Some Lake Pictures

Here are the pictures I promised. By the way, last night, while I was looking at the pictures, I figured out how Meagan's armpits got burned. She had on floaty wings all day, and I noticed in all the pictures that she was holding her arms out to the sides a bit...all day. I think the sun reflected off the water and hit her under the arms. I guess I should have sprayed sun screen under her arms... who knew?!

As you can see, Sebastian spent a LOT of his time digging for shells and interesting stones. He was so focused all day, even passing up a water balloon game so he could keep searching. Meagan and Isaac helped look on occassion, but mostly they splashed in the water.

***

A Day at the Lake

We were up bright and early this morning to get ready for a trip to the lake. We met a group of people at the church, and all headed to a lake about an hour from here to spend the day, have a picnic, and hang out. It was a great day! The beach was almost empty, the water was shallow and pretty warm, and the weather was perfect! It was a nearly perfect day.... only a few minor exceptions, not the least of which is that somehow Meagan actually managed to get a sunburn on her armpits...??? Who knows! (I'll try to post pictures tomorrow when I won't mess Lucas up if I upload... he's playing online right now, and when I upload his game lags & he usually ends up getting shot *LOL*)

Stuffed Peppers Recipe

At the request of Kelly, one of my online buds, here is the recipe I used for the stuffed peppers. I'm sure any variation of the ingredients will work just fine. I just happen to be a short-cutter due to my lack of love for cooking, so I just make stuff up! (*LOL*) 3 medium/large green peppers - I cut them in half, then cored them... this actually left a hole in the bottom of each 1/2 pepper. At first I was concerned, but it actually worked out just fine, so I can give no reason to make it more complicated... anyway, (as simple math dictates) this made 6 stuffed peppers. 1 lb ground sausage - I used Italian seasoned sausage, but I'm sure any flavor, or probably even ground beef or ground turkey, would do just fine. I chopped up just a bit of onion, threw it in with the sausage & browned it. 1 package of Rice a Roni Natural Long Grain Wild Rice - While the sausage was browning, I slightly under-prepared the rice in a microwave dish. I think the instructions said 21-25 minutes...I did about 20. Still some water left, and the rice was al dente. When the microwaved beeped, I dumped the rice, water & all, into the browned sausage. 1 jar of pizza sauce - I used pizza sauce simply because I had opened a jar earlier today for Isaac to dip a pretzel in. I figured I may as well finish using it. It was probably around 10 oz. I'm sure any version of tomato sauce/marinara would be fine. Anyway, I just dumped the sauce into the skillet, and mixed it up with the sausage & rice. Shredded Mozzarella cheese - I put about 1 cup into the sausage mix and saved the rest to go on top of the peppers. At this point, the 6 pepper bowls were sitting in the baking dish. Next steps:

• Scoop the sausage mix into the peppers.


• Top with the rest of the cheese (about 1 cup)


• Pour ~ 1/8 - 1/4 cup of water in the bottom of the baking dish


• Cover with Foil


• Bake at 400 for 40-45 minutes


• Remove the foil and bake ~ 5 minutes longer to brown the cheese

There was lots of liquid in the bottom of the dish, but it didn't affect the meal at all... I think it just helped to steam the peppers thoroughly, actually. And the best part about the whole thing was that I had 45 minutes of baking time to play on the computer!! :)

** Using the Rice-a-roni and pizza sauce, 1 pepper = 20 carbs, for anyone who might need that info. **

I wasn't expecting that!

Tonight for dinner, I got brave and made stuffed green peppers. This is a meal that I have always liked, ever since Nancy made them when I was little. However, for fear of dinner-time backlash, I have, until now, avoided making them. I figured, since I get complaints from mac & cheese and chicken fingers, there would be quite the uproar about a meal of green pepper, tomato sauce, sausage and rice.

All I can say is, maybe it was all in my sales pitch? When the kids came in from playing outside, they, like always, came straight over to the stove to inspect the soon-to-be-eaten meal. "What's that?!" was Isaac's response. Hmmm... choose your words carefully, I thought to myself. "Well, it's like a green pepper with sausage pizza stuffed inside... it has sausage and pizza sauce and cheese... and just a little bit of rice to make it stick together."

"Oh." was the only response.

We sat down and started eating. I braced myself. Much to my surprise, however, I was greeted with, "Mmmm... it kind of does taste like pizza.... this is kind of good.... can I have more?" Music to my ears! I must say that stuffed peppers was not the meal I was expecting to bring such responses, but I'll take it!! Sa-weeeet!

Too Bad...

After dinner tonight, Meagan went outside to play while I cleaned up the kitchen. I peeked out a few times, and each time she was in the middle of make-believe. One time she was playing school, and she was the preschool teacher. One time it looked like she was walking through a jungle or something...I didn't interrupt her to ask. So I was surprised when the door opened up, and she came walking into the kitchen.

"Mommy, our sunflower that was used to be bright and shiny is dead." I turned around to find her carrying a handful of dead, dried out roots and grass blades (not a sunflower in actuality, but to her just about every flower is a sunflower). She took it over to the trash can and, sadly, placed the lump of dirt into the bin. "Too bad, huh?" she said in a sad, tiny little voice. "I guess it just ran out of oxygen. It's really too bad when that happens."

Shout Out!

So I just gotta give a big giant THANK YOU shout out to the ladies who have recently invited me to be a part of their creative teams... Shannon (Shanmomto4), Sandrine (Cardamom), and Krystal (Krystal Hartley). Thank you so much!!

As you can see, I have just finished updating my blog a bit... I was ready for a new look and wanted to try something different. Oh, the possibilities.... !! Anyway, if you want to check out the amazing designs of any of 'my' designers (hehehe!), their stores are all linked at the top right. Good stuff! I am such a lucky duck!!

