another week, another update.

lots of fun things happened this past week, so here goes!

the biggest news, PRESLEY IS NOW 4 AND A HALF.
she has been asking me for MONTHS when she will be 4 1/2 and the day finally came.
she woke up on tuesday and walked into my room and i said, "oh hey 4 1/2!" and she snapped back, "i don't think i'm 4 1/2 just yet, because i got up and looked in the mirror and i still look 4?! so maybe later today after dance i'll be 4 1/2."
so then on the way to dance, i guess she realized she was actually 4 1/2 because she kept saying things like, "look how long my legs got! look how long my toes got, even that little toe is long! look at my long arms. i am so growned!" 😂
the rest of the week (and even still today) she has been adamant about telling anyone who will listen that she is 4 1/2.
we also went to the doctor that day for her kindergarten physical and she had to get FOUR shots and a finger poke....NOT FUN.
BUT, later that night we took the kids to see pj masks live at the rabobank and they both had fun! eli was SO into it, he did awesome.

the next day at school i told presleys teacher that she had her vaccines the day before and her legs might be sore and presley quickly added, "AND I'M 4 1/2".

friday we had movie night at our clubhouse. they put up a huge screen and had pizza and popcorn and we watched trolls. we love our neighborhood!

randy and chih were obviously enjoying the movie.

eli mostly loved the popcorn, of course, but sat through about half the movie with his friend lucas!

tomorrow i register my baby girl for kindergarten... well, if all goes as expected, i guess. i am not only having anxiety about this HUGE moment in both of our lives, but i've been stressing about the logistics of the whole situation as well. i have all the paperwork i need (i think), and i've looked at the checklist at least once a day for 3 months, but i'm still worried i'll forget something. as if they're not gonna let her in if i don't get her registered on day one. i just like to be on top of things like this!

pray for me.

how is this baby gonna be in kindergarten in six months? 😭

one quick presley-ism i don't want to forget...

anytime she sees a question mark, for instance when her tablet loses it's wifi connection a question mark pops up on the screen, she calls it a mystery. "mom there's a mystery!"

and an eli anecdote i don't want to forget...

he tries VERY hard to talk to alexa and he can get her attention, but getting her to play his songs (any song blippi sings) is challenging. so he was like, "ALEXA! play tractor!" and she was like, "sorry, i didn't quite get that, can you repeat that?" and he was like, "no." and walked away. 😂

well hello!

lots of good stuff has been going on over the past couple weeks and i finally have a minute to sit down and share, so here goes!

first, and foremost... the biggest news.
our grass is GREEN again. whoa, right? i'd say it's cause of all the rain we've been having, but i'd be lying.
we have a dirty little secret over here at pemberley manor, and it's called grass paint.
apparently you're supposed to "winter seed" or some similar nonsense over here in the california area. and apparently my yard man (RANDY) didn't get the memo. but he turned our ugly brown lawn (i say lawn, it's more like a patch) into green goodness.

before

after

crazy, right? he said he needs to, "work on the formula to get the perfect shade of green." 

and i was like, "do whatever you have to do, just keep looking that good while you're doing it." but really, look how cute he is. i've said it before, and i'll say it again... i have a crush on my yard guy.

speaking of rain, the other morning randy MADE ME GET OUT OF BED TO LOOK AT A RAINBOW. i was like, "rainbows are great and all, but sleep is even better." BUT i got up and went outside in my pajamas to look at the "coolest rainbow ever". 

so it was actually a double rainbow, and the bottom one was SO vibrant and clear, and it probably was the coolest rainbow i'd ever seen. so i ended up forgiving him for making me go outside looking like a hobo at 7am.

anyyyyway. valentine's day happened!

mom served up pink heart pancakes for breakfast, we went to presley's class party, and had heart shaped pasta for dinner! i also made a heart shaped cake, chocolate dipped strawberries, and strawberry shortcake. randy brought home roses and a sweet card (my fav! words of affirmation is my love language!) for me, a car for eli, and a balloon and a movie for presley (his valentine tradition is to buy her a disney princess movie!). 

