29 August 2009

A summer catch up...

Life has been pretty busy. With Rob finishing school for the summer (yay) and enjoying the summer time, it's been fun and busy.

We've made a couple trips to the lake, which has been nice. The one trip we took, it was 100 degrees with ZERO wind. It sucked! The boys were hot, Lincoln was too hot he was getting sick. The only way for him to sleep was driving around to cool him down then sleep with Rob. Poor bug. Chandler slept on the floor of the living room, doing it old skool like his mom and TT! :) Lot of fun. Then he had one of his BFF's come up with his family to play. It was great. And even Kevin and Mary came too. It was a great weekend at the cabin and I know Dad would be proud to see such fun being had by all.

Lincoln is a movin' fool. Not walking but moving in every other which way! It's so cute. We just found out that he loves Blue's Clues! He's sitting in his high chair and dances when they sing! It's a riot. Chandler's been on this BC band wagon for a week or so and it's so cute!

Chandler also is now addicted to Dad's Xbox. He's got the Batman Lego game and is in love with the game. It's all he asks about day and night! It's cute, but annoying! He has to clean up his toys and do his 30 minutes of homework, which is working on ABC's and 123's. He loves it and asks to do his home work. I am so thrilled he loves it so much.

Which brings us to Preschool! He's starting St. Andrew Lutheran Preschool in a few weeks. It will be nice to get back into that routine. He's so excited to see Bryan at school, he's been asking to see him for a while. Even when we'd go to story time at church, he'd wonder if he'd be there. Too cute!

I am actually working on super hero capes for the boys to play with at school. They have plenty of dress up stuff for girls, just not enough boys, so a bit of Batman, Superman, Flash & Green Lantern will man it up a bit! :)

I'll post some pics of that soon. In the mean time, here are a couple from our professional shots in August (that we won at a school auction).



11 June 2009

How to make a scoreboard headboard!




By request, here are step by step instructions on how we made Chandler Field! Total size is 55" wide by 48" tall by 1.5" deep. Perfect for a full size bed. Post pictures when you are done, and if you have questions, just ask! I'd be happy to help!

Materials:

3/4" plywood cut to 48" X 24" (24" is min. but I think I'd do 30" next time)
2-4' long pieces of 1x4
2-4' long pieces of 1x6
10 1" wood screws
Additional wood screws for attaching to wall
Chalkboard paint (or plain black paint if you don't want to be able to draw on it)
Green paint (we used the color of his room, so it was just the extra)
White acrylic paint (from Michael's) the craft kind
1" foam paint brushes for the acrylic paint (get a few, you never know when they break)
3" letters for the "home, away, qtr" They are vinyl meant for boat registrations, find at sporting goods stores.
6" Wood letters to name the Field, find at Michael's or Joanne's.
Wood glue for letters

Tools:
Drill & bits for screws
Sand paper
Blue painters tape in 1"
Paint supplies
Heavy weight, grips, blocks to hold letters in position while gluing.


How To:

Take one each of the 1x4 and 1x6 and stack them with the one side flush to each other, with the 1x6 is on the bottom. Screw them together using 3 screws places evenly along the 4' length (see green circles). Repeat for other post.

Sand and wipe off dust of all wood. You only need to sand the parts you will be painting.

Paint the black first, so it can be dried first. Paint at least 2 coats, so it's nice and black.

Paint the green posts, you will paint the 1x4 and 1x6 the tops & sides, look at picture for a guide of how it will be assembled so you don't have to waste paint (blue numbers).
Let dry, probably overnight. Make sure black is really dry before taping off!

For the lines:

Measure up from the bottom of the board 16" and mark the line.Then measure from the top down 7.5" and mark the line. Do this across the board. Take 2 pieces of 1" painters tape and follow the lines across the top (this makes the top line under the name)

Now measure from the left 15" below where the line will be and mark it. Then mark 16" from the left. Place the right side of the 1" tape on the 15" mark, then place the left side of the tape on the 16" mark. Making a 1" black stripe to be painted. See photo for reference measurements in red. Repeat for the right side.

Using white paint, paint the taped off areas with a foam brush. You will do a few coats, but it doesn't take long for the paint to dry. While waiting, place letters on newspaper and paint the letters, again will need 2 coats. Let dry.

Once all the white is dry, you can apply the 3" boat letters. Place them as you want, I just made a line with 1" paint tape and placed them all on the same line. Easy.

