The most wonderful time of the year is coming!

Christmas card time!  I love it - it's one of my favorite things about the holidays.  I love going to the mailbox and seeing the colored envelopes - something besides bills!  I especially love the photo cards.  I actually keep them all and put them in a book each year.

Shutterfly's card collection this year is amazing.  They are so bright and colorful.  And I am really excited about their new "story" cards - what a brilliant idea!  Check them out here.  They allow you to chronicle the most important events of your year on the card.  I like it because I miss the traditional old Christmas letters people used to send.  What a fun new way to let people know what you've been up to!

My favorite Christmas card we made on Shutterfly.  On the cover was a pictrues of my husband and I during our trip to Glacier National Park.  Inside we wrote:  Admission to Glacier Park $20,  Bear Spray $12, Ferry to Trailhead $7, Knowing there are actually 3 people in the picture:  priceless!  On the back we put an ultrasound picture with the announcement:  Baby Jahnke Due 05/09!  It was such a fun way to announce our pregnancy and everybody loved it!

If you visit their site, make sure to check out their awesome photo books as well.  I have made one of these for each one of our vacations - the quality is outstanding.  The smaller books also make a great grandparents gift.

I can't wait to start working on this year's card.  I think I'm definately going to do one of the story cards.  I really like this one.  Thank you Shutterfly for once again coming out with new & unique designs!

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em: waaaaaa waaaaa waaaaa

Today was just one of those days.  Whining, crying, tears, shrieks, tantrums, you name it!  Parker and Teagan were both fussy all morning, making to sure alternate and take turns crying.  So at any given moment there was always one kid crying.  I finally got them both down for naps.  Teagan woke up in a much better mood.  So I took her outside with me and we began the process of decorating our house for Christmas (yes, Christmas).  Parker slept another hour and woke up an absolute beast.  He decided to attach himself to my leg and follow me around the house that way screaming.  He screamed and screamed and screamed.  Absolutely NOTHING made him happy.  I tried his favorite snack, favorite toy, favorite tv show.  I tried signing songs with him, reading a book, playing duplos.  Nothing.  He was having no part of any of it.  And the whole time I had my mom (who happens to live with us) standing over me asking:  "Why is he crying?  What do you mean you don't know?"  Maybe it's because he is 17 months old.  Technically still considered a baby.  And sometimes they cry.  He's entitled to his bad days too.  Lord knows I have mine!  Sometimes I wish I was 17 months old and could just let it all out by screaming!

My 2 Little Wonders

My name is Amy and I am a mom.  I never thought I would say those words.  But I am.  I have 2 little wonders: Parker, 17 months and Teagan, 3 months.  Yes, they are close together.  Yes, it was on purpose.  Yes, it is hard.  But they are the most wonderful thing to ever happen to me.  Some days I wonder what I was thinking having 2 so close together.  There are moments when it seems like I will never escape the piles of laundry, dishes in the sink, toys on the floor.  And then one of my little ones does something irresistibly cute and I forget I ever doubted myself.  My plan in life ws to be a career woman.  I didn't want kids.  I wasn't going to get married until at least 30.  Well, life has a way of changing your mind.  I met my husband when I was 20 and we married when I was 24.  We didn't want kids - not for a long time.  And when the time came that we finally decided to take that leap, we were met with disappointment.  Long story short, I had a series of miscarriages.  In February of 2008 I was told that I most likely would not be able to have children due to a chromosonal abnormality.  We were also told we shouldn't even try because I was building up too much scar tissue.  On September 4, 2008, my husband and I were celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary.  We made love.  We didn't use protection or precautions because it took over a year for me to get pregnant the last time.  So what were the chances?  Turns out that was the day that we conceived my beautiful little boy Parker.  After Parker's birth, we were told that our best chance for another successful pregnancy would be to try again right awat.  And poof - 4 months later Teagan was conceived.

My 2 Little Wonders