Happy Birthday Baby!

It's hard to believe my little Izacc is 3 today.
Dear sweet Izacc,
It's been an unbelievable three years and I have so so enjoyed being your mommy and look forward to watching you continue to grow and develop. You are an amazing child and I can't believe you're mine.
You are so smart and fun and you always make me smile. You have such a funny sense of humor and I hope you keep that for the rest of your life. It will help you deal with some yucky situations and help keep you sane.
You are so super intelligent it boggles my mind the things you say and understand. It's hard for me to keep in mind how young you are because of how well you speak. I am sorry for expecting too much out of you sometimes.
I hope you know what a beautiful boy you are and how grateful we are to have you in our family. You make us so so glad to be around you and you have done more for me than I could even express. You will always be my baby, no matter how big you get. You made me a mommy and I love you with all my heart. Happy happy birthday my three year old. I love you forever.
Love, Mommy

Giveaway

So I am a big fat sucka for giveaways and over at MMB (Mormon Mommy Blog) the are having a doosey! Check it out if you like by clicking here!

Interior Design

We got Ian a mobile.I think it is just darling.I really think it adds a lot to the room.I especially think it looks fabulous on our bed, don't you?

Wordless Wednesday

**What is Wordless Wednesday you ask? Well, on Wednesdays all over the internet, bloggers post a photograph with no words to explain it on their blog. Hence the ‘wordless’ title. The idea is that the photo itself says so much that it doesn’t need any description. Thusly, henceforth and forever, unless I forget, I will be playing Wordless Wednesday.**

Let's Get Physical

...physical...
...I wanna get physical...
...let's get physical...

Ahem...Me me me meme!

I was tagged by Aimee, beautiful, lovely Aimee. So here we go.

Welcome to the new 2009 edition of getting to know your family and friends. Here is what you are supposed to do, and try not to be lame and spoil the fun. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person who sent it to you.

1. What is your occupation right now?
I'm a cook, a stylist, a cosmetologist, a therapist, a housekeeper, a teacher, a lover, a seamstress, a singer, a potty trainer, an actor, a personal assistant, a lactation pro, a best friend, and a Mommy.

2. What color are your socks right now?
Socks?! We don't need no stinkin' socks! Hence the beautifully thick and scratchy calloused hooves I call tootsies.

3. What are you listening to right now?
Ah the sweet, sweet sounds of nature that are coming in from my open window... and being drowned out by a crying baby and some animated movie that has become my son's new favorite...for the week.

4. What was the last thing you ate?
A couple of sugar cookies. I am the epitome of health and nutrition right here.

5. Can you drive stick shift?
Oh no, no no no no no no. I tried a couple times and didn't make it out of my parent's driveway. No no, not for me.

6. Last person you talked to on the phone?
Erm, my Mom? No, no wait. My SIL who is days overdue with child. I called to see if I could speed up the process for her, you know, by scaring the kid right out of her with all my gory birth stories. Yeah, I'm cool like that.

7. How old are you today?
Ahem, I feel this question is totally inappropriate and refuse to answer on he grounds that it is none of your dang business and I'd ask you to kindly butt out thank you!

8. What is your favorite sport to watch?
Well, you see, I'm not a sports watchin' kind of gal. I'll go to a soccer game to appease the handsome hubby once in a while and I admit, I get downright violent over the Super Bowl, but other than that, I tend to stick to watching PBS and Friends. You know, good quality programming...

9. What is your favorite drink?
I LOVE Dr Pepper. I do not drink it, however, very often. Almost never in fact. Only on rare and dire circumstances do I let myself indulge. Mainly I kick it old school and drink water, ice water. Freakin frigid ridiculously cold ice water. And lots of it. I am, ahem, drinking for two, so to speak...

10. Have you ever dyed your hair?
Oh silly naive little survey. You obviously don't know me a all do you? It's not your fault, little survey. I know you probably ask everyone the same thing, am I right? It's just that if you only knew the extent at which my follicles have been graced by the tinting process, dear survey, you would not only not ask if I have ever done it, but you wouldn't call it dye. For you see, it is a big ol' can of worms that I just don't think you want to open or even get near. So, dear darling survey, I'll just say yes and move on.