Now take the white letters and figure out your spacing for the name of the field. Glue them on with the wood glue. Place books, heavy objects on them so they don't move. Let dry.

Assembly:

Using the 4 remaining wood screws, attach the board to the posts, see picture for guide.
Attach to wall using appropriate anchors, or you can attach to a Hollywood style bed frame.

12 March 2009

Our Disneyland Trip!

Day 1: Saturday, March 7, 2009

It’s the first family trip with us as a family of four. Lincoln’s first night out of his crib, first flight, first time at Disneyland. Chandler who’s been to Southern California before almost three years ago, is returning to celebrate his fourth birthday (albeit a bit early) in the park. Grandma Waker and Aunt Michelle are already down in Anaheim for the Expo convention and will be meeting us at Disney’s Grand Californian on Sunday.

Our day began early, four AM early. Lincoln woke us up with his middle of the night cry for a bottle. Dad went back to sleep, Mom, not so much. We had a flight at 7:55 AM on Alaska into John Wayne Airport in Orange County. After getting the kids dressed, Lincoln first since he was already awake. Chandler woke up and was very excited. Grandma Brown picked us up at 5:15 and drove us to the airport. With 2 big suitcases, 2 car seats, 2 strollers, and the carry-ons, we were loaded up to the max in the Volvo.

The kids did great on the airplane, not much sleeping, but content children was perfect! We arrived and got the luggage and the rental car (Toyota Mini Van). We made a stop at In-N-Out Burger for lunch (it was 11:30 AM) and popped on the freeway to make our way to Encinitas where we were staying in Great Uncle Rob and Great Aunt Sue’s Beach house. We arrived without incident. We made a stop to get groceries and beverages then went to the house.



After unpacking, we hung out, watching the surfers in the water, and the beachgoers in the sand. We played with a frog puzzle and sat on the floor playing as a family, without the television being on! After a while we decided to head to San Diego to eat dinner (early) at Hard Rock CafĂ©. After a nice dinner, we went to the mall across the street to get a book for Mom. Then we headed back to the house to put the kids to bed. By 7:15 PM Chandler is sleeping in the bedroom in a sleeping bag, another first! Lincoln on the other hand is being a bit more difficult, but he will go to sleep…eventually.

Day 2: Sunday, March 8, 2009

Today we began the morning around 8 AM. It was day light savings time so we lost an hour of sleep. But to wake up in the morning and go out to the baby and see 50 surfers having a blast during high tide; it was cool. We got dressed and headed out to find some coffee or breakfast. At 10 we were meeting some of Mom’s friends at Moonlight Beach, which was right down the street. We ate breakfast at Coco’s and headed to the beach.

Chandler played on the play structure and in the sand. It was a treat for him because at home Mom doesn’t like playing in the sand. Mom’s friends, Stacia and Amy, showed up with their husbands and kids in tow. Chandler got to play with Carter (Stacia) and Collin (Amy) while Lincoln got to hang out with Lilah (Stacia). We had a nice time, chatting and talking about the kids. We went down to the surf and watched the surfers and the other kids and adults swim in the COLD water.

We packed up the car after play time was over and started the drive to Anaheim. We made it to the hotel by two and checked in. We had time to kill before our room would be ready, so we had lunch at Storyteller’s CafĂ©. Once we were done, we went to our room where we had some time to unpack and relax. Trying to coax a four year old and an eight month old to nap was very difficult. Chandler surprised us by pooping on the potty without a potty seat. We were very happy, since Mom was worried about it.

Chandler and Mom took a walk around five to see what was in the gift shop. Once we were done we stopped by the pool, but Chandler didn’t want anything to do with it! We walked back to the lobby and there was Grandma waiting to check in. Not seeing us, Chandler went up to her and poked her to surprise her! It was so cute. About 10 minutes later Auntie and Butter arrived. They checked in and we hung out a bit.

Then around seven, we decided to go to Disney’s California Adventure (DCA). We headed in through the very cool, super fast, special hotel guest entrance! We walked around and did some shopping, making sure to stop and get Chandler his Mr. Potato Head accessories. $18 to fill the box with as much as you can! Very fun!!!!

Next stop was Disneyland (DL). We got our pictures taken in front of the “what will you celebrate?” display (also had them taken at DCA in front of the Golden Gate Bridge). Then we were off to the DL Railroad to ride the train. Chandler enjoyed it, but was afraid when it got pitch black. We got off at Tomorrow Land and went to ride Buzz Light year, a 5 minute wait. Chandler says he liked it, but had his eyes closed most of the time, per Dad. Mom and Lincoln hung out and shopped while the boys played.

