your hair.

*Many thanks to Oliver for being such a willing participant in this tutorial.

Here We Bowl Again

Everett is an avid Curious George watcher. He loves to watch that little guy get into all sorts of messes. Lately, there's been a Curious George episode on where The Man With the Yellow Hat is on a bowling team and George learns how to shine the bowling ball and roll a gutter ball (What? You haven't seen it? Quality television folks, quality). Anyway, Everett has been a tad preoccupied with going bowling. He keeps asking us when we can go. So, we took advantage of Will having the day off on Monday (thank you Mr. MLK Jr.) and head over to the local bowling alley.

I'm not sure what it is about bowling alleys that bring out such...um, diverse? crowds. But they're there. In droves. Weird people that I swear don't usually get out in the light of day, but who seem to be in their second home at the bowling alley. Please tell me you know the kind of folks I'm talking about. We managed to avoid any strangeness and set up shop in our lane with the bumpers up and the ramp ready and off we went to bowl. Everett loved it.

Juliana, fortunately for me, is not old enough or big enough to bowl. That didn't stop her from trying to run into our lane though. Thankfully, I'm a tad quicker than she is and disaster was averted.


It was hard to tell what Everett's favorite part of the whole experience was. He was quite impressed with the shoes. And let's be honest now, who wouldn't be impressed with green and white Velcro bowling shoes?


He loved the ramp thingy majiggy.

He almost lost a hand or at the very least a couple of fingers on the ball return apparatus.

And for whatever reason, he LOVED lugging that 10 pound ball everywhere.

All in all, a good time was had by everyone. Even Everett.
It was a close game the entire time. And I was losing. Which is kind of sad since Everett's three. And the bumpers were up. But in my defense, it's hard to bowl with the bumpers! If your ball even bumps them slightly, it goes careening off in the opposite direction. Hmph!

Lucky for me Everett took over my game for the 9th and 10th frames, which propelled me to victory! Ha, ha, ha, I win again!

Final scores:

E man: 98

Mom: 101

Dad: 100

A New Blog Coming to YOU!

There's a new blog on the block kids. And if you live or have friends in the Atlanta area, then you'll definitely want to keep this URL handy: www.theyellowrosebridal.blogspot.com. On this new and totally awesome blog you'll be able to find out the latest and greatest at The Yellow Rose - a modest dress shop specializing in wedding gowns and prom gowns. You'll be in the know for all sorts of good information. Like when new shipments arrive. Or when gowns are available at a discount (like NOW - everything in stock is 20% off). Or when special events are planned (something great is cooking up for the first week in March for all the prom goers out there so mark your calendars now). So check back often and comment regularly. And definitely let us know if you have any suggestions. The Yellow Rose is here to serve all of YOUR formal gown needs. Ch-ch-check it out!

Where Did January Go?

I can't believe January is half over and I've posted nothing of real consequence. Hmm...Perhaps I'll be diligent with picture-taking and blog-posting over the next couple of weeks to make up for slacking? Perhaps...

The first part of January was awesome! The weather was gorgeous and I would even venture to say warm. In January! We took advantage of the sunshine by hitting up the local park. I was patting myself on the back for even taking the kids to play outside in January and wow, am I a great mom or what for getting my kids outdoors - only to discover that everyone else had the same great idea. The park was a madhouse! But, Everett and Juliana had fun, even though this picture of Everett would seem to indicate the contrary.

I just love that Juliana is barely big enough to play on this bouncy thingy. She was scared at first, but then I couldn't get her off of it. And yes, that is her "I'm so happy you brought me here and I love this toy so much" face. Just ignore the death grip she's got going.

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In my attempts to be a better mom I've recently started using a great pre-school-esque book that has great ideas for how to add a some structured learning to Everett's day. It's called Teach Me Mommy and it is wonderful! We learned about growing and how big Everett's gotten last week with this little project. I had E lay down on a piece of butcher paper and I outlined his little body. He then got to paint "himself". I cannot even begin to convey how excited he was to be painting "Everett". He loved it so much we had to hang it up for all to see. Can you tell what side of the paper he was sitting on? I kept trying to get him to paint the whole body, but he wasn't having it. In fact, he was very particular about the parts he painted and got mad at me for painting his feet green.

