thank you, 30 rock...

for all the funny's...bobsled

...lemon out.

my baby man is three!!!

three years ago today, jack wyatt grantham was born.  i went into natural labor (imagine that!) three days before our scheduled c-section.  that was new for me because with sadie, i was induced, and tess was a scheduled section too...but she stayed in until it was time.  :)

so, my fabulous doctor decided to do the section that day!  (i was already a 2 :)  he was delivered at 37 weeks and 3 days.  should be fine, right?  well, when he came out (glorious!!!), his breathing was labored and the doctors didn't like that.  i got to give him some kisses and then they took him into the nursery.

quickly he went from the "regular" nursery to level 1 nicu.  diagnosis...he had a surfactant deficiency.  poor bub was hooked up to a cpap at first and then upgraded to a nasal cannula.  plus a feeding tube.  God held us and blessed us during that time.  and a week later, we came home!

here is a trip down memory lane...

wrapped in his hospital blankie

sadie holding her new baby brother!

my pretty sissy and her new nephew!

having some tummy time with his mimi

sweet baby in a bumbo

scrumptious

love this face

come again?

my favorite guys on bub's 1st birthday

hello?

hey mom!

2 yrs old celebrating tessa's 4th b-day

always on the move

big boy

happy birthday Jack!  we love you so much !  it has definitely been an adventure so far.  thank you for keeping me on my toes.  ;)

big hugs & kisses,
mommy

A21

a few years ago my eyes were opened to another form of human injustice.  human trafficking.  i'm a firm believer that many americans (myself included) are so clueless to all of the world's happenings.  if it's not broadcast on the evening news, or in our inboxes we have to seek the information ourselves.  and honestly, how many of us do that?!  it's hard enough for me to do my quiet times everyday, let alone try to seek stories that are relevant globally.

backtracking a bit...a few years ago i was invited to the glo conference at bay area fellowship in corpus christi.  we have been attending that church for years and the thought of a ladies conference sounded great!  and the best part...i left all of our kiddos at home with tyler!  it's always a treat to get out of the house without the little people, but back then, jack was still a baby.  so it was an extra special opportunity.

anyway, the main speaker for the event was christine caine.  i hadn't heard about her (not that that means anything), so i immediately looked her up before we went.  does she have a twitter account?  yes...following her.  how about a website?  yes...read her bio.  facebook?  of course!  she is a part of hillsong church in sydney, australia.  bingo!!!  i love hillsong praise and worship and she will be speaking for at least an hour each night with her australian accent!  win win.

first impression of christine:  so cute, hilarious, sassy.  and bless her heart, was hobbling around with a ginormous knee brace all night.  as the evening went on...her passion for Jesus and His people was undeniable.  her testimony was heartbreaking.  (the Lord uses broken people...)  and she is a huge part of the A21 campaign.  an organization who's purpose is to abolish the human trafficking of women and girls.  to seek justice on their behalf and convict those who kidnapped them.  not only that, but to rehabilitate these women and girls and help them move on with counseling and job training.  amazing!

i was shocked to say the least!  how can this be happening?!  as a mom to two little girls, i was extra tender to the stories and statistics.

ok, wait.  the first time i ever heard about human trafficking (or realized there was such a thing) was when i watched that liam neeson movie, taken.

that movie makes human trafficking look almost shiny in comparison to the reality shared by christine.  i want to encourage you to go to the A21 campign's website to learn more about this modern day holocaust.  and while you're there, you can see how you can help these innocent women and children.

here is their new video to raise awareness...

shocking topic and a very un-friendly friday evening post, i know.  but if this truth isn't shared and people aren't aware that this is happening, then how can it be stopped?  at the very least, we can share this information with others and pray about it.  join me in praying for the victims and for those who are helping them.  pray for their protection and that God would show them favor. and ultimately, that it would be His will for this horrible slavery to be abolished!

thank you,
libby      

slow intros

whether you're a volunteer for a rescue organization, shelter, or an animal lover who has contact with a furry k-9 friend on a regular basis...this step by step intro guide can be a helpful tool.  the title is key, "easy does it".  all too often, introductions with new dogs can go too fast.  which can then lead to problems in the long run.  

there is that 2 week "honeymoon" phase where these precious pooches act like little angels and then, once they are free to make their own choices, can run amuck and some true colors start to show.  all the more reason to take it slow so you can observe their behavior and corrections can be made before it gets out of hand.  nip it in the bud!  

