Going bananas!

Whenever I go to our grocery store (the commissary) I look in the produce section for whatever they have discounted.  Well a couple of weeks ago it was bananas, and a lot of them!  They discount their fruit or veggies that need to be eaten asap by plastic wrapping them and marking them down in price as a bunch.  Anyhow, I bought tons of bananas and here was the result of my banana party...

Just SOME of the bananas!

Blended bananas for fruit leather.

For some strange reason, the smaller loaf would not get done in the middle, where the large loaf turned out wonderfully.  Hmmm...something I'll have to figure out in my new oven.

I made LOTS of fruit leather--so good and so easy!  :)

Swimming and Biking and Running, Oh My!

Carl completed his Half-Ironman triathlon this past weekend!  What an accomplishment!  It was a 1.2mile swim, 58 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run!!  WHEW!!  Makes you exhausted just to read it, doesn't it?  He did a fabulous job, and made it through alive!  Praise God and good job Carl!  There are quite a few pictures below, as I thought such an accomplishment deserved plenty of them.  ; )  I must apologize about the quality, though...I forgot the digital camera, so had to use a one-time use camera.

Daddy and Will around 6am prior to the start of the race.

Carl prior to the race's start next to his bike in the "transition area" (#61 behind him).

The swim route was FAR, around the orange buoy's in this lake...you may be able to see them if you look closely behind the larger green buoy.

Carl's swim group getting ready to go.

Carl exiting the water after the swim.

Carl exiting swim.

Carl coming in on the bike (after his 58 miles!).

Going out on run.

Bringing it in on the home stretch!

Great job, Carl!!  What an accomplishment!

Cookie?

So I was making cookies, and the last two of the bunch were forgotten and burned a little.  It's always those last two lone cookies that don't make it through for me.  Anyhow, I gave the cookies to the dog.  I know, I know, dogs aren't supposed to have chocolate and all, but it was only two cookies.  : )  Missy, our dog decided that she would take one of the cookies into the living room and drop it on the floor.  As she did this, Will spotted the cookie, and being highly intrigued and inquisitive, made his way quickly to where the cookie lay.  He picked it up and was examining it, then put it down.  Once he did this, Missy swooped in, picked it up, lay down, and started munching on it.  Will saw this and again wanted to handle the cookie, so took it directly from between Missy's paws and out of her mouth.  Being the mild mannered dog she is, Missy didn't even bat an eye.  Then Will apparently got the idea of holding the cookie out to Missy.  Missy saw this and rewarded his thoughtfulness by licking and munching on the cookie while Will held it in his hand!  Ha!  Pretty cute!  This whole exchange happened a few times, as Missy would chew and Will would happily wave his arms in the air, cookie in hand and then again hold it out for Missy to munch on, so I was able to snap a few pictures of the whole exchange.

"Hey, want a cookie, Missy?"

"Mmmm...thanks, Will!"

"What?!  We weren't doing anything?  Nothing to see here!"

Storytime and Cute Pics

Sorry about the bit of a dry spell...I've been busy with making this house a home. ;) Unpacking, arranging, cleaning, etc. We are loving this area and our home, especially as it slowly begins to look like an inhabited home, not just a storage unit. Will is pulling himself up on any and everything and seeing how long he can stand without holding anything. He walks around the furniture (holding on) and is turning into quite the daredevil. Anyhow, I don't have much material at the moment, but here is a video of Will "telling a story". He is quite the "talker" and you may want to adjust your volume for this, as he is LOUD. Then I have a few random cute pics of him now.

Sorry the video is sideways...I didn't realize it would do that when I was filming it in portrait view rather than landscape.

Here he is in a cloth diaper, as I talked about in the last post.

As you can see--his movement is not hindered! ; ) It's actually quite trim..not much bigger than a disposable (especially with how they swell once pottyed in)with just an old style cloth diaper folded into thirds inside of this cover.

My Cloth Diaper Tutorial

Before Will was born I had the idea of possibly using cloth diapers, but didn't look into it too much, and the idea got pushed back for a while, and thankfully I had been given many packs of diapers for a shower our church had for us.  Then when Will was around 5 months, my sister-in-law had started using cloth with Will's cousin, and that peaked my interest once again. That along with the fact that Will was constantly leaking through his disposables at night, which of course woke him up.  So after MUCH research on the costs of cloth and the types of cloth diapers, I took the plunge.  I first started by ordering ONE diaper to try out.  :)  Just getting my toes wet.  I liked it, and then after more and more research found that there are forums online in which you can by any sort of cloth diaper you can imagine used!  YIPPEE!!  I love buying second-hand items when I can.  I know what you may be thinking...EWWW, USED DIAPERS?!?!  Well, yes, and no, it's not ewwww.  I thought maybe it would be at first, too, but they are washed just like clothes and are made to last through multiple children, so hold up very well.  Upon finding this discovery I bought a number of different styles/types of cloth diapers in order to try them out and see what worked best for us.  Then, once I discovered that (after about 2 months), I chose the types I kept the ones I liked best, sold back the others (they really hold their value!), and bought up more of the ones I wanted.  So now our cloth diaper "stash" consists of 2 types of diapers that I use.  Now, the real side of the cost--cloth diapers can be expensive at the front end (when you first buy your "stash"), but in the long run, even with washing costs included they save A LOT, especially if you use them with more than one child, which is very common, as I said they last a long time!  Also, as I said, there are many types, so you can make cloth very expensive and very inexpensive or somewhere in the middle (at the get go).

