All Done

(P.S. To make your holiday season easier...don't ever buy this kind of card. I don't care how cute they are, if you got them 90% off at Target two years ago, if you think it's a great idea to slide things into other things...just don't do it.)

Success, Failure, and In Between

Sigh. I just made this very long "update" post about our entire family and everything that's been going on. Then something happened and now it's gone. So you'll have to make do with captions on pictures that aren't even in the order I wanted them...

Kara taught me to knit. This is the 2nd hat I made, for Ben. He hates it and tries to rip it off at every opportunity. :)

This is the 4th hat I made. A complete failure. It looks as bad in real life as it does in the picture.

Still a climber. I think it won't be long before he figures out he can pull the drawers out to get up on the counter. Needless to say, we keep the kitchen closed off most of the time.

This is the 5th hat I made, for the new baby girl next winter. Well, she'll be born in the spring, but the hat is for the winter...did you get that? It's called the "Bedtime Stocking Cap" and I really like how it turned out...except for the part a little more than half way up where the yarn lined up perfectly next to the same colors. I'm not sure what I could have done to avoid that, but I like it so much I'll probably make another one with "real" stripes.

I love this hat. # 6. I finished it last night (early this morning, actually). It's newborn size so hopefully it'll fit her right away. I almost wish she was here so we could try it on...almost. I still have too much to do...and more hats to make. :) I'm actually surprised it turned out so well, because I changed the pattern quite a bit, but I just think it's too cute. I want to make her some booties to match.

This is the 1st hat I made for my first baby girl. Doesn't she look so grown up? Check out the outfit - her own creation. Yes, her necklace is a curtain tie-back.

Benjamin loves utensils. If he won't eat and I give him a fork, he'll usually take at least a few bites. I wonder if I gave him a fork to sleep with he'd stay in his crib all night?

So that's it for now. Yes, the 3rd hat I made is missing. It's in Iowa with my nephew Landon, maybe I'll get some pictures of it over the holidays. Sorry this is kind of random with a bunch of pictures of hats...

Light in the Night '09

Thing One and Thing Two

Their costumes were very last minute and thrown together, but I think it turned out cute. Charlie actually picked it out when we were looking through ideas online. She wanted to have her face painted so bad...and Ben did not. I loved the blue hair on both of them, Charlie looks so different. :)

Mom, I'm hungry

If we could hear Ben's thoughts...they might sound something like this...

"There's a pizza box on the counter. I can get it if I climb up on Charlie's booster."

"Success! Not one, not two, but THREE pieces! I'm so awesome I'll dance around and eat:)"

"I know my mom tried to hide these cookies in the pack-n-play, but I climbed into her closet and got them. Yum!"

Four Years...

...of the Will and Stacia Spaids!

Aren't we thin? Funny the changes four years can have...but some things don't change. I love you, babe.

This Week's Updates

• I taught Charlie about ten letters of the alphabet. Since she was slow to jump on the "ABC Train" it's really exciting. She does great writing them and recognizing them. We drove past Centerra on our way to church Wed. night and she said, "Look mom, that starts with a big C like mine does!" Then, at Hobby Lobby we were looking at some letters for something else and she holds up an "S" and says, "This is in your name, right mom?" I know she's 3 and 1/2 and your kid probably did this sooner, but I don't care. It's exciting!
• Benjamin turned 11 months old yesterday. On a less exciting note, he's getting a tooth and where it's coming in is all swollen and bruised looking. Does this sound normal? It's one of the bigger teeth more toward the back. I think if it doesn't change I'll be taking him to the Dr.
• We're about to pay our first mortgage payment. Simultaneously thrilling and terrifying!

Oh my word...

No, I'm not dead. Nothing terrible or tragic has happened to me or anyone I love.

We've just been busy. And on the not-so-busy days, we've been recovering.

But I have good news! I've been saving up all of my terrific blog ideas, and I'll share them with you over these next few days.

For now though, one (long, grammatically incorrect) sentence updates will have to suffice.

