Stribling Family

It's been a while!

2011-07-28T08:00:00.001-05:00

Jennifer has commented several times about how I haven't updated my blog in a while, so here's an update! I am no longer pregnant with number 3 as my last post says. As a matter of fact, number 3s name is Samuel and he just turned a year old! LOL. It has been a while!

Not much is happening in the Stribling household right now. I spend most of my days in the house with all three little boys going a little crazy, but I wouldn't trade it for the world! We got a minivan in June and it has made taking the boys places so much easier. I go a little less crazy when I can put them in the back seat and turn the music on so I can't hear the constant bickering. Although there is much less bickering now that they have more space.

I am still taking a break from cake overload... I do a few now and then, but I am not rushing back in full force. With a smaller house, it is more difficult to keep the munchkins from running into my table or throwing things which will inevitably hit the cake... Over the last year, I have also had Samuel to deal with and he is a VERY clingy mama's boy! Hard to do cake with a baby on my hip... I will eventually get back into taking on more cakes and maybe even open a bakery, but for now, I am going to focus on spending time with my wonderful little boys as long as I can!

Aaron will be 5 in December. It's hard to believe he is almost 5! He's still my little guy. He will not be starting school until next fall and that's okay with me. He's a brilliant little boy and he is learning so much at home with me right now. We are going to begin letter sounds soon. He already recognizes all of his letters and numbers up to 10 and can count to 20 easily. And his vocabulary is far beyond his years!

Jonathan will be 3 in October and is as rambunctious as ever! He is still my wild child climbing on everything and never sitting still. His speech is getting much better and it's getting easier to understand what he is trying to say, but we are still working on his pronunciation. He is just beginning to recognize certain letters and he is counting objects everywhere he goes.

Samuel just turned a year old last week. He says "mama" and "dada" and that's about it. He rambles a lot and sometimes I even think he says certain phrases, but it's hard to tell. He is still crawling everywhere, but he stands for long periods of time by himself playing with toys and such and even crouches down and stands back up with ease, but he has no interest in walking or even taking a step. When we try to get him to walk, he just lunges the top of his body forward and keeps his feet firmly planted on the ground.

That's about it for now here in the Stribling house! Maybe I will get around to another post before next year ;)

Pregnancy

2010-02-13T21:10:00.006-06:00

Well... For those who don't know, I'm pregnant with baby #3. Crankin' them out I guess... Not intentionally though I promise you! So far, this pregnancy has been VERY rough. At somewhere between 16 weeks and 20 weeks (depending on which nurse/doc you ask), I have yet to get through an entire day without feeling sick. Thankfully, it has eased up a bit, but come on... this is supposed to be over by now! I am also very exhausted. Partly because I am home all day with my two boys who barely let me take a break, partly because Jonathan still wakes up in the middle of the night for two hour jaunts, and partly because my iron is low. At my last doctor's appointment, they told me not to start taking iron pills right now because it would just make me more nautious.

Also at my last appointment, I was given a prescription for nausea medicine. The doctor is starting to get a little worried because I had lost over 15lbs at my last appt. It was no huge surprise to me because I lost weight with both of my others too. They did tell me that if I didn't start gaining by my next appt (March 3rd) that they would have to do something. Who knows what that means??!

Throughout this pregnancy I have also had a lot of pain so far. A lot of it is pain that I didn't have with either of my others and some I remember having a bit of with Jonathan but not until near the end of the pregnancy. It sucks!! Sometimes I go to stand up and can't physically stand all the way up because the pain keeps me hunched over. I really hope that things get better.

I go back to the doctor on March 3rd for my next check up. We have an ultrasound that day and should be able to find out the sex of the baby.

(approx 13ish weeks)... haven't taken a new one yet.

More Deals

2009-09-17T14:01:00.004-05:00

Most of these you can print out TWO coupons per computer either by hitting the back button or reclicking on the link! Enjoy everyone!

$5.00 off Enfamil Premium powder (any size):

http://www.enfamil.com/app/iwp/enfamil/certificate.do?id=/Consumer_Home2/Enf_Tools_Resources/Enf_Programs_Offers/PremiumCoupon

$1.00 off any Klondike Product. Makes single klondike bars and choco tacos at Walmart free:

https://ssl.unilever.com/whatsupwiththebox.com/box/default.aspx

$1.60/1 Nature Valley Nut Clusters. (Makes them .37 @Walmart)

http://bricks.coupons.com/TAF.asp?tqnm=qinmcsx4556385&bt=wi&o=58344&ci=1&c=GM&p=NZUMKWQY&tqnm=qinmcsx4556385&cista=201

Also a $1.00/1 Nature Valley Nut Clusters at http://www.coupons.com/

Enjoy these and look forward to more soon!

Hot Printable Coupons... FREE BABY WIPES!

2009-09-17T13:36:00.002-05:00

There are a few awesome printable coupons out right now, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share them with you.

First, there are 2 coupons right now that yield FREE baby wipes at many stores. There coupons could be used on diapers, wipes, changing pads or any other Huggies product used for diapering:

$1.50 off any Huggies Diaper Product at www.coupons.com
- My Walmart has some larger soft packs for $1.50, so I was able to print 2 off per computer and get 4 packages of FREE baby wipes.

$2.00 off any Huggies Diaper Product at http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=qinjblu9829492&bt=vi&o=57463&c=HG&p=7gaQhPFm
- Walmart had the tubs of 72ct wipes for $2.28, so I got 4 tubs and paid 28 cents each for them. Some stores may have them cheaper or you may be able to catch them on a sale and get them free too. You can also use them on the smaller soft packs priced $1.50 and get them free. The cashier will just have to adjust the coupon for you.

Kmart Super Double Coupons: MY SAVINGS!

2009-08-18T10:37:00.000-05:00

This week many Kmarts are doubling coupons up to $2.00 making them worth up to $4.00. (only 10 per person per day) I, of course, have jumped on this because I have LOTS of coupons and we were in need of a few things. (Remember: coupons will only double up to the value of the item)Here's what I have done so far:

Trip 1 Sunday: Dan went with me, so I was able to check out twice using 20 doubled coupons and a few others as well.