Next up was Autopia. Chandler got his driver’s License, and really loved driving the cars! Meanwhile Mom and Lincoln were waiting and the “Remember…Dreams Come True” Fireworks show! What an amazing show!!! It was spectacular! Mom videotaped the whole thing! Realizing it was near ten PM we made our way back to the hotel, going through Downtown Disney. We ordered some room service, since we forgot to eat, and put the kids to bed. Buy 11:30 they are finally asleep and Mom is about ready to do the same! Dad is studying.

Day 3: Monday, March 9, 2009

Today we began the day with breakfast at Storyteller’s CafĂ© in the hotel. It was a character breakfast with Chip and Dale, along with some of the characters from Tarzan and the Jungle book. Chandler hated it. He had no interest in the characters which was fine. Lincoln loved looking at the random visitors that joined our table, but Chandler wouldn’t let us take pictures of him. Oh well, Lincoln hammed it up! Grandma and TT joined us and then we headed to the park with Grandma.

We started at Disneyland for the day. Chandler was obsessed with the Disneyland Railroad, so we hopped on the train and rode to Mickey’s Toontown and Fantasy land. There we rode It’s a Small World, which Chandler was a bit scared of in the beginning; it was too dark; but warmed up as we went through. It was neat because they had redone the ride adding in Disney characters in certain parts, which Chandler picked out as we rode. Lincoln enjoyed it, watching the lights and things above, almost mesmerized. Chandler called this the “singing boat” ride.

Then we headed to the tea cups! Chandler, Grandma and Dad rode while Lincoln and mom watched, taking pictures. Chandler loved it, and wanted to keep going on it over and over again.

We made a brief stop at Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and took some pictures. Then we were headed down Main Street, USA; Shopping along the way, enjoying the sights and sounds of The Happiest Place on Earth. Lincoln loved watching all the lights and seeing the people and the balloons! We ended our afternoon at the park and went back to the hotel to relax before coming back later to watch the fireworks. This time bringing Grandma, TT and Butter along! They had to see it!

When we got back to the park, we had to do the cars again, surprise. Grandma kept Lincoln and we got to go ride the cars. We thought we were cutting it close to the fireworks, but Mom was wrong, they didn’t begin until 8:45! So Dad, Chandler and Mom rode the cars, Chandler with Dad again. It was fun, and we finished just in time to make our way to Main Street to watch the fireworks over the Castle. It was neat to see from the other vantage point! Again Mom videoed it so we could watch it again, it’s that good!

After we were done, we made our way back to the hotel, taking some pictures as the flood of people made their way out of the park. It was an early night for the boys, making it to bed by 9:30 and Mom and Dad having some time to relax.

Day 4: Tuesday, March 10, 2009

This morning we got up and made it to the park by 8:20 to get into the Magic Morning! It’s were Fantasy and Tomorrow Lands are open for select people. It was awesome. What a way to knock out some rides that can be a long wait. We hit Dumbo twice, the teacups and the Rockets in Tomorrow Land. Chandler thought the Rockets were too fast and high, but didn’t freak too much. Lincoln rode the teacups with all of us and it was nice to having him doing a fun ride with Chandler.

We then headed to Adventure land and Frontier Land to ride the Jungle Cruise. Chandler thought it was so neat to see all the different animals, especially the elephants. He later referred to this ride as the “duck boat” ride, luckily Grandma figured it out later when she took him on a few rides while we napped a t the hotel. While there we figured out that we can do Indiana Jones via the Single Rider Line. So Mom went and then Dad when while the other watched the boys. It was nice to do a “grown up” ride while letting the kids have fun.

After our time in the “old” lands, we hit the Carnation CafĂ© for a bit of breakfast. Chandler enjoyed Mickey waffles while Lincoln slept in the stroller. A nice time relaxing in shade and having a diet coke. Once the food was settled and the drink all gone, we were off again!

This time Grandma and TT joined us at the teacups and afterwards they took Chandler to ride the “Singing Boat.” We decided to make way to Tomorrow Land for some more rest and shade. We got there at the right time, the Jedi Training Academy was going on and we got to watch the kids be trained in the ways of the Force. Then once their training was complete, they were to fight Darth Vader and Darth Maul; Very cool! While watching all we could think about was how much Chandler’s best friend, Alex would love this. J Chandler arrived after it was over, which was good since the characters were VERY good actors and would have scared him really well. Butter arrived about the same time Grandma and TT showed up, and TT treated Chandler and Mom to an ice cream bar.

