my birthday bubbies

 ya I know I stink at blogging...now on to more important matters Eva turned 5.  and if you can figure out what she's hugging down there that is her mermaid pinata I made her.  I love that cookie john.  

 and after Eva had a birthday Harvey had a birthday April 4th and turned two.  he came up with that combo himself, the skeleton shirt with backwards hat.  he  is either dressed in a long t shirt with bracelets on his wrists or as a a thug.

 my baby boyboy is two. waaaaaahh. commence crying and sobbing about how time has flown and he has grown up way too fast.  but he's still a baby ya know?  he's actually nursing right now as I type this and he smells pretty ripe so if he is still nursing and im changing his diapers he is totally still my baby.

 this spring has been really warm and we've had lots of fun outside, we are trying to hatch 3 eggs upstairs, we plowed up a big square for a garden, I have flower seeds in the ground, and I've been running outside for about 2 months. (I ran 4 miles straight~~~) Its been blissful.  I love my addie...I especially love her big adult teeth.  they are so cute.

 I'm gonna be an aunt x 9!!!!  that is my baby sister Nat who is going to pop out a baby in ONE month.  I'm so excited for her.  i wish I could be there, but I don't think I can get to Utah.  sigh.

 okay those eyes melt my heart.  I love my bubbies, I love my hubby, i feel happy, healthy and my kids are doing good, and Danny is getting bigger muscles (hahahha) and I have very few complaints.  hmmm. let me come up with one......just to make ya'll feel like I'm not perfect with a perfect life.  oooh. cloth diapers.  Try washing 2 year old poopy cloth diapers.  FUN!!!  bye blogosphere!

loads of pictures

 Malachi turned 2 and we had a party at Katrinas.  Those boys are getting big.

 February is the longest month of the year officially.  After a round of strep throat, and colds, and flus and sinus issues.....spring can't come fast enough.  Even though this winter has been weirdly warm....totally anticipating a zombie apocolypse.  But fear not, I just bought my wheat grinder...WONDERMILL Jr. Even makes peanut butter.  And it makes cereal and cracks wheat.  But you have to hand crank it but I figure that will keep me totally fit.

 Nothing like new swimsuits in the middle of winter.  Addie is now a minnow!  Congratulations :)

 Our one day of snow you know how it is.  The kids woke up looked out the window...screamed "It snowed!"  Got totally bundled up which involved taping on their gloves with duct tape and two layers of socks then went outside for 10 minutes and came in and threw all the snowy clothes in the family room.  Hooray for winter

 Harvey looking up at me trying to figure out how he can wrestle the camera out of my hands.  That boy loves technology.

 Elsie my cute niece at a birthday party

 my sweet little nephew henry age 10 months with my cute sis.  steph.  He is a total little elf. That girl makes some cute baby boys.

 Her necklace I liked.  And her mole.  (steph you really should get that checked out) hahahah.

The one snow day again.   He's a heartbreaker in his snowpants and sock hat.  I'm sure we will live to see March but pray for Addie's health.  She has been catching everything on earth.  I've been eating like crazy out of nervous energy and probably gained back my 5 pounds I lost running. 

my add has a name

I'm a scanner.   I read a book about scanners.  Not the computer kind.  The human kind.  A scanner is a kind of person who likes too many things to pick just one.  They have a really hard time picking a major in college.  I started as music, switched to Art, got accepted into two Art programs, switched to architecture, quit that after a day considered English.   Ended up dropping out of college after a 2 year degree and haven't gone back.  (except to take piano lessons and join a performance class) Worked for the IRS for 5 years, taught piano for 8-10, and besides that have had three kids.  I taught myself to knit and crochet.  Danny taught me how to thread a sewing machine and I learned to sew.  I learned how to use a pottery wheel but never continued with it.  I like to paint but only do it on occasion and most of them involve sitting at the kitchen table modeling how to paint a rainbow with fluffy white clouds, green grass, and possibly a family of kittens or puppies.  I produce art for 2 demanding art critics ages 8 and 4 with a relentless need for rainbows and hearts and flowers. 