1st transaction:

(2) Softsoap hand soap pumps: $2.00 used (2) $1.00/1 printable coupon doubled = FREE

Softsoap Ensembles Refill: $2.49 used $2.00/1 printable coupon doubled = FREE

Got to Be Hair Glue: $4.49 used $2.00/1 printable coupon doubled = .49

(2)Whiskas Purrfectly cat food 2.7lb bag: $4.99 used (2) $2/1 printable coupon doubled = .99each

(4) Ziploc bags:2/$4.00 used (2) $1.50/2 printable coupon doubled= .50each

Pull-ups: $9.99 used $2/1 printable coupon doubled = $5.99

Shout Stain Remover: $2.61 used .55/1 coupon from Sunday paper = $1.51

American Fare 300ct Q-tips: $2.49 used Free w/purchase coupon from Kmarts website=FREE

Total with tax: $12.72

Second Transaction:

Speed Stick Irish Spring Deodorant: $2.79 used $1.50/1 printable coupon doubled= FREE

Lady Speed Stick Deodorant: $2.79 used $1.50/1 printable coupon doubled= FREE

Dove Ultimate Deodorant: $3.99 used $2/1 printable coupon doubled= FREE

(2) Visine for contacts: $3.99 each used (2) $2/1 printable coupons doubled= FREE

Johnson & Johnson's Head-to-toe baby wash: $3.79 used $1.00/1 printable coupon doubled= $1.79

Lysol multi-purpose spray: $2.67 used $1.00/1 coupon I got @ doctor's office doubled= .67

Ajax Dish soap: $1.99 used $1.00/1 printable coupon doubled = FREE

(2)Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaning Gel: $3.50 each used (2) $2/1 printable coupon doubled = FREE

(2) Scrubbing Bubbles 2-in-1 Toilet Wand Kit: $4.50 each used (2) FREE w/purchase of scrubbing bubbles toilet cleaning gel coupons from Sunday paper = FREE

American Fare 300ct Q-tips: $2.49 used Free w/purchase coupon from Kmarts website=FREE

Total w/tax= $3.29

Day 2 Monday:

(2) Hartz Crunch 'n Clean Cat Treats: $1.79 each used (2) $1/1 printable coupon doubled = FREE

(2) Whiskas Purrfectly Cat Food: $4.99 each used (2) $2/1 printable coupon doubled = .99 each

Lysol Multi-purpose spray: $2.67 used $1.00/1 coupon I got @ doctor's office doubled= .67

Sensodyne (travel size) toothpaste: $1.49 used .75/1 internet printable coupon doubled = FREE

Secret Deodorant: $2.49 used $2.00/1 coupon from Kmart savings booklet found @ cash registers doubled = FREE

Dove Ultimate Deodorant: $3.99 used $2/1 printable coupon doubled = FREE

(2) Glade Carpet Freshner: $2.15 each used (2) $1.00/1 coupons from Sunday paper doubled = .15 each

American Fare Hydrogen Peroxide: .89 used FREE w/purchase Kmart printable coupon = FREE

(2) Coffee-Mate Singles 5pk: $1.29ea used B1G1 internet printable coupon = 2/$1.29

used $3.00 off purchase Kmart coupon

Total w/tax: $3.49

HERE IS MY 2 DAY TOTAL: $19.50!!!! For EVERYTHING pictured below

Combined total before coupons: $126.04 *some items were on sale. This total does not reflect the original price.

Total after coupons: $19.50

Total Savings: $106.54

Websites For Coupon Deals

2009-08-09T18:22:00.004-05:00

I have had quite a few people ask me this week where I get all of my coupons. A majority of them are from the Sunday newspaper coupon inserts, some are online printables, and some I have recieved in the mail by signing up for various companies mailings. A lot of what I have gotten lately is a coupon coupled with a sale making it an even better deal.

There are a few websites that I check often for various reasons.

The first is http://www.moneysavingmom.com/
- She generally updates her site several times a day with coupon offers, store/coupon match-ups, freebies, and printables as well as verious other things. Her site also has some awesome recipes, tips for couponing, and lots more (check under categories on her site for extra stuff)

The second is http://krazycouponlady.blogspot.com/. She also updates multiple times daily with various store deals, coupon match-ups and LOTS of internet printable coupons. (click the coupons link at the top of her page for a HUGE list of internet printable coupons.) I use this a lot especially if I am looking for something specific. It's not a complete list, but it helps.

Here are a few more that I generally check. Some because they always post on a specific store and some for other reasons. My advice is to look around each website a bit to see what they offer that might be of value to you. It's not always on the front page.
http://www.dealseakingmom.com/
http://www.centsablemomma.com/
http://www.sweetwatersavings.com/
http://www.stretchingabuckblog.com/
http://www.mummydeals.org/
http://www.myfrugaladventures.blogspot.com/

For printing coupons, I generally use:
http://www.coupons.com/
http://www.smartsource.com/
and http://www.redplum.com/

I hope this helps get some of you started. I will post more later with some specific coupon deals.

Adventures in Couponing

2009-08-04T11:56:00.007-05:00

Over the last few weeks, I have begun couponing. Dan and I would like to have a good down payment for a house in time to move next summer (or sooner). It all started with a simple Arby's coupon. Jennifer showed me a website (http://www.moneysavingmom.com/) that had a coupon for buy a drink get a sandwich free and since Arby's sounded yummy, I printed the coupon off and had a good lunch. Later, I started looking around the website and realized there was SOOOOOOOO much more to it. I started printing off a few coupons that I knew I would use and started to pay attention to some of the deals I could get with them. Well... after a few small shopping trips with the coupons, I decided to jump in head first and really get into it. Now, I follow several blog sites that keep up on the coupons and match them up with sales and such (less work for me). I check the EVERY day sometimes multiple times a day. I have become a little obsessed, but it's ok. I have been really excited about shopping lately, and I wanted to share some of my deals with you.

1st trip to use coupons:
Walgreens. BIC highlighters were on sale for .49. I printed off some coupons for $1 off any 2 BIC products. Got 6 pks of highlighters FREE. Also got 3 rolls of Scotch tape. I paid .41 total for all of it.

Starbucks ice cream= FREE

4 Blue Bunny Ice Cream Sandwiches (singles) = FREE

Cinnabon Bars = .98

Coffee Mate Hazlenut creamer= $1.58

2 pkgs Ziploc bags= $1.25 each

Pita Pockets= .90

2 pkgs Wacky Mac = .69 ea

2 pkgs Tucks Take-a-long wipes= .64 ea pkg

BIC Sensitive disposable razors 12pk = .57

2 Skintimate Shaving gel= .73ea

Venus Embrace Razor w/2 blades= $4.94

Satin Care Shaving Cream=FREE

6 Breyers Yo Crunch Yogurt = .08 each

6 Bar S Hot Dogs = .38 ea (got 6pkgs only 2 pictured) 5 Chef Boyardee Ravioli etc.= FREE

Single Load Tide laundry detergent=FREE

4 Aquafresh Extreme Clean Toothpaste=FREE

2 pkgs Dentek Flossers=FREE

4 Nexcare bandages 8pk=FREE

5 pkgs Kotex liners=FREE

Carefree liners= FREE

3 pkgs Kleenex= $1.24ea

Watercolor paints= .50

10 pks Roseart 24ct crayons= .20ea

10 Elmers Glue= .25ea

All of the crayons, glue, and kleenex were for VBS. They were filling backpacks for the local school children. The paints were for Aaron.

