Elle Ruth

Elle Ruth Osberg arrived this morning weighing in at 7 pounds 7 ounces and 20 inches long. Erin is doing great and their sweet family is now complete! I have yet to see her hair, but supposedly it's a head full of brown curly hair, just like Erin's dad (my Uncle Kenny)! 

I have been teary eyed all day... Erin is like my third sister... we are six weeks apart in age and raised basically like twins. She's been a terrific boy-mom to Caden and I'm so excited she gets to experience having a girl. Erin's pregnancy this go-around was not easy and I'm so happy that Elle arrived perfectly healthy... and beautiful! I mean really, look at that face! Not one blemish and just precious. I cannot wait until I go up to Dallas in a few weeks... I plan to hug and kiss that baby all weekend!

Blessings to Erin, Nick and Caden. May God continue to wrap His hands around you. What a gift He has given all of us in Elle!

favorite things

It's December and my favorite things for this month include recent purchases, wish list items and things I love about this time of year. 

My entire house is a combination of greenery, pine cones and burlap. I wish I could just keep it up all year. It's so beautiful and it reminds me of the farm. We've been watching The Santa Clause nonstop. I love it, Daniel loves it and the girls are obsessed with the little boy Charlie in the movie. I can't believe they like it at age 2, but they do! Another favorite of mine is Elf - it made my workout at the gym the other day go by super fast. Speaking of movies, Daniel and I are starting to check out all of the nominated shows/films for the upcoming award shows in January and February. We LOVED Silver Linings Playbook... and we both cannot wait for Les Miserables to come out. Every time I see Anne Hathaway or Hugh Jackman interviewed, I get chill-bumps. (I highly recommend Bernie if you haven't seen it... want to see Zero Dark Thirty and Lincoln badly, too!)

Recent purchases: Kendra Scott necklace in tiger's eye, fake hair braid (it matches my hair perfectly and looks really cute on!), Mini Boden tunics for the girls' Christmas... 

Christmas wish/will purchase: I have two pairs of Hue denim leggings and need more. They are the most comfortable pants and are perfect for boot weather. I'm so in love with the Kate Spade orange cross-body purse and the stripe shirt from Anthropologie. I need new eye shadow and I love this Bobbi Brown set - perfect for everyday and special occasion make up. I also would love another pair of Uggs. I have the normal tan but think these sweater material ones are so cute. Lastly, the quirky owl mug and fun beanie hat will make cold weather days so much more fun!

I cannot wait to write about what I gifted others for Christmas. I think I did pretty well! 

favorite things by jeangirving featuring a striped sweater

Striped sweater
anthropologie.com

Hue
nordstrom.com

Ugg australia
nordstrom.com

Kate spade
saksfifthavenue.com

Kendra Scott long tassel necklace
nordstrom.com

Sephora collection
sephora.com

Charlotte Russe knit beanie hat
charlotterusse.com

Bobbi brown cosmetic
bloomingdales.com

Burlap and Pine Over-the-Door Swag
homedecorators.com

Handpainted Folk Owl Mug
anthropologie.com

Mini Boden Printed Tunic
bodenusa.com

Mini Boden Denim Leggings
bodenusa.com

Elf (2 Discs) (Widescreen, Fullscreen)
target.com

allergies and mommy guilt

When the girls turned one I was so excited to introduce them to peanut butter. I eat it every morning on top of a whole wheat flax waffle with honey. I think peanut butter is heaven on earth... the girls loved it.  We ate peanut butter sandwiches for four or five days in a row... and then it happened. Sweet Claire's lower lip started to swell and she got these red dots all around her mouth. I immediately called the doctor and she confirmed what I thought: peanut allergy. I was told to wait until the girls turned two to reintroduce peanut butter. So we waited. We didn't do any nuts at all for both girls. Second birthday, a teaspoon of peanut butter and minutes later the same reaction. I have to say I was really bummed, like crying and angry bummed. I didn't want to have that kid with the nut allergy and become that mom who has to read every label on every box. We were referred to the allergist in July and couldn't get into the doctor until yesterday. Cue the picture above and and to the left.