I Wanna Be a Rock Star

Lately, Meagan has been asking me quite often, "Momma, do I look like a rock star?" Today, however, I was honestly able to say "Yes." She put this outfit together herself... from the pink pants & baby doll shirt to the shiny slippers to the pink bracelet at her elbow to the pink diva army hat. Love it! How could I resist a quick photo shoot? (Believe it or not, I did not direct this much... I just said, Meg, stand by the window & pull your hat down a bit.)

Sale today only

The Plan for Today

Well, so far, we have picked up the upstairs, stripped and remade kids' beds, cleaned up the living room, and done a few loads of laundry. I think while lunch is going, I might run the vacuum. Our last bit of cleaning for today will be to clean out the van after lunch - meaning just take out the toys and the trash that don't belong - before we get ready to leave for an afternoon of school clothes shopping! The kids are excited about the prospect of fresh new clothes, and new backpacks. I think we may wait until a little closer to school time to do shoes, unless I find a really good deal today. They have a tendency to basically destroy footwear!

So that's the plan for the day. Have a somewhat cleaned-up house, a non-trashed van, and get new stuff for school. I like it!

love

I have always adored these pictures of Sebastian and Meagan right after she was born. He has, right from the start, been so loving and affectionate toward her. Even now, very rarely can she do anything wrong in his eyes.


I tried once a while ago to scrap these photos with paper supplies. It was okay, but I wasn't thrilled with the results. When I saw this new kit, Blessed, by Sahlin Studio, I thought of these again right away, and thought I'd given them another try. I definitely like the results of the digital attempt better than the paper one.

Journaling: From the moment Sebastian laid eyes on Meagan, he was captivated. He spent every waking moment pouring out his attention on her - snuggling her, talking to her, sharing his toys with her, or just watching her be. Their relationship is sweet.

Girly Layouts

I have 2 new layouts of Meagan to post. Funny, both of them have pictures of her taken while we were rollin' down the road. I didn't do that on purpose... I just noticed it afterward.

This first layout was made using a new kit by Purple Colourz, as well as a few things from other kits - all available at Funky Playground. I did this layout for a challenge, the concept being to do a non-12x12 layout on a bright white background, so that when it's viewed, it looks like something other than 12x12. Interesting... I had not done anything like that before, but I kind of like the way it turned out. I just might try that again some time.

The journaling reads: *Pink Pink Pink EVERYTHING! *dresses & skirts every day *make up and polished nails *fancy shoes in every style & color *matching accessories and jewelry ~So Girly

This second layout was also made using FPD goodies... this time mostly a new kit by Miss Tiina called Cassidy. Very 80's retro! I love it!

The journaling is just some of the funny conversations Meagan and I have had in the van - like the one about wanting a baby sister so she could get a bunk bed, or the one where she called her Leapster a hamster. She is just such a character! I love our talks!

Pre-Team?!

This week the boys each did a trial class of gymnastics at the same gym where Meagan is taking classes. Isaac's class was on Tuesday. Sebastian's was on Thursday. And, as always, Meagan's was on Wednesday. So, yes, we were at the gym for 3 days in a row.

Isaac's class went well. He did great! He staid focused, he listened, he tried new things, and he did pretty well at it. I was really proud of him. Afterwards, the coach approached me and said that Isaac had done really well, and he would love to see him in the program - that he has a lot of skill and he thinks he could really do well. Isaac's feedback was that he really really liked it, and he wanted to sign up right NOW!! I told him we would wait until after Sebastian's Thursday class and sign everyone up at once.

While we were there Tuesday for Isaac's class, Meagan's coach approached me and mentioned to me that she thinks Meagan is getting to the place where she is "doing circles around the other kids." She told me she has a lot of talent and "crazy potential." She mentioned that in September they are doing an invitational class that is for younger kids who are too young for team but need more of a challenge then the average toddler class.

Sheesh!

So then comes Thursday - Sebastian's class. He did great. Got right in there, picked up on things really quickly, and just all-around hung with everyone in his class. I could see he was doing well, but I was also talking to a friend of mine who was there, so I wasn't really watching with much scrutiny. At the end of the class, I asked Sebastian how he liked it... trying to get a feel for whether it was something he was interested in, and did I need to sign him up for a class. He was BEAMING! He was so excited! He just about talked my ear off about how much fun it was and all the new things he had tried. Okay okay, I get it! We'll put you in a class.

So, I found Sebastian's coach to ask him his thoughts... just, generally speaking, was this class a good fit for Sebastian, etc. etc. I was pretty much expecting him to say, yes he did fine, blah blah. I was taken completely off guard when he said to me, "He did great! And actually, I think he would be a better fit on team." Honestly, I think I didn't even make a response. But I must have made a funny face, because he followed that up with, "or pre-team at the very least, if you're not sure about team yet."

Okay. Not at all what I was expecting to hear. My head had not even for a moment processed that as a possibility. I talked to the coach for a few more minutes. He explained to me why he thought Sebastian should be moved up, then asked me my thoughts. I told him I would think about it, but that at the very least, Sebastian would be back for next Thursday's class.

After talking to Sebastian about it, and then to Lucas, and then to the lady at the reception desk (who, in great detail spelled out the financial and time-commitment aspects of pre-team and team... eeek!), and then thinking on it, and talking about it some more, we have decided to give it a try. So, Tuesday is Sebastian's first pre-team practice. He will practice on Tuesday & Thursday. Isaac will practice on Tuesday (after Sebastian), and Meagan on Wednesday. I have a feeling I'm going to become more familiar with the gym than I had ever imagined in a very short time! But, if this is something Sebastian is excited about and wants to commit to, at least for now, then we'll go with it.

