Pieces of Me

Date Night

2012-01-21T17:11:00.001-08:00

I was so excited to get to go on a date with my hubby last night. My in-laws took the kids overnight, so we got to meet up at Disneyland and go on a couple of the ‘big kid’ rides since my little goobers won’t/can’t go on some of them. It was really fun.

First, we ate dinner since we were both starving.

GASP! He actually smiled! It’s a Festivus miracle! :)

Then we went and learned how to draw Piglet at the Animation Academy. That’s one of my favorite things to do in the Hollywood section of California Adventure. So far I’ve gotten to learn to draw Piglet, Jack Skellington, and Mickey Mouse. The kids and I have a lot of fun with it when we go by ourselves, and the hubby did great with his last night. I’ll have to get pictures of our works of art and post them later.

After that, we went to the Tower of Terror. I have to admit, it’s not my favorite ride because I hate the feeling of falling like that, but it’s definitely thrilling!! And I love the effort and care that Disney always puts into the realism of their sets, props, and waiting areas. The Indiana Jones ride is particularly fun.

I got some fun photos of the surroundings. And as you can tell, hubs and I were both terrified. :)

Then we went on Star Tours, which I hadn’t been on since I was 8! Apparently it’s been all revamped and stuff, and we had a lot of fun with it. I’m hoping to convince E to go on it sometime, but we’ll see. I know he’d like it, but it is pretty realistic, so he may be scared at first. Hopefully one of these days. :)

I was really glad to get to just spend some time with the hubby, having fun and not having any responsibilities. We don’t get that kind of time together nearly enough, so I really do cherish it when we do. (Kind of corny, but true nonetheless.)

Here’s hoping that there are plenty more date nights like this in my future!

This is going to be fun

2012-01-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year, we got, basically, the BEST gift anyone could ever receive: DISNEYLAND PASSES!

Obviously, I’m psyched. And I know that the boys and I will be there pretty much every week for the rest of our lives. Or at least until the yearly passes run out, whichever comes first. :)

I convinced the hubby to go today, just to get in the last of the Christmas décor and such, since we probably won’t see it again before it’s taken down. (Did you know they completely Christmas-ify a bunch of the rides, like It’s a Small World and the Haunted Mansion? And we’re not talking just slapping some wreaths and lights up, they completely add new decorations and switch out a bunch of the people [at least in IASW] and everything! SO cool.)

So anyway, we went today, and while it was SUPER crowded, we went early when it opened, got to ride a bunch of the rides that the kids would do, ate lunch and then came home. It was great because we got to do what we wanted without having to stay for the whole day and we left right as the crowds were really getting huge. Perfect plan.

Just in case you want to see evidence of the fun day, here are some pics! :)

We started by having breakfast at a little bakery in downtown Disney. The boys loved feeding the birds! W was chasing them all over and kept getting scared when they flew by him.

First stop, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. The boys are always scared while waiting in line, but the minute we get off, they say they loved it and want to go again! Silly little guys.

Next up, the carousel!

The scared “before” smile, followed immediately by crying, all before the ride even started! The anticipation is what kills this one, not the actual ride.

W had no problem, even put his hands up! :)

Then from E, comes the “Hey, this isn’t so bad!” face.

Followed quickly by the happy laughter. This kid, I tell ya.

W very excited to be riding – he loved it from beginning to end.

Then came the teacups – it’s the same thing with E: terrified at first, then okay with it in the middle, and then excited and wanting to go again when it’s over.

We visited Toon Town for the first time since April, and the kids loved getting to see Goofy’s house. E kept trying to find him by following the footprints on the ground.

Then we were off to It’s a Small World.

I’ll spare you ALL the photos I took of the inside. But just trust me, it was cool. :)

Then we headed over to California Adventure Park and got on Tuck and Roll’s Bumper Cars. That was the one ride W kept asking to go on. (Well, that and Toy Story Mania, but the line was ridiculous so we passed.)

http://youtu.be/08P4_isi4J8

For some reason, I couldn’t get this video to embed, but there’s a link to W [sort of] driving the bumper car. I had to help out a little, since he could barely reach the wheel, but he loved it just the same!

Then we caught a Phineas and Ferb street show. W loved dancing to the music, as he always does!

And then, as the truck was leaving, we followed it down the boardwalk. E loved it and kept yelling, “Follow that Phineas and Ferb truck!”

We ended with lunch and some dancing:

Hope you have lots of reasons to dance, even as we get back into “real life” tomorrow…

Our Merry Christmas

2011-12-30T18:15:00.001-08:00

Just thought I’d share a little Christmas layout I did of my cute boys. We went downtown a few weeks ago and did a little mini photo shoot.

Of course, since it was my boys, and they’ve been in front of the camera their whole lives, it was kind of a disaster! They wouldn’t listen or stop long enough to smile for the camera. I probably got 4 or 5 good ones out of a couple hundred! But such is the case when your mom is a photographer I suppose. Ah well, enjoy the layout!

Sing it again, Charlie!

2011-12-30T16:27:00.001-08:00

At our house, we love Adele. Her voice is amazing and we’ve come to love her great songs. So when I came across this cover, I was in love! I don’t know much about the artists, but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s really great, you should take a listen…

I just love good music, sung by great voices. And these harmonies are beautiful.

These days…

2011-12-29T11:12:00.000-08:00

We’re relaxing and enjoying having the hubby home from work (even though he’s sneaking some in here and there) and spending time together. We’ve been:

-- making a shaken-soda-powered rocket skateboard (he didn’t get very far, ha)

-- trying out my new BabyCakes maker (courtesy of Aunt Julee – thank you!!)

-- building all sorts of things with our many, many, MANY new Lego additions (this Elmo courtesy of ~~cousins Nate, Aidan, and Sophie~~ Nana and Grandpa – thank you!!)

-- building a Lego Pirates of the Caribbean ship and playing with the 4 new minifigs I got in my stocking! (Lego ship courtesy of Nana – thank you!!)

-- eating delicious leftover ham and mashed potato sandwiches

-- painting on our new easel (courtesy of Grandma and Papa – thank you!!)

-- putting together lots and lots and LOTS of puzzles (courtesy Renee, Lewis and Janae – thank you!!)

-- playing lots of fun games with siblings before they went home (including Killer Bunnies! and Qwerkle! and Settlers of Catan!)

-- driving to Redlands just to have some delicious Café Rio!

-- and enjoying my new little camera that I have with me everywhere! Which is why I have so much documentation of these last few days. Love it! :)
I hope you’re having a wonderful, restful week between now and New Year’s. I’m looking forward to the fresh start that the New Year always brings, but not looking forward to taking down the Christmas decorations…

It’s on like Donkey Kong!

2011-12-29T09:00:00.001-08:00

If anyone is interested, I’m joining up with my friend Ang to do a little weight-loss competition starting in January. You are welcome to join in, too! There will be prizes for various winners, including the most percentage of weight loss as well as the top point earner, so there are lots of ways to win cash! Also, if you’d rather just participate and not put in money, you can do that too.

I always find that it’s much easier for me to focus on weight loss and healthy habits when I’m in some sort of contest. I suppose I’m just too competitive for my own good! Luckily, this contest is not only about losing weight, but also about establishing and maintaining healthy habits, so that will be great too.

If you want to read more about it and get the official contest rules, head on over to Ang’s blog, Dropping the Plus from My Size. And make sure you tell her I sent ya!

Perhaps I’ll share a little about my goals in the coming days. We’ll see if I’m brave enough. :)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T22:51:00.000-08:00

This year we had a wonderful Christmas Eve party with the hubby’s family, and it was a blast! We ate yummy food, had a White Elephant gift exchange, opened presents, and played some games. It’s so fun to have lots of people over and I always tell myself to do it more often!

Of course, I don’t have any photos from that night, since I completely forgot to bust out my big camera, and I hadn’t opened my presents yet, so I didn’t have a handy one. Maybe I can steal some shots from my sisters-in-law. I’ll update if I do.

After Christmas Eve was over, we cleaned up and got ready for Santa to come! Our Elf on the Shelf, Dave, went back to the North Pole and left us a note saying that both boys made it to the Nice list! Of course, they were excited to hear that.

Here are the kids ready and waiting to book it down the stairs!

E had asked for a kid’s sized Jeep this year, but we knew it wasn’t going to happen, so Dave left him a note saying to be on the lookout for one next year, as per our request. E was so excited that Santa knew what he wanted that he didn’t mind having to wait another year! Phew.

W was easier to please, he only asked Santa for this ~~stupid, horrible~~ cute little game called Pop the Pig. The premise is that you feed this pig plastic hamburgers until his belly explodes. Yeah, like I said, ~~stupid and horrible~~ cute. We tried and tried to change his mind and gently persuade him that he wanted something else, but that’s all we heard for 2 months. So that’s what Santa brought W. He was over the moon. :)

The hubby made out like a bandit with new clothes, 5 shirts, 1 sweater, and some socks. I guess it stinks being an adult at Christmas when you need new shirts and your wife wants to buy them for you but can’t find a good reason until Christmas comes around…

But he also got some fun magnet balls (like Bucky Balls), which he’s had a lot of fun playing with, a Kindle case, and some tools from the kids.

One of the coolest things was a LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean ship from my Mom and Dad, for him to put together with E. I’ll post a photo of the complete ship soon.

I love the little minifigs that come with it:

I was extra lucky and got a brand-new digital camera! I’ve been wanting one for a long time now, because lately I’ve been having to choose between lugging around my big mama professional camera or my cell phone, and it seems like the cell phone was winning out more and more, just for convenience’ sake. So I got a little Canon Elph and I’m super excited. Not only does it take great photos and videos, but it’s so tiny that it fits in my pocket and I can carry it around with me wherever I go. No more missing the shot because I didn’t want to stuff my camera into a diaper bag! So while the quality of the actual photos will probably be less than stellar, the quantity will go up and I’ll have more to share! And that’s really what you read this blog for, right? Pictures of us?? :) (And by “you”, I mean you, Mom. Because you’re the only one who reads this, I’m convinced…)

I also got a sweet Elder wand from you, mom, which is awesome in and of itself. I was on the phone with my family later in the day and my mom asked me what I was going to do with it. I said, “Cast magical spells on people, DUH!” I mean, what does she think it’s for, decoration? Don’t make me laugh!

