Bedtime is a time of night that I really do not look forward to. By the time it is time for the boys to go to bed I am pretty tired myself and I just don't want to fight with them to get them to stay in their own beds. Dresden is really pretty good about getting all tucked in and falling asleep right away. Logan, on the other hand, is my struggle. That boy just does not shut down and can go and go and go. Every night I have to go in and lay down by him, which I fight and fight, I want him to fall asleep on his own. But by the time I give up and I lay down by him I instantly LOVE my time with him. He is such a cuddle bug and will wrap his little arm as far around my neck as possible to hold on to me. And then, I don't want to leave! I just have to list the many lovable things he does that make me feel so happy. He loves to cuddle. When he comes into our room in the middle of the night (I know, he shouldn't be doing this and I shouldn't be allowing it but we really don't mind) he molds his little body to mine and has to be close to me. When he was a baby, I'm talking infant, he wanted his face right up against mine. He wouldn't fall asleep unless our noses were practically touching. I think he liked feeling my breath on his face. I love that when I hold him to give him a hug he pats or rubs my back (he does the same with Larry and we both find it so adorable) I love that when he sees pretty things like a pretty necklace or ring he wants me to have it. I love that when he finds a flower he will pick it and put it in my hair. I love that he likes to brush my hair and make it look pretty. I love watching his little face while he sleeps. I can watch my boys sleep endlessly. They both have the prettiest shaped eyes when they are closed. Dresden's eyes have such a pretty curve when they are closed and his eyelashes just make it all the prettier. Anyway, I love that Logan loves to love people and I especially love to be loved by him. I was looking at his baby pictures with my mother in law and I was just reminded of what a loving baby he has always been. He is always happy and adventurous and wants to make people happy. And, apparently I have taught him some manners because the other day I over heard him talking to his cousin Sydney. I told them to go wash their hands before helping me make breakfast so they ran up to the bathroom and then I heard him say, you go first, girls are always supposed to go first. I have to mention that Dresden is also pretty thoughtful. Larry told me that the other day when he went to pick Dresden up from school he was pretty late getting to the car. Larry asked him what took him so long and he told Larry that he was waiting with Sophie until she got picked up in the front of the school. Dresden sure does like Sophie and I'm glad to know that he looks out for her.

Wow, that was quite the ramble but I have been thinking these things for awhile now and I just had to share them. I feel so blessed that I have Dresden and Logan to love and that they love me back.

What kid says that?

The other day I was cleaning out Dresden's back-pack. He had all his Valentine's still in his backback so I removed all the cards from the candy and then threw the cards away and put the candy in a pile on the table for him. He walked past the garbage can and saw all his Valentine's cards in the garbage and got really upset with me. I told him I saved all the candy for him and he said, "I don't care about the candy, I only care about the Valentine's" in a really sad "how could you do that to me" kind of voice. I felt terrible because he was so emotional about me throwing the cards away. I retrieved all the cards from the garbage can and he immediately put them all back in his backpack. Seriously, what kid cares more about the silly cards than the candy??? DRESDEN!!!

Logan, on the other hand, could care less about the cards. He's all about the candy!

Economic Woes

When the economy starts to bottom out people tend to spend less on things that are not necessary. I happen to work in the "want" not "need" industry. I work with many talented artists' licensing their artwork to manufacturers that use their art on anything from placemats to calendars to shower curtains to wallpaper and hundreds of other products. Well, the phone calls started right around Thanksgiving. Companies unable to make it through the tough economic times. At first, it was just small companies that we worked with that were going under. Soon, larger companies that have been in the industry for 75 years started going under. Well, last week I got a phone call from one of our top companies that we license to. The company had been trying to refinance but the bank denied their request and took over their accounts. They have thousands of items in China that were being sampled and some of those products just happen to be our designs. It's such a tragedy, the people I worked with from this company have lost all their retirement because it was tied up in the equity of the company, which now turns out to be worth nothing. I feel terrible for the many people that are without jobs and have lost their retirements.

My company has felt the same pressures that many in the industry have felt and in an attempt to ease some of their costs they have decided to move to a four day work week. Instead of laying off some people they have chosen to take this route. I am fortunate because this won't have much of an effect on me, don't get me wrong, I will have to budget better and spend less money on the things that I don't absolutely need but I have a husband that is a good provider and can take care of our family if things get worse here. There are a few single mothers that work with me and I know that things will be tough for them. I feel so fortunate to have Larry and his job, even though the newspaper industry isn't very stable we feel he is in a department that is the future of the paper, online news. I am excited to be able to spend more time with my kids and I will finally have a day that I can clean without having both boys in the house distracting me. I will be able to go to lunch with friends and I may get a good workout in atleast once a week now. Anyway, I am grateful that even though Larry and I are both in industries that are volatile we both still have jobs that are taking care of our needs.

Here is a sample of what licensing artwork is...

This is the original artwork from the artist

These are product mock-ups created using the artwork

This kitchen collection was picked up by a manufacturer that got placement in Shopko stores. If you shop at Shopko you may have seen these designs.

Fourth File, Fourth Picture

This is a fun tag...What you need to do is go to your photo files and pick the fourth file and the fourth photo, then explain it.

My family went to Bear Lake last summer and this is a picture of Dresden eating a banana that we opened up, put Rolo's in it and then wrapped in tinfoil and tossed it in the fire. Dresden was a fan of the treat but I don't think it was the best tasting campfire treat I have had...I'll stick with S'mores.

I tag Natalie, Soupie, Nikki, and Rachel

I haven't downloaded pictures for sometime so I thought I would post some fun things that I have seen around the web...

Bucket List.

Place an X by all the things you've done. This is for your entire life!

( ) Gone on a blind date

( x ) skipped school

( ) Watched someone die

( ) Been to Canada

( x )Been to Mexico

( x ) Been to Florida

( x ) Been on a plane

( x ) Been lost

( x ) Been on the opposite side of the country

( ) Gone to Washington , DC

( x ) Swam in the ocean

( x ) Cried yourself to sleep

( x ) Played cops and robbers

( x ) Recently colored with crayons

( x ) Sang Karaoke

( x ) Paid for a meal with coins only

( x ) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't

( x ) Made prank phone calls

( x ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose.

( x ) Caught a snowflake on your tongue

( x ) Danced in the rain

( x ) Written a letter to Santa Claus

( x ) Been kissed under the mistletoe

( x ) Watched the sunrise with someone

( x ) Blown bubbles

( x ) Gone ice-skating

( x ) Been skinny dipping outdoors

( x ) traveled on a train

( x ) Gone scuba diving

( x ) gone on a cruise

( ) gone skydiving

( ) speak a foreign language