Take me Out to the Ballpark!

 

It's officially Spring, even though the weather isn't cooperating, and at our home that means BASEBALL! 

 

I absolutely LOVE this time of year.  As I sit here and type I've sneezed approximately 100 times already this morning and my nose is running profusely despite the Sudafed I took an hour ago.  So, you would think I'd be run down or becoming a hermit to avoid the pollen and mountain cedar in the air. However, I have baseball games to attend.  This year I have my own two little super stars to watch on the field. 

 

Gone are the days of the 3 second delay between catching the ball and knowing what to do with it.  Gone are the days where they play in the dirt as a fly ball literally flies right past them.  Gone are the days where we strike out when we are hitting off a tee.  Brooks and Bosten have officially become little "Ballers" so to speak and are quite the little baseball players.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love to brag on my kids, and I do see them through a Mother's eyes no matter what they do.  However, truly from an unbiased look at them, they are quite good little ball players. They are just a joy to watch and I absolutely love every minute of it and can't get enough of it. 

 

This weekend they had a two day tournament in Coppell with their Elite 8u team, The Crushers!

We spent the entire weekend driving back and forth from Coppell, an hour for us Country Folk, and eating from the concession stand anything and everything that sounded good.  We braved freezing temperatures and strong winds.  And can I just say, I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT! 

 

I would happily do it again today if it weren't for that darn thing called school.  I love watching my boys and all of their friends get better and better each week and play hard 6 different games this week. 

 

I'm  sure that sounds like a lot, but for me and my family, we just can't get enough.  We love it!  Brooks is the Catcher for the Crushers and does a great job of being ready and taking people down at home just as they think they've got the run.  Bam, they hit a wall aka Brooks, and their out.  Bosten plays First Base and consistently makes the plays game after game after game. He is truly a thinker and in the game of baseball, his forward thinking serves him very well.  When I watch him, I feel like I'm watching someone truly live out their gifts and it is just an amazing feeling as his Mom. 

 

Both boys can and do hit the baseball pretty consistently.  They show up for their team each and every game and I am truly proud of their efforts.  I cannot wait for the years to come of watching this in this great sport.

 

I'd like to also note, that we are VERY intentional about not putting pressure on them to play baseball, even though we love the sport.  Their love has been a very natural progression and that makes it even more special to watch. I can't wait to see what they do with their talent in the years to come. 

 

 

 

Bosten, getting ready to rip it. 

 

Brooks, right after he mowed someone down at home plate to make a crucial out. 

 

 

Both boys after their tournament, and a 3rd place finish out of 11 teams!  Go Crushers!  We were thrilled with this given the level of competition. 

 

Their fan club!  These girls braved the cold to watch the boys play this weekend and were super supportive fans. 

 

 

We also made a little time for fun this weekend around the tournament.  We took the kids bowling on Friday night with some good friends of ours.  They had a great time and each got to bring a friend along. 

 

 

Mackenzie and P! 

 

 The Three Amigos!  These three are truly the best of friends.  We sure do love our Grant!



 

We also got to enjoy some time with our family celebrating Easter with Ryan and Lisa and the Cousins while they were in town from Kansas City.  I truly miss seeing them more often and was very grateful for the wonderful dinner that Cheryl put on so that we could all celebrate Easter together a little bit early.  It was  great evening of Cousin fun!

We had a wonderful weekend as a family and woke up Monday morning feeling like we needed another weekend to recover from this weekend, but I wouldn't have it any other way. 

 

-B-



For the Love of So Cal!

 Dustin and I had the joy of celebrating our 10 year wedding Anniversary in my favorite place, Southern California, this month.   Dustin had only been for work a few times and had never toured the area like I grew up doing.  I wanted so badly to show him that side of me and why I love it there so much.  I just knew he would love it too, and boy did he!

 

I think if family weren't our absolute number one most important thing in our lives, we would move there in a heartbeat.  WE LOVED IT!   I'm pretty sure most of my family would try to follow us out there if there was a reason to go, but if not, we would just miss them all way too much. 

