Daddy, Where are you?

This blog post is going to be all mushy and about my husband, so don't say I didn't warn you...

Ray left for Texas last Thursday. Some nerdy convention goes on every year (Apparently it's huge) and it can better his skills used for work, and so they send him every year. He geeks out and loves going, while I get super jealous and hang out at home. But, in all honesty, he deserves this trip.

A couple of days ago, I pulled the trash can out of the closet to take the trash out and froze.
'When was the last time I took the trash out?' I thought to myself. I stood there and scrunched up my eyebrows just trying to remember. THAT'S just how long it has been since I have taken out the trash myself. It's not because I let the trash overflow or anything like that, but because my husband is so awesome that he takes it out without word before it can even get to that point. The same goes for the recycling bins every Tuesday (which I put on the curb this morning, and contemplated whether or not I was supposed to break down the boxes myself?) and the big trash can on Wednesday. I'm pretty sure the only thing he doesn't do automatically is the diaper pail, and I think that's just a man thing, haha.

He does so much more than the trash, of course. In the past week I've often wondered how happy I was being a single mom when it was just Carly and I. Of course, I was working then whereas this week it was just me and the kids hanging out at home but still. I don't know how military wives do it. Ray's not only my husband, but one of my best friends. Watching shows off the DVR wasn't the same. Renting a movie from Redbox wasn't the same. Grocery shopping wasn't the same. Even sleeping in my big king size bed, with one cat snuggled at my side, one cat at my feet, a toddler at my other side, and a dog at HIS feet, and it was still lonely. (Not to mention to soft snores of my pre-pre teen on the other side of the room!)

I have a pretty great husband, and he's a pretty awesome daddy. Wesley has asked the 'Where's Daddy?' question a lot the past few days, and the first thing Carly asked me when she came home yesterday was "How is Ray liking Texas?" Both will be happy to have him home.

Tomorrow morning :)

Playing catch up...

I've decided I'm going to blog more. I think I need an outlet, and blogging should be perfect for it, right? I'm also going to update the layout of this blog, seeing as it's years old.

So let's talk. What has gone on in the past year? Well... not a lot, I suppose. We'll start up about where I left off...

Ray bought me a Kindle for Mother's Day, and I fell in love with it immediately. I spend too much time with my nose buried deep in it. Then for Christmas, he upgraded my Kindle to a Kindle Paperwhite (I think he was just sick of the amount of batteries I was going through on the reading light!) Again, I found myself completely in love! The only way it could be better is if the E-Ink was in color, but that's not even available technology yet! Wesley also turned 2 that month, which marked the end of him being a baby at all. It was bittersweet!



Summer the boys and I (Did I mention I am babysitting another little boy during the day? Well, I am and have been since early 2012. Wesley and Paul are total BFFs and I am not quite sure what they would do without each other!) spent some time out in the backyard keeping cool. This year, my goal is to talk Ray into a bigger outdoor pool, but we'll see.


In early September, my amazing friend Megan and I attended the Kelly Clarkson concert at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. It was amazing as Kelly herself put on a good show, but the company I had was pretty great too!


Shortly after the concert, Ray and I packed up the kids and headed to California for a week at Disneyland. My mom was supposed to meet us there, but had some work conflicts at the last moment and didn't get to go. She sent my little sister, Jordan, in her place and we all had an amazing time. Other than one day where it was 104 degrees (In SoCal... What?!) the weather was beautiful and teetered in the 70s/80s. The only hitch? Indiana Jones was CLOSED! How dare you! GASP! So, I suppose that just means we'll have to go again soon. Wesley is still a bit too short for some of the rides, and while he enjoyed Cars Land, he'll be excited when he can ride all of the rides in that area too. (And also Star Tours.)



Oh, let's back up for a second. My son is COMPLETELY obsessed with Star Wars. Completely. I mean, he loves Toy Story and Cars, but Star Wars is his true love. He can name all of the characters, he loves to lightsaber duel, and his new thing is using his hand to Force Push you. Yes. Ray and I are very proud!


So, let's move on.

Carly started playing Basketball in November, and it recently just ended. She started out not knowing the game at all, and transformed into a pretty good first time player! Her team was awesome and ended up undefeated, plus she made some good friends along the way. I can't thank her coaches enough for having the time and patience to help Carly learn the game! We can't wait for next year!


