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.........

A Night with The Fever!

 

 I lost my mind for a hot minute on Monday and purchased Justin Bieber Concert tickets for P and me.  I kept telling myself it was for her, but I think there might have been a big part of it that was for me.  I say that because I basked in the greatness of the concert for two days afterwards and I even spent my only 2 hours of alone time this week watching his movie because I wanted to remember the concert experience.  Guilty as charged!  I really like his music! 

We got great seats and it was a really fun experience.  P got to dance and sing and stay out late on a school night.  She paid for it on Tuesday but we sure did have fun on Monday night. 
The Biebs puts on a great concert and is a class act in my book.  There was absolutely nothing about this concert that I thought was inappropriate for the little girls.  If anything, it talked a lot about inspiring them to follow their dreams and do whatever they want in life.  He acknowledges that his fans got him where he is today and how much he appreciates it and thanks God for it as well.  I am really impressed with that kid. 
The only thing I have an issue with is his wardrobe. Somebody needs to fire their stylist and hire someone else.  He has the skinniest little arms and he wore these sleeveless vest that I guess are supposed to get all the little girls excited.  It looked pitiful to me.  That boy needs to drink a protein shake or something.  Anyway, other than that, exhibit A below, he is a cutie patootie. 

Parker will remember this night forever, as will her Mother, ahem!  There will come a day where she will loathe the thought of hanging out with me and so this was a real pleasure.

 

 

My Sweet Ball Boys!

 

As many of you know, Dustin grew up a ball player.  He played baseball all through high school and most of college and loved every minute of it.  When he quit playing, he literally had to rediscover who he was without the sport.  It was his passion.

 

Having said that, we have made a strong and conscious effort NOT to push our love for the sport on our boys.  We let them play whatever sports they decide they want to and we are very supportive of whatever they want to do, even if its not sports.......gasp!

 

So, having said that, my boys have a love for baseball that they grew into naturally and very unintentionally.  The first couple of years of T-ball were just like any other sport that they start in when they are very young. Adorable to watch, but highly hard to predict whether or not their is any real skill or passion involved. They consistently chose to play for about 4 years straight now and this year they have really come into their own.  I'm a very proud Mommy.

 

Bosten and Brooks love baseball more than pretty  much anything in their world besides any species of animal.  Their priorities for the past few years have been animals and baseball in close second.  This year, they asked if we would consider letting them play year round, meaning Spring and Fall Season's.  We are definitely supportive of whatever our kids are passionate about, so we of course said yes. 

 

It has been so fun to watch them because they are getting really good. Consistently good.  I'm loving watching them grow into little mini versions of their Daddy.  He is so very proud of them and just loves having baseball to bond over with his sweet boys.  They look up to him so much and I think their love of baseball has a lot to do with wanting to be just like their Daddy. 

 

The boys had a game tonight and both hit 3 for 3 and each had a home run in there somewhere.  I couldn't be more proud.   Dust was out of town and missed the game, something he rarely does, so I know he was disappointed not to be there and especially since the boys were such little rock stars tonight. 

 

 Brooks going in for the catch1

 

 

Looks like Bosten made a great catch!

 

Is it just me or do I have the most handsome little boys on the planet?  Admittedly, I'm partial, but seriously, how cute are they?



Baby Girl and The Broken Arm!

Man it has been a crazy few weeks around here.  We had our first major accident that ended in a broken bone here at Casa de Dwinell. 

 

Dustin was out of town on a Monday evening and I was at baseball practice with Parker, Brooks, and Bosten. Parker was playing with a few little girls that she had made friends with and Brooks was up to bat. I walked up to the fence to be able to watch a little more closely.  I left Parker sitting on the bleachers just fine.  I few minutes later, I heard a scream that I didn't recognize. I didn't even turn around because I didn't know who it was and it wasn't that loud.  The next thing I heard was Parker scream louder than I have ever heard her.  She then repeatedly yelled..."Mommy, I broke my arm, I broke my arm."  I then turned and ran and picked her up.  I hadn't seen her fall, so I figured she had gotten down and had just tripped while skipping or something. I started to tell her to just shake it off, obviously thinking that she fell a short distance, and then I sat her up on the top bleacher to take a look at her to be sure she was ok. When I did, I saw the arm. Yikes!

 

This is a picture of her arm that evening after they had already tried to adjust it int he hospital.  It was awful.

 So, obviously as soon as I saw it, I  knew it was definitely broken and so my reaction completely changed. I put it into strong Mommy gear immediately and tried my best not to panic to help her through the next few minutes until we could get to the hospital.  I yelled for the boys and we were in the car on the way to the hospital within 5 minutes.  The deformity in her arm was so bad that I second guessed my instinct to go to Cook Children's from the beginning. I was afraid that she might be in shock or bleeding internally or something, so I went to the very closest hospital to our home. I have made this mistake before and I really do know better, but I was on the phone with Dustin, in Lubbock, and between the two of us, he said to just get somewhere quick, and I agreed.

 

We didn't wait even a minute once we got there.  They saw her arm and rushed her right back, again because of the obvious deformity.  I had the boys with me and they were so worried about their Sissy.  They did an awesome job of being good and staying calm and helping us all smile a little throughout the process.  Dustin wasn't there, so I was glad to have them there to support their Sister.

