I have waited almost 4 years for this...

to put mascara on our precious Paisleigh's beautiful eyelashes that is! :)

Last Sunday was Paisleigh's first dance recital and we all had so much fun!  She loved every minute of it and danced perfectly!

 She has taken tap, ballet and tumbling since last August and we have so enjoyed watching her dancing skills and creativity come to life.

...and I think someone really wants to be like her big sister...and I love it! :)

Abigail got flowers too!

I am so thankful for my beautiful girls and I cannot wait until I am putting mascara and tutu's on both of them! :)

Reality is hard sometimes.

We had a very long weekend. Greg's grandmother, who is 92, fell and broke her hip.  My heart is broken for her and my husband's family.  She was transported to Lubbock, to Covenant and actually underwent surgery Saturday afternoon.  It was so scary and nerve racking to sit and wait...and wait...and wait.  I think, if you make it to 90+ you should not have to endure any serious surgery or health issue.  It just isn't fair.  She made it through surgery ok, and is recovering with her family by her side.  She is absolutely in God's hands, and that is very peaceful to know.
The whole ordeal really got to me and made me even further realize how precious life and family really is.  Why is it that we get so caught up in work and cleaning and the rushing around...when really, we should be soaking in every moment of our wonderful life that God has graced us with.  I stayed home with the girls yesterday and really tried to enjoy every minute and memorize their precious faces.  I know I will get busy again and not realize that I have fallen back into my rush, rush routine, but I want to remember my girls while they are little.  I know they will grow so quickly and before I know it...they will be in high school or college, with a car...and a boyfriend...eek! haha!
I used to try to "picture" my life when I was younger.  What it would be like, my marriage, my kiddos, my home for our family.  I love my life, but it is so much more busy and hard than I thought it would be.  It is so difficult to keep up.  Maybe I am throwing myself a pity party...but, I have got to get on top of this.  I have a beautiful life, with an awesome husband and two more than perfectly beautiful daughters, whom I NEVER could have "pictured" in my entire life.  God is so amazing.  He has blessed us beyond belief.  So, why I am I having so much trouble keeping it together?
I need to quit wondering, thinking and dwelling on my "picture" and just DO with this awesome life God has given me.  That is the answer...Pray about it, and do it!  Life is so fragile and goes by so quickly, and I can have everything I have ever wanted or pictured for myself...it is right here, right now, sitting in front of me plain as day.
Sorry for the rambling, but please keep my husband's grandmother in your thoughts and prayers.  Have a wonderful week...I know I am going to!

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:36

A "me" post

I strive to be a great mom. 

I strive and desire to be a great wife. 

I want my house to always be clean and put together and to have that "smell" that my kids will remember their whole lives and love to smell when they return home when they are grown just like that smell I love when I go home to my mom's house.  

I want to organize and "dress up" my craft room to look like this

I want to learn to paint and find an outlet for me to escape through...and then find the time to do it. 

I want to decorate and put my house together to absolutely reflect pottery barn! ha!  Preferably like this

and give us a bedroom to escape to and relax in that looks something like this

I want to finish my girls bedrooms and playroom to give them a beautiful and fun place to be when they are home.  I love this playroom because of the storage and organization ideas

I want to hold my career and my family together and always go above and beyond at both.  

I want to be able to focus on my side business selling Uppercase Living

 

and then focus on decorating more and introducing this awesome product more!  If you want to check it out...go to my website http://laurenbrownd.uppercaseliving.net

I want to start running again and loose all of this baby weight that is becoming bad company! lol.

I want to become more involved in our Church and focus on my walk with God in a more intense way.

 I want to go on a vacation with my husband...alone.

I want to keep up with our blog...weekly.

I want to hold my family, my marriage, my career and my life together.

I know I am doing all of this, and doing ok at it, but I want to do more with all of this.

How do you do it?

Beginning today, I am gathering up a new focus, a positive outlook on this huge "wish list"! 