Grandma decided to take Chandler to the “Duck Boat” ride and “Mickey’s choo choo” and would bring him back to the hotel. Lincoln was tired and so were we. We had been there for six hours by then. When Lincoln, Dad and Mom got back to the hotel, all crashed! A nice two hour nap was very helpful! We woke up regenerated and ready to go eat some dinner!

We got Chandler, Grandma, Lincoln, Dad and Mom all together to go have dinner at Rainforest CafĂ©. We walked with the kids in the strollers to Downtown Disney. Of course on the way, Chandler falls asleep in the stroller. This kid NEVER falls asleep in the stroller, never has! But he wasn’t just sleeping, he was out cold! We tried to coax him awake once we were at our table and ordering, but no dice! He wasn’t getting up. We enjoyed a nice meal and walked back to the hotel, but not before hitting ESPN ZONE to do some shopping for Rob. Good thing he hadn’t spent his “allowance!” We all got some nice stuff there, but Rob really scored (pun intended)!

When we got back to the hotel, we were able to relax and put the kids to bed at a reasonable hour and we all crashed from a very long day.

Day 5: Wednesday March 11, 2009

Today Grandma, TT and Butter all headed back to Portland. We headed to California Adventure. We walked around the park, shopping, snacking, and just exploring. Chandler loved “It’s a Bug’s Life” part of the park. Chandler and Mom rode the bumper cars and really had fun. Mom thought it’d be more fun if it went about 5 MPH faster. J

We stopped and had lunch at the Wine Country Trattoria, which was nice Italian food. We celebrated Chandler’s birthday with a pirate’s treasure chest, while came with a compass and flag…and of course a cake. He enjoyed it and even blew out the candle himself (a challenge due to his Apraxia).

Afterwards we headed over to Disneyland for some last photo ops and a couple more souvenirs. Then we rode the new Monorail back to Downtown Disney. Mom really wanted to ride the whole loop but we were already late to go to Whittier to have dinner with Rob’s grandparents.

We got to the Wark’s house and were surprised to see Rob’s aunt and uncle (Rob and Sue) were there! We were very excited to say thank you in person for letting us stay at the beach condo in Encinitas. We got to catch up on family news and introduce Lincoln to his Great Grandparents. We enjoyed a great meal and headed back to Anaheim. We got home to the hotel and got the kids in bed and began the packing. Meanwhile Mom got to watch the fireworks one last time. This time she took some still shots, and some were quite fun.

Day 6: Thursday, March 12, 2009

Today was our last day at the “Happiest Place on Earth,” which was a catch 22. On one hand it had been a blast, on the other hand our own beds and nice tasting water. We got up and had the bags taken to the minivan and we headed off to Newport Beach to see where Mom was born (Hoag Memorial Hospital). We made our way to Balboa Peninsula and saw the beach, but Chandler’s eyes were only for an airplane. He couldn’t wait to get to the airport. So we made our way back to Costa Mesa, and to Santa Ana. We stopped at In N Out burger for lunch. Man do we wish they had those here. It is good and cheap!

We dropped the car off and made our way with a whole ton of luggage to the Alaska counter. With only one bag over the fifty pound limit we were able to fix the problem and get on our merry way. Chandler loved watching the planes take off, and Lincoln enjoyed crying. He was a tired boy and soon crashed.

The flight was easy, both boys were fine. No ear issues or crying issues. We arrived in Portland early with no baggage mishaps. Grandma picked us up and got us home safely. All was well. And the kids were sleeping in their beds by 7:30 PM! For the record, Mom shot over 700 pictures while on a 6 day vacation. About 100 of them were keepers. Thank goodness for digital cameras.

10 February 2009

My first award!!!

Lauren is such a sweetie, and gave me a blogging award! My very first! Her blog is on the left hand side, All Things 4 Baby & Mom!
From her site:

The Love Ya Award

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

I received The Love Ya Award from two of my favorite bloggers- Melinda at Look What Mom Found and Marianna at Green Mama's Pad! Thank you both for sending it my way, and I Love Ya too!! *wink*

Now it's my turn to pass it on so here's who I'm sending The Love Ya Award to:

Random Thoughts from a Random Mommy- I just love Melissa and her family! I love her creations and all the pictures of her boys.


