Cheeeeeese!

 

I'm having a problem...

Which toy should I play with first??!!
 

so you don't believe...

Ok, even if you don't believe that global warming is real there are other reasons to do the things listed on that webiste. Here are a few:

MONEY!!

By using more efficient light bulbs, turning off your appliances, lowering your heat, insulating your house, etc, you are using less energy. Therefore, you are paying a smaller electric bill.

By using more fuel efficient cars, or using alternative renewable fuels you are buying less gas...which has two benefits. One: you spend less money on gas, and two: with less demand for gas (a non-renewable resource) the prices will go down.

By recycling paper, plastic, glass and aluminum you are keeping costs down for manufacturers of products made of these materials which in turn allows them to charge a lower price for their product. It is easier to make things out of recycled materials than it is to make new materials. Also, these products are made from non renewable resources, so they aren't doing anyone any good if you throw them away. Which in turn brings up another good point; where are we going to put the trash when all the landfills are full? You don't want it in your back yard do you? We'll eventually run out of places to put the trash, so it's better to reuse what we can.

By buying recycled products you are increasing the demand for them, which means that recycling will be encouraged more. Buying products that are in less wrapping saves on the amount of trash you throw away, which keeps all that unneccessary junk out of the landfills.

If you buy locally grown fruits and veggies then you are doing two things. First you are helping your local ecconomy, and second you are saving on transporting costs of those foods. If you buy organic products you will be helping by reducing the amount of pesticides and such that are realeased into our water supply..so you're not only keeping the toxins out of your food, but your water as well.

Most of these things are easy to do. We've been recycling for years, and eating organic produce for at least 3 years. We love the farmer's market. We've insulated our water pipes and I've noticed a difference in how quickly the hot water comes out when you turn it on. We are planning to insulate the attic to keep the "bubble of warmth" that will keep our house warmer in winter and cooler in summer. We've replaced about half of our light bulbs with the compact fluorescent light bulbs that are now available. There is no difference as far as light output, but they are more energy efficient and they need to be replaced less often.

Even if you don't want to do big things you can do some simple things. Like take shorter showers, turn off the light when you leave a room, don't run the water while you are brushing your teeth, don't leave your electronics on unless you are using them.

Anyway, that's all I have to say about it. Even if you don't believe in global warming then you can still help the world be cleaner and save yourself some money in the process.

one more thing...

If you haven't seen the new movie with Al Gore (An Inconveient Truth) then you should definately take some time to do it. Then visit their website http://www.climatecrisis.net to see what you can do to help. We've already done 4 or 5 things on the list since we moved in here, and several more are on our to do list.

oh yeah...

I forgot to mention that Oliver has had a hernia below his belly button since he was born. The other morning when I went to change his diaper it was gone! He had a cute little innie now. :)

January project...

My sister (Rachael) and I decided that we needed to have some goals this year to get some stuff done. So each month we will each have a project. This month I decided to get the master bedroom together. So far, here is what I've done:

Folded and put away the 3 loads of laundry that were piled on the dresser and floor.
Washed all the clothes every few days to keep the hamper from overflowing.
Bob put the headboard on the bed.
Ordered a new mattress...Queen size!!
Bob taped around the window and door frames to get ready for painting.
Put primer on one window frame.
Made the bed, changed the sheets.
Packed up all my maternity clothes.
Bob helped me move my dresser and then the dogs bed.
Moved the end table out of the bedroom. (it's in the hall until we decide where to put it.
Cleaned out my closet and refolded all the sheets/pillowcases.
Hung up all the stuff that fell or was not hung up after coming out of the dryer.
Organize the nick nacks on the shelves/dressers/nightstand.

I still need to:

Primer one window, two door frames, and the trim around the floor.
Paint (2 coats) both windows, both doors, and trim around the floor.
sweep the floor.
vacuum the rug.

When I write it out like that it doesn't seem like that much! I'm pretty sure I can finish all that by the end of the month if Oliver will just cooperate.

