Jonah's first haircut

Wow...2 posts in 1 week? Could this be a record?? So we've been talking about getting Jonah's hair cut for a while now.... it was a little said, but more just fun to see him look more grown up:) He did SO well! Daddy held him the whole time and he let the lady do her thing until she was finished. It's all cleaned up around his ears and still a little shaggy, but doesn't he look handsome? (the pictures downloaded backwards, so scroll down to see the before pictures!)

and after!
during...

before...

Vegging Out

Jonah was no problem today while Mommy was cooking and cleaning. A little tube and his favorite blanky and he was set.

Sorry we haven't updated forever! We'll see how it goes in 2010!

it's been a while!

Wow I didn't realize it's been almost two months since I've blogged. Just goes to show how fast time flies with little ones! I am so thankful that I'm home to enjoy this beautiful fall day with the kids. Thanks Grandpa for saving some of the leaves for us to play in...(or maybe you just ran out of bags??:)

Jonah and Levi fighting over the little rake...haha they are really starting to become little boys!

our new life

Today marks the two week anniversary of living with....what? my parents??? Two weeks ago we closed on our house and moved in with Mamas and Grandpa Brody. When we put our house on the market in July we weren't expecting it to sell four days later!!

Jonah has gained FOUR pounds since we've moved in 2 weeks ago. Haha!

Goodbye old house:(

It was so sad to leave the house that I brought my little ones home to. Plus, I was a little nervous but I have to admit that they have been so easy to live with! I am very thankful for their "sacrifice" and things are going really well over here at the Brody/Carlson residence. Jonah has become a total Grandma's boy and Jayda had no problem adjusting at all.

Quick update since my last post...Jonah turned ONE and is starting to walk! Jayda moved to a big girl bed and is POTTY TRAINED, we moved, Cliff and I had our FIVE year anniversary (and a really nice night away from the kids in Iowa City- thanks Gma and Gpa Carlson), my little Levi turned ONE, and Alisha and I are moving into a new position at the Credit Union. Lots of big changes this summer...I'm looking forward to taking it easy this fall and winter to gear up for our big project next spring.

what is a springform pan?

Among the many frustrations of today, I attempted to make a blueberry cheesecake for dessert tomorrow night. I followed the directions perfectly until I got to the sentence "press the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan"

Although I've heard of a springform pan, I don't really know what one is. What I DO know, is that I do not own a springform pan. So I did it my own way and baked it in a regular 13X9 pan. It looked great...until I baked it. The sides were puffed up and the middle looked raw. The directions also stated to "Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely on a cooling rack" So...I did it my own way again and flipped the fresh cheesecake upside down, onto a baking sheet, and then again onto wax paper. WHAT WAS I THINKING??

And that's life. We try to follow instructions from God, our parents, our boss...Even a sincere attempt to make a good cheesecake can end up in a disaster. What's even funnier is that it tastes pretty good. (ask Isaiah:) Sin is tasty, isn't it? How blessed we are to have a father and a savior who loves us enough to accept us as we are, and is there to clean up the mess that we've made to give us a new start. The Bible is true. His instructions are good. And his forgiveness is eternal.

Did I mention all four kids are sleeping right now? :)

almost one!

Today we met Holly at the UNI campus to take a few (or closer to 300:) pictures of Jonah for his first birthday, which is THIS FRIDAY! I can hardly believe it. ...I tried adding more of my favorites, but the files are too huge thanks to Holly's amazing new camera! Thank you Holly and thanks Kyle for staying in town the whole time with your tired and hungry kids! I can't wait to get some of these printed!

another Carlson wedding

Yesterday we went to Iowa City to witness the marriage of Cliff's cousin, Travis, and Megan. The ceremony was outside and picture perfect...except for the HEAT! I'm not sure what the index was, but with the humidity I'm guessing it was over 100 degrees. I watched the first half of the wedding behind a fence because Jayda wanted to "go inside" but there was no where to go. I think this was our first wedding/reception with two little ones. I'll just say that getting ready for the event was more fun than trying to keep them occupied for 5 1/2 hours (totally my fault for not bringing any toys. I guess I'll know better next time.)

here's my boys getting ready to go...aren't they handsome?

and the cute newlyweds...

and here's Jonah sweating his little tooshie off.

we eventually stripped him down to his shorts. Jayda appears to be loving on him, but this shot was taken a few seconds after she was pretending to bite his back. ??? She is so sweet and so naughty sometimes!

Here's a random thing that most of you have probably heard about by now. The other morning I was drying my hair and heard Jayda screaming in the kitchen. We had waffles for breakfast...apparently she wanted more syrup because she had stuck her finger in the bottle and it was TOTALLY stuck. I panicked because her finger was already turning purple and it had swelled enough to make it impossible to slide off. After water, soap, and trying to cut the lid with a normal scissors, (and panicking with the thought of her finger falling off...or having to take her to urgent care for THIS) we found a way to cut it off with a metal cutters. She now says that it was "silly" although I would say it was more scary at the time. Just glad there was no harm done and no bill to pay!