Benjamin - he's a walking machine, goes everywhere (I'd say it's about 90% walk, 10% crawl at home), still not talking much, lots of teeth, LOVES table food (and HAS TO have it) and a happy baby.

Charlotte - she's so full of energy, she's smart, she's funny, she remembers everything, she's enjoying the fenced in backyard, her current 'new' vocabulary word is "hilarious" and she loves to have you close your eyes so she can say "surprise" and show you whatever she's done.

Will - back to working nights, (actually they're called "mids" if you wanted to know), he goes in about 5:00 PM and gets home about 6:00 AM, he's a proud homeowner (Funny story (the parentheses are because it's longer than one sentence.) We had to rip our the carpet in our basement and it's been in our driveway until my dad comes home with his truck and we can take it to the dump. So we're home the other day and someone rings the doorbell. Will answers and she says, "Is your mom or dad here?" Will's like, "I own this house." Oh - they wanted the carpet. Yeah, I laughed.) and an amazing provider, I am so blessed by God in this man.

Me - I'm doing well, I have about 8 to 10ish boxes that I can't seem to unpack (some that I can't until we paint, etc.), I'm finally getting over the immediate shock of losing the basement floor (I found out today that that carpet was only 1 year old!), I'm enjoying the kids having separate bedrooms, having them on a pretty good routine that gives me alone time with both of them and looking all the time for a job so we can save up for a new floor. :)

A first

Eight things I'm looking forward to:
1. Will being home
2. Benjamin sleeping through the night
3. Getting our home inspection results
4. VBS (I know, you're shocked)
5. Having our own house
6. Going back to school...someday
7. Having another baby
8. Will working shorter hours

Eight things I did yesterday:
1. Prepared a toddler church lesson
2. Helped my mom with musical practice
3. Watched the Rockies game...with my eyes closed
4. Laundry
5. Helped Will pack
6. Got my first $1 McDonald's sweet tea (it was really good)
7. Rented New in Town, it was dumb, don't rent it
8. Wished Will wasn't leaving...

Eight things I wish I could do:
1. Exercise
2. Eat healthier
3. Lose weight (is there a theme...?)
4. Go to VA regularly
5. Sew more/better
6. Find a job for me that works for our family
7. Get a pedicure once a week, even in the winter, since I'm wishing:)
8. Keep my house clean/organized/company ready

Eight shows I watch:
1. Gilmore Girls (it's coming back!)
2. Design on a Dime
3. Scrubs
4. The Office
5. Southland
6. House
7. The Biggest Loser (I just started at the end of last season and am hooked)
8. Max & Ruby/Charlie & Lola - it's a tie

Eight favorite fruits:
1. Apples
2. Oranges
3. Grapes
4. Pears
5. Blueberries (in things, not alone)
6. Cantaloupe
7. Watermelon
8. Honeydew (sp?)

Eight places to visit:
1. Virgina
2. Iowa
3. The west coast somewhere...with my husband
4. Maine
5. North Carolina beach
6. Ireland
7. Venice
8. France (wow, so many more...)

Eight places I've lived:
1. Des Moines, Iowa
2. Albert Lee, Minnesota
3. Winona, Minnesota
4. Clarksville, Tennessee
5. Abingdon, Virgina
6. Winchester, Virgina
7. Bourbonnais, Illinois
8. Windsor, Colorado

I so do not have eight people to tag, so this is it. It was fun. :)

Fits...

While on 'vacation' in Iowa/Nebraska my life this past week has been defined by fits...

Fits of laughter.
I love my family and I love to laugh. I don't know many people who are more funny. Spending time with my aunts/cousins/grandparents/dad...even with my kids/mom/Austin in the car. I laughed a lot this week. The loud, hard kind of laugh that almost hurts but you can't stop.