Speaking of Oliver, I didn't mention that he had his 4 month birthday on the 6th. He's been Mister Grabbyhands lately, reaching and holding anything he can get his hands on and usually putting it right in his mouth. He's getting way better at tummy time, and when he woke up today he rolled over from his back to his side to snuggle with me. I haven't seen him make it all the way over yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time. He's also eating more...a lot more! He was eating about 4 ounces each meal up until just about his 4 month birthday, then he went straight to 6 or 7. He's sleeping better, too. He only wakes up once a night or not at all. Wonderful!! We weighed him the other day when we were at Nanny and Pappy's house and he's 16 pounds! I measured him last night and he was 25.5/26 inches. It's hard to get a good measurement because he's such a wiggle worm!
I think I had mentioned before that Bob entered the contest for wood repair. Well he won for the region, and the weekend of the 26th he's off to Texas to compete in the company-wide competition. Hooray Bob!!! While he's there he gets a free hotel stay and delicious steak dinners every night. He'll leave Friday and get back Sunday. While he's gone I think I'm going to take a trip to Asheville so my grandparents can meet Oliver. It's a 3 hour drive, but I'm hoping the little booger will sleep the whole way...and Jasper too.

things I like

I love the smell of Oliver. His breath smells sweet like milk, his hair smells like lavender shampoo. His skin smells like baby - and it's so soft!

I like snuggling in bed with my family.

I like taking walks in the sunshine and talking with hubby.

I like showing Oliver new things.

I like playing with Jasper in the yard.

I like when Bob comes home and I've got lunch ready for him...even if it's just spaghetti...again!

I like when Bob is getting ready to leave for work that he always gives me a smooch before he leaves.

I like working on the house together.

sitty up'n

look at that big boy!!
 

horsey shirt

this is the horsey shirt now...

this is the horsey shirt when he was a few weeks old.
 

i'm so glad

I'm glad that I can work part time opposite Bob's schedule. Oliver doesn't have to go to day care and be around strangers where who knows what happens. I just read a post on Paisley's site that made me very very very sad. There's a link to the side over there if you want to read it. I think I'd probably hit someone if that happened to Oliver.

snuggle snuggle

snuggle snuggle snuggle snuggle snuggle...I love the jingle bear, he's so snuggly!
 

it's a secret...

so don't tell anyone!
 

what?

i'm not supposed to hold him upside down and eat him?
 

Tummy time!

Hooray tummy time! I had lots of fun on my playmat today. Look how well I can get my head up!
 

Do you mind???

I just got out of the bath!
 

I'm very pleased...

Oh Mumsy, how delighted I am! We've started a whole brand new year. I have big plans for this year. I'm going to learn to crawl, and sign, and maybe even say a few words and walk! I'm also planning on eating some solid food, perhaps in a high chair. I'm very pleased to be here for this new year! 

kicky leg...

This is kicky leg in slow motion.


 

"the look"

This is the look I get whenever I point the camera in his direction.
 

New Year...

We took this picture at 12:00:03 on January 1, 2007. We all stayed up to watch the ball drop, then we decided it was time for bed. We all snuggled down, but then Oliver decided it was play time and so he played kicky leg for about an hour and a half while Bob and I dozed and made sure he didn't injure himself. Anyway, he finally fell asleep, then woke up at 7 because he was hungry...so I fed him and then went back to sleep until noon!!!
 

duck...

duck duck duck duck duck duck duck!
 

Maybe...

If I kiss it, it will turn into a beautiful princess!
 

Waaaaaaaaaaaah!

What did you do with my duck duck duck duck duck? 

It's MINE!

My precious....
 

Sitting up like a big boy!

I propped the boppy up against the arm of the couch and sat him in it. He loves sitting up!
 

me and the hubby

 

Why is that?

Why is it that every time I talk to someone after Christmas their first words are "What did you get?" Seems to me that it's terribly commercial of them. Anyway, here's what I GOT:

I got to spend a day with my husband, my baby, and my puppy
I got a visit from Bob's dad and my mom
I got to decorate a tree with pretty lights
I got to receive the kindness of strangers
I got to help some children by donating to St. Jude's
I got a day off from work
I got to eat the delicious pancakes that Bob always makes on Christmas morning.
I got to take a 2 hour nap cuddled up with my family
And as always, I got to be healthy, have enough to eat, and be warm and dry.