We were told the appointment would be three hours long (it was only two thank goodness). Claire and I went to Texas Children's Hospital (West Campus) while Daniel took Emma on "an adventure"... They had toys for her to play in and we told her her gown was actually her princess cape. She totally bought it. I had to go over all of Claire's history with nuts - she had been exposed to almonds once and had horrible eczema the next day - so we tested her for peanuts and all tree-nuts. The nurse first marked Claire's back with a pen and then quickly began scratching her back with the serums. Claire totally freaked... I hate that "I'm hurt" cry... Best part? Can't move or touch her back for fifteen minutes. After the nurse left Claire cried on my shoulder and tried to scratch her back over and over. Finally, I had the genius idea to play Sleeping Beauty on my iPhone... before we knew it, Claire was content and the fifteen minutes were over.

The nurse came in, wiped off the serums and then started to measure each hive. The top left hive is the control to make sure it's working and the second to the right is just saline. The other four are small hives and all tree nuts. The whopper in the middle is peanuts. So our results: no nuts, probably ever, as there is only a 15% chance she will grow out of it. We have to go to the doctor yearly to get her checked out. At age 4 or 5 they will do a slew of allergy testing (like seasonal/environmental)... I have two epi-pens and a ton of paperwork to turn into our school. Emma won't be allowed to have nuts at home as she is too young to understand why she wouldn't be able to give any to Claire... Good news: I can still eat peanut butter. When I heard that, I asked my doctor a question: Is this my fault? I ate peanut butter every day of my pregnancy and the entire time I nursed. Her reply was quick but sweet: There are children who will have a peanut allergy who have never been exposed to a peanut... the only place we can see them being exposed to peanuts was in utero. 

Admittedly, the wave of Mommy-Guilt was overwhelming.

I'm looking at my little Claire, prancing around in her "princess cape" with huge whelps on her back thinking, I should have restricted my diet and this is my fault. Ugh.

Now that it's been 24 hours, I'm not feeling as guilty. I know lots of people whose children have nut allergies. I think my mommy guilt yesterday was coupled with anger, sadness and worry. Now I have an action plan. Now I am informed on what's going on with Claire. Talking with friends last night at Bunco (and two glasses of sangria!) really helped put things in perspective and calm me down...

Emma had an eczema breakout last week after eating shrimp. So, Emma and I get to go on Monday. At least this time I'm prepared for what's to happen and if she's allergic to shrimp, we can deal with that. My sister Katharine has dealt with it and I know Emma's life won't be ruined by not being able to eat shellfish. 

If you have a little one who may have an allergy, I hope this post was helpful. I had no idea what I was getting into and will probably post more on our nut free journey. If you have a child with nut allergies, any useful tips? We already have bought Sunbutter - it's sunflower seeds made to taste/look like peanut butter. Do you have allergy cards? Anything is welcome!!

confessions of a struggling parent

Daniel is doing an awesome series called "Biblical Family"... so far he has preached on "The Myth of the Perfect Family" and "Confessions of a Struggling Parent." Both sermons have been so encouraging. One of our other ministers, Suzy, will be preaching this week on Singleness (Daniel and I will be gone that morning). Daniel will finish the series (on his birthday!) by preaching about Marriage. 

What I loved most about Daniel's sermon this past week was the take-away statement he had us write down and remember: God calls us to be faithful, not successful. What a graceful way to look at parenting. In the moments I feel like a complete failure as a parent, knowing that I am faithfully serving God gives me great hope for my girls... and my parenting skills. 

Check out Daniel's sermons HERE. Or, you can download The Journey App on your smartphone and watch/listen his sermons on the go!

random thoughts...

I'm not feeling inspired to do any sort of blogging today, so instead I'm just going to write some thoughts and things that happened this week. Blog = online journal. Here it goes. 

- I have been really overwhelmed with the amount of trust women put in me at the church. I guess they really do see me as more than just the "Director of Women's Ministry"... women have been calling me to pray with them over the phone and reaching out for advice or just to listen. I've been humbled by the fact that they see me as a spiritual leader when so many times I feel like I'm the one who needs to be led. I do feel blessed to be in this position and have been praying constantly for wisdom and grace as I continue to move forward in my job. 

