I Blinked

And my babies, my tiny little babies....

 

Lula Mae at 4 days old

   

Jayce at 5 days old

                                                           

....turned into kids.

Jayce at 2 years 5 months & Lula Mae at 4 years and 5 months

These precious years are slipping away. I have pictures, videos, calendars with special notes written on them.... but I will never get to live these years again. I am trying to slow down and cherish these moments that are so swiftly leaving. And yet, time just seems to move faster. The busyness of "life" too often robs me of the precious moments I want to enjoy. I have to remind myself every single day that my babies are not babies and I need to slow down, hold them, tell them how special they are, stare at their little faces, hold their little hands, memorize the sounds of their voices, etch their silly laughs into my brain.... enjoy them while they are still little.

When did it happen though? I missed the transition somewhere. How is it that I have kids?

My babies are kids.

Not Babies

I just cleaned 4 years of grime off of our high chair because Jayce is now in a booster seat at the table.

He sits there like it is no big deal.

We just took down our two walk through baby gate (technically Jayce ripped one out of the wall, hulk style) Why have a gate up when the youngest child can open it on his own.

He would walk through and then close it behind himself like it was no big deal.

I no longer have to carry Jayce to the van. He can climb into the van and then into his seat all by himself.

He jumps in a waits to be buckled like it is no big deal

When Jayce finds trash on the floor he takes it to the trash can.

He tells me later that he threw something away like it is no big deal.

But it is a big deal.  To me at least. My baby is doing things for himself, needing me less and less. That is a big deal! I think my husband is secretly thrilled with all of these events, but I am somehow sad. It is odd feeling less needed by my kids. For nearly 4 years now I have been needed. Now all of a sudden, I'm kinda not. I am grateful that my kids are happy, healthy and basically normal. Still it stinks a little to see the babyness stripped from our house. 

This new phase of life will be fun I am sure, each season of life is precious in its own way. I am looking forward to this new season. And someday perhaps there will be another season of babies for us. Right now I am focusing on my two wonderful kids who are growing up quicker than I could have ever imagined.

The Adventure Begins!

I made the decision a few weeks ago to start using cloth diapers during the day with Jayce. After lots of research and reading I made the plunge! I ordered some diaper covers, got my 5 gallon bucket ready and mentally prepared myself for the challenge. Once the diaper covers arrived I was so excited to get started. So far we have been using the cloth diapers during just Jayce's awake time and it has been great. He has been very nice to me though. Every time he poops it is right after a nap (right before I change him into a cloth diaper) in his regular disposable diaper. I am sure that the first time he poops in the cloth diaper I am probably going to be asking myself "Why did I think this would be a good idea????" but we will burn that bridge when we get to it. We have not had any messes or disasters yet so I am still excited and motivated. We typically change any where from 10 to 12 disposable diapers a day. With the cloth diapers in full swing we are down to only using 4 or 5 disposables a day. Not only is it saving us money, it is making less waste! Your welcome Earth! It really is a win-win situation! All the little things we do, to save the environment and money, really add up to BIG things!

Just a few FYI things about cloth diapers for anyone thinking about trying them out....

• They are very bulky and don't fit well under outfits
• They are a big cost upfront (more then just disposables)
• You have to change them more frequently because they don't hold what a disposable will
• You have to touch lots of bodily fluids
• You have to wash diapers every day
  

Give them a try! When I think about all the little things we do around our house to save money and the environment I feel good about making decision like this one. If we all do the little things we can really make a difference! Check out the little man!

This is the diaper cover. It is really neat! No more rubber pants or pins! You put the cloth diaper inside of this and then put it on baby just like a disposable! It makes it soooooo easy!

Jayce hanging out in his cloth diaper!

A Nursery For Two!

Well, the nursery is done! And I was right... I was quite sad seeing Lula Mae's pink painted over. All for a good reason though... a new life! I am thrilled with how the nursery turned out! It really is better than I pictured in my mind when I dreamed it up. Lula Mae loves the fact that Jayce's name is on her wall.... not that she understands that it means he will be sharing her room, but at least she is excited about it, right? The pictures do not do it justice! Check out the new nursery!

And the work begins!

Goodbye pink walls :-(

Jayce's Side

Lula Mae's Side

Split down the middle!
Joshua 1:9 is above the changing table

Like I said, the pictures just don't do the room justice! It is beautiful! Painting the frames about the kids cribs were so much harder than I expected! I am so glad they turned out as good as they did because when I first started them they looked terrible! The valance above the window I made. I went out and got some cheap white fabric and ribbon and sewed it up in about 30 minuets. I was not going to spend $20.00 on a white valance when I could make one for $5.00! It is one of my favorite pieces in the nursery I think! I also ordered those space saving hangers for the closet off of ebay for $5.00 shipped. They have really tripled the closet space! They are great! We have very small closets so any help in that area is fantastic! I can't wait to see how the room functions for 2! Jayce will be here before we know it!