After we had opened our presents, we got ready for church and left. We had just a sacrament meeting, which was filled with wonderful music and great narrations about the birth and life of Jesus Christ. I do love getting to be centered again on the true meaning of the season and focusing on what it means for me and my family.

I was sad, though, that I couldn’t sing in the choir or do my duet with another woman in our ward. We had had choir practice on Thursday night, and I woke up Friday morning to a sore voice. I thought it would get better, but since we spent the whole day at Disneyland with two little kids, I wasn’t able to rest it as much as I wanted to. Needless to say, I woke up on Saturday morning with it even worse – I could barely make any sounds, let alone sing. I was so bummed! Especially since I had really practiced my song and was ready. Ah well, there’s always next year.

After church, we loaded up the kids and headed out to the in-laws for the rest of the opening of the presents, some dinner, and lots and lots of game-playing!

The kids got spoiled, of course, and had lots of great fun. I’m just going to dump a bunch of photos here and you can see for yourself. :)

Merry Christmas!!

Where has the time gone?

2011-12-21T10:40:00.001-08:00

I know, it’s been forever, but I’m trying to finish up my Month of Thanks and then I’ll be able to do a good month in review for December. I’ve basically been running into the ground with church stuff and Christmas stuff, so I’ll have more time once that’s over.

Hopefully. :)

So hang tight, I’ve got trips and visitors and fun kiddo stuff to blog about.

MoT - 30

2011-11-30T12:24:00.000-08:00

30. Today I'm thankful for my life. While I have challenges and demands and hard times, I know that I am truly blessed. I have a family that loves me, hobbies that interest me, friends who pick me up when I'm down, and lots of opportunities to serve others.

I know the Lord loves me, and that's best thing of all.

MoT - 29

2011-11-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

We're closing in on the end! This has been a challenge for me, for sure. Not finding things to be grateful for, but remembering to post about them! Luckily Blogger is handy with their 'scheduling posts' features and I've been able to come back in and supplement the days that I missed. So retroactively, my blog is updated! Lovely. Here's to finishing, even if later than anticipated!

29. Today I'm thankful for Lego Harry Potter for the Wii. The hubby and I love playing these games and have a lot of fun doing so together. Even though it takes some pushing and pulling to do with two players, we have a lot of fun and it sure beats just sitting and watching TV together (or separately, as is sometimes the case)!

MoT - 29

2011-11-29T10:13:00.000-08:00

29. Today I'm thankful for painters! We got the outside of our house painted and it looks great. I'm MORE glad that the hubby and I didn't have to do it, because it seemed like a big job.

But we had a great company come out and with 3 guys, they tackled it in a day with no problems. Now the house looks refreshed and our Homeowner's Association is happy. :)

MoT - 28

2011-11-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

28. Today I'm thankful for Special K candy. It's so delicious and pretty easy to make, no baking required! It's perfect for gifts for friends and family this upcoming Christmas season, and it makes enough to keep some for yourself!

Here's the recipe, thanks to my sister-in-law Renee.

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. light corn syrup

1 c. peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

3 c. Special K cereal

1 c. chocolate chips (any kind)

1 c. butterscotch chips

In a pot, boil both sugar and syrup together for about 30 seconds. Don't let it change colors or boil any longer or it will come out hard.

Remove from heat and add the peanut butter and vanilla, mixing well.

Add the cereal to the mixture until it's well coated.

Grease a 9x13 pan (or smaller if you want it thicker) and add the cereal mixture to it, spreading it out to form a base.

In a small glass bowl, melt together the chocolate and butterscotch chips in the microwave, heating only for about 30 seconds at a time so it doesn't burn. Mix well after each heating until smooth. Pour on top of the cereal mixture and let it set up as it cools.

Then get ready for a party in your mouth! :)

Thanks, Renee, for the great recipe. It's definitely a tradition in our house now!

MoT - 27

2011-11-27T15:23:00.000-08:00

27. Today I’m grateful for peace. It’s been a great week with lots of it, and I’m hoping for peace in the upcoming week as well. There are a lot of things that are coming up in the next few weeks that I’m responsible for, and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get them all done.

MoT - 26

2011-11-26T22:51:00.000-08:00

26. I’m grateful for fun travel days! Today was such a fun day, even though it turned out a lot longer than originally planned! We left Cambria and started heading back down towards home. First, though, we stopped in Solvang and had some lunch, complete with Ableskivers! If you haven’t had these before and get the chance, eat some! They’re delicious.

We also got the boys a couple of toys from this cute little toy store that I love, it’s all great, solid stuff. E got a stomp-powered rocket that we’ll try out soon. He’s so excited to see it work. We’ll see how it goes, we’ve already had to make him promise that he won’t try it in the backyard because it will go into the neighbors’ yard.

W got a cute little bathtub guy, a scuba man that swims around. He loves it.

MoT - 25

2011-11-25T17:44:00.000-08:00

25. I’m thankful for getting to spend some good quality time with my hubby. We toured the Castle today and it just made me realize how much I love antiques (but not in my own house) and how much I detest the art deco look. There were a lot of both things at the Hearst castle!

I also loved getting to hear Alex Trebek on the audio tour as we rode up the mountainside in the bus. It surprised both the hubby and me, since he hadn’t been narrating the last time we went up there. :)

MoT - 24

2011-11-24T08:41:00.000-08:00

24. Today I’m grateful for my awesome family and the great vacation we’re on! We took a drive up the coast for Thanksgiving and it’s been heavenly. Today, for Thanksgiving, we’re heading out to a yummy restaurant at a hotel that will have a great Thanksgiving feast for us. E’s excited, as am I.

Tomorrow I’m looking forward to seeing the Hearst Castle with my hubs. We get to tour the place with no kids! (Because let’s face it, with all those rooms and acres to run around on, I’m very sure my children would get lost!)

MoT - 23

2011-11-23T14:38:00.000-08:00

23. Well, today I am grateful for my exceptional husband. He makes me smile (even when I don’t want to), he works extremely hard for our family, and he puts up with me! :)

No, but really, I find that I’m happiest when we’re together. I miss him terribly when he’s gone and I love just hanging out with him. That’s what drew us together in the beginning – just having fun, laughing, playing games, and enjoying each others’ company. We don’t do enough of that with all of our ‘grown-up’ responsibilities anymore, but I do love it when we get to.

So here’s to you, husband of mine! I love you mucho mucho and I’ll always be your very own BC.

Also, today’s his birthday, so he’s double special.

MoT - 22

2011-11-22T08:24:00.000-08:00

22. Today I’m thankful for getting to spend time with my little family this week. We’re enjoying the time off from school and work, and are just going to have lots of fun together. I do love just being with them and having fun. The other night, all 4 of us sat in our big bed and watched America’s Funniest Home Videos. We laughed until we hurt! It was so fun to get to enjoy something together, and have all of us laughing. Loved it. I can’t wait for more of those moments as our boys get older and are able to enjoy more of the things that we do.

It always seems that the hubs works a lot and we don’t have enough time to spend with one another. I’m glad to have weeks like this that remind me why I love these people so much. :)

MoT - 21

2011-11-21T09:38:00.001-08:00

21. Today I’m thankful for Starbucks Hot Chocolate. My friend Tracy let me know that they were selling the mix at Costco, and after having some at her house, I had no choice but to go out and get some for myself. Their peppermint hot chocolate is one of my favorite things during the warm winter months, so having the mix gets me one step closer to being able to make it myself at home! Yummy!

Also, I’m so glad we’ve had cooler weather this fall, it’s really helped to make it feel like the seasons are actually changing! That’s one thing I’ve missed while living in California. So I’m thankful for the cooler weather that makes drinking this yummy hot chocolate a possibility!

MoT - 20

2011-11-20T10:45:00.000-08:00

20. Today is my sister, Emily’s, birthday. Happy Birthday, sis!

I’m thankful for her and her example of perseverance and strength. She’s been through a lot in her life and she just keeps doing what she does, which is be a great wife and mom.

Hope you have a wonderful day today and enjoy your trip!

MoT - 19

2011-11-19T20:17:00.000-08:00

19. Today I’m thankful for my parents. It’s their anniversary and I know they’re having a great time together.

Without my parents, where would I be? Haha. Truly, though, they’re showing me a great example of love and commitment and how a great marriage only gets better with age. Thanks for deciding to get hitched, Mom and Dad! :) Love you!

MoT - 18

2011-11-18T08:45:00.000-08:00

18. Today I’m thankful for great Christmas music. Yes, I’m one of those who listens to it before Thanksgiving, and I can’t get enough. Although I will hold out until November 1st, but after that, it’s holiday music all the way. I picked up Michael Buble’s new album last week and love it. There’s a duet on there with Shania Twain that I just can’t get out of my head! It’s really fun, you should check it out.

You also can’t go wrong with Kenny G’s Holiday and Miracle CD’s either. Pure awesomeness.

My favorite Christmas song is “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and whenever it comes up in the car on the radio, the kids and I turn up the volume and sing it at the top of our lungs. I just love it, and so do they. I’m thankful for the happiness that brings the kids and I,

MoT - 17

2011-11-17T13:38:00.001-08:00

17. Today I am thankful for a husband who helps. Last night he out of the blue asked what he could do to help me out and it was SO appreciated. I know that he would do anything I ask him to do, but when it’s just an unsolicited offer, somehow that makes it better.

Thanks, babe.

MoT - 16

2011-11-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

16. Today I’m thankful for modern medicine. We had a follow-up doctor’s appointment for E today with his ENT and everything is looking great. I’m so, SO thankful that we haven’t had an ear infection since his surgery and that his quality of life has gotten better. With tubes in his ears and without his tonsils and adenoids, he sleep better, he can hear better, he eats better (which may or may not be a good thing for him, lol) and he’s just overall a healthier kid. I’m so glad that we had this option available to us and I know it’s going to continue to make his life better.

