Going Cold Turkey

We no longer use a microwave. I know... take a moment to breathe in the vast meaning of that statement.

It has actually been something I've thought about doing for a few years now but never had the guts to actually do it. I mean... how can you live without one. It's just crazy thoughts!

Well the last place we lived had a microwave built in, so we put our old microwave in storage. And it got damaged in storage. So what better time to give it a try than when you don't have one and have to go spend money to get another.

Honestly it hasn't been that much different. It takes about the same amount of time to microwave something as it does to heat it on the stove in most cases. And I've been using our small counter top oven like crazy. I can use that to heat up leftovers etc.

I haven't really noticed a difference until I tried to heat up a wrap today. Warm outside... cold inside. So with a little trial and error, I realized I needed to cover the dish to really trap the heat and get it to the inside without burning the outside. Things you don't tend to think about when you have a microwave because microwaves cook from the inside first.

Give it a try if you're feeling gutsy. I'm sure it's way better for you in the long run. Next stop.. a hand cranked coffee grinder... LOL no really... I want one!!

Our family Christmas letter

Merry Christmas! We aren't doing Christmas cards this year so here is our family update and I'll post a family picture soon to go with it. It's a low key Christmas this year! I know it seems like I have abandoned this little blog and that is probably true, but I've had good reason. These past few months have been a roller coaster ride that has landed us in Charlotte, NC.

Yes. Chad is no longer with Peachmac. So what did we do after that? Pick ourselves up and move to the city we have been dreaming about living in since we were newlyweds. We have always felt a pull to this city. It just never seemed the right time or we didn't have the funds to just uproot and move.

So here we are and we are loving every minute of it. We live about a mile from Uptown in the most quaint neighborhood. I love our cozy house tucked in between beautiful old trees. And the best part is, we are not alone. Our long time friend Garren had a lot of work coming from Charlotte so they decided to uproot and move here too. A few houses down actually. What a blessing to have someone you can depend on and feel comfortable with right after landing in a new place. We couldn't have asked for better circumstances. We are all so excited about what this city has in store for us. I couldn't feel more at home here. There is this peace and comfort like seeing a friend you haven't seen in years and picking right back up where you started. "Hello Charlotte it's been a few years how are the wife and kids?" Then you crack an inside joke and giggle about "that one time." You know... and if you don't ... you should get one of those friends. They are great.

Anyway...Garren and I have been hitting up Meetup groups around town and getting to know lots of people in our field. It's awesome. We had coffee this morning with some great guys, one from Romania and one from Italy. I love learning about new cultures and sharing ideas. It's amazing. Getting to know different kinds of people expands who you are and enriches your understanding of life. I'm working on making contacts for copywriting work and have a few good leads. We are on the edge of everything new and exciting. Can't wait to find out what is going to happen next.

The boys are no exception. Corben just turned three yesterday and as a surprise, we moved him to the top bunk of his bed. Oh the joy and surprise in that little boys face. I just wish I could bottle it and sell it! Well I would probably keep it all to myself :). He is getting so big and his imagination is running wild. Devlin is walking all over the place and getting into everything. He is such an explorer and wants to be in the middle of it all! His joyous spirit is what gets me through some days! He just walks around laughing most days. He is such a great communicator. He will tell us yes and no to what he wants and hardly ever fusses about things. Corben had a really difficult time with being frustrated at this age. So I am happy to skip that phase!! They are great boys and I am so blessed to be their mommy. I feel privileged to watch them grow and see their bond as brothers strengthen. I know they will be great men someday.

So there it is. Sorry for not writing but now that we are settled in there is so much to share, you'll probably soon get tired of my posts. Merry Christmas Everyone!

Mom seeking other great Mom - loves her kids, loves her God, and maybe has a little granola/craftiness going on.

"Aristotle said that "friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies." And while that would certainly be nice, a soul to go have a cup of coffee with would be good too. But sometimes, it seems like even a java buddy is hard to find when you're a mom"

Amen and amen. I found this post on momversation.com and had to watch the video. Of course the quote is what captured me right from the beginning. That quote from Aristotle is one of my absolute favorites. The man knew what he was talking about.

But why is it so hard to make mom friends? I'm going to be really transparent and awkward on this post because that's what it takes... it's like dating again. You are picking up a mom! "Hey you wanna hang out sometime?" "Love your diaper bag, wanna playdate?"

