Thoughts

Ok, I am NOT PRO at this, in the slightest, but I was feeling energetic and wanted to revamp my blog. So, I'm putting it to you readers. What do you think? Be honest! Is it too busy? Should I make the header background more plain? Does the space between the sidebar and the main body bother you? Remember, be honest! Thanks for your input :)


p.s. No, I didn't do it all by myself. I had Debbi to help me out and I googled alot. Somehow, I figured it out :)

15 months and counting

Holy cow! How did he get to be 15 months? I have no idea. We made the ritual dr. journey today and he has definitely grown. Before we could get to the see the Dr., however, we had to fall at home and crash into the bookcase (thus the slash across his cheek), fall off the chair at the doctor TWICE, scream a few times just because he wasn't getting what he wanted, and finally play with some buddies for about a minute. After all that fun, we made it in. He is growing on schedule, walking well, and looks great all around (his eye his healing so quickly you almost can't tell he even had stitches). Here are his stats:

height: 31 1/4 inches (60%ile)

weight: 23 lbs 11 oz (40%ile)

head cir: 19 inches (80%ile)

Overall...a basic-sized kid for us :). It was kind of sad, though. When the Dr. mentioned we didn't need to come in again until 18 mo, I told her we'd be gone by then. I'm a little sad to leave such a great pediatrician. If anyone in DSM needs a referral, let me know. She is awesome! But, I'll be ok, since we're going to a place where I know another incredible ped that I can't wait to go see :). Kids seriously grow too fast!

picture blog

I have a plethora of pics, so this is going to be LARGE quantities of pics and small quantities of words. Enjoy.

Seriously, how do they sleep this way?

Ahh, the playground. Oh, how we love sunshine.

What would bath time be without Jon's signature crazy-hair?
Yum, Oatmeal! This was his first try at feeding himself the whole bowl.
It turned out to be more of an oatmeal bath than oatmeal breakfast...
Seriously? More pictures? Sheesh (sans stitches)
WOOHOO! bubbles!

oh, and sidewalk chalk
and a sweet bike

more rambling

Wow. The week is gone already! It's been a pretty basic one. Laundry, cleaning, ENJOYING THE SUNSHINE!!!, library, mall, Dr. You know. The general everyday. Mason got his stitches out yesterday, and although he cried (who wouldn't) he did pretty well. The last stitch was kind of glued down and the Dr. had to yank on it, but overall, it was pretty normal stitch removal. He still could care less about the wound. He doesn't even notice it. If I tell him it's time to put stuff on it (neosporin, basically) he just sits really still until I'm done. We've had some beautiful weather. I love it! It was mid-70's yesterday and we spents Hours outside. It's great! Unfortunately, it's raining again, but it's still rather warm so it isn't even bad. I love spring and I'm so ready for summer!
The move is drawing ever-nearer and although I HATE the process, the prospect of some new adventures is pretty exciting. I tear up everytime I think of telling all our awesome friends "good-bye" tho. I am NOT looking forward to that at all. There's always the hope that eventually we'll end up close to each other, but it's pretty small considering the variety of places one could go. Crazy. I can't believe we're done already. It seems like we just moved here. Now, everyone is wrapping up and moving on. Buying houses, settling into school districts. It's nuts!
I do have some cute pictures, but they aren't uploaded to my computer yet. Since I have a houseful of toddlers, I think I'll save that for another day :). Happy Thursday all!! In preparation for the weekend, I think I'll look to borrow a bike helmet for Mason. Just in case. :)

hee hee

weekend addendum

The weekend continued much the same Saturday morning. We did get to sleep late, thanks to the Tylenol, I think. However, when we all got up, Mason had "lost" two stitches. They were on his bed. So, he and I got to go to the Dr. again.

I went to the normal walk-in clinic, and were told the wait was 2hrs plus. GRRR! BUT, there are other walk-in clinics around and you can go to any of them. What??? Why has no one told me this before? Saturday morning, I discovered a walk-in clinic that is open until 9 p.m. every night! We could have totally avoided the ER! {Sigh} Oh well. So, we headed off to another clinic that didn't have a wait at all. The Dr. there just put some of that funky glue on the part that had lost the stitches and we were done.

By this time, however we had wasted half the day. Luckily, we had someone coming to look at our entertainment center. We didn't want it anymore and had listed it on Craig's List. This was the first person who contacted me, she came and looked, and bought our center :). We were so stoked! So, we packed up the "trinkets" unhooked the stereo system, loaded it up, and she was off. It was a great feeling! Our living room is a little ghetto now, but I don't mind b/c we don't have to move that gigantic thing and when we get settled we can get a new one! It turned out to be pretty awesome!

