As soon as Joe got home from work yesterday, we piled into the Durango and headed out… In fact, the kids were so excited, their shoes were on and they were outside waiting for Daddy, even before he got home. *lol*

Our first stop was Wendy’s, because well… We were hungry, and we almost always eat out on payday Friday. Since it was off-peak time, we almost had the place to ourselves, which was nice. The kids ate well, though not as well as Joe. *rofl* … He only ordered 1 hamburger, because he had been eating all day ( he ate on his lunch break, then one of his stops gave him donuts and milk, and then at the bank they were giving out free pizza), but he still managed to eat more than the rest of us. *lol* He is always finishing up all our meals when we get full.

When we were done eating it was only 5:30, and we didn’t want to get to the theater until 6:30. Since we had gotten our stimulous check we surprised the kids by going to Game Crazy (they sell used video games). We even (since they were used) let them pick out two games for their PS2. The boys chose a Superman game, and the girls got Disney’s Chicken Little.

After that we still had a half hour to kill, so we parked in the shade (it was 96* out) and waited until 6:30… FINALLY, it was time to go see Prince Caspian!!

I had been so worried that it would sell out, that we had asked Joe’s sister to pick us up tickets early (she works in the same shopping center that the theater is in), but what I didn’t realize is that they were playing it in two of their theaters, the second show starting a half hour after the first one. They had also been playing it all day, instead of starting them at noon-ish, like usual. So, while the theater was PACKED for LWW, it wasn’t as full this time. I’d say it was 50-75% full (I can’t say for sure, because we were half way down, and I never looked behind me to see how many people were up there. Also, at the end, we waited until the credits were almost done before leaving, so we wouldn’t get stuck in the crowd.)… I sure hope it does REALLY well in the theaters, so that they continue to make the other books into movies (though I think pre-production has already started for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader).

The movie itself was AWESOME!!!… I am trying to figure out how to review it, without giving away too much of the movie… I HATE when I hear about scenes in the movies before I get the chance to see it myself, so I really want to refrain from doing so. I will say this though… Where LWW was about 90% true to the book, I would say this one was only 75% true to the book… But it worked… I do think the beginning was a bit rushed, but to be fair, the movie was already 2 hours and 20 minutes long… It’s just that I think that if you aren’t already familiar with the story (because of the book), then the beginning might get a little confusing… I did talk Joe into watching it with us, and he has never seen the 1st movie, nor read any of the books, and he said he liked it and didn’t seem confused, so maybe I don’t know what I am talking about. *lol*

The main (and most important part) of the book they stay true to, so that is good… The underlying theme to PC is that when they are not focused on Aslan (who represents Christ), then things keep going wrong. But when they turn back to him, and put their faith in him when he’s not there, that’s when things start going better.

The biggest difference is that in the movie they raid Miraz’s castle, and though in the book the mice suggest doing it, it’s not done. It was a good addition, though one part left me heartbroken (and that’s ALL I’ll say about that!… Except for one thing… That poor cat! OMGoodness! I laughed so hard! … Gotta love Reepicheep!)

I wish I could see it again, as there were a few small parts I missed. … Amanda is a bit vocal in her reactions to movies. She giggles, exclaims, yelps, etc (and she’s not too quiet about it). So I kept having to shush her, and then would miss lines. *sigh*

As for the kids, they LOVED the movie. We spent most of the ride home with them going on and on about thier favorite parts. We also got into a discussion about the other books, and who was in it… And how Susan becomes an unbeliever in the last book (which is BEYOND depressing).

So, to answer Debbie’s question… Yes, go see it in the theater!! It’s worth the money!!!

Edit: Josh just woke up (he’s the first today) and he said he liked this one better than the first, and that he loved Edmunds’ character because he is funny.

Jared’s up too… He likes this one better too, because there is more action and adventure.

Oregon weather is just so weird! 23 days ago we had snow on the ground. On Wednesday it was cloudy, had some rain, and there was a nip in the air. Yesterday it got up to 88*, and it’s supposed to get to 96* today.

