Whew!!!

What a busy few months it's been around here! I'm sure you all thought I was never coming back! No, no ... I've just been trying to stay afloat in the midst of holidays, sickness, motherhood, and my new business venture ... and something had to give.

Thanks to so many of you, Sewing for Lenses has been a great success. I was more than busy -- sewing until 1 or 2 a.m. most nights between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sewing for Lenses became more like Sewing for Lenses and a new Coat and some Boots and Clothes and Christmas Presents. :) I was working working working whenever I got the chance, and despite the stress and busyness, I have to say I LOVED it!! It's a great feeling to have a venture that is strictly MINE -- something in my day that doesn't revolve around my kids or my husband. I love having a little extra spending money in my pocket and the feeling of creating something that nobody will destroy (or eat!!) soon after. LOL! Business has slowed down a lot since the New Year, but I am also glad for that. There's no way I could continue at the pace I was going. Now I have some time to work on new designs, my website, getting my name out there, etc. I will have some really fun new spring designs coming soon, so be sure to check out my website sometime in the next few weeks!

Christmas was a blast. Jon was able to take a full two weeks off of work and I think that having him home with us was one of the best parts of our holiday! Usually if he is taking a vacation day, then we are outta here ... visiting grandparents or on vacation ourselves. It was so nice just to have some special family time in our own home for the first week of his vacation. On Christmas Eve, we left to spend the rest of the holiday with our families, which was also a treat. We got to spend time with all of our siblings and their kids. I finally got to meet sweet Lanier! We couldn't get enough of her ... I was literally fighting with my mom/sisters/and Tanner over who got to hold her! She was just so tiny and cuddly and smelled so good ... it almost made me want another one ... in a few more years :)

The boys were spoiled once again and we couldn't believe all that we had to take home with us. Tanner was super excited about Christmas and Santa coming and all of that. He couldn't wait to get downstairs and open his gifts on Christmas morning ... it was so much fun to watch. Landon, on the other hand, didn't really understand what was going on. They are so different in their reactions to things. Tanner is very dramatic and excited when he is really enjoying something. Landon usually has a stone cold expression on his face, like he's super focused. Too funny. Their favorite presents were definitely their GeoTrax, the new bounce house, and lots of puzzles.

We came back home just in time to spend New Year's Eve with some close friends of ours. Unfortunately, the fun ended a few days later when Landon came down with the stomach flu and it slowly made it's way through each family member. What a way to start the year! Things could only get better from there! I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but being sick ended up being a little bit of a blessing. My boys were super cuddly and I felt I had a good excuse to let all of my other responsibilities slide and just focus on snuggling up with them on the couch and playing with them. Despite having to clean up puke for a few days, it was actually a sweet time together.

Last weekend, we made a few big changes in our house. We decided to move Landon into his big boy bed. Jon took down the crib and stored it, and we took Tanner's top bunk and put it in Landon's room. Landon was soooo excited and has been doing really well in it so far. At first, he went right to sleep, but now he's figuring out that he can get out of bed, turn on the light, and do a little more playing/reading before he actually goes to sleep ... STINKER!!!

We also decided that Tanner is done napping, except for those special occasions (like today) when he desperately needs one. He was just starting to stay up SOOO late at night after we put him in his bed at night, we thought he might actually go to sleep at bedtime without the nap. So far, so good. We've been doing "quiet time" instead. Surprisingly, he really enjoys this time and I give him a few special activities to work on in his room. I also put a little CD player in there that he LOVES. We're still trying to figure out all of the logistics around naptime with a "not so quiet" 3-year-old and another little guy in his big boy bed, but I have a feeling it's all going to work out. I have to say the best part is not having to deal with the post-nap crankies with Tanner anymore. He used to be a GROUCH from about 4:00 - 6:30 every day after naps. Now he's actually enjoyable to be around!

Remember the CD player I mentioned in Tanner's room? My mom got the boys a whole series of CD's that we used to listen to as kids. It's the Psalty Kids Praise series and you can find it here. The boys ADORE these CDs and I'm constantly surprised at how much they are picking up about how God loves them, etc. They have spent more time in Tanner's room listening to the music, dancing, singing, playing since I put the CD player in there than they have since we've lived here. The other morning, I was doing some laundry and noticed that the house was really quiet. Of course, I ran around everywhere looking for them, because we all know a quiet house with two little boys is a scary thing. Once I made it upstairs, I could here the music going in T's room. I snuck to the door and quietly opened it just enough to peek in . The sight I saw totally warmed my heart. There were my boys, snuggled up in Tanner's bed looking at books while they were listening to the music. Ahhh ... I could have died a happy mama :)

Okay, that's enough for now. More to come soon! BTW ... I did get one of my new lenses and then second one is on it's way. I've had so much fun taking lots of pics these last few weeks. I hope you enjoyed the slideshow!