Tunnels of Fun

Jacob obliges me by pausing for a posed photo!

I had to catch Eli on the go!

This was Jake's reaction to a joke Daddy told! What a cute grin!

The boys love their new tunnel!

Yeah, consignment sale!

My Buddy

Jacob is with us every other week, so every other week, Jacob, Eli, and I pile in the car for "carpool."

Now technically it isn't "carpool" since it's just us, but it's easier to say "carpool" than "taking Jacob to school and picking Jacob up from school." I hope you don't mind!

So, "carpool." We get up, get showered, get dressed, get breakfast, get teeth brushed, get hair brushed, and get out the door. With the boys loaded up in the car, we're off. In the beginning, Eli slept through both carpools. Now that he's getting older that's just not the case.

In the morning, Eli happily watches his big brother as Jacob does his 20 minutes of assigned reading. Jacob occasionally passes him a book or a toy and they are happy as clams in the backseat. That is until we actually get to school.

We pull up in the carpool line and it's our turn. Jacob unbuckles and gathers his things, I open the automatic van door, and Eli begins to cry. Let me rephrase that...Eli begins to WAIL!! Jacob says good-bye, I attempt to wish him a good day and send our love over the squall, and Eli continues his lamenting.

He continues for the next oh...5-10 minutes. Friends, that is some major sadness--sibling sorrow, if you will!

Finally, with much singing and pep-talking, Eli recovers and manages to make it through the rest of his day without his partner-in-crime.

Later, we load up once again and head off for "carpool."

We pull up at the school and wait for our turn. At last, we arrive at the front of the school, I open the door, and Jacob steps in. Immediately, there are smiles and laughter and silly noises and all kinds of fun going on in the backseat! Good has returned to the world! And watching it all unfold in my rearview mirror, I have to agree!

Sale shopping (edited)

Right smack dab in the middle of our "snow event" last week was the well-loved and much anticipated Kids Exchange. I'm a super volunteer (oh, yes ma'am...because I love that early shopping time and I love the shorter lines even more) so I had to be there Wednesday at 10:00.

Just so you know, I don't like to drive at night or in the rain, so snow and ice are a definite no-go! If school is cancelled, so is my desire to drive. But, thanks to the love and superior driving skills of my wonderful (and cute) hubby I arrived safely and on time. I knew that marrying a yankee northerner would come in handy one day!

I slaved away sorting clothes, setting up and arranging pack-n-plays and highchairs, and moving outdoor play equipment for 5 hours.

The long awaited 3:00 arrived and the shopping began. I grabbed a cart (again, courtesy of my super volunteering) and Matt arrived with the stroller and a laundry basket and we were off. Eli had saved his Christmas money for this big day!!

I headed in the direction of the bigger play equipment and snagged this slide for inside for $6 and this swing for $9.

Then I took off for the toys and Matt headed for baby gates and hook-on-the-table highchairs. We found success in both places. The biggest deal of the day came in the form of the Fisher Price Roll-A-Rounds Dinosaur (it's Eli's birthday gift, so don't let the cat out of the bag), which retails on Amazon.com for $200. I KID YOU NOT...$200! We paid...$10! That would be 95% off. Now that's a deal!!

We were able to get both boys' spring/summer/fall wardrobes for a grand total of $100. And, they'll be dressed in Old Navy, Gymboree, Nautica, Children's Place, and the Gap. I know name brands don't matter, especially since I shop at Target and Walmart when I have to pay full price, but these clothes are C-U-T-E!

I love a deal, especially since I'm not working anymore. A bloggy friend once referred me to a great article that changed the way I look at my contributions to the family income. It talks about considering what you save when making purchases as income. So, if I saved $190 on that toy (which I would have never bought for $200 anyway, but hypothetically), that would be an income of $190. With that in mind, this season's sale was a complete success and I'm already thinking about the July sale and what I can "earn"!

Edited: I fixed the link to Kids' Exchange and here's a link to consignment sales nationwide so that you can find one in your area.

Winter Wonderland

When the forecasters predicted snow yesterday, I took it with a grain of salt. Who knew they would be right? 6 inches worth of snow fell today before 3:00pm. Jacob was at his mom's so unfortunately he was not with us for the snow fun. We sure missed his antics! Here are some pics of our snow day!

The 3 Sloans

Mama being a kid!

Snow Angel

Calvin on a leash (neighbor's cat...hey, Adam & Janice!)

Warming up!

Because, really? Could he be cuter??

More to come!!

Lack of blog fodder deems a meme.

The rules are to bold the items you've done. Here goes...

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone (bonus info...i caught my hair on fire doing so)
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and didn't care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Sewn your own clothes
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone snorkeling
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theatre
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Caused a car accident
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch (all the time!!)
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on a television news program as an "expert"
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date (I know...shame, shame!)
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Had your picture in a newspaper
96. Raised children (working on it right now!)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start
101. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
102. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
103. Eaten sushi
104. Streaked
105. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
106. Dyed your hair
107. Had to put someone you love in hospice care
108. Line danced
109. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
110. Ridden a horse.
111. Saved someone's life

Holiday visiting

After Christmas we ventured out to see Matt's family in PA. After church, we loaded up the van with two huge suitcases, a carry-on, the pack 'n play, a box loaded with baby foods, a canvas bag packed with Jacob's travel needs (Nintendo DS, DVDs, books), a stuffed diaper bag, and two containers packed full of all variety of toys with which to entertain Eli (who has recently decided that car seats are no fun). And away we drove.

We arrived without too much drama around 2:00am and crawled into bed!

During our visit we had a great time. It's always nice to visit with Pappy and Grandma. We were also able to spend time with cousin Gianna, Aunt Mary, Uncle Iain, Callum, and Uncle Iain's parents who were visiting from Scotland. It was a wonderful time!

Well, wonderful except for that one really scary moment. The moment when my heart stopped beating and fear set in. The moment when Matt, who was carrying Eli, tripped over the baby gate and fell. The moment when he fell with the baby at the top of the stairs that lead to the basement. The moment when I heard my baby screaming.

Oh, dear Lord was that a scary moment!!

But, Daddy took the brunt of the fall and managed to not tumble down the flight of stairs. Eli was not hurt, but just scared. Thank you, Jesus!

Throughout the week, we had lots of great food (thanks, Grandma!) and played some fun games, too! I just love watching adults play Wii! Jacob thoroughly enjoyed the snow that fell while we were there. Although the locals acted like it was nothing, us Carolina folks thought it was wonderful.

Overall, it was a wonderful visit and we can't wait for our next one!

Birthday Shout Out

Happy Birthday, Gwyneth Rose!!

Read more about this precious miracle over at Confessions of a CF Husband.

Heartwarming

5:30am is early. It's still dark. Nocturnal creatures are still roaming about. How do I know? That's what time the monitor is now waking me up. My dear youngest son seems to be a morning person...an early morning person.

So, I fix his morning bottle and feed him in the dark in the nursery with the hopes of him drifting off into dreamland once more, so that I can do the same. Inevitably, he falls asleep as he drinks the warm milk. This morning as I held him and watched him sleep, he began to smile. My heart began to sing!

Baby boy, you made that 5:30am wake-up call completely worthwhile!

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it's already 2009. What an awesome year we've had. I'd love to say that I'm living the life I dreamed of, but that wouldn't be the truth. However, now that I'm here, living it, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!! God's ways are higher than mine and I'm so grateful for that. I'm living the blessed life and it's more than I could have ever dreamed of. I can't wait to see what 2009 holds for our family!


May your 2009 be blessed!

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jer. 29:11