Yesterday morning the boys went out early and filled up their pool, so that the sun would have a chance to warm up the water before they played in it… I thought that by 1-ish, it would be OK to try it… But the water called early, and they couldn’t resist the call. *lol*

They got in their swimming suits and got sun screen on them, and were in that pool by 11:45… That water must have been COLD. But they didn’t care, they just wanted to play.

(note: I see that I miss-spelled the title on this video clip. … I am such a moron!)

They had such a blast out there, and I’m sure they were probably a little more loud than they should have been. All the other kids in the neighborhood were at school, so other than my kids, it was quiet out. *lol*

What really amused me is that pretty soon Jared had the sprinkler going too, and they were in the pool with the water coming down on them from the sprinkler too (our sub division is on well water)… I don’t think I could have braved that, with as cold as that water was.

Then last night at 8 pm, the kids and I had a date… Tonight we go to see the new Narnia movie, Prince Caspian, in the theaters (yay!), so last night we got a bunch of junk food and settled in to watch The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

The kids loved that. We all (except Joe) are HUGE Narnia fans… In fact, we can hardly wait to go see the movie tonight!!! … With the first one the theater was PACKED on opening night, so yesterday Debbie (who works really close to the theater) picked up tickets for us, so that we would be sure to get some in case they sold out. We’re (the kids and I, since Joe is not interested) will be going to the 7 o’clock showing, so it will be a late night as the movie is 2 hours and 20 minutes long.

All I know is the kids BETTER go potty before the movie starts, because I don’t want to miss a SECOND of it!!! These are the times you miss when they were still wearing diapers. *rofl*

I haven’t worked on the kids’ heritage album since February, so I decided that it was time to pull it back out again. I only had around 8 more layouts to do to finish it, and I really wanted it done… So here are the final layouts.

Edit:

Well, turns out this ISN’T the last 8 layouts… I’ve had some more ideas, so there are still 10 more layouts to make. *lol* … But just in case you’re curious, here are the next 8 in the series. (When I am done there will be something like 81 layouts in this album alone. )

Angel Baby #7

Journaling:

After losing Andrew, I was so upset that I decided to stop trying to get pregnant for a while… My
emotions needed a break I guess… Well, one thing led to another and we never really started trying
again. We sold our house in January of ‘06, and got pre-occupied with trying to find a new place to live,
and moving, etc… But the desire to have just one more baby never left my heart. I was always hoping…
dreaming… Then on May 26, 06 we decided to “throw caution to the wind”, and ended up getting
pregnant. When I got the positive pregnancy test on June 12th, I was ecstatic. Because of the way
we had gotten pregnant, I felt that Sweet Pea was a special gift, and I was confident
that we wouldn’t lose him… I spent the next six and a half weeks focused on him… I
was just so happy. Oh, the plans I made… I thought about him way too much… When I was
9 weeks along, I was bending over the oven when I got a sudden, sharp pain in my lower
back. That night I had a dream that I had lost the baby. It upset me a lot, but I tried to
push it out of my mind as only a bad dream… The weird thing is, a day or two after that,
Jared came to me out of the blue and asked if Sweet Pea was
still alive… I should have taken those things as a sign. *sigh*
I went for my first ultrasound on July 27th, and that’s when
I learned the horrible truth. My sweet baby had been dead
for over a week. He died at 9 weeks gestation, the same
day I had the dream about it…. You can’t imagine how
heart sick I was…. Out of all my losses, this one hit me
the hardest. Maybe it was because most of the others
came earlier in the pregnancy… I don’t know. But I still,
to this day, wish that Sweet Pea was in my
arms, and not just a memory of what could
have been… I also began to ask myself
why. Why me? Why do I keep losing all
my babies? Why does this keep happening 
to me… And how much more could I  
take?… Yet, the desire to have another 
baby still lingers in my heart
and it will probably be
there until my dying day.
That’s something you just can’t
forget about and push out of your
heart, just because someone
else tells
you to… *sigh*