Fits of crying.
Being around family is hard. Traveling with two small children who need naps and consistent bedtimes is hard. Being away from your husband is hard. Being lied to is hard. Seeing your baby brother graduate high school (yay!) is hard. I carried him around as a newborn. I was literally his "second mother." I'm a crier anyway. :)

Just plain old fits.
Charlotte has recently left the terrible twos....and on to the trying threes. That's what I've heard them called. She has thrown some doozies, way worse than any fit ever before. A few things that comfort me....she has been like this since she was born. Remember me trying to breastfeed her? She would scream and arch her back, just fight me like I was killing her. A lot (if not everyone's) of people's children throw fits at some time in their life. Maybe only once, maybe once a day like Charlie's been doing. I feel so helpless and like a complete failure, so if you witness(ed) a fit......please don't judge. And finally, this is a phase. We will get past this. In the meantime, I'm wondering if days will be good or bad based on whether or not there was a fit. :(

On a side note....Ben still won't crawl "normally" with his head off the ground (no rug burn yet though!). He is standing up on things though, and doing some kind of modified push-up all the time. He has his hands and tip-toes on the ground. Then he shakes his butt. He has also (one time) gone from 'crawling' to sitting up. :)

Pictures later!

Mother's Day

It's just me and Ben on this rainy Mother's day afternoon. Charlie is spending the afternoon with Grammy and Papa. Will's at work. I didn't feel like doing chores....it's Sunday and Mother's day besides....so I decided to update my blog. :)

Benjamin is starting to crawl. It's pretty hilarious, it looks just like this. He has to have his head down on the ground, butt up in the air. He's going to get rug burn on his head if he doesn't figure out a new system soon. He gets up on his hands and knees, but doesn't go anywhere. I think it'll be soon though.

My mom works at Colorado Christian University and she had a graduation reception for her graduates this May. I helped her. :) Don't I look pale next to her? How do you be like Nicole Kidman and make pale cool? (Be like? Is that proper grammar? Do you care?)

Today in his sermon our pastor mentioned something about how it's a mother's job to let her children go....or something to that effect. I've been thinking about that anyway, because one of my new favorite songs (I have like...100 favorite songs) is "It Won't be Like This for Long". For those of you who don't like country and therefore have never heard this song....I'm sorry for you. :) Maybe I'm a little bit extreme, but when I think of my kids growing up and leaving (which is, I know, what they are supposed to do) I feel almost panicked. I told Will when we have our last baby I'm just going to sit and hold them all the time so I don't miss one second. That, of course, won't be possible because I'll have 3 or 5 or 7 other kids to be taking care of at the same time. So I guess this is a goal for me...to work on being ready to let go. Good thing I have about 15ish years. The way Charlotte is, you'd think it wouldn't be that hard. She's extremely comfortable saying goodbye. :(

I think every mom who has more than one child wonders how they will ever love the second baby as much as the first. Or maybe they wonder if the first baby will be overlooked in favor of the new, tiny baby. As someone who has recently experienced this, I have some thoughts. Every time I think about how much I love my children, I'm overwhelmed. They continuously amaze me. Having Ben has only increased my love for Charlie (funny how that works, huh?). When I see her play with him and want to hold him and do things for him....my heart just expands. On the other hand, having Charlie helps me cherish Ben that much more. Seeing how big she is and how fast she got that way makes me make a point of noticing the small, daily changes in an almost 8 month old. This is kind of mushy...but hey, it's Mother's day, I'm allowed, right? I can't wait to have more kids. :)

On the house front....we are going Thursday to look at some new ones. The one in Windsor is under contract. It's sad, but we're moving on. We're so excited to even be in this process. I just can't express how grateful I am to my husband for being such a good provider and how blessed by God I feel!

Benner, Benner, Chicken Dinner

I sort of went crazy making Ben's food today. I've been making his food....since he started eating food....and I really enjoy it. Something about the time it takes, like as I'm standing in the kitchen cutting up...steaming...draining...pureeing...I just think about my kids and how much I love them/want them to be (eat) well. You can think I'm sappy, it's cool. Before today, I would just make a few things at a time but I decided he needed a wider selection. Charlie was asked to spend the night at Grammy's and so...today was the day. I made carrots, broccoli, peas, sweet potato, butternut squash, and for the first time; zucchini, green beans, apples and chicken/sweet potato/apple dinner. I have pears, strawberries, and more apples to make tomorrow. :)

So...today was the first day Ben tried chicken. He's had turkey from a jar, but this I made. I might just stick to the jars for meat, we'll see.

