Time to CATCH UP!

Well, how are you?!

We are doing well.  Busy as usual.

Tony's been on vacation from work the last 2 weeks but goes back to work on Wednesday the 2nd.  He had to use his vacation time or lose it.  It was good timing since our babysitter has been in Brazil and now she's moving to OH.  Good thing we found a daycare!

Tony's great Uncle passed away just before Christmas.  While he had some health problems, no one was expecting him to pass away when he did.  If you're the praying type, please keep his mom's side of the family in your prayers and thoughts.  They were all very close.

I'm currently in the process of getting a copy of my immigration paperwork.  It's been a long process and taken me almost 3 years just to get to this point.  I was supposed to hear something within 6 months and it's been almost a year since I originally sent in my request.  So I finally made a phone call and got an update.  They're requesting 2 more pieces of "evidence" from me (just items to verify my identity and change of name) so I'm hoping to get everything sent in a month or so.  (I have to wait to get certified copies of my marriage certificate in Arizona and they say it can take 2 weeks!)
I CANNOT wait until I get all this behind me and my paperwork in my hands!

Still no word from Food Network.  I wasn't really expecting to hear anything until after the holidays.  But the longer we wait the less hopeful we are.  However Tony has a great attitude about it, that just getting the interview was a win.  And it was.  But you can't help but hope for the big prize!

Kids are doing well!  Christmas was great and I feel like we didn't spoil the kids too much but they still got fun things that they really love.  Zoe's big present was a dollhouse.  Our house has been so quiet the last few days...She LOVES playing with it!  Success!  We also got her paints, paintbrushes, and finger-paints.  Another success.  She paints everyday.  She loves it. Zoe also got basic things like underwear, PJ's, and a fun outfit.  Oh and we got Knuffle Bunny Too, the sequel to Knuffle Bunny.  I'm going to be hunting for the 3rd book this weekend.

Noah got a fun activity table and Zoe is very eager to show him how it works.  She does forget it's not hers and tends to take claim over one half of it.  But at least she's willing to share half.  :)  Noah also got a Sock Monkey and he seems to enjoy chewing on it.

Tony and I's big gift to each other were ... believe it or not ... tattoos.  Tony got his first one early this fall and I'd been dying to get one since.  So it made a perfect gift!  Tony's first tattoo is of a fork and knife (which you may have seen in his audition video) and then his 2nd one is the word Focus on his left pointer finger (which he uses to 'focus' his camera).  My tattoo is the word Blessed and it's on my left arm.  I LOVE it and it means SO much.  Not to mention the guy we got the tattoos from owns a Christian tattoo shop.  (Tony did a story about it...)

I finally gave in and read the Hunger Games series.  All 3 books.  In a rather short time.  I didn't want to read them, but I started my job and EVERYONE there was like "You have to read them!!!" so I caved into peer pressure.  And now I own all 3 books haha.  I got the first one from the library and then finished it in 2 days and the 2nd book had a wait of 50 people, so I went to the store and bought it.

Okay.  Bored yet?  Here are some pictures:

Reading like daddy.  Yes, her shoes are on the wrong feet.

They get into trouble together.  And neither one of them likes clothes.

She was reading him a book before bed.

One of Tony's coworkers...Noah was very content.  Clear sign that Ty is a natural. 

She LOVED riding the horsey at a local restaurant.

Mesmerized.

Grams Gist crocheted this ADORABLE hat/cowl thing.  SO CUTE!

She also crocheted Zoe a hat and scarf.

And got them new ornaments.

So precious.

Zoe's drawing of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse".

My tattoo. It's on the inside of my arm but still visible.

Batman!

AHHHHH!

In a hurry so here are some key points:

1)  Everyone is healthy and happy and excited for Christmas!
2)  Noah weighs 21.16 pounds as of Monday and it's starting to come down weight wise..I mean he's not losing weight, but his weight gain is slowing a bit.  He's still however in the 95th percentile for weight.
3)  Zoe and Noah will be starting daycare in January.  We learned the hard way that when your sitter gets sick, it makes things really complicated.  I think Zoe will do really well and love being with other kids in a fun, education filled, place.
4)  Work is great.  BUSY but really great.

And finally.  The BIG news.