 

So, why is So. California our favorite place on earth?  Well besides the beaches and beautiful year round weather, its just the laid back attitude and love of the outdoors and fitness and all things natural.  Dustin loves the dog love and how everyone seems to have a Golden Retriever, the best dogs on the planet.  I think if Dustin could walk his dogs on the beach every day for the rest of his life, he would be content. 

 

I just love the active lifestyle and the chill vibe that goes along with life there.  Everything is so casual and surprisingly not pretentious.  I feel relaxed and at home when I'm there. 

 

Unfortunately our weather wasn't great that weekend.  We started the Friday off by going to the hotel and checking out our room and then eating the most delicious pizza every in the lobby.  I drank a glass of wine and ate this amazing pizza and talked with my honey, and all was right with the world. 

 

After this, we went up and got ready for dinner.  I desperately wanted Dustin to see Coronado and to fall in love with that island the way that I had a few years ago.  Unfortunately, it was cold and rainy and just not a great day or night for dinner overlooking the water.  We cancelled our reservation and ended up eating at a cute and yummy little tapas restaurant right in the middle of town.  Since it was pouring rain, we went to see a movie after dinner.  It wasn't really what I dreamed of traveling all the way to California to do, see a movie, but it was a cute and quaint little theatre and we didn't have kids to quiet down, and we ate popcorn and held hands and had a great time. 

 

Saturday, we woke up and had the most amazing breakfast buffet at our hotel.  They had absolutely everything you could imagine to eat.  I had so much fun trying new stuff because I love food adventures.  I ate more that weekend than I had in a long time. We left our hotel and took a drive up the PCH towards Huntington Beach to meet up with Dustin's work friend and her Husband for lunch. 

 

We had a great day with Hillary and Rob.  They took us on a nice bike ride into town and we ate at a great little restaurant and drank wine and watched beach volleyball.  After lunch, we went riding for a bit longer and then said our good bye's. Dustin and I walked the Huntington Pier together and watched the surfers do their thing.  Then we went to a few gift shops to buy the kids some souvenirs. 

 

Next, we drove up the coast back towards San Diego stopping at every little beach town along the way for a new experience.  We accidentally drove our car right onto a fairy at one point in Newport and took a little ride across the ocean a bit to Balboa while still in our car.  That was fun and random, but worked out wonderfully.  Then we ate appetizers and drank margaritas overlooking the most beautiful view in Laguna Beach. 

 

The next morning, we got up and headed out to La Jolla, another one of my favorite places.  We walked the streets full of incredible art galleries and made our way down the steep streets to the public park where the seal beach is.  We walked down on the beach and observed hundreds of seals on the beach just resting from the high tides caused by the weather.  It was so fascinating.  Dustin loved this part, as I knew his animal loving heart would.  We walked around the whole park enjoying the view of the cliffs, the seals, and Torrey Pines golf course in the distance.  We had a great morning, and the sun was finally shining, and we longed for just one more day.

 

However, we missed our babies and had checked all of our to do's off of our check list and headed home that afternoon around 2pm.  It was a wonderful trip and we truly enjoyed taking a little time to celebrate our marriage and all that we have accomplished together in the past 10 years of marriage. Our greatest achievement is obviously our 3 beautiful and perfect children.  In addition to that I am lucky enough to be married to my very best friend and a man that I can truly be myself around and who will support me through anything at all. I will do the same for him and I am his biggest fan.  We work hard at our marriage and the reward is so incredibly worth it.  I feel safe with Dustin and like I have a true partner in my life that will be there in all the highs and all the lows to share in all of it with me.  I love that man.  Happy 10 years to my sweet Dustin Dwinell!

 

 

Chasing a Cow in the Cowtown 10K!

So, last year, I wrote about the amazing God experience I had running the Cowtown 10K with my Sister, Micah, and how God himself carried me over the finish line.  I still remember the cold chills I got that day and the rush of adrenalin as I crossed the finish line and amazed even myself by running the whole race.  It was a great day that changed how I depend on God now.

