Christmas

We had a lovely, but quiet, Christmas. It was just us this year without any family to share it with, but our boys sure made things exciting this Christmas. On Christmas morning, Easton woke up at 4:30 because he wanted to see if Santa brought him presents and then told Scott that he heard Santa say "ho, ho, ho!" (What an imagination!) We opened gifts, had some fabulous food, and hung out all day while the kids played with all their new stuff. I have even been slaving for the last month over matching quilts for the boys' beds, and of course, they were thrown back on the floor the moment they were opened, like a new package of underwear or socks. Oh well, I was expecting that, but at least I got to revel in the moment that they were done and wrapped and can now go on their beds. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! (And yes, Luke wears that hat all day every day even on Christmas at 5:00 in the morning).

Let it snow, let it snow, let it stop!

So if you've watched the news/weather over the last week or so, then you've heard about our big storm in the Seattle area. It was fun at first playing in the snow, being cozy inside, thinking everyone else was a wimp because they wouldn't drive in the snow, but then it wouldn't stop. We reached record snow amounts for our area. As you see in the pictures, there isn't a lot there, but that was only about the 2nd or 3rd day of snow, and then it continued to pile up every day for the next week until we had 7 inches out our front door. We've lived in snow before (Utah and WV) but it is so bad here because they aren't used to it and there are no plows, ice melt, or salt for the roads. So even now that we haven't accumulated any more snow over the last 48 hours, we have about 7 inches of slush and ice to get through because it will just stay there until it melts (which I don't think will be any time soon). So enjoy our funny snow pictures, and believe me, we got a lot more than what I took pictures of and it is still here. (p.s. Do you like our make-shift sled that Easton is dragging around?)

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving down in Utah this year. We spent an entire week with Scott's whole family and Lindsey's sister. We even drove down! Total time driving to Utah is 14 hours, and we made it, even without a dvd player. The week went by too fast for us and now we are sad to have to go back home tomorrow. The boys enjoyed every single moment outside with their cousins and the dogs and horses. They had a blast, and came inside every night cold and filthy, it was great! We were sure thankful to have a huge group to spend Thanksgiving with, and especially thankful that Scott's enire family was able to come.

It's a BOY!!!!

Lindsey had her second trimester ultrasound yesterday, and it's a boy!! We got some great ultrasound pictures. It always makes it so much more real, at least for the father, to finally see the baby moving around and kicking and such. And he was definitely doing some kicking and moving around for us.

Dr. Scott

Today I started my "17 Alphahydroxy Progesterone" injections. Scott has to administer these to me once a week. He does a really good job, but is always nervous to stick his poor wife with a needle. He has a steady hand though and it doesn't even hurt. He is well on his way to a medical degree! I had these injections with Luke too, and it is to prevent preterm labor, although I didn't start them with Luke until after I had preterm labor. They are supposed to reduce the risk of going into preterm labor by 40%, which for me is significant enough to give it a go! We'll see how this medication actually does for me as a preventative medication, time will only tell. The only downside to these injections is that its a fairly new drug, and so isn't covered by insurance yet, and it doesn't run very cheap either. But we were lucky to find a pharmacy in the area who makes it, instead of having to pay top dollar for a huge pharmaceutical company to make it and ship it to me (this way we are saving about 90%). Everyone keep their fingers crossed that this will do the trick and I won't have to go through my usual pregnancy drama at all. I can only imagine!!

It's All in the Name

Out of the blue a few days ago, Easton decided he wanted to be a baseball player. He watched a bit of the baseball playoffs and World Series with Scott over the last few weeks, but no more than usual. As Lindsey and Scott were conversing at the dinner table, Easton pulled out his make-shift bat (he used the pole part of the toy where you stack the rings up) and one of his little balls and decided he was ready to swing away. Imagine Scott's joy in seeing his son's new found skills! Enjoy the video.

