Long time

So it's been a while since I posted because our computer died a couple weeks ago so we are still trying to get the new one all set up so I just wanted to let you all know we are still here! Evelyn turned 5 months so we need to get some new pictures up soon!

5 Years!

WOW Josh and I have been married for 5 years today! Time is flying by and I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful husband who loves me and provides for our family everyday.

When we first got married I had very little idea how hard married life would be sometimes. One thing that we learned before we even said "I do" was that love is a choice, not a feeling. This has been true over and over again. I know Josh and I love each other more now than when we first got married but it's a different kind of love. Those mushy feelings we had while dating are not always there but they are replaced with a deeper love that I know will last for the rest of or lives together.

Thank you sweetheart for always being there and for the constant sacrificial love that you show me everyday. I love you and pray the Lord blesses us with many, many more years to come.


Yes we had the biggest wedding party ever

Prunes

While I was at the grocery store daddy fed Evelyn her prunes for the first time and she loved them! Per doctors orders we have to give her baby prunes or apple prune juice daily to help with her tummy problems. I wish I was there. From the pictures it looks like they had a blast and Josh said he couldn't feed it to her fast enough. She loved it and gobbled them right up!

Getting ready to get in the bath, what a mess.!

Oatmeal

Now that Evelyn is getting so big we are trying oatmeal once day and she is liking it too! She is so cute in these pictures with her messy face and she smiles so much it's hard to keep it in.

4 Months

Evelyn is already 4 months old! Time is flying by and she is growing so fast! We went in for her 4 month check up and she weighs 12 lbs and is 25 inches long. That is the 75th percentile for length! She has been talking up a storm and even rolling over from her back to her stomach a few times. She has been playing more with some of her toys and holding her head up really well.


Evelyn in her car seat

Sweet Pea

Here's our little sweet pea in her Halloween costume. She is a pea in a pod. Isn't she so cute!

We went trick or treating for a little while with friends and family and even got some candy that mommy was happy to eat for her. She had fun riding around in her stroller.

Here she is in her outfit Grandma got for her.

Cloth Diapers

Evelyn's cloth diapers hanging to dry on our patio. Aren't they cute! What fun colors.


Yes we use cloth diapers and no we are not crazy.

Way before we got pregnant I decided I wanted to try and use cloth diapers. I had no idea how it worked or where to get started but I did know that money would be tight and I did not want to throw it away every week on disposable diapers. So I searched and searched the Internet and found tons of great resources for cloth diapering mommies. Now keep in mind these aren't the same diapers they use to have, mine have velcro and snaps no pins or plastic pants here. We got our diapers at Wildflower Diapers in Scottsdale but there are tons of other websites out there to order from. So far we are loving our decision to use cloth and couldn't imagine it any other way.

My top reasons to use cloth

Cost- On average it costs somewhere between $1600-$2300 for 1 child in disposable diapers from birth to potty trained. We decided to get "adjustable cloth diapers" that grow as Evelyn does. She can wear them from when she was about 8lbs to when she is potty trained. We bought 24 Bum Genius 3.0 diapers (comes with 2 sizes stuff ins for absorbency), 2 wet bag pail liners (to put the dirty diapers in between washes), 1 travel wet bag (for the diaper bag while we are out). This cost us about $500.00 and we can use it with each additional child and re-sell them when we are done and make some of the money back! Can't do that with disposables. I also made my own re-usable wipes with some old flannel burp cloths someone gave us and put this solution over them. I have 3 extra washes a week and hang them outside to dry. Oh and by the way we haven't really seen much of an increase in our water or electric bill-nothing significant enough to notice.

Health-This is where I only need to list a few of the materials that make up a disposable diaper and you will see my point. Not to mention less diaper rashes too.

• SODIUM POLYACRYLATE - This is the chemical, added in powder form to the inner pad of a disposable, that makes it super-absorbent. When the powdered form becomes wet, it turns into a gel. It was banned from tampons in 1985 because of its link to Toxic Shock Syndrome. ***Just because a disposable diaper can hold 100x it's weight in water doesn't mean it's good for our little ones. Diapers are not mean't to be portable toilets!


