The Suits Sisters

Then & Now 4 Years Ago : I wore my $50 (but super altered, which made it more expensive) DREAM wedding dress Today: I wore my husband's gym shorts (just for a little while, but yes, I'm letting myself go already) 4 Years Ago :  Kent was tired after playing Nintendo 64 too late the night before Today : Kent was tired after getting up at 3AM with a baby (He's a keeper)  4 Years Ago : I shoveled tasty reception food in my mouth after we drove away Today : I shoveled tasty pancakes from Cracker Barrel into my mouth for breakfast 4 Years Ago : I was jobless Today : I'm jobless again (more on that later) 4 Years  Ago : I lived with my parents Today : My parents live with me

Chuckles and Shells are twins with Dad rockin' his manpris .  "Wait, Chuck, you have to put your hand on your hip"  andddd...The Suburban White Girl Pose 

One of the perks of being a missionary on furlough (Ma&Pa), on maternity leave (woot!), and jobless (Anna) is that you can just pick up and take a mini vacation whenever you feel like it. We snuck away to Kent's parent's (aka: my inlaws) lake house for a few days. The vacation included.. ------ Kent's {BEST EVER} moist, juicy, delish grilled chicken Yahtzee and Taboo Cable TV Boat ride Patch {Michael Phelps} Suits  SUN Doubles tennis ------ Not a weight-legal life jacket, but we made it back in one piece. (insert parenting judgement here)  Thanks to Grandma for the super cute REI hat I promise she can breathe The {pale} girls  Just Chillin'  Our lake tour guide  Anna and Ma after they jumped in 

Aunt Anna's been hanging out with us for the past 2 weeks or so. She left to start a babysitting job and we're glad that Caris was able to give her lots of practice with changing diapers. Now that she's gone, Caris will have about 40 less kisses on her face everyday. 

Dear Baby Suits, What a busy week we had! We bought baby monitors and you moved into your crib, we threw your dad a graduation party, your Aunt/Nurse "Caca" gave you your two month shots (you cried and cried), you leaked out of your diaper for the first time (onto a blanket. Ew, ew, ew), you met Dr. Moore and we thanked him for helping us become a family, we ran  walked our first 5k AND your Dad graduated from seminary.  We need a nap.  Love, Mom 

Master of Divinity Graduate  from Erskine Theological Seminary

Things You Might Find  with Our Current Housemates... Electronics: phones, kindles, iPads, laptops Cords and chargers  (but never the one you're looking for) The Keurig running non stop (We have some coffee addicts in the house) Used dental floss on the carpet (from the bad dog that snoops in the guest bathroom trashcan) Mom awake at 4AM A dishwasher running and Anna's ankle socks on a dining room chair

Goal: Bread {that at least rises and looks like bread}  Eatable: YES. High-five! Best eaten slathered with butter, hot out of the oven Bottom Line: You can't go wrong when the engineer-turned doctor-turned African humanitarian recruits you to redeem your last bread making attempt. The only low point was spilling a large pan full of milk, oil and water on the floor.  But Big Papi helped me to Keep Calm and Bake On. And for Mother's Day, Ma's gift to me was a thermometer so that I no longer have to sprinkle warm-ish/hot-ish water on the inside of my arm. 

To balance out my recent splurge  and to reassure you that I'm still a thrifty shopper, here's my KMart clearance find.  Item: 12 month corduroy ruffle skirt with tights Price: $1.99 Need/Want: Technically, this goes under the "want" category, but Baby doesn't have many 12 month clothes and at the rate we're going, she'll be wearing this until she's 3.  And $1.99?? Can't beat that with a stick. 

Big Congrats to Mr. Suits for winning a door prize {strawberries} at the  Presbytery meeting a few weeks ago.  WOOT. You always make me proud.  

Goal:  Meatloaf  Level of mess {to clean up}:  Easy Eatable:  Yes, tasty!   Even though it looks like a big, grey cement block.  Goes e specially well  with Ma's mashed potatoes.   Bottom Line:  People usually throw meatloaf together when there's nothing in the house to eat, but I bought the ingredients on purpose (Oh yes). Kent ate his entire piece even though it had onions in it. (+8 husband points for him). And the quote from the whole experience comes from Chuck: "You've never made meatloaf??...You've been married for almost 4 years and you've never made meatloaf?" We are 1 for 2 in the Susie Homemaker Adventure

Thumbs Up : Both cars arriving at the meeting spot on time- 7:30AM, getting our photo wrap and birth announcements before hitting the road, sitting butt cheek to butt cheek with African missionaries in a packed car headed to Charleston, watching Anna walk the stage, the peanuts/cheese string/fruit snacks that we stuffed our faces with after the {long, long, long} ceremony.   Thumbs Down: Climbing creepy stadium seats (always convinced I'm gonna fall), long ceremony speech, people talking (30+min) after their student's name was called (keep it classy, guys), cute shoes that didn't fit, rainy & cold weather.   CONGRATS ANNA!!  

*Please remember this is a JFB Splurging on a ridiculously  expensive COACH bag has been in the works for a few years now. I never could get up the nerve to buy one until now. My reasoning, which finally put me over the edge, was that the bag would make me hands free to lug my newly acquired, precious, heavy cargo around. {And she's only going to get heavier} The bag is the perfect size to fit just what I need: phone, car keys and cards. Things to know when ordering from COACH: 1) They will slap on an extra $20 for tax and shipping. Beware.   2) Order the complimentary gift wrap. Even if it's not really complimentary.  3) Let the {complimentary gift wrapped} box sit on your kitchen table for at least 2 days to tempt you and get you more excited.  4) Wearing a fancy purse in public may make you walk down the aisles sideways so as to not scratch it, thus adding to your shopping time.  And lastly, if you buy a leather one, take time to smelllllll the bag. Reall

Oh yes, this happened ...and so did this.