The Family Update

Chris is at Buffalo Wild Wings watching the NFL draft with the Elders Quorum, so I figured it was a good time to post. Whenever you don't post for a really long time, it seems like it should take something important to actually do it, but I will disappoint you now & tell you I have no news to that effect - still, feel free to read on....

Chris: Still enjoying his new position at work, and taking day trips to places like Springfield & Branson, MO (I don't have the driving stamina for this, but he manages). Working in the public sector (selling office supply contracts to schools & gov't accounts vs. businesses) is always a little different, but he's done it a lot now, so he has a good feel for it. He is also always such a big help with the kids, and even with dinner, that I feel pretty lucky to have him most of the time.

Cami: Recently has become obsessed with the Disney Princesses. First it was Ariel, and then they all kind of joined in. She now visits the elaborate Disney princess web site whenever we will let her, and shouts out each of their names excitedly as we visit their respective kingdoms.. oh boy! We've garage saled/craigslisted some My Little Ponies and sets of little dolls, so she now has some girly toys to play with, in addition to her mass of educational toys (she was so into all the educational stuff, that it dawned on me a few weeks ago that we really didn't have to much just "fun" stuff - it's nice to be able to get some so cheaply, though I realize that this kind of stuff also just tends to amass itself over the years).

Also, if anyone has any tips on how to get a two year old to not think that laying down & kicking at you (or doing it during diaper changes) is funny, please let me know :).

Josh: Growing, growing, growing... his nine month onsies are none too loose at this point, at least not in the length. I am actually really need to get some longer sleepsacs for him too, as he only has a couple that don't really hug his little feet. His four month appointment is coming up, and I'm excited to see his stats to confirm that Chris's nickname "Gigantor" really is legit.

He also learned how to roll from back to front a few days ago, and now won't stay on his back for more than a minute or two at a time. This wouldn't be a problem, except for that he would just lay underneath baby gyms for literally an hour at a time before, swatting his toys and smiling happily... and now he grunts and pushes and gets all grumpy because he can't crawl away! At least that is what it looks like he is trying to do, but either way, his disposition has been unusually poor this week. (This may also have a little bit to do with the fact that he hasn't really pooped since Saturday - poor little guy! I have read this is normal, but I'm still not so sure. I called the doctor's office today, but was out when the nurse got back to me, so I think I'll try again tomorrow.)

As for me, I'm just up to the usual child care/housekeeping/graphic design on the side type of stuff. I am planning to take a Web Designer course at JCCC this summer, to learn how to fully produce web sites vs. just designing the layout, and am excited for that. I got a new laptop for this which is great, and have ordered the CS5 Adobe Suite which is coming out next month. Hopefully I will be able to pick it up pretty well, and we'll see where it takes us. At the very least it should help me do work more quickly and easier at my current job, which I'm very grateful for.

As a family, we are also doing some Spring cleaning! We cleaned out the garage a couple of weeks ago, and organized it for the very first time (yes, after 2+ years in this house). Saying that it needed to be done doesn't begin to describe it, and the joy I feel when parking in it, again for the first time, also knows no bounds. We're trying to update some of our photos too, so I made a couple of poster-like collages of the kids for our front office room frames, which are pasted below. Other than that, we just really need to get going on our garden, which has been completely emptied out due to it's former use as a litter box :(. Yes, our cat Peaches has gone to live with my parents for the time being, which is why we can actually use our garage & make our garden again...victory! You never realize what a pet person you are not until you have children. (Nothing against other people's pets - we all just have different abilities when it comes to how much we can handle.) Well, I realize for having no news, this post has gotten really long! Happy Spring!

The Redecorating Bug

I think it started with the joy at finally finishing decorating Cami's room (weeelll, I do want to get a rug & this cute ladybug beanbag chair still, and maybe something for her nightstand that she won't destroy, but for all intensive purposes, it is finished), or maybe it is the desire for creativity or control when I am in a crazy house with kids all day, but either way, I have been bit by a major redecorating bug!

Here is Cami's room, complete with her new crib & all:

(New crib, why would you get a new crib for a two-year old? Let's just say the cute little toddler bed that Daddy painted wasn't containing her so well for nap time, and Cami after two weeks without naps was driving Mommy crazy! So I went to Toy's R Us and bought the cheapest crib I could find, but at least the white matches... Needless to say, she learned to crawl out of the crib in about 24 hours, just like she learned how to get out of the pack and play, but she will still stay in it most of the time, so it hasn't been a total loss.)

Here are some letters I did for one of her walls - I now have an abiding love for Modge-Podge sealer!

