First Friday of 2013!

High 5, Friday! 2013 is already shaping up to be a great year, and to prove this point, I'd like to share a few awesome things from the week.

1 & 2. New Year's Eve & New Year's Day
Hello great days. You, NYE2012, were not a typical Monday. You brought sleeping in, buying a memory foam mattress topper, an afternoon with my Little, an OKC Thunder game (and win!) AND walking around Bricktown! New Years Day, among other awesome things, brought the first Cowboy win of 2013. I'd say we're starting this year off right, you think? No joke, NYE and NYD (can I do that?), you two days are definite winners in my book. High. Five.

3. Sleeping

Alright, we all love sleep, I know. But like I said, I got a memory foam mattress topper on NYE, and to make it even better, I got it for cheap. Thanks to an incredible sale at Kohl's and the Kohl's Cash my mom gave me, I literally paid just over $5 for the most wonderful thing I've ever slept on. Regardless of how late I got home on NYE night, I was determined to put it on my bed. And oh my goodness I am so glad I did. I've probably thanked my mom at least eight times for giving me the Kohl's Cash to help buy the heavenly cloud-like surface I'm sleeping on, but I mean when I say it is amazing. Mom also had a new pillow that she gave to me, which is the perfect combination of fluffy and firm. I've seriously been having the best nights of sleep EVER for the last four nights. When you add on the footie pajamas I got for Christmas, sleep couldn't get much better.

Yes, that is my sideways foot that only goes to the beginning of the fox's eye.

4. The conversation I had with my Big on Thursday. 

It went from bragging on my social media skills to her calling me out on missing some very important/interesting news that I should have easily known well before our conversation had I actually been my social media ninja self lately. No worries, I'm stepping up my game. This made the high five list because the best conversations we have are typically hilarious and out of nowhere, and I'm so thankful for people like Caylee :)

5. Tate "saying" Go Pokes, much to his Sooner Mommy's dismay :) 

Lori & Tate came to watch Kaden play basketball against Minco Thursday night, and Auntie Shae had to teach him new tricks. We are also working on "Go Panthers!" and the Lori-approved "Go Kaden!"

Bonus: I've actually blogged multiple times this week. Guys, we might be onto something. Go 2013! :)

PS - happy ORANGE FRIDAY! #duh.

Monogram

I had a dream the other night, and after telling Lori about it, she told me I must share it with the blog so you all may enjoy it and laugh at our silliness - and a warning - in case you've forgotten, we have very active imaginations.

So I was asleep one night, enjoying a peaceful night of wonderful rest, when suddenly Lori decides to make a dramatic appearance in my dream. She brought Tate, Patrick, Brenna, Audrey and her parents along too. Lori burst into my dream to tell me that four month old Tate was about to be a big brother - to 8 babies. Octomom, much? She also, in standard Lori fashion, wasn't making us wait long to meet Tate's new siblings; the babies - all girls - were due, like, immediately.

We all gathered at Lori's house, in Tate's room, to meet the new tiny humans. They are all lined up in their cribs, which were tiny-sized, because all eight, plus Tate, were in one room. She introduced us to the babies one by one, and soon discovered she had a bit of a problem.

Picking up baby 1, she introduced us to Apple. Baby 2, she said, was Monogram, spelled mMm. When she picked up baby 3, she realized it was unnamed...and so was baby 4, baby 5, baby 6, baby 7 and baby 8! Being the problem solver she is, Lori formulated a plan.

Rocking back and forth on her toes, facing the poor, unnamed babies, she informed us all that we would be wearing sandwich boards and walking around Minco to accept bids on a names for the babies. Clearly that made bout as much sense as naming a child mMm (which in my dream was perfectly logical) so off we went, wearing sandwich boards with sharpies attached.

Unfortunately I woke up at this point so I can't reveal the names of babies 3-8, but I'm sure the citizens of Minco had good taste when naming them. One was probably even named Windmill.

Tate time part 2

So as I said, I got to babysit Lori Jo's baby Tate the last two nights. He is such a great baby and we had a lot of fun snuggling. It's official - the Kennedy family (mom, dad and the boys hadn't met him until Monday) absolutely loves that tiny human. Kale loved holding him and watching TV, and Kaden helped him rock out to a little music :)

Monday night I barely slept at all... Every time I would doze off, I would freak out and worry about not hearing him! After a bottle around 11, he slept until 5:15ish!

