In Which We Become Zombies!

The weather has been so nice lately, we couldn't help but take advantage of it! We've been at the park or the playground across the street as much as possible. Dustin learned to swing on the big swing, but it still makes me nervous, so I keep one hand on his back at all times. But he loves it! He thinks he's such a big boy. Logan also insists on taking Dustin down the slide with him. So I'll put him in Logan's lap, and then run around to the bottom of the slide as fast as I can to catch them.

Dustin's been walking a lot more lately too. Logan has gotten over the novelty of Dustin walking, so he I no longer worry about the little one being tackled. He does best on a hard surface, but he is getting better on carpet too.

We've also had an attack of teething lately! I'm dyeing slowly of lack of sleep, but hoping it will be over soon. Dustin and I didn't get to sleep until 4:30 last night, and he got me up at 7:00. It's been that way for a week and a half? Two weeks? I've lost count!

Other than that, we've been approached about renting our basement furnished for the next 5ish months. It's a young family (dad, mom, and 18 month old) from India on contract here at my Dad's work. The work will be paying the bills, and as long as HR approves everything, they should be moving in on the first (yes, that's a week and a half from now).

I'm stressing about getting everything done on time, but they won't know for sure if HR approves until Wednesday. So I've started boxing up our stuff, and collecting furniture, etc (they wanted it furnished, so I had to find a bed and some dressers). I will be sad about the loss of space, but the money is good, so I'm excited about that! And I think the boys will love having a friend close by. Now we just have to decide how to spend the money in a few months… :)

I also am working on a quiet book for an exchange. 11 seamstresses are all working on 11 of the exact same page, and we will switch in April. It's a bible story & nursery rhyme theme. I did a Samson and Delilah hair braiding page, and I'm so excited to see what everyone else comes up with.

So we're hanging in there! That's about it right now, but that's life some times

Silly Boys, Dates & Valentines Day

Let me just start by saying Logan and Dustin are such silly boys! They have such fun together, and get into so much trouble already. By 9 months Logan had bought dustin to fake burp and fart (and to laugh at it). I have no idea where Logan got  it from, and I can't get them to stop it, oh boys!

Dustin's been walking lately! It's crazy hard to get him to walk, because every time he tries to walk toward Dave or I, Logan gets excited and wants to help. He then insists Dustin walk towards him, not Dave or I, and when Dustin starts walking, Logan tackles Dustin with hugs! It's cute, but really hinders the process. We're hoping he'll be walking by himself soon enough.

We've been busy going on dates lately. Valentines weekend both our parents offered to watch the boys so we could go on dates! So Friday we did dinner and a movie, and Saturday we had a stay in date (made a fancy dinner at home, chatted and watched a movie). It was great!

Last week was Dave's birthday! I told Logan a few days before, so we could shop for dinner and a dessert. When we got to the store Logan had brought his money and told me he wanted to buy Dave a gift "with my own money". So we went to the candy isle. He immediately saw the gummy worms "Gummy worms! I love gummy worms!" pause "but Daddy loves liquorish. Let's get that for Dad."It was so thoughtful!

Friday Dave's parents offered to have a sleepover with the boys in celebration of Dave's birthday! We were all so excited! Logan had so much fun too. He's been talking about it ever since. "I got to sleep in Grandma's living room. They put a nightlight in there, but MOM, there wasn't a clock. So I didn't know what time to wake up at! Next time I sleep over I want to bring my clock." He talks about it all the time now.

Dave got another calling a few weeks ago. He is now the youth's Sunday School teacher. Our ward only has 10 - 15 youth total, so he teaches them all. I was hoping they would release him from one of the other two callings he has (teaching Elder's Quorm and Wednesday night boy scouts), but they haven't yet.

Busy Making Things

 We've been feeling better around the Plastow house! I think Dustin is done teething for now, we're just working on him taking naps again. He's always been so good at going to sleep, but since this round of teething he cries for about 15 minutes before falling to sleep. I know this is normal for most kids, but not for Dustin. So we're working on that.

I've been working on more decorations around the house (ever since Dave told me he likes more homey stuff). So I created these blocks out of a 2 x 4 that was bound for the trash! Dave tore down a wall in the shed, and it was one of the boards. I just had to remove all the screws, buy 4 pieces of paper, do some cutting, and BAM! Valentines decoration! It makes me sing every time I see it.

Logan wanted to make one too, so he painted and stuck on some stickers. His is proudly displayed on top of our coat rack.