10 First Aid to go kits = FREEBlink Tears Eye drops = .11

2 pkgs BIC Triumph pens 2pk=FREE

2 pkgs Pilot EasyTouch Pens=FREE

2 Renu contact solution =FREE

2 Stretchable book covers=FREE

2 pkgs pens 20pk=FREE

Clean & Clear Facewash=FREE

Mechanical Pencils 30pk=FREE

2 Folders=FREE

Eclipse Gum = .43

6 pkgs Pull-ups Flushable wipes = .14 ea
3 pkgs Chiquita Apple Bites= FREE
2 pkgs Nestle Pure Life Water 6pks= FREE

My last shopping trip:

4 Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner= .69 ea

3 Lysol Wipes= $1.29 ea

3 pkgs Wacky Mac= (2) .77 ea (1) FREE

Swiffer Sweeper= $7.00

2 Graduates Crunchies = $1.73 ea

2 BeachNut Yugurt Bites = $1.29 ea

8 pkgs Jell-o= .25 ea

4 pkgs Velveeta Shells & Cheese= .75 ea

4 boxes Betty Crocker Browny Mix= .63 ea

Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent= $3.97

2 pkgs Ziploc bags = $1.25 ea

Whole Grain Cheeze-Its = $2.23

10 First Aid to go kits = FREE

20 pkgs Kotex liners = FREE

7 pkgs Dentex Flossers= FREE

Items I didn't have coupons for: OUCH!

Folgers Coffee= $3.42

Great Value Creamer= $3.86

You may be wondering what in the world I am going to do with all of the extra stuff, but I'm not. I have a plan! Our church has several ministries we are involved in that I am very excited to help out with.

The first is Operation Christmas Child. This fall we will be packing boxes for Christmas to send overseas to needy children. There are several things that I plan to give for that (Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, Soap, and hopefully some other items).

The second ministry is the Lincoln Christian College food pantry. They need a LOT of items not just food. I plan on sending extra food/ paper products/ laundry detergent/ etc over to help out the students.

The third ministry is our Valentine's care packages that we send to military and college students ar the beginning of the year. I plan to give extra deodorant, snacks, razors, shaving cream, school supplies and MUCH more to send in these boxes.

Thank You to everyone who has helped out so far by giving me the coupons from their Sunday papers and other coupons. They are a blessing not only to our family, but hopefully will be to MANY others as well.

As an added ministry opportunity, I plan to send all of the expired coupons to military families. (LINK) They can use them for several months after the expiration date, so they will go even further! All of the extra paper from the clipped coupons and ads will be taken to a recycling drop off.

Anyone who wants to help with these wonderful ministry opportunities is welcome to! Please send your coupons to me or money to help purchase some of the items (not everything is free and I still have to pay tax) :

Chrys Stribling

104 NE Third St

Atlanta, IL 61723

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR HELPING!!!

Easter Photos

2009-04-17T10:10:00.004-05:00

For Easter we travelled up to Ohio to visit my mother and the rest of the gang. We drove through the night Thursday so that the kids would be asleep which was a very smart idea. They slept really well and Jonathan only woke up to eat once on our trip. (About a 9 hour drive) Friday we just hung out with the family. Saturday we took the boys to get pictures taken. Since my nephew Andrew was at mom's too, she wanted to get a picture of all three grandbabies together. The boys were surprisingly cooperative. Jonathan just smiled away. He was so happy. Aaron generally smiled and then stopped just about the time she snapped the picture. Andrew didn't want his picture taken though. It was naptime! Saturday night, we colored almost 20 dozen eggs. Sunday was church and then a Very long nap for Aaron. When he woke up it was time to eat, hunt eggs and get baskets. And Monday, we drove through the day and headed home. The boys travelled well and we made good time. It was a long weekend, but a good one.

This week, I am knee deep in cake. I have a tiered Fancy Nancy cake to do, a tiered cake for a masquerade ball, and a tiered cake for Jeanne's baby shower. LOTS of work. It's gonna be a long couple of days...

The Big Discovery

2009-02-18T14:27:00.002-06:00

This morning, Aaron woke up and came into my room where Jonathan was laying on the bed. He started rubbing Jonathan's head and telling him he loved him, and then he looked at me and told me that Jonathan had big holes in his ears! It was so funny! I tried to explain to him that we all do. He just kept looking at Jonathan's ears like he was trying to figure it out. I just had to share. I thought it was great.

Jonathan David and Goliath... I mean... Roran

2009-01-28T19:40:00.004-06:00

Okay, so he's not Goliath, but my nephew seems huge to me! He was born less than a week ago and is as long as my three month old. It's crazy! He's very cute though. Aaron was very intrigued with him too, and he seems to understand the whole new baby thing. I didn't think 2 year olds were supposed to be that smart??!

Anyways, here are a few photos from last night when Darrell and Amanda brought the boys over.

Here's one of Jonathan David and Roran Edward

And the cutie by himself...

I put my blog on Facebook!!

2009-01-28T18:57:00.001-06:00

So, I figured out today that I could link my blog to Facebook so now everytime I put a new post on my blog it will post it as a note on my facebook! How awesome is that??!!

Smiley Boy

2009-01-25T16:11:00.003-06:00

I haven't gotten December up yet, but I figured that if I didn't start posting again that I may never get around to it. I actually have a few minutes cause the boys are sleeping and I am getting over the flu so housework is not on my agenda. Aaron has had the flu or whatever sickness it is since Thursday... we have cleaned up so much vomit it's not even funny! Thankfully we borrowed Cindi's carpet cleaner. It has made cleaning it up so much easier!

On a lighter note, I thought I would put up some recent pictures for everyone to see. Here is my chunky baby boy! When I took him to the doctor on the 5th, he weighed 11lbs. 4oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long. I love his little rolls!

He is such a smiley baby. He smiles at everything! He especially loves to see his big brother Aaron.

Aaron's favorite thing to play with right now is his Mr. Potato Heads, and Jonathan loves it too. He really enjoys looking at them. We show him everytime we finish one. It's so much fun to play with them as a family!!

November

2009-01-12T10:25:00.006-06:00

Well... It has been a while since I posted. It got pretty crazy around here during the holidays. So, here's what's been going on...

November:

We got family pictures taken... the highlight of the month! Jonathan was 3 weeks old, and I felt like he had already gotten so big. Thank you Kristy for our awesome pictures!!! We LOVE them!! If anyone wants to see them, there are a few of Jonathan on Kristy's website in the babies section, Kristy Hanlon Photography.

