Life as it is...

I have had this mental goal to do more blogging this year...it's already two weeks into the new year (ok, we are now into February) and this is the first time I have sat down to write... Time is at a premium these days.

Basically, my days consist of baby feedings, diaper changes, pumping breast milk so I can feed the baby, dashes to the potty with the two year old, letting the dog out, making meals for the three of us who are big enough to sit at the table, washing and sanitizing things so I can once again pump milk, throwing in a load of laundry so we can pull wrinkly clothes out of the dryer tomorrow, repeat about every two or three hours...etc...Throw in the occassional doctor appointment and run to Walmart for groceries and you about have my life. Notice napping isn't really part of the scenerio...Yeah, Ariana has pretty much decided her nap days are over. She normally takes the quiet time on her bed to either eat a book or have an accident in her pull-up, which she has to immediately tell me of...It usually happens JUST as I am dozing off which effectively means even if I do get to lay back down, I won't fall asleep.

CAFFEINE...

it is a wonderful thing.

Caramel Frappe's from McDonalds are especially wonderful...I have my Mom to thank for that new addiction...and I truly am very thankful for it. Nathan very graciously feeds the addiction and brings them home for me from the errands he sweetly runs for me. He usually takes Ariana with him so I get a little break, since I most definitely am not getting any extra sleep during the day. Landon is a good, little sleeper- I really can't complain. For a new baby, well, six week old baby {already!} it could be much worse...He normally, gives me a five to six hour stretch after his last feeding of the day which means about a two am wake up call. And then the next one is pretty much right on the three hour mark. Uninterrupted sleep is a sweet daydream at this point.

Making Messes

Lately, I have been trying to have Ariana "help" me more in the kitchen. She now gets so excited whenever she sees my red mixing bowl or apron come out. I passed on the apron that I wore when I was little to her and she loves wearing it. It is so sweet to see her enthusiasm over simple things such as dumping flour or stirring. She is so proud of her accomplishments and loves to tell Daddy what she has helped me with during the day.

At this point in the game, Ariana usually just makes the mess much larger, rather than being an actual help. I know that at some point down the road, she will actually be a tremendous help to me and that is why I persist in having her "help" me at such a young age. She is normally covered in flour from head to toe. I have to watch that she doesn't constantly taste test. She constantly is telling me that it is " Ana's turn" when she sees me doing something that she wants to do. Its fun, but it is also exhausting. But it is special to share in the joy as my little girl learns to enjoy making special things to bless those she loves.
...busy with the rolling pin...

...noodles that Ariana made- she rolled them by herself and then I helped her cut them...

explaining something to Daddy as he took pictures...

Cloth Diapers...

As we wait for the arrival of our new little one, I have been doing a lot of research on cloth diapers. At this point, I am hoping to try them and at least supplement our diaper stash, if not switch over. It is amazing how many companies are out there selling them- they have come a long way from the prefolded, Gerber ones! www.niftynappy.com is one of the sites that I have loved the best and that has really solidified my decision to give cloth a try. Somehow- I think because she is a mom of 6 (you can find her as "6 and still sane" on facebook) and has tested and used the diapers herself with much success- I continue to gravitate back to her product. She is having a giveaway right now that I would REALLY love to win- it would be a wonderful jumpstart to this new endeavor of mine!

I also have been looking into sewing some of my own and have found a pattern that has excellent reviews from other moms. The savings is my biggest motivation for sewing my own- but time and whether or not my health will allow me to take on a big sewing project like that always comes into play. So I will probably end up doing a little of both.

Truthfully, I have been so excited at the thought of trying cloth out, I was a little disappointed that Ariana just potty trained! LOL! I know-crazy! But who likes to wait months to try out a new idea/plan?! Only 3 and a half more months to go- I know its going to fly by, since life is always busy! And now, we are building a house- so a move will be in the near future, either right before or after Landon comes and there is still the possibility that Nathan will deploy in January. So I really need to get moving if I am going to sew any!!! Who knows- that ambitious idea may turn out to be just that and I'll end up buying them! Either way- I am excited and looking forward to giving cloth a try!

Necklaces

I picked up these beads at Hobby Lobby (one of my new, very most favorite stores ever!) for a fun, little project for Ariana and I to do together. I am amazed at her hand/eye coordination! It didn't take her long to figure out how to hold the bead "just so" and then thread the cord through the hole. She also is doing fabulous with her colors and proudly announced the color of each one as she picked it up. She loves her necklaces- we have strung and restrung them many times already. She can say necklace but it sounds more like "nug-gets" so it took me a few minutes to catch on to it at first!

The Sweetest Dress on the Sweetest Girl

Ariana's second birthday was pretty special. She had quite the stack of presents from Mommy and Daddy, but she received quite a few packages in the mail the whole week from the rest of her devoted family! This little dress was part of the package from her Great Grandma Bette- and I think it is just about the sweetest thing out there! I love its' simplistic charm and the smocking on the bodice. I noticed on the tag that it is from Macy's and I have to say- they have some of the sweetest children's clothes. That is where I found the dress that Ariana wore for our wedding as well. I am thinking I am going to need to make a trip there to look for some little clothes for Landon as well!

Ariana wore this last Sunday for church and I had to snap a few pictures before we changed her into play clothes once we got back home. She is just the sweetest, little darling! Thank you Grandma Bette!!!

The Verdict Is....

It's a BOY!!!

We had our ultrasound this afternoon and got to see our little Landon Matthew for the first time! Ariana also got to go with us and see the "baby movie." She is very excited to be having a little "brud-der." Our little guy is VERY active and was kicking, stretching and rolling about the whole time. We got some wonderful pictures of his profile, little arms and legs and of course, the important stuff that let us know what name our little baby would be having! Nathan, of course, is thrilled to be having a little man to run around after Daddy!

My mind is going a 100mph...a boy! I was leaning more towards "girl" because the pregnancy has been very similar to Ariana's. The biggest difference that I have noticed is I am craving SWEETS like crazy! So now I am thinking blue and green, what theme to do his baby stuff in, what we'll need for him, what type of baby quilt to make, what type of diaper bag to get...it's just so exciting!

Surprise Sundress

This is an adorable, little sundress that Nana Judy sent Ariana. It is always so fun to get a surprise package in the mail- especially something so cute!
I can't believe how much like a big girl she is- this picture really shows that "baby-ness" is all gone!