I'm still alive...

Hello Blog...did you miss me? I can't believe it has been MONTHS since I've written anything. Where has the time gone, and more importantly-what have I been doing? Every day in the back of my mind I knew I should be writing our family moments down, but the time in the day seemed to always run out. Summer and Fall have come and gone. Now in the middle of Winter (ok it's just the beginning :( yuck!) I finally found a moment to "catch up" with you.

Jace (20 months) went from a baby to a toddler in a flash. He is in the stage where I can not get a cute photo unless it is candid and he doesn't know I'm taking a picture. He is my love bug. He can say just about any word. He is a combination of Cameron and Logan. He calls everything and everyone with brown hair a monkey-which can be very embarrassing!

Check out the crazy hair...

Cameron is a BIG kid. He is almost as tall as Logan. He loves to draw. Every time I see him I just want to give him a big hug and kiss, which he loves. He asks me if he can be 12 because he wants to have his own hunting gear. He will tell me, "Mom I'm 12 today. I don't want to be almost 4 anymore. I promise I'm 12". He enjoys going to preschool but was worried that I was sad he was at school. He told me, "Don't worry mom I always come back."

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture! It captures Cameron perfectly.

Logan knowledge grows like a weed every day. I'm amazed at what he knows. He has picked up reading without any problems. He enjoys reading a variety of books but is drawn to nonfiction factual books. He is still very cleaver at getting what he wants. We tell the kids that you can ask Santa for one big present, the gift you want the most. Logan wanted two "big" gifts, Lego's and a DS. He told Cameron to ask Santa for a DS and he would ask for Lego's. That way he could get both "big" presents. He is very sneaky.

Check out his hand he wrote..."I love dad". I think this is so precious. He is Jared's little shadow. He is determined to grow his hair long because he had never had it long. Every day without fail when I drop him off he says, "I love you mom. Your the best mom. Don't go in my room. If the door is open I know you did." :)

Jared and I are keeping busy with the kids, jobs and our hobbies. Even though writing takes up some of my time. I realize how important it is. Small details are so easily forgotten.

Favorite Site

Many of you are addicted to facebook or twitter here is another awesome site to get addicted to. My new favorite blog is freebies2deals.com. The deals just keep coming, and coming...seriously I've probably spent hours just reading about terrific deals when I should be printing the coupons or entering the free give a ways. Check this site out ASAP! It's awesome.

Messy House

I'm looking around and wondering "how is my house a wreak and it is only 9 in the morning?" I don't get it! Yeah, the kids wake up crazy early and we have breakfast, watch cartoons, and get Logan off to school-but how is it that blocks are all over the floor, cereal hasn't been put away, there are 10 dishes already in the sink, and clothes all over the floor. Does anyone else have this problem?

Stranded...

This morning I decided to take the kids to Boondocks to have a little fun while Logan is off for a week. We had a blast playing all the silly arcade games, getting tangle up in the kid cove, and getting a little sun while golfing. When Logan was little this place was Way to stimulating for him. We usually left with him in tears and me wondering why we came. Today all three boys were happy, silly, and manageable. I could of stayed for hours. Well, becareful what you wish for right, when we went to leave my car wouldn't start! What made it more of a challenge was my phone was dead too. I unloaded the kids and we went inside where I found a nice employee to try and jump start my car. His attempt was unsuccessful! I had to seriously dig deep to remember Jared's new phone number! (Isn't it just so easy to just push 2 and send.) Luckily my super mom brain came through and my hubby came to the rescue. I'm just glad that I was stranded at a fun place to keep the kids occupied while I waited for a ride home. When Jared arrived he decided to give the car one last attempt to start. VROOM there was power..."What???" Of course the car would work for him! Just sucks he had to drive all the way from SLC just to start my car. However according to the mechanic the car is having starter issues and will probably need to be replace. :( Not good news. So this morning was a little crazy! But I'm hoping it won't end that way!

* Jace is so content if he has something in his mouth or if he can see his brothers! I love that he will just sit in the stroller and not beg to get down. I know this won't last much longer but it makes outings like these SO much easier.

Dress up

Cameron cracks me up. He has been really into dressing up lately. Today he was spiderman, a doctor, and bateman. Then all three! Watching him dress up is hilarious and fun to watch. What is really fun is he acts like his character. He will change his voice, flex his muscles, or even walk different. I love it!

MARK YOUR CALENDERS

The Climber

Jace loves to climb. He will climb into just about anything. One day I caught him climbing into Cameron's sock basket in Cam's room. The next day he was in our kitchen towel drawer. The following day, the pan drawer under the oven. Where will I find him next?

Picture results...

Logan is the top picture...Jace the botton. So fun :) Little Cameron is here in this picture at 13 months, he clearly looks like Cameron! But I do see the other two boys in him as well. It's fun to compare :)

PARK DAY

Spring is here (until it snows again...i know it will happen)! We have been going to the park or playing outside every night this past week. I caught one of these pictures of Jace the other night. All these memories of Logan came rushing back. One of the pictures below is Logan at 13 months-the same age as Jace. I can't believe how close they look. Can you figure out who is who?