11. Favorite food?
I have a love affair with food these days. So much so, in fact, that my handsome hubby is getting jealous. I love pizza, I love homemade macaroni and cheese, I love chicken and rice, I love tuna casserole, I love creamy chicken enchiladas, I love Cafe Rio's chicken salads and burritos, I love Taco Johns' Taco Bravo, I love Arby's Turkey Bacon Ranch Sandwich, I love Noodles and Company Mac n' Cheese, I love Village Baker, I love chili dogs, I love a big ol' bowl of cereal, I love graham crackers and milk, I love Subway's Cold Cut Trio, I love Sweet Coconutty Chex Mix, I love brownies, better yet, brownies with Ice Cream and Leatherby's Hot Fudge. That, I believe, covers it.

12. Last movie you watched?
The last movie I watched for me or for Izacc? Because we have been watching Bee Movie and Curious George like they're going out of style round these parts. But I just watched 17 Again and, um, I hate to say it but that little Zac Efron is a cutie. Does that make me a cougar? Because I don't know how old he is, but I certianly know how old I am and yikes. Let's just not. Next.

13. Favorite day of the year?
"Hmm, that's a tough one. I would have to say April 25th because it's not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket." (name the movie)

14. How do you vent anger?
Oh, you know, the regular facets. I scream, I yell, I throw things. Depending on who I am with and the level of my frustration, of course.

15. Favorite toy as a child?
I had a Pink Hugga Bunch named Huggins who had a baby named, uh, Hug-a-bye I think, who I loved dearly. I also had Mop Tops, that Play Doh toy where they grew hair and you could "cut" it, which I coveted for years before finally getting them. I can remember one time I had a dream that I was playing with them and woke up and cried because they weren't real. Traumatic. Maybe that's why I went to Beauty school. Repressed Mop Tops longings.

16. Favorite season?
I love Spring for the simple fact that the days get longer and things look clean again. Everything smells so good and it just has a sort of feeling. Stupid winter and fall ruin my life.

17. Cherries or Blueberries?
Blueberries hands down.

18. Living situation?
Well, I am currently shacked up with three boys in Riverton, Wyoming, two of which have a fond affinity to my chest area, for different reasons of course, and one has a bladder control problem. It's a rock stars life, I tell ya.

19. When was the last time you cried?
Yesterday? Probably...

20. What's on the floor of your closet?
Good golly who the heck knows. I do know that there are shoes in there, somewhere. And a box and some pillows and yikes I just don't even know.

21. What did you do last night?
Last night I didn't do jack crap! It was phenomenal. Wish you were there.

22. What are you most afraid of?
Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica. No for real, well, I've got two. Earwigs and outhouses. Earwigs because they are gross and nasty and invasive and fugly and I hate them with every fiber of my being. It's a LONG story and is deep rooted into my psyche. Let's just say that if I were a Super Hero, my arch Nemesis would be Earwig Man. 'DEATH TO EARWIG MAN!' I would exclaim as I served my vigilante justice through the town, all the while hiding my true identity, and ultimately bringing down the evil that is Earwig man and his minions. Yeah, it would be great. Oh, and outhouses. It's a full blown phobia according to the very definition, which is is an irrational, intense, persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, or people, with the excessive, unreasonable desire to avoid the feared subject, often beyond one's control. I don't know what it stems from, perhaps a trip to Yellowstone when I was very young. I.can.not.use.an.outhouse.without.assistance. No joke. Handsome Hubby found this little gem out two days after we were married. Let's just say he saw a whole new, ahem, side of me. It starts as soon as I close the door. I sweat and shake and cry and I KNOW KNOW KNOW it's stupid and doesn't make any sense, but I can't even look at the things. It's not exactly Claustrophobia, because I don't have a problem with other small, tight spaces. It's, I don't even know. I have to make sure the lid is closed, then I close my eyes and back up to it until it touches my leg. Then I, erm, do my bidnaz and get the heck out, after closing the lid of course. And Handsome Hubby has to be close by, as in real close. Whatever, don't judge me. You know you're crazy too.

23. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?
Spicy hamburgers? What the crap is a spicy hamburger exactly? Nice. I am a plain hamburger kind of girl, always have been, always will be. There is NOTHING like a McDonalds Hamburger, plain. One year, for my birthday, all I wanted was 2 hamburgers from McDonalds. I got off work around 9pm and then Handsome Hubby drove me to the McDonalds drive-thru, where I promptly ordered 2 hamburgers, plain. We got home, I went to eat them and to my utter disappointment, they were not plain. No no, full of ketchup and pickles and who knows what else. The tears came and, well, to make a long story short, Handsome Hubby drove across town back to McDonalds to exchange the two tainted burgers for their plain counterparts. The moral of the story here is ALWAYS check your food when you go through the drive-thru. Wait, what was the question again?

