We like to MOVE it, move it!

If I could turn back time, I would sing this song with Ella at least ten more times!  Can't believe how big my girl is getting!  *tear*



This video is from almost two years ago and yet my house still looks the same in the background!  Boxes and boxes!  We are in full packing mode this week getting ready to move into our "new" house.  We haven't sold our house yet (still have an offer for bottom dollar), but we are going to hold out a bit longer and see if we have any more come in.  Until then, we are going to go ahead and get ready to move out.  Then we can get our house all emptied, clean it really well and see what happens.  If we don't have any offers then we will sell it for what we owe to the offer we already have on the table and wash our hands of it.  It's crazy right now, but very exciting, too!  I'm trusting that God has all the details of the house already figured out since he has arranged everything up until this point anyways!

Oh...and did I mention tomorrow's my BIRTHDAY!  Yipeeee! The Wee ones are SO excited about it being my ACTUAL Birthday!?!?  That they have made me excited, too!

Diaper Doo-ty!

This one's a really random post!  But I have been wanting to tell you all about it, and today seemed like the perfect chance....since it was laundry day and I had my camera out...

For a few months now, I have been using cloth diapers for Noah.  The cloth diapering "world" is sooooo far advanced from the kind of cloth diapers most moms and grandmas think of.  There are a ton of different options, fits, colors, and styles to choose from.  It's a little overwhelming at first.  I first considered cloth diapers back when Ella was pretty young. I had met some other mom's who where were using them and they had just about convinced me.  Still, I just wasn't sure I was up for the job!  No matter how "convenient" the diapers have become....I still know how the whole process goes...and I wasn't sure I wanted to be the person left with a full diaper...that I couldn't just throw away!!  So I gave up the idea and continued with disposables.  Fast forward to Noah's infancy.  I was still intrigued, but ultimately just grossed out with the idea, until I started babysitting for a friend who was cloth diapering.  It brought the idea back into my head and I started reading articles and blogs about cloth diapering.  Checking prices and styles.  Long story short, I decided to give it a try and see how it went!  

There were a lot of choices on which diapers to buy.  When doing my research, my favorite brands were Bum Genius and Fuzzi Bunz.  I also found lots and lots that I completely LOVE on Etsy.com.  It can be a pretty large financial investment to get started, since each diaper can cost anywhere from $15-$25 each!  Of course there are cheaper versions and more expensive versions as well.  Most reputable brands seem to be about $20 a piece going down the more you buy together.  Since I wasn't convinced I was going to stick with it, I was really hesitant to spend several hundred dollars just to get started.  So I decided to go with a brand I found on Ebay.  They were made in Japan and very cheap.  I think shipping and all I paid $60-$70 and got 10 diapers.  It really is better long term to go ahead and buy the better diapers since washing them so much really wears them out.  I'm pretty impressed with mine though!  They are a great deal for getting started!  Also, I decided to go with a "One Size" diaper so that I can use them again if I have another baby. 

See? The one on the left is adjusted to the smallest size and the one on the right is bigger for Noah.

Most of you can skip all of this, but for anyone who cares, here are some more specific pros and cons I've found...and a little bit of "How To"...although I'm still a work in progress! ;)

The Ins and Outs:

Just like there are a million different styles...there are a million different techniques, but here is how I make it work for me...

*First, things first, I am brave. Yes. But not all the way brave yet.  I am only using cloth diapers when I'm at home.  Poop on the go is just way too scary for me at this point! lol....baby steps!  So for now, anytime we are going somewhere, I pop Noah into a disposable and we're off.  

*Since I only have 10 diapers, I wash pretty often.  I was tempted to buy more, but keeping the number of diapers low..keeps me washing often and the smell down.  Plus Noah is older now so he doesn't go through a ton of diapers in one day like a newborn would.

*Each day I fill my washer up with water (I turn the knob forward to the last rinse) (no soap at this point) and leave the lid open.  Then all day when I change Noah, I just pull out the diaper insert and throw both pieces in the washer. (Did I mention they have an insert?? Sorry...the style of diapers I use has a pocket that you put a thick terry cloth  insert into.) If he has a poopy...that's a different story.  I'll get there in a sec!