Anticipation of a meal.
I know exactly what he's saying (mother's intuition). "Dad! This is disgusting! You know I don't eat my food cold!"

After it was warmed, he did decide he liked it.

May Day

We went swimming today with some friends from church. The kids really loved it and it was fun to get all of the swimming gear out even though it's not quite summer. I think we'll definitely go again, and maybe Will will be able to join us and I can get some pictures of the kids actually swimming. As it is, I have before and after pictures.

Ben's trunks were so long, it was funny. They were like little swimming pants. He seemed to love the water, and he really liked splashing. After a semi-rocky beginning, Charlie was really comfortable in the water. I think I will try to get both of them in lessons for the summer. Swimming is just so good for you, I'd like it to be like second nature for them someday.

We also went to the Twins Sale. I wasn't planning on getting anything....but then I got there :) I found Ben some barely used Robeez for next winter (which is exciting - he'll probably be walking in them!). Charlie got a raincoat for $1.00! And I got two books. I didn't even really look at the kids' clothes, people were just so pushy and it was crowded.

People always speculate about what they would do if they were really wealthy. I know what I would do (besides be living in our own house). I would buy things for people. I would buy cards and gifts for every little holiday. For example, May Day. Wouldn't it be so fun to make up little baskets and give them out to the people you love? You know that book, The Five Love Languages? I read it a long time ago, but I totally fit in the category that says you love people by giving them things. Or however it may be worded.

I can't believe it's May already. It's already time to start freaking out about VBS. Funny how time flies.

Late night thoughts...

I really want to start blogging more, so I went around and took some random pictures. :)
This is one of the reasons we're looking for a house. This is what my scrapbooking stuff looks like when it's not spread out across our bed (you know, so we can sleep). Nice "work" table, huh?




Benjamin sleeping on the couch. He needs his own room so he can start sleeping in it. I've put him in his crib the few times Charlie's stayed the night with my mom. I'm okay with it now, I just feel uncomfortable with him waking her up. So....he sleeps on our floor....on a pile of blankets....for half the night....and the other half in our bed. Judge me if you want. I don't know what else to do!



This is a picture of Charlotte sleeping right now. Hilarious, no? She won't sleep with covers on to save her life. No matter how many times I go in there in the night and put them on her. I especially think it's funny because I can't sleep without blankets, no matter how hot I am.




Playing sidewalk chalk. Her new absolute favorite pastime. From the time she wakes up until the time she goes to bed she wants to "play sidewalk chalk". Her phrasing, of course.






Deeper thinking:
I was watching Scrubs with my husband (the sacrifices I make for this marriage :)) and there was this part where Elliot (is that how she spells that? does it matter?) asks the question, "Do you ever look in the mirror and wish you could change every single thing about yourself?" I instantly related to that question. Then I thought, why am I still struggling with the same issues I've been dealing with forever? If I'm the person I say I am in Christ, I can't really be this insecure........right? Just thoughts, no answers.

Goals:
I want to be as efficient as.....my mother.
I want to sew as well as.....my grandma Judi.
I want to knit as awesomely (yes, that's a word) as.....Kara.
I want to use the "pretty things" around me everyday like.....my grandma Kilby.
I want to laugh loudly and at the slightest provocation just like.....Benjamin.
I want to have as much energy as.....Charlotte.
I want to sleep soundly like.....Will.

Goodnight!

P.S. I didn't put those huge gaps in between the paragraphs, and I don't know how to make them go away!

The House

Well, as most of you know, we put in an offer on a house.

It was flatly rejected, no reason given. (Our offer was 10K below the asking price - not unreasonable if they had wanted to negotiate.) Our realtor said that "reading between the lines" he thinks the reason is that we have a VA loan. A VA loan is more work and more strict when it comes to appraisals. The kicker? Today the house showed an asking price of 5K less, so only 5K away from what we offered. It was very sad. I told Will that on a scale of 1 to 10 of sadness, I was probably a 10. :(

However, today is a new day. We're talking the bank to see if we could maybe get a different kind of loan. We're also sticking to our super-strict budget that saves every penny so if we do put another offer in we can give them more earnest money.

