The big move.

I always admired people who cloth diapered. I remember looking into it while I was pregnant with Jaxon after hearing statistic after statistic about how much money you could save. I was about half sold on the idea... the saving money part sounded great, but seriously, what about the poop? I simply googled "cloth diapers" and about 1,888,000 results popped onto my screen. Holy overwhelmed. I literally "x'd" out of that screen faster than you could imagine. Shortly after, a lot of my blogger friends had babies and started cloth diapering. I remember their posts about the topic but skimmed over it... the terms they were using were a foreign language to me. All-in-one's... prefolds... pockets... yep, sounded like spanish to me at the time.

Fast forward about 2 years. A couple of my friends from small group mentioned to me that they cloth diapered, so the questions began. I was intrigued. Later that night I spent 3 hours researching the different brands and was really interested in doing it... all I had to do was sell my husband on the idea.

"Hey honey - I am really thinking we should start cloth diapering. Before you shut down and tell me how gross it is, just hear me out. We could save close to $2,000 just by switching and......"

"Sweet. When do we start?"

There's a lot of reasons that cloth diapers are better {for us} than disposables, but lets be honest. The money we're saving is one of the main reasons we're doing it. Even though the initial investment is hefty, they pay themselves off within 6-8 months. And if you consider that you will diaper each of your children for at least 2 years {typically longer with boys}... well, you do the math. The second reason is because my boys have super sensitive skin, and I fought diaper rash after diaper rash when Jaxon was a baby while using disposables. When Cohen was first born he had a bright red bottom every day while using disposables. Since switching to cloth? Zero rashes. Zero!

The extra loads of laundry are really no big deal either. It's an extra 2-3 loads of laundry a week, and if I'm already doing 700 loads of laundry a week anyway, what's a couple more?

These are just not your old-school cloth diapers anymore. No pins, no waterproof covers... it's not any harder than using a disposable. I know a lot of people will buy a bunch of different brands/types to figure out which they like best. Honestly, I didn't want the headache, and after talking to both Leah and Kristal and reading hundreds of positive reviews online, we decided to go with BumGenius 4.0 One Size diapers. "One size" meaning they will fit Cohen from infancy all the way up to 35 pounds. Which means, yep... they fit both Cohen and Jaxon. It also means I will never have to buy diapers again. Bingo!!!

I realize cloth diapers are not for everyone, but they are definitely for us! I also know it's super overwhelming when you look at all the different options, so if you have any questions about how/what we're using, definitely let me know!

One last thing.... I have to admit I love how flippin' cute the diapers are on their little tushes! Is that weird? :)

Fun.

Just for kicks and giggles, here's a few random pics from my iPhone from this past week. I saw someone else do this on their blog and I thought it was a good idea, since I always have my phone with me and I do a terrible job of bringing my camera with me.

Fear overcome!!

Jaxon has been terrified of his new 4-wheeler he got from us for Christmas until Monday, when somehow I was able to convince him that it would not eat him alive. He still won't push the 'go' button on his own... but we're taking it one day at a time. ;)

On Saturday while Tyler was at work, I took down the Christmas tree and decorations... yep, all by myself. Tyler came home and said "babe, you took down the tree? Did you have any help?" I laughed and said -- "from who, Jaxon?" He called me "super mom" the rest of the night which boosted my ego a little bit ;)

Also can I just say -- as much as I loved having the tree up this year, it was a great feeling taking it down too... it freed up so much space and brought a lot of natural light into our living room. It feels so much less cluttered in my house now, which I love.

Just a cute picture of my little guy ... did you notice his adorable diaper? :)

More to come on that soon....

My two favorite boys!

Also, a new favorite iPhone app... instagram! Definitely check it out if you don't already have it. It's free, which means it's automatically awesome.

My Christmas present from my husband... a pedicure :) Love that man!

Hope you're all having a great week!

Cohen - 2 months

Hey little guy...

Mommy's a little late to the party this month, but over our Christmas vacation you turned 2 months old! You amaze me at how much you change from day to day. Each morning I swear I think to myself "wow, you look way different today." Your looks, your time spent awake vs sleeping, and your personality literally changes by the day. I try so hard to pause and cherish these moments, as they pass way too quickly.

Mommy was just starting to get a little worried about how I hadn't seen you smile yet, when most other babies your age were. The day that your big brother Jaxon was admitted to the hospital, you looked up at me and smiled from ear to ear. I truly believe it was one of God's ways of bringing Mommy joy during such a sad time. Your dimples are some of the cutest I've seen, they are just like Jaxon's. You both get them from your Daddy... I love them.

This month you were diagnosed with GERD {gastro esophageal reflux disease}, which basically just means you have a rough time when you eat. You arch your back while nursing, meaning it's painful for you to eat, and you spit up a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean -- Mommy needs a towel to burp you most days. It's okay -- you can spit up on me anytime. I love you anyway. Luckily the doctor gave you some medicine that helps your tummy feel better. I am hopeful you'll grow out of it soon. Despite having issues eating {and keeping it down}, you are clearly gaining weight just fine! You weighed 11 pounds, 11 oz at your 2 month appt.

I love to hold you, snuggle with you, and just think about how much of an unexpected blessing you are to me, and to our family. You were a surprise to us... but sheer proof that God knows exactly what we need. He knew I'd need you to bring me joy. He knew I'd need you to fill my need-to-snuggle-with-a-baby void. He knew I'd need you to prove His faithfulness and love. He knew I'd need you to believe in miracles again. He knew it all, and that's why He gave me you.

You are my handsome and happy little guy and I love you with all that I have!

Mommy

Snapshots.

Just a quick recap of 2010, so that I can officially close it's pages and move on to the next year.

january.

