Project Apron: Complete

Today was a fun filled day of sleeping in, swimming, and sewing. We woke up late (always a plus) and then headed over to Grandma's for a swim in the pool. The boys love it and are obsessed with water which always makes for a fun time.

Once we came home and put them down for a nap I decided I was going to conquer my apron project that has been sitting around forever... seriously since March. I did have someone teaching me how to sew, but she is busy and so I figured I could do it. I followed a pattern and am pleasantly pleased with my final outcome. Of course, it is not perfect. My seams are not straight and i'm sure it is not exactly as the pattern calls for, but I am proud of it!

{in case you are wondering: no i am not preggers, just slouchy and a little pudgy in the midsection}

Resolution Check-In

Spring Break is upon us here... only 1 more day of classes then I can "relax" for a week. There will not be much relaxing going on... but I will be excited to have a week off of school and have time to spend with my family for once! :)

Now for the check in of my goal for school:
{To get at least a 3.5 GPA this semester}

I did my final round up of grades with all of my professors today and the concensus is I am getting an A in all of my classes! I'm super proud of myself right now but know that I should be dedicating more time to my studies. Which results in me doing school work over Spring Break to catch up on things that I have kinda slacked on. Also, I am going to reorganize my "desk" so it is more inviting to study at! I'm really excited for what I have accomplished and know that I am completely capable of achieveing at least this goal!

Side Note:

I'm also trying really hard to get organized and have recently fell in love with Google Calendars! I can color code everything, include goals, and see my life a day, week, or month at a time. It has helped me to lay out my assignments, tests, doctor appointments, as well as get my VT time scheduled. If you are a technology person like I am... I would suggest looking into it. I'm in love. Seriously!

{ps} my next post will have pictures of my friends and family... i promise!

Forever 21 Window Shopping

Sometimes when I get bored at work... or just tired of doing what I really should be doing I window shop online. I really really really love Forever 21 and used to shop there all the time when we lived in Az. Now that I live in Arkansas and the mall seems like it is forever away and always crowded I stick to Target and Kohls for the simple fact they are super close. Here are some of my favorite picks I found while perusing the internet...

found here

A super cute military inspired jacket would be perfect with a pair of jeans or a cute dress under it!

found here
I love this dress for spring time with some cute tights and a little sweater when its still chilly and in the summer time with the perfect pair of flip flops!
found here
I love the retro feel of this dress. If I was daring (which I am not) I would sport it with some red lips.
found here
I think this would be the perfect sweater for spring time. Just warm enough to protect you from the wind and still light enough to not sweat you out on the warmer days.
found here
I love plaid... but I don't think I could pull it off. This shirt looks a lot like one we bought for Kevin and to be honest I like when we dress like twins because I think its funny.
found here
Printed Tee's are my favorite for the fact that I am not an accessories girl. Anything that makes me look like I'm wearing a necklace gets an A+ in my book. Chic and easy :)

Well, thats all I had time for today. I should get back to working since I'm only here three days a week. I hope you enjoyed some of my picks for Forever 21.

The End is Near

Finals are knocking on my door... as in they are waiting for me to sit down in a quiet room and just answer the questions for hours on end. However, along with finals comes grades on assignments that have been sitting in the assignment box for over a month. I am a procrastinator by nature. I put everything off until the last minute, ALWAYS!! So, it is normal for me to turn in a paper late for an online class. In my psychology class this happened twice because once I was on vacation and did not bring my lap top (which was my fault). We couldnt get the computers to link up and it was a huge mess, but my teacher accepted it because I was on vacation and she was very understanding. My second paper was late because I procrastinated. Plain and simple. I finished it after it was due and then tried to upload it. If you use BlackBoard you know that in order to upload anything it has to open a new windown and then you search your computer and then you find your paper and upload it. Well.... the first time I tried to upload my paper Java crashed my computer! I was in tears because I knew she would not give me full credit on this assignment. I restared the computer and then uploaded my paper. With the paper I included a note to my teacher stating that I am a procrastinator, that I was sorry for my paper late, and that my computer had crashed. I never heard back from her regarding the assignment. This past week she allowed AMNESTY for all of our assignments, disscussions, and quizes me might have missed and would award us half credit. I WAS EXCITED!!! I knew this was my chance to make up this paper. I emailed her and asked if I needed to resubmit my paper and she said no. This morning when I checked my class, I found that she had graded my paper last night. To my astonishment this is what she had written to me:

Thanks for being so upfront, Jacqueline. I can understand the procrastination effect--I have battled procrastination--and the resulting panic mode that it produces--all my life as well!