- We have a cold front coming through Houston tomorrow and I am SO ready for it. I think today is the last day I will wear shorts. I love the heat but I'm so ready for my girls to play outside for longer than just ten minutes. 

- I'm finally at the point where I'm a size bigger than I used to be. No matter what I eat/don't eat, how much I exercise, how much sleep I get... I'm this size now. It's not a bad number, but a lot of my clothes just don't fit the way they used to. I think some of this is age related - gasp! I know I'm super young (28), but my general practitioner just told me my metabolism is slowing down... yay. Also, I think my hips are just wider (which I thought wasn't possible) from having twins. I still need to figure out a way to burn off a few pounds, but even if I do that a lot of my stuff still won't fit. SO... I'm going to have a garage sale. I've taken lots of stuff to Buffalo Exchange and the rest is now just garage sale or donation stuff. Sadly, a lot of the stuff is really nice (Anthropologie, JCrew, etc...). Body image is hard for women and it's always been hard for me. I'm blessed with being petite, but let me tell you... sometimes I wish I was as big as a house so a couple of pounds wouldn't be noticeable or irksome! Thank goodness my legs still look good. Ha!

- Emma and Claire are SO different. Claire turns up the music full blast and Emma will run into the room screaming "too loud!" and turn it off. They both love playing with baby dolls but they play differently... Claire likes to play with them whereas Emma wants to mother them (if that makes sense).  Claire says things like "mommy hold you" when she wants to be held and Emma gives the best kises. Claire also will left up her finger and will say "I'll be right back!" when she needs to leave and Emma will say "excuse me!" when she needs to get through... They are both so smart. I know all parents say this, but I'm really in awe of what God has blessed us with in them. They are so funny and creative. I love my girls. 

- On the flip-side, the girls are wearing us out. Oh goodness. Is it bad that I cannot wait to go to Florida? I let them watch way more TV than I had ever anticipated... but Beauty and the Beast is a great movie and it buys me at least thirty minutes of peace and quiet in the morning and after nap. Daniel and I decided today that when we need to run errands or go "out and about" - we need to keep it to under two hours. After two hours, we become that family.

- I sewed two pillows (pocket opening in back) without a pattern and on a whim the other night while Daniel was out of town. They look so good and I am really proud of myself! I actually like sewing and hope to, once my life slows down - if ever, branch out beyond pillows. I really need a chair seat recovered and would love to do it, but I think I'm going to have someone else do it. It's too big of a project and what I want I can't really do yet. 

- I finally found a monogrammed white pillow for our bedroom. Ballard Designs has "perfect pillows" - I decided to let go of the need for a ruffle and spend the $25 on the pillow. Plus, it was a huge deal - I had a 15% off coupon and the monogramming was free. 

- Emma went through one diaper two days ago. I'm not even potty training and she used the potty all day. We've been doing "potty awareness" since they were about 22 months old. I'm not making a big deal about it and I know I won't really be able to do the whole potty training thing until Christmas time. Emma can take her diaper off, sit on the potty, go, wipe, get down and flush all by herself. I'm so glad we didn't do potty chairs - gross. Claire goes, too... she just can't get up and down yet. I'm hoping by the time xmas gets here they will sail through it. And then, once that's behind us... we will move them into the twin beds. 

- I need new shoes... badly. Boots, black flats and dressy heels. 

- I need to find a dress to wear to Jenny's wedding - it's black tie and I want something with either short or 3/4 sleeves since the wedding is in November. I'm stalking J.Crew and Nordstrom... NM Last Call, too... other suggestions? I would like to try the dress on in person!

- My MOPS group has grown and we are deep into Disciple I. I have loved watching this group form, change and grow. There are only like four of us who were original to the group when we started it two years ago... such smart, funny and fun people to be around on Tuesdays!

- Lastly, I contacted Kendra Scott about a week ago to see if they would host a party for the women in my church once their new store in City Centre opens. Well, not only are they going to keep the store open after hours for me, they are going to make it a "Kendra Gives Back" party and allow 20% of all profit to go back to my church. The date is Thursday, December 13th from 7-9PM in City Centre. If you are in Houston please come by! I'm hosting and there will be dessert and drinks! I'm really excited about this because 1) our church has never done anything like this before, 2) I get to combine two things I love - fashion and ministry - together, and 3) I think it will be a great way to get people to visit our church!

aunt heaven

It's official - I'm in Aunt Heaven. Being an aunt is the best gig ever. Now I know why Jessica, Laura and Katharine have been obsessed with Emma and Claire. You get to see a small part of you in this tiny creature and you only have to do the fun stuff: maybe change a diaper, lots of holding, lots of kisses and then you get to go home when you feel like it. It. is. awesome. 

