Always Constructing

Josiah is very creative. He also likes to figure out how things work. He has often impressed me with this skill. Thus his love of LEGOS. I took a couple pictures of him working on his creations. I love how intense he gets with it.

He has two crafts he's been working on today.

Notice the tongue.

Proudly showing off his workmanship.

Tah Dah!

Josiah took this last picture. Unfortunately, I do not have the "cloning" option to erase that piece of food left on the table. I'm so embarrassed. HA! Actually, I thought the table was rather in good shape when you know what it could look like!

Much Improved

Nathan is feeling a lot better. The fever is gone! Though he's not back at the top of his game yet, it won't be long before he is his usual outgoing, fun-loving, energetic, and ornery self. Awww.... sore little nose

When Old Becomes New

After buying diapers and pull-ups for six years now, I started to consider using cloth diapers. Though it is something that we don't see much of these days, rumors persisted that they were still in existence. Okay, so what really happened is that I saw a couple of really cute cloth diapers and wished that our diapers had that cuteness about them. That's true in part. I do like cute stuff. I also noticed the ease of the "new" way of cloth diapering. We were still buying diapers for two boys and I didn't like spending $40 every two to three weeks. My hope was that cloth diapers would save us money and, at the very least, would encourage earlier potty training. Thus, I began my quest for information.

Who knew there were so many options and products to consider in regards to cloth diapering?!

My cousin, Serena, spent several hours via facebook's instant messenger talking to me about cloth diapers. She told me about some of her favorite cloth diaper websites like cottonbabies.com, kellyscloset.com, and jilliansdrawers.com. I was reading terms and names that meant nothing to me! You see, cloth diaper people have a different lingo than the rest of us. Thankfully, one the websites has a Cloth Diaper 101 page which includes an explanation of common cloth diapering terms. This is a true story.

The following is an abridged version of the list and may cause your head to spin. You have my permission to skip this section as long as you look at the cute baby on the right.

• AIO - Common abbreviation for All In One diapers.
• Bummis - a brand of cloth diaper cover.
• Bumkins - a brand of diaper cover and an all-in-one.
• Cloth Diaper - A cloth diaper is a washable, reusable diaper made of any one (or several) types of fabric. A cloth diaper usually requires a cloth diaper cover.
• Contoured Diaper - it does not have elastic at the legs or waist.
• Chinese Prefold Diaper (also abbreviated CPF, UBCPF and IPF) - A flat diaper (thicker in the middle than it is on the sides) that comes in multiple absorbencies and sizes. This diaper is the foundation of an economical cloth diapering system.
• Diaper - the American word for nappy.
• DD ('sposies) - Disposable Diapers
• Diaper Cover - Cloth diaper covers come in all shapes, colors, fabrics and sizes. They are used to 'cover' up a cloth diaper and keep your baby's clothes dry.
• I(d)SO -In (dire) Search Of...
• Flat Diaper (flats) - A "flat" refers to a diaper that is typically 27"x27" square.
• Fitted Diaper (fitteds) - this has elastic at the legs and at the waist. It also has some type of closure to hold the diaper on the baby.
• FSOT - For sale or trade...
• Nappy - the European word for diaper
• Nylon Pants - styled similar to the traditional plastic diaper pants but are made of breathable nylon material.
• One size diaper (OS) - usually fits a child from birth up until about 30 or 35 pounds.
• Pocket Diaper - usually made of two layers of fabric sewn together to form a pocket for an absorbent insert.
• Plastic Pants - commonly used when I was a baby. They are made of vinyl, a material that releases dioxins when warmed. We do not recommend using plastic pants!
• UBCPF - Common abbreviation for an unbleached Chinese Prefold Diaper
• WAHM - This abbreviation is commonly used for "Work At Home Mom".
• Wool Soaker - basically a diaper cover made exclusively of wool.

Whew! That's over. Anyway... to sum up, we took the plunge and invested in cloth. Thank you, Serena and Amy, for your input and patience. Noah has been using them for about a week now and we like it. Noah has not told me that he likes them but I think that's because he doesn't talk yet. Just a guess.

