Yet Another YouTube Video

Okay, I know I've been posting videos a lot lately, but this one is really funny. (Well at least I know my Dad will laugh :0)

Crack me up that he's jumping rope with a bra!!

Enjoy:

The Wonder of Christmas

Well, I don't know about you guys, but so far we have had a very nice holiday season.  Our decorations are up, I've been to a cookie exchange, the boys have wondered in awe at our Christmas village, we've driven up and down Old Town Alexandria admiring Christmas lights, most of my shopping is done (but not wrapped, YIKES!) and every night we've been reading books about the true meaning of Christmas (Which I have to say I do not recommend "The Legend of the Candy Cane", published by Zonderkids, it is a wee bit on the creepy side.  I had to stop more then once to remind the kids that we don't talk to strangers, we don't go in strangers homes and never, never take candy from strangers!)  Anywho, the other day we put Joel under the tree so he could admire the lights and decorations.  I didn't think he would be able to but he did manage to grab an ornament and promptly set to gum it, crazy baby.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas, especially through they eyes of your children!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Muppet Style)

If you, like me, grew up in the 80's then you were probably a fan of the Muppets.  I still have a special place in my heart for Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog and the likes.  

My father and I have a very unique sense of humor.  We often find things funny, that many may not.  I suppose it's a special father daughter bond we share.  When I first heard the Muppets singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas with John Denver, I knew he would love it.  It makes us both laugh.  I love to see my Dad laugh, he has this silly gasp for air thing he does when he gets really tickled that makes me smile even just sitting here thinking about it!  He recently sent me this YouTube "video".  It's really just audio with a picture, but I think it's really funny and I can see me Dad watching it over and over and laughing every time.

My favorite line is:  

Gonzo: Now bring us some figgy pudding, now ... 

Miss Piggy (spoken): Piggy Pudding? 

Gonzo (spoken): No, FIGGY pudding, it's made with figs. 

Miss Piggy (spoken): Oh, sorry. 

Gonzo (spoken): And bacon. 

Miss Piggy (spoken): What?! 

Check out the video!!

I love you Daddy!

An Elf Merry Christmas from the Spencers!

Check this out!!!

Click HERE!!

It takes a few seconds to load, but be patient, its' worth it!!

So sweet.....

I love the Ellen Show. Ellen DeGeneras (sp), is hilarious! I recently saw this clip from her show and thought it was super sweet.

I know he has his faults but I still love President Bush!

"Friends"

We (Greg, Tim, Anna, and I) love "Friends"! Greg actually told me once that he finds "Friends " funnier then Seinfeld. I thought that was huge. One of the best thing about "Friends" is finding similarities in fellow friends and family, for instance, this is my brother, he considers himself VERY sophisticated (minus the porn comment):



This is me, I'm notorious for hating to share food:



This was Sam at soccer this year, don't get me wrong, he was actually pretty good at playing, but he ran, well, like a kid (oh and he never ran into a horse either):



Do you have any favorite "Friends" moments?

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

I used to LOVE Christmas.

Now that I'm a Mom, I like Christmas, but I must say, some of the magic wears off when you are the one putting it on!  

I love music.  If I don't say so myself, I have an amazing knack for memorizing lyrics to songs.  I started playing the violin at three, switched to viola in elementary school and played through high school.  Music is in my genes.  My mother played the oboe, my dad was in a rock -n- roll band, my sister played the cello for a couple of years and you should here my brother play the trumpet.  It's pretty amazing.  I love a catchy melody and a good "key change".  I enjoy a good Christmas song, so in no particular order here are a few of my faves!

1.  Mariah Carey -  "All I Want for Christmas is You"  I used to always sing this one when Greg was in Iraq ~ "I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need......"

2.  Mariah Carey - "Jesus, oh What a Wonderful Child"  Say what you will about Mariah Carey, but that girl can SING!  Darby and Erika, do you remember singing this in choir at Southeast?  I'm not sure we ever actually performed it but I do remember singing!

3.  Michael English - "Mary Did You Know"  I love songs that really put you in the place of Mary or Joseph.  Can you imagine how it must have felt?  How scared and lonely they must have been?  My two favorite lines from this song are "did you know....this child that you delivered, will soon deliver you" and "did you know that your baby has walked where angels trod, and when you kiss your little baby you've kissed the face of God"

4.  4Him - "A Strange Way to Save the World" This one's from Joseph's perspective.  

