Grins, Giggles & Chaos!

I hope it's shinning on you.  Yep, Rylee's first dance competition of the year! We are packed and ready. :) Rylee is super excited, and can't wait to get on the road tomorrow afternoon.  Let's go BAKstage Dance Company.  Hope y'all have a good weekend. 

Valentine's Day is my least favorite holiday. I've never been one to get excited about it. AT ALL! Why do we need a holiday to tell someone that you love them? Or to give them flowers & chocolate? Or jewelry for that matter? Some women get so bent out of shape if their loved one/spouse doesn't get them something for Valentine's Day. I've known some couples who get into huge fights because of the lack of V-day gifts. Seriously. To me, it's just ridiculous! Am I the only woman on the planet who feels this way? Let me know. ;) While I don't need/expect a valentine's day gift, I do love giving little gifts to my two Valentine's. ;)  Hope ya'll have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Last night, I went to see This is 40 , and I loved it.  As crazy as this sounds, I could relate to Deb & Pete's {the couple} marriage. I've never been one to say my marriage is perfect, or that we are happy, happy every SINGLE minute of the day. Because let's face it, NO ONE has the perfect, storybook, marriage. I know there are days that we get on each others nerves, or our kids are acting all sorts of crazy.   During one of the scenes in the movie, they make a list of things to change about themselves. I often find myself making these types of lists. Do you? After I left the movie, I got to thinking about my list, and what I'd change. I definitely could fill up a page, but then it hit me. Why should I have to/feel the need to change who I am? I like who I am!   So what if my house is not always spotless. So what if my kids act crazy every once in a while, or they stay up past their bed time. So what if I don't cook dinner every night. So what ...

This weekend, the girls and I got up, and headed to Kansas City for a little shopping. First up, the American Girl store. We spent a small fortune, but had a blast.  2013 AG girl of the year - SAIGE. She is pretty cute. after about 2 hours at AG, we went into the mall and did a little shopping. On our way out, this happened.  I can't believe she did it. It was totally her idea, and she didn't cry a bit. SO proud of her. She looks like such a big girl with her ears pierced.  We have really enjoyed our winter break. Back to reality! ;)

Since we always spend Christmas in Texas, Santa visits us early. The girls got the majority of the things on their list, so they were super excited. the next morning, before the sun came up, we left for Texas. They were super excited to see family. We haven't seen them since July. Crazy! Christmas Eve, we always go to my Nan's, and of course the girls got tons of stuff.  and on Christmas Day, we went to my dad's. Sadly my phone died, as well as my camera battery, so no photos. BUT I did snap these shots on the way to my dads.....SNOW! In TEXAS on Christmas Day. Crazy! Can't remember the last time we had a white Christmas in Texas.  we saw MANY cars in the ditch along the way to my dads. this is the road to his house. SO pretty. 

Lots of exciting things coming to The Howell's in 2013.  Stay tuned!  Wishing you all a wonderful New Year! 

Here is our Christmas card this year. I LOVE it. :)  *The Back is red chevron. :) {please excuse the quality. I had to scan the card in}