*When I'm getting close to running out of diapers, I close the lid and let the washer do it's thing.  Remember it's only set for a rinse.  Then I refill the tub with hot water and add detergent.  I just use our regular detergent, but they sell some specifically for cloth diapers..I just use a little less then the normal amount.  Then I let the washer run through a full cycle.  After it's done, I will run just one more extra rinse to be sure there is no soap residue.  Then I pop them in the dryer and voila!  

*There is a little bit of work once the diapers are dry since you have to stuff each insert into the diaper casing.  But it just takes a few minutes. Then I just stick them in a basket in Noah's room ready to go :))

*Okay. Warning! Graphic potty talk ahead!!  Poopy Diapers.  The one and only part I hate!! But I will share with you what I have been doing...

When Noah has a poopy I change him like normal, sitting the diaper aside.  Then I take it into the bathroom and shake off the actual poop.  Toss it in the washer and I'm good. Unless....it's a messy one.  They make little sprayers that can hook onto your toilet and make this way easier....but I don't have that.. so! First, before I shake anything off I go get a rubbermaid bucket I use to soak stained clothes.  I fill it with hot water and add a tiny bit of detergent to it. (I just leave this bucket of soapy water sitting in the bathtub) Then I take the diaper, pull the insert out and toss it in the bucket.  Then take the yucky diaper and dip it a couple of times in the toilet.  If it's really, really, bad I may flush the toilet and repeat.  My hands never get yucky.  They are holding onto the clean part...but I'm not going to lie...it's really gross!  Then I put that diaper into the bucket along with any other stinky ones until wash time when I just dump the whole bucket into the load. I haven't had any trouble with this smelling up the bathroom, but I could see where it could if you didn't rinse it well. Or if it sat a long time.  I usually only have one or two stinky ones per wash since Noah is bigger and usually only poops once and day and also sometimes I get lucky and he poops in a disposable. :)  So there's the icky truth about that part.  

**Disclaimer**

All of that above is on the "ideal" days....sometimes....I am using my washer and dryer to do laundry or have a load sitting in one of them that is waiting to go in the dryer...you know normal behind-on-never ending-laundry stuff.  On those days I have stinky ones waiting in the bathtub and wet ones sitting on top of the washer.  I'm considering getting a bucket for wet storage of the wet ones..but it's really been my goal to just have the washer ready for them. Having them sitting around gets stinky quickly!

A few CONS or lessons learned....

*Hardest one for me is that I like to use fabric softener and have a Bounce bar in my dryer. You can't use these with cloth diapers so I have to be a little strategic...I slide the Bounce bar out for diapers and usually try to dry a load in between to help rub off any residue on the dryer walls.  The fabric softener creates a water barrier on the diaper that makes them not absorb well..I learned this lesson very well when I forgot once and dried a whole load with it in there.  I had to go through a stripping process to wash it out of the diapers and I'm exhausted just thinking about it ;) So NO FABRIC SOFTENER! 

*You have to do laundry a lot?? CON, right???

PROS and reason why I LOVE them!

*Obviously, once you've paid for your set...they quickly pay for themselves and then you have FREE diapers!  Even using disposables as well, I am still saving lots of money.  And that makes me happy :)

*They really cut down on diaper rash (which reminds me...you can't use rash cream for the same reason as the bounce.).  I was worried about not being able to use rash cream since Noah's skin is very sensitive and he gets diaper rashes a lot.  Well, he has not had one since! For reals! ;)

*You can join in with Randy and call me a "Hippie" but I don't care!  They really cut down on waste! Did you know that it takes disposable diapers 500-550 years to decompose?!?!? And you can add on more if it's a stinky one wrapped in a baggie! I'm all about convenience products, but that just really surprised me!!

*They are ADORABLE! How can you resist this butt?? hahahaha

So....anyone convinced to try them, too??? LOL  Or already using them??  Have any tips?? I'm still picking the brains of cloth diapering moms I meet to find out tips that may help.  And I just have to say...I'm about as girly and squeamish as they come...and Randy tells me all the time I act like a snob about my random list of things I think are okay for the kids to wear or not wear...If I can do this, anyone can! I told Noah to smile and show you all how much he loves his diapers....and this is what I got:

Oink, Oink, Moo, Moo....

