Carbonite online backup update...

If you signed up for the trial version and now need to purchase it.... you can get 20% off!!!!

Go to http:/retailmenot.com and type "carbonite.com" in the search box. The first coupon to come is a 20% off coupon. Click on it to use it, then on the carbonite site, click buy now or something like that. You can then log in as an existing customer (remember, you already did the trial version!) and then can purchase either a 1, 2 or 3 year subscription for anywhere from $45 to $105! Backup away friends, backup away!

"Don't Rush Life" - Tyler Silves

Today was lovely. We went to church, then came home and stayed home the rest of the day. This afternoon we went for a walk, and Wayne rode his scooter while Weston was in the stroller. Then we raked sticks (trust me, we enjoyed it!) and Wayne helped for awhile then played with sidewalk chalk. The weather was beautiful; sunny and above 50 degrees! We couldn't ask for anything more, given our recent weather patterns here! The boys and I came inside, and Tyler let the dogs out in the backyard and then BBQ'd dinner (a marinated tri-tip steak from Costco... delish!) The boys and I made salad, potatoes, asparagus and rolls. Mmmm... It felt unbelievably good to feel the sun on my face, and to see the sheer joy on the boys' faces as they were OUTSIDE. All the busyness and crazyness of our lives lately fell away, and I thought of Tyler's favorite quote (if you haven't heard him say it yet.... you will!)

Silves Boys: found at 4am! :-)

Gotta love 'em, they are predictable! Weston was screaming at 4 am because his binky had fallen out of his crib, and Wayne being the dutiful and helpful brother that he is climbed down from his bunk bed to camp at his door and yell, "Weston waked up! Weston crying! Mooooomm!" I told Wayne I would take care of Weston, found the binky, rocked Weston then laid him back down. Wayne was still in his doorway, asking to sleep with me, and I was too tired to say no, so he piled into bed between us. Did I mention I didn't fall asleep until 1am? :-) Wayne slept until 7am, then went and played trains in his room, and Weston woke up but played with toys in his bed so I actually stayed in bed until 8am, which was L.O.V.E.L.Y.

Now, we are spending the rest of the day at home. Yippee! Naptime is calling me. Oops, so is the phone.

Missing: Two Silves Boys!

Who are these boys sleeping upstairs, and where are my real children? Here's how I know there's been a child abduction....

My Kids: Up early in the morning, don't nap more than 90 minutes during the day if I'm lucky, don't go to bed before 7pm for Weston and 8 for Wayne, and Wayne doesn't fall asleep until 10pm. They wake up during the night and fuss. Wayne screams during haircuts, and eats a healthy amount of food for a 3 year old.

The Kids currently sleeping upstairs: Weston took a 2 hour + nap this morning, and another 2.5 hour nap this afternoon. Wayne took a 3 hour nap. Weston was in bed at 6pm, and Wayne asked the babysitter to let him go to sleep at 7pm. Wayne ate 2 poptarts and 3 gouda cheese rounds for breakfast and then told me his tummy was still hungry, he needed more. They slept through the night last night. Wayne let me cut his hair this morning, didn't cry, and didn't scream.

See, I told you something happened to my kids. Oh well. I'm sure they will be back to their normal selves in the morning!

what's up?

Hi everyone, what's up? There are many, many of you who I haven't heard from in awhile, either by phone (sorry, 3 weeks left in tax season and then I will again be scheduling coffee dates!) or by your COMMENTS on the blog. Although, I don't blame you, I've had some very boring posts lately. My friend and I refer to all of you who read and don't comment as "lurkers." Quietly reading along, but never telling me you are there! I am sometimes shocked to be out and about and then talk to someone who says, "Oh, I read your blog!" or "My daughter follows your blog. She showed me...." Too funny folks! :0) Glad you all keep coming back, even if you are just lurking!