Oh, Auntie Shae, I will definitely wake you up if I need you. Sleep a little!!




On Tuesday night, I took that advice and actually got some sleep...until around 2, when he decided he needed food. Oh, and a diaper change, of course. I went back to sleep thinking how lucky I've been that he hadn't had a dirty diaper the whole time I'd had him (I don't like smelly things).

Little did I know, he had other plans...when he woke up at 6, he was definitely a little squirmy. That is when I discovered he had left me a stinky little present. I guess that teaches me to count my chickens before they hatch!

This week was such a fun time getting to have play time with Baby Tate. Any time his grandparents would like to visit cousin Clara I will gladly take over their duties!

Tate time part 1: he tooted...

Lori Jo asked if Auntie Shae (and Nana Kim) would mind helping with Tate while her mom and dad visited Tate's new cousin, Clara! Of course, I was over the moon excited about keeping the little ninja.

He's been here for two hours so far and has already reminded me of his stinky toots. We have watched MNF, and he helped me cheer for Eric Decker, who is on my fantasy team...right until he decided to fall asleep. What a fan. :)

Stock show season?

Guys, I guess it really is stock show season - not fall, autumn, or as I call it, football season. How do I know this? Well, every day, the search results on my little blog increase for one song - Livestock Show (because of this post from earlier this year) - and one very disturbing search term. I'm assuming these searches are coming from some ag students needing music for the drive to Tulsa in a few weeks and/or they're practicing judging. At least that's what I'm pretending. Anyway, on to more fun.

This weekend was a blast. Friday night I had dinner with one of my sweet g-littles in Norman. She happened to be an athletic trainer for the football team last year and got a little bling when the Cowboys won the Big 12. She brought it along to dinner and I had the honor of trying this monster of a ring on!


I also had a slumber party with one of my favorite tiny humans, Pailynn! We ate the inside of an Oreo, played with toys and watched the Rangers. I love that she is starting to figure out how to say my name - "Ae" is a perfectly acceptable form of "Shae!"


Saturday, Catie and I watched the 6A state cheer competition and went to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. Just after ordering our cokes, we were creeped on by a man old enough to be our dad. He and his group had left the table, and after it was cleaned off and we were seated, he returned, making a scene about them clearing his table while he was in the restroom. He sat down and demanded another drink to replace the one they supposedly took away. Meanwhile, his coworkers were supposedly in the car waiting on him. After about five minutes, they too showed up, and thankfully they were much nicer than their "pal" (and very obviously didn't want to be hanging out with him - awkward...). Finally, several outlandish stories later, he left, much to our relief! No pictures to document this evening, as I left my phone at home - sorry! Just believe me, it was a very awkward adventure.

The whole reason I was in Stillwater this weekend was for an event for work! It ended up being a great time and I had so much fun with coworkers, even though I was beyond exhausted by the time it was over. I love my job so much that the tiredness and the wind that made my hair gross didn't even really matter, though I will say, my bed never has looked so inviting. :)

Kaden and Kale's sister

15 years ago, I became a big sister. Kaden Lee Kennedy was born on our Great-Grandma Sparks' birthday, September 23, and three years and one day later, Kale Joe Kennedy was born, on September 24.

Kaden and Kale, my life changed so much with each of you. I was no longer the only child, and let me tell you, that was a bit of a shock ;) More importantly, God answered the prayer I had longed to have answered since I was a little bitty girl. I wanted to be a sister so badly. I still remember the excitement I felt when I found out each of you were on the way.

I want every day to be the best sister, friend, mentor and example I can be. I pray you will both continue to seek God's will for your lives and draw near to him. You are both incredible and talented guys. You have so much potential and I know you will reach all your goals. I am so proud of you. Thank you for giving me the title of "Kaden and Kale's sister" - I haven't had a better job title :)

I love you, Kaden Lee and Kale Joe. Happy birthday!!!!

[slideshow]

Tate teaches me a lesson

You guys remember Tate, right?






