We spend so much time touching up our photos and trying to get them perfect. Why is it so fun to make them look really old too? Check out Bakamatsu Koshashin Generator. You upload your digital photo, click convert, and a few minutes later you have a picture that looks 100 years old. Kinda fun.
The site is in Japanese, so be sure to click on English in the top right corner.

The Gavman Moves

Yesterday we were at my sister's house playing. All of the "big" kids were outside on the trampoline and Gavin was inside with us. Nicki and I were chatting away when I look down and see Gavin scooting across the room to get the the toyroom! And he was doing his little army crawl like he'd been doing it for weeks. Hmmm, I wonder if he's been practicing while I wasn't looking. :) When Kevin came home we had to show off Gav's new moves. It was fun to watch him go after toys. The kids got a kick out of it too.

This morning I was doing Myla's hair in the bathroom and had put Gavin down in the kids room on his bum to play with a couple of toys. Before I know it Gavin is in the bathroom swatting at my ankles. This is going to take some getting used to. Time to really baby-proof again!

So, for all the grannies and papas and aunties and uncles out there (and whoever wants to see it of course) here is Gav's little scooting debut. Please ignore my annoying "baby" voice. I know it's annoying, but I can't help it. :)

Vertigo

Got this from Hollie's blog.

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Put your Ipod or other music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the NEXT button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS! (I have to say that I have a couple of audio books on my ipod, so I skipped over those. You can call me a cheater if you want, but my Love and Logic stuff came up ALOT. Almost every answer would have been from one audio book or another. :))
4. Tag friends who might enjoy doing this as well as the person you got this from.
-"Tag, You're it...let's see what ya'll are listening to!"

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY?" YOU SAY? Roll Tide (Hans Zimmer)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? Here (In Your Arms) (Hellogoodbye)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Let the Consequences Do the Teaching (Charles Fay, Love and Logic)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? Once Upon a Lifetime (Alabama)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? Come Back Down (Lifehouse)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? SOS (Mamma Mia soundtrack)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN? Can't Find the Words (Karina)

WHAT IS 2+2? Dancing Queen (Mamma Mia soundtrack)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? Somebody Told Me (The Killers)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? Life is Beautiful (Vega4) How funny!

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?? Go, Go, Go Joseph (A.L. Webber - Joseph and the Amazing Tech. Dreamcoat)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?? Across the Universe (Jim Sturgess)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Mr. Brightside (The Killers)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? American Honky-Tonk Bar Association (Garth Brooks) Oh yeah!

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? Let it Rock (Bon Jovi)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? I Don't Wanna Be in Love (Good Charlotte)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? It's Alright (MXPX)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? Anyway (Martina McBride)

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? Vindicated (Dashboard Confessional)

HOW WILL YOU DIE? So What (Pink)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET? Welcome to the Black Parade (My Chemical Romance)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? Love Remains the Same (Gavin Rossdale)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? I'll Never Break Your Heart (Backstreet Boys) Yes, I have the Backstreet Boys on my ipod. My secret is out. :)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED? Come What May (Air Supply)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? Fast Cars and Freedom (Rascal Flatts) That's funny.

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU? Boondocks (Little Big Town)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? Imagine (John Lennon)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? Summertime (NKOTB) Not yet, give it another month or two. :)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? Vertigo (U2)

In My Spare Time

In my spare time (what? spare time? what's that again?) I love to sew. I haven't always loved to sew, it's a fairly new hobby, but one I really enjoy. I don't get to sew very often. If I get the machine out in the middle of the day everything else gets neglected. Kids. House. Husband. Exercise. Calling. Life. It's kind of like reading. If I start a new book, nothing gets done until that book is read. That's usually why I'll stay up all night to start and finish a book, when no one is awake. It's hard to neglect sleepers. The same thing applies to sewing, which is why the only time I usually get any sewing done is with The Secret Stitch Club once a week after the kiddos are down (or at least confined to their rooms). This week was an exception. Kevin came home early from school one day and told me to sew while he cleaned the upstairs bedroom. I didn't have to think about it...I jumped on it! Usually I love sewing aprons or bags, but my new obsessions are these cute cloth baby shoes. I love them!

