Happy Birthday Dustin!

Happy 'blank' Birthday to my wonderful and crafty friend Dustin (aka Dusti)! This picture is from my birthday back in November but I wanted to celebrate with a picture of us together. Maybe when we celebrate her birthday with friends tomorrow we can get an updated picture? Dusti is such a wonderful and honest true friend. She has been through a lot these past 3 years but the future looks bright and cheery! She is a constant reminder to not take things for granted and live and do in the now and don't sweat the small stuff and be true to yourself and your family and your friends. We have talked a lot about organizing and prioritizing our lives with things and people that are most important and I love her spirit and the kind of mom she is to her two wonderful little girls. She is a great wife, mother and friend and deserves a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Night, Night Big Girl

We have been talking about Laura giving her binky's up for quite some time now (months) and Wednesday was the big night. We have been talking up the 'binky fairy' and how she would get a big girl present if she gave her binky's to the binky fairy. We also talked to her about being a big girl now and that the binky fairy would be bringing her binkys to a baby who needed them. Laura says they went to a little baby boy and that her binky's are now in binky jail! The night actually went quite well and she only woke up crying twice, which isn't all that unusual, with a quick drink of water she was settled back in right away. Seeing her sleeping with her little hands together just makes me realize how fast she is growing up. When she woke up she had a brand new big girl present - a pink and purple Leapster (somehow the binky fairy must have know Mommy was getting tired of the fighting between her and brother). She and Nathan were very excited. She still asked for them on Thursday for her nap but we talked about her being a big girl and how she didn't need them anymore. Laura then very sweetly cocks her head, looks down and shoots her eyes up at me, only to say, 'Mommy, yes I do need them'. I tell you I almost melted. She went down for her nap no problem though. Fast forward to last night (Thursday). I have been really tired and needed some rest from a really nauseous week of puking with the pregnancy again so needless to say all I wanted to do was sleep. She went to bed at 8:30pm with no problems but was up crying HARD at 10:30pm, 11:30pm, 12:30am and 1:30am. I gave in at 1:30am since Mike had to leave to do the new route and let her lay in bed with me. She continued to cry off and on for the next hour but did eventually get some sleep. I wish I could say the same for me - I just don't understand how someone relativley small can take up a whole queen size bed! Oh well, it is just sleep training for when the new baby is here, right?! Let's hope tonight is better!

Friends

Here, Nathan and Laura are with dear friends Kendal and Chase at a birthday party on Friday. They all get along so well and love playing together and I love all the time I can get with my crafty friend Dusti. I think this is the first (and only) picture we have of all four of them together and it is just so sweet. Thanks to Miss Dusti for sharing the photos. As I was looking at the pictures Nathan says "those are some beautiful, beautiful, beautiful little cutie pies. I mean the girls Mom". I just love the things he says sometimes! I couldn't agree more and I mean all four of them!

Sweet Moment

Gosh, I really need to work harder at posting more frequently. There are so many things I mean to share, but this moment was especially sweet to me. Just the day and night before Nathan and Laura were fighting it seemed non-stop and then the next morning they are sharing a chair, being sweet and watching cartoons together. It really turns a mother's heart around. While they do fight daily, they also play pretty well together. Their imaginations are something else and we have to play dress up daily where I play Minnie Mouse (complete with high pitched voice), Nathan plays Mickey and Laura plays Donald (her voice is sort of like Minnie's with a quack at the end of whatever she says). It really is cute to hear the different adventures they come up with for these characters. I will have to remember these moments in the heat of the arguments to keep me sane but I sure do love them to pieces!