Tick or Tandy

Well, after two months of trying to convince Snug he was going to LOVE wearing his Halloween costume, and then finding out he can't have hardly any sugar it was time for Trick-or-Treat. Ours was on the 30th this year, not actual Halloween. We worked with Snug on saying "Trick or treat" but he said "Tick-or-tandy". I think he had the idea anyway. One man asked him if he wanted a trick or a treat. Snug looked at him kinda funny and said "Want Tandy!"

Here's the stuff he got to keep including the treats "Bama" and Aunt J sent. I tired taking their things along and trading them on the spot but he was having none of it. He also got some little-kid friendly things trick-or-treating.

Here's what he actually got Trick-or-Treating. He only had a small bag of animal crackers the entire time. Yeah for the candy being "stuck" in its package.

Baby J didn't go Trick-Or-Treating. He dressed up as a puppy and passed out candy with C.

Here's #1 passing out candy to kids from his cruiser. He got out for a quick picture with the boys.

My Little Spider Boy! I cut his hair in a mohawk for the occasion. Not that mohawks have anything to do with his spider costume, but he needed a haircut and I thought he could have a mohawk for a couple of days. I'm going to start cutting his and #1's hair to save money.

This is the chaos at our mall today. They had a Halloween party for kids. It was complete with a runway for showing off cute costumes. Our Draycare kids loved it! There was also face painting, candy (cause every kid there needed some more), games, and prizes.

Here are my kids all dressed up. Had I known pumpkins were the theme this year I might not have had Snug be a spider...but then again he was such a cute spider!

R's face painting. Yeah, this whole thing was free...they were like artists!

Snug's artwork.

No facepaint for Baby J, but he did sport the ever popular pumpkin look. He is sitting up against a bench here, but nothing on either side of him. He is growing up so fast!

Here the boys are with C. and C.

And here are some more kids from our church. We went as a playgroup, but it was so crowded we didn't do much together as a group except eat lunch in the food court in two shifts.

So, Halloween is done for another year...tomorrow I'll go to Wal-Mart and see what Snug will be next year. Did I mention his costume cost $3.09?

Praying For Stellan

A couple of months ago I was browsing my cousin's favorite blogs and stumbled across a blog I found interesting. 'MckMama' has been blogging about kids, pregnancy, etc and today her baby Stellan was born! He was one of those "you should just abort" babies due to an enlarged heart and other issues. However he had two apgars at 9 each! Isn't God great? She is a Christian and attributes Stellan's health to Him alone. I will continue praying for them though because some of the conditions they were worried about could prove to be a problem in the future...but for today he is alive and well!
Just for clarification on "stinky feet cake"...my mom was wondering what on earth I was talking about. That was the point...he just randomly came up with that...I have NO idea what prompted him.

This is a much better 4 month picture of Baby J...see what a difference when I actually take the time to take a picture instead of remembering at 10pm, rushing in and taking a picture just because I need it? Too bad this wasn't taken on Monday...his actual 4 month birthday.

Yucky Feet Cake

Big J is talking more and more. He says some funny stuff. I was making birthday cupcakes for Little M(turned 3). I try to keep the Draycare kids out of the kitchen when I am making lunch, but other than that I let them see what I'm doing/and or help. Let me set up the scenario...I'm elbow deep in cake batter with 4 small children running around the house. Big J wanders in (I actually recorded the conversation right after because I was laughing so hard). "Momma, what doing?"
Me: "Making cupcakes".
Big J: Cake? Oh. (James likes to say things kinda question like and then say 'oh')
Me: I just keep working
Big J: "Ewwww. Yucky Feet Cake!
Me: I just look at him really puzzled...did he really say "yucky feet cake"?
Little M: No! No yucky! My burfday cake
Big J: No Mine! *fight insues

It is never dull here let me tell you.

Baby J was 4 months old yesterday. Of course I was on top of things and did not wait until 10pm to take his 4 month picture. Props to MckMomma for Not Me Monday...speaking of MckMomma, please be praying. Tomorrow morning she goes in to have baby #4 who has an enlarged heart and other health problems...a true miracle baby, but aren't they all?