Tony has a Skype interview on Monday with the casting people for "The Next Food Network Star"!  WOO HOO!  We were both a little surprised to say the least.  Trying to keep realistic expectations, but still very excited.  You can check out his audition video here:

http://youtu.be/TwXnslDPXo4

November is upon us!

Well, we had a fun Halloween!  Our Church had a Harvest Party at a local park with Trunk or Treating and it was perfect!  Zoe got some candy (safely!) and not too much...She's 2.5 and doesn't need 5 pounds of candy.  She also got to paint a little pumpkin (that I haven't yet taken a picture of) and have her picture taken with daddy and baby brother.  Momma was not in the mood to have her picture taken.  :)

Here are some pictures from last night:

And here are a couple random pictures:

I should have more pictures ... Where are they?!  Haha.  Maybe Tony has some too.  But here we are...Kids are growing up (too fast) and life is GREAT!  Work is wonderful and we are reminded daily how blessed we really are.

Love to you all,
Courtney

In a nutshell

* We are blessed beyond measure.
* Life is really great right now.
* The gloomy Oregon weather has arrived.  Days are getting shorter and I don't like that soon, when I get off work it'll be dark.
* I LOVE LOVE LOVE my job.  My co-workers are great and SUPER sweet.
* I've stuck with nursing for four months-almost five!!!! (And counting...Don't plan on stopping anytime soon...)
* Ducks are having a great season so far!  We STOMPED ASU yesterday!  GOOOOO DUCKS!

fall happenings

Well, we are getting super spoiled up here, with this amazing weather.  Cooler temperatures (darn right COLD at night and in the morning though!) but gorgeous sunny skies!  I love it.  And I am going to hate the day when it goes away and the rain moves in.  It makes me want to cry!

This fall, we're actually going to do fall things.  Like, go to a Pumpkin Patch!  Decorate (remember, I said paint, not carve) pumpkins.  Dress up for Halloween!  And drink hot coco!  I am so excited!

Also trying to get everyone's fall/winter wardrobes in order.  That's a hard task.  Poor Noah has very limited amounts of clothing.  I need to really work on his wardrobe.  I always have an easy time shopping for Zoe!  Noah just grows so fast!

He had his 4 month check-up last Monday and here's the latest:

* He weighs a whopping 19.6 pounds.  I sigh every time I say that. (Above 95th percentile)
* He's 25 inches long.  (50th percentile)
* The doctor has asked us to hold off on any solid foods until after his 6 month check-up (which is Dec. 3rd).  He wants to weigh him again and see where his growth is at.  He says we could start baby food at 6 months, but he doesn't want Noah to gain too much weight.  Clearly breastmilk is more than sufficient for Noah.
*  He got another round of vaccinations but has handled them well.  His leg is a bit bruised from the injection and he was quite sleepy and clingy for a couple days afterward but nothing too major.

He loves to laugh and watch Zoe run around like a crazy person.  He thinks she's quite funny and highly entertaining.

Zoe is learning new words and phrases daily.  It's so funny to hear the things she says now.  We pray each night before bed and she usually says (or shouts!) "Goodnight Jesus" or "I love you Jesus" and then she always says "AMEN!" at the end.  One night I forgot to pray and she stopped me and she goes "No Momma.  Hands!"  Because we fold our hands and close our eyes before we pray.  So she faithfully says her prayers every night, even if I forget, she does not.

We still haven't started gymnastics!  So sad.  But we're still catching up on some bills and now suddenly everyone needs things...I need new work clothes (I sometimes will have to go to court and I have nothing appropriate for that!), everyone needs new fall clothes, Zoe has outgrown her toddler bed and needs a new twin size mattress, and Noah is outgrowing his car seat.  None of these things are cheap. So for now, gymnastics have taken a backseat.  But I'm hoping in November we'll be able to start.

What else?  Hmmmm.  Can't really think of anything.  But it's also way passed my bedtime so I'm rushing!

I do have some pictures and videos to share, but they're still on my phone.  Hopefully I can get those posted this week.  *hopefully*

OH and a special congratulations to my cousin, Laura.  She just had her first baby, a baby girl, last week.  Delilah Loraine.  Pretty name!  

I also hope, you are doing well wherever you are.  We have family spread out so far! We miss each and every one of you.  We think of you often and wish we were closer!

