Saturday, March 31, 2012

2 Cute Pics from Today..

March 31st 2012

I am simply loving how much more of Eithan's personality we are getting to know.
He is so intelligent.
And I can see his little mind whirring and whirring as he figures things out 
and takes things apart and then  puts them back together again.

So, when moments like this happen, and he's just happy because he's happy.
You just can't help but smile and share.


He did so well with this cup at Perkins. 
He pulled it up as soon as the waitress put it down and went after that water like crazy!
I think he also loved the fact that he had his own 'cool' cup.



{Just a little taste of our little man's personality!}

I hope you all are enjoying Conference Weekend!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The New Place {part one}

March 28th 2012

I'm sorry this has taken me so long to post.
Collin has asked me a couple times when I was going to blog about the new place.
I must admit, I was kinda surprised that he asked.

So, today I finally went around in a couple of the rooms and really straightened things up.
All of the boxes that were still in rooms that hadn't been opened... went into the garage.
It was quite liberating to be able to put this 'stuff' somewhere.
Once I actually go back and look at the garage... maybe I won't feel so liberated. {smile}

This intro is a way of saying, my house does not normally look like this.
But I want you all to imagine us in a nice, clean home with everything just as it should be.

Oh, by the way... I think everything is more romantic and lovely to look at in Instagram.
So, all the pictures have been Instagramed. It's more fun that way!



We have a ridiculously long driveway.
It could comfortably hold 3 cars.

*Interesting Fact: Our place has only 2 windows and 1 sliding glass door. 
Besides these there are no other sources of outdoor light.


A close up of our unit {we're on the end} and the front door.

Yes, there really are wires and boxes and miscellaneous things spilling out all over the entryway.
Whoever designed this... was not thinking at all.
It's not pretty, and it's hazardous for children.


When you open the front door.. this is what you see.

{I didn't have time to tidy the living/dining area... so you won't see that today}

*Interesting Fact: We have no coat/linen closets in the townhouse.


Up the stairs and to the left there is the laundry room.
It has been so nice to have a room instead of a closet.
 I didn't realize it made such a difference, but it really does when you have piles of laundry to do. 


I tried to get a picture so you could see how long the room is, hopefully this gives a general idea. 


Right next to the laundry room is the main bath.
There is no tub... which we thought was going to be difficult. 
...........
Until we figured out a solution.
...........


Eithan loves his new bath tub... 
In fact he will start pulling it towards the bathroom all by himself now.
It is simply precious when he does it!



Our master bedroom. 
The window you see when looking at the front of the townhouse... that's our window.
The room is very spacious, and I'm trying really hard to keep it clean and simple in here.
We had so much clutter in the old place.
It's nice to have it all out of our room and in the garage.

*Interesting Fact: We love having a garage!

{I did a close up of our nightstand because I keep telling you all that I'll show you the furniture that I refinished... and then I've never shown you. I redid the long dresser and 2 nightstands. It only took me about 6 months... but it was totally worth it. They are simply gorgeous now.}

*******


That is almost all of the top floor. I didn't have a chance to tackle Eithan's Room/Collin's Office. 
When two people are sharing a room... it can be a lot to tidy up.

I will do another post on the rest of the house later.

We are loving being on the other side of town, who knew it would make such a difference?
And we are loving our new ward.
All in all, it was a productive, good move for our little family.
And we're glad we did it!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Sydney's First Birthday Party

March 18th 2012
Happy  1st Birthday!


Sydney, We are so glad that you and Eithan are friends. It has been such a special thing to have you a part of our lives. We are so glad that you came to this world, and that you came to be a part of our lives as well. We wish you a happy, HAPPY 1st birthday and wish you that all future birthdays are full of the fun and excitement... 
just like the 1st.



The Party:


{1} Collin and Eithan enjoying the party.


{2}I had to get a picture of Sydney opening 'my' b-day present.



{3}Her own little cake.
And she was only too happy to eat it.


{4}This is the lovely cake that the rest of us ate.


{5} The kids did so well eating their cake at the 'kiddos' table.
{this lasted about 2 minutes. smile.}


{6} This is what Eithan thought of all the treats.

We love you Sydney!!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Joshua Wayne Winks { year 3 }

March 17th 2012

Today officially marks year 3 of our little Joshua's passing.
It is hard to believe that so much time has passed, and yet it seems so short too.