Noah James turned TWO!

Yes..my little man is growing up.  Both of the kiddos are!!  I keep telling Ella that I'm not going to feed her anymore so she will stop growing.  She thinks that is so funny and always tells me, "Mommm!!!! You can't do that!!!!  I WANT to grow!! I want to grow into a bigger girl!!"  We had a blast celebrating Mr. Noah's big day at the park with some friends.  I put the pictures up on facebook and thought I would share the video here with you all.  I'm workin on it, I promise.  Hopefully I can finish it up and get it loaded to this post during nap time today!  Until then, here's a little preview of my little guy!

Happy Father's Day!

Just wanted to wish a Happy Father's Day to all of the Daddy's out there!  Hope you all have a great day!  I'm so thankful for my Dad as well as my step dad!  I love you both very much and I'm thankful to have you in my life.

I'm especially thankful for my hubby Randy.  It's such a blessing to have such a wonderful Father for my children.  He's the best.  More than I ever could have wanted and it's a joy raising our children together!

So this video is for the best "Daddy" (Ella) and "Dad Dad"(Noah) any kid could ever want!  We love you so much and hope this silly video makes you smile. You know how hard it is to get the kids to "perform" so I know you'll appreciate the tiny clips I managed to scrape up!  XOXOXOX!

Tuesday, Tuesday

Things I would rather NOT be doing on this beautiful Tuesday morning:

*Washing sheets that have been thrown up on (along with my regular laundry duties)

*Watching my poor little girl mope around with a fever for the second day in a row..

*Try and remember which one it's time for..Motrin??  Tylenol?? ...yikes...

There are lots of things I wish I wasn't doing, but I love how it's all about perspective!  Who doesn't hate fevers and throw up and medicine??  But do you know what I LOVE??  Laying on the couch with my (on fire with heat) little girl.  Rubbing her back and stroking her hair.  Laughing with her at silly parts in the movie and feeling a little bit of relief to see her actually smiling for a minute.  Tucking her into bed. Singing  Amazing Grace while I scratch her back until she finally falls asleep.  

I am worn out.  It's only 10:30am and I'm already dreaming of bed time.  But, I wouldn't trade one moment!  I am so thankful to be able to care for and love on and fuss over my babies when they are sick.    It helps them feel better!  I know cause Ella told me so :))

Throwback Thursday

*This is me not mentioning the fact that I already failed the once a week challenge...ahem.......*


But anyways! I uploaded a kagillion pictures off my camera last night and I have lots of old and new memories and adventures to share with you.  So this week I will take you back to Easter lunch.  Every year we usually go spend Easter, Christmas, all the big holidays..with friends and other families.  Since we don't have family here it helps make up for it.  Well, that's all fine and dandy, but it never gives me a chance to cook some, too!  I always enjoyed cooking for holidays with my mom, so this year I decided we would do our own thing.  We were planning to just keep it small, but then decided to invite anyone from the Worship Team over who didn't have plans and I'm so glad we did.  Our house is VERY small when it comes to entertaining!! I have a little kitchen and a table that seats four :)  So we definitely made some memories I'll never forget, but I'll always treasure!  It was special!  We ended up gathering all around my living room to eat!  I'm so excited that when we move, we will have a great setup for having people over.  Lots of extra seating and kitchen space.  Since cooking and having people over is one of my favorite things to do, I can not wait!

Here are the random pics from Easter 2011:

Randy carving the ham..

and Rhea helping, too!

Lindsay (one of our bands vocalist) and Allen (our drummer)

The only picture of me the whole day and it's my back :(  

Poor Rhea is a nurse and had worked the night shift the night before.  She came straight from work, lead worship with us, came to the party, and finally crashed!

Flowers Lindsay got for me! 

It was a great day! 

Easter Menu:

* Glazed Ham

*Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

*Green Bean Casserole

*Corn

*Broccoli Casserole

*Sweet Potato Casserole

*Rolls