Hummingbird Bird Feeders Anyone??

Today, we went to an auction for a garden center here in town that is going out of business. They were getting rid of TONS of stuff. Things were going for really cheap, so we got a couple things. We got a BRAND new 7 foot pre-lit Christmas tree (regularly priced $495) for $17!!!!! We got a cement garden sitting bench for $60 (regularly $200). We got some other really good deals as well on some smaller items. As you know, at some of those auctions, they box things together when they sell them. So, we wanted a tree stand for the new tree we bought, but of course, you couldn't just buy one tree stand---oh no, we got 7 tree stands--all boxed together for $1. We wanted to buy a bird feeder for Tayva, and they had some really nice ones. We got a nice wood one. Then we wanted some bird seed and some small bird feeders. Again, they were all boxed together, so we walked away with 8 small hummingbird bird feeders. So amongst all our great deals, we walked away with waaaaaaay too many bird feeders and tree stands! :)

All I can say is, it is really sad when the auctioneer has your bid number memorized...

Cook's Night Off

Some ladies at our church just started this deal on Wednesday nights called "Cooks Night off", It's the best. They make a homemade meal from scratch, and you can come anytime between 5-6 p.m.and eat supper for $2 per person. This week they served chili, hot dogs, (or chili dogs), fruit, chips, and brownies (from scratch). Last week it was an awesome meal as well. They hold it in our church's all-purpose room, so the kids can eat, then run off a little energy. Tayva LOVES it. I look forward to it because

1. I don't have to cook
2. My family gets a good, home-cooked meal
3. Good fellowship with other families
4. Tayva gets to see her cousins and other friends, and run around and have fun
5. Gets the girls and me out of the house at the end of the day
6. It's cheap
7. Did I mention the food is terrific???

I think everyone should have a "Cook's night off" night!!

All of us!

Icky colds

For the past few days, both the girls have had a cold. Yesterday, Siri was actually having trouble clearing her throat and breathing, so I had to sit her upright most of the day. Last night, I sat up in bed and held her while she slept, so her nasal passages could drain well. It sure is hard to get a good night of sleep while you are sitting up, plus waking up to nurse during the night. Anyway, hopefully her and I will sleep better tonight. Both the girls seem to be doing better today--thankfully.

Baby Wrap

Here is some information about the wrap.

-Erin: No, I do not get hot in the wrap at all. The fabric is a very light cotton(ish)?? type fabric and breathes well, so it is very comfortable to wear.

-I wore Siri in it again today for over 2 hours--no discomfort at all.

I bought the wrap though Suzanne, a lady that founded a charity. Here is what she wrote in the comment section of my previous post.

Great BabyWearing Photo! It is a Gypsy Mama wrap purchased thru MothersLove Charitable Foundation, established to share the Art of BabyWearing and provide free wraps for families in need. For more info on BabyWearing,to purchase a wrap, sponsor a wrap or volunteer for the Foundation, please contact me by email at motherslovecharitablefoundation@hotmail.com Happy BabyWearing! Suzanne

You can see a picture of my wrap here:
http://www.gypsymama.com/shop/proddetail.php?prod=iris

You can purchase this same wrap for the same price from Suzanne, and then the purchase goes toward the charity (which is what I did)!

I also have another really pretty wrap that I got from Suzanne that is much less expensive, and just as nice. I will post a picture of that wrap as soon as I get a picture of it.

Here is some more info Suzanne wrote me:

... I can help them with private consultation if needed. You could also mention that all the funds go to provide free wraps for the needy. Thru the Foundation, we have four options for wraps : the MotherslLove Charitable Foundation wraps that are made by volunteers to provide wraps at an economical price and also are gifted to needy families. There are three professionally made wraps that I carry: Gypsy Mama, Storchenwiege ( top of the line German woven wrap ), and EllaRoo (although I have not purchased any ER to date as the colors available were very limited). When the professional wraps are purchased thru the Foundation instead of a retail purchase, you can save on shipping and all the funding goes to help provide wraps for needy families I also just started to carry a wonderful DVD by Storchenweige on babywearing that is really great.

Also, people who are interested in sponsoring wraps for the needy is always appreciated and the Foundation also needs volunteers to share Baby Wearing with others and sewers.

