Still Here

Hey guys! I am still around, just haven't had time to post lately. I actually have been on a several day trip with the family while nathan was on a business trip to PA. On Sunday before he left we took the kids up to Kalahari Resort and Indoor Waterpark to celebrate Nathan and I's birthdays. The kids had a blast. We ended up going with 2 other couples from our church so the girls ended up having a couple of other kids they knew to play with. It was so nice to take a mini break from the cold and pretend Summer was already here with the heated pools and water slides and the nice warm indoor water park. Ahhhh and then we headed back out into the 18 degree Ohio weather. It was nice while it lasted though. We found out that little Caroline is a fish just like big sister Emma! She was fearless with the water rides and would try anything we put her on. She definietly is a little sister though and used to having to push her weight around to get what she wants. There were a few times that we cought her bully-ing other little kids on the water slides in the kiddie area! Oh my little tough girl! I have some cute pictures of the kids in the water as well as some of Eli in his adorable swim trunks that I will post soon. I need to run though and get my behind ready for bed. Oh why do I always end up staying up so late??? Oh that's right HAIRBOWS! HaHa!

Life with a Cranky 2 Year Old

So today has been a not so great day with the kiddos. I think there is a vibe that sick mommies put out and their children pick up on so they act much worse then they normally do??? Is it kinda like pheramones but "sickmones" instead??? So obviously it was not my best feeling day and then Nathan was of course not here so it was just me and the 4 little ones all day. We delt with crying kids, fighting, dealing with the constructions guys about exactly what we want for kitchen lights, COLD rain and the post office, snot nosed kids, a fussy baby, and as always ribbon orders to work on. Oh...and I am supposed to be packing and getting school work written out for the next week since we will be again traveling. Oh joy what a day!!!

So what does a 2 year old look like when she wants to be "independent" and has a cold???

She cries because she too wants to try on her new swimsuit.
She cries that she has to put the swimsuit on? (mind you she asked to have it on?)
She cries when she sees me pull out new flips flops becasue she wants them on.
She cries as I am putting them on her becasue she says they don't fit (even though they fit her just fine??)
She cries because she wants to eat dinner
She cries becasue I'm not cooking it fast enough for her.
She cries after she decides her food is not really what she had in mind and want something else.
She cries at every stage in getting her ready for bed.
She cries when I put her back into the bed, again, and again, and again ( I think like 10 times???)
She finally fell asleep at 10:30, 2 1/2 hours after I put her in bed the first time. Oh my!

So hopefully tomorrow will run a bit smoother!!

Happy Birthday Nathan!!!

Here is an update of our past few days. Sorry for the drive by post but little man is hungry....again! The story of a nursing mom! You live in the world of "just fed him" or "he's almost ready to eat." It's one or the other!! So here is my latest Project 365..........

February 13

Happy Birthday Nathan! My sweet hubby turned 28 today. We celebrated his birthday in Sandusky on Lake Erie since we were attending a church leadership retreat. With my birthday just around the corner I am realizing ..... man...we are so getting old!

February 14

Elijah was an absolute peach at our 2 night church leadership retreat. Everyone kept saying that he is just the best baby. No one would believe me that he actually does cry! Well why would he when he was constantly being held??

February 15

The girls absolutely love when Daddy gets out his guitar for them. They sat around last night making up a Tinkerbell song and Maddie and Emma took turns making up verses while Daddy played for them. It was so cute. Even Caroline took a turn strumming the guitar.

February 16

Our little peanut turned 2 months old on the 16th! Wow! How fast those 2 months have gone! I can't believe he is already smiling and as of today laughing out loud! It was cute to get his first little grins in his 2 month pictures. I just love these decals that I ordered off etsy to document his month pictures.

Shoes, Toliets, and a Hole in the Wall

So I am finally getting around to posting this week. I have no clue what we have been doing to make this week sooo busy but it has been? Yes we've been keeping ourselves busy with hair bows, school work, and normal house duties, but for some reason there has just seemed to be so much more of each? Maybe that is party because we are headed out of town for a couple of days for a church leadership retreat so we of course had to do extra school so the girls wouldn't fall behind. I also had extra bows to get out the door since we won't be here and well we've had LOTS of extra set backs with the house this week so in that there has been a lot more construction dust as well. So here is a recap of the past few days with my project 356 pictures....

February 5

So I walk in my bathroom to find this (obviously not swept up in a neat little pile.) So the only thing as messy as living with 4 kids under 6 is living through a remodel. Yep, this pile of dirt covered my bath tub, toilet, and floor from where they put a hole in the bathroom ceiling to run a new heat duct. The best thing was before I found it, I had kids using the potty in there. Great!