Thanksgiving came and went, and we celebrated my oldest turning 9 (which makes me want to cringe and cry all at once!) with family here. Christmas was the same way, my spoiled kids became even more spoiled and enjoyed most of their Christmas presents.
Shortly after Christmas something happened I am not quite ready to talk about. Over the period of the next 3 months (leading up until now, March) would be some of the most happy and devastating moments we've had. Eventually, I'll talk about it, but for now I am not ready.


Last weekend, my friend Amber flew in to spend some time with us for the weekend. I hadn't seen Amber since the last time I was in Reno and so it was AMAZING to have her here! Mix my Reno BFF and my Bowling Green BFF and I was pleasantly surprised to see Amber and Megan immediately click! We all had a great time, getting tattoos (Yes, I'm not longer a tattoo virgin!) drinking, (Too little and too much all at once!) and seeing a Pink concert in Nashville (AMAZING!) There were several times over the weekend where I was doubled over laughing so hard. Ray watched the kids ALL weekend (I can't thank him enough!) and it was just so much fun. (Didn't bring an actual camera this time, so we didn't have too many great pictures at the Pink concert!)


So, I guess more went on than I thought... Tomorrow, Ray heads to Austin, Texas for work where he'll be for a week. Last year when he went, we were infested by Ants and the fridge broke. Let's hope for an uneventful week this time, huh?
Coming up in May, Ray and I are heading back to Florida without the kids for a long weekend by ourselves. We plan to be big kids, and hit Disney World the entire time. I'm pretty dang excited! Hopefully we'll be taking the kids later this year too.
My mom is talking about coming up in June, which will hit right after Wesley's birthday (And the birth of my Niece, however that's a different story for a different time. It's coming to a point where I have a lot of nieces [And one nephew!] and it's messed up how little I get to see any of them.)
So, that was 2012 (and a bit of 2013) in an instant. I'm going to keep this updated more regularly, and probably bore you with the events of my day/week/month. But... get over it! :)

2011.

2011 brought us-

A move 2000 miles from home.
A layoff
A full time job
2 part time jobs
2 Disney World trips
2 car accidents
Some physical therapy
2 mommy visits
3 flat tires
and the list goes on and on.

But above all, 2011 leaves us with 2 healthy, beautiful kids, healthy family, a roof over our heads, warm clothes on all our backs, and food in all our bellies.

If 2012 has half the love that 2011 did... bring it on!

Steps in the right direction.

We took the kids to the rehab center to see Aunt Judy last night. Carly did amazingly well with it all, especially since anything resumbling a hospital frightens her (She was even nervous about coming to see me when Wesley was born.) She gave Aunt Judy a hug, and then just kept her distance after that.
Back story- For those of you that don't know, Ray's Aunt Judy was in a car accident just down the street from our home after babysitting Wesley for me. For that I will be forever grateful and forever guilty. This was the Monday before Thanksgiving. She was transferred to a hospital in Kentucky where we had a rough few days, but she is on the mend now and back in Bowling Green doing therapy so she can go home! 
Wesley thinks going to the rehab center is so much fun, since there are so many 'toys' for him to play with and touch. Although it seems we always take him over there when he is tired, because he loses patience fast. Judy is doing remarkably well though, and hopefully will be home soon.

I've been spending as much time as possible trying to get Christmas presents done for everyone. We are doing mostly home-made and personalized gifts this year. We really go overboard during Christmas time, and we are trying to take it easy this year- for even the kids. We move next weekend, so hopefully we can get moved quick, and I can finish all our Christmas presents for everyone. Mom and Jordan will be here soon as well, so it's all just so exciting! Hopefully we will be all moved in by the time they get here. That would be ideal! 
I suppose I should start packing...

Disney and Autism- How to make them mesh?

Not even just Disney, but any place with crowds- the grocery store, the pumpkin patch, the family dinners?
Parenting alone is a challenge. I don't know anyone who would deny that it isn't all rainbows and butterflies 100% of the time. Everyone has their ups and downs, and keeping up with the ins and outs can be frustrating.

But try parenting a child with Autism. Seriously.