Your article review paper is EXCELLENT. You are so thorough in your writing assignments, going above and beyond the expectations and scope of the assignment. Your paper is probably the BEST one that I have had turned in from a student in response to this article review assignment in several years! :-)

I agree that the research on the memory of rats was fascinating! It's incredible that researchers are able to extrapolate data from experiments like that in order to make breakthrough knowledge about human behavior and conditions.

Regardless of being just a tad late, it deserves a 100/100 .

~SK~

WHAT!!! Does that say that I get 100% on my paper? Why yes, yes it does!! I was so excited I almosted jupmed out of my chair. I have been so nervous about going back to school and that I was not prepared but this comment from my teacher makes me feel that I am capable of succeeding and that I can do it. I look forward to graduation... even if it is 2 years away still. :)

A Year Has Past...

Since these cute little boogers were born!

As you can probably tell, I haven't taken very many pictures of them since Kevin cleared off our camera for their  birthday extravaganza! But, I cannot believe my little babies are a year old already. Its so crazy to look back on the past year and see how much they have grown and changed and become their own little people. They both definately have their own personalities and things that they do and I could not love it more. Even today I told Kevin I want another baby, which I say everyday so its nothing new. We had a nice family birthday get together. We took the boys to Larry's our favorite pizza joint to get the most fantastic pizza ever! Plus they are free until their 5th or 6th birthday? So, who doesn't love free food? Anyways, afterwards we gave them their own little cupcake mosters to celebrate their special day. I got them at Harps which is probably my favorite grocery store but we rarely go there since its on the other side of the highway. Aiden enjoyed digging into the frosting and making the biggest mess ever. Cooper, on the other hand, was scared of the way that it felt and that it was cold and was just not having it. Bud tried to force Cooper to touch it and it just made him upset so he cried even harder :( Eventually he came around to it and enjoyed making a mess with is brother. It was so nice to spend the evening with our family outside of work and focus on the babies and how awesome they are. Please enjoy the pictures of their mess making mayhem.

Aiden is the one who has the frosting up on the side of his face and covered in green goo. Cooper is the one who is a little bit cleaner. I tried to group them together but bloggers new editor is weird and I'm not used to it. I had a video of it but don't know how to upload it now. :(

{Twenty Six}

When I started this blogging adventure I thought "Oh, this will be so easy! I have so many things that I am thankful for!" Well, while this statement is true, I will tell you the adversary has gotten the best of me some days. Especially last Friday! I was so overwhelmed with life in general! My house was a mess, I had weeks worth of laundry to do, I had a bad day at work, and to top it off my lovely husband had to work late. When thinking back on that day I just thought, I have nothing that I was thankful for... I have failed. But, today I was on my friend Andrea's blog and I realized I have so many things that I am thankful for that I haven't even shared with the world! As I have stated in previous posts... Arkansas is not my ideal place for living; however, I am so thankful that I am here. If I hadn't moved here almost two years ago I don't even know what my life would be like. I wouldn't have my two wonderful baby boys, I probably wouldn't have joined the church when I did, I wouldn't have met the amazing friends I have made in our ward, and I probably wouldn't be in school. Its so amazing how Heavenly Father blesses us without our knowing. I am the one who convinced Kevin to move to Arkansas because I thought I had an amazing job and school opportunity lined up. I was wrong about that... but our family has been so blessed in so many other ways. If I wouldn't have followed the prompting I had who knows where our lives would be at his point. I am so thankful that my husband loves me and listens to my crazy ideas (it didn't hurt we found an amazing house either). So, from this point forward I have decided to remind myself of the many wonderful blessings I have received all for moving a measly 1,000 miles from home. Plus, I have learned the meaning of the phrase "Distance makes the heart grow fonder" for the simple fact that I cherish the time I get to spend with my family and do not take it for granted any more. I love you mom!! :)

