A Whirlwind

My biggest worry about our trip was how the boys would handle the extended car time and topsy turvy schedules, but they did fantastic. They were so well taken care of by family and friends that we had time to breath and relax.

Stop #1 Wedding in Jerseyville
It was great seeing my extended family. Aunt Cathy, I'm so sorry we forgot Barney!


Congrats to Nathan and Katie!

Stop #2 Visiting My Parents and Brothers
Who am I?? I didn't take any pictures!

Stop #3 Hanging with the Reids



Stop #4 Visiting the Rowleys
We got to see Baby Sophie!
Getting family pictures taken
Checking out house. Still for sale. Increase in showings. Offer coming soon?
Once again, I forgot to take pictures. Grrrrr

Stop #5 Chilling at the Severinsens

We took the scenic routes while at the St. Louis Zoo

Stop #6 Meeting a gaming buddy and his family

When Centipedes Attack!

In apartments there is usually some type of pest issue. This time it's the old house centipede. We're not infested, but I freak out after seeing one. Doesn't it just give you the heeby jeebies just looking at it?

Love Him Lots

Another day out, specifically attending playgroup that I am in charge of, was ruined due to having the car that didn't have the carseat. Kirk has been traveling for work and we don't know if the other vehicle can take the extra wear so he takes the car that I usually drive. A few emails like this are very welcome.

Lunch was DELICIOUS! Thank you so much for making that last night. Even the little candies and the PB with the animal crackers had Ninny written all over them. As if I didn't think about you enough during the day. Thanks love!

followed by this...

Reinforcements are heading your way at 17:00. Force consists of (1) personnel carrier, (1) two-man "Shock Troop Relay On Linear-Localized Rollers" (a.k.a. double STROLLR), and a certified field commander to provide backup/relief. Upon arrival, they will be under your command. Adjust your strategy accordingly to provide enemy distraction until approximately 19:30, whereon the fatigued enemy is expected to begin falling back to quarters.

ETA 17:20. Hold the fort until that time. I repeat - HOLD THE LINE.

- General Wing

New Designer

Blogger has some great new features in blog design. I highly recommend checking it out!

My Birthday

Just thought you'd like to know there was no pumpkin to be found, but the cherry cheesecake was a nice substitute.

Henry at 9 months

Henry has the fluffliest/can't stop myself from rubbing my face on it blonde hair. He just went in for his check-up and was surprisingly below the average on his weight, height, and head size. He's healthy though and that's all that matters. His eczema is clearing up, thankfully. Within the last month he's started crawling and quickly progressed to pulling himself up on whatever he can find. He jabbers and one of my favorites is him sticking his tongue out while he does so. He is usually happy and pretty predictable if not.

Henry sleeps great at night, usually from 8:00 till 5:00 then eats and sleeps till 7:30. He is still breastfeeding and trying new foods every week. He started on solids at around 7 months. He has 2 bottom teeth.

Bruce loves to crawl with Henry and often mimics his behavior. He can make Henry laugh just by looking at him. Bruce is still rough with Henry at times and doesn't like to share, but he has definitely made an improvement.

All You Need To Know

about spray painting. Check it out here. This is by far one of the best sites I've found for decorating and design inspiration.

I secretly want to change up my bedroom by making a duvet. The comforter set I have is the only source of color in the room and it's almost too matchy for my taste and too blaise. It's a project on the back burner for now.

The author is a fellow Twilight fan. This is where I got my shirt design from.

She shares helpful tidbits like how much fabric you need to upholster different sized objects. And here's one about decorating without painting walls. That's my current dilemma.

One project she shared on her Feature Friday was by my good friend, Meredith, and her desk re-do.

This truck art would be perfect for Bruce's room. Anyone have a projector??

See what I mean? I love this site!

Mark's Ark

Our apartment complex is great at hosting events for us to take advantage of. They hired Mark of Mark's Ark and he brought a hedgehog, king snake, some tree frogs, a Jersey Giant rooster, and my favorite was the baby alligator. He was letting each child hold Irwin (the alligator) and had some very specific instructions on how to do so. I wasn't sure that Bruce could handle it, but Mark presented him to Bruce and he did great. How cool is that!

Kirk and I looked through the pictures I took and noticed some hilarious facial expressions in this one. What is going on here?!?

My Chi! My Chi!

It's broken. The cord where it attaches to the plug doesn't work. Apparently this is a common problem, especially when you wind the cord around the appliance when not in use...guilty! There is a company that sells the cords. This is what it looks like when you take it apart. I am getting a bit frazzled. Well, actually my hair is getting less frazzled (less heat damage), but more so mentally...anyway, I need to go order a replacement so I can get my Chi on!

Priceline FTW

Our fantastic ward arranged a trip to the Chicago Temple, complete with willing individuals watching children while we were there for a session. We drove up Friday afternoon. The boys slept most of the trip. Kirk bought us an I-Pass, which was worth it with all the toll roads. Chicago has a lot of congestion, seriously. Hooray for priceline...I bid low, then a little higher, and a bit higher and finally scored us a room at the Hilton for about half what they normally cost. Our room worked out great. It had a long hallway/entry which was perfect for Henry's pack and play. Bruce slept on a rollaway and we were in a comfortable king size bed. That morning was a rush to get breakfast, the kiddos dropped off, and get to the temple but we made it and had a great time. Panda Express was our farewell meal. What was daunting before is now do-able.

Love having a great hair day!