Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Happy Birthday, Trent!

I don't want to get too sappy, so I'll just share some of my favorite pictures over the past SIX years. Here's hoping for the happiest of days to my {not so} little G-Man.

Happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you,
happy birthday, dear Trent,
happy birthday to you!!!

You're one-in-a-minion kid!! {And a hint at our party theme!}















Monday, June 29, 2015

My Kind of Weekend

We had such a fun weekend - when I think about what we crammed into it, it feels like it should have been 3 or 4 days! Maybe that's why I slightly feel like I got hit by a truck? {And nothing to do with the amount of wine I consumed yesterday. Ahem...moving along...}

Friday our friends and neighbors came to swim! Drew and Layla are 5 months apart in age and I foresee a great friendship for them in the future. Baby Sienna is just happy to be in the action, so these 3...oooh...world look out! {Trent was having a slumber party with Nana so he got to avoid the estrogen overload.}

Swimming sweeties
~Drew~Sienna~Layla~

Saturday, Brent and I commented on how much easier it was to be productive with chores with just 1 kid around, ha. But we sure did miss our big guy. When we got him back, we loaded up for a birthday party.

What happens at Nana's stays at Nana's-except I can guess they were up too late!

Guess whose mom forgot a swimsuit for the swim party?

White trashing it for the win! {And more time with Layla!}

Look who woke up!

The birthday boy, Levi, got this awesome rollercoaster.
Drew was a huge fan!

Brent has also been taking her on drives around the neighborhood.
She's mastered Trent's backhoe loader. And looks so proud huh?

Sunday before church when I wouldn't let her have marshmallows for breakfast.
Look at how wet her skirt and tummy are from tears and drool. Ha!

Reading with Babs. Love these 2.

So a great weekend of friends, fun in the sun, birthday partying, family... Loved it!

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Currently

Current Book

I just finished reading LandlineLuckiest Girl Alive and started Ready Player One. I am knocking my book challenge out of the park!



Current Song

Every.single.song on Kacey Musgrave's new album Pageant Material.



Biscuits - her lyrics are just too catchy!


Current Show


Brent and I started watching Mad Men on Netflix. So far, so good!

I started watching Grace and Frankie yesterday on B's golfing day. 
It's a Netflix original and I love it!


I also just finished season 3 of Orange is the New Black
Seriously - if you haven't watched OITNB you are missing out!

Current Drink

Shockingly water! I think every time I've ever done a Currently post, I've been drinking something terrible for me. {Of course I had a Coke earlier.}

Current Shame-Inducing Pleasure

That Coke I had earlier, ha! One of these days I am going to kick my sweet drink addiction...one of these days...

Current Outfit

A gray Old Navy maxi skirt and one of my favorite Old Navy tees. I have to go to the office tomorrow, and I'm a bit irritated I have to put on 'real' clothes!


Here I am in both pieces - I had bought both of them right before I got pregnant with Drew, but they're not maternity clothes. Not a pregnancy announcement with my outfit choice!

Current Celebrity Crush

See Current Film below. {grin}

Current Mood

Nostalgic as I think about this time 6 years ago and look around and wonder where those 6 years have gone.

Current Anticipation

A certain little guy turns SIX next week. I can't even. I am pinning everything minion right now because he wants a minion party!


All the feelings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Current Film


I imagine this will be the next movie I see in theaters. 
Girls night!!

Current Picture


My little loves



Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Tuesday, June 23, 2015

You'd Be Surprised How Hard It Can Be to Get Your Mail in the 'Burbs

This is one of those stories that is ridiculous. For the past 2 months, I have looked around me and wondered how this level of stupidity was possible...and yet more stupidity kept happening. So while this is a topic that you will probably find a little silly to be blogging about, you might also agree with me that it's pretty ludicrous.

The night we closed on our house, the agent at the title company told us to take our title paperwork to the post office, and they would be able to give us keys to our box based on those documents. I'd already forwarded our mail, so this SEEMED easy. Today...yes, today...almost 2 months after we moved in, we got keys.

The day we moved in, I went to the post office after I got the kids from school. After waiting in line for 20 minutes and being passed around a couple of times, I was told there wasn't currently a box or keys for us because the city was growing too fast for the postal service to keep up. They also couldn't tell me when they'd have keys for me, so I needed to put a hold on our mail and keep coming back to the post office to check for keys and to collect our mail. That sounded super fun after watching my children run around playing chase for the last 20 minutes of our visit.

Over the next month, no one could tell me anything about our keys. When should we get them? I don't know. What should I do? Keep coming back. But then we stopped getting mail at the post office. So over an especially enjoyable 75 minutes at the post office 2 weeks ago, 40 of which was spent standing with a manager while she flipped through books of addresses, disappeared to the back, came back to flip through more books, I learned that our mail was being delivered somewhere but she couldn't say where because she couldn't find our address in any of her books. We put another hold on our mail {because the first one had been so effective} to get our mail back to the post office, and she was going to take to the 'growth coordinator' and find out where our mail was. She promised to call me with information. I'm still waiting for that call.