Aaron discovered that he could get into the cradle and into Jonathan's carseat, so it was quite interresting trying to keep him from climbing in on top of Jonathan. He has stopped now though thank goodness!On November 17th, we celebrated my 26th birthday. I actually really enjoyed my birthday because I got to spend all day with my boys. This is a picture that I took of Jonathan in a little basket that I got for my birthday, I had fun taking this picture. I was so excited that he was small enough to fit in it. Silly I know, but I loved it!

We celebrated Jonathan's first Thanksgiving with Dan's family, and then after dinner, Aaron and I went down for a nap and Jonathan spent the afternoon laying in his Daddy's arms while he played video games.

At one month old, we were able to start cloth diapers with Jonathan. We have had Aaron in them all the time since the beginning of September. It's amazing to me to see the diapers pile up during the day! Between the two boys, we go through about 15-20 diapers a day, sometimes more!! I currently wash diapers everyday, but it's worth it! Aaron hasn't broken out with any rashes since we started cloth and Jonathan hasn't peed all over the place since we started them. When we switched to cloth, we did it while the diapers were still too big for Jonathan, but he would cry everytime he had to pee in the disposables and then he would pee all over the place everytime I took his diaper off. I am very happy to say that he hasn't done that even once since we switched. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we went shopping for our Christmas tree. We always go to Lowe's because they have beautiful trees and we only pay $15 for them. Aaron had a blast helping to pick out the tree, and his favorite part was the pinecone he found while we were looking. He held it the entire way home. That night, we decorated our tree and I took a picture of the boys underneath it.

And Daddy decorated Aaron... So fun!This was my favorite picture that I took of them though. I snapped it first thing in the morning the next morning. They were both in very good moods. (hard to get these days)

And on the last day of November, Aaron got to go outside with his Daddy and build his first snowman. They had so much fun, and Aaron was very proud of his snowman. I love how creative the boys can be together. (The arms are the branches Dan cut off the bottom of our tree, and somehow under all that snow, they found enough rocks for his eyes and mouth)

Clapping

2008-11-19T10:26:00.003-06:00

I let Aaron hold Jonathan the other day and he was so excited. He grabbed Jonathan's hands and tried to teach him how to clap. It was really cute. He was happy to hold his little brother. I just happened to be trying to catch a picture of the two of them together and am really glad I caught Aaron trying to teach jonathan to clap.

Sick Update

2008-11-19T10:03:00.003-06:00

Aaron's fever broke after we took him to the doctor, and the antibiotic took affect quickly and he slept through the night again. His ears don't seem to be bothering him anymore and he's breathing a lot clearer now, too. He also aparently at the same time sut two more teeth.

As for Jonathan... he got sick. Since Saturday, he has been throwing up just about everytime he eats... a lot. He's also got some sort of respiratory virus and is having a hard time breathing. He sounds like he's snoring even when he's awake. He got a nasty cough with it too. We are keeping the humidifier going and sucking LOTS of snot out of his nose. I know things like this always get worse before they get better, and I'm really hoping this is the worst of it!

Doctor Visits

2008-11-13T18:51:00.002-06:00

Well... yesterday I took the boys to the doctor. Jonathan went for a checkup and Aaron went for sickness.

Aaron was running a 102 fever and had been for almost two days. He also had a cough and runny nose and wasn't eating or sleeping for more than about half an hour at a time. (Made for a few long nights!) They tested him for RSV and thankfully, it was negative, but he does have a bronchiolitis infection as well as ear infections in both ears. They gave him an antibiotic for his ears and he has to use a Nebulizer several times a day to try to get rid of the cough and such. Today, he seems to be doing a bit better.

As for Jonathan, things are good. The doctor says he's doing great and she is pleased with how he's growing. When he was born, he was 4lbs 13ozs and 15 1/2 inches long. At the doctor yesterday, he was 5lbs 12 1/2ozs and almost 19 inches long!!! I knew he was growing, but that's just crazy! He must be getting miracle grow in his milk or something. That's a lot of growing for a little boy. It's too fast for me! I want him to stay little. Not forever, but at least for a while.

Jonathan is three weeks old and still sleeps a lot. He will occasionally stay awake for an hour and a half or two hours (usually in the middle of the night) but he is staying awake for longer periods of time during the day too. It has killed Aaron to not be able to hold him all week. He cries a lot when I tell him that he can't hold baby Jonathan. He really loves his little brother.

That's about all that's going on.

Two Weeks Old!

2008-11-07T22:11:00.006-06:00

Jonathan is two weeks old already! I can't believe it! He is already growing so much. When he was born, we had to fold preemie diapers in half just to fit him and now they are fitting just fine unfolded. It's amazing. He goes on Wednesday for a check-up, and I am very anxious to see how much he weighs now. He eats like a little piggy. so I am sure he has gained weight in the last two weeks.

At the hospital, Aaron got Jonathan a monkey. Here are two pictures of Jonathan with his monkey. The first is from the hospital. The second was taken yesterday at two weeks old.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-02T11:52:00.002-06:00

Here are my boys on Halloween. Aaron went as Darth Vader along with his Cousin Rilian who went as Yoda.

Jonathan was a ghost. Dan got the onesie for him while he was in the hospital. He and Aaron picked it out for Jonathan.

Jonathan David

2008-10-29T22:48:00.004-05:00

It's been a while since I posted last and there is a lot to catch up on, but things are busy around here, so just one post for today...

I had my baby... almost 4 weeks early.

Jonathan David Stribling was born on October 23, 2008 @ 7:56am. He weighed 4lbs 13ozs and was 15 1/2 inches long. He is doing well.

He is so tiny. He will be wearing preemie clothes for a while. Some of them are still very big on him too.

We are home now. Jonathan had to come home in a car bed because he is legally too small for a car seat. It's really nifty, and he's very comfortable because he gets to lay down in the car.

We are all trying to get adjusted to having a new little one in the house, but we all love it. Aaron loves being a big brother.

We love our new baby boy!!

Sprinkles

2008-10-04T18:38:00.005-05:00

The other day I was working on some cupcakes for a ladies retreat that had colored sugar sprinkles on them. Aaron was very interested. He kept coming over and asking to eat the fondant that I was making the roses out of...which I let him have and then he wanted to help put sprinkles on the cupcakes, so I gave him a cupcake and let him put sprinkles on it for

himself and then eat it. It had pink icing and you would never be able to tell! He was very happy that I let him have a cupcake if you couldn't tell...

Here he is showing me his cupcake creation

Best Friends

2008-09-30T14:56:00.004-05:00

Last week Jennifer and I took the two littlest kids to the Discovery Museum for a really fun discovery time about fish. Afterward, we spent a few hours playing in the museum with the kids. It was so nice to see them playing together because usually they fight like an old married couple! Even so, Bella is still Aaron's best friend. He LOVES spending time with her and on Sunday mornings, he can't wait to get to the church to meet up with her. It's so cute. Here are a few pictures of the two of them playing together at the museum... and of course both zonking out as soon as we left...