I am going to succeed, it is going to work!

Where did the time go...

Wow, I have been horrible at keeping up with this blog here lately!  Life...goes...by...so...quickly...when...you...are...busy...chasing...kiddos...and...a...career! :)

I have blogged before on my "dream job" and as I am still taking baby steps toward that dream, but God has opened a huge door for me and our family!  I was lucky to find, when we moved back to Lubbock in 2009, a job as a patient rep (aka, receptionist) at Covenant hospital here.  We were so thankful that I was able to find this position when the economy was down and I was 5 months pregnant with Abigail.  I loved my job!  I loved the patients, the physician and my coworkers!  I have a degree in Communications from Texas Tech, and now that the girls are getting a little bit bigger (at least out of the "baby" stage), I started pursuing higher positions within this hospital.  I love the environment of health care and I love the values of this hospital.  So...after many...many...many interviews and months of searching for A position, GOD opened the door to the PERFECT position! 
HE definitely taught me about patients and how to just be still for a minute through this process.  I have earned the position of a Training Specialist where I can focus on the patient representatives within this hospital...and I have the opportunity to make a difference!  The cool thing is...is I know I can do it.  It is funny how once again God had a plan, and I just had to have faith and let Him carry us.

Yesterday marked a very very special day in my heart!  My mom took Paisleigh and I to Paisleigh's first play...Beauty and the Beast.  Now, every time my dear child is at my Mom's house, she watches Beauty and the Beast...over...and over!  It was absolutely amazing watching her get into the play and react to what was happening!  I loved it and so did she!  I have the best Mom in the world!

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!

A Catch Up Post!

It has been WAY to long since I last updated our blog! My oh my, have we been busy!  This Christmas was so wonderful.  Paisleigh really got into the Christmas spirit this year and we enjoyed watching her light up everytime Santa Claus was mentioned!  We visited him a couple of weeks early this year to be sure he knew what the girls were wanting!

...and, I think Santa had a little crush on my Mom! :)

Paisleigh has been loving her dance class! I absolutely LOVE this photo of her! She makes me smile!

Abigail, also met Santa Claus this year; however, she was not as enthusiastic about the situation as Paisleigh was!

Greg and I spent our 6th Wedding Anniversary at my cousin's wedding in Abilene! It was really a lot of fun to spend our actual anniversary at a wedding!  It really brought back many memories of our own wedding day!  I cannot believe that we have been married for 6 years already!  Love you Gregory!

My Mom, Me and My Sister all dressed up at the wedding!

Our Family

The Brownd's! (with two very sleepy girls)! :)

We spent Christmas Eve with Greg's Family and look who stopped by for one last visit! It was absolutely the highlight of our Christmas watching Paisleigh and the kiddos get so excited when Santa arrived!  This is the girls cousin, Caden and Paisleigh sitting in Santa's lap! How special and fun is that!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year as well!

Fall Time and Granddad's 80th Birthday!

We had a lovely weekend! I LOVE fall time in West Texas!

On Saturday, we had a very busy day with some very special birthdays in our family.  First, we ventured to Earth where we celebrated Greg's Great-Grandmothers 98th Birthday!  Isn't that incredible! After the party, Greg and the girls had a blast playing in the leaves!

I think Abi's face is HILARIOUS in this photo!



Sister Love!

Paisleigh in the leaves!

Miss Blue Eyes!

After we celebrated in Earth, we made our way to Hale Center where we celebrated my Granddaddy's 80th Birthday!  I Love him so much and we had a wonderful time at his party!

My sister, Angie and Granddad

My Granny and the girls playing beauty shop!

We sure did put ALL 80 candles on his cake! :)

Priceless!

We had a great weekend and we are so thankful that we are able to celebrate these very special people in our lives!

Have a great week,

Lauren

Trick or Treat 2010

I just LOVE butterflies! Especially when they are this cute!! :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2010!