Day 78 - a much needed update.

 78 links. 78 links too many.

Sticker chart: 77 stickers.

Day 78 is coming to an end. 

I haven't blogged in a while. So it's time for a much needed update and marker.

Today marks 11 weeks. I said goodbye to my husband 11 whole weeks ago. 

I hugged him... kissed him... held him close... and we had our last moments as a family together. I don't think words can express how much I miss him. How everyday I think of him. I'm counting the days until we can be whole again. 

I've had some ups and downs since I last blogged an update.

There was a death in my family. My stepgrandmother's son and his wife were involved in a terrible apartment fire. The son saved the life of his wife. And sadly he did not make it... The wife is still in recovery. Our family is coping. I feel for his wife, I feel for his mom, I feel for our entire family... Even though I have never met him... It's still hard to take in. He was only 30 years of age. He died a hero. It makes you realize how quickly death can take someone. How short life can be. And how you should always hold the ones you love close and cherish every single moment. RIP Mikeal. We'll meet someday. You're in our hearts always.

On a lighter note.

I ordered a Beco baby carrier - http://www.becobabycarrier.com/. It was a close race between Beco and Ergo, but in the end I decided I wanted to go with the Beco, which was love at first sight (after reading review after review). Then it was hard to decide which design. Between Butterfly 2 and Gemini. I ended up going with the Butterfly. I can't wait to receive it. I won't go into much more today, I'll compose a review once I take it for a ride. 

Our books came that I ordered from B&N using giftcards from my Dad for AWS's birthday. 

 7 new books! How fantastic!

"Mommy Hugs", "Daddy Kisses", "My First Dinosaur Book" (which has pretty hard dinosaur names to pronounce in it), "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" (a loved classic), "My First Book of Colors", "10 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed", and "Mama's Milk" (just in time for the breastfeeding awareness celebration).

I read through it, it's so fantastically adorable!

I got the jewelry I ordered.

 Pleased, though I'm PRETTY sure I ordered the key in silver. Oh well. I like it otherwise. And they have lifetime warranties. 

 We did some play involving water and incorporated glow sticks.

The glow sticks made an interesting glow in the water. AWS also insisted on bringing them into a bath another night also.

 New monkey wall stickers in AWS's bedroom, and some new storage methods using planting baskets from the dollar store.

I also ordered an amber teething necklace for Peyton. She has another tooth coming in, and has been an absolute handful. I'm ready to receive it already. I'm willing to try at this point. Information on amber: http://www.amberartisans.com/amtene.html. 

 Playing with the flubber we created an earlier day. When we had first made it the flubber had a bit of a sticky texture. But after allowing it to sit (we sealed it in a baggie) it improved. 

For the flubber recipe, as mentioned in another post, simply use a mixture of glue and liquid starch.

Liquid starch is found in the laundry aisle of Walmart. Mix the contents of a 4 oz glue bottle and some starch to make the flubber. If sticky, add more starch. If too much starch, either add glue or pour some out.

I've found that it doesn't stick to my carpet. It'll lift easily and will even keep the texture of the carpet. If sat, it'll spread out. Seal in a baggie or container to keep it longer.

Playing with the light stick his Aunt brought for him. Looks pretty neat right?

 Some photos playing at the park another day.

Peyton passed out swinging with her Aunt.

I think that's about it for this update. Tomorrow marks another week I've been enduring this here. And we're almost to the 80 day mark. I'm also working on carepackages for my husband and some different items he requested. I've lost track of how many I've sent his way.

Until another day. 

- Rayne.