I unfortunately didn't get any of the boys because Wesley was sleeping and Noah was over at a neighbor's house. But oh well.

at the end of January. :) No seriously, in the last 30 hours, we've received about 10 inches of snow and it's still falling at a very rapid pace. This is what I expected at Christmas!! But oh wait, I was in sunny California for Christmas, so I suppose I had to be disappointed. It is cold, cold, cold but the snow is incredibly gorgeous. What is so fun about the idea that you can't go anywhere and you have to stay all bundled up inside gazing out all the windows? I'm not sure, but it's kind of magical. Now, remember, this midwest thing is new to me and had I grown up in Michigan my whole life, I'm sure I would not have the above sentiments.

The boys are just tickled with the abundance of snow. Noah doesn't want to stay out in it very long but that could be because we do not have all the proper snow accessories for him. If he felt warmer maybe he'd want to play longer. Who knows. But I declare today to be a definite snowman making day. Ideally while Wesley is napping because the little guy would literally be buried if he tried to walk out there right now. I'm not kidding. I'll take some pictures and try to post them up shortly. Yesterday was a coffee drinking, movie watching, popcorn eating kind of day. I'm feeling the same thing for today. I admit it makes me feel very lazy and unproductive to do that 2 days in a row. But as I laid in bed last night analyzing what being a "stay at home mom" entailed, I decided that this is exactly what it is. Somehow being at peace with the ebb and flow of productivity and laziness, good attitudes and tantrums, empty hampers and piles of laundry, healthy home cooked goodness and boxed mac-n-cheese, nurturing conversations over crafts and turning on Barney for them to veg in front of. So cheers to a lazy day with hopefully some healthy doses of fun, laughter and rest.

Wow, so January 11 was my last day to be online---woo! That seemed like a LOT longer. Brian was in Spain and therefore I could not use his computer to navigate life while my computer was ill. Yes, the library is only 15 minutes away, but with single digit temps, the thought of hoofin' it over there and bundling the kiddos up just so I can check my email was not attractive in any way. Hence, I had no. internet. whatsoever. How bizarre. I think it is completely different to say you are taking a break from cyberspace by closing your laptop than it is to have the internet completely removed from your grasp. I felt out of touch with a lot of the world and all of its happenings. I had to whip out the yellow and white pages many times to find friends numbers and call offices to make appointments. I was unable to call certain out of state friends because their numbers are on my laptop and nowhere else (mental note: change that). After a few days of initial frenzied behavior on my part, I finally eased into my own home, my own kids, and our life, with no husband, and no Internet. My focus eventually narrowed on all the things around my house that needed cleaned, needed organized, needed replaced, needed attention in some way shape or form. I, April Beth, am not an organized person naturally. Give me money, numbers, or financials and I take back the previous statement. But anything else (most of life) falls victim to my willy nilly way of doing things. As we jumped from house to house over Christmas break in CA, I saw so many things that I admired and felt a little insecure about how my house looked, or the way I run my house. So I came back home with a lot of enthusiasm to change things and update life. A perfect plan considering it's a new year with new possibilities. But I really think it took having no computer to boost me into action. Now let me explain that I don't spend gads of time online each day. But I do spend my free time online: naps, after kids are put to bed at night, sometimes first thing in the morning. And while you can be plenty productive during all those other times, I think having an attachment to life on my computer made me less motivated or ready to focus on my own home and family. Ultimately, you have the internet to make you feel like you are educating yourself, make you feel like you are being productive, make you feel like you are better than others that you read about, make you feel like you are normal, make you feel like everyone is having a lazy day with you, make you feel like there is always tomorrow....etc, etc. and in the end, you never did anything about all the things you read about or superficial motivation you had. Now, if you completely disagree, fine. Write about it on your blog. :) But for me, this rings true and has obviously crippled me from taking a unique kind of ownership over my home and duties as a wife, mother, and "home manager". I believe God had everything to do with this realization. He wants me to be better at what He created me to be than I can do on my own.

So here are some things I did while I was banned from cyberspace. I think it's important to note that some of these things I always do---but it's always with the nagging thought that I could be catching up on blogs, writing a funny blog entry, looking online for new furniture, books, or old friends. So having removed that "could" and knowing I had nothing more to do but these very things, I was much more eager to do them...and do them well.

-Organize the playroom entertainment center. DUST it, remove everything in it, discard old CD holders and leaflets, pull all of Brian's and my DVDs out and make room for the kids' movies and music, and eventually get some toys off of the floor and into baskets that fit nicely into the newly available space in the entertainment center.

-Bought a very cute bench for this open space we have next to our kitchen that is probably for a small dinette table. Soon to come will be a rug and coffee table to go in front of it. It brings some much needed color to our mostly brown/neutral bottom floor.

-Danced at length with the kids and blasted silly music for 80% of the day, each day. (this used to happen all the time and somewhere along the way, it stopped).

-Got Noah's haircut finally and gave Wesley his first haircut. He has this nice fuzz ball on the back of his head that HAD to be cut. After a failed attempt at the salon, I propped him in his highchair, gave him a cookie, and went to work. :) He looks a little more groomed but still a baby for sure. Mission accomplished!