Love and blessings,
Courtney

Christmas

So here are my plans/goals for Christmas.

I want to keep things simple.  I've always said "things" aren't important and I want to instill that in my children at an early age.  Everything we have is a blessing and I've seen so many pictures of families with their heaping mounds of gifts and I just don't want that to be us.  (No offense to any families out there who do that!). 

For stockings I'm thinking about the boring stuff...PJ's, underwear, fun socks, etc.  For Noah probably bibs, little teething toys, etc. 

The big thing we want to get Zoe this year is a doll house!  She's played with one a couple times and it keeps her incredibly occupied and she loves it.  So that'll be her big gift.  Other things she loves is, books, dinosaurs, and cars.  We have enough babies, play dishes, play food, stuffed animals.  Oh and arts and craft things....We go through a lot of construction paper!  Edible paint and edible play-doh is also on my list...(There is such a thing!)

For Noah, I'm still at a loss.  Clothes?  Probably toys...But again, I don't want things to get too out of control!  I'll come back to him...

We always needs clothes, PJ's, shoes, etc.  Always.  We're constantly growing, playing hard-being rough on our clothes and shoes, and here the seasons actually change so we do constantly need different things. 

2 weeks?!?

How did I let 2 weeks go by without blogging!?  Oh my ... It's been even longer since I blogged on my other blog.  Yikes.  Oh well.  :) 

Anyway, let's see.

Oh yes, I started my new job.  And I LOVE it.  Seriously.  I feel incredibly overwhelmed.  BUT, I'm learning so much.  And I can't wait until I know a lot more and can do a lot more.  Everyone is extremely nice and understanding...No one expects me to know everything right away, they all realize it's a lot to learn.  So that takes a lot of pressure off me.  But I can be a perfectionist and hard on myself because I do want to know everything, right now! 

The kids are doing well.  They're both pretty attached to me once I get home, which is to be expected and I'm not complaining!  I'm glad they missed me all day!  They love their sitter, who comes 3 days a week in the afternoons.  She is looking for a full time job so I am worried I'll lose her at some point.  My brain can't even handle worrying about that right now.

Noah is already 4 months old (and the size of like a 7 month old!).  He'll be having his 4 month well child check on Monday (I have to miss it because I can't take any time off work-obviously!).  More shots...And I hate that I won't be there for that part of it.  Argh.  He's rolling over and sitting up in his Bumbo seat and generally a happy baby.  (At least for me...Tony complains a lot that he's pretty fussy during the day for him...I think it's just Tony!).  We did have a bottle issue...I obviously can't nurse him during the day, so he gets a bottle with breast milk when I'm not home but he apparently wasn't a fan of the bottles we had.  So we had to switch.  I hear he handles those much better!  Of course when I do get home, he pretty much nurses every couple of hours.  :)  He is going for longer stretches at night...3-4 hours.  At this age Zoe was only getting up once in the night to eat, but she was also a formula baby and they tend to go longer between feedings because it takes them longer to digest formula.

Zoe is completely potty trained.  I think she's had one or 2 accidents since we started this whole process and the last time she had an accident was like a month or more ago, at Church.  She doesn't even wear training pants during the night or naps anymore.  She always woke up dry so I just stopped putting her in them.  So far, so good! 

She's counting a lot now...Tony works out during the day and he has her count with him while he counts reps.  Totally funny and cute.  She usually starts at 4, skips 5, and gets to 11.  Progress! 

Bedtime with her is still a nightmare.  I think it's her bed/room.  We totally should have done the Montessori style nursery for her from the get go.  Wish I had known about it back then!  I think that would have solved a lot of our problems.  Right now we're saving up for a bigger mattress for her and I think we'll keep it on the floor for a while.  She's such a short, tiny person.  I think having it on the floor will help.  We want to get her some nice bedding (right now it's just a hodge-podge assortment of sheets...) and hopefully that'll help.  We're lucky if she gets to sleep before 1 AM.  And she has to get up at 7 AM at the very latest because they take me to work in the morning.  Ideally I'd like her up at 6:30 so we can eat breakfast together, get dressed, etc.  But so far that hasn't worked out.  I'm really thinking it's her bed.  She did this awful screaming before bed thing when she outgrew her crib.  As soon as we got her in the toddler bed, she slept beautifully.  Now we're back to screaming again.  It's dreadful.  And yes, we have tried no nap during the day or shortening her nap.  Nothing seems to help.  I'm hoping at the end of October we'll be able to afford to get her a new bed.  Then her current mattress will probably go to Noah upstairs.  It is a little thick so I am worried about him rolling off....But I'll figure that out.  (Our current bed is on the floor and he has rolled off that and it never phased him...Freaked me out, but didn't phase him.  It's not a very thick mattress so it's not like he rolled off a high bed or anything...)

