i have two babies. two precious babies.

**i realize ellie is wearing the same shirt in this post on monday that she was wearing in this post from friday. grayson and i went to dallas on saturday. ellie and landon stayed home. enough said. :)

friday's favorite things.

if you know me, you know i'm an internet junkie. and you know i love to google everything i see and love to find out where i can get it. and when i'm looking for those things, i find other things to love and covet. it's really a pretty time consuming hobby. i often send favorite things links to friends and family. the jury is still out as to whether they appreciate those links or not.

so, partly to clear some space in my sisters' and moms' inboxes and partly to have one place to save my favorite things, i'm launching friday's favorite things. i'll feature three or four things i'm loving each week with links, prices and why i'm in love.

feel free to email or comment with things you're loving that i might love too.

on to this week...

this is the olivia crib from pottery barn kids. i swoon over it's vintage-inspired beauty. right now, the crib and crib mattress are on sale for $999. needless to say, i do not have this crib. kylah and i have been drooling over it for the past couple days though. i promise i haven't been trying to persude her to buy it for her August baby. (ahem.)

this is the american appearl knot-top baby hat in asphalt. i recently purchased two of these, one in the color shown, and one in chocolate brown. they're only $3.99!! grayson looks a-dor-able in them. he sort of has some crazy half-bald-half-hitler hairdo going on right now, and it's still sorta chilly. he looks so sweet in hats, so i decided to get him a couple he could wear right into the spring. these are very light and highly recommended. plus they come in 14 yummy colors.

and finally, the to-die-for sugar scrub cubes from naiad. this flavor is passionfruit papaya. i haven't tried it, but i do have vanilla chai. they are amazing. i love how my skin feels after a sugar or salt scrub, but they're usually really messy and oily. these are solid cubes that you take in the shower and scrub over you. they get soft quickly in the steam, leave your skin very, very soft and smell divine. also, they don't leave a nasty mess. bonus. i love to use them before a date or after a long day. at $13.50, they cost a tad more than something you could pick up at walmart or target, but such an indulgence is worth it for a busy, tired mama.

"i'm two!"

ellie with her new, big-two-year-old-girl haircut.

haircut.

i need one. bad. i have a head full of split ends, and the long hair look is not working for me anymore either. i decided to grow it out when i found out i was pregnant with grayson, and it looked nice while i was pregnant. my hair gets super dark and shiny and full when i'm pregnant. but now? now i'm nursing and having all nutrients sucked from me, and my hair is just blah to the 1,000th power. eventually, i'd like cut it super short like it was when i started dating landon (read: skinny), but i think i'm gonna go shortER before i go shortEST. it's pretty long (for me, not compared to jenny) right now, and i'm thinking maybe three inches would be good. it needs a style though. and maybe some color? and i need to find a stylist. i have a recommendation for someone at reflections here in town. does anyone love their stylist? have haircut suggestions? hair color suggestions? no blond, please. been there, done that. i'm gonna make an appointment for the first saturday in march, i believe.

two whole years.

ellie, i've spent most of today getting ready for your party tomorrow. but at one point this evening, i managed to catch you alone in the dining room at mamo's house. i asked you if i could pick you up. you put down the rosa's cup of tea you stole from jo, and reached up toward me. i told you i loved you, and was overwhelmed thinking that i've been a mom -- your mom -- for two whole years today. i held you close, and i cried. i can't explain the joy you bring to my life every day. you're smart, and you're sassy. it may sound silly, but you have a tenacity and determination that i admire. being your mom is an advendure. my life changed forever two years ago, and i love you more and more every day. i'm so glad you're my little girl. happy birthday. love, mommy.

red velvet.

someone tell me that slaving away over from-stratch red velvet cupcakes with french cream icing (yes, you did read a step in that icing recipe that says "cream...for 15-20 minutes) for a 2-year-old's birthday is worth it. because it's taken a dang long time, and i'm wondering if funfetti would've been just as well received.

*note: these are not my cupcakes...the edges of mine are rolled in valentine-colored sprinkles. other than that, a spitting image. yep. mmm hmm. what?! no! the tops did not rise over the edges of the liners and get crunchy at all! i can't believe you'd even suggest something like that.

almost 2.

earlier today, delana brought valentine's day cookies for ellie while she was napping. once she woke up, we went outside to eat them. we tried blowing bubbles too, but the wind is insane here. so we focused on cookies and juice. landon drove up while we were outside and did his due daddy diligence tickling and kissing ellie.

i can't believe she'll be 2 on friday.

she knows the drill.

david is in argentina right now on a mission trip. tonight he preached at the church that is hosting his party, and the sermon was shown live on their video blog. so cool! ellie was definitely digging watching her pa on the laptop screen. not prompted at all, she said "amen!" while watching him preach. ha! l-o-v-e it.