REALLY! It is the most awkward thing! I thought I was done with the whole dating thing but even then... thank God I wasn't the one doing the picking up because I sure would have been horrible at it!

When we moved here I joined the MOPS group and it was great! I loved the monthly meetings but I still never felt like I quite fit. We only met once a month and did one outing a month. I really wanted to find some "playdate or lets get some coffee" kind of moms. Don't get me wrong - I have two mom's that I hang out with here and there but I really want something deeper than that. So where would you find other mom's... other christian mom's that would be a Godly influence, someone you could pray with etc. At church right? Well, I don't really know any moms at church :(. But that's a whole other post and rant.

Seriously... I have wandered around Joanne's fabric store in hopes that I would bump into another crafty mom and we would live happily ever after... or sometimes I would settle for some sort of conversation from another adult woman. Yes I'm that creepy shopper that talks to much and tells you her life story.

It's just so flippin hard! Your schedules have to match up, your kids have to mesh, you hope your priorities and lifestyles match up, and then you think about "well... maybe she already has lots of mom friends... maybe she doesn't have time for another friend" and then you talk yourself out of it alltogether. Which I am sooo famous for! That right there is why I don't call people - "Well they are probably busy, it's probably too late, they are probably doing this or that, they are probably busy with the kids... so I'll just call later...." THEN IT NEVER HAPPENS!!!!! I never thought that being so OVER considerate would inhibit my life so much!!!

So there it is... my frustrations right now. Now go and shake off all the awkwardness. I'm sorry people, it's just where I am right now. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

So Adorable!

This is the coolest and cutest thing I have ever seen! This mom sets up photo shoots during her babies nap. Why didn't I think of something so fabulously creative and deliciously cute? Ugh so adorable I could just pinch myself. Check out all of them here.

Me VS Processed Food... The Journey Continues

This is the best explanation of raw milk that I have seen so far. The video is pretty long but very worth it!

It's an adjustment to consider drinking raw milk, especially because of all the propaganda that we are fed on a daily basis. We've actually been doing almond milk for a while and I really like it. It's great in coffee... gives it a creamy nutty flavor. I'd love to get raw milk but I'm pretty sure it's illegal in GA. So for now I will probably stick to almond milk...

Check it out! The differences between pasteurized milk and raw milk are amazing!!

Baby, I Like it Raw from Sickly Cat Network on Vimeo.

Stick it!

A new stick shift that is...

We have finally gotten the Jetta back and it is now a stick shift. I looooove stick shifts. Don't get me wrong - when the very first car Chad and I bought together was a stick shift... I was not happy. I'm going to pay all this money for a car I can't even drive?? I hated it... but I warmed to it eventually.

And I'll tell you a little secret. I was better at driving it than Chad was... shhhh don't tell him I told you!

I love the amount of control you have with them and I think they are safer to drive. You have no choice than to pay attention to what you are doing while driving. The car won't work if you don't! You can't be lazy like an automatic you have to be aware of your car and the road at all times. When our boys grow up... their first car will be a stick shift... and a beater... everybody's first car has to be a beater! How else will you have great stories to tell your grandkids?

Okay.. .so my first car wasn't a beater... it was a 1998 Geo Prizm. Oh how I miss that gas mileage... I could fill it up for 10 bucks (when gas was 98 cents a gallon of course). It was a great little car and served me well my first few years of driving. Chad's first car was a 1979 Toyota Corolla!!! LOL and it's still running to this day supposedly. I think he bought it for a couple hundred bucks or something. Aaaahhh I can't wait to do the same kind of stuff with my kids.

I don't care if we could get them a new car. Do you really think an inexperienced 16 year old driver should be behind the wheel of a brand new car? Ummm... no. Do you know how many cars my brothers wrecked during their early driving years. YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW. Then again... my brothers were (ahem are) pretty crazy but that's another story.

Anyone else have a great first car story?

A Day of Sweet Victory!

We had two great victories today!

Devlin "officially" crawled today! He's been moving backwards and doing lots of "downward facing dog" poses trying to get the idea down. Today was the day that he put the pieces together. You can see a little of it in the video above.

Just when I thought the day couldn't be any better. Corben goes #2 two on the potty for the first time!!! He goes "pee-pee" like a champ but he always seemed scared to go #2. He would ask to be put on the potty but then he acted like he was holding it in. Then of course he would go a little while later in his big boy pants.