5.  Jennifer Knapp - "Sing Mary Sing"  I don't know if this is technically a Christmas song but I love it!!  I love the thought of Mary lullabying Jesus, just like I sing to my boys.

6.  Steven Curtis Chapman - "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"  Just a beautiful song.

7.  Amy Grant - "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"  Growing up, we listened to a lot of Amy Grant.  I always loved her entire Christmas album.  It is a must have for holiday cheer.  

8.  Silent Night - By anyone...  Have you ever seen Band of Brothers?  Well I have, I LOVE that series.  I especially love that on Christmas Eve the shooting stopped and they lyrics of Silent Night drifted up from where the soldiers lay ready and waiting for fighting to resume.  On the two Christmas when Greg was deployed (I'm sorry this has been an ongoing theme lately, it's on my mind) we would sing this song to a candle lit chapel and I would imagine that movie, and hope that the Iraqis would give our troops a Silent Night.

9.  Dean Martin - "Baby it's Cold Outside"  In 1995, Greg and I both worked at American Eagle.  We didn't know each other, he worked in Bowling Green and I worked at the one in Louisville.  I got a great Christmas CD from my days of working there.  This song is on there.  Greg and I can't put up a tree without this CD playing!  I love to hear the old classic voices!

10.  Eartha Kitt with Henri Rene - "Santa Baby"  We never did Santa growing up, my parents felt it took away from the true meaning of Christmas.  We haven't done Santa either.  My boys have sworn on their lives to not tell other children, I'd hate to ruin someone else's holiday.  This song is just fun and just feels like Bing Crosby, White Christmas and my grandparents all wrapped up in one!

 

Enjoy!  Check out itunes for any you haven't heard!!

alive day ~ n. the anniversary of a close escape from death, especially one involving permanent injury.

**WARNING THIS POST CONTAINS MY THERAPEUTIC RANTINGS AND A SORT OF EMOTIONAL VOMIT OF THE HAPPENINGS OF NOVEMBER 29, 2005**

Today is an exciting day.  Today is Ryan Kules' 2nd ALIVE DAY.  If you asked me two years ago if I thought we would be celebrating Ryan's life and achievements, I would have never believed you.

On the morning of November 29th I awoke early to get the kids and I out the door so that I could attend SGT Sacco's memorial service.  As stated before, the previous week had been a blur of activity which ended with Fort Riley's traditional Memorial Service.  Memorial Services, as they should be, are gut wrenchers, especially when you attend them alone, without your husband. 

Walking into Morris Hill Chapel, the annex is always filled with pictures of the fallen soldier and their families.  Pictures of sons with their mothers, husbands with their wives, and fathers with their babies.  Black ribbons are handed out as you enter the chapel, which has been draped with the traditional, boots, rifle, dog tags and helmet memorial.  I often wondered what this signified and finally looked it up today:

Most units prepare a visible reminder of the deceased soldier similar to that depicted above. The helmet and identification tags signify the fallen soldier. The inverted rifle with bayonet signals a time for prayer, a break in the action to pay tribute to our comrade. The combat boots represent the final march of the last battle. 

This summer, as mentioned in my earlier posts, Greg and I attended a Brookes and Dunn concert.  We had a great time, but in the middle of the concert they tried to pay tribute to the troops fighting over seas.  They played their famous song "Only in America" complete with flags on ever screen, a few military personnel dressed in their finest and the above memorial.  I have to say I was a little taken aback that they would choose to use this in their act.  People cheered when the military guys brought it out.  It made me sick to think that people were cheering basically the death of a soldier.  I know that's not how they meant it but it was a little hard to stomach.  Especially when Greg and I have been to way to many memorials where this symbol really did represent a real soldier, a man who fearlessly died fighting for his country.

As I found my seat in the memorial, I could sense that their was stress in the air.  This memorial was some how different.  People were whispering a little more then normal and when LTC West gave his speech about SGT Sacco, he got choked up and began to cry.  I can't tell you how many memorial services I have been too, but I have never seen the Rear Detachment commander cry.  Not because he is cold hearted or cruel, they just don't usually cry.  

SGT Sacco's memorial ended with the typical roll call and 21 gun salute.  Two things I'd be happy never to hear again.