Recently, though, as I open up about him to people... I feel this great sense of relief.
I love talking about him. He was our first son/first baby/first everything.
And as I recall those memories now, I realize what a blessing all of it was. 


*****
It was a blessing to have him in our life for 5 1/2 months.
*****
It was a blessing to have the gospel be a part of our lives so that we could know 
that when we prayed to our Heavenly Father... 
He actually heard us.
****
It was a blessing to be able to grow closer to Collin and experience such unity. 
****
It was a blessing that people around us {family and friends} took such good care of us.
****
It was a blessing that people kept giving us resources so that we could drive and see Joshua at the hospital {we wouldn't have been able to without their help}.
****
It was a blessing that Collin had the priesthood so we able able to give Joshua his baby blessing 
and many other blessings after that. 
****
It was a blessing that we have so much medical knowledge now that we were able to see our Joshua grow and get better... and that he was actually able to live for 5 1/2 months.
****
It was a blessing to have had so many nurses around who loved him as much as we did, 
and wanted to take the best care of him as possible.
****

It is a blessing that we have something to look forward too.
A goal to keep in mind.
That we want to have an eternal family.
We want to be able to have our son and family forever.
And without Joshua... that would not be soo clear.

and so

It's a blessing to have Joshua be a part of our family.

And we would not have it any other way.


Remembering you sweet baby boy....



We Love You.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

|| Books || February

March 11th, 2012

I know this is late, but since it's my own record... it's probably not that big of a deal. Right?


The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma
By Trenton Lee Stewart


This is the third book in this series. I loved it just as much as the other books. It still is a children's book, but I love a light read. It is simple and has a great fun story. If anyone is interested in a fun read, I would recommend this. Or even if you wanted something to read to your kids... I have loved this series. {I'm hoping that there might be a 4th coming??}

Rebecca
by Daphne Du Maurier


This book has actually been recommended to me by several different people. And then a good friend of mine bought it for me and sent it to me. {thank you Kylene!}This book was a much different read that I am used to. It is a dark romance, and has a 'not so happy' ending (in my opinion). I loved the language in this book, descriptive without being overly so and it definitely sets the mood for the book. It's a good read for those who like the language and pace of Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre. 


Where Angels Fall
by Chris Stewart


This is the second volume in this 6 book series. All I can say is: I'm hooked. I put this one down and promptly started the next one. I love the fact that it gets me thinking about religious aspects while telling me a story. It feels so realistic too. All I can say is I want to build up my food storage, and prepare more for the future than I ever have in the past. I think that is a great thing. If a book is motivating me to do that... it has to be a great book. 


||Children's Books||

In addition, I thought I might include some awesome children's books that I've come across.
I'm doing this because I've decided that I'm a children's book snob. And if any of you are at all like me... you don't like reading a book that you can't stand over and over again to your child. So here's a little help for those who might be like me.

P.S. I didn't read all these books to Eithan in February... this is just an accumulation of books that I have come across over the last few months.


It's  a Little Book
by Lane Smith


The donkey in this book... is wondering what exactly the monkey/gorilla is doing with the object in his hands. He asks a variety of questions to figure out what it is. I love the illustrations. I love the simplicity. I love the fact that it really does feel like the world will come to this point some day.


Zero
by Kathryn Otoshi


LOVE the illustrations in this book. It has a simple moral and teaches numbers all at the same time. It is a great children's book. One that I don't mind reading over and over again.


One
by Kathryn Otoshi


Again, LOVE the illustrations in this book. It has a simple moral and teaches colors and numbers too. It is just wonderful. I also love reading this one over and over.


The Curious Garden
by Peter Brown


The whole story line.. isn't really my favorite. But the pictures are amazing. And the little boy's desire to spread beauty is something that I admire in people around me. So this book is definitely worth perusing. Enjoying for a week or so from the library.


A Visitor for Bear
by Bonny Becker


This is the story of a bear who does not want a visitor, and a little mouse who insists on visiting anyway. The story is cute, the illustrations are soft and warm and inviting. Another book to add to your every growing list of books to read to your kids.

If I Built a Car
by Chris Van Dusen


A total boys' book. If I could have a car like this, I would totally buy it. This little boy is so imaginative, and I love all the 'eco friendly' designs that he comes up with, besides all the instant gratification things that come with the simple push of a button. If your boys or girls like creative/imaginative ideas... this is the book for you!




Hopefully all of my thoughts made sense, and I didn't make this post too long.
I apologize to any of you who may think this was too long... I tried to simplify as much as I could.