Happy Halloween

Halloween was really fun this year. Easton was a cowboy and Luke was Pooh Bear. Easton loved telling everyone that he was a cowboy "yeehah!!" Halloween seemed to last for a whole week this year. The week before Halloween, we had our Ward Trunk-or-Treat, then Easton had a Halloween party for Joy School where all the kids dressed up and did a Halloween program. They even did a parade. And then we took them Trick-or-Treating on Halloween night. Easton was all about it this year. He ran from house to house, while Luke, on the other hand, wanted to eat his candy as we went, so we were mostly dragging him along. Since the Halloween season lasted so long for us this year, the trick is getting the boys to understand that Halloween is over.

I've been tagged!

10 years ago I:

Was in my Junior year of high school. That was a good year! No stupid boyfriends, just fun!

5 things on today's "to do" list:

1. grocery shop (which is now done about 3 times a week to keep up with my munching and new likes and dislikes).

2. clean bathrooms

3. shower

4. prepare my laurel lesson

5. figure out what we're having for dinner


I enjoy:

1. a clean kitchen (thanks scott, p.s. I don't do dishes)

2. my family

3. silence

4. girls night

5. being able to eat what I want and not have it come back up


5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:

1. buy a house!

2. pay off our student loans

3. create college funds for our kids

4. go on a date every weekend with my hubby (right now we only go out on special occasions for lack of funding)

5. hire a kitchen maid to wash the dishes so that Scott doesn't have to anymore


5 places I have lived:

1. Kennewick, WA

2. Provo, UT

3. Salem, UT (thanks Karen and Jerry)

4. Morgantown, WV

5. Federal Way, WA


5 jobs I have had:

1. sports dance camp counselor (loved it and it paid off heavily too with a husband to keep at the end of my 2nd summer)

2. cashier one of the BYU Creamerys (keeping it in the family tradition)

3. student librarian

4. secretary at an inpatient eating disorder facility (very interesting)

5. currently: substitute teacher 1-2 times a week for some extra cash.

I tag:
Erin, but I don't know if she'll do it!

"And cheer the cougars of BYU!"

What a sad day, that fateful Thursday in October in Texas. We mournfully watched the bottom line on ESPN, slowly the other score climbed, and BYU, yours did not. Hope sprang alive in the 3rd when we saw a touch down had been made, but as the seconds on the clock began to tick away, so did the hope that we could finish this game the way we wanted. So, goodbye BCS bowl game, goodbye longest winning streak record, but never goodbye to the cougars! We still love you! We still cheer for you! On to a great rest of the season!

The Birthday Boy!

Our baby Lucas is 2! It just seemed like we celebrated his 1st birthday 2 months ago. That feeling probably comes from this being the only time we have celebrated 2 consecutive birthdays for a member of our family in the same apartment, so there is a little de javu going on. Anyways, after watching Jurassic Park a few weeks ago, our boys are now dino-crazed and so I made him a cute dinosaur cake. Thankfully, I had gotten to the end of my 1st Trimester for his birthday to have a few ounces of energy to make this cake, or it would've been store bought. He loved opening his presents, but lamented opening the one from my sister that was wrapped in awesome sesame street paper, he did not want to ruin it. He thought the pictures of the characters on the paper was his present. Thank you Luke for being such a good boy, and waiting until just a week or so before your 2nd birthday to really get good at the tantrums, especially in public. But you are sweet and you always make up for it by asking for many hugs and kisses and wondering if I'm "sad?...tummy?". (His way of recognizing that mom isn't feeling her best right now in the early stages of pregnancy.) We love you Luke!

Announcement

After being pregnant, having babies, and nursing for almost 3 straight years, we took 2007 off. But now we're back in the game! Lindsey is pregnant and due April 24! She has been nauseous and sick, but not too bad (for example, this is the first time she has actually gained weight in her first trimester, albeit not even a pound). We are excited to add a new cute face to our family!

