Memorial Day!

We had a nice relaxing Memorial Day. I did absolutely no cleaning the whole day. It was nice, but I had to make up for it today. I have wanted to head over to JoAnns Fabric for awhile so Stefan agreed to watch Nathaniel, and Ethan and I headed out for a little shopping trip. Nathaniel woke up pretty early and it wasn't long before he fell asleep in the recliner. Stefan really lucked out on that one! I didn't really find what I wanted in JoAnns, but we did by some cups from BabiesRUs. My big project this week is getting Ethan to use a cup.

Ethan and I made it back home in time to have lunch, then we headed out for some pool time.

Ethan really loved the new pool.

He has the cutest face in this picture!

Nathaniel did not want to get in. I have no idea why because he loves water.

He did enjoy fishing in the pool. And yes, I got in with Ethan after these pictures. :)

I found out later about member's night at the zoo. I really wanted to let Nathaniel experience the free rides. We never made to the rides, but he did get one round on the carousel. He always wants to ride, but then he is kind of scared when they start moving. He had a great time playing in the sprinklers by Teton Trek.

The cats are his absolute favorite!

He was not thrilled to be on there. It did provide shelter from the short rain shower though. 

Here is where the real fun was. Yes, we use a leash because he is a runner, and we would not be able to handle him without it.

He had so much fun running through the water!

He wasn't scared of all the bigger kids at all. Unfortunately, he loved the water so much that he threw the biggest fit ever when we were leaving. It was so embarrassing! All we knew to do was keep heading to the car, and try to ignore all the stares.

We had a play date!

Thursday we had our first of many play dates. I am so happy to have some other mommy friends now. I have really been missing out for the past couple of years. 

We had five kiddos to play with. Sean, Ari, Avery, Nathaniel, and Ethan.

After lunch we went outside to swim.

This is my favorite picture!

I'm pretty sure Ethan and Sean are going to be best buds before long.

Nathaniel and Avery are pretty close too.

I tried to get Nathaniel to join us for a quick family picture.

Nathaniel did all the hard work filling the pools for us.

Ethan is starting to enjoy more table food now. He loved the spaghetti we had the other night.

He was in a sweet mood.

After the spaghetti and a few green beans.

This and That

This is going to be a busy weekend, and it kind of stresses me out. My mom and family are coming in Friday to stay the night. My cousin is graduating from West Memphis High, and there is going to be a big family party. My mom is planning to take Nathaniel back home with her on Saturday. He always has a blast over there. We miss him while he is gone, but it is also nice to have a little break. On Sunday night, my aunt is coming in from South Carolina. She is staying the night with me, and I am taking her to Arkansas Monday morning. I am really not used to having so much stuff to think about and do, but it will all be really fun. 

I also joined the church orchestra. I listened in on one of the practices last week, and had my first practice last night. I am so glad that I joined! I have an activity just for myself now. We are getting ready for a concert on Sunday night. The music wasn't too hard, but I really need to work on building my lip again. Stefan was wonderful, and picked the boys up from church so I could stay for an extra practice after. He even had Nathaniel in bed when I got home, and Ethan had a short nap. 

Ethan has really been wanting table food here lately. I finally decided to try it and see how he could do. He did so great! He really loved poppy seed chicken, and green bean casserole. I was surprised at how well he could get the food into his mouth. 

He finished all of this food, and there was not much left in the chair. I really have to work on cooking things he can eat with us now.

He also got to try his first Cheeto last week. Of course he loved it. I never gave Nathaniel anything that wasn't healthy. Nathaniel used to be such a great eater, but now he doesn't try anything. I am being a little more relaxed with Ethan, and letting him try lots of different things. 