This picture is just classic Everett:

And here's one of his new favorite words:

He's taken to asking me, "Mommy, are these shoes cool?" "Mommy, is this cool?" I can't believe my three year old knows and understands what cool means. This definitely spells trouble for me since I happen to be decidedly un-cool. I thought parents were safe from cool/uncool status until sometime around middle school? Um, yeah, this is not cool!

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We had spaghetti last night for dinner. I think that pretty much sums up these pictures.

And that's a wrap. Giddens out.

2008 in (Book) Review

One of my goals for 2008 was to read more frequently. I've always enjoyed reading, but in 2008 I wanted to read more. More books, more often, by more authors, etc. I kept track of the books I read right here on the blog on my left sidebar under the incredibly witty heading of "Books Read in 2008". Clever, I know. Since we're now beginning fresh in 2009, I thought I'd give a few reviews of the best and worst books I read in 2008.

Before I begin, let me preface my list and my reviews by sharing a few insights. One, I like fiction. I did try to branch out in 2008 and read more non-fiction, but as you can see, my list is overwhelming comprised of fiction books. Two, I read mostly modern fiction, by mostly female authors. I don't intentionally do that, but it seems to be the books to which I'm most drawn. You'll notice that there aren't a lot of classics on the list and while I do plan to read more of the classics in 2009, but I highly doubt I'll be able to read ONLY the classics. While I love to read the classics in a classroom setting, complete with insightful discussion and whatnot, when left to my own devices, I seem to settle well into just plain old fiction.

And third, not included on this list are the myriad of books that I began but, for one reason or another, never finished. If you look over my list you can see I really struggled to read anything in June and July. I spent most of my time those two months beginning books and then taking them back to the library. Some of the books began, but never finished, include: A Tale of Two Cities, The Price of Privilege, Three Cups of Tea, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Skeletons at the Feast, To Buy or Not to Buy Organic?, Edmund Bertram's Diary, etc.

Now on to my reviews!

Most Interesting Non-Fiction: The Mormon Way of Doing Business by Jeff Benedict. It was neat to read the daily habits of some highly successful people in the business world. The CEOs of JetBlue, Dell and Deloitte and Touche, the CFO of AmEx and the former dean of the Harvard Business school all discuss how their faith has played a major role in why they've been successful.

Funniest Non-Fiction: Mr. and Mrs. Happy Handbook by Steve Doocy. Whenever I catch Steve Doocy on Fox News, I just laugh. In my opinion, he has a hilarious sense of humor, so while reading the book I busted out laughing quite a bit. A very light, easy read. Kind of a "Look at my life, wow, we made some pretty silly mistakes when we were dating, first married, had kids, they went to college, etc."

Most Read Author of 2008: I'm going to consider this a three-way tie since I didn't read my 4th Shannon Hale book until the very end of 2008. Out of the three authors (all women, of course), I'd say I consistently liked Shannon Hale's novels the best, even though Goose Girl, Princess Academy and Book of a Thousand Days are very, very similar (girl has a special gift, gets taken away from family, travels long distances, there's some pretend about being (or not being) royalty, definitely a guy involved (the prince), and ends up using her gift to avoid disaster in the kingdom). Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed and Something Blue are great beach reads, but there is some language and sexual content. Definitely a PG-13 rating. Love the One You're With was terrible. I hate reading about women in marriages who toy with infidelity. I also discovered that while I enjoy the books written by Sophie Kinsella, I'm less thrilled with the books she wrote under her real name of Madeline Wickham.

Emily Giffin - Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Love the One You're With.

Sophie Kinsella/Madeline Wickham - Sleeping Arrangements, The Gatecrasher, and Remember Me?