We are now EIGHT days away from the wedding. First and foremost, I am so glad that it is not my own wedding day. I can only ever endure one of those, and it happened almost 8 years ago. I am DONE getting married! Good thing God hit me over the head with the most wonderful, irreplaceable male on this earth. All of your husbands have to come in as a distant second to my own dear sweet hubby. He is so good to me, he's nuts! And never more so than when I am pregnant, and in the middle of tax season. He helps out around here a ton, and does whatever he needs. He even planned a bachelor party for my brother! Amazing. The only thing he won't do is touch my stomach to feel the baby move... that TOTALLY freaks him out! Today I am meeting a friend at the church to run through the lighting for the pictures for the wedding. I am hoping it is a descent day weather wise, and we will also shoot outside. Amanda will be my assistant for the day (isn't she sweet!?! We will have sooo much fun together, and she'll calm me down if I freak out!) I have my shot list together, and will do an equipment check this afternoon. Otherwise, I'm ready for photography! I do have a few other small things to order from the print stop that I am helping Breanne with, and a bridal shower this Saturday night at the Olive Garden (Tyler and the boys are going to dinner at Boundary Bay.) But wow.... EIGHT Days!
Our dear sweet children are currently eating us out of house and home. I can't believe what those two munchkins pack away. I can only imagine when they turn 16.. I remember my brothers eating an entire pound of bacon in one sitting (oops... hopefully Mom is too busy with wedding stuff to check my blog! I don't know if she knew that...) Weston is just an awful napper, no news there! :0) But, he does go to bed by 7 (sometimes earlier!) and typically sleeps all night (on occasion he wakes up an hour or two after going down and needs me to rock him for 30 seconds. No joke, 30 seconds and he's ready to go down again!) Wayne is talking a ton, and is a busy precious boy. What he doesn't come up with! He is doing great at going potty on the pot, and even goes all on his own when I tell him to. Poopies.... not so much, but what can you do? He'll get it one of these days. He's also sleeping in the top bunk now... Scary! I did put up an extra, taller rail though, it makes me feel better!

Enjoy the pics!
Stuffing his face with banana, laughing at me!

Weston LOVES Jay-Jay the Jet plane. Personally, they freak me out a little. They are just unnatural!Sound asleep.This is just wrong! :-) Way too high up.Weston, after yet another stripping episode (cropped for your viewing pleasure!)

The BEST new digital scrap idea yet!

Hi all! I wanted to pass along a new website for you. One argument I've heard against digital scrapping is that my journaling is no longer in my own handwriting, and that's just not the same as digital scrapping. Here's the answer! Go to http://www.yourfonts.com. You can download the templates, fill in the letters IN YOUR OWN HANDWRITING, then upload back to the site and they will turn your handwriting sample into a font that you can load to your computer!!! How cool is that? Now our kids can treasure my horrible handwriting FOREVER! :-)

it's Spring, we insist!

Well, we are sick, sick, sick of the weather and warm clothes around here, so we decided to stage our own protest today. I am wearing capris and a tank top, and Wayne has on shorts and a t-shirt. Weston has on clothes, but no socks. Since we are home all day today, we all dressed for Spring! Did I mention the heat is set to 71 degrees? I had to compensate somehow.

We have had a nice day AT HOME... ALL DAY! It's been awhile. The boys of course refused to nap, but they will both be in bed at 7pm, so I'm willing to sacrifice sacred nap time for that. I can't stand people who say they are "busy" all the time, like it's a badge of honor or something. Really? Not to me. I enjoy being social, but go-go-go is not my deal. It makes me want to hibernate. Seriously. And then with the Computer Crash of 2009 and all the reworking to get back on track (which I am, by the way!) it's been a very busy, busy week. I am still working 2 days a week, have had baby showers, bridal showers, a funeral, family dinners, and the list goes on and on. Oh well! As soon as April 15 hits, I am taking 4 days to do nothing EXCEPT do whatever I want! :-) Go for walks with the boys, take a nap every day, cook and bake, clean and clean... just be at home! How many days away is that?

Wayne had his three year doctor appointment. At 42 inches tall, he is in the 110% for his height, and is 75% for his weight (about 35 pounds.) So, scrawny as he is, he's actually holding his own in the weight department! They even took his blood pressure with a little kid cuff, and he thought that was pretty neat. He was so excited to see the doctor, and asked him to look at his eyes and ears and his teeth. Dr. Boschler politely obliged! He couldn't believe how much Wayne had grown, how much he was talking, and how nice he was too his little brother. Other than his stitches in August, he hadn't been to the doctor since he turned two, so it's been a healthy year!

Weston is a busy, busy boy. Wayne was normal, Weston is like Wayne on steroids. It doensn't help that Wayne teaches him all the "fun" stuff, but seriously! He spends at least an hour a day in "solitary" in his pack and play (it's in the living room, and he has TONS of toys!) It's the only way I can get things done sometimes! He sleeps great at night, going to bed by at least 7pm, but he does not sleep much during the day. By bedtime, he's exhausted!

