April 12 and a few scrapbook pages (photo heavy)

These are a bit out of order this month, but here's a look at our day.
1. Filling out the final paperwork for Jack's preschool next year.
2. Last photo of the day, picking up Morgan at 8:30. The one thing I love about her gym is they work hard, but they give the girls time for socialization and play (probably the biggest factor Morgan stays with the sport).
3. Already thinking about growing her hair long again.
4. Yet another rainy day. Morgan I'm sure would share, but it would so uncool to be under an umbrella with your sister.
5. Jack heard Chris' car pull up and ran out to say hi.
6. A glare...smiling for pictures is another uncool thing to do. Do you see a pattern here?
7. Used Jack's naptime to finish up some scrapbook layouts. I really never am able to work for more than 2 hours at a time and never can finish an entire layout, but I'd say I'm doing about 8 to 10 layouts a month. I'm pretty current on my pictures.
8. I wish I had photographed the inside of that bowl, it was filled to the brim with cereal. That's just the after school snack.
9. Just a few books to be read around here. Morgan loves the Princess Diaries series. The other two were recommended to me, hopefully they draw me in fast, I don't have interest in slow books.
10. Morgan doing her homework. I think I can officially say "fifth-graditis" has hit and it's been such a struggle to keep her focused.
11. Ahh, the Thomas trains. Such a daily part of Jack's life. He plays at the train table or over on the ottoman. He recently has gotten a few new ones, so the trains become longer and longer, but everyday he asks about getting a new one, pounding his chest and saying "for me, for me".
12. Sick little boy with a cold that turned into a pretty bad cough. After playing for a bit, he'd just run over to me and snuggle.

Sometimes, the pictures/stories that I share here become scrapbook pages. Here's a couple recent ones.
Locks of Love


and here's one that uses the picture that I turned into a canvas print:



Other times, I mean to, but don't get around to sharing some favorite moments.
Like our visit to Daffodil Hill, which has become an annual tradition.


or Chris and Morgan's last Indian Princess Father Daughter Dance:


or one of the layouts with some of the gazillion soccer pictures:


and this one was a bit different for me, but it's all about Morgan missing Outdoor Ed this past fall.



Anyway, there's a sampling of some of my latest pages. I've got several that I'm working on, but you can expect a few pink layouts in the not so distant future. Afterall, 300 pictures of one baby girl is a very inspiring prospect.

Jack, You've Been Duly Served

After three kids, I have finally mastered the art of buying diapers for a bargain price. And as you can see from the picture, I tend to be an overachiever. But I do have a bit of a dilemma.

As much as I'm enjoying Jack and going through all these stages and phases one last time, I'm not going to be sorry to say goodbye to diapers. He's 2 1/2, shows not the slightest interest in potty training, and cannot be coaxed by the Cars underpants I've bought. So I continue to stockpile.

Today I came home with two more packs and I realized that Jack might not be the only one who is ambivalent toward potty training. So being the older and wiser of the two, I'm making it known that when this stack runs out, we will begin. By my calculations I have approximately 496 diapers left and if we use about 5 per day, it looks like we've got about 99 days before Pee-day commences.

(Of course, if any really great deals come up....)

Slippery Slope

I started scrapbooking about 14 years ago this month. I happened upon a friend's Creative Memories album, signed up for my first class and never looked back. I had a new baby, so pictures aplenty and loads and loads of stickers and brightly colored markers. And when I look back through Garrett's first album, I cringe. I know I should be looking at the cute baby pictures, but I notice the ugly papers, the odd shape the photos were cut in and loads of other scrap disasters.

I've read several well known scrappers' opinion on this matter and all say that your scrapping style will evolve and it's best to leave those pages as they are to represent where your skills were at that particular time.

But. I. can't.

I have made a deal with myself. When I finally get a handle on my current projects, I'm going to go back and redo his first album.

Morgan's album is another story. While it won't be winning any blue ribbons at the scrapbooking fair, it's good. It's nice. It isn't painful to look through. I can leave it be.

But I bought this scrapbooking paper and I kept thinking about how perfect it would have been for this one layout in Morgan's book. I pushed that thought aside as I looked at the stacks of pictures in my to-do pile. But oh how it nagged at me. Like a dieter just walking by the bakery shop, I decided just to look at that layout, put my urge to rest by looking at a satisfactory layout. And so I looked.