MoT - 15

2011-11-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

Today I’m thankful for what a difference a nap can make. I was having a pretty bad morning yesterday, just feeling awful and down and all that yucky stuff. Then I went to put little W down for a nap (because he was obviously feeling the same way) and I fell asleep on the La-Z-Boy in his room. I had the most amazing dream, none of which I can remember, and awoke with a refreshed and content feeling. It was like the outlook on my life just did a 180-degree turn in that space of time.

So today, I’m grateful for the blessing of a really great nap. Because they can be life-changing, apparently.

MoT - 14

2011-11-14T18:27:00.001-08:00

Today I am thankful for a creative mind. I love that I get excited about DIY stuff, craftiness, and all things artistic. I’m thankful that Heavenly Father blessed me with that kind of a brain, even when I don’t do so well with the logical side of things. I’m happy that art can speak to me and that I can get lost in all things right-brained. It just feels like home to me and I feel at ease when I see something that speaks to that part of me. I’m thankful for that – that peace and momentary happiness can sometimes just be a good piece of art away.

MoT - 13

2011-11-13T20:54:00.000-08:00

Today I’m thankful for my little family. We are getting to a point where the boys are growing up and becoming more independent, able to hold intelligent conversations (or at least understandable ones from little W) and I feel like we’re in a really good place right now. I enjoy the times that we can spend together playing games, making up silly stories, telling jokes. In fact, today we, as a family, played “Simon Says” and it was quite fun! We each took a turn being Simon and came up with some fun stunts and tried to trick each other into getting out. The boys loved it, and so did the hubby and I.

Those types of moments are becoming more common, and for that I’m grateful.

MoT – 12

2011-11-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for my very good friend, Tracy. I love that we hit it off right when we met and even though we live far apart now, we can still pick up right where we left off whenever we see each other. I am thankful that she puts up with my hermit-like ways (meaning I rarely venture out of my comfort zone to call people and make connections. It’s a big weakness.) and even though we’re busy, we do connect when we can.

In essence, I’m just grateful for our friendship. :)

MoT - 11

2011-11-11T06:03:00.000-08:00

11. I’m thankful for something silly today. I’m thankful for fun, teenager vampire stories that let me relax and just enjoy life every once in a while. Of course, there’s the classic Twilight, but I’ve also recently started watching Vampire Diaries, and that one’s a lot of fun too. Nothing like watching a little craziness to make me happy.

MoT – Day 10

2011-11-10T18:57:00.000-08:00

10. Today I am SO thankful for Scentsy’s Cinnamon and Clove scented bricks. Oh my goodness, my house smells like there are gingerbread cookies baking in the oven and it’s like heaven on earth for me. Christmas is basically my favorite time of the year, period. So anything that helps bring in the spirit of Christmas, I’m all for it.

It’s glorious.

MoT – Day 9

2011-11-09T16:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the magic of the internet, I can go back in time and post this on the actual 9th day of November. Love. Did I mention I love technology? :)

9. Today I’m thankful for my little E’s enthusiasm for life. He is the funniest little kid and is always ready with a solution to any sort of ‘problem’ or roadblock he may come across. His mind works differently than mine, and I’m constantly challenged to come up with different ways to get through to him. I can’t say it’s always fun, but it pushes me and makes me stretch in ways I didn’t know I could. I love him and all his quirks.

MoT - 8

2011-11-08T07:10:00.000-08:00

8. “I love technology, but not as much as you, you see. But I still love technology. Always and forever.”

Today I’m thankful for everything technology! I love my smartphone and the access it gives me to almost everything I need, wherever I am. I’ve been saved more than once at the grocery store because I forgot my list, and all I had to do was look up the recipe online and use it to get the ingredients I needed. Before technology, I’d have just been out of luck, because I have no memory for those types of things.

I can’t imagine what my photos would look like without the immediacy of digital files and the ability to tweak them in Photoshop. I wouldn’t have as great of photos of my kids, that’s for sure. I didn’t really have the money to spend on film figuring out settings on my camera, so I’m SO glad that digital was invented, just for the sake of convenience. It doesn’t cost anything to delete a bad photo!

I love having an instant way to connect with people, via text messages that are quick and easy. Of course, it’s not for all of my communication, but it’s so nice to be able to send a short note to someone I love, see exactly when they read it, and get one back. I love it.

So I supposed I’m grateful to live in a time when technology is so advanced. It’s pretty cool.

MoT - 7

2011-11-07T10:01:00.000-08:00

7. Today I am thankful for the women in my family. My mother, my sisters, my sweet niece and wonderful aunts and cousins. I know that I can call up my sister Ali for anything in the world and she’d listen to me. I love seeing how adorable my cousin Sarah is as she is living her newlywed life. I can count on my Aunt Mary for the sweetest, most sincere hospitality (that I’d still LOVE to pay back one of these days!). I know I can count on my Grandma for a good game whenever I’m in need of some stiff competition. :)

I come from a long line of amazing women and I’m thankful to be a part of that heritage. I love having sisters and girlfriends that I can relate to and who understand me.

Thank you, ladies.

MoT - 6

2011-11-06T13:56:00.000-08:00

6. Today I am thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ that I am privileged to have in my life. Knowing that I have a Savior means absolutely everything to me. Knowing that I can live with my family again after I die, means so, so much to me.

What would any of this mean without that knowledge? What would it mean if I thought that this life was all there is? It would be really hard to feel hopeful. But I do feel hopeful because I know that I have a loving Heavenly Father who wants nothing more than for me to be happy, here in this life and beyond. And for that, I am thankful.

I am thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

MoT - 5

2011-11-05T18:52:00.001-07:00

5. Today I am thankful for grandparents who take our kids sometimes so that the hubby and I can have a date night. We sure do need them, what with his job and the kiddos, we don’t get that much time to ourselves. So it’s so nice to get to catch up and have some grown-up conversation.

Thanks, Grandma and Papa!

A Month of Thanks

2011-11-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

I can’t believe how soon this month has come up on me. It really feels like just a few weeks ago that I was lamenting how far away the holidays were (in March) and wishing it would get here faster. Looks like my wish came true.

To celebrate this month and (hopefully) make it slow down a little tiny bit, I am going to jump on the bandwagon and compile a sort of gratitude journal here on my blog. Each day, I will post about something I am grateful for. I think that not only will it help November take it down a notch in the speed department, but also help me to recognize the amazing things that I have in my life. I have been needing that lately.

So here goes. Since I missed the first three days, I’ll list those things here in this first post, then continue with one a day throughout November!

1. I am grateful for my husband’s work ethic at his job. He doesn’t quit, he doesn’t complain (much), he works smart, and he does his best. I know he’s out there doing as much as he can so that he can come home to us as soon as he can. He takes initiative and he has a very good job to show for it. I’m proud of him.

2. I am grateful for my first-born child, E. He is the one who made me a mom, who constantly challenges me with his ideas and projects and questions, who makes me feel good about myself when he thinks I’m a genius because I know how boogers tickle your nose, and who is so, so intelligent. He is a goober, he tries to make me laugh, and I love how good it makes him feel when he succeeds.

3. I am grateful for my youngest child, W. He is seriously the cutest thing on the planet. His little voice melts me, even when he’s telling me “No!” and sticking out his lips in defiance. He loves being silly, laughing at his own jokes, and making his brother giggle. He is fearless when it comes to climbing on things and sometimes has to remind me that he’s only 2 1/2. He tries so hard to keep up with his big brother. And I love his little face way too much.

4. I am grateful for a garage that I can drive right into when it’s raining outside. I love being able to stay dry and warm when I get out of the car instead of having to scramble to run into the house. Along with that, I’m grateful for an automatic garage door opener that works most of the time, for the same reason.

Grandpa Visit!

2011-11-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

So I realize that the past couple of blog posts have all been about me mercilessly begging for things, so I figured I’d change things up and post about things going on in my life that I am blessed with!

First off, the kids and I were so lucky to get to see my Dad last week. He comes out to California every once in a while to drop the hammer on some of his company’s manufacturing plants. At least, that’s what he was doing this time. ;) So we headed out to meet him for dinner. The kids chowed down on huge kids’ meals (note to self: get one for them to share next time we go to this place) and I got to catch up with Dad. It’s always so, so nice to get to see any of my family. I really miss them all, sprawled across the country as we are. There’s just something so sweet and nostalgic about hanging out with my family. I’m glad my dad has work that brings him out here occasionally.

So anyways, here are the pics. Of course, I only got a couple, and forgot to take any of the rockin’ kite my dad brought us all the way from Germany. E kept saying, “Grandpa, I speak Germany.” And then he’d try to sound out the words on the package, stop half-way through, and say, “I guess I don’t speak Germany.” Then my dad took a crack at it and sounded way better. Of course, E had to reply with, “I knew you spoke Germany, Grandpa!” Too cute.

(SOOC – I’m really lazy tonight)

Thanks for a great, if short, visit Dad! We love you! (And you’d better figure out a way to smuggle Mom in your suitcase next time…)

Check this out

2011-11-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

This video is ridiculous!

I really want one of these for Christmas. Any takers? ;)

Calling All Fundraising Supporters!

2011-11-01T11:07:00.001-07:00

Our elementary school is having their yearly fundraiser and E is excited to be participating!
While we're not keen on bugging our neighbors too badly, I have no problem bugging family and friends! :) And the cool part is that you can peruse the catalog and purchase items online, so you don't even have to be local! That means, Nana and Grandpa, that you can help us raise money for our school too, if you're so inclined. The best part? The items will be shipped directly to you so you won't have to wait for us to get it and send it your way.
And hey, if you're in need of some wrapping paper, isn't it better buying it knowing you're helping school kids? Think of the children! ::wink::
If you haven't stopped reading yet, haha, then here's the site where you can buy 'til your heart's content:
http://www.charlestonwrap.com/index.php
Then just click on Shop Now & Support, and shop away!
Make sure that when you are checking out, you enter E's student code: 941937
That's very important, as we won't get credit for it otherwise.
Thank you!

PS: The deadline is this Friday, November 4th, so get those orders in fast!

Trunk or Treat!