  

source

i know there are plenty of dog training/behavior books out there.  but there is a book called the dog listener by jan fennell that has been recommended to me & is jam packed with helpful, insightful info for us dog loving humans.  if you are looking for a good read or are needing some extra tools, this one is great.  click here to visit jan's website.

and don't forget to visit the french bulldog rescue network too!  (where i got this awesome chart.)  there are lots of available frenchies and some newbies that will be available soon.  if those smooshy faces don't melt your heart, i don't know what will!  ;)  if you're not looking to adopt at the moment and feel the need to help, there are many ways to get involved.  just click the volunteer/how to help link to learn how.  thanks!  


frenchies fo life,
libby

she bangs

i've been growing my hair out for a while now and am happy with the length.  finally.  now, besides layers, i'm itching for a change.  bangs!  yes please.  done right, how can you not love bangs?

zooey's bang success chart

nicole's boho bangs

rockabilly bangs

fine frenzy bangs

audrey's pixie bangs

gwen's victory roll bangs

keira's sideswept bangs

one two three four five six seven

so many styles to choose from...bangs it is!  

you cone here to me,
libby

jack's almost 3!

over this past weekend my family came down to celebrate jack's upcoming 3rd birthday.  we had intended to par-tay on saturday, but jack woke up with a nasty virus.  :(  so we sipped gatorade and crunched on saltines instead.  boo.

thankfully it didn't last long & we were able to celebrate on sunday.  here are some pics!

thank you mimi, sarah and stephen for coming down and showering him with gifts!  it was a great weekend minus the throw up.  ;)

big boy,
libby

friday evening with mimi

my mom is in town...if you can call lagarto a town...and i'm enjoying every "catch-up" moment.  today was spent on the naval base in corpus christi doing some couponing at the commissary.  yes, we (mainly tyler) have been couponing.  it is saving lots of ceesh and our pantry has never been so full.

anywho, my dad served this amazing country in the armed services (navy, marines & air force) for 20 years and even after his death, we are still reaping the benefits of his hard work.  until my family and i got to texas, my memories consist of living on military bases.  my dad's mustache being very groomed, lots of pretty medals and ribbons on his uniforms, and the concept that  my dad's service was for the greater good of this country...not just my little world.

lately, whenever my mom visits, we hit up the naval base for good deals and to reminisce.  those are good memories, living on base.  having so many friends live in the same culdesac as you.  the safety of those gates that not just anyone can come though.  i imagine now as a parent, that must have been awesome comfort in letting your kids go out and play without much worry.

so we visited the base exchange (the bx...i.e. the place to shop on base) and then the commissary (the grocery store on base).  a successful trip all in all. we got jack his birthday presents...lots of boy toys like comic book action figures, cars & a thomas the train tricycle.  score!  grocery shopping at the commissary wasn't too shabby either.  we got everything on the list and saved even more with our coupons!  *patting ourselves on the back*

we headed home, picked sadie up from school, made dinner...yadda, yadda.  this evening, there will be even more qt with mim's!  first on the agenda, a little just dance on the wii:

believe it

next, we will be uploading some awesome family pics (click here and here to see them) to shutterfly since fed/ex kinko's in corpus was no help.  boo :(  to conclude the day we will be viewing the, grand on so many levels, king's speech:

i love this movie!

while we wait for these two to arrive:

mr & mrs shaw :)

tomorrow we will be celebrating jack's upcoming 3rd birthday together!  his actual b-day is on the 27th of this month.  yummy treats will be consumed, wrapping paper will be all over the place and a lot of laughter will ensue.  i am grateful for these times and people.

well, i'm off to dance!  who else is happy blogger is working again?!  can i gitta amen?!  ;)

ttfn~
libby

re-do's on the brain

as of late, some super sweet families here at zephyr have been doin' the house "switcheroo".  we will not be joining in on these festivities.  but all this moving business and redecorating has gotten me in the mood to change things up here.

our current kitchen is very spacious with tons of cabinet room and countertop space.  extremely grateful for all those nooks and crannies...unless we're talking about cleaning.  in that case, bummer.  anyway, this house was built about 15 years ago and the kitchen is needing some refreshing.  luckily, there are so many diy products out there, that i will be tackling this myself!  :)  time consuming, yes, but so personal and it will be neutral for the people who will live here after us.

here are some pretty kitchens that caught my eye...

i love turquoise and jade cabinet colors, but i'll be sticking with a white tone.  i really like clean white cabinets with dark hardware.

like these from ikea:

along with the cabinet re-do's, the countertop at casa grantham is needing some tlc too.  we will not be getting new ones, but re-doing the existing forrest green laminate counter.

of course marble and quartz countertops are coveted, but look at the recycled glass countertops:

aren't they beautiful?!  i love that not only are they so pretty and one of a kind, but made from recycled glass!

more of a reality for me will be the rust-oleum countertop transformations method.  here are the countertop colors that you can choose from:

pebbled ivory, desert sand, java stone, onyx & charcoal

i'm leaning towards the onyx or charcoal countertop with a shade of white for the cabinets and those chic, cheap knobs and pulls from ikea.  :)

shades of white...well i need to consult with martha to find the right white:

that will be a great before and after blog post!  hopefully sometime soon.  :)  i've already started prepping my existing cabinets by giving them a nice cleaning this afternoon with some hot water and dawn.  it worked really well, especially on those cabinets with the ever-so-lovely kitchen grease on them.

i can see it now,
libby 

bring on the weekend

dress, bermudas, wedges, bag, hoops, bangle

xo,

libby