Finally a update

Interfacing, top sewing, bias line, quarter of yard, hem , zig zag stich, cutting mat, fabric glue, string, needles, sewing machine oil, bobbin, edge foot, tutorial, loop turner, shear scissors... This is what I have been doing the last few weeks-LEARNING a new language! I never knew there was so much to sewing! I also didn't realize that it has been 5 weeks since I last blogged. WOW!

It's been no secret that I have been consumed by making things. Thanks to the Internet, talented friends, and a patient family and husband my craft time is turning into a fabulous hobby. Two weeks ago my friend Carmelle (sugarowldesign.etsy.com) and I decided to take a leap of faith that other people would like to buy our products at a local boutique. The boutique was awesome and the thrill and success of it made us sign up for other boutiques in the upcoming future. For the past month I have learned how to make satin headbands and little guy ties. I hope to make some belts and hats for the upcoming events-however nap time/craft time is only so long so I will see what I can get done.

Other than making "things" I have watched Jace grow up right before my eyes! I can not believe that Jace just turned one! Here are some fun photos of his birthday and some classic pictures I took to highlight him turning 1.

While I was pregnant even though I didn't know what I was having, I couldn't help but buy this jean jacket.

Jace is a climber! He is going to be the one with the stitches and broken bones. I just know it.

My favorite picture. He was laughing hysterically. I love his smile and chuckle. He only weights 19 LBS but he looks plenty chubby to me.

Side shot of his beautiful face! He has 6 teeth now and some hair :) I just don't know how to cut baby hair so I'm letting it grow.
All three boys...Cameron and Logan were a big help with getting Jace to smile!

Jace loves animals. He saw this at the store and was saying "kitty". It's a bunny but whatever works right...
He did not want to touch the cake so...

Logan and Cameron were all for helping him eat the frosting. After all the frosting was gone, so was the cake.

Cameron From 2 year old to 3 year

Click here to view this photo book larger

BOY CRAFTS

Lately I have been going a little crazy with trying different craft projects but I've been having so much fun I can't stop. I've learned a lot about myself through trying, and trying and trying. The most important thing I've learned is I'm not perfect. My projects are NOT going to look like some of these amazing people that are just naturally talented. I'll keep crafting and sharing but don't look to close...my projects are not perfect.

Here is a fun soft pillow baby book. The idea is you take used jeans and cut out shapes of favorite things from other clothes or fabric. Here is the original link I found this idea on . http://www.thimblythings.com/2010/02/22/celebrate-the-boy-tutorial-soft-baby-book/#more-370 Her book so so PERFECT and beautiful. I changed my book up just a little

Instead of cutting out shapes I cut up some old baby clothes that had cute printouts. I choose some of the outfits that I remember all three boys wearing :) You also could go and get those iron on patches and use those instead. My book has a lot more pages. I couldn't sew them together with the sewing machine so I used yarn to sew all the pages together. I used cotton stuffing from an old pillow instead of buying batting.

Here is the end result...

I was thinking how fun it would be to make an word book or alphabet or number book! There are so many ideas.

Traffic

I'm trying to created a little traffic to my etsy store. There is a couple of different ways. One is posting pictures over and over again, which I don't have time for. Another suggestion was to contact blogs that do give a aways. They will review your product and give it away to someone. A friend of mine told me about http://dangginagives.blogspot.com/ . You should check her site out. I'll be giving away some of my products later in March. Have fun entering her contests :)

Cell Phone Pictures

(This really happened last week but for some reason it never posted...)

Today's moment...while Jace and Cameron take a nap, Logan and I get to spend some time together. Today we played with my new phone and told silly stories.

Today Jace is still recovering from a nasty cold ( I swear I should get a frequent flyer card from the Doctor this year.) I love seeing his chubby tummy. His face looks skinny but once the clothes come off, hello fat rolls!

NEW STUFF

I just loaded a bunch of new hair flowers and hairbands on my site bandz.etsy.com :)

Dentist

I always have a fear about going to the dentist. Not because it is scary. But because the bill can be scary. A few years ago we took Logan to the dentist around his 3rd birthday. We left with the knowledge that he had 9 cavities due to a bacteria infection in his mouth that ate away his teeth. YIKES!! The medicine they gave us helped clear up Logan's infection and he has been cavity free for two years.

Last week the dentist found a very small cavity on one of Cameron's teeth. I decided to fix it right away since small can turn into LARGE very quickly.

Today Cameron sat in the chair and was AWESOME while the dentist quickly fixed his tooth. The cavity was small enough that he didn't need any shots. Cameron sat quietly watching a movie while they drilled away. The dentist wanted to keep him there to show all the little kids how to sit nicely while they got their teeth worked on.

Treasures

You may recall me writing about Logan collecting small things. He still does but now he carries them around with him. He pulls a little firetruck suitcase filled with all his treasures around the house. Inside some of his little treasures are more treasures. I am amazed at how much he has collected. Cameron loves saying, "Logan can we look at your stuff?" They will go sit in Logan's room and "organize" all his belongings. Logan even found Cameron a backpack for him to start collecting too.