So I just love these vinyl flowers! Target has all of these decals & they are great - you can move & reposition them, and they're really cheap for all the space they cover - maybe they aren't for everyone, but they are for me! (I can tell my lens is dirty- little fingers...) FYI, she has lots of toys in her room - the organizer is on the other wall - and she rarely keeps it this clean.

So on to the point: I have caught the redecorating bug! The only unfortunate piece of the puzzle here is that I have neither tons of spare time or tons of spare cash to work my magic (or what I envision my magic would be, based on looking through all of my Mom's "Better Homes & Garden's" magazines). I know in the grand scheme of things, home decor is pretty inconsequential, but after being in this house for almost 2 1/2 years, I just want to put my own stamp on it & paint a wall or two! So while Chris was out of town this last week, I had a small triumph. Most of the light fixtures in this house look like this: Not terrible, functions, but not really my preferred style. Needless to say, the enormous brass chandelier in the living room was not my favorite, and though I did fail to get a before picture, so you'll have to settle for the after, it was exactly the shiny gold color of this one above.

Well, my sister Becky discovered this glorious metallic resurfacer (basically, craft paint with flair) that does wonders to old light fixtures. I had already used it in my bathroom with oil-rubbed bronze-esque results, so I knew it worked, but it takes great patience to make cover a large surface, as well as some time. Two nights, five hours of work, and two dirty paint brushes later, the results:

So it would be nice to have a trendy centerpiece, great to have fabulous curtains, but instead of just okay, I now actually like my chandelier! (If anyone has any other free or low-cost decor ideas, feel free to drop me a line...)

More of the kids

So I am trying to keep posting a little more often, and since kids is what I am usually doing, here they are! First some updates on Josh. He is holding his head up really high now, and can roll over front to back in both directions (he is still working on back to tummy & he grunts with discontent when he tries & fails). Most of the time he is cool as a cucumber - just very content. When he cries, I can usually be sure he is just hungry or tired - this is nice.

He is a little smiler - smiles at us, smiles at his toys - you get the picture. Also, he is 10 1/2 weeks now & most of his 0-3 clothes are getting a little snug - many of the onsies no longer fit. I failed to post his 2 month doctor's appt. stats, but here they are:

weight: 12 lbs. 15 oz. - 80th %

height: 24 3/4 inches - 95%

So as you can see, he is a big boy!

Here is Cami in her big sister pj's, sent by her Great Aunt Leslie - very cute (ingnore the laundry on the steps please :)).

This picture proves it is better to catch candid smiles, rather than asking for one - nice.

Josh at 8 weeks & Cami has hair

Well, Josh is getting past that newborn age & I finally got some pictures that look like him, so I thought I'd post. And yes, I know it is not July yet, but I had to change the wallpaper- anything to encourage the snowy weather to pass & the sun to start shining.

To accompany the pictures, some notes on Josh:

- He really loves toys! When you lay him underneath his baby gym, he will just bat away at the little objects like crazy, often for long peroids of time (Mommy likes :)). I have occassionally caught him giving the toys one of his sly little smiles.
- This baby can eat - and dirty those little diapers. He is doing a great job growing.

- He is starting to make cute little coos and baby noises - you have to love it.

Now for the pictures -

This is pretty much the way he is looking these days. I think he is starting to resemble us more & more. He is continuing to lose hair, & now his old man patch in front extends almost all the way back.

This is a cute little face he makes. He is generally a content little guy, except for when waking up from naps - I can relate to that - waking up from naps always makes me grumpy too.

Here's a good smile - I know I put it in the banner too, but I just love it that he's smiling so much now.

On to Cami - despite her early baldness (forever), she is finally getting a good amount of hair. She's had one haircut, and I am debating getting another, I am just not sure. I want to grow it out long, but I also don't want her bangs in her eyes. I am hesitant to trim her bangs though, because unless I have her hair pulled back (see below - I usually just do one ponytail, but I thought this was fun), they come from WAY back on her head. If anyone has any good solutions, just let me know.

Cami still loves books, with Clifford being her favorite. She is also obsessed with water, and loves all things related, including "The Little Mermaid" and "Finding Nemo". She started a swim class this week, and I'll have to get some pics of her in her suit before it is over.

Chris has a new territory at work & is busy making new sales. I am still adjusting being Mommy to two and can't wait for spring. Josh is letting me know he is unhappy - until later...

