The Big 3-0!

Today is my 30th Birthday! The BIG 3-0! How did it come so quickly?

I had a WONDERFUL weekend. I am so blessed to have such great family and friends. On Friday, the girls from church took Amy B. and I to Abuelos for our 30th birthdays. It was so fun to have some girl time! :) I am so mad I did not get a picture of everyone there though! Then a few of us went and saw Definitely, Maybe at the movies. It was cute and something I had really wanted to see! When I got home about midnight that night, I came in to the sounds of my sweet husband with the stomach bug. I had the bug on Thursday and I guess I gave it to him for Friday. The sweet boy didn't even call me to tell me he was sick because he didn't want to mess up my girls bday night! What a sweetie! Luckily he felt better the next morning.

On Saturday my parents kept Carley so Cody and I could go to lunch at Cheddars and then to go see Vantage Point. (I liked it alot. It was unique and entertaining.) We had fun just being together and then my parents kept Carley for an extra hour so I could go take a NAP! YAY!!!!! After my wonderful nap, we met Cody's special family, the Spann's for birhtday dinner at Carinos. They were so sweet. Cody surprised me with a big cookie cake for dessert! It was so fun. I had such a good time with these sweet people.

Then Sunday morning Carley sang me the sweetest rendition of Happy Birthday. Cody had prepped her so well! We went to church and got to see so many of my sweet friends and family friends and was wished Happy Birthday by so many people I love. Also, today was Baby Blessing Day. It warmed my heart to see so many special babies there that I had prayed for and loved that God blessed us with this year! Right after class I was in the auditorium, just chatting with my friends when someone told me I needed to go in hallway. They looked concerned so I went. I looked up and saw my sister and my nieces! They had flew in and surprised me for my birthday! Tears started coming down my face. It was SO great to have them here and especially fun with a surprise! We went to Rosas and ate with my parents and then went over to mom and dad's for birthday cake! My mom made the MOST delicious strawberry cake ever! Then I got to open presents! Cody gave me an IPOD and my parents gave me a beautiful pearl drop necklace. My sister gave me all sorts of fun scrapbooking stuff, a new purse, lip gloss, and took me to see The Other Boleyn Girl. (It was a hard movie to watch, but VERY interesting). Then we went to Texas Roadhouse for a yummy dinner. After dinner we went back to my parents where my mom had ordered a cupcake tree full of cupcakes! My niece, Lauren, was especially excited about all the birthday surprises she had pulled off.

It was such a wonderful weekend. Did you notice 3 good movies at the theater, 5 delicious meals out, and 3 different desserts! , So many of you sweet bloggers sent cards, gift cards, jewelry (the year of the accessory), emails, ecards, text messages, and voice mails! Thanks for reading this long email and making my 30th bday so special!

Kids say the darnest things

Today, after work I picked up Carley and told her we need to run an errand on the way home. I told her we needed to get some groceries at the store. When she saw Walmart, my chatty little two year old said, "Wow, Walmart! How wonderful! It is beautiful!" I started laughing because I have never heard her say wonderful or beautiful before. Then we got out of the car and she started repeating those three little exclamations over and over again. I guess I am raising a true Walmart fan and I guess Walmart is wonderful and beautiful. Who knew?

Signing Time

"There's singing time, and dancing time, and laughing time, and playing time, and now it is our favorite time, Signing Time."

If you have kids, and you do not currently watch Signing Time, you need to do so. I am so serious! Signing Time is a TV show that airs once a week on PBS. (In Lubbock it is on Sunday mornings at 8:30) This show is so good. It is hosted by Rachel, her daughter Leah (who is deaf), and her nephew, Alex. Rachel and her family write all the songs and come up with the most creative ways to teach letters, numbers, and words. Carley LOVES this show. It is her favorite. It it totally educational. Cody and I are hooked on it too. Not only have we both learned lots of signs and songs, but Carley has also learned lots of concepts (seasons, colors, rooms in the house) too. Alyssa and I learned sign language when we were in the 5th grade at our elementary school. Then Alyssa went on to take some college courses for her Speech Path major. It is a neat and fun language to know about and to share with others. Cody loves it now too. Even my dad came over and watched it one afternoon and was enthralled and started practicing. It is a very family friendly 25 minutes on TV.