February 6

While Nathan was gone on his trip for work, I braved it taking the girls out alone to meet my parents for dinner. I still am so not used to the 4 kids to 1 adult ratio yet.

February 8

My little man was such a little cuttie in his khakis, button up striped shirt, corduroy blazer, and leather loafers in church on Sunday. Gotta love that wild hair. My aunt keeps telling me to just give up and get it. HaHa!

February 9

Okay this momma loves SHOES, especially when they are $2.50 a pair! Okay, they aren't all for my kids but pretty much so. At $6.25 - $2.00 a pair I definitely stocked up for "birthday season" gifts as well. I think we have like 19 birthdays from mid January to early April...most of whom are immediate family that we also by gifts for. It's funny how they all hit at once and then we have this non-birthday time. Weird? So needless to say that is why there are some duplicate pairs in there. We have twins in the family as well. Of course I had to pick up a couple pair for myself as well.

February 10

So Nathan and I went on this lovely date night and came home to this...our toilet in the middle of the floor and a large hole in the wall behind where it used to sit. The workers figured that since they were putting in a new shower base this week (yep the other one broke while trying to take out the old broken plumbing under it from last week) they mine as well just go ahead and fix all the bathroom plumbing right then. This way they would not have us without a usable bathroom longer than we had to. Well it was supposed to be a 1 day process but when we got home from our date the sitter said "The men said DON'T that bathroom....they had a problem" Well judging to the new addition of a hole in my wall I wold say yeah? Funny part is that this bathroom was the only room in the house not getting any remodeling done to it? Hmmmm? New shower base, complete new plumbing, new toilet, new bath tub fixtures, new heat duct (radiator out), new tile under toilet, and I guess now a patched wall??? Funny how that always turns out like that.

February 11

So this is what one finds in the floor of their bedroom when they ask a 5 year old and a 4 year old to help match a basket of socks. Well lets just say I think out of that mess about 10 pairs were found? Oh my! I really don't see the system they were using besides I did see Caroline throwing a handful int he air when I walked by earlier this evening. She must have taught her sisters the art of sock matching.

Too Cute!

This was too cute not to share! I'll *try* to post an update about us later tongiht. It's been crazy busy around here this week.

Hundereds Attend Global Warming Protest

Laws, Layouts, and Potty Training

It seems like I have been meaning to post this all week and haven't! We found out that the new law that was going into effect Feb 9th that would have put all makers of handmade children's items (CPSIA) has been postponed until Feb 9th 2010! They also said that they will be re-evaluating it then as well to see if it is still even going to go through! Whew-hoo! Praise God for answered prayers! This means alot to our family, with having a second income now that we have a new house and a new baby. So...on with selling hair bows!

We had a really nice time at the marriage retreat last weekend. Elijah was just a peach and behaved so well for us. The retreat in Amish country was of course really relaxing (no kids) and it was wonderful for our marriage as well. The kids seemed to have a great time at their grandparents in PA as well.

God not only answered the prayer about that law being postponed so we could stay open, but we've been super busy with new hair bow orders as well! Yep it keeps me very busy and up late at nights, but it is nice to know that we have that extra income. Anyways it is nice to know that we can keep our hair bow bowtique open now!

So here is the photo of the day from the past few days....

January 29

Elijah at the Bed and Breakfast in Amish Country with the Marriage Retreat

January 30
What is meeting my in-laws to pick up the kids in Cleveland without stopping by the Children's Place Outlet. Great deals and I have a coupon! :D

February 4
So it starts! We brought out the potty chairs and pull ups for Caroline today. She's been wanting to potty train since before Christmas, but I just wasn't ready. There was no way I could handle new baby, moving, remodeling, and potty training all at the same time. so we are kinda (kinda not) settled into the new house and Elijah is 7 weeks now so I guess we should get started. The great news is that she has gone twice today and both times she told me she had to go and then actually went! Of course when I ask her if she has to go and then she says yes, it's a false alarm? Oh well, not too bad for her fist day!

I also had to share a few layouts I did for twelvefridays. Man it seems like forever since I have posted any scrapbooking projects on here. That is probably because it's been forever since I scrapbooked! Fortunately though I have been going to a few crops and I will be going to the retreat in Pigeon Forge TN with twelvefriday's in March (YEAH!!!) So it's not quite the resolution I made but better than I was!