Thanks so much to Aunt D for these supercute matching sweatsuits for the boys. They were warm and snuggly in our cold cold weather today.

Here is Little M blowing out the candle on his yucky feet cake. I made mini cupcakes to limit the ammount of sugar the kids were getting. I try to limit the ammount of fats and sugars the kids get. I push the fruits and veggies instead.

Soooo, I'm trying to go green and get out of debt...trying to do both can seem counterproductive. Organic and green products tend to be pricier than others. I am looking into Melaleuca products as I type. I'm on some kind of conference sales call and I am not blogging at the same time :o)

I am also going to give cloth diapers a try. My mom is going to let me use Uncle Alligator and my old cloths. Anyone have any suggestions to make this work? Both of these things, Melaleuca and cloth diapers claim to save money AND are green. (Well, the diapers will be a bit yellow and maybe brown, but those are earthy colors, right?)

Get your Omega 3 Fatty Acids...give me all the feedback you can...share my blog if you feel someone would like to know what we are doing around here.

What A Weekend!

I had a great weekend because I got to scrap for 2 days straight. I used to be a Creative Memories consultant and have lots of great stuff, but no time to do it! My friend April has several scrapbooking weekends a year and I got to go. #1 and the boys stayed at the hotel where we were for the night so I got to feed Baby J and see them. Snug got to take a bath in a real tub which is always a treat. #1 got to watch Ohio State lose to Penn State (fake sob).
I do need to take less pictures though. I filled an entire album with just 7 months of Snug last year. That was 84pages with about 6 pictures on each page. Yikes. I had bought these cute denim coversets for Snug before I quit being a consultant and planned on them lasting until like 1st grade. HA. I"ll be lucky if they last until he is 3. I haven't started Baby J's books yet, but I am caught up in Snug's book to where Baby J was born so hopefully I can start doing almost duplicate pages and get done faster.
Also this weekend we got to see my Aunt K and Uncle R! They were in Ohio for a wedding and we got to eat lunch with them on Sunday. They took us to Don Pablos-Yummy! Always nice to see family. I don't have any pictures because I didn't have my camera.
Anyway, if you feel scrappy get your pictures organized and get working! Also a great option is digital scrapping (you actually save money over buying albums, pages, protectors, adhesive, photo processing, stickers, and paper) http://www.creativememories.com/
*$1000.75 until DEBT FREE...

Four Beersh

When Snug got super attached to a blue bear he got as a gift, we immediately did what we had been advised to do and got a second one. This is supposed to help when we need to wash one or if one gets lost. When both bears immediately got very ratty and Snug couldn't sleep without one, we got 2 more. #1 has nicknamed them "Healthhazard". It is actually kinda hard to refer to "nigh-night bear" as I call him/them as "them" because we usually only get to see one or maybe two at a time so it seems like there is only one...but there are really four. Anyway, I cleaned the boys' closed this week and in the process Snug discovered that there are in fact four "beersh" as he finally has decided to call him/them this week. Up until now, these faceless, one-eared, well-sewn bears were also nameless. Yep, you heard me right, faceless. Each bear has sorta sewn on eyes and a muzzle, but the thread is really small and you can barely tell the bears have facial features at all (I"ve tried to help them out in this area). They are so well made that they only have one ear so to all your seamstresses out there..apparently if you put on a hat that is sewn on with one tiny thread, it is not necessary to put two ears on the bear. Also, it is not important that you even sew the seams of the bear well. I mean, who knew a little kid would actually LIKE this bear?

Oh yes, and one more detail about "beersh". They like to be carried by the ball on their hats. This probably why their hats have each had to have been sewn on again. To fall asleep or when he is upset, Snug rolls the balls through his fingers on the BACKS of his hands...can't really explain it. Here is a picture of him calculating how long after momma takes the picture will she take some of them away. I kinda tricked him into it. We put them all to "bed" before church and then when he was fastened into his car seat I ran back into the house and took 3 of them away again. He was so tired when we got home he seems to have forgotten there are more. I mean, he doesn't even care that one is yellow-isn't that weird?

Baby J has no "loveys" yet...he just loves his thumb. He is trying to roll over and scoots on his back all over. He actually has a bald rim around his head where he scoots across the carpet and wears his hair off. OOH-he discovered the ceiling fan too. Always good entertainment.