I was also given some presents. They were all very nice but won't be listed here. Christmas this year was wonderful. I'm so glad that I got everything I wanted.

He's talented!

Oliver put the Christmas angel on the tree.
Here's the tree when we were all done.
 

Merry Christmas!

Yay, Christmas! Oliver loved our tree, and all the presents underneath.
This is a picture of our tree that Bob took. It turned out kind of cool.
Oliver and his stocking.
Oliver playing with some of his new toys. The turtle on the left and the frog and duck hanging.

We had a wonderful Christmas at home. Nanny and Pappy came to visit on their way to WV on Saturday, and Gramma and Grampa came on Sunday. Christmas morning we got up early and opened up all our presents. Bob had fun with the treasure hunt I made for him...I did too! After the presents Oliver and I snuggled down on the couch and Daddy made pancakes! They were really yummy...I put strawberries and blueberries and whipped cream on mine. Oliver got a little taste of the fruit and he seemed to like it. He kept licking that strawberry! After breakfast we all took a nap, then we got up and wanted to watch Christmas specials on TV, but there were none!! Bob went out after it stopped raining and played with his new BB/pellet gun while Oliver and I played with his new toys. I spent a good deal of time looking through the photo album that Bob and Oliver made for me. I still have to go through and write descriptions of the pictures...I can't wait! It was a very wonderful present! There were pictures from our wedding, and some from before we were married. There were lots of pictures of Oliver and Jasper. They also had some pictures framed for me. My very favorite picture of Oliver, and a few from our wedding. I can't wait to hang them up!! 

I'm so excited!!

With Christmas just around the corner I can barely contain my excitement! We're putting up the tree today and there's lots of presents to put under it. Mom finished my stocking last night. Nanny and Pappy came by today on their way to WV and Gramma and Grampa are coming tomorrow. What a fun season!

I slept in my bed for 3 hours last night before I woke up. I didn't like it that I was all alone and I'd kicked off my blankie so I started wailing. Mom came in and got me after a minute, then she fed me and I fell back asleep. I guess she was too tired to put me back in my own room because when I woke up I was snuggled up in Mom and Daddy's bed. 

trying

I'm trying to post some pictures but Picasa isn't cooperating. Oh well.

I've almost finished my Christmas shopping. I am going to have to go out tomorrow to get it all done. I'm excited about my mom visiting on Sunday. I have no idea what I'm going to cook. Any suggestions? Maybe we can go eat somewhere, but I don't know what will be open. Probably everything. We'll see.

My boss scheduled me to work until midnight on Dec 26th. The store is having a special sale so we're staying open that long. I guess we'll have to see if that happens. Also, I didn't get my bonus like everyone else because I'm still showing as being on LOA even though I've been back for 2 and a half weeks. That means I'll have less money to finish up my shopping. I'm hoping we can buy a mattress for ourselves. The store is having a special employee sale on them and they are about 300-400 dollars less than the normal employee prices. We'll see about that, too.

updates

I tried to put Oliver in his crib to sleep for the first time last night. I rocked him until he fell asleep, then very carefully put him in the crib. I crept into bed and turned up the monitor nice and loud so I could hear every noise (not that I couldn't anyway, his door is directly across from mine and both beds are right inside the door). I laid there for a few minutes, then I really got upset. I felt like I had abandoned him. What if he woke up and was scared because he was all alone? What if he kicked his blankie off and got cold? what if he needed me and I was WAY OVER HERE?!?!?!?! Of course, he only slept there for about 15 minutes, then he started wailing and I ran in to get him and appologized about a zillion time for leaving him all alone. Needless to say he spent the rest of the night sleeping right where he could see me.
Then again, he slept for ***8 hours*** That's a first. It was so nice. From midnight to 8 in the morning. Then he ate and slept for another hour and a half. Hopefully this will be a trend. For the past few nights before that he had been sleeping for 5 hours, getting up to eat, and then sleeping another 4 hours. That was pretty nice, too.
Tomorrow we have to finish our Christmas shopping and send everything off. I don't think I'll be doing the secret Santa thing with my dad's family next year. I have such a hard time trying to find something to get for people that I see MAYBE twice a year. Oh well, they are all getting the same thing this year. I hope they like it.