We did the same song and dance this time but I tried to explain what to do again and then I bribed him! LOL I told him I would take him to the coffee shop and he could have anything he wanted... a sprinkle cookie, cupcake WHATEVER! I used lots of big fun words to describe the desserts like gigantic, humungous, huge (with the motions and voice inflection to go with them). Okay, I was getting tired of cleaning poo out of cloth underwear! I got desperate.

He kept getting on and off the potty. So I went on doing things around the house. Then I saw him dart for the bathroom. So I followed but stayed back just in case he needed "privacy" ?? I glanced in and saw him pushing and then a few seconds later I hear, "MOMMY!!!"
"Yes, sweetie"
"I GO POOOPEEE ON THE POTTY!"

Lots of joyful dancing came after that!!!!
I couldn't be more excited! And on the day that Devlin crawls! I was praying and hoping that I could be done with potty training before he crawled. I was thinking that going #2 was going to take a while for him to be okay with doing.
YAY!

Oh and in case you are wondering. Corben chose the "sprinkle cookie" so that is exactly what we went to get after dinner. :)

"Life isn't about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself."

I guess I'm starting a trend of using a quote as a title. I just love them so much that I can't help myself.

This post is to let you know that I'm quitting my day job. That's right I'm not going to be a mom anymore. LOL. No. My other day job :).

That's not entirely true either... I guess the best way to describe it is that I am going to start shifting my focus away from graphic design.

I hate that everybody and their brother is a "designer." They have the programs so they are a designer, right?
It's like saying I have a stethoscope so I must be a doctor. Being a designer is a lot more than owning the expensive programs.

But besides that, I have struggled for years with everything going to the web. I hate doing coding/programming for web design. I've put off learning a lot of code for years. So what did I do? I outsourced. I work together with a friend of mine I design the look and feel of the site and he does the programing for me.

I like the setup but I don't like not having control over the entire project. Yes I know I can be a little bit of a control freak when it comes to design. Ok, Ok in general ... there I said it! It just puts me in an uncomfortable position with clients. So what to do? Everybody wants some sort of digital design nowadays...

Everybody also needs something else to go with that - COPY. Or text for an advertisement/project in layman's terms. I always enjoyed writing and I wish I would have thought to take some copywriting classes in college. I took english and creative writing etc. I guess I just didn't have the vision at that time. But oh well.

So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to be a copywriter. Most copywriters work from home and the work doesn't take a lot of time and you can make decent money. Which is pretty much the setup I have now. Clients email me the specs and I go to work. With my background in business and design it should contribute a lot to this new venture.

I am considering taking a copywriting course although my mentor thinks I shouldn't worry about it. I've been giving clients copy and slogans for years for free! Which is true. I've always loved everything about Advertising. Especially coming up with slogans etc.

I'm not giving up design totally. I love it too much. I'll still do a little to keep my hand in it, but I want to really focus on this new venture.

So long story short... I'm doing a few pro bono projects to get my feet wet, buying some books to immerse myself in and stalking the really awesome copywriting blog called copyblogger.

I don't want to ever stop creating myself. Forget finding myself, I'm not lost - I know exactly where I'm going.

Your dream kitchen... only smaller.

Childhood is just not complete without a play-kitchen, am I right?

I have been thinking about getting one for Corben ever since he had such a great time "making pizza" with his friend Ella at the Children's museum. As I was debating about which kind to buy I came across these amazing ones that people have created from nightstands or old cabinets!!! I am sooo in! So the search begins for an old nightstand via craigslist or a yard sale.

Pictured above is my favorite one so far from the ikea hacker blog. You can see the post about it here.

There is a whole flickr group dedicated to it too... check it out here.
They are amazing! aah to be a kid again... washing the dishes would not take nearly as long!!

"In the craziness, I see genius."

I've talked about how much I admire Albert Einstein. His genius was unique. He saw the beauty in creativity and that makes me love him so much more. It wouldn't be right if I didn't mention my love of another genius.

He has a similar love of creativity and creative people. He loved them so much he wanted to make products just for them. That's right - Steve Jobs. The man that started it all. The title quote was Jobs talking about how creative people can be a little odd, different and even seem a little crazy sometimes but those are the people he loves. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, huh? He loves me... he really loves me. :)

You have to admit he was a handsome guy back in the day right? What can I say, I have a thing for geniuses :) I guess that's a huge compliment to my hubby. Love ya!

