Playrooms are where smiles come alive...

We were blessed with a new tv for Christmas which led to a major room switch in our house. Joe has always determined we would never put a tv in our room as to not spoil "our time" together. So with the option out of putting the tv in our room we had to come up with another solution. Our office and playroom needed to switch.

Joe was home this week on vacation, so we hired a couple movers for the big stuff and made the switch. We sold some items on Craigslist and bought a new tv stand and a couch with a pull out bed.

I'm still getting used to the big move but overall I think it was a great one! The kids love the extra space upstairs and we like the convienience of having our office stuff downstairs. I'm really looking forward to when the kids are a couple years older and can have all their friends upstairs while we get some adult time downstairs. But we are enjoying watching them grow now and love exploring in the big room.

Judah gives you a tour:

I wonder if I'll start enjoying my time at home more now? If you need a playdate I'm always open on Monday's and Friday's! Come play with us.

Elfster (how to make a christmas wishlist)

I have to admit that my sister-in-law, Lisa, got me addicted to this site elfster.com - which allows you to create gift wishlists and will even draw names for gift exchanges.

About 3 or 4 years ago our parents decided we were old enough to buy presents for our cousins in a gift exchange format. Last year was the first we used elfster. It's a great tool for drawing names, creating lists, setting price limits, and connecting with those in your exchange. It worked perfectly for our family too. We have 11 people in our cousin exchange including all the new spouses- (and 4 kids which are all get spoiled this year). Then we decided to do it amongst my siblings/spouses as well. The system worked great last year. It paired us all up, we stuck to a $20 limit for our cousins and a $40 limit in our immediate family and all got and gave items that we wanted. It made the shopping a ton easier too.

This year I had my cousin Caleb. He wished for the "Hunger Games" new book. I looked it up on amazon and they had the whole series (3 books total) that I could buy in our $20 price limit. He just texted me the other day that he finished the first book in 2 days and is on to the second one...success right? My cousin Brittan had me and she got me a super cute shirt from Nordstrom's that I have already worn...I'm wearing it in this picture with my niece Ella (not the best picture- i was trying a new technique with my hair that Lisa told me about and I don't have any makeup on...):

The site also works for Birthday wishes too. If you are a hard person to shop for...I totally suggest making wishes on elfster to make it easier for your friends/family and make you a happy receiver too...

If you have time- go check out the site and see if it's useful for your fam!

Child proof door locks...next purchase on my list.

My two-year old has decided he wants to be a baby again and get special attention in the middle of the night. He wakes up and walks into our room demanding a bottle aka milk around 2am. My two-month old on the other hand sleeps from about 8pm-5am...I should be a happy mom getting lots of sleep, but Judah thinks otherwise in the sleep department.

I think I've mentioned before, I'm pretty sure his love language is physical touch. He loves cuddling and being close to whoever will give him attention. Good news for me since my love language is the same- but bad news since he is no longer confined to a crib which is much easier for the "cry it out" method.

We have tried lots of different suggestions, and I've received lots of great mom advice- but I think I'm officially going for the door lock at this point. Child abuse? I think not. I'm pretty sure it's going to be my sanity at this point. Great for tantrums, bed and nap times.

I'll let you know our progress once they are purchased and installed. My sweet little boy who gets his way now (due to my exhaustion in the middle of the night) is in for a surprise once he attempts his first escape.

Love and door locks!

Ireland's Birth Announcement...

My mother & father-in-law allowed us to get newborn photos taken for our Christmas present this year...I absolutely loved them all and will cherish them for life!

Thank you to Tori Wible for your patience to capture these precious moments.

Shutterfly is giving me a $10 credit for posting the card in the blog...so enjoy!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.