I hadn't visited him in almost two weeks, so when his mommy asked me to come over last night, I happily agreed.

Apparently Tate missed me and wanted to tell me his thoughts on my long absence:






me: "Lori...something feels warm, and wet..."
...
lori: "You're going to blog about this, right?" #DuhTwin

Baby Tate, you are lucky I love your tooty little booty! Thank you for the reminder that I should come over more often, I won't forget any time soon.

Love,
Auntie Shae

#FavoriteChild

My new job (can I still call it new almost three months later? good.) means my dad and I work just a few miles apart and he gets the honor of driving to work with me a few times a week. Unfortunately, dad's job sometimes means staying late, as we had to yesterday. Not a big deal, since I needed to make a HobLob stop on my way. Since he wasn't quite ready to go when I got there, I got to visit his office!

Let me tell you. His office is something to aspire to*. Not only is it giant, but it includes a nice chess set in one corner AND a putting green. The best part? It is practically dedicated to my awesomeness.

; ;
; ;

In addition to all the pictures, Daddy's office contains no less than three crafts made by yours truly (and if he doesn't watch it he'll end up with more!).

Dad, thank you for all the hard work you have put in over the years to provide for our family. God has truly blessed us.

*If you want all the work that comes along with it. Ehhhhh.

Remember me?

Dear blog friends,
Sorry I abandoned you for the last week and a half. My excuses, while weak, would sound something like "I got really, really busy" - but isn't that everyone's excuse? I'll get back to business this week. Deal? Cool. Meanwhile, here are some of the high notes:


My dear twin Lori Jo had her baby! Tate is one incredible baby and I am so excited for Lori. She is already showing off her Awesome Mommy skills with that kid. Clearly, I am a proud "Auntie" :)


Last weekend, I went to Tulsa to the PBR with Caylee, Maureen & Kim! There's just something about those long eight seconds that get me every time...it is so exciting.


I got to spend time with Pailynn & her parents, Katie & Jared! We went to dinner & shopping. You should understand that if a child wants something and I have the power to spoil them give it to them, they will get it. Pailynn wanted a sock monkey, so clearly, she got a sock monkey. :)



Apparently I am becoming a professional air traveler. Except maybe not. At any rate, I made a trip to Austin last week for work. I only took one Texas-y picture the entire time I was down there, while standing in the airport security line on the way home (#bloggerfail). Kiera asked me if I was excited for my first business trip - I think she expected mine to be as exciting as her parents' or my dad's...Singapore, Vegas, etc. While Austin might not be the exotic destination she had in mind, it was, overall, a good trip, and I learned a lot. And, in case you all aren't aware, I really love my new job.


Yes, that picture is purposely a lot bigger than anything else on the page. I just love Stillwater that much. This weekend, I headed north to Stillwater for a quick visit. In just 11 days, I will be back up, and in 12 days, cheering on my Cowboys again. I seriously cannot wait. Football season has become my favorite, not just because of all the orange and excitement, but because it means I get to go to my favorite town almost every weekend for a few months. There's nowhere quite like the place you make your best friends and memories.

Bull Riding and Barrel Racing

As you may know, the Tuttle Rodeo was this weekend. If you didn't go Thursday and Friday night, you missed out on good music. If you didn't go Saturday night, you missed the best entertainment I've had all weekend, and I'm talking about a weekend that included a tour of the Minco Metro.

Barrel racing has always been intriguing to me - I think it is so cool, but I could never ride a horse so fast around barrels. I would be terrified it would get dizzy and fall over! The junior barrels were cute as could be - tiny humans on big horses racing around, and you could tell they were all having a blast. I thought when the little boy on his mini horse raced that my "awe-o-meter" would just about break from overuse, but I clearly had no idea what was coming next: bull riding. I'm not talking about the eight second ride kind. No, I'm talking about the kind where a tiny human sits on a bull and prances him around the arena to run around barrels:


I couldn't stop laughing! This little girl and her bull were without a doubt the cutest things to step foot in the arena all weekend. They knew exactly what to do, and made the trip around all three barrels seamlessly. Also, those bull riders should take notes from her, because with a 78 second time, she definitely had the longest ride of the night!