Jet

Sebastian's Lego jet that he built. He is so good at Lego's, it really blows my mind sometimes the things he comes up with.

Journaling: You are always building & creating new ships & machines with your legos. You definitely have a gift, and you enjoy it so much! This jet was one of your biggest challenges yet, but so fun!

Credits: This is my first layout as a member of the creative team for Shannon (aka...Shanmomto4). I used her latest kit, Zoom Zoom. You should definitely check out her shops: ahhh scraps & Scrapable. She has some adorable stuff! I'll be updating my blog soon to include a link to at least one of her shops.

Wishing Fountain

I did this layout for the Lilypad Blog Challenge. This is a scraplift of a gorgeous layout by Dunia. Here's her layout that I used for inspiration. These pictures are from our July trip to Meijer Garden. The journaling reads: 'our first stop at Meijer Garden was the fountain garden. i love that wishing fountains still hold an element of mystery & enchantment for you! - 7/3/09'

Oh Dreaded Day! :)

Today is the day that Sebastian has been dreading since the day Isaac was born. Today, Isaac is better - not just a little better, but a lot better - at something that Sebastian is. And to make matters worse, it's a Pokemon thing that Isaac is better at. Ouch. That hurts a boy!

After lunch, as I was just finishing up with kitchen clean-up, Isaac came inside looking all sad and down and said Sebastian was mad at him. So I called Sebastian in to see what was going on. Sebastian did his very very best 8-year-old impression of nonchalant, and he said, "Well, I just don't know how Isaac is already on place 3 in Pokemon and I'm still only on place 1. I just think it's kind of funny. I don't know how he is doing it." So I asked him if he thought Isaac was cheating and that's what he was upset about. "No, he's not cheating." I asked him if he was actually even mad at Isaac. "No, not mad really. I just don't know how he is doing that much better than me."

Yep. That's a tough one to take. Being outdone by little brother. I have a feeling, as they each discover what they're good at, what their gifts are, and as Isaac comes more and more into his own things instead of holding himself in Sebastian's shadow, there will be many more instances when Isaac excels at something Sebastian does not, and v/v. Only, when Sebastian does better, Isaac accepts it, because Sebastian, until today, has always done better, run faster, scored higher, known more - simply because he is older. Looks like Sebastian will have to learn to let his pride down a bit and learn to be happy for his brother. If he doesn't figure out how to do that, it could be a long 10 years ahead of them!

When I grow up...

Yesterday in the van on the way home from preschool, the kids started talking about what they would like to be when they grow up. Isaac chose animal doctor, and hunter (slightly contradictory, I know), and army man. Sebastian thought a zoo keeper would be good, or maybe a designer or a writer. Meagan's choices, also an animal doctor (which made Isaac mad, because he, of course, believed she was copying him), an art teacher who teaches little kids how to do art projects, and.... the one she was most adamant about... a TEENAGER, like Sebastian is (her words, not mine) so she won't have to sit in a booster seat in the van anymore.

Yup, the girl dreams big!

I did a layout last night to document this conversation. She is such a goof!

The Latest and Greatest in Bedtime Stall Tactics

After 8 years and one month of parenting, I am amazed that we still have moments where we think, 'That was new.' Tonight we had one of those moments.

Lucas and I were sitting down in the living room watching a special episode of Deadliest Catch when we heard little footsteps on the stairs. It was Meagan, out of bed and on her way down the stairs for the third time tonight. Before she hit the midway point, I called out to her to go back to bed. 'But Momma, I have a rhyme for you,' was her reply, and she came the rest of the way down to the living room. She came over to the couch and said, "Mommy, do deactivate and accelerate rhyme?'

'Deactivate and accelerate?' I repeat, I confess, a little dumbfounded. 'Yes, they rhyme.'

She made a victory fist and said, 'Yes! I knew it!' And then, with a little prompting, went back to bed.

That was random. Definitely the latest and greatest in bedtime stall tactics - at least it was one we have never seen before!

Fly With Me

A few pictures from Cedar Point last year. Lucas and Sebastian, Isaac and I rode on the Troika... I confess, it's still one of my favorite rides there... it's so relaxing, and perfect after a long day of walking around! Sebastian was willing to hop on right away. Isaac was a bit unsure, but he agreed. I think they both really enjoyed it in the end!


I love the picture of Lucas and Sebastian (although you can only see Bas's arm sticking up) with the ferris wheel in the background. So cool looking!


I used lots of goodies from Sahlin Studios - some new alphas she has out, and her Enjoy the Moment kit, plus a few other odds and ends.

Science Central

Yesterday we took a family day trip to Science Central in Ft. Wayne. As soon as we got there, we heard an announcement that they were getting ready to start a demonstration on electricity, so we headed there to see what they would do. Meagan and Sebastian volunteered and ended up helping with illustration.

When that was over, we went out into the main area, and the kids started playing with all the exhibits. That soon lead to scaling the wall and crawling through the sewer (which they did several times over, to the point where we finally had to tell them it was time to do something else).

We learned about everything from magnets to light to color spectrum to the physics of skateboarding. We had a water fight (with water guns that were contained in a box, so we hit each other in the face but no one ever got wet...my kind of water fight!). We laughed histerically in the fun house mirrors!

We stayed for about 3 hours, maybe a little longer. That was about all their attention spans could take. Sebastian and Lucas could have stayed forever I think, but Isaac & Meagan were fading...probably could have kept them going if we would have gone back to the center for kids 7 & under, but it was almost closing time by then, and I was feeling ready to go too. So we headed back to Grandma & Grandpa's to get ready for dinner. It was a good day, and something new and different.