As I drove home, I had a sense of relief that everything for Alpha company was, I suppose complete.  It sounds horrible to say that way.  I'm sure Brandi Sacco steal grieves for her husband but the memorial part was over.  I had been home about an hour when the phone rang.  On the line was our battalion commander's wife with a cryptic message.  If I received a phone call from "a wife", to not ask her any questions, or tell her anything but to have her call Rear D immediately.  Of course anytime you get a message like that your heart begins to race and nausea sets in.  I knew a message like that was not a good thing.  

By the end of the day I was finally able to convince someone in the know, to let me in on what was going on.  When "this person" said "it's Nancy".  I nearly threw up.  Nancy and Ryan Kules were the newest Platoon Leaders in our company.  Nancy's strong will and quirky personality reminded me a lot of myself and all though hundreds of miles away, she was in Tempe, we were fast friends.  While on patrol in Iraq, Ryan's Humvee was hit by an IED.  The two soldiers with him were killed instantly and Ryan lost his right arm and left leg and was clinging to life.  Suddenly I knew what the extra stress was that day in the memorial.  That memorial was only the first of three for Alpha Company and I believe LTC West already knew what was to come as he spoke of SGT Sacco.  I can still remember falling on my knees that night in our little master bathroom and sobbing and then praying, praying that Ryan would hold on, at least until Nancy could see him.  

I was so angry at God back then, how could he let this happen to someone that we knew someone that we liked, someone who was nice.  Aren't bad things only supposed to happen to bad people!  (I wish life were that way!)  Luckily God isn't scared of my disdain for him, I believe he embraces our true feelings and loves us anyways.  I'm still trying to find my way back to the simple God of my childhood that I could trust and love no matter what, but I'm getting there.  I'm very thankful for a patient God!

Nancy chronicled her days, weeks and months with Ryan on a caringbridge site.  If you have the time, it could take awhile, you should read everything from day one.  Her love and strength for Ryan is amazing.  Ryan is lucky to have her in his life.  Now a days Ryan and Nancy live in a cute little house in Maryland that they remodeled.  They have a BEAUTIFUL baby girl named Jillian and Ryan works full time for a group called the Wounded Warrior Project.  It is absolutely amazing how far they have come in 730 days!

Alright, sorry everybody (ie. Nancy) for the mush, it's my last sappy emotional post for awhile!

Something funny for today - Is this Ethan in 15 years?!

This guy's too funny.  Frankly I think he would have been a hoot at all the dances I went to in high school, college and when Greg was in Armor!!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is tough when you are almost 4 months old!

The Leppert clan - The homeless man in the red hat is my baby brother ;0)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Turkey Day!  We have so much to be thankful for and had a wonderful time with friends and family.  This year we thought we would try a fried turkey.  I have heard they are FABULOUS, ours had "issues".  I think the poor thing sat to long before we ate him.  Oh well, I guess we will try again next year.  

We were blessed to have my parents (and brother) in for the entire week and then were joined by my sister and brother-in-law, our dear friends the Kules and my Aunt Judy!  We had way to much to eat and a lot of laughs and completed our evening with a Wii competition.  Nancy and Ryan graciously agreed to let us kidnap their Wii for an extra week and we have had a blast.  

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Gotta run, Gabe is stinkin' me out with some poopie pants.....his days of diapers are nearing an end, this is getting ridiculous!

Harry Potter?

I cannot believe Joel is almost four months old!  How is it possible??  It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital.

Joel's latest accomplishments include:  grasping his hands together at the midline, raising his head high while on his tummy, rolling from stomach to back, sucking on his fingers, sleeping through the night and laughing out loud when tickled.  He is such a cutie and is adored by his brothers.

In the last week or two I have really struggled with nursing.  I have been giving him bottles the last couple of feedings and he has eaten them up with vigor.  He has been having twice as many wet diapers and is a far more peaceful baby.  Poor baby I think he has been really really hungry the last couple of weeks.  I'm proud to say I got him through the first four months and will miss our special time together but I think this is for the best.

Isn't he a cutie in my glasses?

Some Random Pics

I'm often long winded, so I thought I would just post a few pics!

Sam at his Author's Tea with his book "You Better, Better Stay Away from Tornadoes"

Getting his "published author" certificate.