Shannon Hale - Goose Girl, Princess Academy, Book of a Thousand Days and Austenland

Best Austen-inspired read: Austenland by Shannon Hale. If you love Jane Austen or the A&E version of "Pride and Prejudice", then you will surely enjoy this little ditty. A gal named Jane has an unhealthy obsession with Colin Firth aka Mr. Darcy. So much so that her great aunt leaves her a trip to Pembrook Park in England where guests come to experience the world of Jane Austen. They dress, act, eat, dance, talk, etc. just as they did in Austen's time. It's a cute, quick read, and of COURSE there's a silly little romance. I have to admit, I totally grinned while I read this one. So fun!

Best "Fun" read: Accidental It Girl by Libby Street. When paparazzo Sadie Price takes a photo of young Hollywood 'It' Guy Ethan Wyatt, she has no idea the tables are about to turn. Wyatt takes to stalking Price as part of a plot that he put together to name Sadie the secret girlfriend of another young Hollywood hunk. Needless to say, Sadie is less than happy when she discovers SHE'S the one everyone's trying to get a picture of. Oh yeah, and there's a romance. I loved it!

Favorite Book of 2008: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. By far the most interesting concept for a book that I've read in a long, long time. Henry DeTamble has a unique gene that allows him to time travel. Only it's not cool like when Marty McFly did it. DeTamble has no control over when he travels, to where or when, or when he travels back. Henry does a lot of trying to find food and clothing throughout the novel. The book is described as a romance, and it is, but it's definitely not a sappy, sweet kind of romance. More along the lines of a romantic tragedy. I can't tell you how much I've thought about this book since I've read it. Really, really interesting. Plus, it's coming out in movie form this year. Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams play the leads.

Best Throwback to 2007: Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling. I love all things Harry Potter, so this was great as a very last tribute to that incredible series. In Book 7 Hermoine Granger learns that Dumbledore left her a book of wizardly "fairytales". Stories that witches and wizards told their kids as bedtime stories. Tales of Beedle the Bard is the book that Hermoine "translated" from Runes into English. It's short, it's cute and it's Harry Potter!

Worst Book Read in 2008: A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray and Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin. Yuck. To both of them. Beauty was stupid and evil-ish (at least to me) and The One You're With was lame. I hate when I can't find at least one redeeming quality in the main character.

Worst Book by and/or about British women: English as a Second Language by Megan Crane. All it talked about was graduate school and getting drunk in the local pub. Oh, and smoking. Don't waste your time.

Worst Series: Uglies, Pretties, Specials - by Scott Westerfeld. I kept thinking the series would get better, but it didn't. I especially resented the underlying message of environmentalism and that pretty much humans today are savages. If it's going to be about the environment, then say so. Don't try to pitch a story about the earth under the guise that it's about beauty (which it SOOO wasn't).

And there you have it. I've already read a few good ones in 2009, so I'm really looking forward to reading more this year. What about you guys? Agree or disagree with my reviews? Anything I definitely need to read this year? Oh, and I'm on both Goodreads and Shelfari, so if you're on either one of those and we're not friends yet, please send me an invite today! I love to look over what other people are reading and Goodreads and Shelfari are by far the easiest ways to do that. Happy reading!

Birthday #29 Recap

Thank you to everyone who helped make my 29th birthday the best birthday EVER! Seriously folks, it was wonderful. I loved it and I'm totally stoked to be 29. I can only hope my 30th birthday next year can compare.

From birthday cards in the mail to messages on Facebook, to phone calls and emails, I felt like one special birthday girl indeed. I even got my own special birthday dedication on this here blog. Wow! Normally, the big disadvantage to having a birthday so near the holidays is that everyone else is so involved with their own holiday plans that birthday celebrations tend to get overshadowed. This is usually why I don't expect much from my birthday nor do I get upset when people just forget (I mean, hello? Two days before Christmas means most people are busy going on vacation). But this year more than made up for lackluster birthdays in years past. And here's why...