Wedding Cake/Blue's Clues

2008-09-25T10:53:00.004-05:00

Just thought I would go ahead and post a few pictures of the wedding cake that I did this last weekend. The couple ordered a three tier cake and a cake for each of the 25 tables at the reception. LOTS OF WORK! (That's why there are no posts for the last week and a half) I'm so glad my mom was here to help me with Aaron and to help with some of the cake stuff. Also, amidst the chaos of wedding cakes, I did a Blue's Clues cake. I love the way it turned out! It is one of my favorites!

Birthday Gift

2008-09-25T10:34:00.006-05:00

For Dan's birthday, my mom got him a bicycle with a toddler seat so that he and Aaron could go riding together. Dan LOVED it. It wore him out too. It's been quite a while since he's gotten any real exercise. He was exhausted! As you can see, Aaron was excited too. As soon as my mom told him that the seat on the back was for him, he wanted to go for a ride. It wasn't easy getting him to wait for Dan to ride. My mom got Aaron a helmet with some elbow and knee pads too so that he would be safe on the bike. He knows that he has to wear them to ride the bike too.

Birthday at Don Ponchito

2008-09-25T10:27:00.004-05:00

To celebrate Dan's birthday with the family, we went out to eat at Don Ponchito in Lincoln after church on Sunday (Sept 14). They brought him a sombrero to wear and a very large ice cream which I am happy to say I got to eat some of. Aaron of course stole the sombrero! Thankfully, he didn't see the ice cream. Oh, and the waiter put ice cream on Dan's face with a spoon too. GROSS!!

Baby Talk

2008-09-12T20:11:00.003-05:00

Today I got a root canal done on one of my molars... OUCH!!! I was relaxing on the couch and Aaron was playing very quietly. I looked over to where my phone was charging to see Aaron wearing his Daddy's hat backwards and talking on my phone.

He got very irritated when I interrupted his conversation.

Sept. 11th- Dan's 26th Birthday

2008-09-12T17:04:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was Dan's birthday. For his birthday, he requested chinese food, so we ordered First Wok and sat at home as a family eating Chinese and watching more Star Wars. After dinner, Aaron and I surprised him with a little coconut cake. I realize it's not a spectacular cake, but I only had a few minutes to decorate it. And he will get another cake on Sunday when we celebrate with the whole family. Aaron helped me to carry out the cake to Dan. He tried blowing out the candles the entire time we were carrying it.

So, Dan let him help blow out the candles.

Then he was a mooch eating much of Dan's cake.

And when Dan wasn't fast enough, he tried to bite off the side of the cake.

Moments I'm glad I didn't miss.

2008-09-12T16:36:00.007-05:00

I have missed a few posts over the last two weeks and wanted to include some of the fun moments we have had lately. Aaron has just been doing some cute things that I wanted to share.

He dressed himself as Darth Vader while we were watching Star Wars. After this, we found a really cute Darth Vader costume and are going to dress him as Vader for Halloween. The other day, he walked around the house with just one shoe on and had a great time. He didn't want me to take it off.
He wore himself out!
He put his crocs on himself to walk around the house and was so proud of himself. He came over and asked me to take a picture. Notice... they are on the wrong feet. So cute!
We also have been playing in his bedroom a lot and getting him used to having his own toddler bed even though he won't sleep in it yet. He thinks it's a blast. And another silly face made at Mommy... I love when he makes silly faces. He tries to get me to make them back.

Atlanta Fall Festival Parade

2008-09-12T16:07:00.004-05:00

Last weekend there was a parade here in town for the fall festival. We took Aaron last year, but he was only 9 months old, so there wasn't much interaction. This year, he really enjoyed the parade. His favorite part was, of course, picking up all of the candy that was thrown our way. He loved the cars... all of them. I think he just liked being that close to a moving car. SCARY! Sometimes it was hard keeping him from running into the road. Thankfully, he listened pretty well and didn't go too close. The whole family was out to watch the parade. It made for a good time.Collecting candy The church had a float in the parade too. It was the first float to come down the road (there weren't many). They did it for our Sunday School kick-off which is this coming Sunday. I got such a kick out of it. As soon as I saw Kevin coming down the road dressed as Jesus, I started yelling with excitement. It was a good way to start off the parade. It definitely got your attention. You could see Jesus coming down the road before you could see anything else. It was great. Aaron ended off the parade by snacking on a few pieces of candy and some doritos... as evidenced by his face...

Last Doctor Appt

2008-09-11T08:57:00.008-05:00

The baby is doing just fine. I got my Rhogam shot and did the glucose test. Fun... I ended up being at the doctor's office for over two hours. I go back on September 16th for another ultrasound. I have officially started the every two week appointments. We're getting close!!

I spent a lot of my waiting time weaving headbands for Jennifer and wanted you guys to see them because they are so cute!Here's a close-up. I LOVE the watermelon and ladybug ones! I just think that they turned out so cute! If you want one, you can order them from Babyations Hairbows. She does not have them on the website yet, but you can still order them. They are $8.00 each. You can request them in any color too. These are just the ones I made the other day.

28 weeks pregnant and counting down to baby

2008-08-25T12:02:00.005-05:00

Well... here it is, my 28 week pregnancy picture. Some of you have been wanting me to post one so you can see, so I took one for you this morning. If I look a little sleepy... It was morning... and I'm pregnant... enough said. This Friday I get to go in for a checkup as well as my glucose test and the amniocentesis shot Yeehaw... grumble grumble. I'm growing, the baby is growing, and we only have 12 weeks left. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!
Only 12 weeks. That seems so close. I'm not ready yet! We still have to get either a toddler bed for Aaron or another crib for the baby. We also need to get a few little essentials like diapers and such for the new baby. We've decided to try cloth for the most part with this one with the hopes of saving a few bucks in the long run. Our favorites are Wonderoos. They go down to newborn size and all the way up to well... the size Aaron is now all in one diaper. If anyone is looking for a gift for us for the new baby, these diapers would be much appreciated! Any cloth diapers really, but I just happen to be partial to these. We've used them some with Aaron and really like them a lot. Aside from that, we have clothes for the most part because this baby can wear Aaron's old clothes. I need some nursing essentials, and we'll be pretty much set. (Infant Tylenol Drops, Mylicon, and baby wipes are also on our list of needs for the new baby... LOTS and LOTS of all three)

This post dedicated to the memory of...