Today has been much like other Sundays. After dinner though, the kids sat on the floor reading for a while. Brooklyn was "reading" to Mason and he just sat and Listened! It was so fun to watch!

the weekend kickoff

We had a great Friday all set up and I thought it would be fun to share! It started out rainy, so the kids and I lounged for most of the morning. We had big plans that night, and as I tell Brooklyn, we don't want to be grouchy around our friends! So, we went to dinner with some great friends and then headed to our house to play games. As usual, we chatted for a while (games are easier after bed time :), had some dessert (in this case, strawberry shortcake... YUM!), and chatted some more. Somehow, it got to be 8:30. I don't know how that happened considering it's all Jon and I can do lately to keep Mason up until 8, but tonight he was playing contentedly and having a good old time. Then came the "THUNK" pause "scream". That was the end of our awesome weekend. Well, this portion of it, anyway. That major "thunk" took us to the ER. This all happened around 8:40ish. Finally, 11:30 rolled around and we finally made it out of the waiting room. Around Midnight, the Dr. was putting in 5 stitches. Y-U-C-K! I couldn't even stay in the room. Just the thought of the stitches going into my baby's head sent me out in the hall. Jon was brave enough to stay, but white as a sheet by the end (the last stitch produced some blood). Luckily for us, the good friends hoping to play games were willing to stay with Brooklyn. We owe them BIG TIME! Now, it's 1:45 a.m., my baby is asleep thanks to 4 hrs past his bedtime and some Tylenol with Codene, and I'm blogging just to get it off my chest.



14-months-old = first ER run, I hope he doesn't make a habit already! I will need some toughening up if he's going to be the type of boy that goes to the ER frequently! I hope this isn't some forshadow of the rest of our weekend. I'll be heading to the Big W first thing in the a.m. to stock up on pain meds for the poor little guy. Again, we are so GRATEFUL to our friends for staying with Brooklyn and we're so lucky to have so many nearby who I know would've been willing had they not been here. Happy Weekend everyone, wish your beginning to have been better than ours.

Snack Attack

Occasionally I try to think of new things to do with Brooklyn's hair. Sometimes, they actually work out. That is what happened yesterday. I saw a little girl at church with two little braids (no elastic at the top) and I wondered if Brooklyn's was long enough. It was! I was so excited. Brooklyn was watching in the mirror and about partway through the second braid, she said, "Hey, I look like the 'Snack Attack'! Except his turn up like this" Pulling the bottom of the braid up in the air. Think Pippy longstocking... I was confused and asked what she was talking about. She said, "Snack attack, mom. You know...Wendy's!" And enlightenment dawned. For some reason, the guy wearing the wendy's wig commercials caught her eye and she talks about them every now and then. So, from now on, this hair-do will have to be know as "the snack attack" or "wendy's" 'do. What a crazy kid! She even asked me to do it again today. HOw do they remember these things. Seriously. Someone in advertising is doing their job WELL!
On a different note: Brooklyn is way stoked about her new book. While chatting with a friend yesterday, she spotted this on the shelves at the library. It was the donation/sell shelves, so, Brooklyn got a gigantic, slightly used, princess book for $1. I can't argue with that! Next book swap I do, I'm definitely shopping at the library!

Self Portraits

Do you think she is a Hibshman?

Yeah, she is. For those of you who aren't Hibshmans....I'll explain. At the Logan Hibshman House, self-portraits are a particularly favorite past time. They come up with the craziest faces. Then, one day, Ben (Jon's Bro) learned how to change the settings on the camera. This brought a whole new world of self-portraiture. It's a good laugh. She is a Hibshman through and through I guess... :)

Dear Noah,

Dear Noah,

Thanks for the great idea! It worked out great for me, too!

Your Friend,

Mason

rambles

I'm noticing a pattern here....I just realized I haven't blogged since last weekend (oopsies), and now, all I have TO blog is rambling on about nothing. Oh well...I did dig up some pics so the grandmas can't be too upset with me. Seriously, I don't understand how my kids sleep in some positions. This is Brooklyn's position the other night. She was so OUT that when I rearranged her she didn't even flutter her eyelids. If I slept that way, I think I would lose all use of my arm for at least the following day!

This is random placement, but this is my very first french braid on Brooklyn. It turned out awesome, I was way proud of myself. But, as expected, it only lasted an hour or two. I'll have to figure out how to use enough "product" to make it stay. Although French braids aren't Jon's fav., I kind of liked this one.
And, Brooklyn is not alone in her random sleeping positions. This was just last night. Mason's leg was totally up in the air. He was out cold. It's so cute to watch him snuggle up with his blanket. He's back to a "linus" stage. He'll pull it out of the crib and carry it around every once in a while. Pretty dang cute!
Other random news: Mason has gained a new skill in the last few days. He can now stand up in the middle of the room. He used to crawl to the nearest object and use it to stand. Now, he can do it wherever he wants. He still crawls part of the time, but it has definitely increased his walking. My favorite thing he does is when Jon is studying in the bedroom. Mason has mastered the opening and closing of doors, and he knows that Jon is hiding away. So he'll toddle down the hall, open the bedroom door and say, "Hi, Daddy!" It is SOOO cute! He uses the same inflections every time and Jon can't help but put his books down and talk to him for a minute. Then, Mason will come out again, play for a while, and more often than not, wander back to say hello again. Needless to say, Jon isn't get quite as much accomplished as he used to...

