California-Race

Okay...so maybe I failed miserably at last weeks picks ... in my defense, that race had many unexpected turns.... But I'm no quitter... I have placed my bet on today's race at Pepsi's Fantasy Racing. For today's race I have Carl Edwards down to take 1st place, with Earnhardt Jr and Harvick taking 2nd and 3rd.

Im ready for this race to get here... Go Burton!!!

Glorious Saturday

Ahhhh, Saturdays...I love Saturdays...

No where to go...nothing to do (well, except household chores-but we like to pretend those dont exsist sometimes...shhh)

It was pretty enough today that I took the boys outside for a walk. They were able to play on the swing set while mommy did what she loves to do-snap pictures.

Daytona 500

The Dayton 500 is today, and I'm psyched!

Michael and I are taking part in Pepsi's Fantasy Racing and even though I'm a die hard Jeff Burton fan, I have Mark Martin down to take it all today. Call it a hunch.

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Edited to add: Well, that was certainly not what I expected... The race was high on the entertainment factor, but ended up appearing as more of a comedy of errors. So much for my hunch.

Valentines activities

Yesterday, I left work early to attend Dylan's Valentines party at school. Can I just say, I don't remember school being that much fun back when I was a kid! They made a cute craft with their hand prints on a heart, then had a snack and finally finished decorating their heart.

After the party we decided to take the boys down to the river, since the weather was so perfect. They enjoyed throwing rocks in the river...and Dylan made sure to let us know he wanted to come back and go fishing some time.

Where I Live

Often times when asked where I live, Ill answer "out in the boonies" or "in the sticks". I really do use those terms lovingly, because I dearly love the small town I live in. I love looking up at night and seeing the stars, and the abundance of trees..I love seeing people sitting on their front porch just because...I love hearing cows "moo" when I'm in my yard...I love to hear the crickets at night...the wonderful smell of country air. I love where I live. Country and back-woods as it may be, Id never live anywhere else.

The view of the sky from my yard.

A totally random barn down the road.

Little Man

When I ask Dylan to smile, this is the expression I'm given....

I can already imagine the teenage years.

M.I.A

I just realized today that its been a while since my last post.

Things have been ultra hectic lately. My mom has been sick, and due to her health issues we have been having to find alternate childcare for Hayden...and will have to continue this for at least another 4 weeks. Luckily for us, our friend Michael (who happens to be my husband, Michaels, best friend-yes, 2 Michael's) has been off work this week, so he has been the main care giver. Yes..a man... No, I'm not at all sexist...but any woman knows that when it comes to childcare, us women seem to fulfill the duty. But, I have to admit that he has done an excellent job (minus that first days lunch that consisted of gummy snacks).

And, after months and months of stomach issues with Hayden..yes, the same ones I posted about months ago...the doctors ordered lab work and have found that milk is not what is causing his issues.... They did do blood work to also test for Celiac Disease, and one of the tests came back positive...so he is now scheduled with a pediatric GI doctor for the end of the month. I just pray we can get some answers soon, because it is hard to see your child in such pain.

Party Time

Today is Hayden's 2nd birthday. Two years have just went by in a flash. Is this the way the rest of my life will be? It seems that if I blink, both kids will be grown. *sigh* Well, back to the topic...Hayden is 2 and we celebrated with a party at McDonald's.

And I think the cake needs a little explanation. We had a hard time deciding on a cake theme. We knew Hayden loved cows and Car's...so Michael and I put our heads together to come up with a perfect theme (redneck, though it may be).

Lightning McQueen & Mater cow tipping!

And to accommodate Hayden's food allergies, I made him a personal milk free cake.

He enjoyed it!

Finally..some snow!

Snow! Finally!!! Okay..so maybe we had to drive 2 hours to play in it...but still, it was snow!

And lots of it! Today we went to Beech Mountain, where they offer a slope only for kids under 12 years of age..and best of all-its free! We had a blast.

And for a funny photo-op.

I asked Dylan to smile for one last picture..he did:

The he said "Why one last picture?" and I said "Because we are leaving!":

It's Not Gross...