I so owe you all some pics one of these days... I'll get there. According to the blog I'm almost 22 weeks along, so the way I figure is I should start getting over this wretched morning sickness by 25-26 weeks, just in time for the end of tax season!!! I swear this baby's a boy.... Time will tell!

Of utmost importance... BACK UP NOW!

Hi Folks! I finally have a moment, and the most important thing for me to tell you is BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER NOW! Did you hear me? NOW!!!! I am grateful and thankful that I use the brains I've been blessed with most of the time, and that I've got backups of my entire system as of about a month ago, but I still lost more than I wanted. While I am now in recovery mode (swiping birthday pictures off the blog!) I have also implemented an automatic backup system. When I spoke with the IT guy, and mentioned that I should just get an external hard drive, he recommended this site instead https://www.carbonite.com. I checked it out, and there is a free 15 day trial, and after that it is less than $5 per month for unlimited offsite storage, and it automatically updates every time I change files (no lag time!) At least, that's what I've figured out. PLEASE, PLEASE learn from those who commented on the last few posts.... if you haven't lost your hard drive yet, YOU WILL! It's bound to happen. The only reason I have a backup is because my friend Quinn had her computer crash, which freaked me into backing up a few things as soon as I read her post. So, for the 15 day trial, go check it out!!!

back in action

Okay, our computer's been running since 5:30 Tuesday night, but this is my first chance (and it's not much of one) to tell you all! Stay tuned for family updates, computer advice, a scrap class updates.. and whatever else I have forgotten!

machine down! machine down!

Just an FYI on where your avid blogger has been... My hard drive died. It's not recoverable, not even by the 'Puter Tech Man. Yes I am sad, but I am coping. I am just wanting it replaced so I can start recovering what I did back up about a month ago, and recreating what I've lost from the last month. This is a HORRID time to lose it... I was working on a scrapbooking class, photos from Wayne's birthday, and stuff for the wedding. Ugh. Oh well. There are far worse things in life. Stay tuned though, I will post the link to an online backup service that charges $50 per year for unlimited storage/backup. Way cheaper than an extra drive!!!

the "BIG WHOOP" ultrasound

We called it the "big whoop" ultrasound, because while it was great to watch our very active baby shake and shimmy for 45 minutes... we still don't know what it is! As of today, I am 20 weeks and 4 days through this pregnancy. Even though I tried up until the last minute, we did not peek! Hence, no full body pictures, but we got a few other good ones. You tell me... does "it" look like a girl or a boy? Everything looked really good. The baby measured right on, and weighs about 14 oz. He/she has plenty of room in there, as we caught it lounging back, with it's legs crossed at the ankles. Wayne and Weston have cleared the way for nice, roomy accomodations! The heart rate was 152.

Look at those cute little lips! Here's a foot.

Thumbs up!

Another cute profile...

A video clip...

Super Woman's got nothin' on me!

Finally, a day where I actually have energy, am not nauseous, the sun was shining, it was above 30 degrees, and I wasn't at the office! Can I say, IT'S ABOUT TIME! The Dishnetwork dude was coming this morning between 8 and 12, and he actually showed up at 7:45! He was out of here by 9:15, and the boys and I took off to Bellingham to do the Walmart, Costco + Target shuffle. They were SOOOOO good, and we cruised right through everything. When we got home, they went down for a short nap (hey, life's never completely perfect) while I unloaded the Jeep and worked for awhile, and then when they woke up Todd was here and helped to bring in the new mattresses for the bunk beds upstairs. Wayne was sooooo excited to get on the top bunk... he just kept saying, "Thanks Todd, Thanks!" Todd left, and the boys and I headed outside to wash the Jeep, which hasn't been done in MONTHS. Last time Tyler tried, the hose was frozen! I buckled them into their carseats and put on a movie while I washed in peace. Wayne fell asleep (he hadn't really napped earlier) and then we all came in. They are eating dinner now... I can't keep food in front of them! They devour it constantly... Okay, I'm off to sneak a peak at Grey's Anatomy... we get the east coast feed!

this, that, and the other thing...

