Well!

Well! We made it!
We drove EARRRRLLLY Christmas Eve morning to Phoenix, AZ. The kids did wonderfully! They watched movie after movie, we only had to stop a few times to let them walk around and pick up snacks.. They did great.

I, on the other hand.. Will NEVER go on a long trip without Brian again. My car decided to EXPLODE all the radiator fluid it had in Holbrook on the way back. I was parked at a gas station, so that was good. But then a SWARM of drunk indians surrounded my car. We took the kids out of their car seats so they could move around. DeAnna went inside to get snacks for them, they spilled them everywhere, I was holding Lily who was having a breakdown, it was 14 degrees outside and Sean was trying to reattach my radiator hose that came disconnected and refill it with radiator fluid. As he was doing this a bunch of the men were surrounding the hood of my car trying to look busy, like they were helping. I was getting a really sick feeling with them all around. Well Sean was able to fix it, the other men were just talking to DeAnna and I and looking at us like we were pieces of meat, and we were just trying to get out of there ASAP. So, as we were putting the kids back in their car seats, one of the men was like "I need money. Please. We helped you!!!" I was like, "FINE. I'll go break a $20." So I felt generous, and gave him $5. To which, he said "No. I want $10. I have people to feed. Look at my crew, we need food." I said, "Fine! Take it, BYE!!!!!" It was SO scary. I thought he might punch me if I didn't give it to him! It was awful.. So! Lesson learned, NEVER go on a trip without Brian. Ever.

On to the pictures!

Four generations of women! Grandma's going to be 80 next week!

This is why Caleb pictures are so hard to get.. he hates the camera lol..

Lily kissing her Grandma on Christmas!

Miss Pretty Thang

Me and Lily on Christmas!

Brothers with different mothers! Caleb and Seth!

The boys with Lily

Before I left, we opened all of Alexxa's gifts from us and our family, and then some from Brian's family for all 3 of them. Here are a few pictures I snapped!

*We got Lex a big customized coloring/painting/marker kit and Doll trunk with her name on it, and a play dough kit!

Brian took Alexxa to Putt-putt, the movies, Chuck-E-Cheese, Breakfast and Lunch and they had a BLAST! He and I really miss the days it was just us 3, and we'd spoil her rotten. We had so much fun just looking forward to the time we had with her... and now with 3 it's hard to have ANY one on one time, so they had a great time, just father daughter time... though we missed them and vice versa, I'm glad I was able to spend Christmas with my grandma, mom, aunt and uncle. We've always spent Christmas together and it made it seem like home to be near them again! :) The kids had a great time getting lost in their house... I enjoyed just relaxing, watching movies, shopping and having In-and-Out! THE BEST! :)

We also went to see "Yes Man" it was REALLY GOOD!!!! I love Jim Carey!!

Cloth Diapering.. Not your grandma's cloth!

I started Cloth diapering (which I will now be referring to as "CD'ing" for the remainder of this blog) when Caleb was 6 months old. I got the idea from a mothering forum I used to read. I went to a local store, Baby Bear, that sells cloth diapers.

There are a few different "systems" you can use... These are NOT your grandma's cloth that was stinky/messy/poky/uncomfortable... The changes that have been made over the years make cloth diapers the Bentley of pre-potty learning solutions. They are soft, CHEMICAL free (so very, very rarely will baby ever get a rash) and REUSABLE (they pay for themselves!), and if you're the type that worries about keeping the Earth "green," these save the Earth from tons of disposable diapers that take thousands of years to "biodegrade."

So, back the to the systems. There are:
Covers and Prefolds/Fitteds: Covers are made of a water proof material, often called PUL, and fasten with either snaps or aplix/touchtape (fancy velcro). Under the covers the baby wears either a fitted (absorbant diaper that has fastener attached and is 'fitted') or a prefold, which is a rectangular shape of absorbant materials (Indian or Chinese) that is fitted onto the baby using either pins or snappi's (I use snappi's).

Pockets: Pockets have a waterproof outerlayer with a wicking fabric (like fleece) attached with a slit on the back to allow you to "stuff" the pocket with as much or as little absorbancy as your child needs.