Love the commencement speech he gave back in 2005. Funny seeing as he never graduated college.
Check it out below... It's 15 minutes but sooo worth it.

Terrific Two's

Let's be real...sticking to your guns is not easy!! In fact it stinks.

Corben asked to go to McDonald's to play today so we went and got a snack - some yogurt for Corben and a dollar sweet tea for Mom. Then I got everyone settled in the play area. Corben was sitting in his chair happily eating his yogurt, baby in a high chair mouthing a spoon I gave him and me sipping my sweet tea.

Another mom was next to us with her two boys and the usual conversation came up.

"Wow, bless your heart how close in age are they??"

Me - "About 21 months apart."

"Well you look like you've got it down. How is it having them that close?"

Me - "Some days are better than others." :)

I was a proud mom at that moment. Look at my sweet boys being so good. Sigh.

Then Corben took his shoes off and got down to play so I moved to his side so I could get a better view of the slide where he was playing. Corben comes back over and tells me to sit in "your" seat and points to the seat that I was in first. I explain calmly that these are everyone's seats and mommy came to sit here so she could see him. Do you want to sit with mommy?" He then starts to push at me and scream that it is "HIS" seat. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me. So I pick him up and put him in my lap and tell him that he needs to calm down or we are not going to be able to play anymore. He squirms out of my lap and throws a fit and of course by now the playplace has filled with other parents and their children. I scooped Corben up, got baby out of his high chair and took them to the bathroom.

Then we marched back to the playplace put Corben's shoes on, packed up our stuff and went back home. Our outing lasted a whole 30 minutes.

Being a mom is HARD. Being consistent is even HARDER! I told him we would leave if he acted out. So we had to leave even though he asked so sweetly to stay when we were in the bathroom. But I couldn't... I told him we were going to leave if he threw a fit. So that's what we did.

I really do understand why so many parents don't discipline and aren't consistent. It seems like it would be so much easier to just live and let live. I could have just moved and laughed it off "oh he's just type A like his daddy." I would have totally bypassed the whole situation (well sort of... it would continue to rear its head until its dealt with). But I would have been encouraging the selfish behavior that we have been working through. It's not about me. It's about them understanding actions have consequences. Honoring your parents, using self control, sharing etc etc. All those lessons that are tied up in those short thirty minutes of life.

I don't always handle situations the best but I do the best I can with what I know. I was having a hard time with discipline a while back and started reading some of the articles online from No Greater Joy Ministries. It really encouraged me. He encouraged parents to not be too hard on themselves and that there are not enough hours in a lifetime to devour all the knowledge that you need to be a parent. But you do have God and he has all the wisdom you need.

I can definitely see that I'm going to need a lot more grace and a lot more face time with God as they get older. This must be where praying without ceasing comes from! It gets easier right?

At least I didn't say to the lady. "Oh it's great, having two this close is sooo easy!"

Thanks for letting me vent a little.

Making fresh bread everyday.

I know some of you read this title and got nervous and sweaty. Being a mom of two little ones I would normally be right there with you. Making fresh bread everyday sounds wonderful... for someone else that has lots of time and maybe for me when my kids are grown and I have nothing better to do than bake lots of stuff for the grandkids (Can't wait for those fun days too). But wait, this is something you can do! I promise!

And guess what.... you don't need a breadmachine and you don't have to knead anything! I'll give you a little background first before I give my secret away. Since moving to Macon a mommy group has formed out of people I have met through different circumstances and I have been so blessed by them in so many different ways I can't even describe. They were my saving grace especially when Chad was working non-stop. One of the ladies is a beautiful Italian girl with a grandmothers heart. She is always baking things and bringing them to the group. Everything she cooks is soooo good. One day she told us about this great book called "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day." I was a little skeptical at first but she let me borrow the book and I gave it a try. I had thought many times about getting a bread machine because there is nothing like fresh bread and it is way more cost effective to make your own.

So I gave it a try. Now my first boule loaf was not pretty needless to say, but it was sooo yummy and after a few tries I was getting beautiful loaves and it was so easy. Since then every time I have guests I bake them fresh bread. It takes no time and I can use the dough for boule bread, pizza, stromboli, flat bread etc etc. It's wonderful dipped in spinach dip! When my girl friends came down to visit we put away a whole loaf with some spinach dip.... YUMMMMM!