I'm also hoping to bike to work!  Yes, even in the dreadful rain.  We don't live incredibly close to downtown, but close enough that it's doable and it'd be an awesome workout for me.  My current goal is to get up at 5 AM so I can workout...Obviously that hasn't happened.  If I did bike to work, I imagine I'd have to leave around 7 AM to get there a little before 8 AM.  At least in the beginning.

I also do not have any pictures to share this time.  Sorry.  I've been really awful at taking pictures.  Oh, but I will hopefully have some next week.  Noah was dedicated at Church last week and I'll probably have some pictures from that....A friend at Church was kind and sweet enough to take pictures for us!

Alright, I think that's it for now.  I'm doing a separate post about Christmas! 

breaking news!

I got a new job!

Yes, another one.  (Remember, my current one is just a temp job!)

My new job will be with Lane County at the District Attorney's office.  I'll be an office assistant. 

It was a somewhat hard decision for me because I do love where I am now.  But ultimately decided this was best for me and our family.

When I was giving my current job my 2 weeks notice, they did try to offer me things to get me to stay.  But my new job will be closer to home, more hours, more pay, benefits, and let's not forget, awesome experience!

Oh and honestly, here's what I'm most excited about.

They have a lactation room!  (They call it a birth room though, which is weird to me..)

Meaning a comfortable room where I can pump during my breaks.  Oh, I cannot tell you what a relief that is.  Seriously.  It's a room just for pumping.  So now I don't have to worry about that.  (And believe me, I was worried!)  But Oregon is so proactive about breastfeeding and they have incredible laws about workplace pumping etc, so I was pretty sure that with it being a government building, they would have something like this setup.

(Yes, my life revolves around nursing!)

I'm also currently obsessed with the idea of doing cloth diapers.  I have quite a few friends who actually cloth diaper.  Some full-time (meaning they use nothing but cloth diapers) and some part-time (meaning they use them sometimes but also disposable diapers sometimes).  I'd like to do them full-time but I think realistically (at least to start) we'd do them part-time.  I'm still exploring and researching.  And who knows if I'll actually do it, but I really like the idea.  Yes, the idea of more laundry is a bit scary.  But I hear it's not that bad.  We shall see.

I have had some people ask me about Christmas...Christmas present ideas for the kids and I'm currently making a list.  :)  There have been a few ideas to cross my mind.  The key for me, is to write them down right when I think of them, so I don't forget.  Usually I forget.

Alright friends and family, it's "late".  And it's taken me all day to write this!  

I shall be back soon with more updates and pictures!

Have a fantastic Saturday (or weekend, if I'm not back before it's over!)

Love to you all.

pictures

Ummm, looking back at the blog, it really has been a long time since I've posted pictures.  Oops.

A rare treat of chocolate milk from Dutch Bros.

Sweet feet.

"Oh man.  I have to eat from the bottle again?"

I assure you she's at least wearing underwear.  It got a little hot this summer!

Big boy!

He was so tired and fussy, but couldn't fall asleep.  But then I put him in my Moby wrap and he was out within a couple of minutes.

It's a little blurry cause he's a little fast. 

Library books are GREAT!

Precious babes.

Don't you just love his little arm on her leg and his little hand in her hand?

And soon he was falling over!  Too big for sister's lap!

So um Tony hates the water.  (He's getting better.) And didn't really intend to go in the water...But sorta slipped/tripped and ended up a little deeper than planned.  Hence the polo shirt.  Haha.

oh, yes, hello!!

Hmmm, yes, I'm a bit behind in my blogging aren't I?

Well, as always, the days seem to fly by around here.

Since going back to work, I haven't had any time to sit at the computer.

Thanks to the internet/email/Facebook on my phone, I know about some things happening in the world (I can check it while I nurse Noah).