Thank you Lauren!!!!

Melissa

07 February 2009

My creations...

I have been crocheting like a mad woman. :) It's fun and relaxing, hence the lack of posts. I recently found a new site, www.ravelry.com and it's awesome for those interested in yarn crafts! In there I found a longies pattern to make for Lincoln!
Here's Lincoln modeling the longies I made.
It took me just over a week to make them, and they are 100% wool, so they can be used over the diaper w/o a cover.

And these are the longies that I made for my cousin's new daughter, Lucy. They are made with Wool from Chile and it's hand dyed. Very soft after I lanolized them!


I just joined a yarn of the month club to make new ones every month, I am so excited to do that! It's with hand dyed wool too! I will post when I get them done!

19 January 2009

Cloth Diapering How to's...

So this is according to my tastes and what I do for Lincoln. You will find MANY different opinions and ways to cloth diaper (CD) your little ones (LOs). This is what we do:

PREFOLDS
We use unbleached prefolds (PFs) as well as some red edge clotheeze PFs from http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/. I love this site. They have a HUGE selection of diapers to fit a wide variety of babies. Here's a shot of their selection of PFs:


Now I had some green edge infant size diapers and we use those as doublers now since Lincoln has grown out of them. But they don't have the green's anymore, but they are the standard infant size you get at your local CD store or online. They are 4-6-4 in layers meaning the outside parts are 4 layers thick and the middle is 6 layers. Now we trifolded them and that means that they are all folded together so there was really 14 layers. :)

Lincoln is now in premium size so they are 4-8-4, but since his rise (the measurement from top of waist in the back to just under the belly button) is short still we fold the front down 3-4". This is nice since it he's in a variety of covers.

FITTEDS

I have a few different brands (Kissluvs, Under the Nile-organic Egyptian cotton, Sugarshack baby, and Goodmama) and they are all fine, the last 2 are the softest ever! They are Organic Bamboo Velour. So yummy!


Sugar Shack Baby-this one has snaps-mine doesn't. But it's a onesize-I love this print! It's so cute! We use pins or snappis to fasten it. But I might add snaps to it, since I have snap pliers.



These are Goodmamas. They are onesize diapers with snaps. They are fitteds so you need a cover, just like a PF. We have 4 of these. They have a snap in doubler too!

PUL COVERS
Now with all of these need covers since they are not waterproof. We have several covers the first set I will describe are PUL covers (pronounce pull, which is short for poly urethane laminate). And I like a bunch of different ones for different reasons. According to GMD, "OK, this is the hard part. The diaper choice is easier, because that is often a budget (price-driven) decision. But the covers are closer in price to each other, so personal preference comes into play more here." They are totally correct!
Bummis, they have 2 different covers and there is 1 main difference between the 2. The Super Wisper Wrap (BSWW) doesn't have a gusset to keep contents inside the diaper. The Super Brite does have one. They are only available in 4 prints and white. While the BSWW has more choices for prints. They are about $11-13 locally or online.
Thirsties, are one of my absolute faves. This is because they are cut bigger than either of the Bummis and they have fantastic gussets! They do not have prints but have a wide variety of colors, over 10! I even had my mom take one of my orange/melon colored ones and embroider "Go Beavs!" on the butt! Very OSU!

Imse Vimse, is also a great cover, and it's organic! We have 2 different ones. The first is a regular waterproof cover, and it's cut generously. It works great over the fitteds! I think it's due to the higher rise. It's a great diaper because it's got such an adjustable waist setting with the hook and loop closure.

Zoom baby Gear & Bumpkins are others that we have used, but I only have 1 of each and really don't use them as much. The Bumpkins is nice and roomy-enough for the fitted! But it's a daytime cover only due to the mesh on the back-which they warn you about. The ZBG is new to me, I have had it for 2 weeks and it's been great so far. It's a side snapping cover and I am not sure if I like that yet.

WOOL & FLEECE COVERS
Again according to GMD, "Why wool? Wool is breathable. This cover is a favorite at nighttime because it virtually never leaks. The wool is totally untreated and is naturally antibacterial thus doesn't retain odors. Is wool itchy? Commercial wool can be, but this wool is untreated and wonderfully soft. Don't be afraid to try wool! This style has been loved for generations because it is so effective. The knit stretches for a gentle and comfortable fit over a very wide size range. A must for the family bed! Nighttime heavy wetter? This is the answer. It's cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Yes, really! That's because it's so breathable. Wool does need to be hand washed, and occasional lanolization is helpful. But washing is needed only very infrequently, sometimes only once a month. Wool airs out to fresh easily."