Last week, however, I was driving home and a mail carrier was delivering mail to where I figured our box would be. I pulled over, hopped out of the car, told him our story, and asked if he could see if our address was in the boxes he was filling. And what do you know - IT WAS!!!!!!!!!!! I was able to take 6 weeks' worth of mail home with me, and I also took pictures of the box with our name and address clearly displayed as evidence to show the post office.

Today at the post office when Brent got our keys, the manager he talked to {a different one than I 'worked' with} told him our keys had been there all along, and he didn't know why no one else could find them.

It probably shouldn't be this exciting, but man, I'm ecstatic to have mail keys!

Monday, June 22, 2015

2 Celebrations for the Price of 1!

Sunday {as all of America knows} was Father's Day. But for a few of us, it was all my mom's/Babs' birthday! So a great chance for us to eat my dad's BBQ, drink wine, and let our crazy kids play.

Happy Father's Day to my love!

You want me to take another picture? I revolt!

I can have a sucker you say? Fine, but I won't smile.

 I meant to get a picture of me and my sis with our dad but didn't. He was getting his wish of watching the U.S. Open and Patty and I feted him with beer and a new meat tenderizer, ha.

Now onto celebrating Babs! 
Patty made a peach cobbler with peaches from my parents' tree. Yum!

Mayer is trying to blow out the candles first!

Happy birthday, Babs!

This one boycotted her nap. Can you tell how our afternoon went?

If you like spit-covered peach cobbler, this was the party to be at!
All the littles blowing out candles.

Our day started and ended with some drama - first my car wouldn't start and then when I brought the kids home in my mom's car, the keypad to the garage wouldn't open. Our fearless leader rescued us both times and today before 8:00 AM had my car already towed and was cleaning the kitchen. I'd say he's a great dad/husband to us all! 

Friday, June 19, 2015

Summer Schedule

We're in uncharted waters this summer having a nanny for the kids. I love so many things about it, but it's definitely created some challenges.

Our first week with the nanny went pretty good. She's so sweet and patient with the kids. And she is super artistic. There have been lots of pretty cool drawings and paintings they've all done together. And she loves to read which is great for both kids. 

But here's what we learned our first week:

  • Since I work from home, the kids want to 'visit' me a lot. It's super cute and I love having so much access to them during the day, but it's hard when they try to come in when I'm on a conference call.
  • Working {outside the home} moms don't have nearly the level of activities and toys {I think} as SAHMs. We just don't have as many hours in the day to fill! When I look at my sister's playroom and backyard, it's night and day.
  • We've never really had a schedule at home {see SAHM scenario above}, but the kids are used to structure during the day at school.
I spent a lot of time last week {when she had a pre-planned trip} doing research. We bought a lot of 'stuff' at Dollar Tree for more arts and crafts and busywork. I created a schedule for the day {9:00 - 10:00 outside time, 10:30 snack...super detailed!}. We're making a red/green stoplight so the kids know when they can come visit me and when they can't. I have pinned a million craft ideas on Pinterest for projects. I have a book called Unplugged Play with lots of good activities for the kids. So hopefully we'll iron out these kinks and have a great summer!

If anyone has ideas for things for the kids to do, I'd love to hear them!


Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Life Lately

In case you missed it, I pretty much didn't blog last week. I just didn't have a lot to write about, so I thought it was better to skip a few days and gather some material for your reading pleasure.

So what were the Gurleys up to all week? A LOT!


This kid NEVER naps anymore. So it's a shocker when he konks out on the way home.

This picture quality isn't great, but we spent an evening with my sister.
I love how easy it is to get to them now and what great memories our kids will have.
They're having a dance party to Just Dance videos on YouTube. Hilarious.
{I think this is when Blair picked Let It Go. The big boys were not amused.}

Even the kids have noticed how dirty my car is!
Trent decided it needed a bath.

Sister helped out.

Pops pulling crazy karate moves. The kids thought this was so awesome.

Then he did it for dad. What?

Lunch date with dad!

Being totally adorable and silly after church!

My mom took this video in karate yesterday. Isn't he too cute?

So that's what you missed! Hope it was worth the silence last week! {grin}

Monday, June 15, 2015

Summer 'Dos

I had the kids home Friday and decided it was time for summer haircuts. Drew has never had a real haircut {my sister and I have snipped her rat tail a couple of times} because her hair has been so thin and short, but it has finally gotten long enough where I thought it could use a trim, and Trent's hair isn't curly but it's...something...so it needed to be cut too to keep it under control.

Trent before

The best picture I could get of Miss Sassy Pants...but see? Stringy!

The backs for both kids

Drew was up first. She didn't know what to think of the chair, but once she got a sucker, she was good to go!




The after! A little more even with some baby layers.

The T Bug was up and decided he wanted a mohawk. He hasn't had one since he was 2, and I think that was one of his absolute cutest looks, so I was all for it!.

No turning back!



Throwing shade, ha!

All done! I didn't think he could get cuter, but he up and did it!

And then as a reward for success, ICE CREAM!



I think we knocked the summer hairdos out of the park!