A long overdue update

Our deepest apologies for falling off the face of the earth these past few months. I'm not gonna lie and say I've been too busy. I've just been enjoying my breaks when they come, and frankly, posting on the blog wasn't on the top of my to-do list. So here's a general update on what we've all been up to.

James:

James is still growing and learning so much everyday. He added the words "more, hi, and yeah" to his repertoire. He can also point to his belly button, nose, and eyes when asked where they are. His favorite (by far) is his belly button and will show it whether you ask to see it or not.

He loves playing outside now that the weather is warmer and LOVES asserting his independence by feeding himself with a spoon (yogurt only). He also likes helping around the house and posing for the camera.

The only thing that he doesn't enjoy is going to the child care area at the gym. He starts screaming from the point we walk in the doors, all the way till we walk out an hour or so later. They tell me to just keep bringing him and that he'll get used to it, but it's been almost a month and nothing's changed. Do any of you have any tips?

Doug:

Doug keeps busy with work and golf. He successfully completed one of his new year's resolutions by not buying anything (beside groceries or other necessities) in the month of January. It was pretty difficult for him, but it was a good experience. It taught him that he doesn't need to buy something just because it's a good deal. Unfortunately, that life lesson has gone out the window now that he's discovered a new site quibids.com. It's an auctioning site where you can get pretty much anything for way cheap. Doug has gotten tons of gift cards for only a few cents each and has actually come out ahead. They even have bigger items like iPads that could potentially go for $15-$20 each. Warning: It's not another ebay. Go to the "Quibids 101" tab before bidding on anything.

Julie (me):
In case you didn't already know, I'm working from home doing my old job part time. During the holidays, however, part time becomes wishful thinking. It got pretty busy over Thanksgiving and Christmas and even more so during Valentine's Day since I write for ProFlowers. Side note: if you ever plan to send flowers online, call me first. I'll make sure you get the best deal. Anyways, in the midst of all this, I realized I needed a life. I needed a real hobby that I could immerse myself in and be passionate about. Something that I would crave everyday. The problem was, I have tons of interests and didn't know where to start. So without thinking, I jumped into four different things at once! I got a gym membership at the local YMCA, a ton of supplies for scrapbooking, tutorial dvds and editing software for photography, and a fancy new sewing machine that just arrived :). So far, I love taking classes at the gym, I have a storyline planned for my first scrapbook, I am slowly learning to take pictures without using auto, and I'm starting my first sewing project this week (a cover for my camera strap- gotta start small). I realize that some of these will be dropped as I figure out what I really like, but for now, I'm enjoying every minute.