I know what you're thinking, why this house? Well, let me tell you! First of all, it's in Windsor. I really, really want to live in Windsor. I like this town, I like the schools, I like a lot about it. Granted, it will be awhile before our kids are in school so we could start somewhere else. However, the market is probably not going to go lower than it is, so I feel like this is our opportunity to get in somewhere where we might not be able to afford to live in the future. Another thing about Windsor is that its relatively close to Will's work. If we lived in Loveland, Ft. Collins, or Severance it would add at least 10 minutes to his commute. Second, it needs a TON of work. Some people may not find that desirable - but I definitely do. It was foreclosed on and is in pretty bad shape cosmetically. I would absolutely love to take a house and make it our own. It will need all new paint, all new floors and new appliances. And that's just the beginning really. I feel like if we buy a different (more expensive more than likely) house that doesn't need any work, we won't do much. Third, it's a great size for us. Five bedrooms and three baths. The yard is a good size too. Don't get me wrong, it's not perfect and I know it will be a lot of work and a long time before it's the way we want it. I still want it. It seems unlikely though, I'm sure someone will be along to snatch it up.

Besides the house not much out of the ordinary has been going on with us. The kids keep growing and changing everyday. It's just incredible to watch. Benjamin is seven months old now, sitting up well and trying to scoot across the room. So far, he only goes backwards. :) He really wishes he could walk. He always wants to stand and he just stares after Charlie like she's the luckiest girl in the world. Charlotte had her 3rd birthday since I've posted. She had a Princess Party with Ashlyn (see facebook for pictures). I thought it went really well, she enjoyed it. We're really working on her with listening, so far it's not going so well. :) I think for the most part she's a typical three-year-old. I'm looking forward to taking them outside more as it keeps getting warmer. They both have so much energy. Definitely into sunscreen season here in CO.

Will has started applying for a second job. We talked about it, and he would rather work two jobs then have me look for something outside the home. We were going to use the extra $ to fix up the house faster, but now I suppose we'll just keep paying down our other debt and (of course) start a savings. We could use a second car.

I suppose I better get off of here. The kids need some lunch :)

NE Visit & Coloring Eggs

The last weekend in March (I think) the kids and I went on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Nebraska to visit my dad. It was a lot of fun just to do something without any planning. My mom rented a car so it was a bit interesting having the five of us in an actual car, as opposed to a van or SUV or even truck. On the last day we went bowling before coming home. A few pictures:

Benjamin helping us keep score.

Charlie being bored of bowling. She got tired of it after a few frames...and then of course wanted to join in the second game. :)

This year we dyed eggs at my parents' house because my mom cooked a fabulous Easter dinner on Saturday night. My dad came home and we all had a nice time. Benjamin mostly slept through it all.

Charlie putting salt and pepper on her strawberry. She still ate it.

Benjamin looking at his mama.

Charlie "writing" on her egg. She "writes" a lot these days. It's kind of funny, like squiggly lines.

This egg in particular got a LOT of paint.

Charlie following the trail the Easter Bunny left for her. I never know if I should tell my kids about the Easter Bunny/Santa Claus/etc. I feel like it's lying...since they aren't real...I still don't know. I just have kind of done it. Thoughts? (Yes, those are her Christmas pajamas.)

Greg (Will's dad) is coming into town tomorrow. He's coming to see us, of course, but it's also kind of exciting because he'll be here for Charlie's birthday. We're sad Dorothy can't make it this time.

These are my hopes/wishes/prayers for the next few days...

