The Bachelorette...Spoiler Alert: From 9 to 6

"We'll get there...and when we do, I hope lightening strikes." Robert.

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hold on....

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I just threw up a little in my mouth.

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more on Robert in a second.

Let's start from the beginning. What a great show. It has passion, anger, tears, tantrums...all the things I see from my 2 year old. The dates broke down as follows:

1 on 1: Jesse

Group: Brian, Twilley, Sean, Jeremy, Graham and Jason

2 on 1: Fred and Robert

The one on one date had to be earned rather than just given away. Envision American Idol meets the Bachelorette! The guys had 20 mins to write a song and then perform it for her. How humbling! Some of the gentleman felt confident, like Brian, who wrote "The House of my Pain", while others, Jesse and Graham, looked like they were going to pass out from the process. Jesse, in spite of his nerves, got down on one knee and gave a pitiful performance of his song, "DeAnna". It was, however, the most heart felt and selfless performances. It won him the honor of the one on one date with her.

They went to a theater where a table was set for two. Jesse, dressed in a brand new spiffy suit, looked great. Ya'll, I have to admit that he is totally growing on me. His appearance totally sets me back, he looks like a punk, but the more she is with him the more I see him making her really happy. He has a passion for honesty and family that I don't see in the other guys. I was really glad when she gave him the rose. They danced to Natasha Bedingfield. It was pretty romantic.

Next up was the group date. The guys were totally psyched to go to a race track with DeAnna. When the guys walked out in their racing suits, it was like a scene from Armageddon.

Sorry about the size, but these are the bachelors in their racing gear.

It was a good date. All seemed going well until after they all raced. Jeremy showed his competitive side, but ultimately Sean went the fasted and therefore got the first alone time with DeAnna. During that time, it seemed like he just talked about himself and didn't inquire much about her...turn off. I guess that worked for DeAnna since Sean was the one to get the group date rose.

I'm glad he lost the mullet, but I am not into him at all.

Jeremy actually started to change my mind about him on this group date. I saw a more manly side of him. I guess my main beef with Jeremy was that he didn't seems like a guys guy. This episode showed more of that, but he still bugs me. DeAnna sure is into him though. I thought the comparison that Twilley made regarding the tortoise and the hare was a good one. He pegged Jeremy as the hare and the other guys are the tortoise.

Then came Graham...oh Graham, buddy, you are letting me down...

He had some alone time with her where he pretty much turned down her request for a kiss because he said, "I don't want to be one of a bunch; I want to be different." Hello, all you guys out there, don't turn a girl down when she obviously wants a kiss...unless she is drunk of course. They were so touchy-touchy before that, but once that happened DeAnna was hurt and over it.

Between the dates, before the 2 one 1, the guys had a good idea to have a BBQ with DeAnna to hang out. Good intentions, bad reality. It was like a frat party and DeAnna was not invited. Rob threw a fit about something and went to pout by himself. Graham was avoiding her and all the other guys seemed content to hang with each other. DeAnna had a normal emotional-girl moment and let them have it, leaving the guys speechless. Good for her!

Next was the 2 on 1 date with Fred and Robert.

They spent the evening at a mansion in the Hollywood Hills. Let me get Fred out of the way. Super cute, super sweet, but Jesse put it best when he said, "I think Freddie was a good dude, but he was stuck in Friend-Zone." Robert was Robert. From my previous posts about this show, I haven't been a fan of his. He oozes hormones like a middle school kid in gym class. He had his shirt unbuttoned so much I could see his freshly waxed chest. He just bugs me. He was so into the connection and the chemistry and the chemistry and the connection. He and DeAnna had it according to him. He spoke with Fred prior to the date and said that the rose would come down to the first kiss, of course, because Robert is obsessed with sex...see above mentioned middle school boy reference. He went in for the kiss and DEANNA GAVE HIM THE CHEEK. I am sure her mama would have been proud. She sent him home without a rose without shedding a tear. Fred, who thought he would be staying, was sent home right after. DeAnna didn't feel "it" for him and tearfully said goodbye to a great man.

DeAnna goes back to the mansion, alone, but is met by Jason, the only man left in the house. It was a good position for him to be in.