2011-10-30T23:21:00.000-07:00

[Okay, first of all, this Windows Live Writer is great for posting to my blog, but it makes the photos turn out horribly! Lately I’ve been uploading them to Flickr first, then posting a link from there in the blog so that the original color would turn out. But I was just too tired to do that tonight, so I apologize in advance for the awfully washed out photos. I promise, they’re better on my computer!]

Our church had a great activity last night and the kids had a blast!

E went as a vampire:

And W went as a fire-breathing dragon:

This little one fell asleep on the way to the church! I suppose that’s what happens when you miss your afternoon nap because you’re too busy getting your face painted green.

Two little monsters waiting for their hot dogs and chili.

My little dragon had lots of fun digging in the dirt in the baseball diamond.

This little guy was the cutest Goofy I’ve ever seen! He and his parents always dress up and they really have fun with it. One of these years we’ll do a family costume.

Here’s his mom, straight out of “The Birds”!

Here’s his dad, Indiana Jones!

And I did get a little family picture of them.

W doing his scariest “ROAR!”

Some of the cute young women in our ward.

In line to play some of the games they had going on. E was getting done with the whole picture-taking thing. W doesn’t care, he’ll still smile and say, “Cheeeeeeese!” for me when I ask him. I figure I’ve got a few more months until that enthusiasm wears off. :)

Trying out the skills game that the missionaries were manning. He won a prize, even though he missed the shot.

My friend Kathryn, who made a really cute Princess Leia! (And again, the color on this is terrible but the actual shot is not!)

Our awesome family picture #1:

Our more awesome family picture #2:

The boys coming out of the haunted house that we realized a little too late was too scary for W. He was freaked the rest of the night. E, of course, came out and said (loudly), “That wasn’t even scary! I’m not scared of anything!” Ah, E. That’s totally you.

Here are some more of our friends. Captain Jack:

And a Sith! The best part about his costume was that he’s normally a blondie so he was really hard to recognize!

And E with one of his Primary teachers. I was bummed that it didn’t focus well, but it was pitch black outside so it was tough to find any light to even be able to focus with. Ah well.

At the end of the night, when the candy bags were full and the face paint was pretty much rubbed off, we decided to head home. All in all, it was a great night and I’m glad we got to go!

Happy Halloween!!

Kindergarten Field Trip

2011-10-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

Some of the major things that I have been looking forward to about E being in kindergarten are field trips! I was really lucky to get to go on this one last Friday, as we had more parent volunteers than spaces available. So there was a random drawing and I got picked! I was really excited.

E was super excited for the field trip, but not because we were going to a farm to see animals and pick out pumpkins. Oh no, he was the most excited about riding the bus! He had never been on one before and this was his big debut. Of course, he loved it. He informed me that he sat by Isabelle on the way there and Robby on the way back. He said they played the animal game (where one kid thinks of an animal and then the others try to guess what it is by asking yes/no questions). I think he had lots of fun.

And, of course, here are the multitude of photos that I took while we were there!

The whole class upon arrival.

E and his friend Jovanny were the two kids in our little group.

We went to a farm where they make their own honey. The first stop? Checking out the bees that were busy working!

They gave our teacher her own candle and all the kids wanted to smell it. :)

Then they got to taste the honey!

Even our teacher got a yummy taste!

Next it was off to see the animals! But not before the kids got to traverse a little hay-maze. They loved it!

Then it was on to the animals! They got to feed a pair of llamas and the kids were loving it.

After the animals, they saw an old wooden train that they got to play on, and then they went through a tree maze. That was pretty cool – I wish I had one in my backyard!

Then it was off to pick a pumpkin!

A cute group photo of the class!

After that, was a hayride and then we got to hang out and rest, checking out our and everyone else’s pumpkins.

It was a really fun day and I’m so glad I got to go! :)

Love my little cutie

2011-10-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

Is he not just the cutest little thing?? :) He was all sweaty from our hot-day trip to pick out some pumpkins yesterday.

He was making fun of my dancing while I was trying to get him to smile for the camera. Well, whatever works!

Kindergarten school photo

2011-10-13T17:07:00.001-07:00

We just got back our order for E’s very first-ever school photo! So of course, I couldn’t help myself – I had to make a layout about it.

Here’s what the journaling says: “Well, we knew the day was approaching fast - Eli’s very first picture day. So, we tried to coach him a little to make sure he knew what to do in front of the camera (like he’s never seen one before or something). We asked him to show us his best smile and worked on making it not so crazy. It definitely felt a little like Christmas morning when the proofs came back and we got to see what he looked like. Needless to say, we’ve still got some work to do to make it a natural smile, but for his first time I think he did great! And a little piece of his personal history is born. I can’t wait to see how he will change over the coming years. But just not too fast.”

That pretty much says it all. :)

I used two collections from Jady Day Studios – Little Apple School and A Life So Sweet.

Crafty!

2011-10-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

In case you weren’t aware, Halloween is one of my very favorite holidays because I love all the decorating and crafting that you can do with it! I love carving pumpkins, making yummy treats, “Boo”-ing our neighbors and having fun creating crafts with the kiddos.

Recently I’ve been finding lots of fun projects and ideas on Pinterest that I’ve wanted to try, so the boys and I have been crafting up a Halloween storm!

Of course, I’ve been supervising (and crafting along with them) for the most part, so I don’t have any in-the-works photos, but I do have a couple of some of our finished products.

We made skeletons out of cotton swabs that turned out pretty cute. W’s ribs ended up floating around in space, which would probably be pretty painful, but he seemed okay with it. E’s (on the far right) was great! Then we made some pipe cleaner spiders and webs for them to live on.

All in all, it was a lot of fun. I’ve got to get photos of some of our other projects to post as well. I love doing this kind of thing with them.

Last day of vacation!

2011-10-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

On our last day in Utah before we headed back, we had a great little family party/engagement party for my cousin Sarah. She recently got married to a great guy who we all love and we had fun celebrating their engagement. I stole these photos from my sister, since my lens was acting all wonky and wasn’t focusing right, so I didn’t bring it with me.

Sarah and her sweetie.

They had fun playing newlywed-type games. They were so cute together!

I did steal Em’s camera for a couple pics and it was fun getting some fun ones of the siblings.

And of course, sweet little Sophie-Roo. Love.

Then we headed back to my grandparents’ house, packed up the last of our stuff, got up early and headed home.

We had a great trip and really loved spending time with family that we don’t get to see often enough. Can’t wait until we can do it again!

Trip – Day 5

2011-10-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

This day was fun because it meant we got to go camping! We had planned to stay for a couple of nights, but ended up just doing one, as we didn’t want to have to head straight home from the campsite and a questionable night of sleep. :) I have to admit, my husband had the right of that one.

At the store, getting supplies, we saw the coolest little mini Tillamook cheese mobile. It was so funny.

Fun, huh?

Then we got to the campsite, set up the tent, and the boys got to explore.

Once we got all set up, we went on a hike. The kids were loving it, racing up and down the trails. Ali, the hubby and I? Well, we were glad they were having fun. :)

Later that night, the rest of our family made their way up to hang out with us and enjoy the campfire, S’Mores, and lots of fun stories. It was a really great, fun night!

Whoops. Day 4 is finally here!

2011-10-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

Well.

I know I said I’d be updating the blog. And my lovely little sister so kindly reminded me that I have not been keeping up with that promise! So since I’m sick today, I’m hoping to get a few posts done and ready to go, so that you won’t be dying while waiting for all of our vacation photos. Like I know you so totally are. :)

So where were we, day 4 of the trip? Okay, but first I have to share a couple of photos that I forgot to post in day 2’s summary.

All the cousins (and Ang) with their Nana, getting ready to milk the cows!

The cute Aidan with Nana. :)

I love E’s face in this one – it was right after the cow pooped all over and he looked back at me to see if I had seen it. Made me laugh.

Anyways, on to Day 4.

That day we went down to Provo to visit the BYU campus and help aunt Angela get ready to start school. I was pretty excited to get to the campus store and get some goodies for the boys (and for me).

We hung out at the Wilk, did some shopping, then the boys went on a Grandpa ride with my dad. They had lots of fun. While we were waiting for them to finish up and come back, we went down to find my Grandpa’s photo in one of the common rooms. It was great – we got to see him doing one of his sweet moves in a really cool framed photo. The glare is so bad down there that it’s hard to photograph it well, but I think I got a pretty good shot.

That’s my grandpa, rocking out, second guy from the left. He was an entertainer in his day, let me tell you. In fact, he still is. :)

After walking around the Y, we were hungry so we went to dinner down at Brick Oven. Trust me, if you’ve never been there, you need to go the next time you’re in Provo. And have the root beer. It’s delicious.

We were lucky enough to have a little party room all to ourselves (with our large family and all) so we took full advantage and spent the night laughing, joking, and having a grand ol’ time, as evidenced below:

The kids got super lucky when a BALLOON ARTIST showed up and made them all balloons! It was really a lot of fun and each kid (and Jeff and Angela) got their own balloon animals. E got a giraffe, of course, and W got an elephant, naturally. Cousin Aidan got a cool sword, Nate got a gorilla (NOT a monkey!), Uncle Jeff got a cool hat that was supposed to have an ice cream cone on it but turned into a heart (?) and Ang got a princess crown. They were quite the group.

Most of them are in black and white because *apparently* the Brick Oven has decided not to optimize their light bulbs for picture-taking situations. Ah well.

All in all, we had a really fun day. That was probably one of my very favorite days of the trip.

Until next time!

Road Trip - Day 3

2011-09-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

Day three was all about hanging out with the kids in the morning so that we could steal off to go to the temple in the afternoon. So first we went to feed the ducks at the huge pond/small lake at my grandparents’ community park. It was really fun and the kids had a blast finding all the ducks and ‘feeding’ them. Or, throwing food at their heads, whichever they were actually doing.

W had to sit and decide what was better…hmmm…

Throwing the bread?

Or eating the bread?

Hmmm….what to do, what to do?

Duh! Eat the bread! :)

After the bread was done and gone, we took the boys on an exploratory hike. They found, among other interesting things, this great big tree whose trunk was growing a bit sideways. They, being boys, of course decided it was the perfect one to climb. Actually, Nate had the idea first, but as you know, monkey see – monkey do!