I wouldn't trade my daughter for the world, not even close. She is the most beautiful, sweet, smart, and hilarious little girl I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with.
However, she can be so tiring.
We just spent a week at Walt Disney World, a trip that was supposed to also double as a birthday trip for her. The crowds overwhelmed Carly, though, and she can't handle herself when she is overwhelmed. We had several times a day where she would just meltdown and cry/scream over something seemingly ridiculous to all parties involved. Yes, children scream and throw fits, it's a normal part of life. But a child who is able to comprehend reasoning and control their impulses does not cry and scream over telling her that it won't be 9:00 am for 5 more minutes, that she cannot re-ride something for the 3rd time because the park is closed, that she cannot push strangers in line because she's in a hurry, that she has to watch a 2 minute movie before boarding a ride, that she cannot yell to people to move out of her way in line, that she cannot pinch you because you told her she could have a snack in 15 minutes, that is told no to eating lunch at 9:30 am. She just does not understand how to handle herself when she is disappointed with something.
Children such as Carly thrive in environments where they have schedules that are basically followed. Even just a, wake up at 6:30 am, bus comes at 7:45 am, get home at 3:45 pm, have a snack at 4:00 pm, eat dinner at 6:00 pm, bathe at 7:00 pm, bed at 8:00 pm. The schedule doesn't have to be stuck to as strictly as it sounds, but she needs some foundation. Being in Disney World there was none of that, and she can't handle it. Her first impulse is to hit or cry, and she doesn't know how to stop herself.

So, no what? I love taking my kids to Disney, but I can't do it this way again. I suppose I could have made her a Disney schedule to stick to, but I couldn't be sure how it would all work. How do you take an OCD/Autistic child to Disney, and avoid having "That child" that everyone stares and shakes their heads at? (I don't really care about that, because I'm the first person to tell you to mind your own business and keep walking. But she does.)

I think I'm going to meet with Carly's doctor and see about seeing a nutrionist and discuss the benefits to putting an Autistic child on a Gluten and Casein free diet. From what I've read about it, it does help with the impulse control and cognitive thinking for some. I just want Carly to enjoy herself and her life.

Wesley had a blast, but is happy to be home and not in a hotel room. He was also over his stroller by the end of the week, and I can't say I blame him. I love taking these two there, it's so magical. Having one cuddled in your lap and the other cuddled next to you while you watch a parade is an amazing feeling. I want to continue to take my children annually, but I need to figure out a way to help Carly first.

Wish me luck!

2011 reflected- a little.

It's amazing how alike the two kids look. Even with different fathers, they still look like little replicas of each other. Some people would tell me when I was pregnant that the age difference was going to be hard, but it's not at all. They love each other so much, it's amazing to see. 

It's been a long year. A bumpy year. A stressful year. I'm ready for some smooth sailing, and hopefully we get a little reprieve right around the corner. Ray might very well be back to full time in the next few days, which will mean we are back to regular health insurance, and reliable pay. It doesn't, however, look like he'll be teaching any classes any time soon. That's a bummer because it brings in some extra money to get things paid off. But, him going back to full time will be nice. Having health insurance again will be nice (Jacie types as she squints at the computer screen, wishing she could order new glasses.) Working at WKU has been nice, just because I still get time to be home with the kids, but also still bring in a little extra money. Although, Wesley is starting daycare tomorrow, and I have some serious butterflies about that!

I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner. And in between now and then I turn 26 (On the road to 30!) and my baby girl turns 8. This year we are taking her to Disney World for her birthday, and I am really excited to surprise her with it. When Wesley gets old enough to surprise with Birthday trips, we will always end up being at Disney for the Star Wars festivities. I hope he enjoys SW as much as all of us! I love being able to spoil the kids!

I really want to get back out to Reno soon to visit. Southwest just fooled me, claiming rates were only $59 one way. Trickery. $214 is nothing like $59!!! But, I will visit home hopefully after the first of the year. It's going to be a busy 6 months: Visit home, 4 weeks of working 50 hour weeks, Ray's birthday, Mike and Nicole's wedding, hopefully Star Wars Weekends for Ray and I, and then Wesley's 2nd birthday. And that's only through May! 

Whew. Bring it on.

My favorite isn't your favorite. So what?

I try so hard not to play favorites with kids, and I don't think there is really a way to play favorites with a huge age gap like theirs. What one needs is usually not what the other needs. It will different as they both get older, and transition into teens/young adults etc. Looking back on my childhood,  you can see how hard it was to keep it obvious that my mom didn't favor any one of us. Even now, I think she tries. Of course, Jordan will always be the baby- that will never change. And Carly and mom will always share a special bond that will never change.  But mom tried to keep things as fair as she could as we grew up, and I respect her so much for that. A three of us are so different in so many ways, and my mom makes sure to make us feel like no one of us is better than the other. Favoritism is so old, and so overplayed, and I am so sick of seeing it in the most ridiculous places.


Anyways, I want to go swimming. Both kids have some energy to blow off, and I think we will go do something! Days like today really make me miss living within driving distance to the ocean. In fact, I've bee pretty homesick all week. I hope this passes soon... It can make one pretty miserable!