DS Love

A layout of Meagan that I finished last night. Meagan playing DS. Journaling reads: 'one day while the boys were in school, you took advantage of the opportunity to have the DS all to yourself. you made a hide-out behind the recliner, equipped with your Dora couch, pillows, and a blanket ceiling, and you snuggled up for some quality time playing Tinkerbell. It's so funny to me to see you play these games at the age of three.'

Mohawk Remorse

Yesterday when we left for our date (dinner and a movie), the boys were excited about their new hair cuts. This morning at breakfast, I got a glimpse of a different story when Isaac said, "Mom, I don't want to go to church like this." It progressed into something worse when, just when we needed to leave, Sebastian was slow to come down stairs because he was in tears. When I asked him what was wrong, he said, "I want different hair."

Hmmm...

We went to church...with mohawks...because there was not time to do anything else. Plus, Lucas and I - although it was much harder on me than on him - both thought there were a few things they could learn from this experience. Like 1) when you make impulsive decisions one day, you have to live with them the next.... or 2) Life is full of trying things - some work out, some don't - and we have to learn to respond to both... or 3) Your appearance doesn't determine who you are... and on and on. (We did actually talk about a few of these things through the course of the day, so I'm not just delusional that my 6 & 8 year old's would pull these lessons out of the sky.)

So anyway, after dinner, Lucas buzzed Sebastian's hair. Now he has some super-short hair, but he is mohawkless. (The funny thing is that Isaac had thought about buzzing his off too, but after he saw how short Sebastian's hair turned out, he opted to keep the 'hawk. LOL). The good news is, their hair grows faster than the weeds in my flower bed, so it shouldn't take long before we can work them back toward hair cuts their more comfortable with.

I think this may be our last mohawk experience. That would be okay with me.

Water Fight

These pictures are from the weekend of Sebastian's birthday party. The boys (although mostly Isaac) and Lucas and Shane got in a big shoot-out in the pool. It was totally unfair, though, because the big boys were using giant pool noodles and the water jet in the pool... the little boys got squirt guns. Needless to say, the big boys won, but they all had fun!

Mohawk Madness

Yep... no kidding. This is what they wanted... It was initially Isaac's idea, but after Sebastian saw Isaac's he wanted one too. I figure if they want mohawks, summer is the time to do it!

Dare to Fly

I did this layout last night while I watched a dinosaur show with the kids. The layout itself only took about 20 minutes, but extracting Meagan and the swing from the rest of the photograph took a bit of time. I used a new kit by Sahlin Studios and Britt-ish Designs called Land of Fantasy. Such a cute kit! This picture of Meagan was taken September 2008.

She was looking at the layout with me earlier today. I asked her if she liked it, and her response was, "A little bit. I don't like it a lot, but I like it a little bit." When I asked her why she didn't like it, she said, "Because I'm not wearing shoes, and my purple pants don't even match my shirt. I don't like that. But the rest is good." I got a laugh out of that!

I want to scream ... or cry!!!

Aaaahh! I am not liking this day so far... not because it's been a bad day... the kids are listening fairly well, no major arguments, nothing like that... I just keep doing dumb stuff that makes me feel like screaming!!! For example, I tried to delete a group of shows that I had recorded on our DVR - 20 episodes of the same program recorded. Well, I selected what I thought was the whole group and hit delete...'do you want to delete the group?.... yes... please wait while your programs are deleted... It was during the 'waiting' that I realized it was deleting a little more than just the 20 episodes - it deleted every recording we had! Literally, my eyes welled up with tears. Not that we had anything spectacular recorded... just that I feel like I keep doing irreversible stupid stuff lately. And all I could think was, I don't even have anyone here to cry to... I need a visitor (like anyone really wants to come visit so they can listen to me cry about my DVR, right?).

I guess the truth of the matter is, it's done. It can't be undone (I actually called Dish network and asked...nope). Move on. Blah. Honestly, part of me still feels like crying about it, but the other part of me says, what good would it do. Hopefully I have more luck with the bathrooms and laundry. Wish me luck.

...

This was my conversation with Meagan the other day...

Meagan: "Mommy, I really want a baby sister. I think you have a baby in your tummy."
Me: "No, honey, Mommy does not have a baby in her tummy."
her: "But I want you to have a baby in your tummy."
me: "But I don't."
her: "Well then Daddy has a baby in his tummy."
me: "No. Only mommy's can have babies. Daddy's can't have babies."
her: "Oh....well....I guess you'll just have to do it."
me: "No, I don't think I am going to have any more babies in my tummy."
her: "But I REALLY want a sister!!"
me: "Why do you REALLY want a sister?"
her: "Because I want a bunk bed so I can sleep on the top and the baby sister can sleep on the bottom."

So that's what this is about? All that for a bunk bed? Really? I'm thinking it would be way easier - and cheaper - to just buy the kid a loft and be done with it!! :) She is too funny!

Pictures

Okay, I know I've been torturing the Grandparents by not posting pictures for so long. I'm about to remedy that. These pictures are from our trip to the Garden Friday (the 3rd).

I also took a few pictures at the zoo today, but hardly any actually. I just wasn't in the mood to mess with it (no I'm not sick, lol)... plus, the battery was getting low, so I had to be choosy about what pictures I took.

The zoo was fun for the kids, but I thought it was a little disappointing. The exhibits were either under repair, or needed to be under repair. The bird and reptile house smelled AWFUL, and I could hardly stand it long enough to look at everything. But the kids didn't seem to mind, which is all that matters. Plus, we had ice cream cones for a snack while we were there. And they each got to pick something from the gift store. How can you complain about that, ya know? It was a good day all in all. They had fun, and I enjoyed being with them, regardless of the mess and the smell. LOL.

We all rested for a bit after we got home. Now it's time for me to start something for dinner (since I never got around to the whole crock pot thing earlier... the kids were too impatient to take off, so I figured I wouldn't mess with it).