It wasn’t long until they were all up in the tree. Of course, I had to get some shots of them together. And I sure was doing my darnedest trying to make them laugh!

I think it worked. :)

After setting the boys up with some wonderful grandparents, the rest of us adults were all able to go to the temple that afternoon and meet up with my mom and dad. So we had everyone there that was present and able – Mom, Dad, Emily, me, my hubby, Ali, and Tom. It was something very special to me and I’m so grateful that all of us are able to participate in these special and sacred ordinances together. Standing together in the celestial room (which is the most sacred room we can enter in the temple, for anyone not familiar with the temple) was such a wonderful experience and it really made me grateful for our family. We are an eternal family and I’m so excited to have that.

That was a fun day.

Stay tuned for day four! (Or don’t, if you’re bored, ha!)

Creativity at its best

2011-09-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

The kids and I have been watching this video nonstop since a friend of mine posted about it on her blog. I had seen it before, but her reminder had me revisiting it and showing it to E and W for the first time. And ever since, we’ve been loving it over and over again. I can just tell that it’s got E’s brain working, too, as he keeps asking if he can make a contraption.

So much fun. :)

Road Trip - Day 2

2011-09-15T07:51:00.000-07:00

On day two, I got to start the day with my favorite Utah breakfast offering – a McDonald’s bagel sandwich. I swear, I don’t know why California hasn’t gotten on the ball with that yet. :)

After grabbing a breakfast on the way, we met up with the rest of my family and had a chance to hike Brighton, with the kids and Grams. We had a great time! It was beautiful and a great day for being out in nature. The cousins had a fun playing together too, it was great watching them get along so well.

Not sure what Jeff’s so excited about here, but he sure was.

I suppose it’s a better expression than this one. :)
After a long hike, we had to stop off and have a yummy lunch at Café Rio.

After that, we hadn’t had enough outside time, so we decided to head over to Wheeler Farms to check out the animals and let the kids ~~stretch their legs~~ tire themselves out some more. They certainly slept well that night! :)
There were lots of animals and the kids loved them. There was a sweet little baby calf that the kids got to feed.

There were cute little baby goats as well, that were so adorable!

But the best part was getting to milk a cow. I’d never done that before so it was neat to get to do.

All in all, it was a great day. And after stopping off for Sonic slushes, we called it a day.

Day three coming soon.

Road Trip - Day 1

2011-09-13T07:32:00.000-07:00

During the middle of August, our little family went up to Utah to get together with my family and have a little reunion of sorts. We had all gotten our travel arrangements made when my brother was to get married, but when we found out that had been called off, we decided to stick with the plan and turn it into a family reunion instead. It was so fun to get to spend a week with my sisters, brothers, mom and dad. We did miss the in-law husbands, of course. But it was nice being together for a little while.

The trip up there only took us a day, so that was nice. We decided to rent a van to see how we liked it and also so that we wouldn’t put those miles on one of our own cars. It was nice having enough room to spread out a little more than we would have had with my X-Terra, and it didn’t hurt that we got a van with about 13 miles on it. Score!

Here’s a layout about the drive up there:

The journaling says: “We had a great first day on our road trip to Utah! We struck out early, getting out the door by 6:45am (Hubby’s always eager to get on the road). The boys were groggily excited, but enjoyed it nonetheless. I say they’re spoiled since they get to watch DVD’s the whole way. When I was their age, I was lucky to have a notebook, colored pencils, books and a Walkman! In any case, we had a great day of travel, making good time and only stopping twice or so. The van we rented turned out to be a brilliant idea since it meant we started with a brand new, clean car, and there were enough seats to have the boys in the very back, which cut down on noise, even if it added to the space I had to traverse to get things to them. Next time I’ll invest in a grabbing extendo hand to transport snacks and things back there. It was also great to have a van because that meant we could have extra passengers if needed (in Utah. No hitch-hikers on the way!). E really liked seeing all the new state signs once we crossed the borders (of the ones he actually got to see, that is). Overall, the trip up was uneventful, which is just the way we like them.”

I’m happy I remembered to get a self-portrait on the trip, because heaven knows I was only on that side of the camera a handful of times. At least now you know I was actually there!

We were glad to make it to Utah safe and sound. Especially since we had so many fun things planned for the upcoming week! With such a packed schedule, it was nice to have a bed to sleep in to get rested. We were so lucky to be able to stay with my wonderful grandparents, who were just so kind to us and welcomed us in with hardly any notice. We love them! :)

Day two, coming up soon!

I’m coming…

2011-09-12T07:03:00.000-07:00

My goodness, it’s been a while! Sorry, we’ve been busy, as I’m sure you can imagine. I’ve got so much to blog about – a family vacation, E’s first day of Kindergarten (!), my life with some hours of ‘me time’ during the week, an “oops” quilt story, etc. And I’ll get to all of it, now that I’ve got some time.

But for now, just enjoy this.

(My little brother at Brick Oven. What a hat.)

Seven years? Can it be true?

2011-08-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

The hubby and I celebrated seven years of marriage this weekend. Part of me can’t believe it’s been that long, but most of me feels like it’s been so much longer! As I look back on the times that we’ve shared so far, I’m reminded of how lucky I am to have found someone who loves me and wants such the best for me.

We’ve created two beautiful children who surprise us every day with their thoughts, ideas, talents and unconditional love. We’ve weathered storms that have threatened us and come through them with well-earned battle scars that remind us of how far we’ve come in our relationship. We’ve learned a lot about ourselves and each other as we’ve navigated the rocky roads of life. And most importantly, we’ve grown as individuals and as a couple. We are better than we were before, and that’s what this is all about, isn’t it?

I sure do love him and can’t wait to see what the rest of our lives together will bring.

On a separate note, I know I’ve been showcasing more layouts than photos lately, which I’m not apologizing for (this is my blog, after all), but I just wanted to give a little explanation of why I’ve had so many lately. Since stepping down from being the Layout Artist Team Coordinator at Scrap Girls, I’ve had more time to dedicate to creating layouts just for me, of my own personal photos, with no requirements to fulfill. And it has been a breath of fresh air. I’ve been getting inspiration from lots of places, and hopefully putting my own spin on things that I come across. In truth, it’s just been heavenly. I feel lighter and more present. For the last few months there, I had just been tied to my computer for various duties I needed to fulfill, and now that I don’t have to be on the computer, I am enjoying it more and having more fun with it. It’s been really nice.

We love Kung Fu Panda

2011-08-11T09:54:00.001-07:00

We took the kids to the second Kung Fu Panda movie when it opened this past May. It was so much fun, and they were so excited for it. I really liked the movie and the animation was absolutely incredible. That was almost as entertaining as the movie itself.

We liked it so much that we went back to see it again a couple of weeks later, that time just me and the boys. It made for a great date.

Of course, after that, we had no shortage of Kung Fu moves going on at our house, with the sounds of “Hi-YAH!” echoing down the stairs. E even turned a lot of his action figures into the Furious 5 in disguise. So the Batman from a Happy Meal was actually Tigress in disguise, and Elmo was Mantis in disguise, etc. It was quite entertaining to watch him play with them.

W had fun going around practicing his ‘moves’ and loved showing them off to anyone who would pay attention. Such ‘moves’ included kicking and punching the air wildly with a very determined looking face, coupled with that intimidating “Hi-YAH!”. It was quite fun.

I just love those boys of mine.

The Last Movie layout

2011-08-04T07:33:00.000-07:00

I found the most adorable digital scrapbooking collection the other day and I just had to get it to scrap my Harry Potter obsession! It’s called A Wizarding World by Jady Day Studio. Here’s the layout I made last night about when the hubby and I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 the day it came out. (We couldn’t swing the midnight showing, unfortunately, but we got Friday afternoon tickets with some friends and had a great time!)

I also used Brandy Murry’s Brush Set: Time Traveler – Clouds Biggie and Shalae Tippetts’ Joyous Collection Biggie.

I really like this layout. You can even see, in the far left photo, the Deathly Hallows T-shirt that I made myself especially for the occasion. After we came out of the movie, some random lady in line asked me where I bought my shirt. When I told her I had made it myself, she couldn’t believe it and said I should have made lots to sell outside! I can only imagine. I was glad that it seemed to look professional-esque. I’ll take it.

Kitchen Renovation Revealed

2011-08-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

I know, it’s been too long since I promised to show our finished kitchen!
Well, let’s just remember what we started with, when we first moved in:

Yeah, it was just a little much.
I’m SO excited to finally have this new kitchen!

The counters are finished, the wall is not jacked up into pieces, and we have an awesome new sink as well!
So there you have it. I’m a happy girl.

[ETA: The island looks like it's bowed, but that's just because it was two photos stitched together. The actual island is square. Thank to the hubby for pointing that out. :) ]

Bloggity Goodness

2011-08-02T20:39:00.001-07:00

Journaling reads: “I started blogging to record our family’s life and have a place to share photos with relatives living far away. It has become a really fun and creative way to express myself as well as show our fun family adventures. I love reading other friends’ blogs as well and though I sometimes spend more time perusing them than I should, they make me feel like I am closer to faraway friends and family, which I love.”

Click on the image to see the credits.

We’re gonna be RICH!

2011-07-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

One day as we were driving, we heard an ad for the San Diego Zoo on the radio and E wanted to go to the zoo. I told him we needed to get passes again if we wanted to go a lot, and we didn’t really have the money for it right now. He asked how much we would need and I pulled a sum out of the air thinking it would be too much for him and he’d stop asking about it.

It’s like I don’t know my child at all…

So I told him it would be $1000 for passes for all of us and then this is what he told me. (And yes, I pulled the car over, grabbed my phone and taped him saying it again because I had to share.)

And I’m sorry, but I still don’t know how to get it to be non-sideways. But don’t worry, you don’t really need to see him, just listen to his wisdom…

So now you know. Getting rich is as easy as building a rocket out of Legos, Tinker Toys, and Trios, flying it to the moon, and getting space jewels out of space rocks.

You’re welcome.

We have walls!

2011-07-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

Honest-to-goodness, actual walls! All painted the same color!

Who knew I would be so excited about something so normal?