I have some great news I'll be sharing in the coming days, but can't say anything right now.  (And you can quickly forget the idea that it has anything to do with another baby.  NO NEW BABY!)

Zoe is completely potty trained.  She had one accident a couple weeks ago at Church. 

Noah has slept for 4 hours straight the last TWO nights!  Let's see how tonight goes...

We found a great babysitter to watch the kids when Tony and I's work schedules conflict and she's willing to do a couple nights a month so Tony and I can actually have a date night!  Wow.  Huge blessing!

I have lots of pictures to share, but none of them are on the computer.  They are all on my phone.  Sorry.

I'm really tired and would love to be in bed right now (especially since the kids are sleeping!!!) but we have to pick up Tony at 12:30 AM from work.  YUCK.  And yes, I have to be up at 6 AM for work.  It's kind of a bummer.  But it won't be forever.  And it's only 2 nights a week that I have to do this.

I do miss being home with my babies all day, but I love being out in the world, doing productive things.  I appreciate my time at home a lot more and I think my patience lasts a little longer now too.  I'm not so worn out and tired and frustrated.  (I think Tony is though! Haha!)

I slightly regret cutting my hair a few months ago.  I do wish it were long again. But when it gets long, I always chop it off.  It's a vicious cycle, really.

While I'm sad to see summer go (I love the long days, the sunshine, the happy skies, the warm temps), I am excited about buying the kids new fall clothes.  Fall clothes are so cute.  This summer the only time the kids really wore clothes was when we had to leave the house, so neither one of them had very exciting outfits.  (Yes, I care slightly about those things, you should not be surprised.  Don't judge me.  Baby/Toddler clothes are so cute!  And I live vicariously through Zoe.)

I have nothing left to say.  Let's just hope I don't fall asleep and forget to get Tony.  Wouldn't that be tragic?  

Love to you all.

Yes, I promise.  Pictures will be posted soon.  Perhaps this weekend?

Favorite Books

I've been trying to take the kids to the library every few weeks (the books are due every 3 weeks) and we recently made a trip last weekend.  Saturday was a little hot but I wanted to get out of the house and walk around a bit somewhere so I decided to head downtown.  We parked in the parking garage a ways down so we could walk around a bit to and from the library and it was the perfect distance for Zoe.

We didn't get as many books as last time, but we did get a few that are our new favorites.

My sister got Zoe a book a while back called "Knuffle Bunny" by Mo Willems and Zoe absolutely LOVES it and we read it at least once a day.  So we discovered a few more books by Mo called "Knuffle Bunny Too", "City Dog, Country Frog" and then "Edwina-The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She was Extinct".  We've read Edwina two nights in a row so far.  :)

There's also "Iggy Peck, Architect" by Andrea Beaty.  I love the illustrations in this book...It's what drew me to it!

Zoe wanted the book "No More Kissing!" because it had monkeys on the cover!  It's a super cute book.  It's by Emma Chichester Clark.

Books can be a little pricey-especially when you have a 2 year old who can easily destroy a nice book, but once you find ones your child wants to read over and over, it's worth the investment!  We have a great thrift store who is known for their selection of books, so we've found a lot of great finds there.  But they're mostly "older" books.  I need to do more online shopping...There are some great deals that way!

SO ...

... Momma got a new job.

I'm working for a company called Turtle Mountain.  You might have seen our brand in the grocery store, called SO Delicious Dairy Free.  All our products are (as the name implies) dairy free and actually ANIMAL FREE!  YAHOO!  Vegan!  My kind of company.  We make almond milk, coconut milk, and frozen treats out of the almond or coconut milk, as well as yogurts.  We make some soy products (ice cream) but the big sellers are the almond and coconut products.

I'm working in customer relations and I also handle some administrative tasks as well.  I'm just part-time right now and it's a temp to hire position.  It could go full-time at some point but no time frame on when that would be.

Today was my 3rd day and I LOVE it.  I am so happy to be there.  The company is great as are the people I work with.  It's still a fairly small company (even though we've been on the Dr. Oz show and Drew Brees is our spokesperson!) but it's based here in Eugene/Springfield.  