All-in-Ones: AIO's are just how they sound, all inclusively attached like a disposable diaper. The outer layer is water proof attached with the absorbancy materials and wicking fabric, all-in-one. The closure is either snaps or aplix/touchtape.

I, personally, use covers/prefolds. It's the cheapest route and has so many options to buy "cute" diapers! I also can use the covers more than once by switching out the prefolds, as long as the cover doesn't get wet. For 2 kids, I have 40 prefolds and 20 covers, which allows me to wash every 2-3 days.

Recently, I've also become addicted to Pocket Diapers for when we leave the house, they are SO reliable and absorbant!! But a bit more expensive.

Washing is much easier than people think. People used to use a diaper service that would come and pick up the diapers, wash them and bring a fresh stash... But with advancements in washers/dryers it can absolutely be done at home. Now, I know what you're thinking, where does the poop go? It goes in the toilet! As soon as I change a poopy diaper, I dump the poop in the toilet and throw the diaper in my diaper pail. My diaper pail is lined with a water proof bag, that I throw in with the wash so I never touch the dirty diapers. It's much less nauseating than you imagine, I promise. :)

Cloth diapers need to be washed in a specific manner to prolong the lifetime of the diapers and prevent stink/buildup/wicking.

I wash mine as follows:

First rinse cycle:
1 Tbsp Baking Soda
12 Drops Tea Tree Oil
1/4 Cup Vinegar

Second wash cycle with extra rinse:
1 Tbsp. Regular Tide
1/2 Scoop Oxy Clean

I never have had to strip my diapers of build up from soaps, and I've never had any issues with stink.


I don't use *only* cloth diapers, I used to when it was just Caleb in cloth, and I might again when Caleb potty trains and Lily is the only one in cloth, but I was just too overwhelmed with packing 2 diaper bags of cloth diapers and worrying about changing them when we're not home... So we use "sposies" at night and when we leave the house.

I HIGHLY recommend that anyone interested in saving some money or even buying them as emergency diapers in case you run out of disposables, check it out! I was the most skeptical of them ALL before I got hooked... and now I think my little babies' butts in fluffy/comfy cloth diapers in the sweetest thing ever! Also! These diapers and amazing for diaper rashes, as it is usually the chemicals designed to wick away moisture in disposables that causes the rashes. Caleb is very susceptible to rashes, except when he is CD'ed.

Yowza...

I need to get on the ball and update this more often! Sheesh!

Here's a small update!

The kids and I (me, Lily and Caleb) will be going to Phoenix to see my family for Christmas. Brian has to work (will be working doubles for the holidays anyway,) so we're driving out convoy style with DeAnna, Sean and Seth. We're excited to get out of here for a little while as well as see my family that I haven't seen since MAY!




Well, I did the unthinkable.. :(
I cut my precious baby boy's hair! :*( I regret it so much! I miss his floppy sun bleached blonde hair! :( And now he looks so much older and it looks much darker since we won't be outside until spring! I didn't tell Brain until after we did it, so he wasn't very happy... But thankfully, there's a silver lining! Caleb's hair grows faster than anyone I've ever met, so it should be shaggy again in a few month! Yay... Though I think it's pretty clear from the pictures which style Caleb preferred... Sorry Caleb!!

Onward... So Brian and I have decided not to *do* Santa.. well sorta. We're going to give the kids "Santa" gifts, but not make him the focus of the holiday. We're going to be incorporating more of a Jesus' Birthday Party instead, but I have a ways to go before next year if I want to make lasting traditions with the kids to instill the reason we celebrate by giving, as well as keep it exciting and magical.

Caleb and Lily dancing to Christmas Music

Reading Caleb's new book from Mercy!

Today we opened gifts with my mom, DeAnna, Sean, and Seth because we'll be in Phoenix for Christmas and rather than taking all the gifts down there, we thought we'd spare Anna and Tom the endless toy flow and keep it all at my house! lol! It turned out well! The kids enjoyed it very much, Caleb went crazy for the train set I got him. We got them a play kitchen and Lily loves!