Joel with Papa.

Joel waving.

Ethan, being silly Ethan.

Enjoy!

Ethan's Birthday

I still can't believe I have a five year old! On November 2, at around 12:30 am-ish, Ethan officially became "school age". Ethan is a character! He has the unique ability to make me crazy and make me smile all in the same second. Ethan has always been my "artistic" child. At times I have a hard time appreciating his idiosyncrasies because they do not conform to the compliant, laid back personality of his older brother.

Recently I have been working with he and Gabe on "school work". We have had a blast exploring colors and numbers while also walking through the Bible. Each time we sit down to work I am in awe of Ethan's "flare". He has an eye for things I don't see. We once read a book called "The Big Orange Splot", basically the story delves into the life of Mr. Plumbean. Mr. Plumbean lives on a street where all the houses look the same, that is until one day a Seagull (I believe) drops a blob of orange paint on his house (no one knows why). The neighbors try to pressure Mr. Plumbean into painting his house back to match theirs, but instead he decides to paint his house into a beautiful scene. Eventually Mr. Plumbean encourages the entire neighborhood to explore their creativity and paint their houses to their own tastes. As we turned the pages Ethan became distressed at the thought of Mr. Plumbean painting his house back to match those of his neighbors, "but I like it that way" he exclaimed, while Sam (as Nancy put it) was more then happy to enforce the rules of the HOA (home owners association). On another day I was making the boys beds. It was time to wash their quilts and I replaced it for the week with a denim comforter, again, Ethan was frustrated, "it's so boring", he proclaimed. It warmed my heart to realize that Ethan's lack of focus at times, was really his creative mind at work.

Ethan sees things and problems in ways that I never could. Ethan is always the first to put on a costume, even as baby he loved to wear the little crowns they give you at Burger King while Sam out and out refused! I was telling a friend recently, "Ethan is full of life, but that life often gets him in trouble". I definitely walk a fine line between squashing his precious personality and keeping him in line.

I think one of my favorite things about Ethan is his fierce loyalty. For those of you who know him well, Ethan is a wee little thing. He and Gabe, who are 27 months apart, can almost where the same clothes, but if Ethan feels that someone is threatening someone in our family, he has no problem stepping up and puffing up his little chest and telling them exactly how he feels. Next year Kindergarten may be an interesting year! Along with that loyalty comes his love for a good snuggle. No matter how your day has been you can always count on Ethan for some good lovin'.

I love you Ethan!

(blogger is having some serious issues tonight...maybe I'll load some more pics tomorrow!)

Extreme Bedroom Makeover

As I mentioned before, Greg and I have been redoing our master bedroom.  It has been stressful, but a ton of fun and it is BEAUTIFUL.  I owe everything to an old friend from high school named Erika Powell (nee' McPherson) (I've always wanted to use the word "nee'"), she has graciously given of her amazing talents and has "hooked us up" with a fantastic room.  Stay tuned for before and after pictures, we aren't quite done.  In the mean time, check out her blog and her website!!!  Oh and I added her website to my "Check out these sites" for future inspiration!

Club Foot -A deformity that is a combination of talipes equinus and talipes varus, marked by a plantar-flexed, inverted, and adducted foot.

Most of you probably know that Ethan was born with a club foot. When he was born I was devastated to learn that he had a "deformity". Looking back, I'm not sure why I was so upset. I suppose hind site truly is 20/20. If someone had told me five years ago that I would have a son doing this, I would have never believed them (he's wild isn't he?!):

Ethan's club foot has never held him back. This week we went to his yearly orthopedic appointment and the doctor was still fairly happy with where he was. Ethan has been complaining about not being able to hop on his left foot. The doc said the foot was slightly tighter probably because of a recent growth spurt. She showed us a few exercises I can do with him. If the foot does continue to tighten they will put us in for some PT and if that doesn't work we will go back to a month of casts and possibly minor surgery. She didn't seemed too concern so I'm pretty optimistic that the exercises at home will work.

I still need to post about his birthday....I'll get around to that next.

Happy Weekend, my Mommy and Daddy are coming...YEAH!!!

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke

The month of November, for most, is a month of Thanksgiving. While I do love Thanksgiving, November is also a month of remembrance for me.