When I first heard about it, it was from Cody's sister-in-law. She said it was the only show that all of her kids liked. (She had 4 kids at the time). I was doubtful until I watched it. We are all believers now.

If you or your kids watch Singing Time, please back me up here. You know you watch it and you know you love it. Give Singing Time a try and let me know what you think!

Happy Late Valentines

I know it has been awhile since Valentine's, but we have just been having lots of family time lately and I haven't blogged about it. Cody and I have had the same tradition for years and I love it. We both take an afternoon off work (usually it is actually Valentine's Day, but this year it was the 13th) . We always go to lunch at Harrigan's, which is where we got engaged, and then go to a movie. We went and saw the Bucket List. It is very good. I really enjoyed it. Cody did too. We love our lunch date because the crowds are small, the movies are cheap, and Carley is at child care anyway. I highly recommend getting away during the day together. The conversation seems so much better too.

Carley had a cute Valentine's party at Granny's with her little friends. She really got into it, which was funny. The best part of all was the present she gave us. For a long time she has been saying "I love you" kind of smooshed together like "Ilauuu". It has been precious. When I picked her up on Valentine's she came running up and said, "I LOVE YOU, MOMMY!" It was so clear and the words had a huge space in between them. Granny had worked with her all day on it. It was so sweet.

I forgot to post some of my favorite pictures of my sister's visit last week.


I love to put the girl's hair in pig tails when they are here. It always cracks me up. Here they are in their Strawberry Shortcake outfits. Thanks, Nana


Here is my little buddy, Camryn. How cute is she?


This is Carley's best friend at Granny's. Her name is Abbi and she is just the sweetest girl. Carley is 6 months older than Abbi and she keeps Abbi hopping all day long. They dressed alike for Valentine's Day.



Carley got a diaper bag and a kick gym for her baby dolls that matches the stroller and bed she got from Santa for Christmas.


Finally, here is my drama daughter posing and telling the paparazzi to keep their distance.

Who Pimped My Blog?

The answer is Melody M. Her link is on the right side of my page. Thanks, Melo! I love it! Contact her if you would like her to jazz up your blog as well!

catching up

First of all, thanks for the 31 comments last time and votes of encouragement on the hair. So far it has been a success. You blogger girls are always there for me.

My sister and her girls were in town this weekend. We had so much fun being together. We shopped, went and saw Fool's Gold, and ate some good food. It is always so fun to be around my sister and her girls. Poor little Camryn ended up with a high fever and an ear infection. She was still a trooper though. Carley is missing her cousins so much.

The writer's strike seems to be over so I am very excited about the prospects of some new TV shows. Thank goodness I have had Lost and Friday Night Lights to keep me going.

Finally, I will close with a sweet Carley moment. She loves to play with her sweet little baby dolls. I came into the kitchen the other day and she had made a make shift high chair for her baby Ariel and was feeding her "applesauce". Sometimes she is so creative and inventive. I just love watching her grow and change.

I'm not a girl.....not yet a woman

The famous poet Brittany Spears sang this lovely ballad years ago when I felt more like a girl. Lately I have been wanting to look and feel different. I am not 22 anymore, but I don't want to feel like I am 42 either. In December, I deemed 2008 the "year of the accessory" and my family helped by buying me lots of fun and cute jewelry for Christmas. This started my journey into trying to look and feel more trendy, when really, I am not trendy at all.

Yesterday I woke up and decided it was time for a new hairstyle so I called a girl that had cut a friend's hair and got my hair all cut off. I have not had layers this short since birth. We will see how it goes. I was able to somewhat style it this morning. Here I am about to go to work. I am very nervous to debut my new look. Wish me luck.

Happy 30th Jessica!

We celebrated Jessica's 30th birthday tonight. Jessica is one of my dearest friends. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding and she is part of Cody's (honorary) family. She always says we are more than family and more than friends. I love this girl and her sweet and caring heart!