The rose ceremony, which included a pool party where DeAnna had a swimsuit similar to the one I just got from Nordstroms, had enough roses for all but one bachelor. Graham finally got DeAnna alone. I kept hoping throughout the show that he would pull a Twilley and be waiting for her after he date, but he didn't. Here is my Graham theory. He is her fantasy. He is the compassionate lover, the best friend, the man you have hot dreams about, but will the reality of Graham live up to that fantasy? I don't know. I figured that Brian and Twilley would get the boot.

It turned out that Twilley stayed and Brian was sent back to Ft Worth. See you at the Stockyards Brian...

I think Twilley and Sean will be sent home next week.

Until then, let me know your thoughts!

First Impression-My Sister's Keeper

I am not sure how far into this book you guys are, but what are your first impressions? Specifically, what do you think of creating a perfect genetic match for your terminally ill child? Make sure you don't give too much of the book away...no spoilers just yet!

In case you don't know how to leave a comment it is simple. Just click on the word "Comments" below. You can type your comment in the given box. Then, depending on whether you have a blog id or not, click on your area...if you don't have a blogger id you can just click the anonymous area. Just make sure to sign your name at the end of your comment so we know who you are!

Also, for anyone who happens to read this, we are not judging any decisions that a parent has made personally. None of us know what we would really do if we were in that situation. We are just giving our opinions based on what we have read in the book so far!

My Sister's Keeper

Have ya'll started reading yet? Just a reminder, we are reading My Sister's Keeper for Blog Book Club book in June. Get to reading as I will be posting some questions for the first few chapters soon. Try to have the book read by the end of the month for more discussion then!

Here is more background on the book!

Break Free Teeth, Break Free

What is a home like where two children are cutting teeth? Well, to start, there is a lot of screaming, crying and whining. Oh and did I mention regression? (see picture below) The children have requested a lot of late night rendezvous with mom and Tylenol is give like candy (in the appropriate dosage of course). Lord, please bless their little gums and let those teefers break free.


Gage is getting his 2 year molars and Lord, molars turn him into another child...one in which I would like to return more often then not! He conveniently got his 1 years molars when I was 5 months pregnant and we were on vacation with my family at the beach. Not the best timing. It is almost like the molars release some attitude altering drug into my little man's body that changes him into a professional whining machine. I do feel bad for him, but I feel bad for me too. It makes me want to lock myself in a closet and eat the whole apply pie I made yesterday - all by myself! This too shall pass, this too shall pass!


Jillian, simultaneously, has gotten her first tooth. It broke through yesterday. It was a milestone which means no more gummy smiles in our household, but it also means one step closer to eating regular food! It is the one on the bottom left and its sister tooth, next door, is about to pop up as well. Teething for her means waking in the middle of the night when she used to sleep through it. Let's just say between the two of them, I'm not sleeping so great. Last night Jillian woke up screaming at 11pm, Gage woke up screaming at midnight, Jillian woke up again screaming at 1am, and then silly me ,who forgot to go pee the other 3 times I was up, woke up at 2am to go to the bathroom. Needless to say, I have taken 2 much needed naps today and will head to bed early tonight in preparations for the night ahead. Please Bless My Sleep!


With all that said, my kids are still so cute. Here is a video and pictures to prove it! God bless you and your child's teething phase!


Here is a cute video of Jillian and her thoughts on teething:



Here is the above mentioned regression. Notice that Gage is drinking Jillian's bottle of water while Jillian is drinking (chewing) on Gage's juice. Gage would NOT take a bottle as an infant. We went straight from the boob to a cup with a lid and straw. So, it was a bit shocker that he even wanted this, even after the threat of giving Jillian his beloved juice.

When Gage isn't regression to his missed bottle years, he is a totally normal, active little 2 year old boy. He LOVES jumping in puddles and can do so until he is soaked to the bone and we are dragging him inside. Here he is in our backyard playing with his waterpillar (after about 20 mins of some good puddle jumping!). Thanks Target!

Bachelorette Recap...Spoiler Alert!!!

"I woke up with a case of the DeAnna's!"...Spoken by Ron

It's that time again folks! Now, I know that many of you may have stumbled upon my blog through a Google search for the Bachelorette Spoilers...Don't be disappointed. I will be doing a live recap of the show each week, giving a summary from my point of view and my predictions for the guys. It will hopefully be entertaining and informative! To my loyal readers...this is for you too! Here is last weeks summary!