Noah is having a hard time adjusting to the bottle.  He hadn't really eaten much from it before I went back to work and doesn't really like it.  The first thing I do when I get home is nurse him!  Zoe is having a hard time adjusting to all the new changes.  Can't blame her.  We had a great routine, then we brought home a baby.  Got into a good routine with the new baby, now momma's gone half the day and our schedule has changed.  Plus, the week before I got the job we really worked on potty training.  SO many changes for the poor girl.  She's super clingy when I get home and she has random outbursts and tantrums.  And I KNOW it's just because of all the changes.  I'm hoping things will get better in the next few days.

For right now we don't need daycare.  I get off at 3 PM and Tony has rearranged his schedule so he can go in at 3:30.  This means however that I don't see Tony much and 3 days a week he has to take me to work, go home, come back and get me, and then we take him to work, go home, and at 12:00 midnight I have to round up sleeping babies and go get him from work.  It kinda sucks gas wise, time wise, and sleep wise (that cuts into my sleep time) but childcare wise and because we only have the one car, it's just how it has to be.  There are 2 Wednesdays a month I need a babysitter (which I at this moment do not have!!!) because Tony works days the first and last Wednesday of the month.  Luckily I have a couple weeks to figure it all out.  

I mentioned we were potty training Zoe and I'd say she's pretty much there.  She doesn't give a whole lot of warning (yet) when she has to go so we don't take too many ventures out into the real world.  We stay close to the potty!  But she will say "Potty!" when she has to go.  And she struggled with going #2 in the potty for a few days but has since started saying "Potty!" when she has to go #2.  So that is great!  

When we do have to go out, I have her wear underwear and a Pull-Up over her underwear.  I know, it sounds weird.  But when we started potty training months ago, the Pull-Up was basically a fancy diaper and she just kept peeing in it.  Our pediatrician recommended not using Pull-Ups at all for that reason...She actually needs to feel wet to know something happened that shouldn't.  So we just started putting her in big girl underwear, she had a few accidents, didn't like it, and bam.  Potty trained.  But when we're out I want to avoid serious accidents in the carseat or at the store, so I have her wear the underwear so she can still feel she's wet, but not have it leak everywhere.  This idea was suggested by a friend of mine.  Once Zoe can hold it a bit til we find a public bathroom then I'll stop doing this, but for now it works for us.  I'm so very proud of her!  (And yay for less diaper buying and changing!)  Oh and she wears a Pull-Up during nap and at bedtime because obviously sleep training takes a little longer...

Tony's doing okay...Noah is a bit difficult (mostly because of the bottle issue..He's hungry, fusses like crazy, but won't really eat from the bottle) so I know it stresses him out, but I hope things get easier! 

Maybe now that I'm working we can take a trip to the coast or something fun.  Money's been so tight we haven't been able to afford to do much.  But getting away at the coast for a day sounds like fun to us!

Have I Ever Shared ...

my other blog with you?

This other blog is my blog and it's sort of a random bit about motherhood and the things I love.

You can visit it here.

It is different than what I post on here...but sometimes the same.  :)  You'll just have to see for yourself I guess.

Holy Cow!

Wes say it all the time, but Noah is one BIG boy!

He had his 2 month check-up on Monday.  He is 23 inches long (50th percentile, so average) but a whopping 15 pounds 4 ounces (above the 95th percentile)!  Remember, Zoe only weighs 25 pounds!  He will soon be able to crush her.  Haha.  I can't remember exactly what his head circumference was, but I know it was 75th percentile.  He's such a chubby boy, but he's so adorable!  We met a 4 month old Korean baby at the doctor's office yesterday, who was no joke, smaller than Noah!  So funny.

Anyway, he did really great at his appointment, until it was time for his shots.  I always hate when my kids get shots...Especially when they're that little.  And when they're that little they get so many!  He had to have an oral vaccination that took a while for him to get down.  Then he got 3 shots!  His face turned so red with that first shot...But once I was able to pick him up, he calmed right down.  By the time I got him dressed and out to the lobby to make our next appointment, he was almost asleep and once we were to the car, he was totally asleep.  And he pretty much slept most of the day...Not surprising.  Usually babies don't feel great after that many vaccinations but luckily he never ran a fever or got super fussy.  I didn't mind nursing him a little extra (he's a comfort nurser) or holding him that much more.  He's such a cuddle bug!  I love it.

Zoe and Noah were laying on the floor playing together and it was so funny to see them side by side.  If he could roll over, I think he'd crush her.