2008-08-24T21:07:00.001-05:00

This post is dedicated to the memory of the stupid fly who took up residence on my leftover icing overnight and died of a sugar overdose... That will teach those pesky flies to mess with my icing! I guess if you gotta go out, it's better to go doing something you love...

Ball Pit

2008-08-24T20:53:00.003-05:00

For his birthday last year, Aaron got a Diego ball pit. We never set it up because the first time we took it out of the box, he got so upset that he couldn't fit two of the giant balls in his hand that we decided it would be better to put it away until he was over that obsession. It was a great idea! We broke it out this weekend for him, and he loved it!!!! He spent most of the weekend in it, and thinks it's just the best toy ever. He's always loved balls, and he still does. Thankfully, he's figured out ways to carry more of them in his arms now. He's also figured out that he can roll the ball pit across tha floor. Go figure... why use it for what it was made for??

While Dan was setting up the ball pit, Aaron took and put all of the balls over the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs. Humorous?? I really have no idea what goes through his head?...
I love this picture and had to include it because it made me laugh. I was making cakes this weekend and had on a bandana to keep my hair out of my face. Aaron came over and ripped it off of my head and put it on his. I actually think it looks adorable on him!

Father Son Time

2008-08-20T08:46:00.006-05:00

The last few nights, we haven't had much time to spend as a family, but we have had a few good moments which I happened to catch on camera.

Aaron loves to pounce on his Daddy!

And bounce on daddy's neck...
Stare Down

I know this one is blurry, but it's so cute. Daddy got in on the action too.
Aaron was showing off his shades to Daddy. And making faces at Mommy

Stealing already...

2008-08-17T22:26:00.004-05:00

Well... the new baby got a gift today. Anna Jean made him a nice blanket and it's of course hand quilted. We brought it home and this evening took it out of the gift bag to see what it looked like. Aaron decided that he liked it. He grabbed it and took off with it. We kept telling him that it belongs to the baby, but he wouldn't listen. He just kept saying "NO, MINE!"

Chuck E. Cheese

2008-08-12T20:47:00.008-05:00

Today, Jennifer and I took the kids to Chuck E Cheese for a day of fun. I spent the day with a little Aaron glued to my hip! He didn't want anything to do with the place for the first hour and a half we were there. He wouldn't even let me put him down. He finally lightened up and started having a little fun after he ate some pizza. The skeeball helped too, but only because I let him keep one of the balls out and carry it around for a while. He even let Zack take him up in the tubes to crawl around.

Eating Pizza

Crawling through the tubes

I love this picture because it was the first time he had smiled all morning!

He enjoyed pretending to drive the car for the Mario Kart game.

And he loved helping the kids to put their 1000+ tickets into the machine!

Sunday School

2008-08-11T09:43:00.004-05:00

I wanted to post this because it was a lot of fun. On Sunday, I had church nursery during Sunday School. I just had three kids: Aaron, Bella, and Ethan. It was a lot of fun because I had all three kids playing together the entire hour. I couldn't believe how well they got along. They shared everything and even took turns well. Here are some pictures of some of the things we did.

The kids ate their snacks together.

They played with cars and ran them around the room.

They even all grabbed hammers and started banging things so I had them run around the room banging different things to see what sound they would make. It's amazing how well they listen sometimes! They did everything I said.

They sang all sorts of silly songs with me and danced around too, but I didn't get any pictures of that.

One more thing...

2008-08-10T00:17:00.002-05:00

I just have to add a little something to my last blog entry. I want everyone to know that Dan supports my addiction!! As a matter of fact, he said that it's a good thing we arent having a girl because he would be the one spending lots of money on (Jennifer's) cute hairbows. He loves them as well! He also told me to get as many as I want... hehe.

Addiction...

2008-08-08T13:35:00.005-05:00

So... I have an addiction... it's not your common addiction, but I have one. My addiction is to hairbows!

A friend of mine, Jennifer, makes the most awesome little girl hairbows. And even though we are not having a girl, I still occasionally buy some for the day when eventually we will either have one or adopt one (hoping to adopt a little foreign girl in about 6 years or so). I also like to buy them for others. They are so cute! The bows are very high quality and durable. I love the simple small solid bows and the double layer bows the best. I also have a few other favorites like the small bows with polka dots and I think my all time favorite is the small bow with bees on it. I actually haven't gotten it yet, but I certainly plan on it! I am also kind of hoping that Darrell and Amanda, my brother and sister-in-law are going to have a girl. I don't have my hopes up, but I would love to be able to buy her lots of cute little bows if it were a girl.

If you get a chance, you ought to check some of them out:

http://www.babyations.com/

OR check out her new bow blog at

http://www.babyationshairbows.blogspot.com/

Elmo's Turn

2008-08-05T21:31:00.004-05:00

A while ago, I posted a picture of Aaron trying to put powder on his Superman. Last night, it was Elmo's turn. Aaron went and grabbed a diaper and the powder and tried to change Elmo's diaper. He literally tried to put the diaper ON Elmo. Then he tried to powder him. He got really mad though because it was closed and nothing was coming out. He kept asking "Powder Please?" but I wouldn't open it, so he threw it down and gave Elmo a hug instead!

Then he tried to shove Elmo into his piggy bank... Crazy boy! Sometimes, I have no idea what is going through his little head!

Another Hair Cut

2008-08-05T21:22:00.004-05:00

Aaron's hair had already grown over an inch since his cut a few weeks ago, so on Saturday morning, we cut it again. I thought it was cute that he was trying to cut his own hair with the little trimmer while Daddy was cutting his with the big trimmer.

He even tried to put a guard on the little trimmer.

This is the bath right after he got it cut. He was too busy playing to let me get a good picture. This was his "OK Mom, I'm smiling. Now, let me play." Smile

It's clearly a BOY!!

2008-08-01T22:16:00.009-05:00

We had our second ultrasound today and finally got to find out that we are having a BOY! there was no mistaking it! We are so excited. I think Dan is overjoyed. I think he would have been a little nervous with a girl. It will be good for all of us to have another boy in the house.

We got lots of pictures too. The tech was in a really good mood this afternoon. There were still some measurements that she could not get because our little boy wouldn't cooperate, so we go for another ultrasound at 30 weeks which will be around the second week of September.

I'm not looking forward to my next appointment at the end of August though. It will be the least fun appointment. I have to do the gestational diabetes glucose test where they get to take my blood (from veins they will have difficulty finding and probably poke me several times and move the needle around until they finally find one). Then I get to drink a sugary orange drink and get my blood drawn again. Not only that, I also have to get a shot at me next appointment on top of all of that. Yuck! Anyways, here are the new baby pictures which I am so excited to share. Oh and by the way, he tried to cover himself with his hand again so that we couldn't tell what he was. Little Stinker!

