Brotherly Bonding

Last Sunday was the perfect Sunday. Everyone was happy and cute and we had a lot of fun -- starting with popping some popcorn.

Is it weird that I'm so proud of Carson's round head? After worrying about Eli's flat head for the whole first year of his life, I worked hard to keep Carson's head round.

After popcorn we watched the thunderstorm out the window. Thunderstorms always take me back to my Georgian childhood. I loved sitting in my Barbie closet and listening to the rain pound against the roof. Yeah. I had a whole closet specifically reserved for all things Barbie. I'm just now realizing that's a little weird.

Carson is awesome at tummy time. Perhaps the reason his head has remained round.

Eli still loves to hold Carson.

Carson on the other hand...I'm not sure he's a huge fan of the seating arrangement.

Eli made me get some books so he could read to Carson. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen. Again. I don't know that Carson enjoyed the cuteness as much as Eli and I did.

He may not be able to talk yet, but those eyes are definitely saying, "Mom! Get me outta here!"

Then he came to terms with the fact that I was going to keep him there until he got hurt or until Eli was done "reading to him." Sorry Carson. You'll soon learn that I'm not one to pass up a Kodak moment just because you feel your life is in jeopardy.

A few days ago Eli brought our umbrella stroller in the house. Before long we realized if we put Carson in the stroller and had Eli push him around, both kids were as happy as could be! Why have I not thought of this sooner?!? 

I love seeing Eli and Carson growing up and getting more interactive with each other.

Fruit, Flowers, Fish and Flies

I may just be blonde, but it took me four years to realize that each anniversary has traditional gifts you can give each other. It was flowers and fruit for us this year which perfectly fit what we had already planned.

Jeff got/stole a grill from his parents. He's been dying to use it, so we figured our anniversary would be the day to grill a nice, delicious dinner. After all, we didn't get a babysitter and we have a strict do-not-take-Eli-out-to-eat-in-public policy.

On the menu: salmon (and hot dogs for E).

Four years! Has he really put up with me for that long?!?

We quickly learned that flies will swarm when fish is around. Our fruit and flowers were accompanied by fish-loving flies. The good part is the millions of flies that came in our house became pets for Eli -- keeping him entertained for a good two hours the next day.

A few weeks ago I realized I hardly have any of our wedding pictures on the blog. Please relive 8-8-08 with me as I add my favorite wedding day photos to the archives:

We had several failed attempts prior to the picture below. I think Jeff's friends were a little sick of jumping, but they pressed forward with enthusiasm. This picture cracks me up every time I look at it.

This may weirdly be my favorite picture of our whole wedding day. I'm not even in my wedding dress, and I felt like my dress was flying up while it was happening. But I love it.

This is another one of my weird favorites. Not sure why but I love this.

Only Bryan could create this masterpiece as we drove off.

It was a great day. Happy anniversary to us!

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks our 4th anniversary!  I just wanted to say how much I love and appreciate Sarah for everything she does.  She is a very understanding, caring, loving wife who has supported me without wavering for the last four years.  Our two wonderful children are very blessed to have such a good mother.  She loves and cares deeply for the boys no matter what they throw at her (figuratively and literally!).

Thanks Sarah, the past four years have been undoubtedly the best of my life and I know it will only get better.

I love you!

I Accidentally Started a Business

Let me tell you something about me. I overreact.

To illustrate my point, here's an example. Say Jeff were to tell me I'm talking too loud. My response would be, "Fine Jeff! I'll just never talk again in my life! Sorry I'm so loud and bother you so much."

Here's another illustration: One way or another we were dumb and missed our window of opportunity to add Carson to our insurance. No comments please. We accept our irresponsibility and naiveness of thinking he'd just automatically get added on.

So the doctor is free for well-child exams when we have insurance. And I was unaware we did not have insurance for Carson when I took him to his 2-month check-up. Where he got four shots.

A month later we get a bill for...a lot of money. Turns out shots are expensive.

I. Freaked. Out. The hospital bills were one thing, but this dumb doctor's visit could and should have been completely free! It was all so dumb and so avoidable and so annoying and left me with this huge bill that was unnecessary because had I known we didn't have insurance I never would have taken Carson to the doctor that day and we just should have known we had to add him to our insurance in the first place. It was just a big mess. I hated that day of my life.

So I overreacted. As I tend to do.

I started ravaging through our house to see what valuables we had. There weren't a lot. But I sold basically everything that would sell. Which was actually good because we weren't using the stuff anyway. Like my wedding dress for example. It's good it got a second life.

I was going crazy. Running through the house. Putting things up on KSL like you wouldn't believe. Mumbling about how dumb health insurance is all the while.

Then I saw my curtains in the guest room. I snapped a picture and put them up on Etsy.

The next day I calmed down and all was well again. Most of my KSL items sold the first day and things were turning out - as they always do. Overreacting was yet again unnecessary.

A couple days later I got an e-mail about someone wanting me to make them some curtains. I was a little confused while I was reading it because I had totally forgotten that in my dramatic, crazed state I had even created that Etsy account. And then even more confused that someone actually wanted what I had to offer.

I began shaking. I don't even know how to sew!! Overreacting ensued again.

The next day several people favorited me and my second order came. It was nuts and I began sewing like a mad woman.

My first order was miraculously out within 24 hours and my second by the end of the week.

I was telling Jeff that I was so mad about all the insurance stuff because it felt like such a trial and seemed so horrible at the time. I believe that in the end good usually comes out of trials, and when Jeff told me Carson didn't have insurance I just could not possibly see how anything good could come out of our situation.

Lo and behold, my accidental business wouldn't have come to be if I wasn't in my overreacting, dramatic state. It's fun to have something to work on during nap time and I love to sew and use my talents to make a little money.

 (I've been watching Project Runway while I sew and it helps motivate me.)

So hopefully my first two customers weren't a fluke and they keep on coming because I'm enjoying this new opportunity. And even more so -- hopefully my first two customers thought my sewing was up to par with the rest of Etsy and they don't give me bad reviews!! I'm so nervous but excited to see where this goes.

Picture Perfect Evening

I love taking pictures in our backyard in the evenings because the lighting is perfect and everyone's happy to be outside. I realized a few days ago that I don't really have any pictures of me and Carson so I took the liberty of documenting that I was a part of his early childhood.

I think Carson kind of looks like me. But everyone says he looks just like Eli and Jeff.

Meanwhile...this was going on.

For those of you thinking, "Wow! Sarah's so awesome for having Eli potty trained at age 2! Look at him in that adorable underwear! When will she come to my town to give a lecture on effective potty training?!?"

Think again. We had two accidents today. I still have Eli sleep in a diaper which I think is confusing for him. I just need to make the complete switch but another dilemma is he's yet to go #2 in the potty. We still have a long way to go. But nonetheless, the underwear is still cute. As is the dangling toddler wearing them.

Eli loves to put his little toy cars in that thing and then make me fish them out for him. Such a fun game.

Ha. Carson wears his baby fat well.

You may be grossed out by Carson's soaking wet shirt, but to me it's just who he is. He goes through at least four outfits a day. It's ridiculous.

Carson has weird toes. There. I said it. Sometimes his big toe jets out from his foot horizontally. We love him anyway.

Luckily his pointy ears have rounded out a bit since birth. Maybe his toe will pull its act together too.

Eli eventually made his way back to us for his close up.

Mostly he just wanted to push the buttons on the camera.

A good self-portrait of the three of us is never going to happen. But I'm sure you love seeing our failed attempts.