• That Benjamin gets his next FOUR teeth in so we can have our sweet baby boy back instead of the crazy grumpy guy that's replaced him.
• That our room actually gets clean for Greg's visit.
• That the rest of the house stays clean for Greg's visit.
• That the birthday party goes well.
• That I start feeling a bit better and not so down and lonely. (I think the teeth coming in will help this)
• That Charlie behaves like the good girl she is instead of the insane child she can be.
• That the babysitting family that quit on me with no notice will come and pay me my $63.00.
• That I lose 15 lbs.

The last two are equally likely to happen. :) I don't know what happened with the family. I haven't heard from them. It's very disappointing. I put myself out there, I tried to be kind and understanding.....but still have some boundaries and rules. And now here I am, unemployed again and even more wary of trying this again.

Well, this has turned kind of long and a bit rambling...:) Love to you all!

Well...

...I made this blog to help people keep up to date with what's going on with us out here in Colorado. I don't think too many people (besides Greg & Dorothy!) outside of Colorado actually read it. Oh well :)

We're doing great. Keeping busy. I never really know what to write on here. I am always doing stuff and I think, "Oh, I should put this on my blog." and then when the time comes...I forget. Obviously.

Today is Benjamin's six-month 'birthday'. I think it's so incredible. He's such a little man. He's really grown into his own person. He's always had a personality, but it just gets more and more distinct. I may be wrong, but I really think he is going to be musically inclined. Whenever music is on he likes to "sing" along with it. He likes to rock back and forth too. He is a very happy, very good baby. He loves to smile, laugh, and talk. I almost don't know how to soothe him when he is upset because it happens so infrequently! He does have his two bottom teeth, they are actually getting quite big. I thought he might have more by now, but just the two so far. He still doesn't roll over too often. He's probably done it....less than 20 times in his life. I don't know if it's a big deal or not. He's getting close to being able to sit up by himself. I mean, like me sitting him down on the floor and walking away. He does great by himself when you're watching him. He just tips over occasionally still. He eats lots of food and lots of milk. He's turned into a little chunk, it's great. I can't wait to see how much he weighs at his 6 month Dr. appointment.

Charlotte....is Charlotte. She is big herself. She's really pretty much grown out of all her 3T winter stuff. She's not even 3 years old yet! I'm glad I bought 4T and 4/5 stuff for next winter. All of her stuff for this summer is 3T though, so she'll just have to fit it. :) I don't think it will be an issue. Everything's just an inch or two short, so shorts and capris will still be okay.

Well I had pictures of both of them picked out to put on here, but once I did it won't let me move them around and now I'm frustrated.

Will is pretty much doing the same thing. He works a lot and we really look forward to the time we do have together as a family.

I have started a babysitting job (for those of you who don't know). I haven't posted about it because it hasn't been the greatest experience so far. I don't want to get on here and just vent about how horrible it is. We'll see how it goes! I also got my hair cut. I think I've out-mt.dewed myself too. It's starting to have a taste to me, like, not a good one. :) I might be switching to sweet tea as my "have to have" drink for awhile. See if it helps.

This Week

Just a very short list of why I love being a mom:

"You're my best friend."

"If you're still tired, why'd you get up?" - me
"Because I love you." - Charlie

"I don't want to go to Chuck E. Cheese, I just want to hold you." (She's working toward a reward, after she sleeps in her bed 20 nights she gets a fun day.)

"Do we have Gilmore Girls?" (this sounds cuter when she says it, because she doesn't say her R's right)

"I know how to help you put that together." (Ben's new bouncy chair)

Benjamin woke up yesterday and was fussing in his crib. Charlie went in there and he calmed down, so I finished what I was doing and then went to check on them. I peeked in the door and she was sitting in her chair next to the crib, "reading" to him. So sweet.

Zoo Day! Hooray!

We went to the zoo on Monday.

We had a great time.

I love being a wife and mother and having this life.

And now...pictures!

Charlie and Will on the Carousel. The guy let them ride twice, she loved it!

Benjamin has an awesome belly laugh. Yes, he's getting his diaper changed. I put this one on here because it's one the few where you can actually see him:)

I really wanted a picture of them together. Didn't turn out the best.

Charlie struggles with taking normal pictures (looking at the camera and smiling) so we did a lot of her posing. This is her with a skull...