It'll have to wait

I have lots of pictures to post from Friday's trip to the gardens...but they will have to wait! We are planning a trip to the zoo for today. More pictures to come, I would say... lol!

The kids are already dressed & ready... just waiting on me to get myself ready (and get dinner thrown in the crock pot). I guess we'll probably head out right after lunch and spend the afternoon there. Now the only thing to figure out is which zoo to go to.

4th

Well, again this year, we did next-to-nothing for the 4th. Maybe some year soon, there will be nothing eventful going on at the factory on the 4th of July weekend, and we will be able to get away for a bit... or at least make plans to go see local fireworks. Oh well. We still enjoyed ourselves just kicking back and relaxing.

Journaling: 'Since we've been together,the 4th of July has always meant trips to Urbana or the lake, fireworks, family & fun. Sadly, the last 2 years, we have gone nowhere, and done very little to celebrate because work has gotten in the way of traditions. We've had to just kick back & take it easy here at home. Traditions may be put on hold, but we still cherish our country & the 4th!'

Credits: American Spirit by Valorie Brown at Funky Playground Design

Feline Frenzy

Want an interesting afternoon experience? Take a cat to the vet - WITHOUT a carrier! Eeeek! Lilly had her annual check-up and vaccine appointment today. However, when I went to get her carrier, I could not find it anywhere. I am pretty sure I lent it to someone and just never got it back (I even went so far as to go up in the attic to find it...nada). So, with only 15 minutes to get to our appointment on time, my only option was to carry her. I actually considered a duffel bag, but couldn't decide if that was cruel or not. I decided not to chance it.

So, we loaded the kids in the van, tossed the cat in for good measure, and headed off. Let's just say that by the time we got to the vet's office, I was covered in cat hair (and she is usually not much of a shedder). She was FREAKED out! Poor thing. She went to every window she could find (and a mini-van has a lot of them) and cried. Seems no one would help her and rescue her from the crazy van.

You should have seen the funny look the receptionist gave me when I walked into the office. She even sort of scolded me for not having her in a carrier, saying that they've 'lost' cats before because they got away from the owners' hands. I didn't say anything, but I was thinking, 'Lady, it's not like this was my first choice...' Anyway.

As for Lilly, she checked out okay, other than she has some kind of periodontal disease or something. Apparently, she has lost a few teeth from it, which is the reason her tongue now hangs out of her mouth (there are no teeth there to stop it from flopping, I guess?). She has to be on an antibiotic for the next week, with a possibility of having to have her teeth professionally cleaned... um, we'll see about that. Do they make kitty dentures? Just checking.

Possibilities

I love seeing my daughter look through books and imagine the stories the pictures are telling (since she's only 4 and can't yet read, she often makes up her own stories). I have always been a big reader, and I love the possibilities that a book can bring.


This picture was taken the day of Sebastian's birthday party. I took about 10 of these pictures of Meagan just sitting and reading her book. I love them. I love the expressions on her face, and the lighting, and her cute little dress - everything. I got this idea for a layout, and, although I tried to be good and do responsible things, I just kept coming back to it and doing a little bit here & there. I finally finished it this afternoon during 'nap time.'





(There are lots of credits. If you are interested in what products I used, this link will take you to credits posted on the internet. )

4 New Pages

I've been a little bit of a slacker posting layouts as I finish them. I thought I would get caught up. I think I have 4 new pages since I last posted a layout.

This one is another layout I did for a friend of their pictures of their Spring Break trip to Florida this year. Again, I think I may end up swapping out photos and changing up the title a bit so that I can use this layout in my own album as well. Love that! I used a bunch of stuff by Sahlin Studios for this one.

I love this picture of Sebastian taken on his birthday. It just makes me smile. I can't help but look at him and see hope for a bright future. He has so much potential, and I know God has big dreams for him. The journaling reads: 'happy birthday sweet boy. eight years old today! what is it your heart wishes for? i wish for you a life of joy & passion, a life of love & selflessness. i wish to see you truly happy in whatever you do & to see you doing the very thing you were created for. you have such amazing potential. Never settle for less than your best & you will wake up one day to find you are right in the middle of all you have wished for.'

This layout was a quick one I threw together using a Sahlin Studios template. Just a few pictures of Meagan from a few weeks ago. As you can tell, she is climbing the tree in our back yard. The journaling reads: 'What a difference a year can make. Last year you could barely get yourself up on the low fork of the tree trunk. This year you're climbing and hanging from the branches.'

Finally, this layout I did for the latest digi dare. The dare is to scrap something chaotic about my life. The most chaotic part of my life, believe it or not, tends to take place in my own head. I just get so overwhelmed by all the details of daily life that sometimes I get paralyzed by it... you know, too much to do, so I do nothing. It has really been an ongoing struggle for me. The one thing that brings me back to center, clears my mind, and calms me is time with God. The journaling reads: 'My mind fills up with so many things - small things, big things, daily tasks & schedules - details of life. I struggle to keep my head clear, to keep it all straight. It's not long before the sense of being overwhelmed sets in, and I am once again in an inner storm. I am unable to calm this storm on my own. It is too big for me to manage. But You speak softly, and the storm subsides. The waves diminish and peace returns. I am left with nothing to do but thank You for Your faithfulness & grace. You are my peace and my joy.'

Up

Yesterday, my mom took the kids and I to see the movie Up. I went into the movie expecting nothing more than a fun afternoon with the kids. I must admit, I was unexpectedly impacted by this movie. I keep thinking about it - for many different reasons.

The first thing I noticed about it was that it was very beautifully done. The quality of the animation was wonderful. At times when the main character, Carl, was in his home, there was a sense of watching an old movie reel, with the flicker and glow that only an aged film can give. It evoked an unexpected emotion of familiarity and attachment, even longing.