24. Favorite day of the week?
My favorite day of the week happens to be any day that Handsome Hubby doesn't have to work at night. Yes, we likes us some fatherly figure around here.

25. How many states have you lived in?

Er, two. Lame.

26. Diamonds or pearls?
Well I think that should totally depend on the occasion, don't you? I mean, I love my wedding ring, but it's got diamonds and I think it would look pretty silly with pearls. However, I think I would look a bit gaudy and over dramatic if I were to wear a diamond necklace with my khaki skirt and blouse on Sunday. Well, maybe on second thought... no I'm stickin' with the right tool for the right job. Yes. A tiara would just be horribly inappropriate, right? Right?

27. Favorite flower?
I just love daisies. Most all kinds of daisies. Remember that, there may be a quiz later.

So there ya go. All you could ever possibly want to know about me, maybe a little TMI, who's to say. ANYWAY, who's next? Come on, do it! You know you want to!!!

Some things I love

I've been a mom for almost 3 years now. I've seen a lot and learned a TON and tried many things along the way. I am nowhere near the Momma I want to be yet, but I'm on my way. With Izacc, everything had to be fresh and new and clean and, well, it gets exhausting and almost impossible when the second one comes around. Ian has become my second-hand baby when it comes to clothes and toys and blankets and whatnot. Poor kid hardly has anything new. I am, however, finding a new appreciation for Mommy gadgets and products. Things I never looked twice at with Izacc, but with Ian almost become a necessity. So here are a few things I love.

Hugamonkey

HugaMonkey Baby Slings

I was looking at getting a sling. I have a knock-off baby Bjorn but I've seen mommies all around with these slings and I thought that having one might come in handy, especially with Izacc's fast and furious ways. So I began the search, reading people's feed back and reviews of so so many slings. Maya Wraps, Moby Wraps, Ring Slings. There are SO many different kinds of slings out there! Some looked complicated, some looked downright scary. I went to a baby store and tried on a few. I could NOT justify spending $80 on a piece of fabric.

Enter Hugamonkey.

HugaMonkey Baby Slings

I stumbled upon this website in my searching and couldn't believe my eyes! First of all, the price was unbelievable! It was really affordable PLUS free shipping! And free returns if you don't like the sling, so you can't lose! And I read all the reviews and they were all so positive. I also loved the fact that it had a monkey in the name. I mean c'mon, do you even know me? So I ordered one with a coupon from here and saved 10%. It came fairly quickly and when I received it I fell in love! It is super easy to use, no folding, no tightening, no clasps or clips. I can just put it on and go. Ian loves it too. He goes right to sleep usually whenever I use it. And it's small enough to keep in my diaper bag. I can wear it for hours with no pain in my back or shoulder. It's so versatile, there are so many ways to wear it as he gets older and bigger. Plus when he falls asleep all I have to do is take off the sling and lay him down. He totally stays asleep! Thom has even sported it a couple times while shopping, so that's saying something. Well, as you can see, I just love this little thing and think I will be bringing one to every baby shower I attend until the end of time. Best.Thing.Ever.
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Snuggle Nest
When Izacc was born, we had a bassinet given to us, which we set up next to our bed and used for 3 or 4 months. Well, we moved and not only did the the size of our room get significantly downsized, but we switched from a queen to a king sized bed. When I set up the bassinet for Ian, I soon realized that this room isn't big enough for the three of us...literally. I was tripping over it all the time and putting the Boppy and clean clothes and basically anything that was in the way in it because Ian seemed to prefer sleeping on our bed anyway. So I started looking at co-sleepers that connected to the bed and soon found out just how expensive they are. My search, however, was not in vain because I ran into Baby Delight's Snuggle Nest. There weren't many reviews about it that I could find, but I thought anything was better than waking up to your husband about to squash your 2 week old baby. So I ordered it and am so super glad I did! It is awesome!So the picture is a little creepy. I know, can't you just imagine me and Thom gazing fondly at Ian? Gag. Anyway, skeezy picture aside, I love this dang thing. It has these hard plastic sides to prevent any middle of the night squashings and a sweet nightlight at the top so I don't have to turn on my lamp. It has sleep positions that not only keep him where he needs to be, but also make him feel nice and snuggly like he were in my arms. (Have I mentioned this baby LOVES to sleep while being held and most days will only sleep while doing so? Yeah, for the first few weeks of his life he was literally glued in my arms.) I also love the fact that the bottom of the bed is not enclosed because Ian is a giant in the length department and he can still fit into it. Oh and it folds up and can travel. Way easier to pack than the pack and play, takes up a lot less space. Not to mention that I can just wake up and feed him and we can both get right back to sleep. It's been awesome and I love it.
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Huggies Brand Little Snugglers Diapers
I loves me some Huggies diapers. Izacc was a Luvs baby for the simple fact that I could not afford Huggies. All of a sudden, however, the prices seemed to become the same and so we switched. When Ian was born, I fell in love with them even more. They had a strip on the front that would change color when wet, which was AwEsOmE with a newborn baby boy. And the best thing about them is, in my opinion, the little waistband in the back that makes a sort of pocket and keeps all the, erm, runny yellow messes where they need to be. We have not had one explosion that went up the back (knock on wood) the whole time. That's 3 months strong! Now, that's not saying that sometimes the diaper doesn't get away from us and hiked over on one cheek, but that's a whole other mess altogether.
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Udder Covers