There's a couple tricks that make it so easy but mainly it's because you mix it ahead of time and then store it in your fridge for up to two weeks. Everytime you need a fresh loaf, you just cut off a chunk, let it sit while you make dinner and then throw it in the oven. Beautiful bread everytime! You can find the recipe for the basic bread online HERE. Give it a try! If you like it, get the book - there are so many wonderful recipes you can make. You will impress your guests everytime!

Who needs a bread machine and who has time to knead??? NOT ME!!

The Beach

Last weekend was my brothers wedding in Charleston so we decided to make a vacation of it. So we rented this house on Seabrook Island for Friday through Monday. We were originally going to rent a hotel but found that a house was about the same! We booked it a week before and didn't know much about where we were staying. We just wanted to be near the beach and that's all we needed to know.


It turned out to be a wonderful family area to stay. It is a private island so no fighting crowds for beach space and there was so much wildlife. It was just gorgeous. The island had horseback riding, biking, tennis, restaurants and a little "town" area with beach shops and a soda fountain in the drug store. We had a blast. While on the beach I captured a shot of someone riding a horse on the beach and a beautiful sailboat going by. Wow. I think next time we'll have to do the horseback riding thing!
Unfortunately it was really windy. So we only stayed on the beach for a few minutes. So the rest of the time we enjoyed biking the island with bikes that were provided for us, and just being lazy and enjoying our kids!


The town area had some wonderful restaurants and a grocery store so there was no need to leave the island for anything. It was sooo nice. We ate at a wonderful authentic Italian place (I know we are at the beach and we should eat seafood, but I'm just not a big seafood person). But I LOVE italian food. Their pizza was out of this world.


The rest of the days we just ate simple meals in the kitchen and then had a big brunch for John's wedding. Which was gorgeous. They got married at a gazebo right on the pier in Charleston. I wore my BIG hat and felt like a real southern lady :).

To be honest I didn't know how a vacation would be with two small children but after a little bit of adjustment the first day, it was great. So our first family vacation was a success... now I'm ready for the next one!!!

You'll never look at your food the same way again!

I have been soo into documentaries lately. It has helped that we now have Netflix. Maybe I'm the only one, but if I am going to rent a movie... I want to be entertained and I just don't think of documentaries as entertaining... they are more educational. If I want educational, I'll read a book.

But if you can rent a movie any time you want and have instant movies available - you are more willing to watch a documentary. That's just me anyway. So back to my real point. A few weeks ago I got the chance to watch Food, inc. and was totally blown away.

Not only was the documentary well done - it will totally change the way you view your food. I always thought of myself as pretty food conscious. I read labels like a crazy woman. Making sure there is no MSG, high fructose corn syrup etc. etc. I try to make my meals from scratch if I can help it. But after watching this I felt the conviction to take it to the next level and get more aggressive about eating organic.

I have to admit that cost has deterred me for a while. I've bought organic here and there but didn't think it was that big of a deal right? So what if there is a little pesticide residue on my veggies. It will wash off right? I challenge you to look up some of the fruits and veggies you eat on a regular basis on sites like what's on my food. Yeah, it's crazy. But back to the cost... in a previous post I talked about my new coupon fetish. Well, there is a coupon site for organic coupons too. If you are interested check out this coupon blog. A lot of the organic companies have coupons you can print off their site every month. So it's not as bad as I thought.

So go watch this documentary! If you want to be savvy and well-informed, you won't be sorry.

No more diapers

It's potty training time! If you need an excuse as to why I haven't blogged in a while.. there it is!!!

About a month ago...all of a sudden Corben started coming to me and demanding to be changed if his diaper was the least bit wet. So... I decided to start.

Am I using any certain method, No. Not that I know of any way. I've try to make it work for us and be age appropriate for Corben too.

I'm not sure I buy into all the "readiness checklist" stuff. If they don't like their diapers being messy anymore... I think it's time. Now, Corben just turned two so connecting the ideas of going to the bathroom are a little more difficult than with a child that is closer to three but I still think he's ready. The more we try, the more he is getting it.

I have to admit my heart did break a little when I put some big boy underwear on him for the first time. This is a big deal... my baby is not going to need me nearly as much very soon.

So I've tried pull-ups, bare-bottom and underwear. After trying out all of them I think it makes sense to have him in underwear so he can get used to wearing them. The pull-ups are nice if we are going out on an errand. They won't cause a mess but if we need to go potty they are easy to pull down. I do not like them for everyday use because Corben doesn't get "messy" if he has an accident hence there is no incentive to go on the potty. Corben hates to be messy by the way... I wonder who he gets that from???

