Catching up...

We've all been sick since the day after Joshua's birthday. It has been a really long month. I got sick first then Ethan got the cold virus that's been going around, passed it to Joshua who passed it to me again. Joshua's also teething so our sweet angel baby has turned into a grumpy little thing who whines and cries all day long. I really hope when he's done teething he'll go back to his sweet little self.

Although it's gotten cold again, we did have spring for a few days and our flowers have started to bloom. The tulips haven't opened up just yet, but the hyacinths & daffodils have and they smell so wonderful. I can't wait for spring be here for good!





Update on digital scrapbooking- I got my book finished and ordered and I absolutely love it! I cannot believe I waited so long to go digital. The book is almost 100 pages yet it's only 1/2 inch thick compared to my book(s) from 2007 which are 4 1/2 inches thick each- and has broken the binding

because they're so thick

and heavy. I had a coupon so the entire thing only cost $60, the crafty way usually costs $3-5 per page. So I compiled my top 10 reasons why I love digital, maybe it will help some who, like me, were on the fence or thought it was totally cheating and the anti-craft. I'm fully convinced, and have no regrets. So here's my top 10:

10. I'm not stuck with the pathetic selection my Michael's has, I can get cool free stuff online or create my own elements
9. I can scrapbook anytime anywhere and the only thing I have to lug around is my computer
8. I don't have to spend hundreds of dollars printing 4x6 photos
7. I can resize images easily and fit a ton more pics on one page
6. I can change my mind and easily edit anything at all

5. I can make extra books for my kids with a click of the mouse
4. It only cost 66 cents per page compared with $3.50 minimum for regular pages

3. I can put 100 pages in a single book that weighs less than 20 pounds and fits on my shelf
2. I don't have to stress about being behind- it's easy to stay caught up
1. I actually have a current finished scrapbook sitting on my table that I can look at!!!

And last, but not least. Fireproof. It's been recommended by several people and we finally got it the other day. I heard it would be good but I wasn't prepared for the floodgate of tears! You've gotta warn me next time! Anyway I highly recommend it. But keep the tissues nearby.

*btw, I used Inkubook to print my book- they are fabulous and the least expensive...

Birthday Boy!

On Monday, we celebrated Joshua's first birthday! I can't believe our little baby is growing up. A few weeks ago he started taking his first steps and now he's walking everywhere. It's kind of sad to see him get so big and independent. He's been the sweetest baby ever and I'm going to miss this...

Scrapbooking Marathon

I have been really frustrated at how far behind I am on scrapbooking, I really like to scrap things as they happen and are fresh in my mind. So Thursday I did a few pages. I was in May of 2008. Anthony took Ethan with him on a campout last night and Joshua went to bed at 7:30pm so I stayed up all night scrapbooking. I scrapbooked most the day today as well and I am finally FINISHED with my 2008 book! This is my first year going digital so I'm going to have all the pages printed in a bound book. I am a simple scrapbooker so I don't have a lot of detail and really don't spend a lot of time on each page, I'd rather just get it done. I feel like a burden has been lifted and now that I'm caught up I can actually enjoy scrapbooking again. It's amazing what you can do when you're not chasing after a toddler!

Jesus loves you...

The last few weeks Ethan has really started to absorb things. There gets a point in a two year old's life when you wonder if anything you say is sinking in. I usually feel this way during family home evening. We use the nursery manual so the lesson is only about two minutes long but that entire two minutes he is pacing laps around the coffee table and jumping off the couch and I think why on earth do I even bother? Then out of the blue they say something that makes you wonder if some of it actually sinks in. A few weeks ago Ethan was walking upstairs to his room and out of the blue said to himself "Jesus loves you".

Since then it seems he's having an intellectual growth spurt. I tell him something once or twice and he remembers it. I showed him his right and left foot so he could put on his shoes and he still remembers. I play the children's songbook on cd for him during the day and he's started repeating the first article of faith and almost has the second down. He's getting better with the computer and loves to play on starfall.com. The other day I showed him a picture of President Monson and told him his name was Thomas and he got very excited (he's completely obsessed with Thomas the Train) then pointed to President Uchtdorf and said Percy! It feels like my efforts are finally paying off and my time trying to teach him things may actually be worthwhile!

Kentucky Ice Storm

We got a nice ice storm on Tuesday and our electricity went out. Fortunately for Christmas we bought a propane heater and stove. We were really worried about our pipes freezing and breaking so we kept the faucets at a drip and I could not sleep because we kept hearing trees falling over about every 5 minutes in the woods across the street. It was a pretty cold few days, we thought it may take up to a week to get power back so we kept our heater on low (which kept the house a chilly 50 degrees) but we did cook some pretty yummy food on our stove.