I know, the name is revolting. And honestly, I wouldn't have even looked twice at these if it weren't for Thom. He found a coupon online and told me to check 'em out. So I did. Nursing was almost a new thing for me. With Izacc it was practically a chore. He was very stubborn and it was difficult and I didn't have a very good supply so we only lasted four months or so and he was bottle fed mostly. But Ian, man, he sure loves to nurse. And I was beginning to make my family uncomfortable with all the boob action motherly attention I was paying toward little Ian. I was thinking about making an apron for myself, but then I found Utter Covers. It's a sweet little apron with boning around the neckline so you can see what's going on under there. And it's got a couple of "D" rings so you can make it as loose or tight as you like. And on their website, if you enter the promo code onefree, all you have to pay is shipping, which is like $8.95 or something. They basically take off the price of one cover, which is $32. So considering, I think it's a pretty good deal, especially since I don't think I could make one for nine bucks. It's nice and convenient and easy to use. My brothers especially love it...ahem...I mean when I wear it...moving on...
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Dreft Laundry Stain RemoverAhh Dreft, how do I love thee. The detergent that make everything smell like a baby. Ahh, the sweet smell of Heaven. What is not the sweet smell of Heaven is what comes out the southern end of said sweet baby. Ahh eww. There have been many a onsie stained around the legs, you know, where the Huggies waistband can't protect. Here is where the Dreft laundry spray comes in. I honestly swear that this stuff works miracles. Even on the hand-me-down stains! It is awesome. I have two bottles, one in the baby's room and one in the laundry room. It works on other stuff too, but it's amazing on the, as my hubby likes to call it, "danger poop".

Um excuse me?!?!?

Yeah, erm, what the?!?!?! Honestly what has the world come to? I cannot even fathom words to describe what I'm seeing here. In the name of all things holy, can someone please explain to me who would ever buy this?!?!

My Life According to Dave

I saw this tag here and decided to play along! Too much fun!

My Life According to...

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "my life according to (band name)"

Pick your Artist:
Dave Matthews

Describe yourself:
Dreamgirl

How do you feel:
So Damn Lucky

Describe where you currently live:
One Sweet World

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Louisiana Bayou

Your favorite form of transportation:
Smooth Rider

Your best friend:
American Baby

You and your best friend are:
Dancing Nancies

What's the weather like:
So Much To Say

Favorite time of day:
You Never Know

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
Shake Me like A Monkey

What is life to you:
Typical Situation

Your relationship:
You and Me

Your fear:
Some Devil

What is the best advice you have to give:
Pay For What You get

Thought for the Day:
Hunger For The Great Light

How I would like to die:
Crash Into Me

My soul's present condition:
Cry Freedom

My motto:
Don't Drink The Water

Try it! It's fun!

PS if you don't read this blog, you should. She's so dang funny! It's dee best.

The Pod Swaddler Pattern GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

This is so super cute and functional! I want me one of these!!

The Pod Swaddler Pattern GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!