What else is new?

Well, I got a sewing machine thanks to craigslist.  I offered $15 less than what they asked because the ad had been up for about a month...I decided with the offer I made, if the machine died in a couple months or something I wouldn't have wasted that much money.  And they accepted my offer!  And the machine is in great condition.  It's pretty easy to use, so great for a beginner like me.  And honestly for right now, I don't need anything fancy.  As I get better and do more projects, I imagine I'll save up for something fancier.

"New" sewing machine, means I'll be opening an etsy shop soon!  I'm going to work on a few projects for Zoe to practice my sewing skills and then I'll start making the things I want to sell.  I'm currently working on what to call my shop (I have a couple ideas that I'll share with you later) and what things I want to sell.  I'm working on the details!  I don't expect this to make us rich, but I figure if it'll help clothe the kids or put a couple tanks of gas in our car, it'll help.  Every bit helps.  And it'll give me something to work on and do (besides cleaning, changing diapers, picking up toys!)..It'll be my job.  I've already carved out some time during nap time and after bedtime to really work on things and if I get lucky maybe I'll have more time somewhere else in my day.  I'm really excited!

I found a local fabric shop that I need to check out...I'd like to shop there as much as I can since it's a local, small business.  There's a local thrift store that also had some good fabric for cheap...I need to go there more often to see what they have...I think I miss out on some good stuff because I don't go enough.  They also usually have great patterns.  I really hope I come across vintage patterns sometime.  I think those would be awesome!

And who's watching the Olympics?  Anyone?  Of course the things Tony wants to watch, they don't air on the free NBC channel.  But I've been enjoying the gymnastics, swimming, and diving.  Synchronized diving is CRAZY.  Tony says he doesn't "get" diving...Whatever.  It's so cool to watch!

I thought it was funny when Bob Costas was interviewing the "Fab Five" women's gymnastic team after they won their gold medal and he was saying how none of them were old enough to remember the "Magnificent Seven" back in 1996 and he was asking them what first Olympics they did remember, that inspired them to become Olympians someday...All of them said 2004.  That made me feel old because I definitely remember the 1996 gymnastics team!  It made me chuckle.

Alright, now I'm just rambling.  Stay tuned for more Etsy details!  :) 

what a difference a day makes

Yesterday I shared our disappointing news with you.

I can't tell you what a difference a day makes.

Today I woke up with an incredible sense of peace.

I didn't feel discouraged.
I didn't feel stressed.

I didn't feel sad.

I felt strong.

I felt good.

I felt positive.

I felt peaceful.

Tony and I have been going on walks together and it has become a time when we talk about things with little interruption.  Yes, the kids are with us, but Noah is usually really quiet (or napping) and Zoe is distracted looking at everything along the way.

And today we talked about how felt after getting yesterdays news.

We both agreed, we felt good.

Tony said he just feels he's doing what he's supposed to be doing and for now, this is where we're supposed to be.

I agreed.

The big pro for me with the job in Portland was the financial aspect of it.  It would have been a nice pay increase.  It would have made things a lot easier.  

But money isn't the answer for everything.

So right now, I'm job hunting.  Just for something part time.  

However, I have a plan and goal to bring in a little extra money but I need to save up the money to get what I need to start my small business.  I need money to make money.  :)  In case you're wondering, I'm saving up for a sewing machine.  I've been wanting one for a LONG time.  And now I need it in order to try and stay home with the kids while bringing in a little extra money.  Daycare for 2 kids is CRAZY expensive.  Especially for Noah since he's so little still.

Starting my own daycare has also crossed my mind, but our place is so small it wouldn't work.

 

We still have a lot of needs that need to be met.

But we have faith things will work out. 

We know there is a plan.

well ...

... Tony did not get the job in Portland.

Yes, we're upset.

Yes, we're disappointed.

Yes, we're confused.

Yes, we're stressed.

Yes, we're back to the drawing board.

But ...

We will continue to follow.

And ...

We have adorable, precious, and sweet babies.

Sleeping through the farmers market.

She told me, "Baby needs a drink."

Ahhh!  Love that smile!

She just passed out in the middle of the living room.

Handsome (big) boy.

He looks a little scared, but she was gentle giving him hugs.

No matter what, we know we are blessed.