Thursday the water finally stopped working and that was no fun. We have a bunch of water storage, but it's just not the same. Our neighbors 5 houses down still had power so we went over there to warm up for a bit. They ran an extension cord over to our house so we could get on the internet and watch the news and just 15 minutes after we got it hooked up our power came back on. We celebrated prematurely though because it went off just a few minutes later. It flickered on and off for the next few hours but fortunately that evening it came on for good and has stayed on. The water came on too, so I quickly ran the dishwasher and washer and just as they finished the water ran out again. But we got water back last night, so things are starting to get back to normal now.

It's amazing how much we take the simple conveniences for granted. It sure makes you appreciate how cozy your life really is when you have to go without for a few days. In a way it was kind of fun though because Anthony got the whole week off of work and we had nowhere to go and just huddled together as a family, played games and read books. I figured Anthony's been bugging me about going winter camping- and this was better than camping since we got to sleep in our own bed and still use flushing toilets- so I consider this our winter camping trip for the year...it counts right? I tried ice skating on our driveway- it was a bit too bumpy to really skate though. Ethan had so much fun knocking the ice off of everything, he thought it was hilarious. We also discovered an easy way to mow the lawn, just kick the ice weeds and they break right off! It was a good learning experience and I'm glad we were prepared.

Fun with photos

I've been playing around with my new lights trying to get some fun shots with the boys. Ethan is really uncooperative though, I'm lucky to get him to hold still for two seconds before he's leaping around the room trying to knock things over. I did manage to get a few decent shots.

Have I mentioned how clumsy my children are? Ethan hurt his foot a few weeks ago climbing out of his crib and has been hobbling around (we've since converted to a toddler bed), then a few days ago Joshua fell down the stairs. The very next day Ethan smashed Joshua's fingers in the back of the door. Friday he threw a tantrum and hit his head on the corner of the wall and got a huge goose egg, and last but not least on Saturday we were playing on the bed and his chin came down on my foot and he cut his gums. It will be a miracle if the kid makes it to adulthood.

Joshua's getting ready to walk. He's pulling himself up on everything and loves to stand and play with the activity table. I can't believe when Ethan was this age he was practically running. I'm glad I've been able to enjoy Joshua being a baby a bit longer.

Merry Christmas!

Last night we had friends over for Christmas Eve. We had a delicious turkey dinner with fresh pumpkin pie. The kids did a very short nativity scene, sang happy birthday to Jesus and blew out candles, and ran around doing what toddlers do. Ethan and his little buddy Tyler are quite a pair when they get together, jumping off things and running around like wild things. Our good friends are moving this week, Ethan's sure going to miss Ellie & Sophia who he's played almost every week since we moved here.

Christmas morning we started the day with gingerbread pancakes and Stephen's hot chocolate. Then the wild one woke up and was happy we finally said he could open presents. Ethan would open one present and just want to play with it and not open any other gifts. I don't think we had them all open until after noon. It was nice though to just relax all day and enjoy playing with the boys. Ethan got two "choo choo's" and carried one in each hand all day long. Joshua kept crawling towards the train and would try to grab it every time it came around the track. The boys really got spoiled with so many books and toys from their grandparents and cousins. We got several good books, games, and kitchen goodies (we'll see how long my fingers last with my new chef's knife!). My big gift this year (thanks to my Grandpa and a few birth announcement orders) were a pair of lights for my in-home studio so I can take pics even when it's overcast. I also got a remote so I don't have to run and trip over things whenever we want to take a family picture. Of course, Christmas is never quite the same without our family, but it's nice to have good friends. Wish we were there, hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! If you don't have a copy of Joy to the World, go to http://www.mormon.org/ click Free Media and request a copy. It's an awesome movie to watch this time of year to remember and celebrate the birth of our Savior.

My son is a cross-(shoe)-dresser...

So I think I've posted before about Ethan's love for shoes. He loves to try on shoes (anyone's but his own that is). He loves heels and the clomp clomp sound they make and is always getting into my closet and trying on shoe after shoe. As I was getting ready for church yesterday I heard him clomping around and caught him wearing these. He is such a silly boy...

choo-choo's

Ethan has developed a serious obsession for trains lately. The first thing he says when he wakes in the morning now is "choo-choo train". He's practically potty trained himself because I bought him Thomas the Train underwear. He loves to wear his "choo choo's". He still wets his pants sometimes when he can't get them off fast enough, and I won't put him to bed or take him in the car without pull-ups on, but during the day when we're home he gets on and goes all by himself. It's so nice not to have to change his dirty diapers anymore! So he's getting all train paraphernalia for Christmas this year. The other night Anthony had late meetings but Ethan wanted to wait up for him, he sat on the couch kicking his feet and looking out the window. I was tired so I climbed into bed and went to sleep. Anthony woke me when he got home and I asked if Ethan was still up. He said he hadn't seen him, we went in the living room and found Ethan asleep bent over the couch, his feet not even touching the floor. It was so cute.

Joshua finally has a tooth and is crawling all over the place. He's still as happy and laid back as ever. He and Ethan have so much fun together laughing at one another. Here's a few pics...