{Twenty Four}

*Little Blessings*

Wednesday was the day I found out my fate as a student at PTC. I went to register on Monday and it was just a day full of trouble! I stood in line for 30 minutes to find out that I didn't need to go to the school to register.. DUH! Then I waited another hour to meet with an "advisor." Who really just turned out to be some person who had NO idea what they were doing. I went to meed with an advisor to discus which credits would transfer from ASU (Arizona State) so I wouldn't have to take 2 years of school! Well, this guy had no idea what would transfer and just wanted to sign me up... I know how to sign up pal! He sent me over to another building where I could talk to someone who was an actual advisor. I waited a good 20 minutes to meet with her, she was the only lady in. Well, I walk into her office and it is just covered in STUFF!!! I guess she had just moved in, but seriously I couldn't even put my schedule on her desk because it was covered in just stuff. I cant/t even describe it. I was so flustered after all the troubles I had, but I had hope that she would be able to help me... well. I WAS WRONG! All she did was say ok show me these classes... I showed her. I told her what I was signed up for. She said it was good. Then we got to the big classes, my core classes that I was hoping would transfer from ASU (which is a real college). This is where it went bad... She said that she didn't know about these classes and that she would decided if they did after I looked up the course descriptions and scheduled another meeting with her. EXCUSE ME! WHAT!!!! Augh. I thought that was her job as an advisor!! Well, I left. Upset to say the least. This is also the day that I was told "Well, you wont be granted your financial aide so you should just enroll in the payment plan online." SAY WHA!!!! I'm sorry, but if it wasn't for financial aide I wouldn't be going to school. Apparently, you are supposed to return some letter they send to you in the mail to accept your financial aide... I have always done this online for the simple fact thats what I did at my previous more put together school. So I faxed in my letter on Monday hoping that they would approve my funds that have been sitting in their bank accounts since May. Thankfully, on Wednesday when I checked my schedule to see if I had been dropped from my classes due to lack of funds I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was still enrolled and that I had in fact been given my grant. HOLLA! I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to go to school, even though we are poor and really shouldn't be able to afford it. Thanks Government funding! :)

{Twenty Two}

THE RESULTS ARE IN!!!! MY GPA FOR THE SEMESTER IS A 4.0!!! Hurray! I'm so excited that I found out that I passed both of my classes with flying colors. Also, I found out that I was awarded a Grant for school. So, each semester I get some $$money$$ which will be so helpful for our family. Also, my student loans are put on hold for the time being, which is another blessing that I don't have to make that payment each month. I was definitely blessed in knowing that going back to school is the right decision to make! I have been struggling with what do do for school, the whole cosmetology vs education or both idea. Don't get me wrong people I would LOVE to do BOTH! However, financially, that does not seem possible. Cosmetology school cost roughly $15,000!! Holy Cannoli! That is quite a pretty penny which we most definitely do not have, and if we did have it I highly doubt Kevin would let me spend it on cosmetology school. So, ultimately I have made a decision to continue to pursue my degree in Early Childhood Education. I'm going to finish taking some courses at PTC (which is a big joke if you ask me) and then transfer to Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. It would be about a 30 - 45 minute drive to school, but thats the same as going to North Little Rock, so I'll take it. Plus, if you have seen where UALR (University of Arkansas Little Rock) is located you would be scared to go there too. Long story short, I'm thankful that our family has been blessed with my ability to go back to school and get a degree, FINALLY!

{Day Ten + Five}

I was really hoping that today I would be able to say: I am thankful that I am done with school!
However, that is not the case. I have two homework assignments, two finals, and a survey. ICK! But I do have something to be thankful for and that is my job. Yes, I am thankful that I have an income but that is not what I am MOST thankful for! I am so grateful that, because I work for family, I am able to have such a flexible work schedule. Due to the flexibility that I have I am able to take time off when I need to do homework, take the babies to the doctor, and go to "playdates." It is so wonderful to have this ability, where with any other job I wouldnt be able to and I would totally have to pay for daycare. So that is what today is all about... my gratitude for flexability in my life.