The Puyallup Fair

For those of you not from Washington, it is pronounced "pew-al-up". Scott got us from free tickets to the fair one afternoon, so we drove that evening to the fair. By the time we arrived it was dark and all of the rides were lit up. Easton seeing this sight exclaimed, "Look, its Disneyland!" (Have we warped our kid or what?!) The boys had a great time looking at the animals, the giant pumpkins, and just the people and lights and sounds. It is a perfect family activity! We also splurged and got an elephant ear. (Also for those of you who do not know what that is, it is basically a flat churro about the size of your mid-section, and the best tasting thing on the planet.) We were so glad to take our kids while they are still young and just appreciate everything to look at and weren't begging us to buy things, ride rides, or play fair games. Thier enjoyment came from trying to milk a fake cow, and throwing hay at all of the animals.

Our 1st Camping Trip

We went on our ward campout the second week of September. It was at Zion's Camp up in the Olympic Mountains just right up the road from Hood Canal. The weather was beautiful and the boys loved every minute of exploring and running around in the great outdoors. We also got to break in all of our brand new camping gear that we got for Christmas last year. The boys slept great in thier sleeping bags and loved being around the camp fire. We even got to go canoeing on the lake. We had a great time!

Take me out to the ball game!

On Friday morning, one of Scott's co-workers who has season tickets to the Mariners, asked if we would like his tickets for the night's game because he was unable to go. Of course we said yes!! They were awesome seats too. Down in the bottom concourse, first base line, 37 rows up. We were right in line with 1st base! One of my awesome Laurels was free for the night and babysat our kiddos. We sat and enjoyed the silence in our car on the drive up to downtown Seattle. Scott was hoping to catch a foul ball and brought his glove, but the closest it ever came was about 6-7 rows in front of us. We had an awesome time!! (p.s. The Mariners actually won!)

Quick Trip to the Homeland

Lindsey's cousin Kristen Van Wagenen got married in the Columbia River Temple in Richland, WA last weekend, so we drove down Friday afternoon to participate in the festivities. It was a great time. The boys got a lot of Grandma and Grandpa Toolson time, and a lot of Oma and Opa Sokolowsky time. We stayed with the Kessies and had a great time chatting and catching up. Lindsey was able to see several old friends and reminisce, and long to return to the homeland.

Spray Park

Last week, Lindsey took the boys to the Spray Park in Auburn. They had a blast. Luke kept thinking everything was a drinking fountain. Funny kid. Enjoy the pictures.

Back to work!

After a nice 3.5 years off from working, I'm going back. This is nothing full-time, but I'll be substitute teaching once a week in the Federal Way schools. I know its lame, and it hasn't even been that long, but I am scared to death. I'm probably more nervous about leaving my kids though. I've just never had to do it for an extended amount of time and long-term at that. One thing nice will be the extra financial cusion since that market has gone to crap and groceries and gas are still soooo expensive (I filled up for $4.19 last week). I guess it might be nice to have a little vacation day too from the kids. It will give me the chance to miss them. Hopefully it all works out and the kids don't play mean tricks on me (these kids will be middle and high schoolers by the way). School starts September 2nd, its coming way too soon!

Ding Dong, the crib is gone! (almost)

Okay, I know, so the title doesn't exactly rhyme, but I was trying to be cute! Anyways, today I was on the phone with Erin during lunch time. During the conversation I put Luke in my room in his port-a-crib for his nap, and two seconds later I heard these little feet scampering down the hallway. "What!?" was my first thought! Then I thought I was crazy, thinking, maybe I didn't put him in his crib and with the distraction of being on the phone I just brought him into my room, but never put him in the crib. "Yes, I did!" was the second thought, followed by the very quick "Oh no!" last thought. Luke knows how to climb out of his crib! Easton was 2 when he learned and had already been sleeping in a big boy bed for about 6 months and only using the port-a-crib on vacations, so it really wasn't a big deal. But with only 2 bedrooms, and both of my boys take a nap at the same time, this isn't working out so well. So the decided solution is: #1 obviously we can't have Luke sleeping in port-a-crib in our room anymore for naps, so that means he has to use his real crib in his room (which he hasn't climbed out of yet, knock on wood), so #2 where does that leave Easton? Well, I think it might be time to say goodbye to the nap. I tried to get him to rest on my bed for his nap, which I knew wouldn't work, so then I put in a movie and let him hang on the couch thinking at least he'll be quiet so Luke can nap. Twenty minutes into the movie he was dead asleep (awesome!) So I've made a quick adjustment and maybe some days Easton will nap, and somedays he won't. I've been dreading this day for about a year. Don't get me wrong, I love my boys, but my 3 hour alone time everyday was priceless, and most days very much needed. I still haven't come to terms in my mind yet, though, about the fact that soon they will both be in "big boy beds" in the same room. That should make bedtime very interesting!