There before my eyes were those god-awful Mrs. Grossman stickers.

Have I mentioned that I have no willpower when dieting? None.

Used a Page Maps sketch for this one.

Positively Perfect

A week ago, I met the most perfect little girl. She's just a tiny little thing, but instantly had hold of my heart.




I also spent time with two wonderful parents. Ummm, can you tell they don't like her one bit? (kidding)




I feel so fortunate that I was able to spend time with this new family just a week after she was born. It was a great feeling seeing my sister experience motherhood for the first time, to see two parents work in sync so well, and to play the role of big sister and just be there to help out a bit. I know the whole family can't wait to meet Arianna, but as you can tell, she's positively perfect.

RIP Trampoline

Last weekend we disassembled the trampoline and took it to the dump. When we moved here we asked the kids if they wanted a play structure or a trampoline. Trampoline was the decisive winner. We've had so much fun, it was a place to burn some after school energy, Morgan learned to do her back handspring on it, and Jack's been jumping on it since he could walk. It's served us well for 7 years.

But the poles were leaning, the padding has become nesting material for birds, and the net no longer seems safe. We are probably the only family we know who hasn't had to take a trip to the ER for some injury on it so we decided to quit while ahead.
**I promise despite appearances, no injuries occurred during the video as well.



Any guesses what will be replacing the trampoline?

It's Good To Be Morgan's Teacher

I'm just saying.



Her teacher's waistline may be expanding, but she's pregnant so don't blame it on me!

If you've seen this blog then mine are pretty embarrassing in comparison. If you haven't, then I have one word for you,


These are cakepops. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of them unwrapped because I forgot this morning and I was working too late in the evening. Don't let the short list of ingredients fool you, you need a good chunk of time and patience. But let me just say these will be gobbled down fast!!

12 on the 12th

Well Friday the 12th was a wet and dreary day, but we woke up to sunshine on Saturday and it's been nothing but blue skies. Just gorgeous.



So here's a look at our day.
1. It was one of those days with lots of running around. Jack got a bit of a break later in the day, but I felt like spent a good part of the day in the car. 8:00 drop off Garrett and Morgan at school. 10:00 leave for playgroup only for the rain to start coming down. Head to the grocery store instead. 12:30 pick up Morgan from school. 3:03 pic up Garrett from school. 3:30 drop off Morgan at gymnastics. 7:30 pick up Morgan from gymnastics.
2. As you can tell from picture 1 to picture 2 Jack fell asleep on the 1 mile drive to pick up Morgan. They had a minimum day today.
3. This is my drive back to pick up Garrett who would rather wait in the rain than bring an umbrella. So uncool!
4. Chris working part of the day from home. Him being there allowed me to do some of the driving without Jack or you could imagine what kind of day he would have had.
5. Jack LOVES the rain! Can't you tell.
6. Morgan's gym performed at a college meet last week and they were practicing for an upcoming performance.
7. Just a note, when I picked her up (without my camera) Morgan was very excited because she had gotten her flyaway off the bars. This and her round off back handspring back tuck were the two skills she needed to move up to level 6. She was so proud especially considering she's only been without a cast for a month.
8. Even though it didn't feel like spring, I pulled out some Easter decorations including this new table runner. I just love this design.
9. And here's a little craft/decor, the vase is filled with daffodils but the outside is surrounded with Peeps.
10. More weightlifting for Garrett. He's up to 90 pounds.
11. Jack is Mr. Snuggly with me lately. If I get a chance to sit, he is either by my side or my likely in my lap.
12. Just another picture. Those rainboots are on backwards, but he did it himself. Just the amount of things Jack is doing by himself makes me appreciate that he still cuddles in my lap. He's 2 1/2 and getting to be such a big boy.

But wait! There's more :)

Here's a better picture of my daffodil vase.


But wait! There's more :)

This arrived this week. I realize it's plain, but I can't tell you how much I love it. Inside this book are all the collages and the journaling that I've shared each month about our life on the 12th. The quote I used on the back sums it up best, "It's the little things that make the big things possible."



But wait! There's more :)
Don't you wish you had this much energy?



That's all for tonight!