Gavin's plaid and polka dot shoes
Coordinating elephant onesie

Tie onesies

Girlie shoes (they have matching heart onesies)

These were my very first pair that I tried. What I love about sewing is what you learn each time you sew. Each time you get a little better (hopefully!).

Down at the AMY

On Valentine's day we took the kids to the Arizona Museum for Youth. They held a special "We Love our Members" event that was a lot of fun. For Christmas this year, Grandma and Grandpa McMillan got us a membership to the AMY. It's always a good time. I couldn't take pictures of the actual exhibits, but I could take pictures of things the kids did. I wish I could have taken a picture of Myla looking at this exhibit of a large stone carving of a mother and child. She was fascinated by it. She said, "Mommy that's you and that's me!" in her very high pitched voice. It's so exciting to watch the kids get into art and actually apply to their own lives. I am learning that they are never too young to appreciate art -- in all of it's many forms.

We made Valentine cards.

I love the fun, age appropriate education activities the AMY has. One of the exhibits right now is an African theme, and here is a large puzzle of Africa. Cade just wanted to do this the whole time.

I call this the Ikea room. It seems like everything in it is from Ikea. Myla loved these little chairs that spun around. I could spin her for a half hour and she would still be asking for more.

We did some cookie decorating. I know what you're thinking, "Where are the aprons?" That's what I thought too. :)

It was really cool. They had edible ink markers to color on the cookies. Nice and tidy. I need to find me some of those.

Gavin was his usual sweet self, just watching everyone do their thing.

Cade and Kevin love to build something out of the blocks just so they could knock them down.

Myla the Art-"eest"

Myla the Happy Tigress

Gavin the Patient Lion

Cade the Roaring Tiger

Happy Love Day!

We *heart* painting

We are going a little stir crazy around these parts. Last week everyone was sick and, therefore, confined to the house (too many cases of RSV going around to take the chance infecting any other little baby). And the rain, which has been wonderful, is cold and wet and dirty...and so we haven't been able to play outside in over a week! TV and trains and coloring and "play" fighting with toy light sabers can only be so much fun. So we decided to make some Valentines.

I cut out sponge hearts to dip in paint and sponge onto cardstock.
The kids couldn't get enough. I finally had to halt the sponge-a-heart operation. I later cut these up into 4.5 x 6.5 cards that the kids signed to include with a valentine that we sent out to grandparents and other family. Nothing fancy, but fun. (Yes, we are still in our PJs. We *heart* PJs too.)

Lots of paint on hands (and faces and arms and legs and...yikes...the carpet) and we went straight to the...

bathtub!

We also *heart* bubble baths.

If you are looking for some fun things to do with your kids for Valentine's day, One Pretty Thing, has a pretty comprehensive list of projects other bloggers and websites post.

Sweet Giveaway!

I love little boys in ties. But have you ever tried to find one? Yeah, near impossible. Especially ones for little baby boys, like Gavin. I love this sweet blog Make It and Love It.
She is giving away this little tie and shoe set. You have to go to her blog to see how sweet it looks on her little boy. And you can enter to win it for yourself. Or for me. Whatever you choose. :)

I really like this quote. We all have such different gifts and abilities and passions. What we have to offer the world is exactly what the world needs.

Gavman Eats

Gavin is an eater now. Any worries I had that he would always spit out his food and refuse to eat are put to rest. He still won't eat apple sauce, but that's okay. He is quite chatty now too. I like to think in this video he is telling me thank you for having to clean the dried biter biscuit slobber and squash off of him.

The Wrong Side of the Bed?

Nope! How can I wake up on the wrong side of the bed when I wake up to this face?