Tara Nicole Salinas Demars,

For those of you who don't know how amazing this girl is, let me tell you. She is patient enough to let her son, Ellis always play on her iphone even after he does this.

Yep he dropped it and cracked the screen.

It's ok though because it still worked. She didn't even yell or scream at the young innocent little boy. 

Tara is the most loving person in the world and it shows by how well she treats her family. But everyone has a breaking point right? I would become furious if my little boy took my nice expensive electronic chain we call our cell phone and tested its durability in the microwave.

Yep, that's right. Ellis placed Tara's phone in the microwave. It was time to say farewell.

Tara showed her love and composer and actually more sympathy for Ellis than ever before because now he couldn't use it to play his games. She shrugged it off and showed to me how much she doesn't care for materialistic things. She loves Ellis and her family an infinite more times than a silly phone. 

Some how I was able to convince Tara to marry me forever. I love her dearly and I hope she has a great birthday. Having her as my wife is the birthday present that is given to me everyday and I do my best to remind this to her everyday.

Happy Birthday Tara. i hope you have a great day!!!

Damon

Pella Tulips

I have been wanting to go to the Pella Tulip festival the entire time we've lived here. It's a tiny little Dutch town about an hour away with all these cute little shops and tulips everywhere in May. Well of course, I finally decide we HAVE to go this time cause it's our last chance and what happens? Freak snow storm. On Cinco De Mayo weekend! Ridiculous.

So I finally got to go out there this morning, the boys and I drove out before 9- perks of them waking so early I guess, we got out before this weird heat wave came through (it's 98 degrees right now!).

It was so pretty and I want to live there! It's almost exactly like Fredericksburg, for my Texas peeps- only Dutch instead of German. I loved all the houses and wished I could have gone into all the museums and antique stores but my stroller and two boys did not allow such a thing. Sad Face.

But we got to see the flowers and get some Almond Letters from the big time bakery there, so it was all good! We topped the trip off with a couple slices of pizza from Casey's General Store (an Iowa gas station that makes pizza too, haha) and a Dr. Pepper and bright red sweaty faces. It was fun and we only had one small tantrum when Ellis didn't want to leave the water fountain (of course).

Tulips all over the town

 "Cheeeese!"

 "OWL!!!!"

 Trek across main square to "owl"

 The "Owl"

 "Here Ellis let's sit Hudson down and help him smell some flowers," says I, hoping to get him to sit for a picture

 Not what I wanted you to do. I thought for sure the police were gonna come after us.

 Hudson knows it's wrong too.

 Dirty lawbreaker.

 Next to the "owl" and the windmill, an ant was the next most exciting thing on the trip.

 He was OBSESSED with this spinning windmill

Of course he needed a windmill cookie!

 Break to play in dirt.

Hello Monday

Or goodbye, since it's almost 9 pm... We survived *barely at points* our first day of 4 weeks with Damon away in Fort Madison (about 3 hours away) and the three of us here in West Des Moines. It was rough at points. Lets just say that I'm unwinding right now with whatever is left in the costco bag of chocolate chips and Real Housewives of Orange County.

We had 4 disgusting diapers, 2 of which were blowouts, one on the carpet (oh yay, right before the landslord is coming to show the place) and one in the crib so everything had to be washed.

We had a somewhat decent library trip and I got ambitions thinking we would walk around the library pond since the weather today was amazing and things were going ok- well that lasted about 5 minutes before a major meltdown ensued. Over what, I'm not really sure, I couldn't tell. Took us a half hour to get back to the car that was 300 yards away.

2 hours of cleaning the apartment for 3 minutes of showings.

Ellis pushing, sitting on, throwing things at Hudson, lots of time out.

Oh and Ellis started climbing out of his crib AGAIN! He did this last week for the first time after his nap- the bed in there was only a foot away from his crib so he kinda just flopped onto it. So I moved the crib to the opposite wall away from everything, and today he decided to be brave. The first time he went ok and the second time he fell head first. What am I supposed to do? I am terrified that if he moves to a real bed he won't nap. Which might kill me dead. I was at least hoping to avoid it til we get to Texas next month.