Brand new baby giraffe!

He keeps getting his thumb in his mouth. It's too cute.
As soon as they got down this lady came on the intercom and said that no one should be climbing on rocks....oops!

Charlie and a lion.

I'll post more later about the goings on in our lives. Love you all :)

Teeth?!

It's been awhile so I wanted to update everyone with what's been going on at the Spaid's house. We're doing great, fabulous and wonderful! Really! We've finally got into a routine with Will's night schedule...we are two months into the three months...but I'm thinking positive and I know that him working days again will be a breeze. I would say my only complaint these days is the state of the house. I honestly thought that once I was a "grown up" and had a husband, kids, etc. that my house wouldn't look like this. Well, think again ladies and gentlemen. Most of the time I don't mind the clutter (probably why it rarely goes away) but it's just frustrating that we do usually spend one day a week really straightening things up.......and it gets all messed up again. I need to work out some system to keep stuff under control. Like: no Mt. Dew until these chores are done. We'll see how that goes.

Benjamin is getting his two bottom teeth. This is not a drill, folks. We can actually see them through the gums and he's in love with his pacifier (he chomps on it all day). It's exciting because he's a baby who is getting his first teeth but it's sad because he's my baby and he's growing up so fast. It seems like a blur. I can only imagine that as we have more it will only get faster. Anyway, he's almost 16 lbs. and getting quite chunky. It's fun to see him fill out is clothes that were once so big on him. He still has only rolled over one time (complete accident I think) and it's kind of starting to worry me. Except I'm trying not to worry so mostly I don't think about it. He is getting very close to sitting up on his own though. A few more weeks and he should be good to go.

Charlotte is also growing up fast. Sometimes I literally have to remind myself that she is only two years old still. (Almost three, but you know). Her vocabulary and insight into everything really blow my mind. She has this way of asking for things...she'll come up to you talking and nodding her head and shaking her hands in earnest. You just want to tell her yes. The other day I getting ready and she comes up to me, "Mom, it's okay if I got this pink thing out because I got this pink thing out and it's okay, right?" It was the birth certificate for her cabbage patch doll. She just wills you to say yes. It's the best.

Will is still working the 14 hour days. He plays W.O.W. in his free time and helps me the rest. He's really just a wonderful husband. I told him today that I think I would be miserable if I weren't married. He just makes life better.

I'm still applying for jobs. Something, someday will work out. And if it does I'll probably have to stay up all night to get our house clean to meet them!

Superbowl Sunday

Okay...so I've never put pictures on here...so I didn't know that the last one I picked would go on first...just know that I did not intentionally put the picture of the purse ahead of the pictures of my kids. This is just a random post to get some pictures up (had some time - kids are sleeping:))

This is a picture of my diaper bag for this summer. (I think I'll start to use it as soon as it gets a little warm!) It was regularly $108....I got it for $30 - with tax! I was waaaay excited! (Obviously, excited enough to put a picture of it on my blog...or take a picture for that matter.)
Charlie and Ben celebrating the Steelers victory. (They care so much.)

I had Ben up on my knees and he was sticking out his little neck so far I just wanted to take a picture. It's hard to tell how cute it was, his little head is so round:)

Snoozing in the swing. I loved the hat over the eyes, such a guy!

Big boy pajamas!

He really does like cereal...

...see?

Playing outside in the snow. Weird smiles are pretty much all we get these days.

So anyway, nothing much is new with us. Will's working tonight (an extra night). He traded with someone so he'll only have to work three days next week. In a couple of months he might be going to 9 hour shifts...we are so excited! I feel like on the days he works we never see each other. Granted, most of his awake time is spent with his other wife W.O.W. (that was only kind of a joke...)

I've had a couple email me back about jobs. It's kind of funny...like negative reinforcement. I whined about no one replying on my blog...and then I get three emails the next few days! The first one said "thanks for replying, we aren't interested." I'm still talking to the other two. One is full time and the other is two days a week. We'll see. Even if neither work out it's still encouraging.