...my parents took our entire family to colorado.

...jaxon started walking really well.

...tyler got laid off, january 28th, and without choice our life turned upside-down.

february.

...tyler begins job interviews. the thoughts of us moving start becoming real and scary, but we're hopeful to still find something in KC.

...jaxon turns 1!

...i start working 60-70 hour weeks to try and make up for lost income.

...marriage issues.

march.

... we find out we are pregnant again and announce to family on march 1st! {only thinking in the back of our minds... gee, hope Tyler has a job by then...}

... i got my braces off!

april.

...i unexpectedly lose my job also. no income, no health insurance for any of us.

...we are held up and supported by our family and small group.

...we decide to put our first home and dream home on the market.
...hubs gets a call about a job in Denver. accepts.

may.

...hubs leaves for Denver. jaxon and i stay behind to hopefully sell the house. caring for a toddler alone, while pregnant.

...jaxon and i make our first trip to Denver to see daddy.

june.

...another trip out to Denver and we find out we're having another boy!

...i adore my time spent one-on-one with jaxon.

july.

...lots of traveling. to grandpa & grandma's. to papa & nana's. and back to kc.

...hubs flew back to KC for our 5th wedding anniversary. that same weekend he had an interview with a company for an engineering job.

...started packing our house.

...tyler was offered a position at above engineering company. wanted him to start in two weeks, august 2nd. happiest news we received in a long time.

...july 24 my bff was transformed into a beautiful bride. i was honored to be her matron of honor.

august.

...the same weekend i was a matron of honor, my husband received a phone call saying his position in KC was no longer available. 3 days before i was expecting to see him arrive on our front door, he called to tell me the news. back to square one, wondering where we'd be when baby arrived.

...drove to my parents house for refuge. stayed for 2 weeks until tyler asked me to come to denver. drove 12 hours alone with a toddler. arrived, and all was right in the world.

...august 8th tyler was offered a job in waco, tx. the 9th we accepted. the 11th i left denver to go to KC and finish packing. the 12th tyler joined me. the 14th we pulled out of our driveway, headed to texas.

...i begin hospital & doctor shopping.

september.

...my belly grew by the day, as did my anticipation for baby #2 to arrive. we LOVED being together as a family again and LOVED our new found appreciation for the little things in life, like a husband who sleeps in the same bed as you. :)

...c-section is scheduled for october 29.

...we spend A LOT of time outdoors as temperatures are in the 3 digits for weeks at a time.

...we find an amazing church!

october.

...we take our last vacation "just the three of us" to austin.

...final baby preparations are in full swing.

...i start becoming close to some really amazing friends.

...we join a life group at church.

...cohen michael is born!

november.

...papa & nana came to visit and meet cohen.

...jaxon begins learning his new role as a big brother.

...my family arrives for thanksgiving and 2 of my siblings and my dad meet cohen!

...jaxon begins sleeping in his big boy bed

...we enjoy 60 degree weather and go to the local zoo

december.

...i begin to struggle as i worry about how we'll make it through the holiday season financially as medical bills start arriving each day, from cohen being born. i am reminded to trust.

...we have family pictures taken.

...sickness takes over our home as cohen is diagnosed with GERD, and jaxon is admitted to the hospital a week later for pneumonia and a virus that has not yet been identified. i go through some of the hardest days of mommy-hood so far, seeing jaxon so so sick. i am reminded "Emmanual - God with us" through those days.

...by miracle, jaxon's fever breaks, he is healed, and a couple days later we head 15 hours home to celebrate christmas with our families. a beautiful christmas season afterall.

2010 was not my favorite year. In fact, it was by far the hardest year of my life. We struggled more than we should have had to, we cried more tears than we wanted to. But there was a lot of good that came from it also... New life. New hope. New dreams. New opportunities. We may not always understand the reason why things happened the way they did, but we know and believe that God knows what is best for us. And for that reason, we look forward to 2011. I hope my faith and trust in the Lord only continues to grow this coming year, as it did this past year.

Happy New Years to you and your family!

Resolutions.

i'll be honest.

I'm not big on New Years resolutions.

2 years ago at this time I was a faithful gym member {I lost almost 80 pounds!} and remember getting super annoyed at the beginning of the year when all the sudden the gym was packed and I had to wait for equipment. All I had to do though was wait 2 weeks... most of those people had already stopped coming.

Instead of making resolutions, I just set goals for myself for the following year. Here's my goals for twenty-eleven:

#1. More time in the Word. And not just skimming it over, but really processing it. My friend Susan and I are meeting bi-weekly as discipleship partners and I'm so excited about it.

#2. Making a more concious effort about keeping my house as germ-free as possible. With all the colds, flu, and overall health of our family in 2010, I want 2011 to be so much better. So I am making it a point that we are all taking a daily vitamin, washing our hands frequently, and I'm doing a better job of sanitizing more often. I'm so tired of someone in our family constantly being sick! :(

#3. Work out and watch my calorie intake. I can't technically say "diet" since I am nursing, but I need to be aware of what I'm eating and be sure I'm eating those extra calories for nursing sake, but make those extra calories HEALTHY calories. We are looking into gym prices for a family membership as my husband also wants to go. I am excited about this because not only does it mean a healthier family, but it's also an hour that I will get to myself while the boys are in daycare. Happy mommy = better mommy.

#4. Be a better wife. Put my "wife" title above my "mom" title. Stop thinking about myself and what I get out of everything. Care more for my husband than I do myself.

#5. Do something for myself that I enjoy. At the moment I have another page up for a local photography class......

#6. Love others. Be Genuine. And in everything, always give thanks.

and you?