Veteran's Day got me thinking of how different Greg and I's lives have been since the war started in 2003. I can still remember waking early on a cold March morning in Kansas. We had had Bible Study at our house the night before and all though it really wasn't published knowledge we knew the invasion was about to begin. Greg and I said special prayers that night for the Battalion from our Brigade that was already in Iraq. As I turned on the TV I witnessed the greenish haze of a night vision lens on a news camera. The camera was focused on several soldiers in gas masks walking back in forth in front of some sort of equipment. All I could do was cry, cry for my girlfriend Christy who's husband Dennis was already there and for myself and my little family. We didn't know exactly when Greg would leave at that point but we knew his leave was imminent.

On April 28th we watched Greg get on a bus headed for an airport that would send him to Iraq. Sam was almost two and Ethan was just an infant. Leaving that parking lot I remember thinking the war had almost a romantic notion to it. We were (and I believe are) the next Great Generation. The romance of a deployment quickly faded. Deployments are horrible. It is horrible to do everything alone, grocery trips, birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, lawn mowing, child rearing, etc. are meant to be done as a couple. When Sean McWilliams was hit by an IED in October of 2003 and Greg assumed command of Alpha Company 1-13 Armor, I truly began to understand what fear was. Having Greg in command is something I could never really explain to someone who is not in the army. Greg's focus for two years was keeping his men alive, my job was to run the Family Readiness Group. Those two things are tough on a marriage. Our days at Fort Riley were some of the darkest I've known.

Greg returned from Iraq in March of 2004, by April we knew he would be returning. Gabe was born in January and Greg left just 12 days later. I have never cried so uncontrollably. My girlfriend Nancy must have thought I was CRAZY! Little did we all know what was in store for our company.

In November, just a few days after Thanksgiving, I received a call that Greg's gunner, SGT Dominic Sacco, had been killed by a sniper. Greg was no longer in command, but the new company commander's wife graciously allowed me to come and be with Brandi Sacco. The next few days were a blur of grief for me, I cannot imagine how they must have been for Brandi. Karen (the new commander's wife) and I spent many hours driving back and forth from Fort Riley to Topeka to be with Brandi and for the visitation and finally the funeral.



I will never forget that funeral. If you ever want to see true evil look into the eyes of Fred Phelps. For some reason Mr. Phelps feels that his calling in life is to go from town to town, with his "church" picketing soldiers funerals. Luckily there is another group called The Patriot Guard Riders who ride from funeral to funeral with their Harley's blaring to drown out the taunts from these evil people! I will never forget pulling up to the funeral home that frigid December day and seeing a flag upside down, knowing that my husband was risking his life so that these idiots could act like idiots. When I met up with Karen she wanted to sneak in the back of the funeral home, but I refused. I would not allow Fred Phelps to win. I told her we were going in the front door in front of everyone. We grabbed hands and walked what seemed like the longest walk of my life. We cried as we walked but I feel like we made a statement that day, that not even Phelps could take away the pride we felt for SGT Sacco and for our husbands. (For more picture of that day click HERE).

Someone else has decided that Phelps will no longer be able to torture the families of fallen soldiers. Albert Snyder, the father of a Marine who died in combat, has sued Fred Phelps and WON!! (For the news article click HERE). A federal judge in Baltimore awarded the Snyder family $11 million in damages because of Phelps' invasion of privacy. Now I know this family will probably never see a dime of that money, but I'm glad a good man has done something so that this evil will no longer be allowed to prevail!!

Okay, off my soap box for now....thanks for "listening" to my ranting....stay tuned for more sappy posts, we have an "Alive Day" coming up!!!

Finally Back

"You must have been a beautiful baby!!"

So sorry it's been awhile. Things have been so nuts around here. We finally got our new computer and I've been waiting for Greg to transfer everything on to this new computer. Right now we are waiting for some fancy screw driver so we can take the hard drive out of the laptop. Fun, fun.

I don't know when I'll get around to pics of Ethan's FIFTH birthday but I thought I would atleast get the Halloween pictures up.