We can now commence with more pictures of Noah sporting his new cloth diaper and covers.

I just thought I'd check out the antique effect. The jury's still out.

I get the best smiles and laughs from Noah when I burp. *gasp* "Say cheese" does nothing for him.

Noah did not appreciate his picture being taken this time.

Baby's got back.

Pardon me?

Oh! That's funny!

Black and White effect. :0) I like it. Noah likes Buzz Lightyear.

The rear view.

Cuteness! Doesn't it make you want your own cloth diapers?

My House Looks Like a Kleenex Testing Facility!

This has been a very long week. What? Today is Thursday? So.... it's not over yet.

Noah wasn't feeling well Sunday morning so he and John stayed home. Nathan insisted that he wanted to go to church but by the end of the service he had fallen asleep. That just doesn't happen with Nathan. I took him home because he wanted his daddy then I delivered Josiah to Nona and Papa who were taking him to see Disney on Ice. (A fun time, I'm told.) Josiah and Noah are doing well in spite of little coughs.

When I got home Nathan was resting with John. That night John took Nathan downstairs and "slept" on the pull out sofa. Monday was full of more resting on the couch and on daddy. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights Nathan slept in our bed with me while John got a break and slept downstairs. The days and nights were full of holding, wiping snot, holding, crying, comforting, holding, taking to the potty, wiping snot, taking temperatures.... Did I mention holding and wiping snot?

It's a sweet time to be able to snuggle with our normally energetic and outgoing son; however, it's heart rending to see him feeling so badly. Our family is so used to getting over an illness after a day that this seems especially long. We're trying hard to find quality time with each other and our other boys.

Nathan has begun to eat more and move around. His temperature seems to be returning to normal even though his nose is still producing the same amount of snot. I think we can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

*cough, whimper, cough*

Oh no! Noah, please, let's not start the cycle again. Here, let me wipe your nose.

Down But Not Out

Nathan, my fun-loving son, is not feeling well.
He doesn't have the energy so do anything but rest.

I miss his smiles.

Nathan loves to cuddle with Daddy.

The cuddles are nice but we wish he were not ill.

If only we could be his substitute....

The fatherheart of God does that for us. Jesus laid down his deity, became a man, and the substitute for us.

”This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.”[1]
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”[2]
“And He [Jesus] Himself is the propitiation [substitute] for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”[3]

[1] I John 4:9-10 (The Message)
[2] Romans 5:8 (NKJ)
[3] I John 2:2 (NKJ)

Footprints in the Snow

I walked Josiah to the corner this morning to catch the bus to school.

We didn't have to wait long. Soon he was on the bus and Josiah was on his way to another day of learning and fun.

On the way home, I noticed our footprints in the snow. His boot prints look so small to me.

I realized that even though I often think of him as getting so big and so independent, that he is still just my little boy. Some day he will have grown taller than his mom but I hope he never outgrows his creativity, curiosity, playfulness, and insightful questioning.

Call Waiting Will Kill Ya

Josiah was playing with his army men set this morning. He had been strategically placing the men and equipment where he wanted them when he said to me, "This guy's just standing around talking on the telephone! He's going to DIE!"

I explained a bit to him that he's the radio man and what the radio man does. John told him that the radio man calls for help. Josiah replied, "He's still going to die!"

Aunt Sharon

My aunt, Sharon, went home to be with Jesus last night. With Sharon's passing, I was remembering bits of shared memories. Here's a few of them:

• I remember her singing the tomato song with me on the swing on Grandma and Grandpa's back patio. "They liked it so much.. they liked it from the top of my head to-ma-toes"
• I remember her giving such big bear hugs that I really was afraid of the first hug I would get from her since she literally squeezed the air out of me.
• Sharon would always be ready to play a game with me. Jack and the Beanstalk and Hi Ho Cherry-O were a couple of the favorites when I was little.
• She sang a lot of songs with us and read a lot of books to us.
• I visited her in Indianapolis when I was little. I remember eating cereal with her. (She had the little trial size boxes. Very cool.) I also seem to remember her bathtub.
• I remember meeting Uncle Gene and how happy Sharon was to find her true love.
• It didn't snow that Christmas that we were all together. I remember Gene commenting that it was his first non-white Christmas.
• I remember being sad when Gene died and so sad for Aunt Sharon for being widowed after only a year.
• I was mortified when Sharon made a comment to me about me "becoming a young lady" and wondered who else knew about this!
• There was a time when I felt too old for Aunt Sharon to carry on about me. Aunt Carol relieved Micah and I from being the "babies" when she had Serena.
• When we played Flinch, it was dangerous to sit too close to Sharon since she really got into yelling, "FLINCH!!!".
• Sharon always loved little children and doted on mine whenever she had the chance.
• She was always good for a game of Scrabble.
• Sharon gave me a set of books: Little House on the Prairie. I loved those books. (I also named almost every gerbil I ever had Laura.)
• She was always taking the tabs off our pop cans even when we were still drinking them. She saved them for some fundraiser.
• My boys received a post card from her when she went to Africa.
• She was never afraid to make noise. :0)

Feel free to add your own memories about Sharon by commenting.

It's the Most Wonderful Time ......

It's almost bedtime and the boys are dancing to Christmas music. Josiah requested the song, Go Tell it on the Mountain. (Don't tell them they can only listen to it in December!) Music and dancing make for a pleasant end to the day.

Josiah dancing.

We must get a goofy pose in here!

Nathan "collasping"

The Photographers

Here's Nathan taking a picture of me, taking a picture of him.
He didn't want to take a picture of me unless I had the camera up to my face. Smart kid.

Fussy Days

Noah had a rough day yesterday. Usually so happy and investigative, he spent a lot of time clinging and fussing. It seems more teeth are pushing their way through his gums and he doesn't appreciate it. He certainly puts them to good use once they are visible though. That boy can eat!

The cute thing he does when he's tired is to "stand" on his head. He puts his head on the floor while keeping his feet planted and his rear in the air. Hilarious! I'm determined to get a picture of him this way soon.

Picture Taking Fun

Josiah enjoys taking pictures with his new camera! He loves to take stills and videos. These are the kinds of photographs I find on the camera after he's been busy with it for awhile. Yep, this is the Backyardagains. There were also a lot of pictures of That Darn Cat but I didn't make a collage of those. :0) I did mention video. He loves being goofy for the video and to film things like the fish, the wall, the floor, his brothers, the dog, the TV.......

Fun-loving Josiah

The Wink

As I'm waiting for Nathan to finish his "task", I wink at him. He attempted to wink at me with slow motion success. I was surprised at his quick study today and winked again. He's so cute! The more he did it, the more he began blinking instead. I did ask him to wink for the camera but once he saw the camera all he wanted to do was hold his "cammer."

Instead of winking, he showed me another of his tricks. Spitting. I know, it's gross, but I find him adorable!

Honesty

As I'm working on a project, I hear Nathan behind me getting into stuff. I turn around to see what's going on and see boxes on the floor and he's still reaching for things. I asked him, "Nathan, what are you doing?" He responds honestly, "Making a mess."

Getting Down the Basics

Potty training is in full swing with Nathan. Saturday morning I changed him out of his pajamas and diaper and started putting underwear on him. He says to me, "What's this? Where's my diaper?" I told him that he's going to wear underwear, big boy pants like Josiah and that he will get to use the potty. It wasn't long before he was telling John and Josiah that he was wearing underwear. He was very proud of it.

Nathan didn't buck "practicing going to the potty" nearly as much as I had feared. He didn't like to stop playing to go but we sang songs, blew spit bubbles, and more to keep the good times rolling. :0)

He's good at placing his training seat on the toilet and putting it away. He really likes to flush.

He knows that the toilet paper is supposed to fit in somewhere so Nathan pulls off a square and puts it in the toilet every time he gets up and, of course, flushes it down.

Walking At Last!

Noah must have awoke this morning and thought, "Today is a good day for walking. I'm going to do it." He's been walking a bit from here to there, just a few steps at a time. Today he began walking from the living room through the dining room and into the kitchen. All this with no coaching or incentives given. Hurray! Good job, Noah.