And one of the coolest animation scenes I've ever seen was seeing the big bunch of colorful balloons against the bright blue sky. They did a great job with things such as the opacity of the balloons, the distortion of the color of overlapping balloons, etc. It was just cool, and more than once I felt the urge to gather up a big - make that enormous - bunch of balloons and float up to the clouds.

There were some very funny parts. In fact, it has been a while since I've laughed out loud at a movie as much as I did at this one. Maybe it's just because of where I am in life, and that I can appreciate the humor that the little boy's character brings to the movie. Maybe. Whatever the reason, I completely enjoyed a good belly laugh - more than once. Love that!

I think, though, the most unexpected element of the movie for me, though, was the emotions it pulled out. I felt the longing and the pain of the main character. I felt how weighed down he felt and how bitter he had become holding onto the past and to old dreams that had never been fulfilled. I felt the effort and the struggle he went through so as not to leave behind any of his past - he went through such pains to haul it all along with him. And I felt the heartbreak as he discovered a closing chapter of an old adventure book, and the possibility of all that could be written in a new book.

There were so many wonderful life lessons I hope my children were able to even remotely glimpse from watching this movie. Some of them, I've already touched on - not being paralyzed by your past, unable to move forward because you are unwilling to let go. Not being so rigid and set on one given idea that you fail to see the possibilities in altering the plan or taking a different route. The amazing potential in unexpected, unplanned, and even unwanted relationships. That life is an adventure, in both the major things and the little things, and that both the big and the small shape our experiences. That sometimes chapters come to a close, but life continues, and new chapters are written. And the fact that some of the greatest blessings and accomplishments come when we stop focusing on ourselves and look toward helping others.

It was a fun day with the kids, yes. But that movie really impacted me like few movies have. It made me think, and keep thinking, about life and the things that are really important, what is really worth dragging around and what is just extra baggage. If you haven't seen it, do. If nothing else, it's a light-hearted, feel-good hour and a half of your time. But I have a feeling, if you look, you may find more in it than you were expecting.

Measure of a Great Dress

In life we measure a lot of things, starting with measuring weight at birth, percentage of growth, height at yearly check-ups, and so on. We measure success. We measure happiness. But did you know you can measure a dress? Not measure it, as in dimensions, but rather in the sense of value-adding quality of the dress. Yes, it's true. Although we may forget it as we grow older, every little girl knows that the measure of a truly great dress all comes down to one factor - how far out it flies when the wearer spins in circles like a princess.

Today, Meagan has on one of the best dresses ever. It flies all the way straight out to the sides when she spins. It even has matching bloomers to go under it, so that the exceptional spinning doesn't reveal anything inappropriate. On the scale of dress measurement, this one is a 10, and she is one happy little girl.

Party 'til you drop!

Thank you all for your prayers. Sebastian felt much better on Friday and was able to enjoy himself on his birthday. He was still experiencing a bit of a headache, and was slightly down, but no fever, and generally feeling better.

For the most part on Friday, we hung around at Grandma and Grandpa's house and took it easy. The kids played, and rested, and just enjoyed being with family. We went to Bob Evan's for a birthday dinner - with Grandma & Grandpa, Shane & Tina. The kids each got an ice cream sundae for desert for a birthday treat.


After dinner, we went back to the house and let Sebastian open his family gifts.

Today was the party. Lucas grilled burgers and hot dogs, and lots of family came to hang out. I love big family events. I love having everyone together and catching up with people I hardly get to see. I love that my kids get to spend time and hang out with cousins and friends. It makes the travel way more than worth it!

After lunch, the kids swam for quite a while before we did the cupcakes and gifts and all that jazz. There were about 15 kids and 50 rafts/floaties in the pool at one point! Very funny watching them all! I think there was a constant flow of splashing from kids jumping in or falling off of rafts. There was definitely not a dry spot on the deck, but it was fun watching them!



Eventually, we took a break from swimming for cake and ice cream, gifts, and pinatas. There were two pinatas (1 for Sebastian and 1 for his cousin who has a birthday near his), so we split them up in a boys' line and a girls' line. The lines were pretty even, but the girls busted their pinata with basically one hit for each girl. On Meagan's second swing, all the candy came crashing to the ground. The girls hit the candy jackpot, and all went racing to the candy pile, while all the boys could do was watch (and wait for the girls to get out of the way). When the girls' pile was finally cleared out, we got back to the action for the boys, thinking they would have theirs busted in a few more hits... NOPE! They each took easily five or six turns (probably five or six boys). We even let the girls hop in and take a few swings each, since their pinata broke so quickly. Finally, after about 60 or so smacks, the thing broke. We all got quite a laugh out of the whole thing - definitely fun!

The only glitch in the whole day came after the party was over. Everyone else had gotten out of the pool (for the second round of swimming, after pinatas and such). At that point, only Isaac and Meagan were left in the pool, so I told them it was time to get out. I had already gotten out, gotten dressed in my regular clothes again, and was ready to get stuff cleaned up and put away. So, Meagan hopped out and headed down to the lower deck to dry off. Isaac was still in the pool, so I asked him to swim around and get the rest of the floats out for me before he got out. As he was handing me floaties, I was putting them in the net at the back of the deck.

He gave me a few bigger floats, so I took them to the back corner and took a few seconds to get them situated in the already-full net. When I turned back around to get another bunch from him, Meagan was back in the water - no floaties - in the middle of the pool - and going under! She was swimming and kicking with all her might, but she just wasn't able to stay above water. Obviously there was no question - in I went, fully dressed, to retrieve my child. She was perfectly fine - a little upset to have ingested so much pool water (plus she DOES NOT like having water in her eyes). Otherwise, fine. When I asked her why she got back in the pool without her floaties, she said she just wanted to help Isaac get the toys out. I'm still trying to figure out how she got into the water in stealth mode because I didn't have my back turned for long (especially since Isaac was still in the water). Thankfully I didn't have my back turned for long! Needless to say, I had to change my clothes after that.