Brooklyn is also developing her little attitude. Her new phrase is, "Ohh Mom" all patronizing as if I'm just over-reacting. Cute, yes. Obnoxious? Very yes. Especially when I'm telling her something that I really want her to listen to. For example: Me, "Brooklyn, you need to finish your lunch so we can go play." Brooklyn, "Ohh Mom!" Thus implying that finishing lunch is as unnecessary as picking up toys. Cute, but very annoying after a while.

Other fun things...well, there aren't any really. We've just been doing the same old things. We had an AWESOME rainstorm yesterday and then it was all sunny for a couple hours. I told Jon, after the rainstorm, it seemed like a completely different day. It was awesome, though. I love mid-west severe weather. I will miss it a little bit. This weekend is setting up to be relatively boring...I'll try to think of something more interesting to post about!

the weekend rundown

We had a pretty good weekend. Due to General Conference we got to relax all weekend. It was kind of nice for a change. So, I thought I'd give dear Family far away a little rundown. These are Mason's new shoes:

Aren't they cute little-man shoes? I love it! He likes to walk around outside so I decided it was time for real shoes. He looks awesome in them, don't you think?
This is fun from Saturday. These Pictures include Mason's 2nd shirt of the day...the 3rd one came after lunch and he actually kept that one on until bedtime.... As you can see, he loves the kitchen stuff! He'll even help clean it up (hope that lasts...not holding my breath tho).
This is Sunday's fun. Brooklyn took some pictures of us and the computer. Pardon the darkness, we had the window open to let in any sunshine that might peek through the clouds. More kitchen fun...You might have noticed that it's migrated into the living room. Still pretty much in the center of the room, but at least now it blocks Mason from unloading some of the movies...
Finally, I talked all weekend of scrapbooking and Sunday afternoon I finally did. It was fun, except for having Brooklyn hover the entire time. At least she wants to be with me, right? This is probably the last of the pages I'll bore you with on my blog :) If you want to see my VERY MUCH beginner's work, come on over, you can browse my book!And, moving on to today, I couldn't resist just a few more pics of the Kitchen enjoyment for my Sister. Sorry this pic is dark, she's showing us her "recipe book" that she's taking notes in while baking a birthday cake :).
And, heaven forbid Mason should be left out! I had to get him his very own spoon and cup so he wouldn't take Brooklyn's away! I love that they love it! Thanks again guys!

Happy Monday to you all and May your week be full of fun and good times!

ramble on and on

What a thrill our lives are.....ok so maybe not. I've tried to blog a few times in the last couple days, and have been rather unsuccessful. Either I can't think of anything to blog about, or I don't really have any pictures to add. We're pretty much the same old same old around here. Jon's on the verge of a nervous breakdown due to school, i spend 24/7 with the kids, Brooklyn's imagination is always running and Mason is walking everywhere. Exciting, huh? Mason is quite the daredevil, however. He will climb up on anything that he can get his leg up onto. At the mall the other day, he was all over the castle. I thought for sure he'd be tumbling down, but not him. He climbs up and sits there, proud as punch. He is also loving the kitchen my sister brought us. He will unload the dishes, stir some spoons around, stack some plates, and whatever else comes to mind. Then, if it's time to clean up, he'll help me put the stuff back into the bag. It's great! I love it! Brooklyn is constantly talking about her birthday. Every single thing she sees that she wants; she is certain she'll be getting it for her birthday. I've started making a list because I can never remember stuff when the grandmas ask. As the birthday gets closer, I'll be sharing the list. Don't anyone worry. She is also on a puzzle kick. I got one at the grocery store the other day for $1. It was a pretty awesome find, I thought, until we tried to put it together. Once you get it together it's pretty cool, you can change the clothes of one of the girls in the picture. It's pretty cool, but the first time we got it all together it took us FOREVER. She loves it though and it's a sure-fire way to get myself a free afternoon. Good times, good times. Hopefully I'll have something more interesting to post next week. Jon's stupid mock trial will be over (praise the heavens...) and we have us a little date scheduled. :) It should be oodles of fun. Happy Weekend all and I hope everyone has something fun going on!

the fun continues

For those of you who are wondering what my fun new toy does...

In short, it cuts paper. But not just cutting, it cuts cool shapes! i.e... letters, designs, clipart, etc. It can also cut chipboard and vinyl if I got so creative. The Flourishes above were my very first cut EVER! and I can't wait to find a page to use them on!
This is a page I did last night. I used my silhouette to cut the titles on both pages shown here.
I did this page as well. sorry all the pics are blurry, I was going just to show what my toy does rather than to show the page clearly. You get the idea ;).
This just so happens to be Jon's debut in the old scrapbook...it's pretty much been about Brooklyn up until now... It's understandable, though, since that's about all we did/do take pictures of. Brooklyn and Mason :).
I hope everyone feels a little more enlightened about my new toy. To tell the truth, I still know very little about it! I'm learning though. Everyday I discover something new!