Work is a cure for homesickness... Sometimes.

I really should update this more often...
I can't believe summer is over. Carly is in second grade, and it really feels like just yesterday she was my little baby. Today, she is such a grown up little girl, and it makes me just want to bawl.
Mom came for a visit and was able to go with us to take Carly to her open house AND her first day of school. It's so amazing how close mom and Carly are. Carly slept with my mom every night (And that made it hard last night, getting her to sleep alone, sans TV.) and they did everything together. I feel bad it's been 7 moms since we had seen mom, and I am so grateful she came up. We really need to make sure we are getting out there more often and vice versa. I told mom that we would try to come up before Christmas, since both Ray and I are off work for 2 weeks around Christmas. (Nice!) Wesley remembered mom, and she didn't think he would. But he wanted her to hold him right away, and spent the rest of the week following her like a lost little puppy. Having mom here made me so homesick. So, so homesick.

I really love this job. I loved, LOVED my DMV co-workers, and this setting is a bit different. A lot of the workers on the floor are student workers, and then you have the back office support staff, and we are all not, haha. (Well, I am, just not here! Next semester, I'll take a class here for freeeee.) But this environment is so much more laid back. Their motto is as long as the job gets done, that's all that matters. Right now, I ahve absolutely nothing to do until 2:00, and my boss told me that I could check email, go browse the store, anything to pass the time. Of course, we have had our busy times, and the busiest is yet to come- Rush Week. I've been working full time hours for this month, and next month be back to part-time, and that is perfect. That puts me mostly stay-at-home-mom with a little working mom rolled in. It also gives me the chance to work on my classes this semester. (4, bleh.)

It's been a busy, but great week. We loved having you here mom, and we are going to make it so we see each other more often. Thank you for all you did for the four of us, and have a safe flight home. We love you!

I promise, I'll post more often...

Tis the Season...

Christmas pictures didn't go as well as I would have liked... Lately, Carly has been a bit of a terror, and today proved no different. Asking her to change out of her Christmas skirt and into some birthday clothes ended up with her in the dressing room for 30 minutes screaming. The portrait place was busy, and it was quite embarrassing. I'm calling her doctor tomorrow... something has to give and his last solution wasn't the solution.
Wesley did pretty good though, but didn't give his big smiles. I think our photographer was annoyed with Carly, and she hurried us along. Oh well, always next time, right? Those pictures can be seen here.We'll be sending off cards soon!
I hope none of the family minds, but Christmas presents are all mainly homemade this year. I'm actually kind of excited/proud of a few of them. I just need to put some finishing touches on them.
Short post, but will update more later!

Turkey, the number 7, and all in between!

Gobble, gobble! It was pretty cute how Carly gobbled, and Wesley giggled. The two are quite a pair! I have the pictures to prove it!

Seriously- adorable, right? Yeah. I agree. Anyways, onward!
Thanksgiving was good. We went to my mom's house where my mother, Jeff, Jordan, and one of my mom's friends were there. The kids wore their matching Turkey shirts I made, and they looked so cute. Wesley, sadly, took a bottle shortly before dinner, and had no interest in any other food. He wouldn't even suck on a bit of turkey, that little turkey! But Carly chowed down. Carly's dad came and got her for his Thanksgiving, and then we traded off the next day.
She's seven. Wow. How did that even happen? I really feel like I blinked and here you are. Ray and I took her to Build A Bear in the mall (On black Friday! We're nuts, yes!!!) But it wasn't too bad. We let her stuff a cute little bear we bought her that reflects her birthstone. Carly was so stoked that they had a Rapunzel outfit, as Rapunzel is her new favorite thing. She has a cute little Rapunzel bear now. We took her to Red Robin for dinner, where mom and Jordan met us. I worked for a few hours Thursday night on a cake for her, and was pretty impressed with myself with how it came out. Carly was beyond spoiled for her birthday, and now is eagerly awaiting Christmas to become more spoiled. Ah, kids!

We think we finally found a place to live in Bowling Green. It sounds like this guy is going to hold the house for us until we get there, and judging by the pictures it's gorgeous! We put our house up for Rent today, and already had some interest. Hopefully we get it rented soon! We are moving a couple of days after Christmas, so that we can spend Christmas with my family this year.
As always, pictures can be seen on Facebook via this link, including ones from Carly's Birthday and Thanksgiving. But until then, I leave you with these!

Overdue!