The Metro

Surely you've all heard of the Metro. Oh, you're thinking of OKC? No, no. I mean the other metro - the Minco Metro. Though I've been there many times over the years - stock shows, #TwinTime, athletic events - I've never had The Official Minco Tour, and because of the conversations had that evening, Minco will now forever be known as the Metro to me.

Friday night, Lori Jo and I had Grady's for dinner and were watching a Redbox movie when her craving hit (#PreggoProbs). For those of you who don't know, Lori has wanted one thing for her entire pregnancy the last three months - snow cones. So, off we went to get her one.

There were fires all around the state on Friday*, so we went to Moon Tower to look at the smoke making its way across the sky. Mind you, I'd never heard of Moon Tower, so when she told me to drive to it, I had no idea where to go. It was at that instant that she decided to give me a tour of the Minco Metropolitan area.

When we go snow skiing, my family plays this game called "windmill." It's basically slug bug, minus punching and with windmills instead of cars. I don't know why, but our family just loves this game. So, imagine my excitement when we don't just drive by the Minco Metro Wind Farm (I'm not sure of the official name, so here's my vote), but we go smack dab to the middle of it! I could have won the game for sure. We also happened to be there as the sun was setting, which meant it was absolutely beautiful.


On our tour, I learned where Lori's cousin lives...and her other cousin...and her other cousin...and her other cousin...and her other cousin...and so on. I'm pretty sure she is related to literally everyone in Minco. I also learned the grocery store burned down two years ago (I had NO idea and thought for sure it was still standing.) and that Minco has two gas stations.

So, Minconians (is that what you're all called?), what is the one thing in town I need to see? And if you don't live in Minco, when are you giving me a tour of your hometown? You have high standards to meet!



*Speaking of the fires - pray for rain on the dry land, for the firemen battling the flames, and for the families living in the areas near the fires!

The time we made the Internet believe Lori was in labor*

Sunday, Lori and I were having some QTT (Quality Twin Time) and celebrating her birthday (hey, it's only about a month late, alright?). It was a marvelous afternoon full of laughter and Olympic watching. Audrey came by on her way home, and this is when Lori gave us The Scare.

"Ouch. There's a pain right here." (points to Tate, who currently resides in her tummy).

None of the three of us have children so we don't know what labor feels like. Clearly, there is cause for concern considering Lori went six months without even knowing she was expecting, so her not knowing what labor is wouldn't be a surprise. Oh, and I was NOT about to experience Tate's delivery in Lori's living room. Naturally, in our time of need, I turned to Twitter.

Also what does labor feel like? Asking for @lolojo, who will likely have the baby at home if we don't find out.

— Shae Kennedy (@shaeken) July 29, 2012

This, of course, got a few people worried. So, when Lori began getting messages about it, we decided a disclaimer was necessary.

Disclaimer: @lolojo isn't in labor...we were just wondering!

— Shae Kennedy (@shaeken) July 29, 2012

Don't worry. We have now learned Lori's bellybutton going numb is not labor.

We also asked Twitter about the rules to Water Polo. Though we got no answer (so help if you can), the reason we asked is because if this face is necessary during the game, it must be pretty darn epic game.

I mean, for real?!

Moving on. Lori's one craving has been snow cones. Considering it's summertime, I will fully support my dear twin any time she gets this craving. Let's be honest - I would support snow cones year round. They're just so darn good! Today, after much discussion about which snow cone stand would be open, we finally decided to drive to Chickasha to get a good one. As we were enjoying our treats, Lori decided that when I (hypothetically) get married, I need to have wedding cake flavored snow cones in lieu of actual cake. Wondering if it'd ever been done, I turned to Google.

Clearly, I could top that. On the birthday celebration front, if you see Lori walking around Minco, America with a blue floppy hat on, don't look at her like she's crazy. She's just pretending to be on the beach soaking up the sun, which is a story for another post.

*Fortunately for you, this post is even true! Ahem.

The time we built a fort*

Once upon the time, there were two friends. Their names were Lori and Shae and they were so alike they were practically twins.