Sorry it's been awhile again folks, I guess it's still tax season! I've been recovering from my terrible cold, and have been feeling quite a bit better yesterday and today. The boys are feeling better too, so things are definitely less crabby here at home. Tyler and I are both home (a rarity these days!) and so we've been tacking house projects all day (will sanding, priming and painting EVER end?) I've also done a bunch of cleaning, and baking, all in an effort to completely distract myself from the fact that if the weather doesn't warm up soon, I just might lose my mind! I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sick of it being stinking cold. I know you are all probably in the same boat, and just know, I feel your pain. My stomach's sticking out more these days too. I guess that makes sense, since I'm halfway, but still. It gets in the way of bending over to scoop up boys! My ultrasound is this Friday, but we are not finding out what this baby is. I am convinced it's a boy, so we're just calling "it" a "he" because I hate saying "it!" I tell Tyler that it's me and my four boys. I figure if he's a she in the end, she'll forgive me eventually for calling her a he. Trisha called Paige "Jr" or "J.R." the whole pregnancy, and something tells me she'll get over it too! I actually almost bought a boy outfit the other day, and then remembered that I really didn't know what this baby was yet, convinced though I may be. He is moving a ton, and is approx. 10 inches long. How on earth do babies fit inside us? Only God could make that possible, I'm convinced.

Here's a funny for you... Breanne was over the other day, and from nowhere, Wayne pulls out a a jar of WARM relish from behind the t.v. Seriously! He's in the fridge all the time (I've resigned myself to knowing this is going to be a fact of life with all boys in the house!) but at some point he got out the relish, and hid it behind the t.v. Gross!!!!!

Weston is Mr. Hard-to-Get lately... Dad was over today, and holding Weston. When I tried to get him to come to me, Weston just buried his head in Dad's/Grandpa's shoulder and hung on tight. The turkey wouldn't come to me! :0) Dad was just eating it up...

The wedding plans are coming along, and it is just 3 WEEKS from this Friday. Crazy!

My work has slowed down a bit, and I'm back to working my committed number of hours. Whew! I still enjoy it, and the people. I wouldn't do it if I didn't!

Okay, that's enough for now. Good luck not freezing your hiny off!

Spring Forward!

Don't forget... we are springing forward our clocks one hour tonight! I hope all of our kiddos adjust quickly!

Look who's 3!

Wayne's day started out with bubble bread on his new "Cars" plate, and doing "cheers" with Dad with his new cup!

This was the present he found a few days back, and I think the only reason he wanted his birthday to come! As soon as breakfast was done, he asked to open it. Brenna came to watch Weston, and we took off to spend an hour or so at the Jump Around Fun Zone on the Guide. Wayne was pretty proud he figured out how to show us "3" with his fingers, and Ethan was so excited for Wayne's party day!

The boys had lots and lots of fun, and got rid of a ton of energy playing on all the fun equipment. Poor Wayne had such a cough though, we kept having to make him take time outs so he wouldn't keep hacking away.

Our little boy is way to small to be climbing and sliding down such a big slide.... and LOVING it!

Finally, he posed for a picture! This is a first in three years.... He also put his pants on all by himself yesterday morning, so he is growing up, I guess!

After the Fun Zone, we headed to Red Robin for lunch. We thought Wayne would enjoy them singing to him!

Ethan liked his Shirley Temple

Ethan had picked out this car just for Wayne to play with in his sandbox. A three year old knows what another three year old likes, that's for sure! All the waiters/waitresses came around to clap and sing to Wayne, and brought him a sundae. He loved it! He sort of danced and jumped up and down on his chair, soaking it all in.

Now for the ice cream!

After Red Robin, we headed home, and it was naptime for everyone (including me!) Then we got ready for the big party...

As soon as my mom got to our house, Wayne was asking her for Diesel. He's been asking her for Diesel (one of Thomas's the trains friends) for over a month now. He LOVES Diesel. I think my mom was happy to finally give it to him!

We ate pizza for dinner... There wasn't much left of the 8 pizzas we started with, in fact, there was less than an entire pizza left over. Way to make me proud family, I knew you could eat it! Present time! Thomas undies from Grandpa and Grandma

Wayne opened TONS of presents, and loved them all! A soccer net and ball, sandbox toys, a slip n slide and towel, books, Thomas the train pieces, trucks, puzzles, he just couldn't believe they were all for him!

The cake... It has 6 shots of espresso pour over the cake portion... Wayne loves coffee, so I thought that it was perfect!

I love this picture.... It just reminds me of a little boy with his Grandma's....

We realized we forgot to give him the rest of our gifts, so after everyone left, we gave him his scooter and baseball gear. He jumped right on the scooter and took off. TOO BIG of a BOY!