This year, I had several friends training for the half Marathon.  I wanted so badly to do it, but knew that I had only SURVIVED the 10K the year before.  I found it a rather lofty goal to imagine that I could double that achievement this year.  So, I vowed back in October to train appropriately for the 10K and not just survive it this year, but to run it and feel like I could actually function afterwards.  So, this is what I've been doing.  I did my normal routine of training hard for 3+ months and just about the time that I got to where I needed to be, I got distracted and it got really cold and I got busier and training kind of came to a screeching halt. 

Race week came and I hadn't run at all in a while.  I was a little worried, but I do feel like I have come a long way in my training and I felt confident that I could run 4 miles ok and then use that adrenaline to get through the last two. 

Race day came and that is exactly how that went.  I got up and dressed warm for the 30 degree temps that morning and loaded my iphone with a great play list.  I was running a little late, so by the time I got there and parked, I ran myself straight from my car to the start line and just kept running right into the race.  So, I do believe I should get an extra half mile for that little jaunt as well.

I had a few friends running the 10K this year and they had all suggested that we meet up that morning beforehand and run together.  Not to take anything away from their support and amazing friendships, but I am rather antisocial when it comes to my run time.  It is a very personal thing for me because I'm not a runner by nature and it hurts a little and pushes me in ways that I normally don't push myself.  I'm not in my comfort zone running and a 10K requires and involves a constant conversation between God and I to get through.  So, talking it up with a friend is a distraction for me, as much as I enjoy that, and I need to stay focused to achieve this goal.  Running a 10K is all about the breathing and the bathroom in my opinion.  As long as I don't stop running, I know my legs will do the whole thing.  If I don't breathe in twice and out once throughout the race, I start to struggle.  I also have a very nervous tummy, and this seems to get me year after year in any race I do.  I'm constantly battling waves of sickness throughout the entire race and it has almost halted me in my tracks more than once.  For me, controlling my tummy is the most difficult part.  So sad, and gross!

I did exactly what I expected this year, I ran the first four in the zone and did really well.  On mile 5 I almost lost it a few times due to tummy fun and really wanted to walk.  Last year, at the beginning of the race a gorgeous woman with a prosthetic leg ran by me at the beginning of the race and really motivated me that if she can do it, I better not have one single excuse as to why I can't.  Well low and behold if at mile 5, that same woman didn't run right past me again this year.  I was so grateful for that little push and it carried me through that mile.  At mile 6 you feel like you are in the countdown and so I was able to motivate myself to keep running then.  I was even able to speed up for the last 100 yards this year.  This was a big accomplishment to me that showed that I had come far from last year where I basically flung myself over the finish line and then cried immediately because it hurt so bad and I was so worn out.  This year, I ran it all, by myself, and more than survived it.  I ran it and enjoyed it.  I do wish I had continued my training appropriately so that I could have been proud of my speed, but for me slow and steady was the way to complete this year's Cowtown 10K. 

I did chase a Cow too.  He was very helpful. Again, if a man in a Cow suit can run a 10K, I'll be darned if I can't run it too. 

So, I'm grateful for the accomplishment and I'd like to thank those that supported me though it.  God, Micah, Mom, my babies, and don't forget Drake, Beyonce, Bieber, Paramore, Bruno Mars, and JT for the musical soundtrack support.  There is definitely a lot about the music that leads to my success.  Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables, On My Own, somehow snuck its way onto my 10K play list and about stopped me in  my tracks it was so depressing.  So, much love to the others for carrying me through!

Now, if you'll excuse me while I go and ice down my throbbing legs! ; )

Oscar Fashion Recap!

 For those of you who know me well, you know that watching the Oscars for Brittany is like watching the Superbowl for a Man.  Its the only night of the year that I make everyone around me do something else so that I can sit and watch a show.  Its really about the fashion for me.  Fun fact: 70% of Americans have not seen ANY of the 9 Best Picture Nominees this year.  Crazy huh?  So the night is really about the glamour of Hollywood and the

fashion right?

 

So in the spirit of the Oscars, I thought I'd throw in my two cents about who looked amazing and who should fire their stylist and try again.  Here we go..........