So, to sum it all up:
I bought one MothersLove Charitable Foundation wrap (this is the more economical one) and I also bought a Gypsy Mama wrap through Suzanne, so the purchase would go to the charity. Hope this helps. Be sure to email Suzanne if you are interested in purchasing a wrap through the foundation.

Here is a good website, and has some good instructions/videos of how to use and wear the wraps:
www.mamatoto.org

Information

I am trying to get the information on the wraps. I will post it in a few days.

I wore the wrap to the local street fair today, and Siri fell asleep in it. I wore her in the wrap for 1 1/2 hours, and wasn't sore at all--love it!! When we ate, I ordered 2 Indian Tacos (YUM), and was able to carry one in each hand while having Siri in the wrap! I know you can breastfeed while having the baby in the wrap too--I haven't quite figured that one out yet--I will work on it.:)

More details on the baby wrap to come!! Stay tuned.

Baby Wearing

Here I am with Siri in one of my baby wraps. I use this quite often. She usually falls asleep in it. I really like this baby wrap because it distributes the weight of the baby over both shoulders and your back. I often carry her in it for several hours at a time (the whole duration of her nap) and my back and shoulders do not get sore or tired AT ALL!! The other day, I put her in the wrap, and she fell asleep--I was able to play with Tayva; make lunch. and pick up a bit--all while "holding" Siri. I really am enjoying it!!

Facebook

I can't believe it. I finally succumbed to the pressure....I created a Facebook account. I did it late one night in a moment of weakness. I spent only about 10 minutes checking it out and creating my account, so I have nothing interesting on my profile yet. All I know is that I already have a few "friends", but have NO CLUE what I am doing. I guess I will learn as I go..ha! Maybe I'll visit with some of you in "Facebook Land".

Prayers

Every night before bedtime, I read Tayva a book or two, then we say prayers (Bob usually leads prayer time), and I sing her some hymns, I rock her for a few minutes, then I lay her in bed. The past few months, I sang "Amazing Grace" and "Jesus, There's Just Something About That Name". She now knows the 3 verses to Amazing Grace that I sing (I need to learn the words to the other verses--I just printed the lyrics off the internet the other night), and she knows the entire song of "Jesus, There's Just Something About That Name". The past week or so, I have added "It is Well With my Soul" to our list of songs. Just tonight when we were getting her pajamas on, Tayva sang "It is Well With My Soul". I JUST LOVE to hear her sing the hymns. It is a sound I will NEVER tire of. I just stop and listen to her singing and relish it. I hope she enjoys singing for a long time to come--reminds me of myself when I was young--I was always singing.

Also, the past week or so, she has been praying by herself before we pray together. Tonight, this was her prayer, "Dear God, thank you. Pray for Josh and Jordy (her cousins), the fridge and the TV. Amen" Apparently, she thinks that Josh and Jordy's fridge and TV need prayer!! It was too cute! The innocence of little ones--love it.

What a Beauty!!

Sixth Sense

I think Tayva has a sixth sense. Seriously, she can sense chocolate a mile away! It is quite funny. Even though I try to feed her pretty healthy, I do let her indulge in chocolate every now and then. She has come to LOVE chocolate. (she DEFINITELY gets that from her mommy!!) Even if I am trying to "sneak" some chocolate, she notices. She'll say, "Mommy, what's that??" if she thinks I am eating something that MIGHT be chocolate. My mom has this funny little contraption in her house that has M&M's in it. To get the M&M's out, you twist the lever, and down fall a few M&M's and they follow an obstacle course of twists and turns all the way down until they land at the bottom for you to grab. She loves that thing. The other day she was all the way in the other room watching a video, and Bob decided he wanted a few M&M's. As soon as he twisted the knob, Tayva came running into the kitchen saying. "Daddy, I want some chocolate too!!" That little stinker heard the knob turn and the M&M's drop, and knew their was chocolate to be had--and no one was having chocolate without her!! She is a chocoholic--I am going to have to watch that girl!!

p.s. I know you are all waiting for more photos. I have some in my camera. I just have to take the time to download them, and post them for you all to see. Hopefully, I can get that done soon!