Blessing Day

Well, we haven't been great about posting photos, but it doesn't mean we haven't taken any. In fact, since today was Josh's blessing day, he was happy to pose for a few shots. Chris gave him a beautiful blessing and it was wonderful to have so much family there with us. It was also his first Sunday at church, and we were told by a few that he seemed big for his age (6 1/2 wks), but you'll have to judge for yourself. In other news, Chris turns 29 on Tuesday, and we plan on having a date night this week, both things which are really exciting here in the Diggins household. As for Cami, she is beginning to acknowledge her baby brother, and is asserting her independence as a sassy two-year old with commanding phrases like, "Now catch the pickle Momma!" as she throws it repeatedly around the room (referring to a fake pickle from her kitchen set - she is a funny girl).

Here are some pictures with very little explanation because I fear if I don't finish this post quickly, it will never happen!

Cami is just zany these days - it's hard for any picture to capture her silliness & energy, but you get the idea.

A rare photo of Chris and I together...not bad for holding the camera out in front of us.

Josh & I snuggling - he is a big cuddler.

Another Josh & Momma photo...

Chris & Josh - the boys of the house.

We are enjoying Josh's sweet spirit in our home - he is generally quite peaceful and happy. Having two kids though is much harder in some ways than I would have thought, but we're getting adjusted little by little. In short, life is good. (I will try to post some more coherent thoughts at a later time, but at this hour, my tired clock is leaving my brain very fuzzy. Attaching photos is about all that I can do. :))

Pics from Home

We've been home for about 48 hours now, so I thought I'd try to post a couple of pics of the little guy. He's doing great, and is actually sleeping in his bassinet right now, which is nice. (He'll do that during the day, but for some reason he just wants to be held all night! I haven't slept in a horizontal postion in over 24 hours, but my body is realizing that sleep is still sleep, so I am getting by sitting up.)

First, here is a picture of little Josh with his eyes open. It's not the best quality, but he is looking at the camera, so you can really see how he looks pretty well. In some ways he looks a lot like Cami did, but in others not so much. I definetly think he looks like a boy & she was much more feminine looking (which makes sense of course).

Here's another, better quality, but not looking at the camera. Isn't he sweet?

Here is a view from my perspective. As mentioned before, this little guy likes to be held, so I spend much of my time lookind down to this. With a face like that though, how can you resist? As you can see, it looks like he is going to have dark hair. The verdict is still out on his eyes.

As for little Cami, she is still pretty disinterested in him, but doesn't mind all of the attention he is getting, at least for now. We are just happy to all be home as a family, and now I better go tend to the little ones! Happy New Year this week!

Joshua Warren Scoville Diggins: Just the facts

Carrie and I started our adventure as parents of a newborn and a two year old a few days ago. Needless to say, we're adjusting and busy. Carrie will do a full post when we start to catch up on sleep, but until then here are the one sentence answers to common questions and the all important pictures.

Q: Give us the basics.
A: His name is Joshua Warren Scoville Diggins, born 12/24/09 at 12:19 in the morning. 21 inches long, 8 lbs exactly.

Q: Describe his birth in one word.
A: Quick! Labor started at 5 pm that night at our house and he was out shortly after midnight. We arrived at the hospital at 10:45 pm so, this one was super quick. Before we went, Carrie's Mom told us a few stories about women giving birth in the car, she even tossed us a blanket on our way out the door ,"Just in case". None of this was comforting.

Q:How's Mom doing?
A: Like nothing even happened. No drugs, No inducing, super fast recovery. My wife does a lot of amazing things, but this one takes the cake.

Q: How's big sister doing?
A: Again, like nothing even happened. She's not jealous, she treats Josh just like she treats every other child, she completely ignores them and goes about her own business like they don't exist. We've gone out of our way to introduce her to Josh, but as of now she just doesn't care, and that's just fine.

Q: How's the little guy? What's he like?
A: The first completely mellow member of our family. Very healthy, cries in spots, but mostly a very content child. When he's awake he has to be held, that means hanging out with him at all hours of the night. Hold him and you won't have any problems, sit him in the bassenet/bouncer and you will have problems. Other then that I am marveling at our good fortune with this one, and he's a Handsome Devil too!

Q: Any Scholarship offers yet?
A: A few, but we're holding out for BYU and Penn State and then it's going to be a tough call.

Our Christmas Eve Baby!

Dad hanging out with the kids on Christmas Day

Josh is working on his first tan.

Carrie later on after giving birth. Yup, not even 24 hours later. My wife is the Rocky of Childbirth, she can take absolutely anything and just keep going. ( Ivan Drago Voice) She is like piece of Iron.

Our peaceful, mellow child.