So Happy to be Home.

I knew when the kids and I left for the West coast I wouldn't have time for blogging, the internet, or anything scrapbooking related... I would be too busy! Both Evan and Jack had photo shoots (check out Terri's blog for a peak at Jack's... so cute!), Abby's graduation, a party, lunch dates, shopping, play dates, and lots of time spent playing with Grandma & Grandpa.

When we got home tonight I was ready to work on a layout for Karla Dudley Designs. It felt really good to work with a current photo of Evan (from our trip), and play with a couple of Karla's new products:


[Supplies used - White cardstock: Cardstock Essentials. Frame: Frame Essentials No. 2.Brads: Frame Essentials N. 2. Stitching: Digi Essentials. Background brushes: Digi Essentials. "Play All Day" brush: Handwritten - Summer. "Summer" brush: Handwritten - Summer. "2010": Digi Essentials No. 5. Arrow: Digi Essentials]

During our l-o-n-g trip home today, a couple of funny/embarrassing/cool/weird things happened, and I want to remember them. We started our day at 4:20am (pacific time), and we arrived home at 8:00pm (eastern time)... so hopefully this is written coherently! I'm so, so tired!

1. Abby and I were trying to get through security in Seattle, and I was struggling with bags, car seats, shoes, jackets, blankets, kids, etc., etc. I looked behind me to apologize for taking so dang long and totally did a double take... Jay Buhner was standing right behind me! I must have looked like a spaz because he gave me this half smile and helped me get our bags/gear/crap through the x-ray machine. He was super nice, but both Abby and I agree he isn't as tall as we thought he was :-)

2. A woman on our second flight (who was traveling with 8 month old twin boys) asked us if Jack was an actor. I said no, and she said she thought Jack was the baby from the show Dexter! I haven't seen the show, so when we got home I did a google search, and sure enough, Jack looks just like him! Abby thinks Jack is way cuter, though, and I have to agree.

3. During our layover in LA, we had to go down a huge escalator with all our stuff (and the two kids). I stepped onto the escalator, followed by Abby. Evan was supposed to follow right behind Abby (with his own carry-on bag), but he freaked out and wouldn't get on. I'm hollering at him to get on the dang escalator, but he wouldn't... so I start to panic. The escalator is at least three stories tall, and I didn't want Evan to turn around and run the other direction. So I frantically tell Abby to turn around and go get Evan (I had my hands full with Jack and Jack's car seat)... so there goes Abby: running up the escalator as it's going down. Evan decides to sit down and take his shoes off and send those down the escalator instead! I finally make it to the bottom of the thing, and I look up to see Abby trying to make it to the top, and a security guard is asking Evan if he had been abandoned! He did look neglected sitting at the top of an escalator with no shoes & a carry-on bag. Abby finally made it to the top to rescue him and they made it to the bottom safely (and with both of Evan's shoes). I was laughing so hard (after Evan was safe and sound, of course!).

4. Our second flight was full, so we couldn't bring Jack's car seat on the plane. Abby was also sitting three rows ahead of us, so I was a little panicked about being by myself with two kids and only two seats. The flight attendant said we could ask the gentlemen sitting by the window if we could change seats so Abby was sitting with us, but he politely declined. He was really nice, but said he wanted to be by the window (and Abby's seat was an aisle seat). Evan spent the net 30 seconds fidgeting, rearranging, adjusting, and squirming, and the guy changed his mind and asked to switch seats with us! Way to go Evan... being a wiggle worm got us three seats in a row!

5. We were on a bus from the Alaska terminal to the Delta terminal, and we were passing by some construction at the airport when Evan turned to Abby and said "we are in the desert!" My other favorite Evan-ism from the day is "we are about ready to land this baby!" as we were descending into Cincinnati.

The trip was so much fun, and I know Evan is going to miss his grandparents. Good thing they are visiting next month!

xoxo,
Erin.

Wednesday.

I wish I could say we were doing a lot of really exciting things & that is my excuse for not posting, but it's really just the opposite.

We are in a good Monday/Wednesday/Friday pre-school routine with Evan.

Jack is taking two naps per day and sleeping through the night (most of the time).

Mark is working or at school until 5pm every day (and often heads back to the office at 8pm after we put the boys to bed).

I am doing endless amounts of laundry, paying bills, Christmas shopping, working on some online classes, taking tons of photos, & organizing the apartment to make our move easier.

See? Nothing too exciting.

Mark took Evan out for a bike ride tonight before dinner. He loves his Cars bike.

I love this photo of Jack. He usually wakes up from his naps with a big smile on his face & he loves to coo at his mama :-)

Tomorrow is a non pre-school day, so we'll be doing some grocery shopping, running to the post office, and hopefully getting outside for a bit if the weather cooperates. Fall is most definitely here to stay, which means less time outside and more time inside, playing the Wii & rediscovering toys that haven't been played with since last fall/winter.

Maybe tomorrow or Friday I will have some more exciting to post! Until then, have a great Thursday!

Diapers, Laundry, & the Boys.

I guess I haven't posted because we've been up to.... the same old thing. I've been taking a ton of photos of this little guy:

Jack has also been leaking through his diapers at night (and during nap times), so we have made the switch to gDiapers. They are kind of a disposable/cloth diaper hybrid which are supposed to be great at night & I feel a little better because they are environmentally friendly & they come in cute colors :-)

Evan has really been against having his photo taken recently, so this post is very Jack-heavy. I feel bad that I don't have more photos of Ev, but he's been uncooperative.

Solid foods are still a struggle for this little guy. Sweet potatoes and oatmeal:

...but he sure loves his Bumbo:

Jack has been teething like crazy, so he's been a little crabby:

But Evan still loves him to bits:

I think pre-school is wearing Evan out, because bedtimes haven't been a problem that last few weeks:

We have been playing endless rounds of Hi Ho Cherry-oh, Chutes & Ladders, and Candyland. Evan loves to play games, and these three have been on the top of his list for the last month:

The amount of laundry I have been doing is borderline ridiculous:

... and the boys have been playing together like crazy:

Evan has been taking pictures (or "pitures" as he would say) with our camera, and he captured this image of me making dinner last night:

And this little boy melts my heart every single day:

I hope to post more pictures of Evan tomorrow or Friday... if he lets me take some!

Peace.