Memorial Day or Labor Day?

Yesterday we played. We had two dear dear families over for dinner - one whom we haven't seen in five months (and it's sadly going to be even longer this time!) and one whom (thankfully) we still see multiple times a week.

Today we worked. Okay, Randy worked. I played (three projects complete!)

Before:

After:

Yes, this is the "after" until June 9th when new warm gas fireplace comes to its new home (professionally installed, thankfully). Then there will still be a hole in our wall until we tile the fireplace and complete the mantle and maybe a tv alcove. And when I say "we" I mean "Randy." He told me that this project ranks pretty high on the list of projects we started without knowing what we were doing. Ah, well, he'll figure it out. He always does. And he always does really well.

Friday Night Fights

Wyatt often greets Randy at the door with, "Wrestle Daddy!" I'm sure there are days when the last thing Daddy wants to do is wrestle. Like on Wednesday, for example. He left for work at 5:20 in the morning, and 12 hours later walked in to such a greeting from an energetic 2 year old.

Friday night that 2 year old got wrestled. He got wrestled good. And his 5 month and 1 week old brother even got to join in the fun!

I have videos, but they wouldn't upload properly. Well, one wouldn't. The other one looks like carefully supervised brother abuse, at least Little Brother was laughing and shrieking! He thought it was much more fun to participate than it was to watch from his play gym.

Get him, Ryd!

1,2,3, go!

Wrestle him, Wyatt!

Got him!

Oh no! Wyatt, Ryder is sitting on you!

Announcing...Shop 307

I did it. After more than a year of thinking it would be fun to open a shop on Etsy, yesterday I opened Shop 307. And I'm excited! As I've thought of it before, it has been either work from home for a shop I know I'll get paid for or have fun making something I might never sell. And even if I do sell it, it won't pay nearly as well as my real job. But I'm not working my real job from home nearly as much. I still work Mondays, but the boys' nap times are far more free.

So here's a little sample of what I have listed so far...

A gift set for your mom, your sister, your best friend....or you! It has a small wallet that fits credit cards and gift cards perfectly, a cell phone sleeve, and a coffee cozy.

A girly coffee cozy in not so girly colors.

A flower pin out of some of my favorite fabric.

And perhaps my favorite so far, a boy's gear pouch that can be used for a few diapers or toys in the car.

So stop by, tell your friends, find Shop 307 on Facebook, and enjoy!

Run, Kitties, Run!

April 26th Wyatt turned two years old. What a sweet helper he is, too. But while I have tons of pictures (that's why it's delayed), that's not what this post is all about.

First a little naked baby heinie. Isn't he cute!?!

And now a little love. Randy's aunt and uncle are so good to us, and we appreciate them so very much!! They're a wonderful example of a godly family, and they're one more reason we love where we live. Sunday for Mother's Day we went to their farm for lunch. Wyatt got to see pigs and cows and...
Baby kitties! Run, kitties, run!

Chores

At 10 months, Wyatt was terrified of the vacuum cleaner. At 11 months, he lllooovvvedd the vacuum cleaner. A year ago we were living with my parents for two weeks between the closings on our houses, and he discovered Mom's vacuum in a closet. He would go to that closet door and beg for it to be opened.

Now vacuuming is his favorite chore. He can whine through me washing dishes, folding clothes, making dinner, and feeding Ryder: Pay (play), Mommy, pease pay." But when I turn on the vacuum cleaner he's the happiest boy! Every time I turn it off he says, "Macuum? More macuum?" Maybe it is that he is a boy and boys like noise. He loves the lawn mower, too.

A friend asked how she could instill this love of vacuuming in her son, who is a precious two week old. My question is how can I keep this instilled through his teenage years?

This week I let him keep vacuuming after I was done. He was in heaven!

Giving Thanks

Last night Wyatt threw up for the first time, an occasion I've been dreading. But since I'm on Day 26 of becoming more grateful, I need to publicly share this list.

I'm thankful for:

-a husband who can totally "sell" food to a 2-year-old. Wyatt has a sweet tooth, so Saltine crackers aren't on his list of favorite foods. Randy brought home Keebler-brand crackers last night and made a HUGE deal about elf crackers. Wyatt loves them.

- a husband who helps clean up the mess

- that the two times Wyatt threw up in the evening, he threw up at the table on hardwood floors. No soft furniture, no carpet.

- that the two times he threw up in bed, it was mostly water, he stayed calm and went right back to bed.

- that I had just enough sheets to change his bed twice

- no fever

- that God protected Hobbes and Silky from getting nasty. He got Giraffey, but Hobbes and Silky stayed dry. Whew!

- that he hasn't thrown up today!

This stomach bug must be going around. Randy felt awful on Sunday night. And I've heard of two other kids and one other person who were in the 1 year old nursery on Sunday who have had the same thing in the past 24 hours.

Here's to being "thankful in all things!"

Growing

For some reason I have been so convinced that Ryder is so much bigger than Wyatt was at this age. Maybe he's a heavier wetter, so he wears thicker cloth dipes. Maybe his torso really is longer, but in all reality he's proved me wrong.

Last Friday we went to visit our favorite pediatrician. Wyatt saw him and immediately said, "Sticker!" He got four.

Ryder's length: 25.5", 50th percentile and a whole 1/4" longer than Wyatt was

Weight: 14 lbs. 3 oz, 25th percentile and exactly the same weight as Wyatt

Head circumference: 16 1/4", didn't pay attention to the rest.