Today I was talking with a friend, and the fact that I cloth diaper part time came into conversation. Her initial response was "That's gross", to which I replied "No way". But I remember back to the days before I discovered the truths and ease of cloth diapering and at that time, I also thought it was gross. With Dylan, my first, I used disposables...or "sposies", as I like to call them. Every week, without fail, I would spend roughly $15-$19 on a box of diapers. I remember buying those diapers grudgingly, but it was something we had to have. By the time I was pregnant with Hayden I found a wonderful local mommies group and met many different types of ladies. Over time, many of those ladies introduced me to different ways of living(cloth diapering, cleaning without chemicals, buying local and organic when possible, etc)...and in the beginning I shrugged it all off to them being "odd"...but after I listened and learned more I realized their way's of doing things weren't so "odd".

Around the time Hayden was 5 months I decided cloth diapering was something I wanted to look into...especially after hearing about the hundreds of dollars I could save in the long run and the terrible effect of disposables on the environment. I had always envisioned cloth diapering as using the old-school pins and prefold diaper, with the horrible plastic pants... so I was surprised to see the cute different types of diapers available, and to learn that no pins were needed! (Though I will admit that as a veteran cloth diapering mommy, I almost always use the old school prefolds now.) I was also nervous about the cleanliness factor...especially come poop time...but it was simple for me since Hayden had solid poop-because after a poop, you just plop the poop in the toilet, and then throw the diaper in with the rest of the dirty diapers. And the dirty diapers stay in a zippered wetbag until wash time...so no stink taking over the house!

Honestly, I could blog pages on my love of cloth diapering...but its one of those things you just have to try for yourself to understand. Despite your opinion on it, you cant deny the cuteness of a cute cloth covered bum....so Ill leave you with a few pictures of Hayden clad in some of our favorite diapers.

Its Cold!

Its cold! I'm talking below freezing-reaching single digits-cold! My poor kids have had chapped cheeks off and on, despite my persistence with lathering their faces with Vaseline. The other day we woke up to find we had no running water...our pipes had frozen. While I was highly peeved with having to go take a shower at my parents, I was still thankful that the pipes didn't burst-- the silver lining, right?

And then today, after church, I placed some damp prefold cloth diapers out to dry...don't ask me what I was thinking. The diapers are now a stiff frozen mess....so off to throw those in a toasty dryer.

Please God, if it is going to be this cold..please send snow...

It's drawing near

One week until my baby turns 2.

Bath Time With Hayden

Hayden loves bath time. He has been known to jump into the tub fully clothed in his short lifetime. For Christmas, he received some Thomas the Train bath toys. These toys are actually water squirters, but thank goodness he hasn't figured that part out yet. shhhh...

And the final shot... the one he will kill me for many years from now!

What would it be?

We have all heard the age old question:

If your home was on fire and you could only grab one thing (other than family) what would you save?

Every time I hear that question and I really have to ponder on it.... The question makes it sounds as though I should have a slew of things, and narrowing it down will be tough. Maybe if I were in the moment I would feel differently. I mean, ofcorse I don't want to lose any of our possessions...well, maybe a few toys, because we have too many of those anyways... But, what would be my one thing?

Some people go with items of sentimental value...me, well, I'm not one of those people. Sure, I'm sentimental...but not really over material items, per say.

Other people say clothes...and yes, it would stink to have only the clothes on my back, but surely there is something in my home more important that my clothes. Hmmm?

I do spend alot of time on my lap top. To me, I see my computer as others see their tv. Im not a tv person, but I can spend an hour surfing the web. But it seems so silly to say I would grab my computer if my home were burning down..besides, I could get on the net at work, if needed.

So what would I save....? Well, I guess the only thing that really comes to mind is my photo albums. Pictures are precious. They bring back memories, and they can tell a story long after you are gone. So I think Ill stick with that answer..if my home were on fire and I could only save one thing, other than my family, it would have to be our photo albums.

Happy New Years

Best wishes to everyone for a Happy New Year! Wow, where did 2008 go?? Since becoming a mommy the months seem to just fly by. So...resolutions.. well, I tend not to make any, but this year I did. I played it safe though and only made 2. I figure the less there is to live up to, the easier-right? In the past when I made resolutions, I learned not to share them with others..simpler that way because if I failed I would be the only one who knew. But, I'm going to be bold this year-so here goes:

#1-Have more patience with my family... I tend to fuss and snap easily, and when I think about how much patience God has with me it humbles me so.

#2-Play with my kids more and actually enjoy it, instead of worrying about the dishes in the sink or the laundry in the hamper.

There, I told you...so now off to enjoy my kids! Happy 2009 everyone!