Blog Catch Up

There is no way I could really completely get the blog caught up but I did want to quickly post some pictures and some happenings from February.

February, this year, was a busy month for our family. We already have several birthdays during this month and then Valentine's Day so every year we tend to do a lot of "celebrating" in February. It seemed we had even more going on this year.

I co-chaired a church event for the first time on February 3rd. My friend Beth and I planned Winter Family Fun Night, a night for the whole family to have some fun together at the church. Sorry, I didn't think to take pictures or to even take my camera. I was just so busy and nervous with helping to plan the evening I couldn't think of anything else. We had about 6-8 games for the families to play followed with popcorn and hot chocolate bar to snack on while watching a Veggie Tales movie. Everyone wore their pajamas and brought their pillows and blankets for movie time. We try to support some sort of mission with all of our events at our church and for this particular one Beth and I decided Backpack Buddies. There are Backpack Buddies programs all over and if you have never heard of it before a quick Google search will provide all the details. Basically it is a program that provides children living in poverty with a backpack full of easy to prepare food, snacks and drinks on Friday to get them through the weekend until they return to school on Monday. For these kids, without this program they probably would get very little food over the weekend. Can you imagine? We truly are so blessed. The night was a hit. Everyone had fun and we had a table full of food for Backpack Buddies.

The very next weekend was super exciting for me. I had the opportunity to go see Lysa TerKeurst speak at a church in Greenville along with three friends from church and Bible study. Not only was it a fantastic experience to hear Lysa speak but it was a very nice treat for me to go on an overnight trip without my family. While I was gone Ed and the girls had a great time just the three of them.

Then of course Valentine's Day. We don't typically do anything real big for this occasion. We have gone out to dinner in the past but always as a family, not a romantic kind of date with just me and Ed. But the majority of the time I try to cook a special dinner at home. We typically exchange cards and give cards and a little candy to the girls, maybe a small stuffed animal or toy, but nothing crazy. Per tradition I made a special dinner of lobster and shrimp ravioli for me and Ed, just plain cheese ravioli for the girls. We set the table a little fancier than usual. (On a side note, one of the moms in Samantha's ballet class told me they also have a special family dinner at home for Valentine's Day but they all, including mom and dad, get dressed up for dinner. I think I may have to steal this idea for next year. The girls would love a super fancy, dress up kind of dinner!)

This year was a little different as far as gifts thanks to Ed. He had called me a couple of weeks prior to Valentine's while I was on my way to my sister's house for a visit. He simply asked if I had gotten the girls anything yet and I told him just cards and a little box of chocolates. He then told me not to get anything else,  he had taken care of it, but refused to even give me a hint. So when he brought a big red box in the house a day or two before Valentine's Day I was dying to know what he could have gotten! 

I'll be honest, the next morning I had to examine the present a little further. I knew it was professionally wrapped, there was definitely no way Ed had wrapped that present! And then there was this interesting little label with a letter and number hand written on the bottom corner of the back of the present. Long story short, I had no idea what it was and I was dying to know. It did not take much convincing myself or Ed, we let the girls open this gift the night before Valentine's. Ha! I was so shocked. I don't think I would have ever guessed that my sweet hubby would have thought to get the girls America Girl Bitty Baby Twins!

Gabrielle has been asking for an American Girl doll for a while now but these dolls are a bit of an investment and we had decided - or at least I thought we had decided - to wait until she was a little bit older. Gabrielle named her doll Lindsay and has been taking very good care of her. Samantha has not quite hit the doll phase. She loves her little Belle baby she got for Christmas when she was one but that is the only doll she really pays any attention. For now the American girl doll is sitting on her dresser and I'm sure she will love her once she is a little older.

This is the Valentine Gabrielle made me and Ed at school.

Target had a special story time on Saturday morning to celebrate the upcoming release of 

"The Lorax" movie and also Dr. Seuss's birthday in March. Both girls enjoyed story time 

and their goody bags but Samantha was the only one willing to get near the Cat in the Hat.

I came home with two little Loraxes thanks to the mustaches in the goody bags.

And finally I took the girls to get their hair trimmed on Saturday. Gabrielle has been asking for bangs for a while now, especially since I had mine cut a month ago. Ed was hesitant but agreed if it was okay with me. I think bangs make her look a little older but I still think they are super cute on her!

Samantha wanted to show off her hair cut in pictures too. We just barely trimmed hers for now. I think the next hair cut might have to be a bit more dramatic and get it just above her shoulders. She still has a lot of fine baby hair and a lot of new hair growing in. With fine, thin hair, the longer it gets the stringier I think it looks as well it is constantly tangled and difficult to really do anything with. I think a little bob just touching her shoulders would do a world of good. I did the same with Gabrielle when she was about this age. It must be that Samantha is the "baby" and our last child because Ed for some reason is hesitant to get her hair cut that short yet. Or maybe I just didn't ask for his opinion with Gabrielle!

She is definitely the silly one. She enjoys getting a laugh out of us.

Well, not quite the quick short blog post I had planned but at least I feel like I've caught you up a little bit with the Lingg family happenings!