A little background on Halloween, in July we found Spiderman costumes at Costco. Ethan was dying to have one so we went ahead and picked it up for Trick or Treating. Since Ethan was getting one Gabe just had to have one too. Several days later Sam was sure he was missing out and wanted to be Spiderman as well. We had to go to three different Costcos to find his size but by the end of July we were all set for Halloween. I was certain that someone would change their mind before the end of October, but thankfully we only had one little fickle pickle, Sam. He came home from school the week before Halloween and announced that he in fact wanted to be "Darth Vader". Luckily he wasn't too upset when I reminded him of his Spiderman costume! Anywho, here are some pics from the big day.

Before Trick or Treating

The boys doing their "web shooters". Gabe couldn't quite figure it out.

With all my SPIDERMEN!! Notice my new hair cut, all though this picture does not do it justice! It is much cuter in real life!!

When Spidermen attack!

As usual Gabe, who by the way is making me CRAZY, had some funny Halloween stories. Because there were three spidermen, and because Gabe was a little slow, he was constantly getting gypped! He would run up to a door, and everyone thought he was one of the other boys coming back for more candy. One lady looked at him and said, "are you coming back for more, didn't you get enough?". Poor Gabe , I kept having to tell people that he was the third of three spidermen! The funniest part of our evening was when Gabe went up to a door and rang the bell. The guy opened the door and we said, "Gabe, what do you say?", Gabe went into the house and in a Chuckie-esque voice said, "GIMME SOME CANDY", not exactly what we had hoped for! Overall we had a great evening. Below is a picture of the trick or treaters in action, would you believe, they kept those masks on the entire time!

You can't tell from this picture, but because Gabe is still in a diaper, he had the cutest little spiderman butt I have ever seen!!

The boys made out like bandits this year! Our neighborhood has set the bar high! They received, books, toys, Pixie Sticks as tall as they are and gads and gads of candy. Thankfully, no Play-Doh this year, curses, to whoever thought handing out play-doh was a good idea, I hate that stuff! Yes it is rather fun, but what a MESS!!

Again, so sorry I'm so behind! Stay tuned for more updates, including, Ethan's birthday and our bedroom's extreme home makeover!!

Death of an Apple :0(

Well, I know many of our loyal fans are anxious to see new pics of the Spencer fam, tragically, our computer died last night, taking with it many of our pictures. We are hoping to be able to recover everything when we get our new computer on Monday. Right now I'm using "Ol' Blue" our 4 year old Dell computer that is on it's last leg.....and is really only good for checking email. I'll update as soon as possible! Yesterday Joel was 3 months old, Ethan is five today, and my Dad is coming for a visit so we have lots to share! Check back early next week.

If Elisabeth can do it, why can't I?

Make sure and read my edit below if you
haven't already....it is also in red.

Today on "The View" Elisabeth Hasselback showcased her favorite baby items. It got me thinking and I thought I would blog my favs. Hey, baby sis....this one's for you!

P.S. IF YOU ARE A BOY, YOU MAY NOT WANT TO CONTINUE READING....BRAS ARE MENTIONED :0)

I nursed Sam for 6 weeks. I was so ready to be done. It hurt so bad, I swore I would never do it again. Of course by the time Ethan was born, the "nursing guilt" had taken over and I tried again, but with a horrible spinal headache, it just wasn't happening. I was a lot more gung-ho to nurse Gabe and did so for 8 weeks but since Greg left for Iraq 12 days after he was born it was really hard and he was hungry all the time, so I just couldn't do it. So far Joel has been my nursing success story, I'm at 12 weeks and all though many days he nurses every 2 hours, he does sleep through the night so I have no plan to stop nursing. I credit my success to really good nursing bras and a sweet husband who will buy my any baby item I think I need.

During the day I love the Bravado nursing bra. This bra is SUPER comfy and its design allows for easy access. It goes over your head, kind of like a sports bra and it's super easy to wash. I just throw it in with the boys clothes and it's ready to wear again. This bra is a must for nursing success.

(10/24) In regards to my below comment about the Madela pump....I'm not saying it's a bad pump, I'm saying that had I known that the only piece that actually touches your skin/milk is a $6 part, I would have purchased one much cheaper off of Ebay or borrowed a friends.....It is a nice pump.

One of the reasons I hated nursing in the past was having to wear a bra at night. Well no more! The Medela nursing bra is so comfortable. I got a size bigger then I actually needed and I barely feel it at night. It is just enough to hold my pads in. LOVE IT! Now while we are on the subject of Medela....Greg bought me one of their super duper pumps. WHAT A RIP OFF. Don't get me wrong, it works just fine, but why in the world does it cost almost $300?? Everything on the box talks about how it should only be used by one person, WHY? Sure there are a few pieces that actually touch your skin, and sharing those would be GROSS, but those parts cost about $6 to replace or could easily just be boiled!