Inside this suitcase is Logan's life. All his relatives have contributed to helping Logan collect his tiny treasures. He has tiny books from his Grandma Peggy.

A special safe his Grandma Laura got

him for Christmas.

Inside the safe is more little things. (I'm glad

his toy hand gun is locked away :))

Inside there is a little bag filled with gold treasures he found with his Grandpa Gary.

ANOTHER CRAFT

Check out this cute key chain I am calling the KEY KEEPER...another craft I've tried and successfully made. I LOVE it!!! I can put the Key Keeper on my wrist and NOT loose my keys as I'm putting the boys into the car-or getting them out of the car. I was thinking how handy this little gadget will be this summer when I take the kids or walks, to the park, or anywhere I don't want to bring a bag along. I would love to make anyone who is interested one. Let me know what colors you like and I'll make it ASAP. My mom came up with a great idea of adding a little carabiner clip onto it, that way you can clip the Key Keeper onto your purse when you are in the store and not have to dig for it later...GREAT IDEA MOM!

Cleaning Day

Today I am SUPER cleaning the house. The post last week of Cameron being tired was actually a warning for what was going to happen all week. At approx 12 am in the morning Jace threw up, then Cameron followed. A couple hours later Jared and Logan were hit with the same flu bug. Why does the stomach flu seem to hit only in the middle of the night? It's the worst possible time for everyone. For the past week I've been cleaning up things I hope to never see again.... Even though I was exposed to all the yucky germs, I didn't get the flu. It must be my super mom immune system (but I also like to think it is the little prays I said in my heart at night). Logan was a champ, one minute he was dead on the couch, communicating to me that his body wouldn't move anymore. Then what seemed like only a few hours later he was downstairs playing the Wii. Cameron and Jace had a much harder time recovering. They were sick the entire week. Finally today all three boys are eating and not throwing it up. PHEW! what a relief. My boys are usually really healthy-not many colds, no allergies, etc. But when they get sick. BAM! It hits them hard! I'm learning that if one of them is going to get sick, they all will. I just need to be prepared with lots of Tylenol, sprite, special movies and of course extra hugs to give them :).

Eating oatmeal without any milk or water, very strange but apparently yummy.

Lazy Day

Cameron woke up this morning telling me he was tired. I asked him if he wanted some breakfast and he said, "No I just need to sleep." I picked him up and laid him on the couch to watch cartoons. After a little while he said "Mom, why did you pick me up. I'm was still sleeping." After three days of no naps because we were having way to much fun. I'm sure he is tired. Friday we went to Murray rec center and went swimming (Grandma joined us for a little while!!). On Saturday Dad was home and the day just seem to fly by. Sunday Cameron and Logan went with their Grandpa and spent hours searching for dragons and hanging out at Cablea's... Today looks like it will be a lazy day, with lots of cartoons, snacks, and most importantly a nap!

Not Monday Maddness but...

I know it isn't Monday, but I have felt a little "mad" today. About a month ago I lost my favorite headband and decided to give sewing a try. I created a pattern that would work for me, found my sewing machine buried in the closet and got to work. To my surprise I was able to sew a bunch of headbands while my kids watched t.v. and played with toys. At Christmas time I continued to make bands for my friends and family. Then to my astonishment I had some requests to buy some!!! I enlisted family and friends to help come up with a name...BANDZ BY:LIZ and a logo. Last week I was also asked to sell my headbands at a local hair salon next month. This past week I tried to get tech savoy and set up a store at etsy (bandz.etsy.com). Yesterday I had my first Internet sale!!! YAHOO :) Though I've been busy trying to post pictures and learning new skills I've been having a BLAST. It feels great to have something beyond being a mom all day. An activity that is just for me. Today I was putting together my Internet order and making sure everything looked perfect for a women in Kentucky. It felt strange sending something in the mail to a stranger, but thrilled to have my bandz traveling....

Driving before 16

Running errands with all three little boys is always an adventure. Especially when Jace decides he MUST eat and can't wait another minute. Behind me the boys are watching a movie as I give Jace some food. Jace is distracted by being able to "drive" the car. When I look at him I see all of us-yet he has started to get his own look. He is almost 10 months old, has one tooth poking out, and two more on the way. He is a chatter box as is constantly telling us something.

THE NEW YEAR-THE NEW BLOG

The past few weeks I've been in a blog fog. I will think of things that I should blog about but don't and then the moment pasts and it seems silly to go back and blog about it. Other times I feel I rewriting the same thing over, I write an event in my journal, in the kids photo books etc. So to change things up a bit I was thinking it would be really fun to have a book full of memories of one day a week . A snippet of our lives...so this year my blog is going to be mostly about Monday Madness. Let's face it, Monday's are hard for everyone. Every Monday around the same time I'm going to take a picture of what we are doing and see what happens...I hope this well help kick start your week and give you something to look forward to.


The first photo...




Cameron sneaking into Logan's room first thing in the morning...