Time for a new haircut!

I get very bored with my hair, especially when its long and it seems that everyday it ends up in a ponytail. So on Friday night I went and got a new haircut. I debated for a while to just get a trim, but in the end I decided to just chop it off and once and for all get rid of those dreadful bangs of mine that were almost chin length. I love this haircut because it takes me about 15 min. total time to do (blow dry and style). And Scott especially loves it with a headband. Its been almost 4 years since I've gone this short, but a change is always good.

Pingel Family Reunion

We just got back from a nice week in Utah for the 1st Pingel Family Reunion. It was great! We rode horses, ate good food, watched fireworks, saw some good friends, played in the water, watched the parade, and ran in the 5k. The 5k was fun! It was the first race that Scott or I had ever done and we felt so accomplished when it was all over. I've got to find some new motivation to keep running though because it isn't the easiest thing in the world for me, but we're both in the best shape we've been in since we got married almost 6 years ago.

We were so sad to say goodbye to everyone because we know it might be a while before we see them again. (We're still the furthest ones away.) Its always fun to be with the Pingels!

New Beds!

I love garage sale season. One man's garbage is another man's treasure. So up until now Easton has been in a big full size bed and Luke is in a crib. We don't have a large apartment, so we've been wondering what to do when Luke needs a real bed, because the full size and another bed won't fit well in thier bedroom. Well, on my way home from the gym I thought I'd stop at a garage sale. There were 2 matching beds!! Good news because we already had a mattress for one of them that we got at a different garage sale 2 months ago for only $15. I saw that the original price was $75 and then was marked down to $50 each. I asked if she would take $30 each and she said yes!! So we had to move things around, get a storage unit, go to my grandparents house and pick up the mattress, and buy new bedding because we've never owned a twin bed before, and we've got ourselves 2 new beds. (The second one to be moved in when I'm ready to deal with Luke being out of a crib.) Totally awesome!! Easton's favoring part is the little cubby hole. He played in it all afternoon and called it his "new house".

Happy Father's Day!

I just wanted to comment on what my children are unable to, because they are so young! Scott is a great dad!! He wakes up with our kids every morning (while I lazily sleep in) at a bright and early time of 5:30am. (Don't worry Easton, in spite of it, we still love you.) He makes meals, helps me clean, plays with the kids and takes them to the park when its nice out or to the mall playground when its yucky outside. He loves his boys so much! And they love him too. They ask me many times during the day when he is coming home. Luke sometimes has a hard time even letting Scott get out the door for work and grabs onto his pant legs or crys hard enough to get one last hug before he leaves. Scott also has taken up the role as single parent when I am on bedrest, and let me tell you not a single word of resentment or murmuring came out of his mouth the entire 2 months. He is just the best!! I hope I can raise my boys to be good men like thier dad.

Side note: I have a father too and he is great! Always helping out when we were young, being involved in all our activities, making big weekend breakfasts, cooking Thanksgiving dinner, and taking us out on father-daughter outings like boating or just a trip to 7-11 for a slurpee are some of my fond memories of my dad being an awesome dad. He helped my mom raise 3 daughters, which was a little difficult at times, but we turned out great and he did a good job! Thanks dad!

Likes and Dislikes

So we have lived in Federal Way, WA for a year now and we've had time to assess our likes and dislikes of our new home. These are in no particular order:

Likes:
1. We really like our apartment. It is a major step up from what we've experienced before, the area is quiet, and we've got lots of room for the little guys to run around, plus thier very own play room.

