Like Father...

Like Son...

We don't generally have the TV on during the day around here. We have too much to do, and there are much better things to do than watch that ol' thing. Anyway, we have discovered that Levi loves watching the Wiggles. My mom and dad got him a DVD for his birthday, and we occassionally pop it in for something fun. I was working in the kitchen, and came around the corner to find this scene...

Mike and Levi chillin'... watching Wiggles.

Norman

Yesterday we were blasted with about 10-12 inches of snow.

It was gorgeous, and provided a happy snow day

for everyone, including myself.

what else is there to do a snowday, but make a snowman?

I present to you

Norman

He says hello.

Those are chocolate fudge cookies for eyes and of course, a carrot nose.

This is my favorite picture.

Levi was quite fascinated by the nose.

we did it....

....we stripped the diapers.

i know it's thrilling, right?

i had been researching and researching it, convinced if i did one thing wrong i was going to ruin our diapers. the problem? there are about a zillion and a half ways to strip diapers.

i was seriously in a panic.

then it occurred to me....check the website.
thank you bumgenius for saving my life.
there, with a bit of a shining ray of light around the paragraph, was how to strip your diapers.
why i didn't think to check it sooner is beyond me....


so we stripped them, and they seem to be okay at the moment.
i also put the diaper pail in bleach water over the weekend since we were gone and i'm hoping that killed the smell of that thing.

2 cheers for a clean smelling diaper. :)

random ramblings...

diapers.

our diapers are suddenly giving us all sorts of trouble. not leaking trouble, not stain trouble, smelly trouble.
ugh.

the worst kind.

i think i need to strip them. that's my plan of attack this weekend. i'm hoping it works, because i can't take it anymore. they don't smell when their clean, but the minute they're, *ahem* used, they smell so amonia-y, i can hardly stand it. this is the first time we've had problems with them and we've used them for basically a year now. during the summer i put them outside everyday, and i'm wondering if somehow that helps bleached out that amonia smell. i don't know. can you puts CD's outside in the winter? i don't know how that works. i need to find an amish woman and ask her. i would imagine things would freeze if it's really cold? and then wouldn't they just be wet again when you brought them inside and they warmed up? anyone have ideas on that one? anyway.. .here's to hoping the stripping method works this weekend.


coats.

seriously people, i'm fed up with clothes for little boys. i know, i know. i might as well get used to it, but i'm tired of it. i'm tired of finding 1 rack of boys to 3 racks of girls, which makes my peril in the resale market even worse. i've been on the search for a dressy coat for levi for next winter. i can't find one anywhere. if i find them, they are wintery, like we live in kentucky or something, which of course we do not. we need a coat for a below zero kind of winter and that seems really elusive for some reason. i LOVE levi's coat right now. it's a coduroy with a fuzzy lining. it's perfect for casual stuff, but great for church stuff as well. ugh. i'm over coats, and i fear i may have to wait until next fall at this point.

though, garage sale season isn't that far away. :)

weekend fun.

we're going away this weekend, up to mike's parents. they will be gone though. i know that sounds weird doesn't? they are heading to mike's cousin's wedding in TN.
we aren't going related to

1) cost of travel and a hotel
2) driving 12 hours with a one year old. hi...miserable, party of 3 please. yeah. not happening.

anyway, we're going to dog\house sit for the weekend. we're looking forward to it.
a weekend get-away with zero plans.
bliss, i tell you.

birthdays

Happy 29th Birthday, Babe!

I love you!

birthday party

the stage was set...

there were decorations made...

streamers strung...

presents opened....



happy birthday sung...

and cupcakes to be eaten...

we had a great time!

V-day...

Valentines Day is equated with love, yes?

so in honor of that, I thought I'd post a list of some of the things i love.

I Love....

snowy days.

working in the garden.

spring breeze.

swimming.

mike's eyes.

tent camping.

roasting marshmallows over the fire.

fireworks.

levi's nose.

picnics at the park.

lake michigan.

the smell of fall.

my family.

cider and donuts.

canning and preserving.

corn mazes.

campfires.

christmas eve.

fridays.

the way babies smell.

soft skin.

the county fair.

mike's beard.

my wedding ring.

levi's infectious laugh.

the way music makes me feel.

accompanying.

thick creamy lotion.

camp barakel.

our church.

friends.

quiet.

a freshly brewed pot of coffee.

olympics.

sand between your toes.

mackinaw island.

peach rings.

diet coke.

our cat.

baking.

the list could go on forever..


what do you love?

i promise

more of this to come later...

uncharted territory

i'm still nursing levi.

he's 12 1\2 months and we're still going strong.

that's a new one for me. i never thought i'd make it this long. you can ask mike, he thought for sure i'd stop eventually. from the beginning i told myself i'd give it 6 months. no questions, no "what ifs" no, it'd only be easier if's... i was just going to do it for that long before i considered anything else... lo and behold by the time i got to 6 months it was so easy, that i never thought twice about doing anything else.

so now he's a year, and i keep getting asked if i'm still nursing him.
i say yes, and i get "the look"
you know

"the look"

the one that screams...
oh, you're one of those crazy, all natural, cloth diapering, baby wearing, kind of people...

i don't really know what to say to that, other than, yes i am. no i don't plan on nursing him forever, but i'll do it until he seems like he's not interested anymore, and right now, we're doing just fine. he nurses twice a day, early morning and then again before he goes to bed.
i have been considering dropping one feeding, but i'm not sure how to go about that. he seems so content right now, and i don't want to mess with it, but it's just a little bit of a thought i have at the moment.

how long did you nurse your kiddos?
did they wean naturally or did you wean them?

i'd love to know what other mama's have done.

1 year

my sister took levi's 1 yr. pics.

this is one of my favs...

water table

Today we went to a children's museum.

We had a great time, and Levi's favorite activity was by far the water table.
We will definitely be re-visiting this small town gem.

Oh and I promise birthday pics soon.
My sister took them, so I have to wait for to get them to me.