I am quickly realizing that this blog has a lot more Ethan than Nathaniel in it. I haven't been taking many pictures of Nathaniel here lately. He usually prefers to go without underwear, and I have stopped trying to keep them on him all the time. Nathaniel is doing so great with potty training. He rarely has an accident at home. We have been taking him on short outings with real underwear on, and I am really beginning to trust that he will tell me when he needs to go. We have visited with a couple different friends recently, and Nathaniel has used the potty at their house without a fight. He is also starting to talk so much now. I think he repeats the end of almost every sentence I say. I think he is going to be having full conversations before long. It is so fun to see him learn new things! Nathaniel's favorite movies right now are Cars, UP, and anything Veggietales. He probably watches a little too much TV, but it is just so much fun to watch him the different scenes out! He really is learning new things each day, and I am going to make more of an effort to record it all here.

The past week

I feel like I have been missing in action for awhile. I have thought about blogging each night, but have just been too tired to actually do it. I'm glad we have been busy.  We had Jess and Avery over for a little playdate the other day. Avery is almost one, so right in the middle of Nathaniel and Ethan. She and Nathaniel play together really well. 

The train table was a big hit. I'm sure they will enjoy it even more when it is put together. 

These two look like they could be good friends :)

We also made it to the zoo last Thursday. Nathaniel really enjoyed it besides his meltdown during lunch. I'm so glad we had Jess, Avery, Andrea, and Sean to go with us. It's great thinking my kids will have some good friends to grow up with. 

Nathaniel really loved being this close!

I also had a great Mother's Day. My mom came in from AR, and my sister came in from Nashville. I think this was the first Mother's Day we have celebrated together since I have been a mother. I hope we start getting together more often. 

This was Nathaniel and my little sister Tori worn out from playing all day Saturday. I can never get Nathaniel to just go to sleep like this.

Show us Your Life- Money Saving Tips

Show us Your Life this week over at Kelly's Korner is Money Saving Tips. This is one of my favorite subjects lately. Since I am staying home with our two little ones, we are always on a budget. I have tried several different things over the years. My absolute favorite way to save money is by cloth diapering. I know it sounds crazy and old fashioned, but I really think it is one the smartest decisions I have made since having my second baby. I never have to worry about running out of diapers, and I just feel good about the money we save with each diaper change.

My husband was definitely not on board from the beginning. We needed to come up with the up front cost which was about $300 for us.  That's nothing compared to the $1500-$2000 we could have used on disposables. Add in the fact the we are helping the environment and it is a win win situation. They are also so much cuter than disposables.

So here is my system-

I mainly use prefolds and covers. Many people are scared of them. They are super easy to fold, and easily customized to fit the baby. When you are feeling lazy they can be tri-folded and laid in the cover. I started out with 24 prefolds which was just enough to do laundry every other day. Now I have about 50 prefolds and do laundry every few days. I have 4 PUL covers. They do not need to be washed with every use unless soiled. I would usually alternate 2 covers for the whole day. Now I have several wool covers. Wool is so amazing, and is considered the best diaper cover. Mine are all Woollybottoms, which my aunt makes and sells. She recycles old wool sweaters to make stylish diaper covers.We buy disposables for when we go to church, or if we have a babysitter. A small pack of them probably last a month or more.

Sorry for the bad quality phone pics :)

Here are a few cloth diaper resources that really helped me:
www.cottonbabies.com
www.greenmountaindiapers.com
http://allaboutclothdiapers.com

Great day!

I really didn't start this day off thinking it would be that great. I think Ethan is finally teething because he hasn't been sleeping well the past few nights.  I did my normal morning stuff, got Nathaniel some breakfast, and sat down at the computer to check Facebook while I ate breakfast.

I started talking on Facebook chat with a girl from our church. We are in the same Sunday School, but Stefan and I haven't been going very long and don't know anyone yet. I was so happy that we started talking. She and her husband are the only other couple in the class with a baby, and they are actually close to our age. Stefan and I have been struggling to find a church with people our age in it since we have lived in Memphis.

