Erin Akin Carroll

1. Why didn’t I start using Certain Dri deodorant earlier? I’ve heard about it for years. Plenty of people told me how awesome it is. What in the world? I waited too long. This stuff works miracles, ladies, if you’re a sweater like I am. I have spent too many summers driving around with my hands at 12:00 because I need the air vents in my car to cool me off.

*Certain Dri did not pay me to say this. I just love Certain Dri!

2. Todd and I had a lovely anniversary dinner at Garibaldi’s last night. It was really crowded because USC graduations are going on this week. We both will shout from the rooftop that Garibaldi’s is our favorite restaurant, though. But last night, we both ate way too much and both felt sick on the way home. Never let two overtired parents go to a fancy pants restaurant without some spoken limit on how much dessert they can consume. Too much of a great thing really can be a bad thing. I think we’ll be fine eating our boring meals at home for a while.

3. I’m so thankful for blogging. I often look back on my blog to see what we were doing a year ago. I did this last night to see where we spent our anniversary in 2011. I was 38 weeks pregnant with Hayes and his birthday was two days later. But I never blogged about how we spent our anniversary. I really need to do a better job of documenting the daily things while still being able to journal my thoughts here.

4. What is going on with American Idol? First Colton and now Skylar? I’m so sad!

5. My house is party central right now. There are party supplies and decorations everywhere. I’ll say it again… I’m so thankful my mom is here to help me this week.

6. My neighbor is a hair stylist and I asked him if he could stop by one day this week and cut Hayes’s hair. Hayes’s hair isn’t all that long, but it had started to grow over his ears, but not really at all on top. Ha! So my neighbor came over tonight and gave him a trim in our kitchen. Beats the heck out of a $15-20 haircut for a baby.

7. Hayes went an entire day without any formula. I think we stopped formula cold turkey. I’m so excited! It’s like getting a pay raise. He eats so well now and eats everything we have him try. He really likes milk. We’re still giving him two bottles per day- one in the morning and one at bed time. I think we’ll plan to do that another month after his birthday and then take them away at 13 months.

I can’t wait to share party pictures with all of you and show you Hayes’s 12 month pictures. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Zondervan Bible Giveaway Winners

Emergency Preparedness Kit Giveaway Winner

It’s hard to believe that four years have gone by since the day Todd and I vowed to love, honor, cherish and respect each other for the rest of our lives.

Four years and two babies. Four years and a million smiles. Four years and lots of surprises. Four years and countless changes. Four years and it’s still the same.

I’m crazy for my husband. He is still the funniest, smartest person I know. He still makes me roll my eyes and wonder how he can be so quick witted.

I know that four years isn’t that long in the grand scheme of life. But every single day has been the most important. Every day was an achievement. Every day was an honored commitment and a way of showing him just how much he means to me.

And fortunately, for me, I get to see the very best of him come to life in these two little faces. The expressions, the laughs, and the miniature versions of the guy I love.

Thank you, Todd, for loving me and for loving our kids. Thank you for being so devoted, committed, faithful, and such a great example of what I want to be and what I hope our boys will grow up to be.

I love you.

Y’all know I love to read. I go through reading spurts. I’ll stop reading completely and then a couple of months later, I’ll come back with a vengeance and read six books in a month. I love to read!

I meant to do this post back in January to update you on what I read in 2011. Some of my favorite book suggestions have come from so many of you. But I’ve also included recents reads from this year.

If you want to see previous reads, check out my post from my 2009 bookshelf and 2010 bookshelf. You can also follow me on GoodReads! (ErinCarroll)

So this is what I read in 2011 and what I’ve read so far in 2012. I’ve divided it all up into categories.

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond- This was part of our blogging book club. I really, really enjoyed this book. Even if it was slightly embellished, I thought it was funny and such a great love story.

Night Road by Kristin Hannah- I really like Kristin Hannah’s books. She wrote Winter Garden and Firefly Lane, which I loved! Night Road was a really great story. It was sad, at times, and often frustrating. But I loved the characters and couldn’t put it down.

Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God by Sheila Walsh- I really enjoyed how Sheila took stories of characters in the Bible who struggled with faith and then applied those stories to her own life. This was a great book.

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp- Wow. This is such an eye-opening book. I highly recommend it.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan- Another book that I highly recommend. I need to read this book every year.

Radical by David Platt- See a trend here? I loved this one, too.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls- This is a must-read for everyone. Her story is incredible and almost unbelievable. But it’s true and it will stick with you.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein- Oh my gosh. Totally a dog book that made me cry. But it’s one of my all-time favorites. The dog, Enzo, narrates this story and it is incredibly touching.

The House on First Street by Julia Reed-  This book is about New Orleans in the months before Katrina and immediately after Katrina. I loved the beginning of this book. I loved hearing about so many places in New Orleans that I know so well. But it got slow around the middle.

Ape House by Sara Gruen- Eh. Sara Gruen wrote Water for Elephants so I thought I’d love this book. I liked a lot about it and there was some fun suspense. I liked the characters. But it was a little bit out there for me.

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks- I have read every single Nicholas Sparks book. Some of them are just so-so and I end up loving others. The Best of Me was kind of “meh.” I don’t want to say much because then I’ll inevitably give something away. It was a touching story about high school sweethearts who are reunited.

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks- My favorite Nicholas Sparks books are the ones with a good amount of suspense mixed with romance. Safe Haven had that perfect mix for me. (The Lucky One is my favorite Sparks book)

Divergent by Veronica Roth- If you liked The Hunger Games you will love Divergent. It’s full of action and just moves so quickly. I don’t typically love futuristic books like this (and Hunger Games) but I couldn’t put this book down. I’m so happy that there are two more books!

Insurgent by Veronica Roth- This is what I’m reading right now, and so far I love it! I am trying to read as quickly as possible while still planning Hayes’s party for this weekend!

Next up….

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Okay, so what have y’all been reading? Please give me suggestions. I need books to suck me in within 50 pages or I can’t commit. Help me build my bookshelf for 2012, please!