18 months

And still cute as a button! :)  Our little snuggle bug is growing up so quickly.  He spends most of his days being a complete chatterbox.  I'm amazed at how many words he knows!  I can't even give you a list because he really knows so many.  Recently, he has started constructing two-word phrases.  Before long, he's going to be having full conversations with his big brother.  Although, I might prefer the full-fledged conversation to what seems like never-ending arguing.  They are constantly picking on each other.  But then, in the blink of an eye, they are hugging, and laughing, and it just melts my heart!

Owen also has a little temper.  Easily frustrated, you'll often see him throwing things, stomping his feet, or just laying on the ground crying.  These little tantrums last only seconds, but he sure does them often.  I know he's frustrated trying to communicate, but a small part of me thinks these little tantrums are cute. :)

Still a mama's boy, he is starting to enjoy the luxury of daddy {in part because I'm never home lately}, and he is completely enamored with Grandpa.  If you even say his name, Owen goes nuts.

Happy 18 months to our growing little man.  We are so proud of all that you have done so far.  We are looking forward to all that's still in store.  Thank you for coming into our lives!  We love you.

Order {again}

Well, it's no secret that Isaac likes order {lining things up, organizing by color, shape, and whatever else he comes up with}.  This is his most recent addition to the collection or all things orderly.

Milk Jug Butterflies Mobile

Isaac and I did this craft together a little while ago.  Since we completed it, these butterflies "fly" from the light in the boys' room.  They love them, and they're actually very pretty when the light hits them.  Super easy craft for the little ones!

Thursday Deals 2/23/12

They're baaaaack. {Hi, Julie!}

1. Get 10 FREE Pampers Gift to Grow Points with codes FBPRE9BD99DAY12 {expires 2/26} and FBFAMDBD99KAY12, for a total of 20 points!

2.  Get one FREE Benjamin Moore paint 2 oz. color sample with this coupon.

3. Ladies, get a FREE sample of Poise Hourglass here or a FREE sample of Carefree Liners here.

4. FREE samples White's Dog Food here.  If you are a Petco Pals Member, you can get a FREE 130z can of Purina ProPlan food and $5 off Purina Pro Plan Dry Food.  Coupons here.

5. Get a FREE sample of Purex Triple Action Laundry detergent here.  Watch the video first, click "sign up" and then fill out the forms.

6. This Saturday, Feb. 25 from 9-11 a.m., is Dr. Seuss Story time at Target Stores!  You get a free goody bag too.  Pack  up your kids and head on out.

7. Get a FREE copy of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Gettysburg Address here.

8.  Get a FREE sample of life choice bars here.  Choose from Meal, Energy, Wellness or Protein.

Baby Models

A few weeks ago, I received some catalogs in the mail from a photo shoot that we had the boys do in early December 2010.  They look so great.  Isaac even made the front cover. :)  Woot!

Entertaining a 17 month old

Let them pour!  It's great for building some fine motor skills too.  I just gave Owen two cups, a bowl of water, and put it all over a beat up pan so that he wouldn't make a giant mess.  He did this for over 30 minutes.  I have also put Cheerios in an empty ice cream bucket, gave him a measuring cup and an empty bucket, and he scoops the cheerios from one bucket to the other.  He'll easily do that for 30+ minutes too.  Bonus, Isaac likes to do that too, so it keeps BOTH of my boys busy! :)

Organized Snacking

I often get tired of trying to appease the taste buds of both of my boys for their afternoon snack.  I did a muffin tin snack tray with Isaac awhile ago that worked pretty well, but this one works the best for BOTH of them.  I take some cupcake liners (and re-use them a lot when I only have dry items in them), place them in an empty round cake pan, and fill them with various snack items.  They are both happy with the variety and it actually keeps them occupied for awhile.  It's cute to hear the two of them sharing their food too.  :)

Cara and Jason

Last weekend, we celebrated the marriage of one of my cousins.  It is just so heartwarming to see your family members so sublimely happy.  What a beautiful wedding.  What a beautiful couple.  Congrats to both of you!  Many of our uncles joined in singing a tribute song.  Pretty good, I think!

Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!  Isaac and I worked on a project over the weekend for my choir and piano kids.  These were a big hit and are SUPER cute. 

PS.  I'm going to get back to blogging now. :)  You can thank Pinterest for the slow month!

Alopecia Areata

Just as I suspected.  Confirmed Tuesday, January 31, 2012.  I have Alopecia Areata. We discovered a week ago that my one curious spot had become THREE curious spots (one of them about the size of a quarter) in less than two weeks. In my case, it is most likely aggravated by stress.  I've been pretty significantly stressed out since August 28, 2010.  If you know me, you know why that day is infamous.  If you know me and don't know but want to know, then shoot me an e-mail.

Either way, it's good to have an answer.  They injected cortisone under my scalp to kill off the white blood cells that are attacking my hair follicles.  I've got some new sprouts poking through, so now I'm just working on managing the stress....as if losing your hair doesn't add to it!