Baby J's Dedication

Baby J's Baby dedication was on Sunday. We were with four other families. After church Bama (that is what Snug calls my mom now, doesn't it remind you of something?) Pop Pop, Grandma and Grandpa D, the C. neighbors, B. and D. came for dinner.
Baby J and Snug all dressed up from church. I can never believe how much Baby J puts up from with Snug!

Pumpkin Barn

I didn't have a chance to blog this weekend, and so much happened! Friday afternoon we went to The Pumpkin Barn. Snug loved it, and Baby J cried through the whole thing.

Peek-A-Boo! Baby J had a great time picking out his pumpkin. He loved the petting zoo, he loved the straw pit, and he LOVED being out with the family. What a great day!

Abby???

Ok, so I gave up ER last season because it was just too soap opera-y for me...and it made me cry too much...but I've taken it back up this season because it is the last season and I want to know what happens to everyone. I started watching ER my freshman year at Cedarville with my unit. I have to tell you, Thursday nights were one of the only things I looked forward to in my week because I was sooooo homesick. Anyway, #1 was glad when I gave it up because he had to remind me these were not really people I knew. But I always felt like I did. Abby's little boy was born premature and in the NICU the season after I had Snug...kinda touched a nerve. And now Abby is leaving? So sad.

INTERESTING:

This is one of the books I am reading. I left it on the back porch swing while I went to change Baby J. I came back out to find E and Snug fighting over who got to scribble on it with my highlighter...isn't it ironic? There should be a book "How To Make Children Mind After You've Lost Yours"

WE LOVE HER:

Here is our M. entertaining Snug while I tutor T. We love M., we really do.

F IS FOR FIRETRUCK:

Yep, our letter this week is "f" and we made cute firehats...thanks mom! #1 was making fun of them saying the kids were dressed as the pope for Halloween. How mean.

TUMMY TIME:
Baby J hates tummy time, so I've been trying to make it more fun. Usually I "fly" him while I lay on the floor and this usually brings lots of laughs from him and deposits of drool on my face. I also try to get him up on the boppy too. He just doesn't like tummy time on a blanket. #1 and I looked at Snug's 4 month pictures today and it was eerie how much the boys look the same. Baby J had the exact same expression on his face while we were comparing the two. They are way different in size and personality, but in the face...practically twins.

Well, Abby is about ready to resign from County. I am so sad, and I might start crying. When Dr. Green died a few years ago, I cried for a hour after and teared up for days.

Tagged

Melissa V. tagged me and now I have to tag 4 of you...alrighty here goes (never done this before...think I saw it on Megan's blog once)

4 things I was doing 10 years ago
1. Running cross country (Mr. C is still the coach there) and getting ready for States
2. Dreading going to college
3. Watching Michigan Football
4. Babysitting quite a bit (some things never change)

things on my to do list for today:
1. Read at least a chapter in "Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours"
2. Go to mommies Bible study
3. Give Big J a bath
4. Blog

4 jobs I have had:
1. Huron Forest Camp Cherith (various positions)
2. Sewing these filter things at my HS boyfriend's uncle's warehouse (a legal sweatshop basically)
3. Kohl's Department Store
4. Teacher for Xenia Community Schools

4 Movies I have seen more than once
1. Princess Bride
2. All the Dora videos in the world
3. You've Got Mail
4. The Lion King

4 places I have lived
1. Orion, MI
2. Cedarville, OH
3. Xenia, OH
4. TBD

4 places I have been (this year):
1. Virginia Beach, VA
2. Miami Valley Hospital Maternity Ward
3. Orion, MI
4.Cincinnati, OH

4 TV shows I watch
1. The Today Show
2. The Office
3. ER
4. Supernanny

4 things you may not know about me:
1. I would love to own my own motorcycle
2. I usually only get my haircut once a year
3. I have a list of about 25 things I'd do instead of teach when I go back to work
4. I weighed the exact same both days I found out I was pregnant with my boys...and I weighed the exact same after I had each of them-even though they were 2 lbs different. Weird, huh?