{Day Thirteen}

BANGS!!! Today I went and got my hair did at the new Paul Mitchell school. Which is a completely awesome school to go to if you ever need your hair done. It cost me $40 for my rockin new 'do!! The only bad part is that it took the poor girl 6 hours to do it. So, if you have the time to sit in a salon chair for that long... then check the place out. Here is the outcome of my six hour adventure at the school.

Please disregard the fact that I am extremely tired and have shiny skin. Thanks.

{Day Seven}

FAMILY PICTURES!!! I'm so excited I finally got to see them, and Kim was nice enough to give me a cd with them on it! When we went up to Missouri for Stephanie's (Kevin's neice) reception I took the opportunity of a camera man and had some pictures taken of us and the babes. Here they are!!!

For the ease of my memory Aiden is on the Left and Cooper is on the Right. They enjoyed eating the grass.

One of the better pictures with the babies. It was hard to get them to cooperate.

I think this is my favorite because it is how they are... just so curious.

The best family picture! Aiden was even waving to the camera man while Cooper smiled big.

The best pictures of the babies. I was suprised he even got one with both of them smiling. How can you not love these little faces?

On top of these amazing pictues, I got to see my babies Sunday which made my day even better :)

{Day One}

Today is the day that I have decided to look at all the blessings that are in my life instead of dwelling on all the silly things that stress me out and make me worry. Since moving to Arkansas I have complained many times about the distance from my family, the "Southern Accent" I am picking up, and the fact that I don't know very many people. However, I have never commented on how beautiful it is here. In Arizona it's beautiful, but in a different way. Here I appreciate the beauty of how lush and green the trees in my easement are. I love the Spring when the flowers start to bloom, and the Fall when the leaves change color. My favorite thing today is how pretty my flowers are that we planted in our flower beds.

This beauty sits on the side of our house. It is full of these delicate white flowers. We need to get a trellis for it to grow up so it will be seen by more people. But, it is probably my favorite new thing we planted this year. Even better, it was free! Kevin's mom gave it to me for my birthday.

These are by snapdragons. They line the walkway up to our door. I've never seen flowers come back as much as these guys. Seriously, they are on like their 6th bloom since planting them back in the Spring.

This beauty is my wisteria. We bought it last year and it never bloomed. The flowers look like little grape clusters. This is the second time this season that they have started to bloom. I love this vine. It adds so much depth to our yard and makes us stand out on our street.

The hibiscus. This beautiful plant resides in our backyard in a corner. It is giant! No joke, it is probably as tall, if not taller than me. But the flowers that bloom on it are stunning! I remember the first day I saw one of these red flowers peeking its head out of the green bush that they grow on. It was so pretty and added so much flair to our backyard. Who doesn't love flair? In addition, Kevin said that we can blow this picture up and hang it in our bathroom. Which makes me feel super good that he liked a picture I took :)

This weird looking coney flower is from our crate myrtles. They were given to us by Kevin's mom when she decided to "clean out" her yard. They are so pretty and I probably should have taken a picture of the whole tree. But we have two and they frame our house beautifully. There is one by our garage and one on the other outer corner of our house. I was nervous about planting trees because I think of giant trees like in our backyard, but they are the perfect touch.

Last but not least, this is my favorite surprise. These little guys popped up in our flower beds just recently. I have no idea where they came from, but I love love love them! I think they were in our mulch... because I don't even think we planted anything like them last year. However, how cute are they? The are scattered through out our beds with different pops of color here and there. They are very cheery and so lovely! I am so thankful that we have good soil in our beds that allows for beautiful flowers to grow. Every morning when we leave our house we take an extra second to admire the beauty that we have created together.

Love

While we are sitting in our bedroom tonight slaving over which pictures we are going to pick out from our wedding (yes, we are a little behind) my handsome husband
is sitting on our bed serenading me with his guitar. I am the luckiest!