A few months back when Will asked me what I wanted for my birthday I had a hard time coming up with anything good. All I really, really wanted was a little peace and quiet. Wow, does that make me sound old? But truthfully, I just wanted a little time to myself when no one would be calling out, "Mommy!", when I wouldn't be responsible for potty duty or nap time or lunch time. When I could wander around a store at my leisure and get in and out of the car all by myself. Please don't misunderstand me. I love my children. They are awesome! And I love that I get to stay home with them. But for me, the greatest birthday present Will could've given me was some time to myself for me to be simply Natalie. Not Mommy or Will's wife or anyone else. Just me.

So unbeknownst to me Will set up an incredible birthday present for me. It was on the 20th, so the Saturday before my birthday. First, he made me a desperately needed hair appointment here:


For all of you who are unfamiliar, that's Salon 124 which is a very nice salon. I should've taken a picture of the front entrance, but I wanted to act my age and not my shoe size. Just the drive over to the salon was great. In the car. By myself. Radio up as loud as I wanted it. No one fussing. No one wanting to listen to kid songs. I even heard "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. If that's not an omen for a good day, then I'm not sure what is.

I was a little early for my appointment, so I got to kill time by reading celebrity trash magazines. What better way to wait than to get my scoop on what's going on in Hollywood with actual stars and wanna be's like Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag (Did you know that they're not going to legitimize their marriage in the U.S.? And trust me, I learned more pearls than that...). Kassie finally called me back and she did a bang up job. Didn't really cut a lot of length, but simply gave me a much better cut with a whole bunch of texturizing. It was heavenly.

Afterwards I discovered that Will had made pedicure appointments for me, Paula and our fabulous friend, Wendy. We headed off to the mall for our pedicures which were fantastic. I've said before that I love me a good, relaxing pedicure and this one did not disappoint. It was great!

By this time I'd spent a whopping FIVE hours without children, but the fun didn't stop there. Will also made a dinner reservation for us at... P.F. Chang's!

Dinner with girlfriends! Being able to talk in complete sentences! Not having to ask for a highchair or a kid's menu! Not worrying about making a mess on the floor! Taking our time to eat! All simple things in their own right, but put it all together in one evening and that makes for a pretty awesome experience. The food was scrumptious. All of it. It was great. As and added bonus by the time I got home Juliana was already in bed and Everett was headed that way. Oh yeah!

All in all, an amazing birthday planned by one awesome husband. It was a day I will not soon forget. I felt amazing. In fact, I think 29 is going to be my best year yet. Thank you Will!

Merry Christmas!

First of all, thank you to all of those who wished me a happy birthday yesterday. It was a marvelous day and I'm so thankful for such wonderful family and friends.

Secondly, below you will find our 2008 newsletter. I emailed it out to as many people as I had email addresses for, but I'm sure I missed some of you. I thought it'd be nice to put it here as well. Can I just take a moment and praise the Internet? It's amazing what's out there and I was beyond overjoyed to figure out how to convert a pdf file to a jpeg. Google rocks!

Third, we hope each of you has a very merry Christmas!

THE BIG 2-9! Happy Birthday Natalie!!

This post is perhaps one of the most important posts on this blog. Today, December 23, 2008, is Natalie's 29th birthday!! I want everyone to know how much I love Natalie and how much I want her to have a great day today. She is a great mother to our two wonderful children and the best wife for me.
I could not have imagined, with all the creativity in the world, a more perfect wife, companion, and friend for me. I hope you have a very very happy birthday today and that many friends on facebook recognize this special day. ( i know that is what would put a smile on your face).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATALIE!!!

Check-ups, Contests and Cheesecake

Yesterday was Juliana's 15 month check-up. Seriously, how is she already 15 months? And Everett is three. Wow. More so than my upcoming birthday (12 days and counting), having my kids get older is what really makes me feel like I'm getting older. It seems like I was just barely pregnant with Everett. For those curious, she weighs 25 pounds and is 32 inches tall. Her weight puts her into the 75th percentile while her height is in the 90th percentile. Looks like any way we slice it, she's just a big girl (in a good, self-esteem boosting kind-of-way).