Now's when it got interesting.... Wayne "woke up" around 10 or 11, and was sleep walking! His eyes were open and he looked awake, but he was definitely NOT. It was the strangest thing. He was really worked up about something, and just when I thought he'd settled down, he would get upset again. I tried taking him to bed with us, thinking he'd just calm down if I snuggled him, but it was 2am before I finally got him settled enough to go back to his bed. He woke up perky as can be at 6:30am, and never mentioned it. Weird!~ My brother did that a lot when we were kids, I'll have to ask my mom about it!

Thank you to everyone who made Wayne's 3rd birthday a special one! Each of you mean so much to him, and Tyler and I are so appreciative for all the loving, wonderful people God has placed in his life. Three years has gone so fast, and yet I can still remember how he felt when I first held him, and the little noises he would make. God has made him to be such a loving, affectionate, kind, precious, adorable, talented, silly, funny, and sweet boy. And I am humbled to know that the Lord feels that we are worthy to raise him, we are so blessed to be his parents.

"Wayne, I'll love you forever, I'll pray for you always, forever my baby you'll be!"

we're ready to paaaartay!

It's 5:11, the folks come at 5:30pm, and we are READY! Food is set, chairs are out, furniture is rearranged, everyone has fresh clothes on, and we are ready to party like it's 2006! (that's when Wayne was born! :-) We've had a wonderfully fun day, and I'll get more to you later, but there's your update!

Happy birthday Wayne!

say it's not so...

We are feeling better here in the Silves household... Wayne is jumping around dancing at the moment, wearing shorts and double-layered t-shirts with socks (hey, I'm not a neglectful mom.) He liked the feel of the shorts and wanted to wear them, and I thought hey, why not? With the warm sun yesterday, our house heated up to 73 degrees, it felt tropical to me!

And now to the say it's not so... Weston has been climbing on everything. If he's quiet, you'd better run find him quick, because he's probably climbed up onto something. The couch, rocking chair, and one of the chairs in the coffee room are his favorites. And this morning I caught him snuggled up with Wayne on the couch watching TV together. How cute! As soon as he saw me, he started laughing. The next thing I knew.... he climbed down! Didn't know he could do that... The boy has yet to cease to amaze me.

And Wayne... he's going to be 3 tomorrow! We have a fun day planned, and a party tomorrow night. Yippee! Where have the last three years gone? What would I do without him? He is such a party of me, and my day joyfully revolves around him and Wayne. I took Wayne potty yesterday, and when he was done he said, "I love you SOOOO much Mom!" Seriously. It makes all the "accidents" well worth it, all the sleepless nights, and all the crumbs and food messes, and all the.... it's ALL worth it to be blessed with such a wonderful, darling, precious gift. Stay tuned for more gushing tomorrow!

{it's a love-hate sort of thing}

The wind... hate. The sun... love!

My oven... that is always dirty, even after I clean it.... hate.

Living color... love!

Toys in the living room. Hate.

New computer desk... love!

Unfinished fireplace... hate.

New washer and dryer... LOVE it!

Really messy office... Hate! (yes, can you hardly beleive I'm posting this picture? After I took it, I had to start cleaning it out. It was driving me nuts!)

New Sigma lens.... love.

Here are just a few things to share with you all... what I see every day and how I feel about them! :-)

my sick buddy...

I feel so bad for my little buddy... I've been sick, and so has

our little Wayne. We both are caughing and blowing our noses, and in general have been pretty miserable. He's so cute and sweet when he's sick. He snuggles a ton, has a chipper attitude, and says things like "my owie!" when he points to his throat. He has a rash on his face from the weather and so much binky time (his cough is so bad, I can only give him so much honey to help!) He also realizes that his birthday is coming, and keeps saying, "I want birday!" It is so cute. I've cleaned up after him in ways that I wouldn't for anyone else (but Weston.) Through it all, I'd do it again and again, just to hear his unprompted, sweet little voice say, "thanks Mom." That's all I need to face another round. This was one of the pictures I took for his 3 year photoshoot. I thought that it perfectly captured his sweetness, and his sickness.

Miss Madelyn is 6 months old!

We did Madelyn's photoshoot the other day, and I think I am beyond my "gag order" period that allows for Tara to get pictures to almost everyone BEFORE I actually post them on the blog, so here are a few of her most adorable shots! I must say, her photographer is getting quite talented (I took Wayne's 3 year pictures today... stay tuned for those!) I just got a new lens, and am LOVING it. I'll post about it later.