All in all, we had a great day! I think we're all a little tired - I know the kids are, and I am certainly feeling the desire for a nice soft bed! It was a good day for a party!

Birthday Boy

Today he is eight! What a beautiful boy. What a great eight years it has been! Happy Birthday Sebastian! We love you!

If you would, please pray for Sebastian. Yesterday he was running a fever and had a headache and an upset stomach. Today he is doing better...still has a bit of a headache. We really want him to enjoy himself for his birthday today and his party tomorrow. Thanks for the prayers!

The big # 9!!

Today is our NINE year anniversary!! Still alive! Still enjoying life (most of the time, LOL)!

He is out of town today - he has been since Monday, actually, but he should be home this evening. So we'll get to spend about 2 hours of our anniversary together... I guess that's something, right?!

Peek-a-boo I See You

I took these pictures 2 years ago - Spring 2007 (I think maybe it was Sebastian's last day of kindergarten?). Anyway, I was trying to get a good picture of each of them, but Meagan was just not cooperating. She just kept playing! The journaling reads: 'Looking back on this day, these pictures,I can't help but remember I was so frustrated with you because you would not cooperate and let me get just one good picture of you. THEN I was frustrated. NOW I am thankful. It's a much better memory to recall the way you were hiding and playing peek-a-boo I see you! I would take this memory over a good picture any day.'

One Mad Momma!

I think I've cooled off now and found the love again, but I have to admit, about 3 hours ago, I was one mad momma!

To set the scene, here's a little background info... Tonight both boys had baseball games - Isaac at 6:00 and Sebastian at 7:00 (which he is required to be at 15 minutes early, which meant leaving Isaac's game by 6:35 to get to Sebastian's on time). Lucas was out of town today for work, so I was the only chauffeur available. Thankfully, Pastor Mark & Laura (whose son is also on Isaac's baseball team) offered to help out by bringing Isaac over to Sebastian's game after their game was finished. So... Sebastian, Meagan and I headed to Sebastian's game, dropped him off with his team, and then Meagan and I headed up to the front of the fields near the playground to wait on Isaac to get there. So far, no issues.

Isaac arrived sometime after 7:00, and since we were at the playground, he naturally wanted to stay and play there. Well, normally my answer is NO, but there was no one else there except for the people who were at Sebastian's game, and I had a clear visual from the playground to the game and back again. So I let Isaac and Meagan stay at the playground, and I went a little closer to the baseball game, standing somewhere in between for the most part, where I could see both the game and the playground pretty clearly. I could see that there were some other kids on the playground, but everyone seemed to be okay.

Well, as I was packing up our chair and gathering bats and mitts and water bottles, Meagan came running up to me crying and carrying on. At first I really thought she said Isaac had slapped her in the face. So we proceeded to the playground to get Isaac, only to find him there on the slide with no shoes. Well, one shoe happened to be lying on the ground just behind the slide, so I told him to get his shoes on. He said, "I can't because I don't know where they are." At this point I was feeling a little more than aggravated with him for taking his shoes off and not keeping track of them. But, I put all of our stuff down and helped him look. It wasn't long before I realized his other shoe really was nowhere to be found. By this point I was just frustrated.

"Isaac, why on earth did you take your shoes off and not keep track of them?" I ask/yelled.

"I didn't take them off. Someone else did."

Pause to process what he just told me. What? He went on to explain that some kid on the playground was being really mean to them. He stole both of Isaac's shoes from him and hid them or whatever. He also knocked Meagan's hat off of her and slapped her in the face (so it was him and not Isaac she was telling on earlier). I won't go into all of it, but over the course of the conversation, I found out that Meagan yelled at him and tried to fight back to get her hat back, and that Isaac tried to get his shoes back and hit the kid...apparently to no avail.

I'm not kidding you, everything in me was M.A.D. at that bully of a kid who thinks he is so much bigger now that he has managed to steal 1/2 of my child's only pair of tennis shoes. And what a big man he is for hitting a 4-year-old little girl.

What's the answer to that? I mean, we spend so much time teaching our kids not to take, not to hit, play nice, share. Then we tell them if someone hits you, hit them back? It sounds like such a contradiction. Still, I can't stand the idea of my child being hit and them not doing something to defend themselves. Or worse, seeing their brother or sister being hurt and simply standing by? What's the balance? AAAAAHHHHH! Where's the parenting handbook when you need it?! LOL!

So tomorrow we will go shoe shopping to replace a pair of tennis shoes. We had already had plans to exchange a pair of sandals for Sebastian at some point this week anyhow, so it may as well be tomorrow. I don't even know what else to say about it. I hate that my kids, at the ages of 4 and 6, have already encountered a bully. I hate that kids that young are already bullying. I hate that I was watching it happen and didn't realize it. I hate that I failed to protect them. I hate that there will come a point when I will no longer be able to protect them.

But I love that God is in control, and I can trust Him with my kids far more than I can even trust myself. And I'm thankful that He kept them safe, and that they each learned something from this, as did I. I'm also thankful that we can afford to replace his shoes without putting a financial strain on our family. I guess it's life experiences, good or bad, that help us learn how to navigate through life. So while I was mad at the time (and probably could be again if I let myself), I am grateful that nothing too bad came of it and we've each learned and grown from it a bit.

Sunny Day

Here are 3 pics from last summer. I love the one of Sebastian all wrapped up in the bright green towel! I still have a ton of pictures left from this day that I need to scrap, but I liked the way these up-close face shots looked side by side.