 

Anne Hathaway was by far the Worst Dressed of the night for me.  It was just tragic.  She is such a beauty and this little number did absolutely nothing for her from the fit to the color, the the shaggy hair piece looking hair do.  It was just all wrong.  It got me to thinking.  Do you think that one would dress horribly in every way at the Oscars as a PR move?  It will definitely get her talked about, that is for sure.  It was just all wrong and pretty tragic if you ask me.  She could have looked amazing.  I'm pretty sure that Rachel Zoe was her stylist in years past and that has to have changed because Rachel would never have let this walk out the door. 

On another note, Best Dressed by far for the night HAS to go to the Bomb Shell that is Halle Berry!  This was genius in every single way.  From the hair to the drop earrings that were super simple to the lines in that dress and how they outline her amazing figure so perfectly.  It was just brilliant. This is fashion at its best my friends.  The fact that she presented for the James Bond 007 section of the night just made this look perfection!  Well done!  

 

Now for the color category, Jenn Aniston in all her simplicity had to take the cake for me.  This dress fit her so well and she looked flawless. Jen always gets it right, but I'm thrilled with her for taking a step out of her comfort zone on this one and wearing a pop of color. Red looks amazing on her.  I think the last time she did this was several years ago with Brad when they were married.  I also love her hair as always.  She has the best hair, and it would just be tragic not to let it flow like this.  She wore some false lashes last night and that little detail just made her face look even better and more glamorous.  I loved everything about it. 

 

Jennifer Garner is just one of my favorite stars period.  She is just so humble and sweet and doesn't seem too worried at all about what those around her think of her.  She was so proud last night to be there supporting Ben and all of his greatness for Argo and just really brought it up a notch with this look.  Rachel Zoe is her stylist and I thought did an excellent job with this look.  The color and fit are perfect for her amazing arms and pale skin.  The back was so fun and fancy.  She just looked stunning and really turned it out for the night. 

 



 

 

 

Charlize Theron is just flawless.  She is one of the most beautiful women in the world to me, but this dress and its fit on her were just amazing.  As much as I don't love that haircut, it was perfection with this look.  I'm loving the peplum top look and this dress was right up there with Halle Berry for best dress for me.  

 

Stacy Keibler was another one for me that was right up there with Halle Berry for best dressed.  First of all, clearly the body inside the dress is half the battle.  Those shoulders on Stacy are just amazing and make this dress just pop on her.  It's very similar to Halle's dress in that the lines just outline her figure in a way that compliment the female body so nicely.  Her hair was just perfection as well last night.  I just loved everything about this look.    

 

 

Now as far as the looks for the night that were NOT seen on the red carpet, but deserve their own mention.  Natalie Portman and Miranda Kerr.  I think if I ever went to the Oscars or any other formal even for that matter, these two dresses and their cut and style would be something I would try to find for myself.  These lay so well and look like it might be possible for the average Joe like you or me to wear as well.  I though Natalie Portman hit it out of the park with this dress and the makeup and the sleek hair and the emerald earrings.  Just perfection.  I've never seen Miranda Kerr look anything less than great, but this dress is a nice change from the usual and I just loved it.  So lady like and glamorous.  Well done ladies!



 

So there you have it.  While I know that these sort of things don't matter to 95% of the people that will read this blog (all 10 of you) ha ha!  They do matter to me and I love it all.  Fashion is something that has always been near and dear to my heart and makes me tick.  I just love it all.  I hope you enjoyed this little recap as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

 

Cheers to Hollywood for turning it out at the Oscars 2013!



Twice, Twice Blessed!

I cannot even begin to wrap my brain around the amazing gifts that God has bestowed our family.  I had my twins about 8 years ago and they are identical.  This means, they could happen to you or you or anyone.  Identical twins are not genetic and can happen to anybody under the sun.  The egg just splits at a certain point and its just a coincidence.  So, we don't carry twins in our family, yet I still got myself a set of twins.  Pretty neat! 

My Sister, eight years later also conceived her own twins.  Its an amazing coincidence and we still don't carry twins anywhere in the family.  How incredibly amazing to have TWO sets of twins in one generation without having any history of twins in our family.  Pretty cool if you ask me. 