2. We love our ward! Lots of good people and everyone is very involved.

3. Scott loves his job!! For most of you who thought we were going to New York and then it didn't work out, it was a good thing, because one of his fellow MPA grads actually did get one of the internships up there and he has already quit because he hated it so much! Scott gets tons of awesome projects that he gets to head up and put his name on, and gets a ton of face time with the big wigs who have been great mentors to him.

4. We live in the city where Scott works, which for this area is pretty unheard of. In fact, we live only 1.8 miles from City Hall, and Scott saves us money by running to work most of the time.

5. We are finally back out west and a lot closer to family. We even have extended family in the area (aunts, uncles, cousins, and Lindsey's grandparents).

6. We are close to all of the advantages and things to do in the big city, without the big city lifestyle, and we also have an array of outdoor activities available. An awesome vacation is but a short drive away!


Dislikes:
1. The weather! It never stops raining! Today is June 8th, and it is around 50 degrees outside, and although it is not raining now, it should by night fall. We still have our heat on, and we're wearing pants, coats, socks and shoes. Not really summer weather!! (p.s. This is not a fluke; its been like this for about 2-3 weeks and I don't think we'll see 60 degrees for about another week.)

2. Its expensive!! Unlike other major metropolis cities who have taken the economic blow, Seattle's housing market is still fairing pretty well. Scott was notified of the 1st house in Federal Way that fell below 200K last week, and it was a foreclosure!

3. Although we are out west and a lot closer to family, we are still very far away. We are still looking forward to the day when we can actually visit our family on a three-day weekend, or at least be a days drive away from them instead of a 17-23 hour drive. And worst of all, my sister just moved 3 days ago to New Mexico. (sniff, sniff, tear.)


We're still not sure if we'd actually like to settle here if the opportunity presented itself, but its doing okay for us now, and I guess thats all we could ask for. Who knows what the future will hold for the Pingel family.

Easton's 3rd Birthday

Today we had a party for Easton's 3rd Birthday. We invited some of his buddies from church and my sister and her family were there as well. It was a fish theme, so they played pin the fish on the hook, throw the fish back in the bowl, and a fish matching game using a fishing pole to pick up the fish. They all had a great time. Easton was so excited for his party last night that when Scott told him that he'd have his party after he took his nap (bedtime) he ran up to me and said "goodnight, mommy!" and then went into his room and fell right to sleep without a peep (which is a miracle!). He also had a cake decorated with little plastic fish figurines. He had so much fun! It was a great birthday.

Summer Weather?!

This weekend has been awesome! We've had weather in the 70's and today it was in the 80's. Not a cloud in the sky!! Scott worked a ton of nights this week and so took off a little early from work this afternoon. Once the boys were up we got into out swim gear and headed for the beach. It was great! Luke had no hesitations or reservations about getting into the water (and might I mention it was ice cold). As soon as he saw water, he was running and he screamed when we made him get out. He also loved jumping in the waves and splashing in the little run-off stream. Easton was a different story. It took him a while to warm up to it and he did not like the fact that his feet kept getting dirty from the sand, and he wouldn't let go in the big water, especially if there were waves coming. But in the end I think he had a good time. Scott and I totally loved just being outside for once! I hope we get lots more weather like this over the summer. We can't wait to go to the beach again! (It is just down the street from our church, so the opportunity is always there, weather permitting).

Mr. Manners

We've tried to teach our boys some good manners and I guess they've actually been listening to us! Luke gets so excited about getting things from us that he says "please" and "thank you" before he gets the desired object. Easton has also become a fantastic older brother and shares well with Luke (well, most of the time). Hopefully, these are habits that will continue through the years.

Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles!

Scott came home from work the other day and had a piece of gum in his mouth. Luke had never seen us chew gum I guess because he was totally intrigued with it and even a little freaked out! I think he thought Scott's tongue was exploding over and over again. As you can see in the video, he keeps sticking out his tongue and touching it, trying to figure out how Scott is blowing these bubbles. This went on for almost a half hour! It was hilarious!!

Birthday Bonanza!