Project Completed??

KINDA....

I kinda have been feeling how Cooper looks. But how can you not laugh at how adorable this is? Aiden was so content and Cooper just couldn't get his point across any better than this face.

To help me get out of my crazy feelings I have been having I decided to make me my curtains. I only made one tonight. It is for our guest bathroom. I was super excited when I had it finished and shoved the rod through the almost too small opening I sewed in it when I realized that I had forgotten a major part.

You see, I got the inspiration for my curtains from the ones I bought that are hanging in my kitchen/dining area. I think they are super cute and they tie up nicely with some fabric that is attached to them. So I simply bought some fabric to match both bathrooms and coordinating ribbon as my accent color.

Well I had finished and hung my little curtain up with pride in the bathroom and then suddenly realized my mistake. I simply blurted out "I AM SO SMART!" Kevin quickly responded with "How smart are you?" Me: "I am so smart I forgot that ribbon was supposed to hang from the back to TIE!" Kevin: "It's okay. You can just sew it on to the back. No one will know." So I did just that, and it turned out pretty good. My seams aren't straight and they are not perfect but Kev and I are impressed with how good they turned out.

However, I do have one slight dilemma. I made the curtains so there would be some privacy in the bathroom. So, do I just hang it high

or low on my windows? I just don't know what to do. So please, offer your suggestions.

Also, I know I have not posted on my little tykes. Do not fear. Here are some pictures of them sleeping. They sleep a lot right now so... it only means they will get bigger. YIKES! They are almost half the size of me (length wise).

Two little sleepy guys.

Cooper's face planted into his blanket

Aiden enjoying his hand. For some reason they taste better than anything else right now.

***UPDATE****

I hung the curtain high in the bathroom because you can untie the ribbons and have some privacy.

Our First Post

Kevin and I have been talking about starting a family journal for a while and after getting input from other people I have decided to start us up a family blog. So much has happened this year and we are so blessed! Here is a little update for you in case you haven't heard or didn't know:

February 10th we got engaged. To top it off he got me the greatest ring and proposed to me on a mountain top over looking a beautiful scenery.



Later that month we found out we would be having a baby. We were both excited but were unprepared for the news we found out 3 weeks later. While sitting in the doctors office getting our first ultrasound we got a big surprise! The doctor simply said what do you see on the screen there?


We both looked at one another and had no idea what we were supposed to be seeing. We just sat quietly waiting for something to come out of our doctors mouth when she said "Twins. You are going to have twins!" It took us a couple of days to process the fact that we were going to have TWO yes TWO babies!

In May we found out the sexes of the babies. I was really hoping for a boy and a girl since they are fraternal however, it turned out that we would be having two little boys. After getting over the fact I wouldn't have a little girl to dress up and play with, I came to terms with two little boys and was very excited that they could look out for their little sister one day.


Both babies at 18 weeks.

It only took us a week to pick out names:
Aiden Howard (after Kevin's middle name, grandpa, and my brother's middle name and grandpa)
&
Cooper Morris (after Kevin's other grandpa)

May was a busy month! We had an auction in Maryland and I had a wedding to plan!

We got married on May 31st and it was the absolute most perfect day of my life! I felt like a princess and Kevin was my knight in shining armor. It was one of the best days ever.




You couldn't even tell that I was 5 months pregnant with twins. Everything was just amazing!

Things have calmed down since then I guess you could say. Our lives have been much less stressful now that our wedding has come and gone. We are officially Mr. & Mrs. Tutton. I still find it weird to say.

On July 12th I was baptized and became a member of the Church of Jesus Crist of Latter Day Saints. It was definately a humbling expereince for me. I love our Ward and how great it is. I feel like it was definately the right choice for me and I know that Kevin was proud that I chose to join the church.

Since then not much has happened. Our babies are growing at a good rate and are the same size as one baby at their "age." We have had no complications thus far and the doctor is really happy with our progress. As of right now we are not at risk for preterm labor which is great! Hopefully we only have six weeks left until our little guys come into this world. We are so excited and could not be happier with where we are in life.