I have several fleece covers/pants that Lincoln will wear. These are fantastic because they are fully breathable! They don't trap the heat from the diaper. The fleece that I have I have either made using a thick polar fleece or they are fleece pants that I bought at the store that work. Fantastic! There are Stacinators, which had a couple of when Lincoln was a newborn. They worked nicely.

For wool, I have the Imse Vimse wool cover. It's bullet proof! I love it!!! It's great! This kiddo can pee all night long and wake up without soaking the sheets! Seriously I was skeptical with wool, but man once you have it properly lanolized, it's awesome (more on that in a bit). I have had 3 wool covers. One was when Linc was a newborn and it was a Zoom Baby Gear cover. It was nice! I love that ZBG are made here in Portland. The other wool item I have are a pair of crochet wool longies (pants in the CD world-Shorties are shorts, Skirties are skirts and Soakers are just a cover). They are great longies! I love her work, she used some very soft wool and made them custom to Linc's measurements.
He can wear these with the fitted or a PF that is pinned or snappi'd. He loves them and I get so many complements on them! To Lanolize check out this video: http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/lanolize.htm
Step by Step: http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com/CaringForWool.htm

DIY-DO IT YOURSELF
I have become a DIY kind of girl. I am working on crocheting Linc's first pair of longies. I have a ton of patterns and links and I will post them all in a separate post. There is a lot of resources for those that want to learn how to sew, knit or crochet CDs. It's addicting, beware! The one warning I will give, when you are making covers in the form of knitting or crochet, you need to use at least 80% wool. I use 100% wool, and you will need to wash and lanolize them to make them waterproof.

HOW TO WASH
This is just as important as everything else mentioned! Why you ask? Because if you don't do this right you can have a few problems: Stink issues and repelling issues. Stink is yucky because once the babe has gone pee in it, it reeks! Repelling isn't good because once the babe goes pee, it rolls down their leg because it's not absorbed.

So the main concern here is what do you WASH your diapers in! Here's the best site for laundry detergents and CDing: http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoicesataglancepspd.htm
DO NOT use any fabric softeners! This will cause repelling issues! Use wool dryer balls! They are so easy to make and perfect for those who are making covers and have left over wool-think green! :)
For us we use Charlie's Soap for our HE front loader. I use 1 scoop of that in hot water wash with a few dashes of essential oils (right now it's lemon grass or sweet orange). I will add 1/4 C of white vinegar to the cold rinse (where you'd put the softener) this helps with stink. I use BacOut, by BioKleen. It helps with poop. We also use a diaper sprayer to spray the poop off the diaper! This is a great invention! I made mine myself using a blog that I found-got all the stuff at Home Depot! Easy!
Here's a link for info on detergent aides: http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentbasics.htm

We store all the dirties in wet bags and throw the whole bag (turned inside out) into the washer. Works perfectly. I dry on medium/regular in the dryer. When there are poop stains and the sun is out, I will "sun out" the stains! Amazing how the sun will bleach things! But in Oregon it's hard to do right now. :)

So that's my basic overview. OK, so it's long! Sorry. I will add the DIY part soon.

Crazy!

Life has been a bit crazy. I have been planning our family's trip to Southern California (Disneyland and Seaworld) in March. It's been fun researching. I have been countless times, but it's neat to see what it's going to look like though a 4 yr old's eyes. :)

We are going to celebrate Chandler's 4th b-day down there. Since Rob's extended family lives in the area, we are going to do a mini party at the hotel. It will be a couple weeks early, but we know Chandler will love it. Plus most of them haven't even met Lincoln yet!! So it's a win win on all accounts.

We are going to stay at the Disney's Grand Californian, thanks to my mom's generousity. We are going to stay at Rob's Aunt & Uncle's beach house the first night then hit Sea world the next morning. Then we will drive up to Anaheim to check into the DGC. Rob is going to go see the Anaheim Ducks play against the Vancouver Canucks, which will be his highlight, no doubt!

For me, I can't wait to walk into Disneyland and see the Mickey face done up in flowers! I need to get a picture of Rob and I in front of it, since it's been 5 years since our honeymoon where the picture below was taken.
Honeymoon @ Disneyland

So that's been the big deal for the time being. I have plenty on my to do list to blog about, but this was the first. Next up...diapers. :)