The Rust womb mates came  a little bit earlier than expected but were thankfully healthy and beautiful as can be.  The only issue at all was that little Ellis was a few pounds under weight and needed to fatten up.  What a miracle.  Their names are Miller and Ellis and I'm so excited to be their Aunt.  They are simply beautiful and perfect in every way. 

Miller is a little piglet and likes when you whisper in his ear.  Ellis is a little bit high maintenance and loves to be held and and loved on.  I'm happy to oblige even though I don't get to see them near as much as I would like.  For those of you who know me well, I'm slightly baby obsessed.  If Micah lived closer to me, I'd be over there every day totally overstepping all of the boundaries and loving on those little ones like they are mine. 

I'm so happy for the sweet Rust family and I love them all so much. Micah has risen to the occasion like a champ.  As a matter of fact, let me not sell Kevin short, BOTH of them have risen to the occasion and totally just taken this challenge head on and are just the best parents that any twins could ever have. I'm so extremely proud of them all.  Such a great time in their lives and So fun to watch now that I am on the outside of the twin situation looking in. 

Our dear friend, Jaime Truman came and took some newborn pics of them during their 19 day stay in the NICU.  Ellis had some fattening up to do so was there for an extended time after birth.  Jaime truly captured the itty bittiness of these little sweeties so well and some great up close and personal pics that show their demeanor those first few weeks while still in the hospital.  Now, six weeks old, they have totally come into a new phase and are changing so very quickly.  Ellis is gaining weight like a champ and Miller is a total little pig.  He has the sweetest rolls and is just a doll. 

It goes without saying that I love these babies as if they were my very own and I just cannot get enough of them.  I hope to get to visit them as often as possible and I just love that the kids have some new Cousins and some more twins in the family to relate to once they get older. 

God is good!

Sweet baby girl, Ellis Poe



Ellis getting a bath from Aunt Brittany.  My favorite baby activity! 

 

Ellis in the hospital, by TruPhotography

 

Miller Yancey just hanging out with Aunt Brit

Getting burped after pigging out! 



 

Lots of Miller love, Picture below by TruPhotography

The Rust babes shortly after their birth. 

 

Sweetest snuggles. 

The Dog Days are Over!

Today I feel like ranting about the kids and the difficulties of juggling the three of them that are so close in age, but for putting it in writing's sake, I'm going to try and put a positive spin on it.  You're welcome! ; )

We are reaching a new phase at our house and its causing some growing pains around here.  The boys are now 8 years old and Parker is 6 1/2.  I still baby them and do everything for them constantly. 

You see I'm a control freak by nature and sometimes, no most of the time, its easier for me to just get the things done that need to be done rather than ask and nag on these little Angels (with Devils horns tucked under their hats) to do anything at all.  Let alone when I ask them or the way it should be done.  Grrrr!

Positive, positive, must stay positive......

Ok, so after what seems like day in and day out nagging for a week or so now, it occurred to me, it's time!  Halle-freakin-lujah it's time!

It's time to make them lay out their own school clothes and reap the benefit of doing it the night before or the consequence of waiting till the last minute.

It's time to have them do their homework before anything else after school and be held accountable for making sure they are prepared for school the next day by putting it in their own backpack.  Even if it means changing colors at school.

It's time for them to take the belt out of their own pants before they stick it in the laundry basket so they know where it is the next morning.  You know since it's their FAVORITE belt and they will just DIE if they don't have it to wear.  Sounds like a personal problem to me. ; )

It's time for them to get their baseball stuff ready for practice and carry their own bags and put their cleats where they can find them the next time they need them. 
I could go on and on, but I'll spare you.........

So, the moral of the story is that Mama is tired of doing everything for everybody and then being blamed when its not done exactly how they wanted, expected, or wished.  I truly cannot possibly keep up with every whim and desire of all three of these kids to make sure that there are zero bumps in their daily road.  Just.can't.do.it!

I'm excited to watch the storm before the calm on this difficult little life lesson.  I'm sure it will come in lessons from Teachers, Coaches, Me and others.  I'm sure their will be tears and anxiety and frustration along the way.

However, the result, is that I teach the kids one of the most important lessons of all in my book. 