The end is in sight! The big reveal coming soon to a computer (or handheld device) near you!

Demolition Derby Day Dos

2011-07-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

(Had to go with the theme there…)

Well today was spent taping and mudding the walls, texturing, getting ready for paint, and making sure that everything was looking smooth and wonderful!

Here are today’s photos for comparison, the beginning of the day, with the new board in:

And the end of the day with the texture and everything ready to go:

It’s starting to look more and more like a real kitchen again! (At least, it will as soon as the new sink gets put in.)

Tomorrow will be taking out the island, painting, putting in the sink and then granite! Yesssss!!!

Demolition Derby!

2011-07-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe not so much a derby, but definitely demolition!

When we moved into our house almost 3 years ago, there was this crazy colorful tile on the backsplash:

It was not our style at all and we wanted it gone. So what did we do? Ripped out the tile, of course!

During that process, sadly, we discovered that the previous owners had put the tile up with some sort of commercial-grade super glue strength adhesive. Like, Superman would have trouble getting this tile off the wall without doing damage.

So we ended up with this crazy messed up wall and it stayed that way for a long time because we didn’t really have the motivation or the know-how to fix it. And then eventually, we got used to it and it faded into the background, so we kind of forgot about it (until, of course, friends would come over and I would be instantly reminded of how ugly it was!).

But finally, recently, we got the itch to get it finished, and got a bid from a company that seemed kind of high. So we asked one of our very knowledgeable friends who deals with this a lot with his job, and he got one of his guys to come over and work a better deal with us. This all happened, literally, within three days’ time. It was crazy! We were really glad that our friend’s guy had time this week to fit it in and so we said, “Let’s go!”

The above picture is from this morning before everything got started. We pulled all the drawers out and cleared out the counters.

The guys came in and started ripping out the wall. We knew they’d have to replace a lot of the drywall because of the holes. So they did that, got the drywall put up, took out the counters and started prepping for the mudding and taping that was to happen the next day.

It’s getting real!! I’ll post more pictures as the process continues…

HP Lego love

2011-07-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

Guess what showed up on my doorstep?

Thank you, eBay!

Harry seems quite at ease in our new house, but I think Ron’s scared of the roaming tortoise. Or maybe we’ve got spiders somewhere and I don’t know about it?

Oh, and as we ‘speak’, we’re having our carpets cleaned. I feel a little discombobulated. It’s the first time since we moved to this house. And we have 2 crazy boys who like to break the rules and eat food in the living room all. the. time.

So yeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhh, they’ve got their work cut out for them.

I wish I could just use a Scouring Charm instead…

Cutie patootie

2011-07-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

Showing off his ‘sign’ for Dada.

Big brother had to get in on the fun

Kung Fu moves

And his adorable little self, actually smiling!

Happy Wednesday!

Spoiler Alert

2011-07-18T07:34:00.000-07:00

If you haven’t seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and want to be surprised, stop reading this post!

I’m serious! :)

Okay, well, let’s start with the epic feel of this movie. I was impressed with the grand scale of it, how it felt more like a war movie than “just” a Harry Potter movie. I loved the look of everything, even though watching Hogwarts get blown up made my heart clench up. I loved the suspense and heightened tension throughout. Of course, the movie only takes place in less than 2 days’ time, so it felt a little short. But it was intense for that time period.

I still got goosebumps in the theatre when Harry confronted Snape in the great hall – “Tell them how you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you, and killed him!” Anytime I saw that part in the previews, I’d get goosebumps, and still in the actual movie, same thing. It was a good moment. And gosh, Alan Rickman’s performance was perfection.

Speaking of Alan Rickman, wasn’t his death scene so jarring? I knew he was attacked by Nagini from reading the books, and though you didn’t see the actual attack, you could hear it and feel it more than I expected to. It was pretty graphic and I felt sorry for him. And then the moment he said, “You have your mother’s eyes” I was a goner. Of course, I had been crying long before that, but that scene really took me in.

But none so much than when he held Lily’s body after she was killed. Utterly heartbreaking. The love that he had for Lily was so palpable and showed such a human side of him. It just reiterated why Snape is my favorite character (from the 6th book on, of course).

What else was heartbreaking, you ask? :) Well, watching the Weasley family grieve over Fred was terrible. It was a little shorter of a scene than I thought it would be, but I suppose there was a lot to fit in. And when Lupin and Tonks were laid out with their hands almost touching? Awful.

I think everyone’s acting was just taken up a notch in this film and I really loved watching it. I did notice something, though. There seems to be an interesting parallel between the Peverell brothers and Harry, Snape and Voldemort, have you noticed it?

The brother with the Elder wand – died because of his quest for power. Voldemort died the same way.

The brother with the Resurrection Stone -- died because he couldn’t let go of a love that passed away. Snape died the same way.

And the brother with the Invisibility Cloak -- greeted Death as an old friend, choosing his time to die. Harry died the same way.

I thought that was quite interesting and wondered if it was on purpose. Of course, I’m 99.9% sure that it was, because of JK’s style, but ya never know.

There were a couple of things that bugged me in the movie. The first being that Hermione and Ron were both trying to kill Nagini towards the end. The whole time I just kept thinking, “They better not take that kill away from Neville, it’s his triumphant moment of the whole end scene!” I was really glad that they kept Neville killing the snake, but was a big perturbed that they changed the location and timing of it. I wish he had done so at the big ‘confrontation’ point when everyone thought Harry was dead. Ah well.

The other thing that REALLY bugged me was when Harry was leaving towards the Forbidden Forest and found Ron and Hermione on the way there. In the books, he was actually under the Invisibility Cloak and didn’t let anyone know that he was going to give himself up to Voldemort. In the movie, Ron & Hermione saw him going, and ‘tried’ to stop him, but finally just let him go. That’s absurd – they wouldn’t have let him go off by himself to the forest if they had known he was headed there.

And what makes me mad is that they did that in the Half-Blood Prince too! In the books, when Dumbledore died, Harry was stunned, under the Invisibility Cloak, so that he couldn’t move, let alone do anything to stop Snape from killing Dumbledore. Because you know he would have tried had he not been rendered immobile. However, in the movies, he just stood there like nothing was happening. Sure, Snape told him to be quiet, but there’s no way that Harry would have stood by while Snape killed Dumbledore, not making a sound, under his own volition. No way.

All in all, I was really excited the whole time – loved everything about it, and of course, I wished there were more.

I'm going to burst with excitement!

2011-07-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

You know what today is, right?

Today is July 15th. And that means....

it's HARRY POTTER DAY!

The hubs and I are going this afternoon. With the in-laws out of town, we couldn't swing the midnight showing. But just a few more hours! I cannot wait.

In celebration of this grand (and sad) day, please enjoy the following video. You won't be disappointed.

Beginnings and Middles are fine, but I don’t like Endings

2011-07-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

I hate finishing books. Especially ones that I really, really enjoy.

Take, for example, the latest book I’ve finished reading – The Count of Monte Cristo. This is a large book, with over 700 pages. So when I started it, I knew it would take a long time to complete. Nevertheless, I started reading it, and with it being so accessible (on my smartphone) I just kind of took little bits of it here and there. I became engrossed with it, and loved that it was always with me. So if I had a few minutes to spare, I’d just pull it up and start reading.

And owing to its rather large size, you can imagine that it was with me for quite some time. A couple of months, in fact. And I kind of started to rely on it as an escape – the brilliant dialogue, the beautiful Parisian backdrop, the intriguing characters, the struggle between good and evil. I got sucked in and some nights I couldn’t put it down – I just read until I fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning.

That whole aspect of getting lost in good books is something I just adore. I love being instantly transported to another world, taking in all the sights, the sounds, and the surroundings. Being in the thick of the characters’ plights as they go through their lives and make choices and come to terms with the consequences.

But then, the inevitable always comes. I come to the end and I finish the book. It is then that I’m left with a feeling of mourning, like I’ve just said goodbye to a friend whom I won’t ever see again.

(Of course, this is only speaking of the ends of series or complete books. If there is more than one book in a series, then I’m in luck because there’s more of the ‘world’ to visit, more of the story to devour.)

But once there are no more unread volumes, once the life stories have been told, once I’ve come to the end of the tale, I feel a loss. I want to continually have more of these characters’ lives to read about.

Perhaps it’s more than just wanting to know ‘what happens next’. Perhaps it’s more about living in that world that has been created. And with the end of the story, I know that I have to go back to ‘real life’ and leave the fantasy world behind.

Is this just me? Or are there any others out there who feel the same way? Maybe there’s an Endings support group out there for me somewhere.

Peek-a-boo!

2011-07-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

This is how I found E the other morning – hanging out in my bed, playing on my phone. This tends to be somewhat of a morning ritual for us during these lazy summer days. The kids love playing on our phones and when we’re trying desperately to catch a few more zzzz’s, they know that’s when they can have free reign over the games.

I don’t mind one bit.

Camping Mini-album

2011-07-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun camping with friends from our old ward in Mission Viejo. We all met at a campground and had fun setting up camp, eating dinner, making S’Mores, and just hanging out! The next day, we visited a great park at the campground and had tons of fun with everyone. The kids got along great, they got to explore and run around and play, and the adults had a great time reconnecting with old friends and making new ones!

Here are some fun photos from the trip:

We had such a great time and we need to go again soon!

The next week, I had an assignment for work to create a craft using some new products and so I made a paper bag album with some layouts using these photos. It was SO easy to make and so fun to see the finished product.

I just started with a couple of paper bags, then sewed them together right down the middle.

Then I printed out some layouts, cut them out, and adhered them to the ‘pages’ that the paper bag created. Then I just had to attach the ribbon to keep it closed. Check it out!

It really was fun and easy! I’m definitely going to be creating more soon. In fact, I’ve started on one using layouts from our trip to Boston last year. I can’t wait to show you all.

Thankful

2011-07-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

Since E had his tonsils out last week, we’ve been so glad to have a few family members send us a couple of packages. They’ve really helped to keep him occupied and taken his mind off things. He absolutely LOVES to get anything in the mail – package, letter, magazine, you name it.

Aunt Janae sent us a big box full of goodies. The boys loved opening it, but they were even more excited by what they found inside!