Journaling: Your last day of summer break was spent the good old fashioned way - running through the sprinkler in the back yard. Some summer pass-times never go out of style.

Credits: Sahlin Studios Life's a Beach Kit and Life's a Beach Snippettes

YEAH BABY!!

Funky Playground Stuff

I know some of you who follow along are into scrapping, so I like to pass along a good deal when I see one. Today (and every Thursday), Funky Playground has products, both new and older, on sale for $1. There are some pretty cute things on sale today. Plus, one of their designers, Lauraskathi, is having a going-out-of-business sale, and every item in her entire shop is priced at $1. She has some gorgeous full kits, cute alphas, and lots of other mini kits and such. It's worth checking out if you're in the mood for a bargain!

I also have a few layouts that are all 100% Funky Playground products (some of them new and on sale today). Thought I'd share...

This one is Sebastian with 2 of his classmates at their field day back in May.

This picture was taken last summer at Grandma & Grandpa's while they were on vacation. I love their great big smiles!

Like static cling

We are coming up to the close of our first week of summer break (already?!), and I have a few observations. First, for the most part, the kids have been really good, with a few minor skirmishes thrown in. They learned a hard lesson a few weekends back about keeping their toys picked up, so they've been staying on top of that pretty well. And we've had a good deal of outside playing weather, so they've been able to be out in the fresh air, running and burning off pent up energy. Always a plus.

The down side? Meagan has gotten super clingy to me all of a sudden. Don't get me wrong, every mommy in her right mind loves snuggles and cuddle time, but she has reverted to wanting me to carry her everywhere; she's doing lots of baby talk; and she just generally doesn't want me to leave her sight. At first I couldn't figure out what the deal was. Then yesterday it dawned on me (at least I formed a pretty solid theory??). I think it's because the boys have now invaded her Mommy and Meagan time - you know, every day that they're in school and I'm at home with her - just her. Now she's having to share, and I kind of wonder if this is her way of making sure she doesn't get overlooked.

Hopefully I can stay alert and be sure to give her individual attention...and HOPEFULLY the clingyness (is that a word?) will subside...soon. I hope.

Dream

I put this layout together relatively quickly the other day - in about 30 minutes or so. I bought this kit from Shabby Pickle. It's a gigantic collaborative kit that is being sold to benefit a family whose child is currently battling cancer. All proceeds are going toward their medical bills, etc.

Anyway, it seemed to come together really easily, and I am really pleased with the way it turned out. I will definitely be using this kit on a few more pages.

Journaling: Life is full of opportunities to dream. Dream big, but always know that God's dreams for you are far greater than anything you could ever imagine. Live HIS dream.


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A season ends...

Well, school is now over. Meagan and I went to the school at about 11:50 to spend some time with each of the boys in their classrooms one last time. Sebastian's classroom was kind of chaotic - kids everywhere, cleaning off desks, packing up book bags, handing out last-minute papers from the school year. From there, we headed down to Isaac's classroom, only to find them already lined up in the hallway to leave. He saw us and came running over, all ready to go. I told him to say goodbye to his teacher before we left. So, he ran over to her and gave her a big hug and told her thank you and goodbye. Up 'til this point I was doing okay. But she hugged him, and then had the whole class say 'Goodbye Isaac,' and all of a sudden, my eyes teared up, and I got a big lump in my throat. I'm such a baby! I just can't help but look at all the changes - particularly the new school next year - and I know that it's very likely the last time the boys will really see or interact with these teachers who have poured themselves into my children for the past 10 months. I guess that's life - always changing and moving forward. And it's a truth of life that certain people are in our lives only for a season, while others are much more permanent. I am just thankful that they have each had very loving, positive influences in their lives, even if only for a short season.

And so school comes to a close, and summer vacation begins. Woohoo!!! And next school year is only a few months away, with new opportunity and the start of yet another season. Life is good.


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Life's a Beach

A new layout using a GORGEOUS new kit by Krista Sahlin called Life's a Beach. It's brand new today at Scrap Matters. I actually originally did this page for a friend using a picture of her daughter, but when I was done I decided I liked it so much that I wanted to use it for one of our own pics as well. So I found this photo of Isaac & Meagan floating in Grandma & Grandpa's pool last summer. I just simply laid my photo on top of the other one and clipped it to be the same size and placement as the original. One of the gigantic bonuses of digital, that's for sure!

The coolest thing about this layout - that I figured out way after I had it done - is that it will be in the album right next to this layout that I did about a month ago using a completely different kit, but they match perfectly! It's going to look so good!! Often the 2 pages side by side in an album don't actually match, but these 2 look like I did it on purpose! (I know, I get excited about little things!)

Click here to see credits or to leave some love!

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Going...Going...Gone

It's official! Today is the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL for the boys! Sebastian was almost giddy this morning! And Isaac actually got up and out of bed without being crabby, which is about as close to giddy as that child can be early in the morning! *LOL*

Thankfully they were ready in time to go out and snap a few last-day pictures before the bus came. We always run into the same problem when we take morning pictures outside - the sun! Since our house faces east, the sun is always blazing bright in the mornings in the front yard, but the back yard is almost entirely covered in shadow until way later in the morning. So, we make due and try to position them with their backs to the sun. There is still squinting in many of the pics, but at least it's something!

I'm always amazed at how quickly time passes! I can't believe that Isaac has finished kindergarten! Yikes!

We have decided to do something fun this afternoon... We were invited to go to the park and have a picnic with some friends after school (it's a 1/2 day today). So I think we're going to go ahead and do that - even though our 'picnic' may very well be made up of Subway! Which also means I will be picking the boys up from school rather than having them ride home on the bus... a slight change in my original plans, but they are REALLY looking forward to it!

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