4 things I love about my husband:
1. He is a cop-who doesn't love a man in uniform?
2. He helps with Draycare
3. He is such a good daddy
4. He loves me for who I am

4 people I tag: (your turn if you want!)
1. Mitt
2. Erin M.
3. Megan S.
4. Crystal N.

Baby J's Potty

My cousin C gave this Bebe Pod to Big J when he was little. It was her daughter G's and they didn't need it anymore. When our friends the Rs had their little girl we let them use it-she's now learning to sit on her own. Baby J has been pretty unhappy lately and part of it is he wants to be with us and upright (in other words, being held) all the time. We got the Pod back today at church and he loves it! When Big J saw it he looked for a couple of seconds, walked around it, and said "Potty. Jackie Potty". It took me a minute to translate that, but when he walked by a few minutes later he pointed at it and said "potty" and did the sign for potty. Yep, he thinks Baby J is on the potty when he sits in the Pod. Perhaps this will make Big J think HE needs to sit on the potty! It was so nice to eat a meal and not have Baby J crying. He sat in the pod in the middle of the dining room table and gurgled at all of us during supper tonight. Thanks to everyone who has given us hand-me-downs. We appreciate everything and use it often! The other night at Bible study my friend noticed Big J was wearing a shirt from her boys...I pointed out that the jeans were also from them, and then thought about it and remembered that the socks I had put on him had come out of a bag she gave us that morning (and some great Elmo undies that Big J was eyeing). Our diapers are all ours, don't worry, we don't recycle or accept them as hand-me-downs!

****UPDATE*****

Since deciding to try cloth diapers we now will be recycling and accepting hand-me-downs!

BTW

I weighed Baby J today with me and then me without him and the best estimate we can get is that he is around 14.5 lbs. YIKES

Aldi and Wal-Mart VS Sam's Club...

Ok, so you know I"m a little freaky about grocery shopping and you know I'm into cutting costs on anything I can right now...so this blog puts all my crazy hobbies together.
Last night #1 and I went out for our anniversary (yeah, it was in July, we know) and part of the time we spent at Sam's Club pricing items we buy frequently at Aldi and Wal-Mart. Today I went to Aldi and Wal-Mart and priced the exact same items ounce for ounce. Now I have a dilemma...so I need your comments please! (for those of you that don't know how to leave one, you click "comments linked to this post" and then follow directions)
MOST of the items we buy were cheaper where we are currently buying them. However, figuring in about how much of each item we use a year and subtracting the $35 fee to belong to them, I'd save about $41 a year if we got the Sam's Membership. Using the Envelope System from FPU, technically I shouldn't overspend on stuff I don't need (like all the CUTE toys, books, and clothes and good looking other 'stuff' they have there). What do you think?
For those of you who are interested, here are some comparisons.

Cheaper at Sam's: Snuggle Fabric Softener (I use it for baby clothes only)
PB crackers
Kitchen Trash Bags (good savings here)
Family Size Lasagnas-although to be fair I didn't look at hardly any
frozen/fresh food, we don't have tons of freezer space
Dried Fruit Snacks
Tissue-off brand
Milk (4 cents difference, but I"m sure that would change week to week)
Pancake Mix
Pizza Sauce (good savings here)
Hamburger Dill Pickles

Things that tied: Aldi Apple Juice and Sam's Apple Juice
Spaghetti O's from Wal-Mart and Sam's (Aldi's were the most expensive!)
Ketchup from Aldi and Sam's

Things cheapest at Wal-Mart: Off brand Wet Jet refills
Animal Crackers
Clorox for Colors (WAY cheaper than Sam's)

Things you defiantly want to get at Aldi: Kitty Litter
Liquid Laundry Detergent
Paper Towel
Toilet Paper
Eggs (they were charging 25 cents an egg at Sam's!)
Bleach
Spaghetti noodles/sauce
Canned veggies
Box Mac N Cheese

Some other things were cheaper at Aldi, but by $0.004 cents per oz...I didn't think that was a heart attack big deal or anything.