29 years young.

the birthday card i made for landon says this on the outside: "you are the man of my dreams." on the inside it says, "even when i'm awake."

it's true.

i can confidently say that i have grown into a woman of God in the six-and-a-half years since my life became intertwined with landon's. a lot of that has to do with his never letting me get away with mediocre. well, unless you count my housekeeping. he challenges and encourages me at the same time. God has used him mightily in my life, and i could not be more thankful. he is also an incredible father to my children. watching him with them sends my heart soaring.

landon: very often i have these moments where my mind zooms out from the middle of the chaos, and i think, "we're doing it. we're living life. side-by-side. and i'm having an incredible time." you make hard things softer and soft things even better. i am so excited to watch our paths unfold. i am so proud of you and proud to be your wife. i am madly in love with you. you are my best friend. happy birthday. sarah.

six.

in the post about gray's five-month-birthday, i talked about how i was looking forward to him being healed from rsv. he was most certainly healed. we prayed and prayed for him, and after nine days, all signs of the virus were gone. we took him to the doctor who listened to his lungs and heard no wheezing at all. he was a little surprised. rsv symptoms normally last for six weeks or more. chalk up one more way i see God through my son. praises to You, Lord, for healing our precious boy in this, his six month of life.

also this month grayson got his first stomach virus. lovely. let me tell you. it was short-lived, however, and he's back to blowing raspberries with the best of them. he babbles syllables and loves his mama like nobody's business. i think it's the food source in me. i sort of have an advantage. speaking of which, i'm gonna quit recording how we still have thrush in these updates. i'll just make note if we ever get rid of it. all ellie has to do is say "GRAYson!" in a sing-song voice, and he's laughing. he loves to chill on daddy's lap while they watch sports center. i think landon's teaching him how to run routes with the best wideouts already. don't even mention sleeping through the night. he's quite happy with his three or four nightly snacks. (...) he's not quite sitting up, but he's getting closer every day. he is rolling everywhere. i often find him underneath furniture. he loves Doc. he loves toys. i don't remember ellie loving toys as much at this age, but gray is a big fan. he loves to grab and touch things. just keep that in check in the future, OK, son?


most of all, grayson gives out free smiles from an endless supply. for that, i am so grateful.

gray: you're looking at me as i write this, and i wish a word existed to convey how perfectly smooth and beautiful your baby skin is or how much i love to touch it while you nurse. i wish a word existed to describe what your mile-long eyelashes and super expressive blue eyes do to the inside of me. i wish i could explain how i feel when your cries are quieted the moment i pull you near. my heart is most certainly outside of my body and existing in you. i love you so. your mama.

be still my heart.

roses and chocolate and fancy romantic dinners with the one you love are images commonly associated with next week's holiday of hearts.

cleaning ladies? not so much.

until now.

landon, crazy incredible, sexy, amazing, fantastic genius that he is, got me cleaning ladies for valentine's day.

today, a team of women will take over my home and deep clean its guts out. we're talking dusted fans, wiped down baseboards, scrubbed shower grout and sanitized floors. all the things i don't have time to do, well, ever.

during this glorious process, landon will be watching the children while i get a manicure and pedicure (a gift certificate he got me for christmas) and drink starbucks and go shopping.

i am overwhelmed with love.

excuse me while i go faint.

we are trashy people.

i am embarrassed to say how much trash the henry home generates.

i'm embarrassed to tell you how (un)often we take the trash out, too, but that's a different post.

but seriously! i don't know if i'm doing something wrong or if it's that there are 3.5 kids around here in diapers (grant counts at .5 since i don't have him every day) or what.

how much trash does your household generate? how much is too much? any thoughts on paper towel use? i've contemplated using only washable cloth towels and rags because i tend to fly through paper towels. i do love them though.

do you have any trash-reducing tips?

if not because you're a recycling-eco-friendly person, than because it's unbelievably annoying to fill up a bag of trash -- sometimes more -- every single day!

so indulge me. and comment. many thanks.

pretty!

my friend beth made this for me! isn't it so cool? she made it based on this post. i love it!

dc talks.

• ellie can say "grayson" pretty clearly now, but before she could, what she called her brother sounded like "dc." it sorta stuck. landon and i call him that all the time.
• sorry the video's kinda dark. sometimes when kids start doing cute things, there isn't time to relocate them to optimal lighting. i know. i've tried.
• if you can hear 80s music playing in the background, it's because "13 going on 30" was on the tv. really. i don't listing to pat benatar's "love is a battlefield" on a regular basis. good song though."we are young! heartache to heartache, we stand!"
  
• i sure am posting a lot of video lately, aren't i? it's cause i produce such high-quality stuff. why deny the masses?