 

 

Once the Doctor came in and assessed the situation, they felt like she definitely was in shock, hence the white face in the pic below, and that she definitely had two broken bones in that arm.  Both of the  bones broke all the way through. It was ugly. So they hooked her up to an IV and put her under and did some pulling and shifting to try to straighten the bone as much as possible.  This was a hard thing to watch for Mommy. Luckily, a dear friend had come to pick up the boys by then and brought them home to go to bed. I was so grateful that she did because seeing Parker under was one of the scariest moments of my life.

 

She did great and Mommy tried hard to put her brave face on and be strong for baby girl.  They got her as straight as possible and then splinted her arm for the night. We left the ER about midnight that night knowing that we would be going to the Orthopedic Doc at Cook Children's the next morning to reassess the situation from there.  She did so good and was so incredibly brave. 

 

The next morning, after about 15 phone calls and some persistent Mommy insisting, we got an appointment with the Orthopedic Doc at Cook Children's and got in.  They did more X-rays and were sad to tell us that the bones weren't set correctly and needed to be re broken and reset again that day.  This would be a very painful procedure for Parker and so they let us know that she would be going under anaesthesia again this day and undergoing another yanking session. This broke my heart for her, but of course I just wanted it to be right.  They got her into surgery immediately and she was out and conscience by 3pm that day.  We were home by 4pm.  It was a great experience.  The treatment at Cook Children's for kids is not even comparable to that of an adult hospital for kids.  It was as pleasant and pain free as it could have been and they did an amazing job answering her questions and making her comfortable through the whole procedure.  I truly cannot say enough good things about this hospital.

 We went home at 4pm that day with a split cast on so that the arm could continue to swell while being held in place. She was in a lot of pain having been though the trauma of having her arm broken and adjusted now 3 times. 

 Once home, she was happy to be home and comfortable, but this was the biggest (fake) smile I could get out of her sweet face.  She really was in pain for the first three days after the procedure. Luckily, we had lots of pain medicine to keep her feeling ok. 

 During those three days after the procedure, Parker was shown so much love.  We had so many people drop by to visit her and bring her goodies and gifts and cards and hugs.  It truly was humbling to see how many people loved my Parker Rae enough to support her in that way.  Here is a pic of sweet Harper who brought her some JRae cookies (The Best Ever).  Mommy may have stolen a few bites of those.  I was so grateful for her friends because she truly lit up when they started to show up and it was the first time I'd seen her smile in days.

 This is how Parker spent the next several days.  Sitting with her arm above her heart and her puppy, Maci, by her side while playing on the iPad.

 I was so grateful when I took the picture because she had been hurting so bad and she finally found some comfort and peace enough to sleep. This was a good moment for Mommy.

 A few days later Parker was ready to try to go back to school to figure out how life without the use of her right hand would be for a bit.  I went with her for two days and just watched to try and assess how it would be for her and what I could do to make it easier on her.  She made it half a day the first two days back before the throbbing began and she was ready for a break. 

 Parker has done an incredible job adjusting and learning to function in a classroom with only her left hand.  We did purchase a clip board and some pencils with grippers on them, but other than that she was really just fine.  She keeps up really well and just writes a little sloppier with her left hand than she normally does with her right. Her teacher has been amazing in helping her adjust and being patient with her regarding her arm.  I feel very blessed by that.

 Colder weather had been a little challenging because the cast is so big that jacket can't fit over it very well.  Nana gave her this great over sized jacket from a recent vacation that she went on and it has come in handy. It fits really well and will continue to be her jacket of choice throughout the Fall.

 Playing has been fun too. Brooks and Bosten have been awesome about watching out for her and making sure that they are gentle with her.  The Saturday after it happened the kids spent several hours building these towers with all the Solo cups in the house.  It was safe and indoors and not active, so it met the criteria for her playtime.  They had a blast.

 Parker does have to wear a cast of some sort for the next 5 or 6 months.  So, knowing this, I started searching Etsy for a way to make this cast fabulous.  I bought her this cute sling and she has really enjoyed wearing it.  It is super comfy and washable and definitely cuter than what they gave her at the hospital.

 When we went back after a week for her new cast and a follow up Xray.  Daddy got to come along.  She got a cool new cast that has a little loop built into the cast for this sling to fit through to go around her neck. It is a little uncomfortable, but keeps her from using those fingers on that hand which could cause those bones to shift.  Daddy bought her a Build a Bear that day with a broken arm.  When you purchase these at the Cook Children's hospital the proceeds go directly to kids. So, of course we wanted to support that cause.

 After two week of being on pins and needles, we all needed a little down time.  So, we headed to the lake shack to see Grandma and Papaw.  The weekend was filled with lots of rain, football, baseball and relaxing. 

 Parker is finishing her 3rd week with a cast now and she is getting used to it.  She went back for a follow up yesterday and had more Xrays. The bones looked great and everything is healing nicely.  She has three more weeks with this big cast and then will go back and get one that goes up to her elbow and allows her to use the top of her arm.  That cast will last for a month or so and then she will transition into a brace. 

 She has really been such a trooper through this whole process. I think kids are so amazingly resilient in these situations. Mommy and Daddy and Grandparents have been a little stressed and worried, but Parker seems happy as a lark.  She definitely has moments where her friends are doing their gymnastics, or sports and it makes her a little sad that she can't participate, but overall she is so incredibly positive about the whole thing. I am so very proud of her.

 She is still her silly, weird self and makes us all laugh around here.  We sure do love her and are so grateful to have her sweet spirit around the house to make us smile.

 

Brit