My latest favorite baby accessorie is my hotsling
I LOVE this thing and so does Joel. You can wear it a lot of different ways, it is way cute, and super comfy. I don't know if I will ever again wear that oh so uncomfy Baby Bjorn! Oh and get it off of ebay, I guarantee you will get it for a lot cheaper (like 50% off)!

Greg and I debated for several days about getting this item, but I am so thankful that we did. It is the Phil and Ted's sport double stroller. It is the best stroller I own, and trust me I own a ton of strollers. The best thing about this stroller is that you can buy it when you only have one child and then go back and buy the "double kit" when you get preggars again. This stroller is pricey, but worth every penny. Be warned, you will get a ton of crazy looks and tons of questions, but Brooke Shields and Gwynth Paltrow both have it, so it must be cool, right?! (For some reason the picture got cut off, check out the link for better views)

If I continue to nurse, I won't need this product with Joel, but it was super handy with Gabe. Now I know you are asking yourself, why would you want to feed your baby hands free....? Well, I didn't use this unless I was desperate, but with 3 kids who were 3, 2 and newborn and Greg in Iraq, I needed HELP! I drove to KY from KS by myself a couple of times while he was gone. I really didn't have time to stop and feed Gabe so this thing was so handy! I got so good that I could actually make him a bottle and hand it to him while I was driving, YIKES, scary now that I think about it! I saw another brand that had a strap so you could attach it to your car seat and keep it standing up. That would be a good addition to this particular one.

I got this fav from my dear friend Connie. I haven't been able to use these handy labels yet, but as soon as I need a cup labeled with Joel's name they will be very useful. Thanks Connie!

My last favorite for tonight, was also on Elisabeth's list. The snack trap. This one speaks for itself! I often forget to use it, but should whip it out more, Gabe is still super messy!


Well I hope you have enjoyed my favorite baby items. I guess I'm back to killing my blog by constantly talking about my kids/kid things, but then again it's what I know!

Off to bed....Joel sleeps through the night, but 6:30 comes early!

Out of the Mouth's of Babes V

My children, make me laugh. I genuinely find them very funny. The older they get the wittier their comments become. Today my conversation went something like this:

Sam: "Mommy, I have GOT to learn the parts of a chicken"

Me: "Why is that Sam?" (very confused)

Sam: "So I know which parts NOT to eat" (as he held up that random boney/gristly/jointy end part of a chicken leg)

I laughed out loud, poor kid he just dug right in to that chicken, bone, gristly parts and all!

On a side note, Ethan is now officially a preschool drop out. He didn't like the program, they didn't teach him anything and his teacher frequently used double negatives, YUCK! In a desperate attempt to find something to do with the boys during the day while also preparing Ethan for kindergarten I stumbled upon a fantastic website called Hubbard's Cupboard. They have preschool type lesson plans, to include printouts, games, songs, etc. We have had a great time the last two weeks learning about Creation. I highly recommend this site if you are looking for something to keep you busy this school year!

Rain Drops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens.....these are a few of my favorite things.....

Well, I am totally stealing this from another friends blog (Darby and Erika, just remember imitation is the highest form of flattery) but I thought today would start my favorite things blogs. I have so enjoyed getting ideas from their favorite things, and I hope some of my faves will inspire you!

I once read if you want to quickly kill a blog then constantly blog about your children. If this is true then my blog clearly needs CPR! So here goes on something other then my oh so wonderful and beautiful children (P.S. I've heard seven is the magical favorite things number, oh and these are in no particular order).

This week will be my favorite stores!