Last week we were able to celebrate Lindsey's Grandpa's 90th birthday. Tons of family came to town and we were able to attend a temple session with all of them on Friday the 18th, and then we had a great party for him at thier ward building on Sat. 19th. He's lookin' pretty good for 90!! Then this weekend was Lindsey's 26th birthday. Lots of surprises were planned for her (which is a hard thing to accomplish), and it drove her crazy not knowing what was going to happen next, but it was fun! Even some of her YW girls were in on it!

My eyes are free!

Thank goodness for vision insurance! After almost 8 years of wearing glasses, and 5 years of the exact same lenses and frames, I finally got contacts! It was even more great when I found out I would only be paying a fraction of the cost (about 10%) of what it would actually be without insurance. So no more smudges, kids ripping them off my face, headaches from the weight on the bridge of my nose, and I can finally wear regular sunglasses. It was a joyous occasion!

What a great weekend!

This weekend was beyond pleasant, it was great! My mom was here all last week and we enjoyed having her. On Friday night the whole family got together at our place and made cafe rio (it really does taste like the real thing if anyone is interested in the recipe) and the kids dyed eggs.

Saturday morning the kiddos got their Easter baskets and we did an egg hunt. It was so much fun! Easton was cleanin' up with the eggs, but he did leave some for his brother. At the end the baskets were almost to heavy for them to carry. Luke had to be introduced to the whole idea. He didn't really get it when he picked up his first egg and we told him to put it in his basket. But after about the 3rd egg, he was looking hard for them. He was even still looking when they had all been found and was so sad that it was over and we had to go back inside. Also, I'm glad we did the hunt on Saturday because it was a beautiful sunny day, and it rained all day Sunday. Saturday afternoon just the girls went shopping for about 5 hours without the husbands and kids. We even met up with my best friend for about an hour. It was fun to see Tiffany again!

Sunday was of course a nice day, being Easter and all, but it was also my sister's birthday! (My sister-in-law's too, but she lives in Utah so we didn't get to celebrate with her, Happy Birthday MJ!) We had a big ham dinner with my sister's family and some yummy cake and ice cream too. This weekend is one for the books!

Potty Success!

Easton is finally potty trained! I think its so hard with the first one because you just don't know what to expect or how long its going to take. It took a lot of time, effort, yelling, frustration, bribing, coercing, dragging, and extra loads of laundry. And it is true what everyone says, once they decide to do it, then its easy and its over! It took just under 2 months, but all of a sudden one day he told me he had to go and I was overjoyed that I was no longer the one in charge of making him go every two hours but he now had the capability of being in charge of his own potty stuff. It still took another week after that to finally convince him that it isn't the most terrifying thing in the world to go #2 on the potty. Of course he still has a few accidents (like 1-2 a week), but its usually only if I haven't reminded him to go in a while or he's having too much fun and is distracted and forgets that he has to go. But at least the hard part is over, the rest is up to him as to whether or not he makes it to the toilet in time. I'm so glad that my headache of all headaches is over and my child has proven to me that all children will get potty trained in their own good time. Now give me another year and maybe by then he'll be night-trained too. But for right now I'm counting my blessings and I couldn't care less if he spends the next year in diapers at night as long as he does it on his own during the day. My little Easton is all grown up and such a big boy! Way to go buddy!!

20 years ago...

I saw on a friends blog, her memoir of the last 20 years and all of the memorable dates following and I thought I'd do the same, it looked like fun!

20 years ago:
1. I was near the end of Kindergarten.
2. I was living in Kennewick, WA.
3. I think I was really into gymnastics.

15 years ago:
1. I was in the 5th grade.
2. I had just gotten my braces off.
3. My family and I had just gone to the 1993 WA state H.S. Basketball Tournament in Seattle.

10 years ago:
1. I was a Sophomore in High School.
2. My dance team was about to go to the state competition.
3. I was finishing drivers ed. and about to get my license!

5 years ago:
1. Scott and I had only been married for 2 months.
2. We had just moved from his parents house into BYU married student housing.
3. I had just started my teacher education program and was working at the BYU Library.