YOU ARE CAPABLE.............of anything and everything that you put your mind to.

I didn't seem to grasp that lesson as a child and it has held me back for years in pursuing things that I would love to do.  I want my kids to jump over this hurdle with confidence. 

I'm sure they will rise to the occasion and maybe even teach the old Mom a new trick or two along the way!  

Intentional Living and Facebook

I could write about 500 posts relating to this topic and my struggle with doing this, and how much it means to me to be this way, but today I will just write about my struggle to be intentional about living intentionally.  Ha, it's not lost on me that I am so bad at this that I have to work hard to be intentional about even trying to be intentional.  That is very funny to me. 
I, like most Moms of young kids, spend my weeks struggling to get laundry caught up and put away, driving a car full of kids to all sorts of activities, volunteering or doing the occasional Substitute day at the school, and in between all that trying to find time to feed my family well, spend time with my Husband, read with my kids, bathe them, and oh yea, keep this house somewhat sanitary for living.  It's exhausting and never ending and with no reward in close site, can be difficult to stomach some days. 
So, every couple of months or so, something will happen and I'll just hit a brick wall and have an inner STOP so to speak.  This past week was my week for that.  It usually happens when something goes wrong and I start to feel like "What's the point of all of this", and then I get really clear about what matters to me, who matters to me, and that spending time doing anything other than those things is not serving anyone and therefore a waste of time in my eyes.  I crave being intentional!

In this moment of clarity I usually have good conversations with good friends. The kind of conversations that make one think, "God is totally putting me here right now so that I can hear this and learn from this conversation". I have felt like that all week in my little passing moments with most of the people that I have ironically crossed paths with.  Maybe I am just craving direction so badly that I am extra sensitive to it, or maybe this is just how God speaks to me......through others.  I'm grateful to be surrounded in my community and daily walk with people who support, love, encourage, challenge, and generally have similar values to me.  Gotta love the small town life.  I truly do have so many people in my community that I just love and know that I can go to for sound advice or just to laugh with.
The reason for writing this particular blog post is that I am having this love hate relationship with Facebook and I finally think I figured out why.  I don't post to fb very often, maybe I'll post a pic or a blurb every couple of days if I think it is something that my family and friends would enjoy hearing or seeing.  Other than that, I just spend my down time in bed, at stop lights, or sitting in the carpool line waiting for kids to get out of school scrolling through my feed and noting random information about many people that I care about and many people that I haven't spoken to or thought about in years until their friend request popped up.  It seems so harmless but for me it just isn't.
 This random and thoughtless scrolling and checking seems to lead to me comparing and wishing and wanting.  I find myself questioning my choices, my financial status, my Mothering ability, my body, and the list goes on and on and on.  The more I look at the news feed, the more I want to look at the news feed.  This is genius for Mark Zuckerberg, but bad for my Psyche.  So, I recognize this and I occasionally deactivate my account.  It makes me feel better for a week or so, like I'm taking a stand, and then I start to want back on. Not because I want to know what's up with everyone, but because I feel like I am missing out on communication about my family, pictures of  my Nieces and Nephews, supporting my friends in business ventures, etc etc.  It really is for noble reasons, but then the choice to get back on comes with all of that other stuff. Bleh!

So, in conclusion, I've decided the solution to this is to stay on fb, but to also get more intentional about this blog.  Its the one way that I feel I can talk about the daily life of our family and document it to print a book for the kids or whatever I deem, without all the other junk. I love writing these memories for my kids to read someday and that means a lot to me.  I want to try really hard this year to be intentional about blogging about our life and having that keepsake.  I've let this go for the past two years and I'm unhappy with myself about it.  So, I want to be intentional about doing better. I think fb has become a way to throw these little fun things out there and smile on what people have to say or think of them, but I don't share these little things about our life for that reason.  I do love keeping in touch with people and bragging on my kids to mass quantities of people, but the real reason I share my life in print is to preserve the memories being made.  Blogging is, for me, the best way to do this.
So, I'm gonna try to make this a several times a week thing.  I vow to try and be intentional about that.  Let's get this party started.........