So, since we'll be in Phoenix for Christmas Eve, Brian is going to spend the whole day with Alexxa just dad and daughter time. He wants to take her to a movie, buy her a special toy, take her to dinner and just spend some quality time with her like we used to before the other babies came along. Alexxa thrives with one-on-one time, so I think this will be great for her! :) Though I'm going to really miss seeing her face light up when she open her gifts this year.

And now! Making his BLOG debut!! My dad!!
He came over last night and the kids just cling to their "Bampa." Lily just lays on his lap, totally content, it's so cute. And Caleb was having a blast playing his harmonica, I'm going to have to buy him one so they can play together.




About 2 weeks ago we got a good amount of snow! So I took a couple pictures while we were shopping downtown.


And finally, a couple pictures of the kids when we were in Santa Fe.

New Table!

So, it's snowing outside. I'm so sick I can't get off the couch, I started a chicken noodle soup in the crock pot, and I have no plans of getting out of my pajamas today... So! I'm going to blog! :)



Here's an adorable picture of Caleb and Lily (and yes, I made their matching shirts! ;D)
Lily was standing next to Caleb as he took a nap holding his hand and talking gibberish to him, it was so cute.

For the last few days I had been staining, sealing and waiting for my table to dry... My dad's friend Diane gave me a bunch of sewing supplies and a beautiful bare sewing table. So I bought some stain and sealant and customized it with Lily and Caleb's handprints... It's awesome!!

It was WAY harder than I thought, LOL.. I'm not going to lie. Brian would have done it for me, but I really wanted to do it... I bought a chair from a thrift store that we're going to sand down and stain the same color. The table is going in our living room so I don't have to put my machines on the kitchen table anymore!

What the hay...

I wasn't going to share this, lol.. But it's funny!!!! And HONEST, which I think is important to maintain so that people don't get unrealistic expectations from me.

Believe it or not, we're NOT magically propped in front of our tree at the perfect moment for all of us for a candid an sincere photo of Christmas magic and joy.. Oh no... We went to ALOT of trouble for that picture.. Although, the funny thing is, we went with the first picture we took! lol!

Here are the "real" Christmas pictures!

Bath Time Talking

Every once in a while I try to capture pictures of the kids and a video of them talking to get a date attached to them, lol! So here are a few I took last week.


Caleb dumping soap in Lily's eyes... Thanks a LOT-Lily.

Aww they are are so cute.

Here We GO!

I have been SO completely busy with Christmas shopping, Thanksgiving, and.. well LIFE that I have been a horrible blogger! So allow me, I'm going to catch you all up to speed!

1. This year I had the most amazing birthday. I'm so hugely thankful for the people that went out of their way to make me, a typically lonely housewife with 2 kids, fl VERY special, if even for a day or 2... It really made my year. I love you all, thank you so much!!

2. Thanksgiving was hard work!! All those times I just took for granted that Grandma would magically have the perfectly prepared tucking, sides, desserts and chili ready before we ever got to her house, I never know what all that preparation entailed until THIS year, and I even had my mom helping me! It was only Brian, me and the babies, and my mom.. and I was even stressed over that. Needless to say, I won't be in any rush to be hosting big Thanksgiving parties for YEARS to come... If even then, :P But my mom did a great job with the red chili! And I had a good time after all. I made carrot cake, pumpkin pies, THE TURKEY, the green-bean casserole, and stuffing from scratch, and now I know which ones were a good idea, and which to skip next year. It was funny, I was preparing the turkey night before... I have never in my life touched a raw turkey, let alone cleaned it, pulled it's neck or giblets out, so it was quite the experience. Brian kept laughing at me while I was talking to it, I felt so sorry for the bird lol.. I kept saying, "You poor thing.. Your whole life was leading up to this point.." lol! Overall, we had a great time. Brian was able to eat an early dinner with us before heading to work and then my mom and I went for a shopping trip at Big Lots. The kids behaved beautifully, it was a great day!!

Here's my carrot cake. I had to bust out the cake decorating skills... Check it!

The famous Turkey!!