It's been awhile since I posted, but it's been a long month! We spent out week at Disneyland, and it was great! Carly, Wesley, Nana, Ray, and I spent so much time at the park that we were all walking zombies in the end. Here we were worried about Carly and the roller coasters and characters, but she LOVED it all! She met every princess, and rode every roller coaster. Even the super scary one she was barely tall enough for at California Adventure! Wesley was a trooper too, but insisted on someone holding him most of the time, so he could see the action as well. Carly even got to participate in the Jedi Training Academy, and they dubbed her a Jedi Padawan. She was too cute, and loved it! Pictures can be seen here.It was a great time for all!
Carly got home and immediately went on vacation with her dad. She just got home today after being gone a week! He took her to Phoenix to see her Paternal Grandma, and then BACK to Disneyland. Spoiled kid! During the time she was gone, Ray and I did some Christmas shopping, saw Harry Potter, and tried to finalize moving plans. It's been hard to find a house to live in, because we are still over a month away, and no one wants to hold a house that long. But it's looking as if I will be flying the kids in around the 28/29th, and Ray and Mark will follow suit, but by car, a couple days later. I'm nervous about moving away from mom, and sad about it, but excited about being somewhere new.

Nothing too new to report on the kids. Carly doesn't go back to school until Monday, but she is excited. She needs something to work her mind. I can't believe she is almost 7... Blows my mind! Wesley is almost 6 months old, and sits in the shopping carts and high chairs as well now. He isn't crawling yet, but is scooting with determination! He hasn't quite realized that getting on his knees would be easier... haha!

We are spending Thanksgiving at my mom's this year, but before dinner we are taking Carly to see "Tangled." She got to meet Rapunzel at Disneyland, and is now REALLY excited to see her movie. Then on Friday (Her Birthday!) we will take her to Build A Bear as a treat, and I am making a really detailed cake. (Pictures will be here!)

Anyway, I hope all is well with everyone. I will be back after Carly's Birthday and Thanksgiving with pictures. (I hope!) And Wesley has his 6 month appointment on Tuesday, so I will have stats soon!

Happy Halloween!

Well, it's almost Halloween, anyway! (And didn't I use that same blog title for last year's Halloween blog post?)
Carly's last day of school was on Thursday. She is now officially off-track until November 29th (I think!) On Thursday, they also had their Halloween party, at which they could wear their costumes. This was weird to me, because ever since she has been in daycare/school, this has never been allowed. But okay! More fun for the kids, right? Well, Carly decided to dress up as Jessie the Cowgirl from Toy Story 2/3, and so we dressed Wesley up as Woody the Cowboy. Since Carly was already in her costume, we put Wesley in his and snuck a few pictures through,

I know, super cute, right? Here is a link to some more of them. (This is the same link as the pumpkin patch pictures! Oh, and if for some reason those of you without Facebook can't see them, let me know please!)

Anyhoo, Carly is at her dad's until Sunday, and then we will take the kidlets trick or treating. I'm sure Wesley will sleep through the majority of it, but it should be fun anyway. Carly is dying to use the glow-stick wand that Grandma Dawn sent her, but we told her to wait until Halloween to make it more fun!

I want to thank everyone for all the birthday wishes and more than you sent my way. Thank you very much! It was a relaxing day, after being up in the middle of the night from 3 am - 6:30 with a baby! Ray let me sleep in until around 10 (Glorious!) and then we went to dinner with the kids and my friend Amber. It was nice! The night before, my mom had taken us to dinner as well. I feel very spoiled! I can now also drive the rental car in 2 weeks, because I am older enough to go on the agreement! (Priorities, right!)

I will be back with a Post Trick or Treating update on Sunday night/ Monday morning! (If not sooner, I want to show off some of my recent sewing accomplishments!)

1 year ago..

Well, good-ish news from the pediatrician today. Wesley's infection is finally gone, yay! He does still, however, have a build up of fluid behind both ears which is causing him pain, and making him susceptible to getting another infection. She gave us one more antibiotic to hold us over until we see the ear doc, just to make sure he doesn't get re-infected. She also called a different Ear doctor for us, who can see us tomorrow instead of in 3 weeks. It makes me kind of sad, because Carly's ear doctor is awesome, but this one is supposed to be great, and he REALLY needs to be seen. He does seem SO much happier though, and is giggling daily now.

Today has been one year since the Wedding. So much has happened in this one year... House, Baby, and everything in between. My mother is watching the kids tonight so Ray and I can go to dinner. This will be the first time we've been alone since Wesley graced us with his presence. It should be interesting... haha.