Speaking of awesome... Laura is amazing. You would have thought this is her tenth baby - she's a total natural! She said she's good at it because she watched me, but I think most of it is her instinct. It was really fun to watch her in her element. CJ has jaundice and because his levels were high, he had to wear his bilirubin blanket most of the time I was there... we took him off of it for diaper changes and, of course!, pictures. Here are some of my favorites of the weekend:

My cousin, Erin, and her son, Cade, came over for a visit and Cade's first haircut!
I loved seeing these two... Erin is like another sister to me and it's so fun that we all have kids two years apart!

I was doing the monkey jump to distract him from the haircut. What can I say, he loves me.

Baby smiles are the BEST!

I worked with Laura on the eat-play-sleep (Babywise!!) and answered lots of questions. When you have a newborn you think you'll never forget ______. But you do... so it was fun to problem solve with Laura and watch her take the lead. She and Colby are already great parents!

I also got to spend some good time with my Mom and Katharine. I was only in Dallas for about 2 full days, but we still managed to eat yummy Mexican food, watch 21 Jump Street (hilarious!), laugh, talk and cookout. Mom and KK are making their way down to Houston next weekend for the girls' bday party. I can't wait!

may must haves

It's that time again... here are my favorite's for May!

I just bought this dry shampoo by Dove. The reviews aren't great - supposedly you only get 3 or 4 uses out of the can... but I have used it once and it worked. I love the smell of it and it gave me good texture for a high ponytail. 

dove dry shampoo :: target

I'll be hosting a few parties over the summer and I can't wait to try these Beergaritas... the ingredients all sound yummy so I know it won't disappoint!

beergarita :: recipe

I so wanted these shoe from J.Crew to work. At $35, they were too good of a price to pass up. But, after walking around I realized the 37 was too tight and the 38 was way to big in the heel (if you have a narrow heel, this won't work for you). Regardless, go give them in a try - they come in a variety of prints and colors!

Soludos for J.Crew

I want this white eyelet dress so bad, but I can't justify the price tag. So, if you know of a white eyelet dress (not strapless!) under $100, send it my way.

Dress :: J.Crew

Yes, I'm blogging about Spanx. For wedding and shower season, every woman needs this for under the dress they are wearing... I cringe when I see someone wearing the wrong undergarments... Why? Because I shouldn't SEE your undergarments! And, have you tried the Bra-llelujah? Best money I've spent in a long time... can't afford Spanx? Assets is Sara Blakely's Target line and just as good!

Spank :: Nordstrom

I'm obsessing over the new J.Crew catalogue. Fortunately, I own lots of pieces from a variety of stores (TJ Maxx, Target, Gap, etc...) that I can mix with J.Crew stuff for the same look for a lot less... I love the printed shorts and sandals. These two outfits are definitely my summer look! 

When I'm not dressed "cute" - I'm in Nike running shorts. I really do live in these. I have way too many pairs and I keep buying more. I love them. 

Nike Tempo Shorts

My obsession with Mini Boden continues... I got the girls the floral/stripe dress on sale at Nordstrom for the Half Yearly Sale and bought the rompers as well. These clothes are adorable and wear SO WELL. I normally buy clothes at Target and Carters for the girls, but Mini Boden is worth the splurge!

I love this magazine - the recipes and articles NEVER disappoint. Pick one up and head to the pool!

Oh Phillip Phillips. What can I say... I could devote an entire blogpost to him. He's an incredible musician and just won American Idol. Daniel is probably doing a major eye roll right now!! But come on, he's so adorable!!!