3. Christmas shopping... So, I've made a vow... I will not utilize this "Holiday" to spoil my kids rotten and raise them to be little animals at the prospect of getting 'exactly what they WANT!' for Christmas. I swore, I'd never raise them in the hoax of the almighty "Santa Clauss" that seems to have stolen this joyous holiday and overridden it expensive price tags and dilluted meaning! So! Here I am, trying to decide what I was going to get from "Daddy and Mommy," and all I could think about was spoiling them!! So much for this vow, right? So, I slapped some sense into myself and finally narrowed it down to 2 gifts per child. One gift for Christmas Eve, one for Christmas morning, and the beginning of our journey, depicting what Christmas is celebrating via a PUPPET SHOW! lol!! I'm going to keep it short and sweet, and to the point! So far, Caleb's doing a great job "catching on" to what this time of year is truly about... So, I've taught him, "Merry Christmas.." which now sounds like "MrrryIsmus!" and without skipping a beat he says, "Happy Birthday to you!" because I've told him in as many ways as I could think of, Christmas is Baby Jesus' Birthday! I used several different nativity sets I have, and it often goes like this, "Caleb, Christmas is when we say Happy Birthday to baby Jesus!" and he points to Joseph, then says, "Bible." Then, he points to Mary and says, "Mommy." Then he points to baby Jesus in a manger, and says, "Baby. Birthday to you!!!" It's so funny... I'm very excited to set these stepping stones for the babies this young. I'm sure as years progress they'll understand and want to give aid to other's in getting to understand what this holiday season is really about, and I'm just excited to witness it all.

4. The gifts... So my family has all decided to change things up this year and focus on our immediate families for gifts, rather than a gift for Aunts, Uncles, etc. I thought this would be a great idea, but I really miss shopping for them, lol! Anywho, I did get a few small gifts, nothing major, just to show them that I do think about them and appreciate the relationships I have with them all. :) For my kids, I bought Alexxa a giant art-pack and coloring journal with her name personalized on them and a doll with a trunk of clothes that also has her name personalized on it, I think she'll love it. For Caleb, I got him a wooden train set, which I'm POSITIVE he's going to LOVE... He's always yelling, "Mommy! CHOO CHOO!!" When he sees a train on TV, etc... He's going to love it. For Lily I got her wooden blocks because she loves legos and I'm sure she'll love these too. I got the babies a play kitchen to share, it's the same one my friend Krystle has and they love that thing, so they're all set! As far as Brian and I go, we've decided to use Christmas gift money we would typically spend on each other and buy a luxury item we want for the house, this year it's a nice set of kitchen knives and wooden block. :D I'm excited for that! Lol!

5. Kid's Update: Caleb's talking is just CRAZY lately.. He's catching on so fast, it's like one day everything just "clicked," and now he's been talking so much! It's hard for me to even describe, but I must say, I'm in such awe of him as a mother.. I spend 98% of my time with him and Lily, so watching these milestones is the biggest reward and excitement I have! I love it!! Lily is talking too! She says, "Thank you," and "Daddy," VERY clearly. She babbles a lot, but those words are very consistant. She's also getting more and more of an... what's the word? ATTITUDE? Oh yes... it's the 15 year old girl trying to bust out, ALREADY. If she doesn't get her way, she'll kick, bite, pinch, slap, scratch, etc.. whatever she can. In the next moment, she's the sweetest most loving baby and will rest her sweet little head on your shoulder, as if to say, "Sorry for that outburst, I love you though!" LOL... Alexxa is doing so well learning how to write. She's always asking me to write down a name and she'll copy it, she does a great job! We are only getting her every other weekend, but we try to make the best of the time we have with her.

6. My blog is now PUBLIC. I had marked it private for quite a while.. for good reason. There is someone who was reading it that I didn't quite trust. I didn't think this person would hurt us, or anything like that, but I did question the time that person spent reading up about us... And I thought for the time being I'd make it private. I've changed my URL, and switched a few things around so this person wouldn't be able to find it unless they were linked to it, so I'd appreciate it if my link wasn't shared. :) Other than that, I really like the freedom to write what I think, so enjoy! :D