Welcome home Leland

We are so happy that Leland is home, he left for boot camp around Oct (I think), anyways he is finally home for good, at least for a while or until his unit gets shipped out. We are hoping that won't be for a while. We had a welcome home dinner at Dad and Val's last night. It was fun to be with everyone.

Welcome home cake for Leland

Since Leland has been gone Aaron has become the new favorite, now Leland is going to have to work to get his "favorite uncle" title back again.

Noah and Val.

1st haircut

Noah has been needing a haircut for quite a while now, and I have been stalling because I love his hair. He has been losing some of it on the sides of his head and in the back of his head but on top it has just kept growing. I love styling it in a Mohawk, but with it being so long it doesn't stay very well anymore.

Last picture with the big Mohawk

While Ashton was at Nate's house playing today I was running a few errands I decided to stop at cookie cutters and get Noah's hair cut. We were in and out in like 15 minutes. Noah was so good he sat in the little baby chair and they used this little cape to put around him. I did have to hold him in the chair, but he did awesome, he didn't cry or even make a sound. He just sat there and let her cut his hair. It looks much better now that it is all even but I can't help but miss all of his hair.

Taken this morning before we left the house, his hair didn't want to stay up so I just left it down

Back at home with hair much shorter

Now I need to go and get Ashton's hair cut, I am really dreading it he will scream and have a fit I just know it.

containing the toys

Our house has been slowly being taken over by toys, it is amazing to me how two small children can have so much stuff and how quickly it can take over a home. We have toys in Ashton's room, there are toys in the family room, there are toys in the office. Everywhere I go there are toys, if I don't look where I am walking (which happens a lot) I will step on a toy. So I can up with a great solution to hopefully keep the toys down to a minimum.

One day we will have a home that is big enough to have a playroom where all the toys will be kept until that time I needed something to hold the toys and I wanted it to be something nice. We went and bought this bookcase and some baskets. I went through Ashton's toys and divided them into Baskets, cars, animals, larger toys, and the last one is for Noah's toys. Then a couple of the bigger toys can sit in the remaining cubes. I left some toys up in Ashton's room so he had some to play with in his room. I then put a bunch of the toys away in the basement and in a couple of months I will rotate them out with toys he has out now. It will be like he is getting all new toys at least I hope that is how it will work.

I am hopeful that this will help with the clutter of toys and as an added bonus I think it looks great in the family room.

my chunky monkey

My baby is four months old, I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Noah is turning into a happy chubby little thing. It is so much fun to see him start to interact with Ashton and with us. He is talking and cooing, he has this high pitch whine that is really cute. The first time I heard it I thought he was hurt or something, but he was just playing on his mat as happy as can be. Being a mommy is the best thing in the world, I would not trade it for anything.

Green for the day

I decided to go all out this year for St. Patricks Day, well almost all out. We all wore green, and I made cupcakes, I thought about making all our food green, but I just couldn't bring myself to go that far. We went to play group at the park, it was a perfect spring day. Ashton loves to go to the park, he would be there all day if I would let him.

I brought cupcakes for everyone at play group, I was trying out a new recipe I am wanting to find the perfect recipes for the day that I do start my cake business, and instead of me having to do all the tasting I am enlisting the help of my family and friends. So far I have only have a red velvet recipe which is awesome I am still working on the white and chocolate cake. This white cake recipe was good but it wasn't awesome like I want. I am happy with the buttercream recipe I found it is really good.

Bumbo

I got Noah this new seat yesterday. He looks so cute sitting in it for the first time.

I just love his chubby kissable cheeks, and huge gummy smile. Then of course there is his hair, I love love his hair. Although it was a little crazy in this picture, some days it has a mind of its own and goes where ever.

goodbye forever

Today I felt ambitious and decided to take down the wallpaper in the bathroom downstairs. It is the last of the wallpaper in the house, I have hated this since the day I moved in. We have been planning on re-doing this bathroom for a while now and we just haven't gotten around to it.

It took me about three hours to get the wallpaper all off the walls. Of course that also included a feeding break for Noah and a snack break for Ashton, and a couple of diaper changes. I think it looks better already. Now if only the rest of it was this easy I could finish this bathroom by myself.

Goodbye ugly wallpaper, goodbye awful shower

Here is a close up of the wallpaper, why anyone would want this in their house is beyond me

It looks tons better even with the ugly shower still there, it also seems so much bigger, the walls are so closed in nowAll the wallpaper filled up one garbage bag

Now comes the hard part removing the big stuff, then taking out the vinyl floor

what to do now

Today, Ashton was upstairs playing and I was downstairs watching tv. After a few minutes okay maybe it was like 15 mins I noticed it was really quiet. So I went to check on him, he was no where to be found. I checked the front door and it was locked, then at about the same time I noticed the back sliding door was open a crack and looking out the window I could see Ashton's lawnmower on the sidewalk. I quickly went out the front door, Ashton was playing by the front steps.
The little stinker had figured out how to open the back door climbed down the steps, gotten out his lawnmower and his bike. He was happily playing outside. I guess my days of knowing he can't get outside are now over. We are going to have to figure out a way to keep the sliding door locked. Maybe now would be a good time to replace it with the french doors I have been wanting for the last couple of years. (hint, hint honey :))