So at first there were some tears and not wanting to sit on the potty but I stayed consistent and decided to add a timer to give him something to focus on. So we "try" for three minutes. Sometimes I will go longer if it is obvious he needs to go. So we are making small advances. Just today he came to me twice and said potty instead of "stinkies or wet diaper." I'm taking every small progression as a victory and trying to remember he's still young... it may take him a little while but he'll get it soon enough.

Sometimes I feel ridiculous when I talk him through going to the potty and I feel like all I do is ask him if he needs to go. I've tried several different ways of explaining it to try to get him to want to go potty. Explaining that it's messy to go in your pants but you'll be dry if you go on the potty. I even have a little potty cheer which I won't share here. :) I even tried to appeal to his sweet side... "Your pee-pee wants to be put in the potty but it needs help. Can you help your pee-pee go in the potty?" Oh the joys of potty training.

As far as incentives - we are doing the potty chart with stickers which Corben likes to do and I'll give him a chocolate chip if he actually goes in the potty. I still go back and forth about the chocolate chip idea. Will I be giving him a chocolate chip every time he goes after he's trained? When does it stop??

I ordered the "No diapers for ducky" book which I think will help the potty seem less intimidating and speak to him more on his level. Not to mention he loves books. I didn't go for any of the anatomically correct books with the step by step guide to going to the potty... I just don't think he can think of it cognitively like that yet. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe I'll change my mind and get one. Who knows. Right now I think he benefits more to relating to how things feel and sound. I talk to him about what it sounds like when he goes potty and try to help him connect that with pushing it out. It seems to be working. So this is what I've been working on lately.

Say a prayer for me! I know this will be behind us before we know it but for now it's a lot of work!

Couponing

On the subject of savvy. I don't think I have ever posted about my couponing fetish. This started probably about 4 or 5 months ago. As if I couldn't get any stranger or more of a "mom." I am totally addicted to couponing. Who can blame you when you can get free stuff??

I usually save at least 50% if not more on my grocery bill and end up with a few free items every week. Some examples of free stuff I've gotten: cream cheese, tissues, eye make-up, hot cocoa... etc etc. And I never pay more than 5.50 - 6.50 for huggies/pampers. It pays to do this! It just takes a little bit of time but for the most part these sites walk you through it and match up the coupons to the sales for you. My favorite is www.southernsavers.com. And in the past few months I have been doing all my shopping at Publix when I used to be an avid Kroger shopper. If you use publix coupons and stack them with manufacturer coupons. You can save a lot!! And they take competitor coupons too! Is there such a thing as a mom geek? Because I think I am falling into that category. Oh well, if it helps me be able to stay home with my kids and be a good steward of our money then so be it! These sites even helped me get great deals on customized Christmas gifts. I only had to pay shipping on photo mugs, collage photos/posters, desk calendar etc.

Here are some of the sites I use:
www.southernsavers.com
www.iheartpublix.com
www.dealseekingmom.com
www.moneysavingmom.com

Give it a try!

I survived!

I know my posts have been so few and far between lately. But now that I am getting a little break throughout the week. I hope to have more time for it.

Chad has started to have days off. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! I was spoiled last week. He had two days off and got off early for New Year Eve and New Years Day. I didn't know what to do with myself! Taking care of two kids alone is no easy task. But we made it! I didn't know if I would be able to handle it but with the help of a few key people I could vent to. I survived and my kids did too :)

Corben is just blossoming lately and he seems to be getting less and less frustrated and fussy. Which I am very excited about. Devlin is a sweet butterball. More than once Chad has asked me if we should put him on a diet. No! It'll all come off when he starts moving around. But for now I just love those cute chubby rolls! He is so happy and it's just magical to see him laugh at something Corben is doing and Corben getting so excited that he can make his baby brother happy. Those moments are what make the rough times totally worth it.

On the subject of rough... Corben was sick this past Saturday. After napping in my arms he woke up and vomited all over himself and me. LOVELY! So I quickly gathered all the yucky clothes and got Corben in a bath. While everything was in the wash I realized I hadn't put his blanket in with everything. So I put it in and washed it all again. A few minutes later I realize.... my phone was in my jeans... I washed my phone.... twice.

We still have Chad's old phone so I'm going to see if I can get that one reactivated. Well I have a great "mom" story under my belt!