i left friday to go to a women's conference in roseville with some amazing ladies from church. it was an INCREDIBLE weekend and so refreshing and restoring to my soul. i had no idea i needed this weekend so badly, but boy did i. God was really moving and using the speakers and worship team to speak straight to my heart.

 i was so anxious to leave randy and the babies, and honestly i expected a million "help!" texts but never even got one! randy told me when i got home that there was only one instance that presley said, "call mom"... and that it happened this morning before church. apparently eli found my makeup and had drawn on himself with eyeliner. presley came in and saw what happened and told randy, "ok, call mom." but randy handled it. he managed to get the kids and himself ready and not only made it to church, but also sunday school!

he told me that presley's outfit was a "group effort". i was expecting much worse, and presley looks so happy. randy killed it this weekend... he supported and encouraged me to go away for two nights and everytime we texted he reassured me everything was going great at home and to have fun. i just love him.

but the icing on the cake of this fun week was the birth of my NEWEST niece CAMILA!

she was born on february 12, and she is what you'd call perfection. we have already facetimed(and i cried the whole time) and she confirmed that i am her favorite aunt even though i won't be able to snuggle her in real life until JUNE. she has a dimple in one cheek and lots of dark brown hair and i'm just in love with this angel!

here's how my morning is going.

i woke up to the sound of the appliances beeping and clicking, and the sudden quietness that follows a power outage. that means sound machines turning off, and kids waking up. it wasn't early... we actually slept in until 7:40ish, but we probably could have had a little more time. but, of course, the headache i had since yesterday afternoon was still lingering (and still is). 

yesterday was rough.

presley woke up feeling kinda crummy...runny nose and low grade fever. i actually had to wake her up, which is really unusual. she was fussy and wouldn't stop crying, so i decided we should probably NOT send her to school. what can i say, as much as i needed a break from all that mess, i also want her teachers to like me. 

after a dose of cold medicine and tylenol, she was back to normal and completely and literally out of control. i'm not sure what got into her, but it was BAD. not listening, talking back, screaming...you name it. 

poor randy. we don't talk (text) much throughout the day because he's usually very busy at work. so he had no idea what he was walking into when he got home last night. and bless his sweet heart, of all days... he randomly showed up with surprises for the kids(and i'm all like, where's mine? and he's all like "i'm your surprise". and i'm all like, *eyeroll*, and he's all like, "rude.")-- a matchbox car for eli and a blindbag cupcake for presley. needless to say, presley didn't get her surprise because her attitude was on the highest level imaginable... and then being the meanest mom ever, i took her tablet away too.

also, an update on paci-gate. 

NOT GOING WELL. i repeat--GOING TERRIBLY.

ugh. he cried himself to sleep for naptime yesterday and again last night. and i hate myself more than i can even explain. my parent's are like, "you have to do it, just be strong". and my sister's all, "give it back! his teeth are gonna be messed up regardless!" she's so supportive.

so yesterday was a bust. and today started off ugly, too. BUT. but. BUT..... the power finally came back after about 45 minutes. also, (of course) i put hallmark channel on for background noise to write this blog, and heard the GREATEST NEWS EVERRRR--they are going to play a christmas movie EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT for the rest of the year! so consider my friday nights spoken for (as if i ever do anything besides watch hallmark channel on friday nights, anyway.) AND it's my favorite weather ever--rainy, cool, overcast--which is a rarity in bakersfield, so i'm here for it.

oh! AND! i snuck a picture of randy's new beard!

so, consider this day turned around. byeeeeee!

i did something tonight that i can't stop thinking about. it was something that absolutely had to be done, and right now i'm feeling just terrible about it. 

backstory first. 