But they're in bed now and that is great and they are so cute. Ellis loves to sing and sings songs a good hour after we put him to bed every night. His latest favorite is to sing peoples' names along to Twinkle Twinkle. If you are in our family we have sung your name from the rooftops!

And Hudson is seriously a doll. He is so smiley and he is into the funny shaking his head phase that Ellis went through too, I think he likes the feel of it, though it just gives me a headache. He also finally started eating real food- well, baby food and he'll chew on bagels and stuff... So it's a start.

I miss my man. We'll be seeing each other on weekends and more anyways. But nobody better come try any funny business over here, I've got a gun that I have absolutely no hesitation to use on any creep that comes around!

I hear Ellis climbing right now... dang it! TTYL!

Spring? Are you alive?

Not here in Iowa it's not. Today the high was 50, which is massively warmer than the last week and a half has been. I am soooo tired of this cold weather! My garage is full of finds I need to makeover in the sunshine! Including 2 trikes for Ellis to ride like a little biker boy! And I want to open my windows and air out my apartment for crying out loud! Strip my table not in my dining room, paint flakes all over my carpet! Come on!!!

Also, I cannot wait to move into the house in June. I know the summer is going to be miserably hot. But having a backyard to let my boys explore all day (under gobs of sunscreen) and a porch to sit on and watch the spectacular nightly thunder/lightning storms (without rain!!) with  my honey.  My mom and stepdad a mere blocks away to visit all the time... I mean, Texas in the spring is about the most beautiful place on earth, but I'll take Texas in the summer too- haven't been home for one of those since 2005! I am using so many exclamation points cause I am so excited and I can't help it!!!

Ok, so here in the Des Moines Metro (ok I am tired of capitolizing cause i have so much to say and it's taking up too much typing time!) they have this thing called 'spring cleaning' where basically you can put out big items that don't normally get trashed- furniture, shrubbery, etc... so last week was urbandale's spring cleaning- and so i drove around for HOURS (no joke) each night through the neighborhoods looking for treasures... and guys! the things people throw away baffle me! if i'd had a truck it would have been SO HISTORICALLY INCREDIBLE! but alas, i had my car stuffed so full i couldn't even roll the windows up and got amazing things!

An old wood framed chalkboard, I've been searching and searching for them on ebay but they are ridiculously expensive!  the 50's end table, obviously a winner, that yellow crate thing, will be a perfect bedside table between 2 twin beds for the boys, books on the inside, a lamp and fun stuff on top, just gotta get some cool legs for it... and the chair, i'm not sure yet, i just loved it- a little refinishing on the wood might be all it needs...

and this amazing old box, i'll probably use it as a toybox at the end of the bed for the boys' room...

i also got a really nice cooler (the ones with the cupholders on top and a spout on the bottom- why do people throw them away, they are like $50 at the store!? and 2 baby gates (for when ellis gets into a big bed and such, a spiderman tricycle and a big wheel tricycle.... treasure! i don't care how much money damon makes one day, i think i'll always love dumpster diving and trash freebies best!

and the boys are growing and getting so crazy and funny- hudson is into clicking at people, he does it to get your attention, or to just have a conversation- maybe he'll serve his mission in africa! ellis is into singing these days, and he says the funniest things sometimes. they are both so cute- here is some picture proof:

helping dad make guacamole for conference!

watching conference! we think we may name a kid Holland after Elder Holland, wasn't his talk incredible (no surprise!)???!

 we had a day that hit 70 degrees like 2 weeks ago, so we had a picnic!

of giraffes!

and damon invented this genius idea...

 now ellis looooves having picnics... too bad the weather has been too cold for one in a long time!

 hudson is finally starting to take solids! mostly in the form of bread and crackers. so maybe we are getting somewhere...

i've been trying to craft more lately, and i've been addicted to buying succulents every time i'm at home depot or lowe's... also, martha stewarts gold paint is golden! also i finally got a drill bit set for our drill and made a little pot out of a clearance bowl from target ... i love having a drill! i can't wait to have a big garage and fill it with tools... i might need to start taking some classes, i'd love to start woodworking too...

i know, those eyes and those ears are completely amazing!

brothers! they are even sharing a room now- finally! though most nights it doesn't go as well as hoped...