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I usually use this blog to showcase the kiddos or post lists about unusual/funny/weird/interesting things about me. Will and his super busy schedule don't meet my highly strict, super rigorous blog standards. Well, no more! Even though he keeps telling me it isn't a big deal, I think it is and since I'm the main (read: only) writer on this family blog, here we go.

A couple of months ago there was a sales contest at work. Basically, over a six-week period of time all of the agents in Will's office were competing to see who could submit and get paid on the most insurance business. Will has been getting a lot of good momentum at work and is finding and working with some really good clients. So when he told me that he was one of the winners, I was ecstatic! The prize? A free i-Phone. How super fantastico is that?!? Yea for Will!

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Speaking of phones, I think I'm finally getting a new one. I've had my current phone for so long that I've accumulated a $100 credit toward a new phone at Verizon. Seriously folks, I've had my current phone for almost two years. In phone years, my phone is like 57 years old. It's been dropped so many times that the paint (paint? color?) is all chipping off. Everett broke the lens for the camera part about a week after I originally got it. Juliana has managed to chew on the charger so that now when I plug my phone into the charger, it doesn't read that it's being charged. Lovely. So I'm forced to use my car charger. Which is fine and good, but for whatever reason the fuse to the cigarette lighter in the Suburban is blown and although Will's fixed it twice now, it still keeps blowing out. Serenity now! So, on the to-do list for Saturday is a jaunt to the Verizon store for a new phone. I know I'll be so excited for a phone that works and is pretty and can be charged that you can all expect a phone call from me next week.

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Are any of you guys mystery shoppers? On Tuesday I had my first experience being a mystery shopper. And where did I get to go? The Cheesecake Factory! Yum, yum. I love The Cheesecake Factory so much and was more than happy to go, observe, eat and enjoy that it really couldn't be classified as work. The company that I originally signed up with, Mystery Guest Inc., sent me an email to notify me that there were some opportunities to mystery shop in my area. They will reimburse me for the meal as well as send me a $30 gift card to The Cheesecake Factory as payment. Waaaaay cooooool! I know some of you are probably long time mystery shoppers, but I thought this was so much fun. And thanks to my friend, Kim, I signed up on a bunch more sites for other mystery shopping opportunities. Interested? Check these out:

A Closer Look
Market Force
Best Mark
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And finally, we've all been a little sick this week. I love the Christmas season and it seems like such a bummer to be sick during this time. Everett has had the worst of it and I can tell it's bad since he's been conking out and taking naps almost every day this week. Plus, he's had such a nasty cough that I swear he could give a chain smoker a run for their money. We went to the doctor yesterday and she prescribed some stuff that I think is really doing the trick. I hope we're all better soon because I have cabin fever and am dying to get out of the house!

My three favorite people. Doesn't it look like Everett's doing some kind of air guitar thing? Sweet.

Auction + Vinyl Lettering = The Holiday Spirit

If any of the following apply to you, then you should DEFINITELY check out Laura's blog:

1) You've been following the Stephanie Nielson story (Nie Nie Dialogues).
2) You love vinyl lettering and want to be able to do it yourself at home.
3) You're into the holiday spirit and want to help a family in need.

Please go to the Lovely Laura's blog and big on her company's super cool auction!

http://lauralucille.blogspot.com/2008/09/nie-nie-auction.html

O Christmas Tree

I cannot remember a time in my almost 29 (29! Can you believe it? Only 22 shopping days left for you to find the perfect birthday gift for yours truly) years of life when we've ever, ever, EVER gotten the Christmas tree up as early as we did this year. That's right, the 1st day of December is not even over yet, and here we are, the house decorated with us basking in all sorts of Christmas loveliness. Wow! (A quick happy birthday shout out to one of my oldest friends, Becca. I know you're reading this and even though it's the end of the day, I thought about you a lot today. Happy birthday!).