eli had a dentist appointment on monday afternoon, only his second appointment ever. the dentist said his teeth looked great, BUT, her words--"i can tell he really loves his paci." ugh. eli is such a good baby. (toddler, whatever. always my baby. and i'll call him baby out loud until he's 10, and even then i'll just try to keep it under my breath.) annnnyway. he is so good. he has ONE thing. his paci. and you know what???? he ONLY takes it when he sleeps. that's it! he doesn't use it AT ALL during the day. it's his THING at night. his comfort. i knew we'd have to lose it at some point, but honestly i wasn't ready. what was it hurting? well apparently it's gonna start hurting his permanent teeth if we don't get rid of it before he's 3. so whatever. we still have like 10ish months before he's 3. but then i started worrying about his future orthodontia. and then before i knew it...i was cutting the tip off his paci. and i'm immediately regretting it. i feel so terrible. he was so confused. my heart is breaking just thinking about him in his bed sucking on a cut paci. he didn't cry or anything... he just kinda looked at it and put it in and out of his mouth. i told him it was broken, but he still wanted it. now i just have to cut a little more off every night until he doesn't want it anymore. and that's just ONE MORE THING to make him more grown up. taking the baby away from my baby. now i'm crying. motherhood is hard. even when it's over silly ridiculous things like this. 

he really is getting so big and his vocabulary is just exploding. and i just get more obsessed with him everyday, and i don't even know how that's possible.

he is still only all about cars and trucks and tractors and excavators, and basically anything with a motor, including airplanes. randy took him to see monster trucks last weekend, and he was IN LOVE. he sat so attentively and when he got home he said, "it was loud!"

he is also very very into blippi. if you don't know about blippi, i'm jealous. jkkkk... he really isn't that bad. he does lots of educational stuff and he keeps my kids entertained with his songs and silly dancing.

by the way, randy thinks that blippi doll is the creepiest thing ever. 

speaking of RANDY... he recently gave me the best gift ever... i mean, besides my kids, obviously. 

it's something i've been asking him for, for YEARS. anniversaries, birthdays, mothers day, flag day, you name it... i'd beg him for this ONE THING. and he'd flat out tell me no. and it's not that it cost too much money... because its FREE. it was because it was "uncomfortable and itchy." 

before your mind goes somewhere wild... i'll go ahead and let the cat out of the bag (can i still say that phrase, PETA?)... RANDY GREW A BEARD!!! yall. i have been beggggggging him to grow some facial hair for years and years.... and years. and he'd tease me with three day fuzz once or twice a year. then he'd complain that his face was itchy and shave it all off again. but something got into him and he finally grew it out. and he looks SO GOOD. i wish i had a picture to show, but i keep forgetting to sneak one. i'll try to post one soon. that handsome face needs to be seen. whew.

alright, well i'll leave you with one last pic of BOTH my babies. can't believe tomorrow is already FEBRUARY!

my grandma called me yesterday (made my day!) just to see how we were doing and to tell me she "read that blog thing on your mom's phone".  she told me she's proud of me for writing... so that got me thinking i should probably actually keep writing something. 

i do have a praise report to share!

we went back to the doctor last monday so they could recheck presley's lungs from the pneumonia. she hadn't been coughing in over a week, so i figured she was good.... and she was! so thankful for that. BUT, while she was checking presley's heart the doctor casually says "remind me...did we talk about the murmur last time?" well CUE all the blood rushing from my face and me scrambling to say "UHHH NOOOOO...." in the nicest way. she said it was probably just from growing, and that was common, but that she wanted me to see a pediatric cardiologist. 

i immediately texted my girlfriend from church, helen, who is a nurse practitioner and an actual angel. she recommended a cardiologist and offered some (much needed and helpful) explanation.