I also finished this baby quilt! I made it to be auctioned off at the Chocolate Extravaganza (a charity event for a local hospital). I love how it turned out, and Dave liked the pattern so much he asked if we could just keep it. Too bad we don't have a baby girl to use it, or I might have considered it.

I threw this together to work on at a craft night some ladies in my ward were throwing Just out of scraps I had in my scrap bin. It turned out really cute! I decided after making this to start decorating for Valentines day. 

This was what inspired me in the first place. I saw it at the quilting store and thought it was cute! But I like my table runner better.

Other than that, we've been hanging in there. Still trying to get over the survival  mode mentality I've had since the sickness and Dustin's teething. But we're getting there. I'm working on creating baskets (sewn) to go on my sewing table top shelf. It's fun to work on something for me sometimes!

Sick and Teething

It's been crazy around here lately! The boys both got sick two weeks ago. And Dustin decided to get two new teeth at the same time. So it's been grumpy/crazy time for us. But they're better now (although Dustin is now getting at least one more tooth and maybe an ear infection). So we're not 100% happy, but we're better.

Different times in life seem to resonate a different lesson for us to learn. Right now I feel my life is full of service. Service done for others as well as service given to myself. Sometimes it's harder for us to accept help from others than it is to offer our service. Even though we're barely surviving the lack of sleep that comes with teething, there's always time to help those around us. Because we all have hard times, we all could use a hand from time to time. And sometimes that person offering you their service is the Lord's way of showing his love and care for us.

While preparing for a funeral for a lady in the ward, one of her pre-teen granddaughters offered several times to help out. At first we insisted we had everything taken care of, but eventually she was given the simple task of rolling silverware in napkins. As we worked, we talked and she eventually turned to me and said "Thanks for letting me do this. I cried yesterday and I just didn't want to again today. I just couldn't sit in that room (where the viewing was taking place) any more." 

What a profound lesson for a 7th grader to have learned! I can think of no better way to forget your own worries than to loose yourself in service. Could we have rolled the napkins ourself? Yes. Would it have been more pretty? Yes, but that wasn't the need. The Lord needed this 7th grader to be distracted from her sorrow.

As serving in the Relief Society I have noticed small promptings of needs to help. Although I've never questioned doing these acts of service for my family and friends, I've previously hesitated to do this for those I am not close to. I feel shy to share my help, worrying that I will offend. Or the call for service comes at an inconvenient time. But if we are doing our best to care for those around us as we would our parents, children, or grandparents, we in turn will be taken care of in our times of need. There always seems to be more time in the day when some of it is spent serving those around us.

So here's hoping the teething will end soon (yeah right, they teeth non stop until 3…). But until then, at least we'll have some fun along the way! We have 3 play dates set up for the next two weeks, so at least Logan will have some fun times. Since I stopped doing day care, he has missed playing with friends two days a week.

New Years Resolutions & Becoming a Man

I don't like to say I'm making New Years resolutions. Maybe it's because most people break them. But I do set goals for myself periodically. Unfortunately this January my goal setting coincided with the new year. So I've recommitted myself to exercise (I've been terrible since I started tending Abby and Maddy), set more clearly defined Scripture reading goals (personal as well as companionship), and goals to work on my rock business.

This weekend we worked more on completing my sewing corner! Dave refinished my newly acquired sewing machine table, he also used some scrap from the shed to build a shelf to go on top of my peg board, and I created a huge ironing board to go on top of the sewing table when it's closed! I LOVE how it all turned out! It makes me want to spend all day every day sewing… this might become a problem. Next project, I want to sew some baskets/crates to go on top of the shelf and help further organize things.

Yesterday Logan told me that when he becomes a man he will be as tall as Dave, be able to sit at his desk, and use the scanner whenever he wants. I told him that was true, but he won't be a man until he is 18. He disagreed. He thinks the age of manhood is 5. So we'll see in a few years what it's like for him to be a man.

Dustin's been learning like crazy lately! He's started saying "bye bye" when waving good bye. He usually does it after the door closes (when someone leaves), but we're getting there! He's also almost walking. He will stand up for a minute at a time and will take little shuffle steps between Dave and I. He also has been climbing everything like a mad man! He climbs couches and even the stairs. It scares me a little, but he hasn't fallen yet.

Dave finished my sewing table this weekend! I've been dyeing to try it out it since I found it, and I love how it turned out. I made an ironing board to go on top when the sewing machine isn't in use. It's huge and just perfect for ironing! I've only used it twice so far, but love the idea.

This is how it looks like open, with my old Singer in it. The table lines up perfectly with my old machine. Sometimes you just need two machines, and when that's the case, I'm now ready.