Guilty Pleasures

For many of us, this was a long weekend. For me, it was a long weekend full of guilty pleasures (GP). No worries - nothing too scandalous.

Friday was our family night. The girls had a play date directly after picking Gabrielle up from school. It made for a fun, but exhausting day. Ed also had a long, exhausting day at work so we kept our family fun night as laid back as we could get away with. After going out for pizza (GP #1), we came home, changed into our pajamas and all snuggled up in Mommy & Daddy's bed for a movie (GP #2). Earlier on Friday I had dvr'd (what in the world would I do without my dvr!!) Disney's Robin Hood. This is Ed's favorite Disney movie and the girls had never seen it. They both really enjoyed it and in fact have been playing Robin hood ever since.

Saturday it was COLD! Samantha and I are both struggling to not let colds take over which seemed like a good excuse to not leave the house for any reason. ツ . Ed had another long day of work. The girls and I had already eaten dinner by the time he got home. While he was eating I gave the girls a bath and got them ready for bed. I then left them in Daddy's trusty hands for bedtime and I headed out to do some much needed grocery shopping solo (GP #3). It was heavenly to walk at my own pace, stroll around and browse the Super Target aisles while sipping on some Starbucks (GP #4). I decided to try out a new beverage. It was late and I did not necessarily need the caffeine so I opted for an unsweetened Green Tea. To be honest, I really did not think I would like it. I am a southern girl who loves her sweet tea. But the unsweetened green tea had been suggested by someone as way to still enjoy Starbucks without the high calorie coffee drinks. So what the heck, I gave it a try and surprisingly, I really enjoyed it! Now, will this unsweetened green tea replace my skinny mochas or my seasonal pumpkin spice lattes? Not a chance, but life is all about choices and balance, and the unsweetened green tea will be a nice, healthier alternative from time to time.

I came home to a quiet house. The girls were sound asleep and Ed was just about there himself. After putting the groceries away, I sat myself on the couch in front of the television and watched the Miss America Pageant (GP #5) while prepping my lesson and crafts for Sunday school. I can remember watching Miss America and Miss USA and even Miss Universe growing up and I still love watching those pageants just as much now! I love the talent part of the show, which I think they did away with broadcasting for a few years and I am so glad they brought it back, and I love the beautiful gowns. Maybe one day I'll have a reason to wear a glittery, sparkly gown and maybe even a tiara? LOL! 

Sunday was another relaxing day. We had church in the morning and then spent the rest of the day as a day of rest. I wish every Sunday could be like this one but unfortunately that is rarely the case. I was able to read the majority of the afternoon. For dinner we had frozen pizza (GP #6) and I watched the Live from the Red Carpet of the Golden Globes (GP #7). More gorgeous gowns!! And few "what in the world were they thinking wearing that???" Ha!!

Ed was back at work today but Gabrielle did not have school. I had promised Gabrielle we would do something fun - go see Disney's Beauty & the Beast in 3D at the theater. When I looked online and realized the matinee was going to cost us $27.50 I knew I had to change plans. I tried to explain to Gabrielle why but she instantly starting crying. I decided it was well worth the $27.50 to keep my promise and not break my little girl's heart. I did learn a valuable lesson however: Do NOT make any promises to my children without finding out all the details first!! After tickets, popcorn, candy and Sprites (GP #8) our afternoon outing cost us $36!! But it ended up being worth it. I wish I could have taken pictures of my girls while in the theater because they were just about the cutest little things ever. Gabrielle was sitting all prim and proper on the edge of her seat, with her little tray of movie goodies in her lap and her 3D glasses resting on the tip of her nose. She slowly enjoyed her treats, one at a time, being sure to not spill anything or make a mess. On the other side of me was Samantha, sitting diagonal in her seat, completely stretched out and laid back, feet propped on the armrest, shoveling popcorn and skittles in her mouth by the handful. She said her glasses were sunglasses and since we weren't outside in the sun there was no reason to wear them. Ha! The girls loved the movie and it was definitely a special treat for the three of us. We did see a few previews that looked promising, Dr. Seuss's The Lorax being the favorite for both girls, also in 3D. Since they did so well this afternoon I think we might have to make a point to see The Lorax as a family in March. 

And that wraps up my weekend of guilty pleasures.

Oh, I finally got my hair cut on Thursday - I had not even had a trim since September and my hair was out of control!! I wanted something different without going drastic so I opted for bangs. What do you think?

 

To be honest, my first reaction was "Oh well, guess I'll be wearing a lot of barrettes and bobby pins until these grow out!!". It's amazing how different a person can look by just adding bangs. I have not had bangs since, oh, I'd say 8th grade. It had been a while and I was a little in shock at first. But now the look has grown on me and I actually really like them. The above pictures are from the day of my haircut which is why my hair is exceptionally straight. I never get it that straight myself!! But I think I like the bangs even more when I wear it a little more naturally, with some curl and body to the rest of my hair. Now I'm thinking "Oh great, guess I'll be going in to have my bangs trimmed every three weeks!" Ha ha ha!