So if you are a scanner this is what you should do, ahem, as the title of the books says "REFUSE TO CHOOSE"  So I can free myself from the external pressure I imagine on myself to make something of my life and just enjoy all the random hobbies and interests I've had.  One idea they say is make a huge list of everything you want to DO....because scanners are DOers not see'ers.  I totally relate to that because I've never felt that excited to "see" something but the thought of producing something makes me a little giddy....so here are some things I want to do....

crochet flower headbands

sew more dresses for my girls

sew harvey bowties with matching vests

learn to knit socks

make animal hats for the kids

sell some crafts on etsy

make more cloth diapers and sell them

get ceritified to be a doula (and if I like that persue becoming a midwife or nurse midwife)

teach Eva to read

read books to ALL 3 of my kids

keep running 

print off family pictures

paint something cool for the kids rooms

read more about investing

buy real estate

become warren buffett

buy a new chair 

line the backs of my bookcases with scrapbook paper

make felt animals 

make a recycled wool sweater wreath

make polymer clay stuff

crochet more birds in eggs

I know I can't do it all at once but that's a good reference list.  and if you too feel like you have attention deficit disorder you could be like me........ a total pathetic loser.  hahahha.  no you too could just be a scanner and it is totally acceptable for you to never be able to finish a project or focus that well because it's HOW your BRAIN WORKS!

because what else is there to do in january?

so after being a bit of a tomboyish kid (think every christmas I wanted sports equipment, like a basketball one year, ice skates (not really tomboyish but still sporty, a tennis racket with a ball that I would bounce the ball on endlessly, a remote control car another year...)   I used to play basketball with the old men of my ward after youth on wednesday nights at age 12-13 and I loved it.  I was already my full 5 foot 6 and I felt huge and strong and would shoot 3's as well as a 12 year old girl can.  Adolesence hit and I don't know what it was....I think it might have been related to the fact that I have always been "well endowed" and I got kind of freaked out of running or moving too fast in public.   Besides the normal mockery of junior high and people telling me I ran weird I became less sporty and  through highschool I never really played sports. Then young adulthood  (and by the way....Danny proposed to me by putting my engagement ring in a tennis ball while we were playing) hahah.  and then 3 babies and my version of excercise was pushing a double stroller through the neighborhood.  It is quite a workout.  So in my heart I've always felt like I have something athletic in me  and now drum roll please...................................... I'm learning to run!  And I'm going to run a 5k in the spring!!!!!!!  I know that sounds pathetic to all you athletic running people, but seriously, I've NEVER run.  So I'm starting slow.  I'm on week 4 of the couch to 5k program.    It's pretty awesome because I actually am running and I'm not feeling like I'm going to die or pass out or anything.  the bonus is 5 pounds are history!  Also you only have to run like 3-4 times a week which is good if its hard to find time to excercise.  So now I just have to pick my first race and my goal is just to finish it.  In less than an hour.  A half hour would be awesome.  

and here's a link.  So if you are like me (grab a good sports bra) and start it TODAY

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

virtual vitamin d

 we went to florida in december and it was soooo nice.  I'm totally moving down there every winter as soon as I can.  Snow is good but sunshine and sand beat it any day in my book.  Although we haven't had snow much either in ohio........

we stayed in new smryna beach and it was quiet  but close to everything.

Harveys "butt butt" That's what he calls it. 

I'm trying to figure out my camera.....I just have a oldish sony cybershot.  I blurred the background a little on that one.  That's what I was going for. 

After the initial freak outs about jelly fish...I think we overwarned them not to step on jelly fish.  They thought every piece of plastic on the beach was a jellyfish and they were like screaming non stop the first day or two. salt water reminded everyone of salty popcorn and the salty air made everyone feel healthy.  I think it cleared out my head.   I am so an old person in my heart.

the foot shot.  I have weird toes and they're hairy.  but check out our pool. 