Here are pictures of Cody's family as well. I have talked about the Spanns so much, that I thought I would post some pictures!

The first one is me and Jessica
Then you have Faith (Jessica and Aaron's daughter) and Carley
Below is Cody with Oleta who he calls mom
Then Aaron (Cody's oldest brother), Jessica, and their son Alex.
And Cody with his arm around Tim (the best friend that let us be their family)









Below them is Jason (the youngest Spann brother) and their son Kooper.
The next one is Brindy (Jason's wife) and their sweet new baby Peytonn Claire. Can you believe this is their 5th child??
Then Tim and his girlfriend Mandie with 3 of Jason's kids, Kooper, Peytonn, and Jaycie.
The picture with the 4 adults are Cody's uncle and aunt and then Frank and Oleta.
Cody and Carley had so much fun playing. Here is Carley cheating at Skiball and Air Hockey!

Lost

It is back tonight and I can't wait! Even the enhanced rerun last night was good.

Hope this season is the best yet!

You have to let me know what you think.

The Grossest Dinner EVER

Oh my goodness, I just cooked the nastiest meal ever. It was a casserole recommended by someone I know and man, it was gross.

Here is the story, last night we had growth group. All the families take turns cooking for the group. Last night there were about 40 there. It was my turn to cook. Keep in mind, this is not a time to show off your culinary skills. Half of the eaters are kids so you want something everyone will eat. I cooked hot dogs. They were good, you know, you can't really mess up hot dogs. We ended up with about 20 left over. I was laughing that we were going to have hot dogs for a week. One of the ladies there said she had picked up a recipe at Market Street that used hot dogs and I should try it. The recipe was for "County Fair Hot Dog Casserole". I know, it sounds HORRIBLE!!! But, the ingredients were some of my favorite things like Jiffy Cornbread mix, Velveeta, sour cream, and stuff like that. The kicker was it also had hot dog wieners in it. I know, I know, I should have known better. The recipe had a high rating from Market Street, and normally I LOVE their concoctions. I went to work today and was talking about it. One of the teachers said she made it for her boys all the time growing up and they loved it. Another said she always made it for 4th of July. So, I tried it.

Let me tell you, it looked and smelled SO GOOD! Cody came home and we couldn't wait to try it. The first couple of bites were good. Then the aftertaste started to catch up with us. Here it is, 2 hours, later, and we are both glued to the bathroom. Oh man! What was I thinking??

Here was the recipe:

1 pkg Ball Park franks
1 package cornbread mix
16 oz Velveeta cubed
2 eggs
1 cups sour cream
1/3 cup oil

1. Boil franks for 4-5 minutes. Cut into 1 inch pieces
2. In a bowl mix cornbread mix, eggs, sour cream, and oil.
3. all cubes of Velveeta and cut up hot dog bites
4. Pour in 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.



Anyone brave enough to try it?

Still

We sang this song at church this morning and the words really struck me today.

It seems everyone I talk to has a lot going on right now. Some are burdened with loss of a loved one, with big decisions in their families, with financial woes, with sick kids, with infertility, with indecision, with job changes, and just with busy lives.

Take the time to listen, read, and reflect on this beautiful Psalm that was made into a song and say a prayer for eachother and for friends who need it.

Still
Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
within your mighty hand

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know His power
In quietness and trust

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Praying a Smile Can Make a Difference

This past weekend a friend of Cody's from EMS committed suicide. He was 39. He and his wife had been having a few marital problems and they were separating for the time being. He had 3 kids. Last week he changed the song on his My Space to "Amazing Grace" and his phrase to "Things are hard right now. Don't give up. I'll keep praying". Matt shot himself on Saturday afternoon. Cody is honor guard at his funeral on Thursday.

Last night on NBC Nightly News Brian Williams said that the last week in January has the highest rate of suicide. He said that the holidays are over, bills are in, the weather is grim, and that people are the least motivated at all. Brian said they best thing we can do to combat depression is to smile at every one we meet.

