Army Dreams Come True

I'm wrapping up a whirlwind 40 hour trip to Ft. Benning, Georgia to see the closest thing I've got to a little brother graduate from Army boot camp & infantry training.

What an experience! It's made me very nostalgic for the military. This morning I would've signed a contract to get back on active duty no questions asked. Now, surprisingly, I'm ready to head back home to Eve & Justin.

I'm so ultra proud of Sam! I've known him since he was about 2 years old and all he's ever wanted to do was be Army infantry ... now he is! Love him lots!

Round Robin

A while back, I posted a pic of the beginning of my Round Robin quilt. Well, months later, IT'S FINISHED!! I love it love it! The ladies in my Round Robin did an incredible job! I don't know what I was expecting but this is far above anything I thought it would be.

We're in the beginning of another Round Robin. I'll post on that later.

Good friends & guitars

Our dear friends & soon-to-be-parents, Parrish & Mandy, recently moved about 2 blocks away from us. Our house has become their second house & we absolutely love having them around! Ironically, I used to babysit Parrish when he was about 2 years old & now Parrish is about to be a daddy. He's going to be a great papa! Ever since Eve was born, he's always liked hanging out with her & she's grown to love him (probably because he taught her how to turn on & unlock iPhones!).

Yesterday evening, the 5 of us found ourselves hanging out on our bedroom floor. Parrish grabbed the guitar in the corner & I quickly shot this great pic! We love our Parria!

The Great Diaper Conversion

When I got pregnant with my daughter last year, I decided to do cloth diapers. After much research, I went with BumGenius. I've really liked them! However, I've had a few hang ups with them.
1. Bad detergent buildup causing ammonia burns on my baby's soft tushie! :o(
2. Velcro coming off.

I've been working to remedy problem #1 for about 8 months & I think I'm close to a solution! As far as the Velcro well, first of all if you're going to go with BumGenius & plan on using your diapers for more than a year, DON'T GET VELCRO! I emailed BumGenius about this problem & they told me to ship them my diapers to let them SEE if they "qualify" for free fixing/replacing. Um, hello, they're my diapers! I kinda need them! So I wasn't very happy with the BumGenius folks.

However, my hubby went on a motorcycle trip last week ... Isn't he cute?! ...

So I took advantage of him being gone to convert my diapers to snaps. I found this wonderful tutorial that I'd highly recommend if you're planning on attempting this undertaking. I pretty much followed the tutorial to the letter & her instructions were great! http://www.diaperswappers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=688340

Just a few things about the tutorial.

1. Getting your pliers centered is crucial! Squeeze slowly but firmly. These are a few of my wounded little soldiers that helped me learn this lesson.

2. It took me a total of about 12 hours to do all 25 of my diapers. I did like 5 at a time while Eve napped. But I think it was worth it.

3. I centered my snaps 1'' apart.

4. It's VERY tedious work!

5. After the great local search for snaps & pliers failed (my local Hobby Lobby & JoAnn's didn't have snaps, only pliers), I ordered them online. If, like me, you're starting out clueless, just Google "KAM snaps & pliers." I bought the cheapest ones I could find & I think I ended up getting them on Etsy. (LOVE Etsy!)

As I mentioned above, I think I'm finally getting a handle on all of the detergent buildup, but if anyone has any suggestions please post a comment!!