Those of you who buy Huggies diapers (we've personally had trouble with Wal-Mart store brand, and the COSTCO brand are more than the Huggies) Huggies are cheapest at COSTCO club and regular regular no fancy fancy baby wipes (Parent's Choice brand) are cheapest at Wal-Mart in the 432 count box. That also got me today. 432 wipes for $7.50 are cheaper than the same 648 wipes at $11.82. Not a ton of difference in price, but they are in fact cheaper and way cheaper than name brand or Sam's Brand wipes.

Random Things Here...

Clarification of yesterday's blog-we are not DEBT FREE yet...but very close...$4,000 to go :o)
Now you know why poor Baby J cries so much...look at the abuse! Actually this was the ONLY way yesterday he'd quit crying. Seriously, on top of my head. The minute I tried to take him down he'd scream. You see my smile? It is more of a cringe...like "I'm enduring this" kinda thing. At 10:30 last night I finally had to call my neighbor and ask her to help me get him to sleep. I can only take so many hours of crying. I think the poor thing either hates me or has a major tummy ache. I think it may just be me though because when I took him to nursery last night at A BRAND NEW CHURCH he was perfectly happy. The minute the nice lady handed him back to me he started crying and cried until C, bless her heart, put him to sleep for me.
We aren't switching churches Faircreek friends, I just wanted a church close to home for Wednesday nights. When Big J starts school I think that getting home about 8:45 will be too late for him on a school night. When we leave our church after choir practice of Financial Peace University, that is what time we get home. By the time he's in bed it is after 9. SOOOO when my friend invited me to a mom's Bible study at her church here in town, I took her up on it. They have a nice children's program at the same time and I figured he could make some new little friends and that would just be our Wednesday routine. That way when he gets into school he's not bumming that he can't be with his Faircreek friends on Wednesday nights-he'll have Dayton Avenue friends to look forward to. Ok, this is wrong on so many levels. First it is a terrible job on the part of the photographer...look at all the junk in the picture. Second, Big J is riding the beautiful wooden motorcycle that Pop Pop gave him. Will he ride it when Pop Pop is around? Nope. My dad bought it for him when he was 3 mos old and saved it and saved it until his second birthday. My dad was so excited for him to use it. He wouldn't ride it when he got it and now that he does ride it he's yet to ride it when my dad is around. Poor Pop Pop. Thirdly, look at the glasses he is sporting. He won't try or or hardly LOOK at his Haloween costume, but these goofy swim goggles are perfectly wonderful. He's killing me. Oh, and by the way, he licked Baby J yesterday. Hmmmmm the licking thing isn't over yet. Did I ever write about that? He licks stuff. Last year when he wasn't allowed to touch the Christmas tree he'd put his hands behind his back, lean over, and lick the ornaments. He used to lick one of the kids I babysit for too...and Aunt J. He licked Aunt J when he first met her. He is so weird sometimes.

Thank You Oprah!

I'm watching Oprah right now. I watch her sporadically, and usually during her time I'm tutoring and don't have time. Also as a side note, I don't agree with her worldviews either. Anywho, sometimes I do watch and today I'm impressed. Oprah is running a show on getting bang for your buck.
She has a lady on who shows how to cut your grocery bill in half, people who show how to make a budget, and families who are getting out of debt while one of the spouses has lost a job! There are great tips at Oprah.com.

If you don't care about your family's financial future, think budgeting is boring and useless, or have your financies 100% in order, quit reading. This is not for you.

We are currently doing Financial Peace University. We are less than $4,000 away from being DEBT FREE. Just wait for that blog baby! Anyway, I wanted to share a bit of our story for those of you out there who are worried about the economy and your family's budget. If you know someone who is financial trouble, feel free to show them my blog. We are NOT perfect with our finances, and we are not bragging, I just want everyone to know that you CAN get out of debt and you CAN get your finances in order.

When I say DEBT FREE (which I always do in caps because it is so exciting) it means we will owe NOTHING except the mortgage on our house. We had a large and a small mortgage on our house, those being the technical terms I'm sure, and the small mortgage is paid off. Yep, no student loans, no car payments, no credit cards, no medical bills.