The kiddos and I trekked out in surprisingly frigid December temps to pick up this year's tree. Everett was over the moon excited and literally did not stop talking, bouncing or running for the rest of the afternoon. This kid is way way excited about all things Christmas. He can't get over the lights in other people's yards or the fact that we have our very own Christmas tree IN THE HOUSE. Oh, to be three again!

Juliana and her Papa, who is of course sporting Alabama gear.

Heaven help me if the Crimson Tide doesn't win on Saturday.

That blur in the picture above? Yep, that's Everett, who has decided that running among Christmas trees is now one of his favorite things to do in December.
She walks! My little late bloomer really can and does walk, folks. A Christmas miracle indeed!

There were even snow flurries falling while we were scoping out the tree selection. Hence, Juliana's ruddy cheeks and red nose. She was not nearly as thrilled to be outside amongst the Christmas trees as was her brother.

And if that look doesn't say "Seriously, Mom, I'm not amused" I don't know what does.

It was a fun little excursion and the first time Everett has been really aware of what we were doing. He's now at a fun age where he's really understanding things. When we told him we were going to get a Christmas tree he said, "That will be wonderful!" And all afternoon he kept telling us how beautiful everything looked. Huh? Who are you and what did you do to my little boy?

Ah, here we go! Everett's quintessential face. This is the face he gives me nine times out of ten when I ask him to smile. The squinty eyes definitely come from me.

Once the perfect tree was picked and we were ready to get out of the cold, both Papa and the worker man had a follower as they took the tree to the car.But like most three year olds, he's easily distracted...
Tomorrow might be spent dispelling any notion that we'll be bringing a horse into the house as part of our Christmas decorations!

Fried Chicken

I was born and raised in the South to a dad from Birmingham, Alabama and a mom was is 100% Mexican. Even with this heritage, Will loves to tease me that I am neither very Southern nor very Mexican. I don't speak Spanish, I don't really identify with the Mexican culture, I don't like collared greens, okra, pecan pie, or boiled peanuts. I hardly have an accent (but that's debatable) and the list could go on. In fact, before I met Will I would say I only slightly liked country music.

Will, on the other hand, is very Southern. Although he doesn't normally have one, he can turn on a Southern accent with the drop of a hat. He loves all Southern foods, hunts, goes shooting, has worn Wranglers (yeah, I've never done that), has owned cowboy hats and big belt buckles, etc. Plus, he loves country music. Since we've been married my country music repertoire has grown ten fold. As evidenced by the music video below. This is "Chicken Fried" by the Zac Brown Band. The actual video doesn't begin until about 1:12, but definitely give it a listen. I think it's such a catchy tune and I love that it mentions Georgia Pines. Gosh, maybe I really AM Southern after all?

Where's Juliana?

We probably play the "Where's Juliana?" game a least three times a day. It's kind of like "Where's Waldo?" but about a million times easier. It consists of Juliana finding anything that can double as a blanket, throwing it over her head (it doesn't matter it if completely covers her head, or even her eyes) and then ripping it down uncovering a mischevious grin. This girl is so sly, she's got Everett, me, Will, Mama, and Papa playing it - repeatedly. Here are yesterday's lunchtime "Where's Juliana?" follies:

And again...

And in case you missed it the first two times:

Ta-da! Beat that Waldo.

Everett is Three!

We can hardly believe it's been three years since Everett came into our family. We love him a whole bunch and are glad we get to be his parents. He is a sweet, funny, imaginative boy and we love being able to watch him grow and learn. Happy 3rd birthday Everett!

2005

2006

2007

2008

P.S. - The correct answer to the previous post is: "Because the water went bye-bye". Apparently he got pretty distraught as he was watching the Yellow River run its course. I love how (un) logical his response was. Nothing beats getting mad at a river.