3 years ago:
1. I was graduated and working at Center for Change (eating disorder facility in Utah).
2. We were living in a cute house just south of campus in Provo.
3. I was pregnant with Easton.

1 year ago:
1. We had just bought a second car! (A first for us).
2. We were living in West Virginia.
3. I was about to visit my sister in Seattle who had just had a baby.

1 month ago:
1. I had just started potty training Easton.
2. We didn't know if we were going to be moving again (dumb elections!).
3. I finally started scrapbooking all of 2007.

1 week ago:
1. I got my first crown in place. (I have horrible teeth!)
2. I started making cards (I've scrapbooked a lot, but never did cards).
3. My knee started flaring up again. (I'm missing a big chunk out of my miniscus (sp?).

Yesterday:
1. Went to church and had Luke with me all day because I wasn't teaching.
2. Had a break through with Easton: he went poop on the potty! (He's scared to death of it!)
3. Ate a lot of food last night after I broke my fast.

Today:
1. Got the oil changed in the van.
2. Vacuumed and spot cleaned my carpet. (Its really gross!)
3. Scrapped and made a baby card while the boys napped.

Tomorrow:
1. Finishing my 2007 scrapbook.
2. Taking the boys to the mall to play on the toys.
3. Going up to Seattle for my nephew's 1st birthday party!

This next year:
1. Run most of a 5k (hopefully half of it) I'll probably have to walk the rest.
2. Lose all of my baby weight and then think about losing the marriage weight.
3. See all of our family at least once and send them all birthday cards.

Just Because They're Cute!!

Easton loves to sing songs, even when he doesn't know the words. He has gotten a few of the primary songs down pretty good though and "I am a child of God" is by far his favorite. I must say I have high hopes of being able to do musical numbers with my boys in church someday. Also, Luke got a vacuum for his birthday back in October but up until this week he hasn't been able to use it (balance I guess). But now he loves it and whips it out especially when we are doing our vacuuming too. He is such a good little helper!

Size Matters!

At least I got your attention! I've been working out for 6 weeks now hoping to find dramatic results on the scales and to get that pre-baby weight back (not just from Luke but from the 2 others I had as well)! I've only lost 2 pounds!! Its been so depressing, wondering whats going on, and am I going to have to succomb and change my diet too if I want results?! (Never!! Chocolate is my very best friend!!) But I'm so glad I did this; when I first started working out I took all of my measurements from head to toe, and today when I compared them I was amazed at what I found. I may have only lost 2 measly pounds, but I lost 2 inches in my waist, 1.5 inches in my hips, and 2 inches in my thighs!! So all you ladies who groan when you look at the scale, take the measurements!! You'll be so delightedly surprised! And thank you Scott who always told me I was looking better and better as time went on and I never believed him. I guess I just needed the physical proof for myself because mirrors and scales can be decieving. I've got the best hubby in the world!

Favorite Questions Asked

Whenever I go out with the boys, I am astounded on how unoriginal people's comments and questions are towards me and the boys. No matter what they are wearing, doing, saying, etc., I get the same questions/comments wherever I go.

This is how the order of questions usually follows:

1. Are they twins? (No they are not twins! I really don't get this one, but it seems to be the favorite!) I even had one guy who has twins himself comment on how they looked like twins.

2. How far apart are they? When I say 16 months, they usually give me the look of "you are crazy, woman" or "have you no self control?!"

3. Did you plan that? Yes we planned that! Most people have to pick their jaws up off the floor when they find out it was not an accident that my kiddos are this far apart.

There you have it! I have to mentally prepare myself to not scream at these people or to comment back rudely. I usually just smile and give a faint giggle as if to let them feel like this is the first time I have ever been asked these questions and that they are in no way semi-insulting.
I love that my boys are 16 months apart. I kid you not when I say it was so hard at first, but now they constantly have a friend to play with, laugh together often, look out for one another, and my personal favorite: they take naps at the same time! Most people with 2+ kids do not get that luxury because one still takes 2 naps or the older child no longer takes naps at all. Actually, Scott informed me that he wants another 2 kids this far apart. Now who's the crazy one?!