I talked to her about how I feel stuck at the house most of the time. She is the opposite and loves to get out. She invited me to a children's rummage sale with one of her friends. I was a little scared to go at first because I didn't figure Nathaniel would act very well. After talking to her for awhile I decided it was a good idea to at least go and meet a new friend. I'm so glad I went because I had a great time. We got to talk quite a bit, and the boys both acted really well. I had Ethan in the mei tai, and Nathaniel in the stroller. Her friend was wearing her six month old in an Action Baby Carrier. I was beyond excited to find another mother that likes to babywear. I feel like I actually have some mommy friends to hang out with now, and we are even going to another sale tomorrow. I also managed to get Dr. Sears discipline book for $3. I plan on reading it very soon in hopes to somehow get Nathaniel more under control.

I also got my birthday present from my sister-in-law in the mail today. She usually just sends money, but this year she sent me some Vera Bradley stuff. I'm not exactly sure how she knew I was planning to use the money for more Vera Bradley stuff, but it's really cool. She sent me the flat iron case, and ID zip case in the java blue print. She also sent some Vera Bradley flip flops, and I have to say they are pretty comfy.

A quick update on potty training
Nathaniel has learned faster than I ever imagined he could. He is completely trained at home. He doesn't need me to remind him to go or anything. He is staying dry through his naps, and most nights. He even manged to stay dry during the two outings we have had this week. Now I just need to work on getting him to use the regular potty in hopes that he will use public restrooms when needed.

I don't have many plans for the rest of the day. I need to clean the kitchen and start dinner before long. I am trying a new recipe tonight, and really hoping it turns out great. It's called Cheesy Bacon Hashbrown Bake. Just the title is enticing enough for me. No pictures today, but I am really working on taking more, and using them more in the blog.

Just some stuff

The past couple of days have seemed crazy. Yesterday started off with a quick filling at the dentist. I dropped the boys off with a lady we know from Mid-America around 9, and I was back before 10. They actually used a laser for the filling. It was completely painless, and took around 5 minutes. No shots only a bad taste from the stuff they used for the filling. When I picked up the boys I stayed we stayed and visited for a little while. I am usually pretty isolated most of the time, so I love to visit. 

I had Nathaniel wearing a pull-up during the morning because I didn't want to inconvenience someone who was doing me a favor with potty training. I thought for sure he would be wet when we got home, but to my amazement he was dry and asked to use the potty. He really is doing great with potty training now. It's hard to believe two weeks ago I thought he would never be trained. The rest of the day went pretty smooth. I did some cleaning, took a quick nap, and had dinner ready when Stefan got home. I stayed up late talking a wonderful lady on facebook. It was the highlight of my day, and so worth the loss of sleep.

Today has been the most productive day I have had in forever. I started by cleaning the kitchen and actually mopping the floor. Ethan was happy to ride on my back while I did all this. Then I managed to get the 1/2 bath clean and floor mopped in there. The boys were nice enough to play while I worked on that project. Then we went upstairs and cleaned the playroom. It looks a hundred times better in there, and the boys play so much better when there are only a few toys out. While Ethan took a morning nap I decided to move the bed in our room. This goes back to my need for regular change. I was also hoping that moving the bed would inspire me to get the room finally cleaned up. The master bedroom is our catch all room, and it really shouldn't be. I'm hoping to get another bookshelf for in there, and then the room will look pretty good. 

After all my hard work I tried to get a quick nap whiles the boys took their afternoon nap, but it just didn't happen today. I took the time to make a nice dinner, but it was a complete fail. I had everything ready only to find out that he had to work an hour late. Let's just say this didn't make me very happy, and I have been feeling pretty under appreciated. Stefan didn't even notice that I have done any cleaning. 

Sorry for such a boring post. On a good note, my friend and I are starting a new blog project that I am really excited about. We basically just want to put something out there to really encourage mothers. We are still mainly in the planning stages, but I think it is going to grow into something great. 

Here are a couple pictures from today. Ethan was being such a cutie. There are no recent pictures of Nathaniel because he doesn't like to wear clothes these days. haha

Sorry for the bad quality, they were phone pics.