Of course there is always the time/effort issue.  Yes, you do have to deal with "poopy" and you do have another couple loads of laundry a week.  I started when Will was 6 months, and don't know if I'll start at the newborn age or not if the Lord blesses us with another child.  We''ll see.  Anyhow, it all deals with what you want and are willing to do.  : )  And I know, I know, I just have one child so far, but I really plan to continue to use cloth and have talked to many mommies with man children that have used cloth for them all, so I know it's possible!  ; )

Just wanted to share this little bit of info, as I know many mommies and new mommies out there.  Also, there is a TON more info I have if anyone is truly interested, just let me know, and I'll share.  : )

These are what I regularly use when we are out and at home.  It is a regular "old style" cloth diaper (a prefold), but they are made out of bamboo or hemp, which is just the choice I made instead of cotton. 

Inside of them I fold up a microfiber car towel you can buy in packs of 7 at Walmart for $5, for a little more absorbency added.  Not everyone does this, it's just my choice. 

On top, I put a little strip of fleece fabric (bought and cut myself) to keep the moisture off Will's skin.  You can get microfiber inserts that are naturally moisture-wicking, and they are great, but not the right fit for Will (long story).

Then I put the whole thing inside of a waterproof cover that I can use again and again, just wiping it out, so I don't have to wash it after every use (unless it gets dirty of course).  All my diapers need a waterproof cover, so I use these Flip covers that snap and are adjustable, one-size-fit's-all. 

These are bamboo diapers that are one size, that you pin.  I LOVE these, but they are a little bulkier (but VERY absorbent) and a little more expensive, so I use them at home, for longer trips, and for bedtime.

These are the types of diapers my sister-in-law uses, which are Bumgenius and are probably the most well-known cloth diapers.  They are a one-size "pocket" diapers, so you stuff them with inserts on the inside, and then they work much like a normal disposable diaper.  Cloth is really all about personal preference and what works best for your baby.

Okay, that was a lot of information!  I LOVE using cloth diapers, so sorry if it was too much, but figured someone may find it useful and others can just skip this post.  : )

Baby Feeler Finger

Will is ever curious, and constantly reaching and touching any and everything. He is an extremely active baby, and every time he wants to touch/grab/feel something new he puts out his one pointer finger...just that one finger. Then he will pinch it with his little pointer and thumb. We call it his "baby pincers". Pretty cute. So tonight at supper I took some pictures of his initial "feel" with his pointer finger.

This accidentally fell onto the table...

Ok, this I put on the table, so he would do this for the picture... :)

I may have a ham on my hands here...he always seems to know when I'm ready to snap the photo-smiles and all.

Goofy face.

Not Just Rugs...

The other day we were at Lowe's, and as I was strolling with Will while Carl was deciphering which screws and such to get, we went by the rugs. Since we have all hard wood floors in this house, I was just planning on keeping my eye out until I saw some rugs at a reasonable price, which for me is most likely second-hand. Anyhow, just out of curiosity I stopped at the Lowe's rugs and asked the man working there how much the 8'x5' rug was. He said $10!!! WHAT?! So, I asked again, if he was being serious. He said yes! It was originally $170, then the day before I went it was $20, then the day I was there they had just marked it down to $10!! AND it was nice and soft, so I snapped it right up! Then, he said that the bigger rugs were only $20 (10.5'x7.5'), normally $340!! WOW! So, I got two rugs, and to top it off, I had eyed the big rug in the past at Lowe's, thinking how much I liked it, but would never spend that much on it.

Anyone that knows me well, knows that I LOVE a good deal, so I had to share this, but with a little explanation, too. Being thrifty (a good steward) is something I try hard at and (I say this with no pride) God always blesses my efforts in this area! This is not the first time I have "stumbled" upon such a wonderful blessing in monetary form, and know that it won't be the last. This is just one of the many ways that my loving, personal Savior shows Himself to me. Thanks for sharing in this blessing. :) Sorry it ran kind of long.

The smaller rug for Will's room.


This is the larger rug, perfect for our living room area. Nice and soft to protect a bumping baby head. :) We have one other rug that we already had, for our room, so we are set! Thank you Lord for "small" blessings!