We didn't think we had any financial problems prior to January 2008. We had credit cards, car payments, student loans, and the like. We paid on them every month so we were fine, right? Well I had this little nagging feeling every time I paid for something that maybe we didn't really have the money but #1's response was "we're fine". Our dear friends B and D gave us a book for Christmas called "Total Money Makeover" and it changed our lives. We were "fine" in that we could pay our bills, but when you pay $339.83 (yeah, I know every number by heart now) a month in car payments and only $75 of it goes to premium and the rest is in interest, you are so not fine. You are paying out the nose for things that you just had to have. To date we have paid off approximately $40,000 since January. We don't even make that much in a year, so here's what we did.
I stay at home and do daycare and tutoring. #1 is a cop and he takes all the overtime he can. We make sure that our kids are not being neglected of time and we keep reminding ourselves that this is not permanent. We emptied our savings (that about killed me) and only $2,000 remains. Luckily we had a decent savings account that previously I insisted on keeping and that money went to paying off bills. Also, remember that check the government gave us last spring? Yep, straight to paying off debt. Our tax check we got back went there too. We also had a garage sale. We should have sold more probably. We have not had to touch our $2,000 emergency fund yet even though we have had a few 'emergencies' but we budgeted things in before they happened and that helped.
Budget: We have to have a budget at the beginning of each month and decide as a family what is in and what is out. We live pretty thrifty but we are perfectly happy. We have no cable, we turn off everything we aren't using (and we are going to start unplugging things too, thanks Oprah) and use as little amounts of air and heat as possible. Our house in the winter is 64 deg. You know those sweatshirts we just had to own a year or so ago? Well, we use them now! In the summer we are at 75. I'd make it 80 but my husband might die and we really rely on his income at this point :o) We also eat for $60 a week and even get a $5 pizza off that about two times a month. We don't eat junk, we have fresh fruits and veggies daily. I shop at Aldi and look for sales in the local ads. We do lots and lots of things for free like movies from the library, local parks, and family events at local churches. We have a "fun" fund of $20 a month and we stick to it.
Another hard thing for us was getting rid of our credit cards. We still use them for major purchases AFTER we have put the cash into the bank. The day it shows up on our account we pay it. We have to budget in using it and agree upon it first...so we know at least a month ahead of time before we ever swipe. We use bank debit cards, but those purchases are few and far between and the money has already been budgeted in. We have envelopes that we fill every month that we put cash in and that keeps you from spending money you don't have...plus cash hurts. We think very hard before using our fun fund. We budget in insurances and stuff that you only pay one or two times a year and put some in those envelopes every month. When they come due, we put the cash back into the bank and then write a check....OR pay online-then you don't have to pay for stamps!
God has really blessed us this year and we are so thankful for the things he has provided to help us through this. We have been able to give more than we ever had in the past even while scrimping our pennies. We have also been given so many great things from families who have things they are no longer using. Big J is about 95% hand me down at this point and styling! Between that and grandmas who love to dress little boys I have literally bought a pack of t-shirts and one pair of jammas for him in the last 6 months. I bought Baby J a $3 pumpkin shirt last month at Wal-Mart but it was with a gift card from when he was born, so I don't think it counts.
I have told so many people about Financial Peace University and I hear so many times "we just can't get out of debt, it will never happen". Well, my mom used to say "I Can't never did anything". I bet you can!
http://www.daveramsey.com/
YOU CAN DO IT YOU CAN DO IT YOU CAN DO IT YOU CAN DO IT YOU CAN DO IT YOU

Weekend In Michigan

These pictures are a little mixed up. I uploaded them in no particular order, so bear with me! My mom graciously drove down to pick us up and then took us to Michigan, and then drove us back home. That was so nice seems how Baby J is a car screamer. It is a little hard to take 4.5 hours of screaming by yourself. The only hitch was just as mom arrived back in Michigan Monday evening I discovered I never took the car seats out of her car...so they are in Michigan until Baby J's baby dedication in two weeks! Thank goodness for friends who have things we can borrow! Anyway, we had a great weekend. We went up to celebrate my cousin K and his new wife R's wedding. They were married when Baby J was just a week old in Lynchburg, VA. I was so disappointed that I couldn't go, but they had a nice reception in Michigan so I could share in their special day...ok, it wasn't for just me, but we can pretend, right?