Of course, I know that knowing you are loved by Jesus is the only way to combat depression. I know that knowing your time on Earth is temporary and that one day soon we will all be called home is what gets me through the hard days. That being said, January has been a crappy month for us and sometimes my countenance reflects that too much. I get caught up in the things of this world, the things I want and don't have, the things I think I need to be happy, and I mope around all day thinking about myself.

I am going to make a true effort for the last 7 days of January to smile. I am going to try and be patient in the check out line of Walmart. I am going to give grace to the teachers running late to school. I am going to try and radiate the true joy that is in my heart and try to smile at those I meet. Let's smile our ways through a hard week for many people.

Tom Cruise on Scientology

I found this weird, interesting, and scary. What about you?

Watch this video.

http://gawker.com/5002269/the-cruise-indoctrination-video-scientology-tried-to-suppress

Two Year Pictures

Movies over the break

Cody and I watched several movies over the break. Here are my movie reviews and thoughts. Let me know what you thought of these as well.

Charlie Wilson's War - I thought this was a very well written, informative, and entertaining movie. It is definitely eye opening to the positives and negatives of power and politics. The language is filthy. I found the movie fascinating and fast paced. I would definitely recommend it.

National Treasure 2 - It is good, not amazing, but good. Nicolas Cage's hair bothered and distracted me through the movie, but other than that it was another neat story. It makes me hope for buried treasure and that one day I will uncover a mystery to solve. Go in with lowered expectations and you will enjoy it.

Mr. Brooks - Cody and I rented this and loved it. It is VERY good. I must say it is a little naughty though. It is about a normal man who is a serial killer on the side. It is a captivating movie and you won't be able to blink until it is over. It is a great rental!

Shrek 3 - It was cute and clever. We rented it. I didn't the music was as great as the first and I thought Justin Timberlake was weak. It was worth a rental though.

Bourne Ultimatum - Another rental. It was SO fast paced. I should have rewatched the second one before I saw this one. It was a good story. I would have rather seen it in the theaters instead of on the TV and I think we would have liked it more.

Angel Falls, Big Montana Sky, Carolina Moon - These are all Nora Roberts books made into Lifetime movies. I thought they were all good. Check out old Lifetime television and see when any of these three are airing again. They are worth a lazy Saturday afternoon on the couch for sure. Please tell me some of you have seen these movies! *Note: Cody Nelson did not watch any of these movies with me nor does he think they are worth blogging about at all. I disagree and therefore they are posted.

Finally I want to think ABC Family, the Hallmark Channel, and FaLaLaLifetime for the pure enjoyment of the made for TV Christmas movies that aired all December. A special thanks to "Single Santa Seeking Mrs. Clause", "The Christmas Card", "A Boyfriend for Christmas", and "The Christmas Shoes" for your excellent Christmas fun. An extra special thanks to "The Christmas Gift" from 1986 for allowing me to see John Denver in a fine acting role.

So what have you been watching?

Carley's Elmo Party

Since Carley's bday and party were on 12/28 I had to wait until I had posted the Christmas pictures to post her party pictures. We had a great family party. It was so nice to do a small party instead of a huge one. I may never go back. Carley, of course, had an Elmo party with Sesame Street cupcakes. It was so wonderful. We are so blessed by our families. My parents were able come and so was Alyssa's family who hung around an extra day to celebrate with us. My sweet brother-in-law (and brother-in-love) Clint flew back in for the party. Also Cody's honorary family, the Spanns were here. I have blogged about them before and need to again, but they are just an amazing part of our family.

I read a neat idea in a magazine and was very thankful to copy it. Here is our birthday tree. It was a perfect way to decorate our Christmas decorations for Carley's birthday. We wrapped the tree in bright yellow streamers and also in Elmo bday streamers. We told Carley it was her special birthday tree and she loved it. We put bday presents around the tree and she thought is was so cool. Any of you with birthdays close to Christmas are welcome to steal this fun idea too if you want.

I loved her cupcakes. The character's faces came out so cute!

Here are our nieces Lauren and Camryn and our honorary niece (from Cody's bonus family) Faith sitting at the table Nana and Papa gave Carley for her birthday! Our honorary nephew Alex is precious and he sat in the high chair.

Our birthday girl had such a good time! Doesn't she look so old in this picture?