I LOVE this stuff. Everyone should wear sunscreen on their face everyday. I love Laura Mercier and I love that this is oil free - it's the perfect tinted moisturizer!

tinted moisturizer : Sephora

DVF for GapKids

Mark your calendars - March 15 is the day that GapKids debuts Diane Von Furstenberg's line of clothing... seriously, I've been obsessed with DVF since I was in college. Although I don't own a DVF wrap dress, I've always wanted one. They are so classic and such a staple of women's apparel. I have a blouse that's DVF that I have had since college and to this day, it is still in style and it still holds it shape! 

I am loving the mini-wrap dresses, the fun, bold prints and the swimwear. Emma and Claire may be getting some DVF pieces in their Easter basket! Do you think that I could maybe, somehow, squeeze myself into an XXL dress?! Will there be other crazy moms trying to fit into little girl clothes?! I feel so silly even typing that. Ha!!

via NYTimes

via DowntownMagNYC

kelly's kids

A year ago my Mom suggested I check out Kelly's Kids - we used to wear it when we were little... and I vaguely remember her hosting a trunk party (or maybe we went to one). Now, Kelly's Kids is a catalogue and has an online store. You can still be a rep and host a party, but buying online is so much easier. 

I got the catalogue this week and I started to tag pages... after I finished the catalogue, I realized I tagged nearly every page! Everything in there is so precious - for babies, girls and boys. While it's on the pricey side, I may have to get the girls a coordinating monogram set of some sort. It's just too cute not to do for spring and summer!

These are some of my favorite looks below. My sister Laura is pregnant and finds out on THURSDAY if she is having a boy or a girl. If she has a boy, I may have to get this outfit combo below. I'd get the girls the top/pant and dress and little Baby O'Neal the John John - which Laura and Colby would probably DIE because that doesn't really seem like their style, but I think it's adorable! :) Ha!

 All images via Kelly's Kids

Check out the website here at Kelly's Kids

january :: favorite things

Here are my current favorites... enjoy!

Monogrammed Linens

Monogrammed bedding - that's linen or upscale - is expensive.

My plan: shams from Target online, monogrammed at my local shop.

image via my pinterest

Kendra Scott "Danielle" Earrings in turquoise.

Got them for Christmas. LOVE them! I think lots of people got these for Christmas by what I've seen on Facebook and Pinterest. They come in a ton of colors - I think I want the jade color next!

KS Earrings

 I love this room - love the his and hers workspace.

But what is my favorite is the check print. I'm obsessed.

If you know where I can find chairs like this, please let me know!

I think I'm going to do Euro Pillows on my bed in this print. 

image via my pinterest

Emma and Claire's new shoes - I bought them the other day and they're adorable.

Stride Rite

Daniel bought me this Clarisonic Mia for Christmas. I really wanted it and am glad he bought it for me. I have to say after the first 10 days I wasn't really impressed. Nothing was getting better - in fact, my pretty clear skin had some breakouts in places I'd never gotten zits before. However, now that's it's been over 2 weeks, my face has cleared up and the wrinkles on my forehead appear thinner. You really do get a deep clean and my face is super smooth. I have very sensitive skin and they sell a brush head specifically for that skin type. If you are on the fence about it, I say go for it! (Plus they have a 30 day guarantee - if you buy directly from Clarisonic or Nordstrom)

Clarisonic Mia

Daniel and I want to get a new rug for the living room. We have a sisal rug in there right now which is great, but we'd like something with a little more cushion for the girls. We keep coming back to this Dash and Albert rug from my cousin's store. It's charcoal color, but with light colored furniture and walls, I think it will work (once I paint the living room beige from green).

We hope to buy it in March once we've put the cash away. Yea!

Dash & Albert

 I am the type that when I see new spring clothes for the girls I get giddy. Mini Boden just debuted their new spring line and I'm drooling! I love Mini Boden (dresses in blog header are from Mini Boden) - I'm so glad Nordstrom carries the children's line... just waiting for them to finally carry the women's! Here are some of my favorite pieces:

 When Daniel saw these he laughed, but I personally think they are so cute - and they're comfortable. I had some xmas spending money and wanted to get new Ugg slippers. Well, I saw these online for cheaper than the Uggs. Order up if you are a half-size! Comes in pink and brown. Too bad I've worn these ONCE since it's been like 70 outside here in Houston!

Tory Burch Dee Dee Slippers