My cousin Mitt has two boys who were born within months of my two boys. Here J (will be 2 in Nov.) and Big J are demonstrating the janitors of the future. In the future we will no longer hire traditional janitors. We will simply take toddlers with tons of energy and supply them with cleaning supplies. The parents will not be compensated for the tasks accomplished, but in return have small children who sleep like rocks at night. That floor has never been so mopped.
Here G (born Aug 20-correct me if I'm wrong Mitt) and Baby J are sleeping after church. They have very similar taggies. Daddy of G informed me that if I made one side of the taggies without tags they would be better blankets. I demonstrated how a blanket can be tucked without losing a single tag! Seriously though I have noticed Baby J getting annoyed when the tag sticks up in his face.
Ok, this cutie is K.P. She is wearing a dress from when I was a little girl. Seems how I have no girls, I am so glad someone is getting use from my clothes. I think my mom made this dress for me...and I think it might have been for my school children's choir. I love the P. kids (and their parents) and enjoy seeing them when we go to Michigan.
I could not get a picture of both Big J and T together. Trying to get it was like herding cats. Anyway, T is my friendAce's little boy. Ace and I worked at camp together for years. T is so cute! He looks like a model for a kids clothing magazine.
Big J and Pop Pop have a special bond. He is always asking where my dad is and loves to "help" with various projects. Here he is helping Pop Pop with his computer game. If you love your loved ones, do not let them download Snood. It is so addicting and my poor dad has been re-sucked into its vortex. He had the addiction a few years ago, gave it up, but has recently been re-united with his old friend. I think there should be a group called SA (Snoods Anonymous) for those who can't kick the habit. I played one round and I know why you can't stop...it seriously is a habit forming game. My dad deserved the break though. He has been working and traveling like crazy. It is always nice to have something that takes your mind off of everything else for a few minutes.

Back at the reception, J, Big J, and Sh pose for a picture. Sh is my cousin K's (the cousin in front of me in the order) youngest. J is my cousin (the cousin in back of me) Mitt's oldest.
We have a similar picture of Big J and J at about the same age....maybe a little older. So cute!
Here are the stars of the show, K and R. They had a nice party, and were great hosts!
Ok, so Mitt and I had the same idea at about the same time...could we get all 4 boys in a picture at the same time? Yep! J is the only one smiling, but no one was crying! During the photo shoot J happened to reach over and touch Baby J. Big J gave him a firm look and said "NO, Mine!". I don't let Big J use that phrase but I was cracking up too much to correct him that time. It was kinda like, "you have your own kid, don't touch my brother!"
Big J takes his role in being big brother very seriously. He loves to hold Baby J and is always so gentle. Baby J is starting to not scream every time.

My Aunt J was packing to go to a church and speak about what she has been doing in Senegal and Big J loved the instruments. Here they are forming a little living room band.
And back to the reception. This is my Great-Aunt A, Baby J's Great-Great Aunt. She is my dad's mom's sister. Recently her brother H who lived in California passed away. I was glad she came to the reception and got to enjoy some babies.
A baby switch! Here is Baby J and G's first picture together. It was so fun to meet him! He just snuggles down and cuddles with you.
Here Baby J is posing with my cousin B, her boys B and B, and my Aunt B. I miss all of my Michigan family so much!

While We Were Out...

Our computer cord has come! Yeah! Here are some pics of while we were out of commission. I'll also do a post about our fun trip to Michigan (the good state!)

Our flag outside our house says "House Divided"...this only applies to our team loyalties. We try to agree or compromise on everything else.
I think mommy needs a Michigan jersey for Christmas, don't you? I have several Michigan t-shirts, but most of them are hand-me-downs and WAY too big...I'm not that heavy, I just have a shirt on that could fit Matt and me at the same time!
This is how everyone treats Baby J. The kids LOVE him. They sit around him and see who can make him smile the most. He loves it. I have told Big M to quit touching his head like a million times, but here is proof that he still does whatever makes him happy.

Big J IS allowed to touch his head, but he is always gentle and plus it is his brother for crying out loud. Oh well. Anyway, R wins the smiling contest every time. Baby J just adores her.