On the left of this picture is clear proof that it's a boy. On the right is the profile just because she needed something to put on the other side.

These are the feet. The left is the bottom of one of his feet and on the right you can see the bottom of one foot and the side of the other. I already think he has cute feet! They are shaped like his Daddy's feet too (and Aaron's).

This was for my mom! She has been trying to convince me that it was going to be a girl. so the tech took this picture just for her. If you look in the middle of the black circle, you can see the boy parts VERY CLEARLY. As a matter of fact, that's all you can see. I think it's great, so Mom, this one's for you! It's a boy!Here is a picture of the baby's face and belly. And here are two profile pics of the baby. The bottom one is my favorite because he definitely has Dan's nose!!! and you can see his little lips so well.

This weekend

2008-07-21T10:36:00.006-05:00

I just wanted to include some of the cute pictures from our weekend. A few are from Thursday and Friday, but they were just so adorable that I wanted to post them for everyone to see.

When I was prepping craft stuff for VBS, Aaron wanted to help. He made his own bird mask. This was before we added the beak and such.
He used the paper towel rolls for VBS and played drums on the clothes basket. (Note: he picked out his outfit! He got into his dresser and pulled the outfit out and insisted that I put it on him)
Someday, he will regret that I took this picture, but I love it. He was running around in his cloth diaper and Daddy's hat. He likes to hug his little monkey backpack. Aaron helped Daddy fix the Vacuum. he stuck the screwdriver in every available hole. Daddy put him to bed on Saturday night and he fell asleep cuddling his Mickey Mouse.

My Insane Sunday Morning

2008-07-20T20:09:00.004-05:00

Last night I worked on cakes until 2:30 in the morning. By the time I got to sleep, it was after 3:30. I had two main cakes to do. The first one was a 3D tractor. The other was a full size sheet cake to go with it. I finished the sheet cake last night and most of the tractor. I was planning on getting up and finishing while Dan took Aaron to Sunday school. Guess what?!!! I got up this morning and the tractor had taken a nose dive of sorts. The bottom two layers had crumbled to bits and the top two had almost completely fallen off. There was not one bit that was salvageable. I was so upset especially considering it was to be picked up at 1:00 and it was already 9. It took me longer than that to where I was the night before. Here is what was left of the first cake...

I sent Aaron off with Dan and got to work starting the cake from scratch. Thankfully, I had more chocolate cake frozen. I finished a little before noon (PURE ADRENALINE!) Thankfully I did because I had just enough time to clean my cake mess up out of the dining room before she showed up... almost an hour early! Needless to say, I didn't make it to church...Here are the finished cakes.

This is the sheet cake that went with the tractor. It was already scored so it was easy for them to cut at the party and each piece had either a soybean or an ear of corn on it.

Bryant is the coolest...(written by Bryant! Composed by Bryant.. awesomeness attained by Bryant)

Eventful Day

2008-07-15T22:21:00.004-05:00

Well... I was very sick yesterday, so I didn't get to spend much time with Aaron, so today definitely made up for it. We spent the entire day playing and having fun. I took lots of pictures.

We spent a large portion of the day playing in a tent that we made out of my scrapbook table and a comforter.

I gave him my broken camera because he wanted to take pictures and he pretended to take pictures of Mommy. Every time he would put the camera up to his face, I would snap a picture so it would flash. It made him think that he was really taking pictures. He got a kick out of it.

He even fell asleep before naptime in his Diego chair watching TV because he was worn out from the morning. (I snapped the picture just before he toppled over the side of it!)After his nap, we went to the park for about an hour and a half. He climbed and ran and slid and swung. He just kept going!!! He had an enormous amount of energy while we were there. He also had a lot of fun. I knew when he was done though because he went over to the stroller, grabbed my water and guzzled it. Then he climbed in his stroller and sat waiting for me to buckle him so we could go home.

His normal bed time is about 9-9:30. At 7:30, he was ready for bed. I took him upstairs, laid him in his bed, and he was asleep before I could walk out of the room. HE WAS EXHAUSTED!!

Something Cute

2008-07-15T22:02:00.005-05:00

I just had to add this to my blog because it was the cutest thing. The other night, I was in the kitchen and Aaron walked in with his diaper bag and his Superman action figure. He opened the diaper bag and emptied it piece by piece. When everything was out, he grabbed the mini bottle of powder and a diaper and laid superman on the floor. He then proceeded to attempt to change Superman's diaper! He laid Superman on the floor with the diaper and then tried to shake powder onto him. Thankfully it wasn't open! I told him to go show Daddy how to change Superman's diaper and he took the action figure into the living room, laid it on the table (he laid it face down and then fixed it so it was face up and the feet were toward him) and then shook the powder bottle over Superman. I tried to get a good picture, but everytime I would snap a picture, he would put the bottle down before it took, so here's what I got. It was just the cutest thing ever!!

Swimming Fun

2008-07-12T15:32:00.003-05:00

On Thursday, Amanda and Rilian came over and hung out all day. We took the little boys into the pool in the backyard. We let the pool sit in the sun for several hours first so that the water was warm like a bath and they actually got in. Usually Aaron won't sit because it's so cold. We got some pictures of the two boys together but they are still on Amanda's camera. I took a few of Aaron after she left on her old camera that I am borrowing. Here they are.

Layin' back and relaxing
Me and my boy. I love him so much!

Oh BOY, oh BOY... or GIRL...

2008-07-08T18:21:00.005-05:00

Well... I am finally getting the ultrasound pictures up. It took a few days for me to get to Walmart to get them scanned in and on disk, but here they are.

The ultrasound went well. The baby is healthy. The baby is also, however, very uncooperative! The tech could not tell us whether we are having a boy or a girl because the baby kept covering it's private parts. The umbilical cord also kept getting in the way. We go back again on July 30th to get another ultrasound because the baby was so uncooperative that the tech could not get measurements that she needed. We lucked out! Hopefully next time, we will get to find out whether we are having a boy or girl. Here's hoping...

Fireworks

2008-07-08T11:36:00.006-05:00

On Saturday the 5th, Atlanta had their fireworks. We took Aaron even though we knew he would be very tired. The fireworks didn't start until after 9:00 which is past his bedtime. We asked Aaron if he wanted to go, and he got his shoes on, got his stroller, and kept telling us "fireworks" "park", so we went to the ballpark around 8:30. Before the fireworks started, Aaron played with the rocks in front of our chairs. Whenever people would walk by, he stuck his arms up and tried to get a hug. One lady actually gave him one. He was very happy about that, but then he thought that everyone else should too.

When his Aunt Jeanne got there with her crutches, he didn't care much about the rocks anymore. As soon as the fireworks started, he got very intrigued. After the first two or three bangs, he buried his head on hid daddy and didn't want anything to do with them. I put his ear plugs in and then he was okay to watch the fireworks. He still laid his head on Daddy to watch them though.