The air races ended yesterday, but I heard planes flying over the house this morning. Hopefully that is just the last of them leaving, and tomorrow will be quiet. Carly NEEDS it to be quiet! I miss my sweet girl, too! We bought her a Jessie the Cowgirl costume for Halloween, but it's a little small. So if anyone is going to a Disney Store, please be on the look out for Jessie outfit size 7/8 and Jessie cowgirl boots size 13/1. Thanks! Carly is stoked because Wesley is going to be Woody the cowboy. So cute!

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I wrote that yesterday (9/20/10) And never got a chance to post it. So here is an update:
Wesley's appointment is in 2 hours, and hopefully we will get good news. He has been a pretty happy baby today.
Carly had a GREAT day yesterday, and we are hoping for the same today. She was in an amazing mood when we got home.
We took both kids to my mom's so that Ray and I could go to dinner. It was nice being alone, but we missed the kids. Also, we had just pulled up to where we were eating when a driver flagged us down- our tire was flat! So, we had to call AAA to come out and change the tire for us (Our jack isn't a good jack, and the spare tire was under the middle of the van!) but it was pretty quick. Ray and I took it today and just replaced both of those back tires. Turns out we had run over a nail. Third one in 2 months, haha. I think we have magnetic tires!

We also picked up the pictures from the other day, and I will be mailing them out shortly.

That is all for now, because we have to go pick up Carly from school. Hope everyone is well!

Airplanes in the night sky...

Cause anxiety amongst little girls. It is that time of year. The Reno Air Races are back. This is our first year living in our house during them and, hey! they fly right over our house. Carly is scared of them, and they have been keeping her awake at night, and then they start practicing at around 5 am! So, she is running off no sleep, and has a terrible week at school. Hopefully, once they are gone we can get back to where we were. Poor girl. She had an GREAT week last week, and this one is off to a bad start.

We got a call from Wesley's ear doctor. They want to see him October 7th, and at that time they will more than likely schedule surgery to put in tubes. The downside to all of this is, our insurance for Wesley just went into affect Monday, so they may try to say this is a preexisting condition, and we will be paying for it out of pocket. Whatever we need to do. We just want the little man to feel better.

I just made our reservations for Lunch with the Princesses in Disneyland. I am so excited to go! I am even more excited that both our mothers are going! It will be such a fun trip for everyone, and I'm really glad we decided to fly instead of drive!

I don't have much more to say tonight, but I will leave a few of Wesley's newest pictures. I don't have any of Carly so far this week, but she has picture day at school on Thursday, so she will have more soon, I'm sure!

Family Pictures

So, we finally went and had pictures done. The kids did REALLY well. Wesley needed a break in between to take a 30 minute nap, but other than that they went smoothly. Carly's pictures turned out adorable without any fake smiles. We ordered a bunch and we will have them on the 23rd to start to give out amongst the family.
You can preview them all here though,

Wesley is still sick. We took him back to the doctor on Friday to see if his ear infections had cleared up. Nope. The left side looks better, with just some fluid left, but the right side is still badly infected and encased in pus. Yummy! Poor man got a new antibiotic and will now have to be seen by Carly's ENT to evaluate what to do next. He is in good spirits though. He is very close to sitting on his own. He hates to be reclined, and uses those abdominal muscles to get himself into the sitting position. (Sometimes, he works them too hard and flings himself forward!)

Carly had an amazing week at school. She didn't have any bad days at all, and she even got her homework done early. Her handwriting is improving so much, which I know is hard for my little left-handed wonder. We took her to the store the other day and watched her dance to the music. It was hilarious! Did I mention Ray finally finished her graduation video? He did. I wonder if he uploaded it...

I receive the rest of my cloth diapers Monday, and I have to say- I really am in love with it. The only downside is the extra bulkiness. But Wesley doesn't mind, so I don't either! My favorites by far are the BumGenius and the FuzziBunz. I ordered a bunch of both, but realized I don't really like the velcro, and I ordered quite a few with it. Boo. I've found my groove with washing them, and they are so cute on his little tush. If I could do it again, I'd cloth diaper from the start, and recommend it to anyone and every one!

I'm currently making Carly's weighted blanket, to see if that helps her sleep any better. But so far I have finished:

• Pacifier Clips
• A Taggy Blanket for Wesley
• Wesley's shopping cart cover

I also had to fix Carly's shirt the other day, which I did successfully. I was quite proud of myself!

I have a few new pictures to post, and I will a little bit later tonight.
Hope everyone is well!