Once we got everything out, we found a great pirate ship to color and put together. So the boys and I went straight to work.

We were proud of it (I was just proud of myself for being able to get it together)!

Thanks, Aunt Janae, for a wonderful surprise! We love ya!

My family also sent us a great package with some fun Color Wonder pages in one of our favorite themes – Toy Story! Sorry, Mom, I didn’t get a picture of them opening that one – they were too excited to get it open before I could grab my camera. But just know they’ve enjoyed it as well and we loved your note. Thank you!

I’m so grateful for loving family and friends who have reached out to us and sent us love and support. Thank you!!

Happy Independence Day! (part 2)

2011-07-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

After we had a chance to come home and rest from the breakfast (which included taking a nap for me, but not for the boys), we headed up to the grandparents’ house for a fun 4th of July soiree. Aunt J was in town so the boys were having lots of fun playing with her.

We got a good report card for E from the night before, which was awesome, and I was glad to see him again. Everyone headed out to the pool, and we tried to let E sit on the steps without getting his ears in the water, but it was too much of a temptation to swim away, so he had to come out. Poor guy wasn’t excited about that one. (He’s under strict doctor’s orders to not submerge his head underwater unless he’s wearing ear plugs, since he had tubes put in last week. Not even in the bathtub. And since we hadn’t had a chance to get his ear plugs yet, we didn’t want to risk it.)

The ‘trial’ period of hanging out in the water.

W was having fun playing in the pool with his favorite person in the world, Papa!

He likes Dad, too. :)

Although, he was very upset when either of them would jump from the rocks into the pool because he was very uneasy with them going underwater! It was too cute, I don’t know if you can see real well, but in that second photo he’s mad at the hubby for jumping off the rocks!

The ‘trial’ period ended when he almost fell off the step and went underwater. Luckily he caught himself before he did go under, but it made me too nervous so he had to come out. Like I said, he wasn’t too happy about that, but my job is too keep him safe and healthy, not make sure he has fun all the time. It’s tough, but somebody’s got to do it! :)

Soon after, though, we all went back inside, and the boys changed back into the 4th of July shirts that I had made for them. I thought they turned out pretty cute! I saw the idea from Make It and Love It and just tweaked it a little.

SQUEEZE HUG!

And I had to include this one, even though it didn’t turn out, because their expressions are classic!

W hanging out with his buddy.

Silly goose!

My sweeties.

And apparently even without swimming hard, E was quite worn out from the day! This is what he looked like after coming in from the car at 6:45pm. He slept from then on to bedtime! I suppose it’s because he’s still pretty weak from 7 days without much more to eat than popsicles. :)

I hope you all had as wonderful a holiday as we did. Happy 4th of July, y’all!

Happy Independence Day! (part 1)

2011-07-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

This morning we were up at the crack of dawn to set up for our ward’s Fourth of July breakfast. It’s a ward activity, but since we don’t have a designated Activities Committee anymore, the responsibilities were divided amongst the different auxiliaries. Of course, the Relief Society got saddled with ‘the food’, which really boils down to organizing everything. :) And since I’m the activities counselor in RS, it ended up a lot on my shoulders. Luckily, I had a lot of help from the previous Activities Chairperson, which was great!

So yeah, the hubby was at the church by 6:15am (geesh!) and I got there with W around 6:45 or so. (E spent the night at the grandparents because we didn’t think he’d do well enough at the activity, especially with both of us not being able to really sit with him. But don’t worry, he was being spoiled so he didn’t miss much!)

Thank goodness for the menfolk who came and cooked all the scrambled eggs and pancakes. The hubby and I had cooked the 18lbs of bacon and 13lbs of sausage at our house the night before, so we only had to heat it up in the oven that morning.

(Although cooking all that meat is another post in and of itself, my goodness! We had 3 pans on the stove, our oven and griddle all cooking bacon and/or sausage at once. It took us over 3 hours!)

Once we got everything set up, it went pretty smoothly. The breakfast was good, we didn’t run out of any food, and the kids’ bike parade was adorable. We had all sorts of red, white and blue decorations that the kids could plaster all over their various modes of transportation. And even though it ended up turning more into a bike race than parade, I think the kids had fun. Here are just a bunch of pictures from the day:

As you can tell, W was really excited to be in the “Race!” (as he called it). I was just glad he was able to pedal on his own!

Okay, this was hilarious – this little guy in the blue shirt was behind the adorable one in the hat but he wasn’t moving fast enough, so little guy in the blue shirt finally just whipped around him and sped off! It was so funny. (I don’t want to name names for privacy’s sake since this is a public blog and all.)

And here’s a cute little family that wanted their own group shot. I was happy to consent. :)

Overall, I’d say the activity was a success!

And now I’m glad it’s over, ha.

Get those tonsils (and adenoids) out!

2011-07-01T15:35:00.001-07:00

Well, where to begin?

Here’s a rundown of the big surgery, in case you’re interested. If not, you can skip this post because it’s a long one, and it’s all about the surgery. :)

We had to get up bright and early to be at the surgery center by 7:15am. E was dazed because of the early hour and so I asked him to smile for me in the backseat. This is what I got:

Obviously, he wasn’t looking forward to the day. :(

Once we got there and got checked in, there was one girl ahead of us who had just been admitted and we waited a few minutes until E was ready to be prepped. While we waited, he got to play with some waffle-type building blocks. It took me back because I used to have the same exact ones when I was growing up. :)

He got to wear a Looney Tunes gown over his own shorts and then we sat and waited while they got ready for him. He charmed the nurses.

They gave him his own ‘balloon-blowing mask’ that we would use for the anesthesia. They told him he’d be using it to blow up a balloon which is how he would go to sleep. The sweet nurse who prepped him coated the inside of it with some LipSmackers so that the ‘stinky gas’ didn’t smell as bad. E chose strawberry-kiwi and bubblegum so it smelled pretty good.

Dad and I got to be there and make sure he was ready before they took him down to the operating room.

I could tell he was nervous, but the nurses did a good job of keeping him comfortable. I was nervous, too. This was the first time he’d ever had surgery before and while I was sure everything would go just fine, I still had that little mother worry in the back of my head wondering about what could possibly go wrong.

After they took him back, we headed out to the waiting room to sit it out. Luckily for me, it wasn’t too long before the doctor came out and told us that everything went well and that he would be just fine.

After all the ‘shop talk’ was over, he leaned in and said, “Do you know who your son looks like?” And I said, “Well, not me!” He laughed and said, “No, he looks just like the Glenn Beck guy. You know who Glenn Beck is, right?” The hubby and I looked at each other and laughed. “Yes, we know who that is, how funny that you say he looks like Glenn.” We had a good laugh and then the doctor went back inside. Then the grandpa of another little girl having her surgery spoke up and said, “You know, it’s really funny that he would say that because I thought the same exact thing when I saw your son out here before!” Who knew? We have a little mini-Glenn. :)

Once we finally were able to go back and see E, he wasn’t doing too well. My heart squeezed a little when I saw him for the first time and he saw me, and he just reached out to me and wanted me to hold him. So they sat me down in a chair by his bed and let him sit in my lap and wake up from the anesthesia. It wasn’t fun – he was in a lot of pain, coughing a lot, and was just generally not understanding what was going on. The thought came to me to tell him a story to keep his mind off of things, so I started making up a story. Instantly he relaxed and listened to the words.

Unfortunately, that was right around the time when the nurse came in to brief us on the next several days, so I had to listen to her instead of tell the story. E kept interrupting her to tell me to “Finish the story! Finish the story!” As soon as I had heard most of the instructions, I finished telling him the story.

(It was about a little boy who discovers a magical stone that takes him on a scavenger hunt adventure looking for different colored objects. I think E just really enjoyed having his mind distracted from the pain. And I’m sure the shot of Demerol didn’t hurt either!)

The nurses were urging E to drink as much water as he could – they had stressed before he went in to surgery that that was the most important thing he could do when he woke up to go home, and he took them very seriously! He drank about 3 cups of water just while we were there recovering.

Finally, once he had settled down a bit and was doing better, it was just about time to go home. The nurse came over, and said “It’s time to take out your IV.” And before she even had a chance to put on her gloves, E had ripped it out of his hand and he started spewing blood all over the place. I had to grab the IV and hold it down on his hand, trying to stop the blood, while she got her gloves on to help. It was obvious that he wanted to get out of there, he was just a little too excited to do it!

We got everything cleaned up, E got a sticker, and then we put him in a wheelchair to meet Dad out in the back of the building. We got in the car and headed home.

Once there, E surprised me by not sleeping at all! He was just quiet and mellow, laying on the couch watching Johnny Test and Rugrats, his two current favorite shows. Little brother W came home with Grandma and we settled in for our homebound stay. I was glad that the hubby had taken that day and the next day off from work because it really helped having him there.

The next two days were worse than the first, which is what they warned us it would be like, so we were prepared. He spent both days just in bed because his throat was so sore and he was so weak from not eating anything. We made sure he was drinking his water, although at that point he didn’t even want his popsicles anymore. It was rough, but we made it through.

The third day, which was yesterday, he seemed to be doing better. He looked like he had more energy, he wanted to get up and move around more, and was generally in a better mood. He was still really weak and couldn’t really speak, but he seemed better overall.

Today has been good, I think his soreness is getting a little worse, because his body is now doing some real healing and it doesn’t feel good. We’re still keeping on top of his meds and trying to keep him drinking. He’s been able to eat a little bit, but not too much.

I think he’s finally sick of the unlimited popsicles. Who would have thought! :)

We’re so grateful for all the many, many prayers and well-wishes that we’ve received from friends and family. We’ve been blessed with amazing visiting and home teachers (volunteers from our church) who have gone above and beyond what we could have asked for. (I’m talking about you Jennie!!) Thank you so much to all who have been thinking about him. I can tell he feels it. :)

Here’s to better healing days in the next little while! I’m sure he’ll be up to his regular tricks in no time.

Trying to rest up

2011-06-28T13:43:00.001-07:00

We got hone yesterday and now we're doing okay. He was up a lot last night, and today has been a rough day for the little guy. We're trying to keep him up to speed with his meds as much as possible and trying to keep fluids in him. He's in a lot of pain, but he's also really tough.