• DIOXIN - This is the chemical by-product of the paper-bleaching process, using chlorine gas, in the manufacturing of diapers. This is a carcinogenic ~ cancer-causing chemical.The EPA lists it as the MOST TOXIC of all cancer-linked chemicals. In small quantities it causes birth defects, skin/liver disease, immune system suppression & genetic damage in lab animals. Banned in most countries, but not the United States.


• TRIBUTYL TIN (TBT) - An environmental pollutant, considered highly toxic, that spreads through the skin and has a hormone-like effect in the smallest concentrations. It harms the immune system and impairs the hormonal system. Speculated that it could cause sterility in boys
  All this on their tiny little bottom.

Environmental impact- There is a lot to list here but I will make it simple. -

Some of the facts: 18 billion disposable diapers are thrown in landfills each year, taking as many as 500 years to decompose. Disposable diapers make up the third largest source of solid waste in landfills, after newspapers and food and beverage containers--a significant fact, considering they are a single product, used by a limited portion of the population.1 It takes upwards of 82,000 tons of plastic and 1.3 million tons of wood pulp, or a quarter-million trees, to manufacture the disposable diapers that cover the bottoms of 90 percent of the babies born in the US......Washing cloth diapers at home uses 50 to 70 gallons of water every three days--about the same as a toilet-trained child or adult flushing the toilet five to six times a day. (Mothering Magazine Article)

Convenience/cute factor- We have never had a "blow out" with our cloth diapers. Can you believe it? A few leaks usually caused by not making it snug enough but nothing disastrous. I thought that blow outs were just normal for the first few months but it doesn't have to be. Also cloth diapers come in a ton of fun colors and patterns which are definitely different than the same white tushie.

So thats my thoughts on cloth diapers and why it works for us. Any questions feel free to ask and go check it out for yourself!

Just Hanging Out

Okay so I know posts are pretty scarce lately but here are some recent pictures.


Daddy and Evelyn


Playing with her keys!



Happy baby.

Superstition Farm

Saturday we took Evelyn to Superstition Farm for Moo Moo Palooza 2008. We walked around and looked at the cows and other animals, ate lunch, and had some great home made ice cream. Even though Evelyn had no idea what was going on she had fun and did great. Evelyn loves being outside in her snuggly carrier. She loves being able to look around and taking walks with daddy. Her favorite thing to look at are trees. I'm sure Evelyn's going to love all this "farm stuff" just like her mommy.

Daddy and Evelyn by the cows (sucking on her hands like usual).

In the garden.

Mommy and Evelyn

3 Month Doctors Appointment

Evelyn is 3 months old! She is getting so big and changing everyday. We went to the doctor and she said Evelyn looks great and is growing steadily. She is 10 lbs 7oz and is 22 1/2 inches long. We noticed some bumps on her elbows and the doctor thinks it may be eczema so pray it's nothing like her daddy's skin. She gave us some lotion to use everyday so hopefully it gets better. Aunt Bethany will be taking some pictures this week and we will post again soon!

Park Pictures

Ok so it's been a while... We have been super busy with daily life and changing schedules but we are back with pictures! These Josh took yesterday when we went to the park. Evelyn is just over 12 weeks! I think she is the most beautiful little girl, her smile just makes my heart melt. Look at her pretty blue eyes (just like daddy)

Perspective

Yesterday I was packing away Evelyn's clothes that she has grown out of already and I couldn't believe how small her preemie clothes were. The onesie on the left was a preemie size she wore the first few weeks after she was born and the onesie on the right was the onesie she wore yesterday. Crazy huh? Our little girl is getting so... big!

Pool Party

This past weekend we had our Home Group over for a BBQ and Pool party. It was the first time we had everyone together with alll the kids. We had a blast playing in the pool and cooking up some hot dogs.

To see the rest of the pictures click here

2 Month Photos

Little late but these are some pictures I took of Evelyn when she turned 2 months. She is getting so big!

See the rest of the pictures here

Love It!

I love this little girl. Her smile truly makes my heart melt. It is so wonderful seeing her smile everyday now.