-Had friends over that I have been meaning to have over.

-Unpacked the last box (yes, I said the last box) of books that has been sitting in our room for 6 months in this little corner that is supposed to be my "reading corner" but has yet to materialize as one.

-Put away all Christmas wrapping paraphernalia and get the guest bedroom back to looking like an oasis that I would gladly step into instead of Santa's sleigh that threw up all over the room.

-Vacuum the whole house and pick up all rooms. I will admit, a little disheartening when you vacuum the whole house and within 4 hours, it in no way looks like it. What is it about those lines that makes one feel so good?

-Clean out this one counter top and nook in my kitchen that was the catch all place the last 6 months. Now it has a table top calendar on it with new birthdays, engagements, appointments, date nights, etc on it. How fun!

I still have a lot of work to do, but I'm actually looking forward to most of it. A major change for me. I tend to get overwhelmed with ANY and ALL big (that really aren't so big in reality) tasks that are waiting for me. But now that God has shown me what can be accomplished in roughly a week and half, I'm much more confident going into the coming tasks this winter.

I know this was a long post and sadly, it didn't contain many little things I want to divulge. But those will come eventually. I don't want to fall back into old habits and that will be hard considering my laptop is all nice and healthy again. Hopefully, I can turn my computer OFF (something I never do) and consciously choose not to turn it on until I feel good about taking a break for awhile. I need encouragement, folks! :)

I hope and pray that every one's January has been great and full of the promise we all look forward to with a new year. The inauguration today is yet another reminder of change. And Lord willing, we all have great things to look forward to and be apart of.

Write again soon!

My computer went kapootz and so I'm waiting on a new battery HOPING that will solve the problem. I should be receiving it in the next few days and praying it brings my laptop to life. So I will not be reachable by email for hopefully a limited time. I might check it at the library if I'm feeling really disconnected. :) Otherwise, you can guarantee I'll be spending most of my time getting my house back in order, organizing things, decorating, and helping the boys adjust back to life without cousins, without West coast time, and without the beach. :( Have a great week ya'll!

Our 2 little angels under the tree

Noah and cousin Bethy getting ready to open presents Christmas morning.

Noah, Bethy, Ellie and Tucker sitting in the ball pit we got Tucker.

The pretty view of Balboa as we road the ferry.


Our family FREEZING COLD on the ferry.....and Wesley's crazy hair.

The boys sitting with GG during her morning breakfast.
Daddy taking Wesley down to the ocean.
Wesley loving the feeling of the wet sand.
Noah and Daddy playing in the water.
Wesley in his fascination of the sand. I have a million pictures of him doing this over and over.

Nana with her boys.
The boys snuggling on Aunt Terrie's couch bed.
Brian and me on New Years Eve.
Daddy and Noah on a ride at Disneyland.
Me and Noah in Toontown. This was Noah's first trip to Disneyland.

Cute family picture in Tarzan's tree house.

I wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and thoughts as we embarked on our crazy trip to Cali. I apologize for not posting an update sooner. Here's a quick recap. But bottom line is, God completely saw us through (big surprise) and we arrived safely and close to on time into Burbank, CA.

--Our first flight to Dallas was running 30 minutes late (AHHHH!) but the pilot made up the time.
--Wesley cried the last 30 minutes of the flight but was so tired due to being sick/Benadryl, he had no real voice so no one really heard him.
--We deboarded our flight and headed straight to a different terminal in Dallas and boarded our next plane immediately only to sit on the tarmac for 45 minutes while they replaced a tire. This seemingly awful circumstance ended up being a blessing because the boys jumped and climbed around on our seats the whole time while Brian and I stood in the aisle just chatting. They needed to be able to move around so bad and had we tried to strap them in immediately, it would have been bad news for everyone.
--Wesley slept almost the entire flight from Dallas to Ca. Praise God.
--We arrived into Burbank about 30 minutes late but my uncle was there and so were ALL our bags. Yippee! It took us an hour and a half to drive 40 miles or so. But the boys did awesome in the car and had no complaints. I think Wesley was just glad to be in his car seat and not sitting on anyone's lap.
--We walked into my aunt's house and started chowing down on yummy food. Christmas Eve officially began!

and not Indiana.

1. You realize you've eaten beans and rice for 4 consecutive meals (incredible mexican food is in abundance here).

2. You see wet spots on the ground and approach carefully, but you realize at 70 degrees, slipping on ice would be ridonculous. :)

3. Instead of sledding, you pack up the car and head to the beach.....2 days in a row.

4. Your days consist of In-and-Out, Del Taco, and Coffee Bean. (can I get a whoop whoop!)

5. You can spend all day outside, taking walks, going to the park, looking at the snow capped mountains but not feeling a bit of cool.

Now, you notice I didn't mention the hazy greyish brown smog, the bumper to bumper traffic, or the sudden increase in locking ones doors, and carrying ones purse very tightly. But quite honestly, those things don't compare to the glorious riches that is California. Do I love Indiana? Yes. Will I be glad to get home? Yes. But do I LOVE vacationing in CA? Um, YA.