we were able to get into the cardiologist yesterday morning, and after the longest appointment ever (long waits, but also a VERY thorough ultrasound and ekg and long talk with the doctor), he said her heart was perfectly normal. he said whatever sound they heard was normal, and nothing to even be concerned about. he said if they hear it again in six months or even five years from now, it's NORMAL. he said a lot of times murmurs are from defects or holes in the heart, but her heart looked great and her blood flow was perfect. i know a lot of people don't get such good news after a visit like that, so i am VERY VERY thankful (and VERY VERY relieved!) my girl is ok! 

besides that, not too much going on over here at the teel household. we are back in our routines with school and dance and church and hallmark movies.

back when i was on social media, instagram to be specific, one of my very favorite accounts to follow was @things.i.bought.and.liked ...basically she posts about, get this, things she bought...and liked. mind blowing, right? but it was SUCH GOOD STUFF. like everything from everyday household items, to beauty products, to books she read, etc. literally all kinds of stuff. if you're on instagram and you aren't following her, you are really missing out.

annnyway, i thought i'd post some things i bought and liked, just in case anyone wants to make their lives a little brighter.

1. THIS blow dryer. if you want to live your best life, you need this thing. i have watched countless youtube videos and read a bajillion pinterest articles about how to give yourself a blow out. and i just could never do it. my arms don't work that way. but with this thing, this miracle worker, i am able to give myself a blow out in MINUTES. volume for days. 

2. this TOOTHBRUSH. it is just the right amount of electric...meaning it doesn't shoot toothpaste across your mirror if you accidentally pop it out of your mouth for a second. and, they automatically ship you new heads every 3 months, so you basically feel verrrry put together and on top of things... even if you aren't.

also, one of my very favorite things to do is shop from aliexpress which is like china's version of amazon. you can find things for verrrry verrrrry cheap, if you don't mind waiting a month to get them. so here are my favorite things i've bought so far.

1. this wireless charger. my phone has the ability to charge wireless-ly, and i wasn't about to spend $50 to try it. so i found this for $2.39 and it works perfectly! i have it on my kitchen counter at the moment and while i'm cooking or doing dishes, i'll throw it on there to charge.

2. this pen/pencil pouch. i used to keep a pen in the spine of my bible, but then i got a hardcover bible and it kept falling out... or RANDY would steal it. so i got this nifty little case that has an elastic strap to attach to my bible that holds several pens!

3. this countertop vacuum. is this frivolous? yes. and for $6 it is one of my favorite mom hacks. i just zoom it over the table after every meal and snack. bonus points because presley loves to use it too! 

4. this ear tool. don't gag... but this thing is awesome. it has a super bright light that lets you see what you're doing when you need to go elbow deep on your kids earwax. it is super sturdy and fancy looking.

5. these earring backs. i've talked about these before... but these are THE BEST purchase i have made from china thus far. they keep all your post earrings sitting perfectly in your cute little ears. it is magical.

your aliexpress carts should be filling up now, but here are some other things i buy there regularly...

phone cases, screen protectors, mini melissa knock offs for presley, those cool silicone shoelaces, and packing cubes (you NEED these if you travel a lot!).

ok, that's all i've got for now. i'll leave you with some pictures of the world's cutest kids.

a year ago today was one of the hardest and scariest days of my life.

i boarded a one-way flight to california to LIVE HERE.

a year ago i was barely holding on. i had agreed to this move... maybe it was more begrudgingly than wholeheartedly, but i agreed. i was terrified. i had been to bakersfield exactly ONE time before i moved here, and it was for exactly 2.5 days. and now i was going to be LIVING here for a few YEARS? why was this happening? why bakersfield, california? nothing made sense. bakersfield had NEVER even been a blip on the radar for a potential rotation with randy's career at exxon. this position/rotation just kinda created itself after the previous tax manager at aera energy decided to retire. it was just so sudden, and i felt like i was drowning.
not to mention, the whole relocation process hadn't been smooth sailing like we had experienced with our dallas move. our woodlands house didn't sell. everything was rushed. we had to have our cars shipped. it was all happening around the holidays. randy was already living in bakersfield for 3 months while i was dealing with selling the house and taking care of the kids by myself. it was HARD. i found every excuse to hate this move and to feel sorry for myself. i was really down, i was really mad. i was NOT happy.