The show starts the same way it has every time...with the Brad recap. Are they seriously going to show that every time. We get that Brad dumped her and she has since moved on. Let us move on as well!


As I posted last week, I wanted the editors to show some time in the house. Well, they must have read my blog because that was the first thing we got to see. Of course, this included solely clips of the guys and DeAnna in their swim suits, which wasn't a problem because it included Graham...Have I mentioned that I love him!!!?!? Oh, I did? Moving on. Have I also mentioned that Jeremy annoys me? I know he is sweet, but seriously, I am just not feeling it.

First One on One Date goes too...

The first one on one date went to the Science teacher, Richard. He lived in the house last week with DeAnna, and from their date we learned that he made her laugh a lot. Her main goal was to see if there was chemistry...could he light her fire. So, here is what he says to her, "True False, You absolutely have to take risks for love?" After DeAnna answer yes, he proceeds to give her the sexy eyes, but she wasn't feeling it. Poor Richard didn't get the rose and was immediately sent home in a taxi.

Up next was the group date which included everyone but Richard (obviously because he was sent home) and Jason, who had the other one on one date. They went to a ranch where they learned how to line dance and rode a mechanical bull. DeAnna decided to pull a "I got hurt falling off the bull" stunt to see who would come to her rescue. It appeared that everyone but Ron came rushing to her side, he was busy drinking a beer. Red Flag!

DeAnna pulls a few of the guys aside to have some alone time with them. She started with Jesse. How great is he. I hope he stays around for awhile. If he isn't right for DeAnna, some smart girl is going to see what a great guy he seems to be. When asked about his previous relationship, he said he broke up with her because she started to identify herself as a girlfriend and not an individual. It was great how he spoke of his desire to have a woman who defines herself and isn't defined by her significant other. What a challenge that is though! Then came the one on one time with Ron. Man, DeAnna came into this with her gloves raised. The first thing she asked about was why he was giving poor little Jeremy a hard time. I thought that was weird. Jeremy doesn't need a big sister out to protect him. But, she had the right to ask. It just seems like all the time Ron and DeAnna spend together is so awkward. Red Flag!

Fred, whom we hardly ever see, and Graham came to interrupt her one on one time with Jeremy. Seriously, I am not a Jeremy fan. It ended with Robert have some time with her where he opened up about how he is really into her. It kind of lessened my strong feeling about him from last week! He ended up getting the rose for the group date.

The last date was the one on one with Jason. I wasn't too sure about him last week, but this week, I like him better. He is a single dad whose ex-wife decided she wanted out. What a blow. They had a great date which included a helicopter ride and some amazing star watching. He got a rose as well!

How great was it that Ellen was on the show! She is hilarious. I love that she made the guys dance and she seemed pretty right on about her impressions of the guys. Although I love Graham, the fact that his longest relationship since high school is a red flag. Now, if he has to travel a lot, that is only an excuse for so long. In the end, Ellen gave the rose to Fred, who really opened up about how he felt for DeAnna.

In the end, Paul and Ron did not receive a rose.

It wasn't a surprise that Ron didn't get a rose, but I was surprised about Jeremy. I know he is young, but I thought it would have been Twilley or Sean...

I just don't see the connection between them. Those two, Twilley and Sean and possible Brian are my votes for who will go next week.

This is Brian...

The previews for next week looked good. DeAnna is brought to tears during a bbq over at the guys house. I am a little nervous though as it seems like she and Graham get into a bit of a disagreement. Guess we will have to wait until next week.

Until then... let me know what you thought.

Slumber Party Continued...

Here are some more pictures of the Slumber Party with Janelle and Ella!

Enjoying some time going down the slide!!!

I think Ella's favorite thing to do in the world is swing. Janelle said she could swing all day!
Here they are doing laps around the house!!!

Ella being sweet with Miss Jilly!

Here are the bunnies we chased!
Do you see this one under the tree near the branches??

Photos by Amy Howe

Here is a sneak peak at the photos we had taken with Amy Howe. She did such a great job. I will post more as I get them! And she wasn't kidding about Gage not staying still for anything but Little Einsteins. He was in the typical 2 year old mood that day!

Photos