I think what bothers him the most is that his nose is so stuffed up, it's hard for him to breathe as well. But at least he's sleeping now, which I'm grateful for. He needs it. Plus, we've been watching lots of Johnny Test and I'm glad for the break! :)

Thank you all for your prayers, I know he's being so brave and strong because of them. :)

Going Under

2011-06-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

As this post is hitting the blog, we’ll be with E while he undergoes an outpatient procedure. I’m not going to lie – I’m a little nervous! I mean, sure, it’s a routine thing (getting his tonsils/adenoids taken out as well as getting tubes put in his ears) but he’s never been under general anesthesia before and I’m just a tad worried. I’m sure he’ll be fine, but if you could spare a moment for a prayer or a good thought sent in our general direction, I would be so grateful.

I’ll make sure to update as soon as we know he’s doing okay. The next week or so is going to be rough with recovery, so we’ll be hanging at home a lot.

Thank you!

cutest kids on the block

2011-05-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, seriously, how adorable are these kids?! I know I’m biased, but come on! We were hanging around outside on our front lawn today and they were having the best time:

making silly faces,

jumping around and then falling dramatically to the ground,

running,

laughing,

making more silly faces, and most importantly,

giving crazy squeeze hugs and then checking to make sure the little guy is still having fun and not screaming.

I sure love these little crazies!

Early morning happenings

2011-05-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

The boys, in their respective uniforms (E in his underwear and W in his shirt from yesterday because we got home so late they were both asleep and I just carried them into bed), play Nick Jr. this morning.

Beautiful day

2011-05-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it rained quite a bit, especially in the morning. I was caught off-guard and had the kids in shorts and sandals. Awesome. At least we weren’t going anywhere outside.

But then once we got home and settled into the afternoon and then evening, it started turning beautiful. The clouds changed from grey, dull blankets to puffy white marshmallows surrounded by gorgeous blue sky. So we headed outside to hang out for a while.

Don’t worry, I get ‘attacked’ by all sorts of boy inventions. I think this one was a laser beam, but I’m not sure. Judging by the sound effects, it probably was.

Then there’s this photo that just captures the little guy so well right now. He’s a handful, that’s for sure. But he’s MY handful.

Even when he’s running around outside in his skivvies. Or running around inside with his skivvies. Notice a trend? Getting him to put on pants is like trying to keep sand in a bucket with holes in it – good luck!

The light was just beautiful and I love our backyard’s lawn. I’ll take a blanket out there and just chill out for a while. I highly recommend it!

Little goober. This look says, “Mom, really with that camera again??”

But then he’s okay because he’s just chillin’, drinking a Sunny-D, and making funny faces. That’s how he rolls.

Hope your day was (is) fantastic!

Recent Layouts

2011-05-15T19:00:00.001-07:00

I have recently had some bursts of creative energy and so I’ve gotten a few digital scrapbooking pages done and wanted to share them!

Layout by Laurel Lakey uses Blessed Be Collection Biggie, ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Mega Lift II Circular, Serendipity Collection Biggie, ScrapSimple Digital Layout Album Templates: 12x12 Life Everyday, and Tres Bon Ami Collection.

Layout by Laurel Lakey uses So Elementary Collection Biggie, Dynamic Brush Set: Paper Piercing 8201, Ragamuffin Collection Biggie , ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Retro Frames, and ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Doilies.

Layout by Laurel Lakey uses Jiffy Easy Page Album: 12x12 Fleur Moderne, Fleur Moderne Solids Paper Mini, Fleur Moderne Collection Biggie and ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Bows to Go II.

Layout by Laurel Lakey uses Life Detailed Alpha Biggie, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Notebook Journal Mats, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Bokeh 6401, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Photo Masks - Winter Magic, Dynamic Brush Set: Bead Spills and Sequins 6301, ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Ribbon Initials, Sun Kissed Collection Biggie and ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Velvet Ribbon.

Layout by Laurel Lakey uses Brush Set: Junk in the Trunk, and Here Comes the Sun Collection Biggie.

Layout by Laurel Lakey uses Being With You Collection Biggie, You Are Collection Biggie, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Vintage Engravings, ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Artistic Paper 8201, Dynamic Brush Set: Unusual Stitching, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: 12x12 Damask, Defining Moments Collection Biggie, Juliet Collection Mini, Souvenir Collection and Rusty Treasures Collection.

I’m so glad I’ve had this burst of creative energy – some of those layouts were started more than a year ago! It feels good to get them finished and ready to print. I’ve got a credit for a photo book that I have to put together tonight in time for a deadline (dang procrastinator blood in me!) so I’ve been glad to get some of these finished up and ready to print. I can’t wait to see what they’ll look like in a bound book. That’s something I’ve never done before.

Oh, and can you tell the running theme that these layouts have in common? I guess I’m not one for a ton of color! I think I like to keep things generally neutral with a pop of color here and there. If I could transform my house into those types of colors overnight, I’d love it!

On a separate note, I’m really excited to get to see one of my bestest friends tomorrow and her adorable little baby LC! I can’t wait, we’ve got some major catching up to do!

Good, good friends

2011-05-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Well this post is a little overdue, but I’ll put it up anyway!

I have a wonderful friend named Tracy whom I love dearly and I don’t see nearly often enough. Luckily, we got to get together for our birthdays and celebrate a fun-filled day at the Irvine Regional Park. It was my first time there, and I couldn’t believe how much it reminded me of being back home in Texas! The trees were so similar to those in the Hill Country and the day was warm and clear – just a perfect experience.

We started the day at the small zoo they have there, and saw lots of fun animals (including our own crazy kiddos)!

We got to visit their great little petting zoo where this one deer was loving all the attention our boys gave it! It especially loved trying to ‘kiss’ the boys, who would dissolve into a fit of giggles as the deer surprised them. So funny to watch.

And this sweet little girl was having a blast! She’s going to be the princess with two older brothers to take care of her. :)

After the zoo and some lunch, the boys found a great climbing tree and had a great rest of the afternoon just being boys – climbing, running, exploring, building forts, and hanging out together. It was so fun to get to watch them together, we sure miss our friends when we’re far away!

And don’t ask me what E’s face is doing here. He’s got his own ideas on what to do when the cameras come out, and none of them have anything to do with looking normal, ha!

Thanks for the absolutely wonderful day of fun, Tracy and kids! We have to do that again real soon.

PS: A disc of these images is coming your way soon! :)

Random Things

2011-05-13T07:28:00.000-07:00

I’m currently reading the Count of Monte Cristo on my Android, through a free Kindle

app. It’s pretty sweet – and while I think I’ll be reading it for about ten years (it’s the unabridged version), it’s definitely worth it. I mean, I’ve seen the James Caviezel, movie and loved it (heck, I even own it and watch it here and there), but I knew it would be awesome to read the real deal.

What’s best about it is all the language and how the descriptions of things are put together. I will be the first to admit that I am no writer. I struggle with the sound of my writing voice because I don’t want it to be too simple and conversational, but I also don’t want to start using huge words all over the place and sound really snooty.

But there’s just something about reading (or listening to) this old English that makes you feel so precise and proper. I really do love it, especially since it takes me out of my jeans and T-shirt living and momentarily transports me to another place and time. I’ll take it.

Also, I wanted to show you our newest FREE collection over at Scrap Girls!

The designers have been hard at work with a new collection for you to try out – especially if you’ve always wanted to see what digital scrapbooking is all about but don’t want to invest in it just yet. (But be forewarned, once you catch the digital scrapbooking bug, you won’t want to stop!)

And of course, if you have any questions about your software, the files, how you even get started, you can let me know. I am pretty confident in my ability to answer. ;)

Or, you can also check out this FREE guide to beginning digital scrapbooking. It’s got a ton of great information.

And last, but not least, I wanted to share some fun news! E had his big kindergarten assessment yesterday and he passed it with flying colors! The teachers were really impressed with his speed reading skills and I have to confess, I had a proud Mama moment. I mean, it’s one thing to have a child who you know is pretty smart, but when others are just amazed by him, then it becomes a little more real. Of course, I can’t really take much credit for it since his brain is basically wired that way and he came to us already super smart. But I am still extremely proud of him and excited for his new adventure (and mine! 5 days a week!).

We can’t wait to start kindergarten in the fall!

Challenge #25–A photo that makes me happy

2011-05-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know it seems like I’ve forgotten about this blog challenge thing. I haven’t really, it’s just been a bit busy around here and April for some reason was not the best month for me mentally and I’m just now starting to feel better about life in general. Don’t get me wrong – so many amazing things happened in April – it’s just that I think I am still suffering from some minor depression and those amazing things ended up being distractions that only kept my attention for so long before I was back into depression mode. Which is never a good place to be.

So lately I’ve been trying to get out of there, doing more around the house so that I don’t feel like such a loser and starting to try and get back on top of work and church responsibilities again. It’s hard because sometimes I feel as though I don’t have control over when I feel horrible and when I feel great. It’s like these waves that crash over me and sometimes they’re awesome ones and I’m full of energy and enthusiasm for life, and then other times they’re crushing me into the abyss and I feel terrible about myself, about the way I’m doing things, and it’s dark and scary and feels like I’ll never be happy again.

And while I know it feels that way, I also know in my brain that there are things I can do to help redirect the waves. So I’m trying to do more of those things, like keeping the dishes up to speed and doing laundry and finishing cute projects that I love and just getting things done. Slowly but surely, I know things will be better. I’m holding on until they are.

Whew. That’s a lot to unload to a casual blog audience. We’ll see if I even keep that in the final draft of the post. Bear with me, k?

So anyways, I’ve got a little bit of time here to catch up on the blog challenge. So here’s to #25 – A photo of something that makes me happy!

This is a photo from the Watkins Family Hour concert -- my dream came true and Chris Thile joined Sara and Sean Watkins onstage and I got to see Nickel Creek perform LIVE in concert! That was something on my life’s bucket list and I’m SO SO SO happy I got to see them. Seriously, it was the best night ever. They’re such GOOD musicians. Gah, I just love good, live music.