but something happened... something incredible.
it didn't happen right away, it took many months for me to stop being stubborn and open my eyes to see that God was moving.

in retrospect, i can absolutely see what happened.
over the last few years, randy and i were complacent. we were comfortable in our routine. we were only going through the motions of life. we were members of a church, but often felt lost in it. we talked about making changes, but never did. we didn't make our relationship a priority. and above all that (and i'm only going to speak for myself here) i was a lazy christian who felt like i was doing what i should by just going to church for sunday service. my relationship with the Lord was bleak.

then, when we heard we were going to bakersfield, instead of being thankful for the opportunity, i felt punished. why was God taking us away from our families?
and sadly, i kept that attitude for the first several months of last year.

but, in the spring, things started shifting. then spring turned into summer, and summer into fall. and then the end of the year just flew right on by.

now here i sit on this perfect bakersfield afternoon (it's cool, overcast, and raining!! my very favorite!), smiling. i am truly happy. bakersfield has suprised me. God has surprised me.
He took us out of our comfort zone, and we have not only survived, we have flourished.

we have made good and real friends.
our neighborhood is amazing.
our kids are happy.
the church we joined has pulled us right in, and we have already made such strong relationships and connections within it.

but most of all, these two things.
1. my relationship with randy has grown stronger and deeper, and i can honestly say i've never loved him more. he puts God first, and you have no idea how much that has molded our whole family dynamic here. he still drives me crazy, but i still drive him MORE crazy. he has been so supportive and loving through all my moods this past year, and i hope he knows i'd move to antarctica for him.

2. my relationship with Jesus. i believe God moved us here to get us closer to Him. i think he knew that we weren't relying on Him like we should, and what better way to change our selfish ways than to uproot us from our comfort zone and place us 1,700 miles away from everything and everyone we know....well, it worked!

it took me too much time to realize that God put us here to fulfill HIS plans for us. now i have open arms to this experience and adventure and am doing my best to follow His direction each day.

don't get me wrong..i still miss my family terribly. i get homesick for my parents daily. and of course i still have bad days and sad days, but they are fewer and fewer.

also, i'm never getting tired of these sunsets!

coming to you live from pemberley manor (i cant stop wont stop hallmark)... that's right, we made it back to the golden state friday afternoon, after two glorious weeks in h-town.

first, a few things.

1. to everysingleperson we didn't get to see while we were in texas (basically everyone besides our families, and the people who work at whataburger on the beltway), I AM SO SORRY. i have really good intentions coming into these trips. it's not that i don't want to see my friends (please don't stop being my friends!), it's just so hard to take time away from the family we get to see less than a handful of times a year. so... really i'm sorry, but also, you're welcome? because we all got nasty colds and my parents house was basically a breeding ground for flu-like symptoms. for real, i'm failing at being a friend lately, please don't give up on me.

2. thank you for all the christmas cards! i love seeing so many sweet faces in our mailbox. in case you didn't know, i save every christmas card we get. when i take down christmas decorations i bind all the cards we received for the season (and our own card!), and when i decorate for christmas the next year i have a coffee table full of books of christmas cards past! it's so fun to look back and see how families have grown

so we've been back for 3 days and everything is a mess. my house, my life... everything.

presley should be back at school today, but instead we were at the doctor's office as soon as they opened to be given a diagnosis of PNEUMONIA. my baby girl is so sick. she also has the beginning of an ear infection on top of that... so everytime she coughs(which is literally NONSTOP), it hurts her ear. she is currently resting--by choice, which, if you know her, is very very out of character for my child that never stops moving. it breaks my heart to see her so down. please pray for a quick recovery for our presley girl.