During the second half of the fireworks, he fell asleep. Apparently the earplugs really worked because I don't know how anyone could sleep through those bangs as loud as they were!

Have your cake and eat Mommy's too...

2008-07-08T11:22:00.004-05:00

Aaron is always interested in the cakes I make mainly because he wants to eat them, but he enjoys watching too. Occasionally when I am finished, I will give him some cake or pieces of fondant which are his favorite. The other day, I had just gotten done making a castle cake and Aaron really wanted the fondant flowers, so I let him eat as many as he wanted because I didn't need any more. He was excited. I got some cute pictures.

Discovery Museum

2008-06-30T15:59:00.007-05:00

Today Aaron and I went to the Children's Discovery Museum in Bloomington with Jennifer and her kids. Aaron had a lot of fun. He played with so many things. We were there for about three hours and he didn't even get to explore half of what was there... of course after three hours, I think he was very overstimulated and worn out. He just wanted to sit in his stroller and watch after that. I took a lot of pictures and couldn't resist putting some of them up, so here was part of our day.

He played in the kitchen with the fake food.

He and Bella drove the grocery truck.

I found out that Aaron knows how to climb a rock wall!

He loved stacking the pegs.

There were lots of mirrors for him to play in.

Haircuts

2008-06-29T22:04:00.005-05:00

Well... borrowed Amanda's camera because I had to get some pictures tonight. Aaron got a bit of cradle cap that I couldn't get off with his long hair, so we had a father/son haircut night. Both boys got their heads buzzed short. Aaron had a LOT of fun getting his hair cut with daddy and they looked so cute afterward.

Camera Broke!

2008-06-29T17:54:00.002-05:00

Today is a very sad day! My camera broke!!! I can't take any pictures because the lens won't come out so it won't turn on. I just bought the camera a year ago too. At Halloween someone dropped something on it and it hasn't worked the came since, but it's finally bit the dust for good. There have been so many times over this weekend when I have wanted to take cute pictures of Aaron and I haven't been able to. It's not fair!! I'm very sad. I hope I can get a new one soon.

Water Park... Yay!!!!!!!

2008-06-26T09:34:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday, Aaron and I went to a water spray park in Bloomington with Jennifer Prather and her kids. It was a lot of fun. The kids had a blast. Zack Prather spent a lot of time playing with Aaron and trying to get him to go into the water, but Aaron was content to stay where nothing was spraying him. He just wanted to splash in the water that was on the ground. Occassionally we got him to stick his hand in one of the sprayers, but that was all. For the last 45 minutes we were there, Aaron refused to go anywhere near the water. He wanted to just stay at the picnic table and watch, so we did. When we left, he crashed hard for about 3 hours or a little more. He had a good time.

Bye bye sickness... hello...more sickness...

2008-06-23T08:41:00.003-05:00

Well... thankfully the weekend is over and hopefully the sickness with it! Aaron got sick last week and was running a very high fever. Thankfully by Friday afternoon, it was pretty much gone, however, then I got it BAD! About 3:00 Friday morning, I woke up with stomach pains that had me doubling over and bawling my eyes out because they hurt so bad. I also got all the other yucky side effects of sickness including vomiting... yuck!!! Dan took me to the emergency room and they concluded after several blood tests and other tests that it was a really bad flu bug. They put me on an IV with fluids as well as pain medication and anti-nausea meds. I felt great for a while. As soon as the meds wore off, it sucked again, but thankfully things were not as bad. By Saturday night, I was feeling a bit better and by Sunday pretty good for the most part, but now, I'm feeling great thankfully. Unfortunately... Dan left for work this morning feeling sick to his stomach... I hope he doesn't get it as bad as I did and I hope it goes away quick!

Squirrel Watching

2008-06-18T09:45:00.003-05:00

Well... I didn't have a chance to post this weekend, and I wanted to share with you what Aaron and I did. It's nothing spectacular, but we had a lot of fun. On Saturday morning, Dan went to tour the J.H. Hawes grain elevator and museum here in town with Grampy, so Aaron and I had some time to kill while we waited for them to get back, so we hung out in the yard. Our neighbor has a huge tree in her yard with lots of bird feeders hanging on it. Well... there happened to be a squirrel on her tree eating out of the feeders so Aaron and I went over and watched it. He LOVED watching the squirrel. Every time it went up in the tree, he would look for it and point it out to me. He even had fun watching the birds and pointing those out. The squirrel went away for a while so our neighbor came out and refilled the bird feeders for Aaron so that the squirrel would come back. He was so excited. We sat on top of the ice chest and watched the birds and squirrel for about an hour before we went inside. I got some cute pictures.

Now everytime I take him outside, he runs back to the tree and looks for the squirrel!

Celebration!!

2008-06-12T14:14:00.002-05:00

I am so excited! Aaron actually used the potty for the first time today! After his nap, I put him straight on the toilet. He cried through the whole thing because he was afraid he was going to get in trouble for going pee with his diaper off. I congratulated him and celebrated with him and told him what a great job he had done and what a big boy he was. Afterwards, we shared a Reese's cup and stuck stickers all over each other's faces. It was a blast. I am so proud of him!!

Potty Time and the Sprinkler

2008-06-10T17:31:00.007-05:00

I will start with a few of the happenings at our house this past weekend. On Saturday, we spent some time together as a family. We were going to go to the park, but as we headed out the door to leave, we saw the hose and sprinkler sitting there and decided that we were just going to play in the yard instead. Dan and I set up the sprinkler and attempted to get Aaron into it. Instead, he ran to my arms. I took him and stood under the edge of the sprinkler so it would hit us as it went by and he hated it. I can't blame him though. The water was ice cold! So, we turned the sprinkler off and let Aaron play with the hose instead. He just stood there and watered the grass...in the same spot... for about 30 minutes or so. He enjoyed washing off our feet too and occasionally would move the hose around. (I got him to spray his belly!! It soaked his diaper. It was hilarious!) After we turned off the hose, Aaron got very upset and threw a fit. He sat there and cried and cried looking out the front window.

We also began the ever fun task of potty training. Well... we are starting to get Aaron used to the potty. We bought him a little Elmo potty seat that goes on our toilet. He is okay with sitting on it, but I'm not sure he has any idea what he's supposed to do on it. His favorite part is that when he gets off, he gets to flush the toilet by himself. Hope he doesn't flush anything down when we are not looking!!!

Here we go...

2008-06-10T16:20:00.000-05:00

This one is for you Jennifer! You have been bugging me for months to get a family blog going so I'm going to attempt this. I can't guarantee I'll be very good at keeping up on it, but I'm gonna try.