martha stewart is my nemesis

Martha gets on my nerves.  For one WHY DOES her picture have to be on everything she produces?  I keep thinking she is about to retire and then no...she has a new line of simply beautiful home decor at kohls or something like that.  I'm kinda sick of her simply sweetly perfect home decor.  Because if you looked at my house right now...it's not simple.  There is a layer of little people on the carpet, there is clashing stockings hanging on the mantel, I have throw pillows that were made by 8 year old girl scouts,( and it looks like possibly color blind girlscouts) My serving ware is primarily from the goodwill or from the day I was married. It doesn't coordinate.  I don't have a tiered cupcake stand.  There are things that just aren't up to marthas standard.  Oh and today on the view they had Martha showing how to make simply perfect holiday desserts.  She wouldn't give the recipe.  All the ladies on the view were like trying to get the recipe from her, like these chocolate cookies, and one of them said "So how do you make those chocolate cookies?" and Martha said  "It's dough!  You make them from dough!" with this really exasperated look on her face.  Like we all thought you made cookies from concrete or something.  Then in the same day in the dentist office I was reading some magazine and it said "Entertain Martha's way" where it then went   "Entertaining made perfectly simple."  She continued....something like this "When I want a simple christmas gathering I whip up about 20 of my favorite simple dishes, such as soup, and invite all my friends over for a lovely gathering in the kitchen"  20!!!  She seriously said 20 and I am not kidding.  Who besides someone with a hyperthyroid disorder whips up 20 pots of soup for some friends to come and eat in the kitchen?  So I've had enough of her simple holidays.   I'll take some messy, chaotic, disorganized holidays.  And my christmas tree with the top missing lights and all the ornaments from the bottom moved to the top because i have a 1 year old who likes to rearrange glass ornaments.  Or step on them.  Or throw them.  He even bit one.  And it broke and his lips bled. He's okay so don't worry.

getting used to this new blogger layout is INSANITY!!  I couldn't figure out how to publish anything.

The past couple days I've been LOW on energy....I fall asleep at like 9 o clock.   I was staying up till like midnight for like a couple of weeks and now maybe its catching up with me.  Also I feel like maybe my hormones are firing up.  When I nurse a baby I don't have a period and so I feel totally hormonally free for like a year or two.  Then PMS comes back and hits me like a truck.  So that means one thing...time to have baby number 4.  I'd rather be puking for 4 months than having a period.  Also I know that we have another baby boy in our future  I totally just need to pop another 12 pounder out.  AWESOME.  hahhaha.  That makes me so tired just thinking about it.   Maybe in a year or two. 

So in my energetic state I was getting christmas all totally squared away.....which meant I shopped online for like a week straight. 

 wanna hear what the dotson kids are getting?

Harvey is getting a stuffed john deere tractor that makes noise.  He found it at the toy store in Childrens medical center and tried to steal it.  All the ladies who worked there were like giggling with joy.   He's also getting a robotic bird and a pull back car and a wooden hammer with a ball thing that pops through a slide thingy.  

Eva is getting a doll with brown hair and brown eyes.....all their dolls have blue eyes and she is always wanting one with brown eyes.  And a polly pocket car and craft kits and hmmm wooden cookies with frosting and sprinkles...they are so cute!  

Addie is getting a doll wheelchair and crutches and casts.  I know she is going to love it.  Its for her American girl doll and she is constantly wrapping their arms in toilet paper to make it look like they have casts.  Also a rubber ball making kit, polly pocket car and I need to get her something else but I don't know what yet.  hmmm.  Oh yeah, I sewed them both some clothes for their babies.

So now I just have to shop for relatives and I'm done!!!!  Because we are going to FLORIDA for Christmas.  Addie is afraid she is going to get left at home and have to fend off robbers because she's watched home alone too much.   I think it will be fun, we're going with my parents and staying on the beach so it will be a nice break from everything.  

I like to get all the shopping done early because my favorite parts of Christmas are all the things that don't involve gifts like going to see lights, and going to hear the Christmas devotional, and watching my kids perform in the church nativity (Addie is Mary this year) and delivering cookies.  Some years we plan a big service project but I haven't dreamt anything up yet...hmmm.  Maybe something in Florida?  I found out our church owns 1000's of acres in florida!  They produce a ton of food there, have a working cattle ranch, and orange groves, and wheat fields, and corn fields.  They use the food for the church welfare program. The church's welfare program is so awesome!  It would be fun to see if we could go tour it for Christmas.  Anyways, enough ramblings.  Happy Thanksgiving to my family and friends!  I'm thankful for all of you!