Gatherings on the Prairie, Junction City, Kansas

If someone had told me, in 2001, when we moved to Kansas that there would be an amazing home decor store in the heart of Junction City I would have NEVER believed them. When I first went to check it out I was skeptical. Surely anything called Gatherings on the Prairie would carry kitchy sunflower crapola and little else, boy was I wrong. Rob the owner of the store has an amazing sense of style, combining old with new. The items he chooses for his store are beautiful, unique, inexpensive and have nothing to do with sunflowers! Last February I went back to Kansas to visit some friends, and visiting "Gatherings" was on the top of my list of places I just had to go. While there I bought, beautiful pictures and Easter decor. I even carried a life size bunny on the plane. You should have seen him going through security, the guards were a little taken aback when he went through the x-ray machine! I love this store, this picture by the way does not do it justice! If you are ever on I-70 between Kansas City and Colorado make sure to stop by this store! (I don't know what the other two items that aren't showing up are supposed to be, there was only one picture, so who knows)(Now there is 3 of the same post....I think this blog may have "issues")



Okay, who doesn't LOVE IKEA!! Even my kids love IKEA, okay maybe that's because they have a kids area, where they get to play without Mom and Dad and without ever actually shopping, but that is beside the point! Why didn't I know about this store when I first got married?! The items at IKEA, while at times seem rather modern, have a spot in any house. I will miss IKEA when we leave DC!

I used to really love the GAP. Now I just "like" the GAP for me, but for kids clothes I still love them. When we first moved to Kansas the GAP had amazing deals. Every Monday night GAP would do mark downs, every Tuesday morning I would shop online for super cheap clothes! GAP allows price adjustments for up to two weeks after purchase. The manager at the GAP in Manhattan, KS, knew me so well that he allowed me to call and get price adjustments over the phone, instead of having to drive all the way there! We had amazing wardrobes back then. The deals aren't quite as good as they used to be BUT they were the first company to come up with the adjustable waist pants for kids. My children, who are all rather slim, wouldn't be able to keep their pants on if it weren't for this nifty little creation! My latest favorite thing about the GAP has been their newest "fit" option for children. Most of their pants now come in Slim, Regular and Husky. The Slim pants are the first pants Sam has ever been able to wear without any adjustments. They fit him so well and look very nice on him. I just ordered four pairs online for him. OH and get a GAP card! For every $200 you spend GAP will send you a $10 gift card. With four boys to outfit, it doesn't take me long to spend that kind of dough!


Need I say more? This place has awesome clothes! They come in petite, regular and maternity and if you catch them on sale, they have great deals. LOVE IT!


Greg and I love Costco! Sometimes I wonder how I ever lived without this store. We walked in the other day and I asked Greg if he thought you could get away with only ever shopping there. They have everything; electronics, food, clothing, shoes, jewelry, glasses, tires, plants, Christmas trees, etc. Sometimes we go there just to feast off of the "tastes". With a $.55 soda you can make a meal off of their samples. Oh, and did I mention their photo processing, they have fantastic deals on enlargements and photo cards. The best part of Costco is their return policy. They will return just about anything for just about any time frame. I like that kind of costumer service. If you haven't joined the "club", but want to, make sure you get an Executive Membership. Every year you will receive 2% of your annual purchase price back in the form of a gift card (does that make sense). Last year we were members for six months and received almost $100 back (don't figure out how much that means we spent, it's scary!). I love Costco, it is definitely one of my favorite stores.


If you love Nordstrom you will love the Rack. The Nordstroms around here are not very big, so they have very little room for sale items. When things do need to be marked down they get shipped off to the Rack. They have a huge, amazing selection of expensive name brand items at great prices. I've never seen so many shoes in one place. I just discovered that they have a petite section so I am even more in love with this store. Now if I could just figure out how to get down there more often without my children!


Woodbridge, VA has a Nordstrom Rack, a Costco, an IKEA and an ULTA. It is a great place to shop. The reason I love ULTA is not because of their products (I could get them almost anywhere), it is because of their coupons and reward card. I'm not exactly sure how they work the program but I do know that I now have enough points to get a free eye brow wax (I didn't have to buy much to get this either)! A couple times a year they have triple points so your purchases get you free things even faster. I love free things, so this store rounds out my favorite stores!

I hope you enjoyed my list of favorite stores. Sorry if the blog is a little disjointed, I've had a lot of interruptions, imagine that. Stay tuned for more favorites, and be sure to share yours on your blog!

Heather

Joel...the ladies man...

Joel and Jillian sittin' in a tree.....K-I-S-S-I-N-G....

Joel....not so sure about this older woman...


Jillian: "Stick with me kid, I'll teach ya the ways of this world!"

And lastly a picture of my three lil' stooges!


Hope everyone has a great week!!