Iker Bikers 3 months

What the heck? Where did the last 3 months go? I can't believe how fast Ike is growing. He is such a sweet little guy. He is just like a litle Shelby- except with Livvy's cheeks. He is very laid-back and hard to ruffle- like his dad and they both make the same sounds when they sleep :)

Ike loves to 'box' at things- his toys- he wants to grab them so badly! He is starting to really talk to us and giggle. This is not his best moment- but still so dang cute.

My beautiful new fireplace- and insane kiddos

Shelby, ever the industrious guy, found a wood fireplace for free. It's huge. I mean like Tim the Tool-man Taylor huge- MANLY. It's been an ongoing project all winter to get it installed- little bit by little bit. Shelby poured these huge cement slabs for the base and back, then we found this beautiful marble on an insane steal at Lowe's. Then we had to find all the parts to install the pipe and cap and top in the roof. Finally we were ready to install it. The pictures are in the wrong order, but I'm too sleep-deprived to change them. Sorry :) So first you see the finished project- Then you see my crazy kids. Wyatt has been really really really excited to help his Daddy put this chimney and fireplace in. So his Dad snuck him up on the roof to help him- YIKES! Shelby thought he had out-smarted Livvy but a few minutes later I heard her very nearly getting on the roof by herself- My crazy children!

Here they are looking down in the chimney hole to talk to 'Ikers'.

It's been a long process- but I'm so happy that it's in. It's heavenly warm and will sure help on all future winter power bills. Good job Shelby!

On a funny note- I asked my brother Cody - "What kind of a crazy mother lets her children get on the roof?" He answered "Probably the same kind that let's them have a trampoline in her living room for a whole winter." Ha Ha- true true.

A few of my favorite things:

I love blogs. Love, love, love, love them. They teach me how to sew, new recipes to try, how to save money by couponing, how to make money, fun projects to do with my kids- the list goes on.... I also like knowing what blogs other people like to read. So I'm tagging some of you to find out what are your five favorite blogs-

1. Hip 2 Save- http://www.hip2save.com/- I gotta give this lady a shout-out. She helps me save tons of moolah on my groceries and other stuff I buy. I seriously check her blog 2-3 times a day because she is constantly posting great deals and I absolutely cannot stand to maybe miss reading about one that I need!

2. http://www.princesshairstyles.com/- Many of you that have seen Livvy lately may be wondering- a hair blog for girls? Livvy's hair hasn't looked that great lately. Well- give me a break- I just had a baby and the little stinker decided to cut her own hair over the holidays. Both of these make it less fun to play with her hair- I don't have as much time, and it's all uneven until it grows out more.

3. mykitchencafe.blogspot.com- This ladies recipes are delish. Seriously. I haven't tried one yet that I am not absolutely in love with. Try the corn bread and honey butter. We've been eating it for dessert all week. Yum.

4. moneysavingmom.com I just found this blog last week- so it's hasn't been on my top 5 that long, but I've sure been enjoying reading all of her great tips. Going along with this one- nicolesnickels.com- Good stuff.

5. visitingteachingblog.blogspot.com- I really don't visit this that often- probably once a month- but she's got dang cute and easy ideas and handouts for Visiting Teaching.

Last but not least- I love my Swagbucks. You can win 'Swagbucks' just for searching using their search engine and then you can cash them in for Amazon gift cards or even Paypal cash. Sweet! I'm hoping to pay for lots of my Christmas next year using those bucks. If you're interested, click on the link on my blog and we'll both earn!

So- my favorites list contains probably 20 or so more blogs, but this is a pretty good selection to choose from. Now I tag:

Amy
Jinger
Kim
Jolynn
Katie