One day, Lori found out she was going to soon have a tiny human. Weeks passed, and preparations were made. Lori's friends threw a party, she decorated a nursery and she ate a lot of sno cones.

As the day Tiny Human Ninja Tate was coming drew near, Lori and Shae discovered they needed to revisit childhood to ensure Lori was well prepared for motherhood. (except let's be honest...they hadn't grown up anyway!)

On the evening of July 24, Lori and Shae built an epic blanket fort, like the kind you see on Pinterest.




They also put terrible makeup on each other, from a Barbie case, because that is what kids do. They watched The Little Mermaid and sang and danced. They dressed Lori's dog, Harley, in crazy tutu outfits and read stories. They colored everything with glitter and wore gigantic bows.

And then, at the end of the evening, they took this picture, where they both (appropriately) look like 12 year olds.




As you can tell, Lori is now well prepared to have Tate join the world.

*And in case you we're wondering, this was all make believe. We were boring old ladies who watched tv and talked about knitting nothing. Although with this great imagination, I would say Lori is still pretty well prepared, even if we didn't make a blanket fort!

A wedding and a baby

Completely unrelated and completely not mine, by the way.

This weekend, one of my cousins got married! He looked incredibly happy and his bride was beautiful. I always think it's super awkward when people pull out their cell phones to take pictures of the bride and groom during the wedding (There are professionals for that. I will probably make a no cell phone rule when I get married. Okay maybe not. But for real, please don't do it.) so clearly I don't have any pictures showing the actual wedding. However, the decor was most definitely Pinterest worthy!
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300"]I played the part of wedding singer at the wedding. It was outside and thankfully it was a beautiful evening![/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300"]Is there any more perfect way to drink sweet tea than in a mason jar? I think not. [/caption]

Cousins on the other side of the family, Tyler and Carla, are expecting their second baby in just a few weeks! On Sunday I went to a shower for them. We wrote notes of advice - because clearly I have so much advice to offer - and decorated onezies. The cutest one was probably decorated by big brother to be - it spelled out baby's name and included a monster drawing. Clearly that kid knows what's about to hit! :)
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300"]The onezie I decorated at the shower[/caption]

In other news, my brother is now considering offering a dowry for me. Gosh, I'm so loved.

Update: when telling Caylee about my brother's idea, she informed me that's pretty much a bribe. Keeps getting better.

Little Baby Hendrix

On Saturday, I, along with Brenna, Annessa and Audrey, had the pleasure of hosting a baby shower for Lori Jo. As I've said before, Lori is the mommy to be of Tate Jaxon and blogs over at On the Go With Lori Jo (Brenna is also a blogger, over here.).


Lori & me at the shower...#TwinLove.

While we were setting up for the baby shower on Friday night, I looked down and realized I was wearing the same shoe...in different colors! Darn you, Nine West, for having such comfortable flats that I had to buy the orange and black version. I don't think I had worn them like that all day at work.

Anyway, the theme for the baby shower was books, so we asked each guest to bring a children's book to begin building Tate's library....gotta have a smart little mister!

I designed a Little Golden Book for the invitations, aptly titled Little Baby Hendrix. There was also a matching gift record. For the guest book, we had everyone sign the inside cover of a hardback book. We served Green Deviled Eggs and Hot Ham & Cheese sandwiches, Pigs in a Blanket and more. We also had cupcakes with book cutout toppers. The decorations were all book-themed as well, and I would have to brag on us for a second and say we pretty much rocked that baby shower. The root of most of our ideas can be found here. I really think Lori has the craftiest friends, because she got handmade bow ties, a diaper cake, an afghan, some custom OU & Minco outfits and so many more awesome creative gifts. Clearly she also got many of those much-needed baby essentials, and I think all she has left to do now is actually have her tiny human. :) Tate Jaxon, Auntie Shae cannot wait to meet you!!

Little Baby Hendrix invitation: Text blacked out for privacy...sorry!

Back cover, front cover.

Inside front, inside back.

Prayers for Tate cards, which were filled out by guests and bound into a book:


Little Baby Hendrix - original design, with idea from Little Golden Books. Prayer cards, idea via Pinterest, here and here. Please give credit if you copy, or better yet, contact me and I'll design for you! Thanks!