Road Trip

Last week I went on a trip with my dad. John handled the home front for two days without me. We went to Ohio to visit my wonderful Aunt Carol who is recovering from a surgery. It was a surprise! The best kind. My dad and I were waiting for her when she arrived at the nursing home. (a very pretty, welcoming place) She will be able to stay there until she is strong enough to return to her own home.

My dad

Aunt Carol

Serena, my cousin, and her son, Gabe, were accompanying Aunt Carol so we were all able to visit for about an hour. Gabe came riding in on Aunt Carol's lap in her scooter. This was the first time that I had met Gabe. He is just a month older than my youngest boy, Noah. I think they would get along famously.

Gabe, Serena, and Aunt Carol

When we left there, we headed to Lima and visited good friends and stayed the night. The next morning my dad and I dropped in on my Uncle Dick and Aunt Bev. It's been quite awhile since I have seen them! My uncle had fallen and broken some ribs a couple weeks back but he seems to be recovering well. I enjoyed hearing him tell us about the high school basketball games. He really likes basketball! I realized I need to start carrying actual photographs of my family. If there's internet I can pull up pictures but that wasn't available at my aunt and uncle's house. I'll have to send them some pictures.

We had lunch with friends again before driving home. It was a wonderful. I love visiting with people and I love road trips.

When I was about a half hour from home, John and Josiah called me. Josiah got on the phone to ask when I would be home. Thankfully I could tell him that I would see him in about 30 minutes. It was a sweet homecoming with hugs and kisses! We had 45 minutes to visit and play before it was bedtime for the boys. I love coming home too!

Good Girl, Cairo!

This is Cairo. She's been with us since one month after John and I were married. When we brought her home from the Humane Society, she was only 7 pounds of cuteness.

She didn't get nearly as big as we thought she would. We were told she is a German Shepherd, Black Lab, Husky mix. She weighs in around 32 pounds now. She loves to play and be pet but is pretty laid back. Cairo will wait beside me at night until I go to bed. Then she'll sleep on her blanket in the corner of our room.

I thought she deserved mention on our blog today because she puts up with soooo much. All our boys love Cairo. Sometimes she probably wishes they didn't. She's been pulled on, crawled on, poked, hand-fed, "put to bed", tickled, bossed around and more. She handles it all with grace and mercy!

She's very smart, resourceful, and obedient. She puts up with the boys playing with and hiding her toys. She puts up with the cat sharing her food. She puts up with Noah sharing her food.....

Here's to Cairo!

There's a Hole in my Car!!

As John and I were driving home last Saturday to let the dog out before we went to pick up our boys, we were in an accident. A man in an SUV drove around a parked car on his side of the street ... right into our lane and us! There was packed snow on the road so we were going slow but we were still unable to avoid the crunch of our vehicles colliding. "Great", I think, "just what we needed." Little did I know there was more to come!

The SUV pulled away from our car presumably to get out of the way and pull to the side. Before we realized what was happening, he drove off! A man who was shoveling his driveway saw what happened and exclaimed, "He did NOT just do that!!"

Ernest, our witness, tried to see the license plate number but couldn't. John saw which street the SUV turned down and followed hoping to see where he may be. He returned without success. I waited by the side of the road hoping he would pull back around after some sense hit him. I did get to meet Ernest who is a fellow Steelers fan. He gave me his info so that he could be a witness for us.

We went home and called the police. Then we had to go to the police station to file a report. The only info we had on the other vehicle was a dark colored, small SUV driven by a white male, 40 to 60 years old.

We were not hurt. We have full coverage on our vehicle but now will be out the $250 deductible!

I will bake yummy chocolate chip cookies for whoever finds this guy!!

What's That Noise?

Nathan was scooting the dining room chair across the kitchen in order to reach the tub of butter.

*noise* *more noise* *lots of noise*

I said, "Hey!"
Nathan replied, "I'm sorry. You farted!!"

There's something hilarious about fart sounds and it seems inherit to assign the sounds to someone else! I blame it on Grandpa.