Credit: The Great Expectations by Lie Fhung
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts: Doodle Cursive and BethHand
Link: http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/digital-scrapbooking-supplies/fhungs-collection-thegreatexpectations.html

Angel Baby #8

Journaling:

After losing Sweet Pea
Dr. Neilson(who I saw with Sweet Pea,
and who I’ll never see again… But
that is another story) ran a
bunch of blood tests and I
tested positive for something
called “Lupus-anticoagulant”, so
Dr. Neilson referred me to Dr. Weick,
who is a perinatologist. Joe and I had
to see a genetic councilor and then we
had an appointment with Dr. Weick. Turns out
that the Lupus-anticoagulant makes your
blood clot too easily, and that it can cause
a miscarriage. After going over my medical history
he said that it sounded like I developed it either
before I got pregnant with Amanda, or during. He
said that it was very rare that someone would
develop pre-eclampsia in their 4th pregnancy, and
that the Lupus-anticoagulant can cause that. He
told me that it wasn’t hopeless though, and put me
 on baby aspirin to thin my blood and said that we could
 start trying again… In December we hit the jackpot again,
 but the pregnancy didn’t even last long enough to get excited about it…. I had
  started having symptoms right away, but when I tested I got an extremely faint
  positive. I kept testing, but the line got lighter and lighter ever day. When the
  symptoms started fading, I had to face the fact that Cubbie was gone before I could even
  celebrate the fact that she had been there. *sigh* … While it wasn’t as emotionally devastating as it
  had been with Sweet Pea, I was still very upset… But I wasn’t about to give up. For over a year I
 kept taking the aspirin, and month after month we kept trying… But as the months went by, the less Joe
 seemed interested in having another one. Pretty soon, he was getting negative about the whole thing. I
also had to deal with the fact that I wasn’t getting any younger. My 37th birthday came and went, and
we still had no baby in sight… Though my heart yearns for one still… But without a willing partner, it
doesn’t seem very likely. *sigh* … The kids still talk about wanting another baby, and I dream about it
 all the time, but it doesn’t seem to be in the cards for us… When I look around the dinner table, I feel
  like there are a couple people missing. I have lost my Joel Jeremiah, and my Alyssa Anne… They have
  always seemed so real to me, and I will always wish they were part of our lives… I loved them so…

Credit: The Great Expectations by Lie Fhung
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts: Doodle Cursive and BethHand
Link: http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/digital-scrapbooking-supplies/fhungs-collection-thegreatexpectations.html

The Big Move (page 1)

Journaling:

When we got pregnant with Alicia we knew that we were outgrowing
our tiny 880 sq ft house in Portland, so we decided that it was time
to sell and find something bigger. We put the house up for sale in
April of 2001, and in 6 months time we only got one nibble on the
house, and it didn’t sell. When it came time to renew, Alicia had just
been born, and Joe didn’t want a lot of strangers coming into the
house, so we decided that we would hold off and just made do with
things being so cramped… Meanwhile, we made very good friends
with the realtor and her husband, who had recently moved in next
door to us. When they moved to Missouri in September of ‘04, we
had them over for a BBQ a few nights before they left, since we were
going to miss them… That night Rob told us that being friends with
Joe, and seeing how he lived, help bring Rob back to the Lord. It
was then that a light went off in my head… If we had moved then
Rob and Joe wouldn’t have become friends. The Lord needed us in
the house, so that Rob would find his way home… I felt at peace
about it, after 3 years!… But in the meantime Amanda had been born
as well, and six of us in that tiny house was too much! So on 1/26/06
we put the house on the market again, and low and behold, we had
an offer on the house THAT VERY NIGHT… Around 12 hours after it
went on the market. Heck, the sign didn’t even go up until the next
day!… That’s when the chaos began. We had 30 days to pack up
everything, find a new place to live, and move… But we ran into a
glitch. Every house we looked at that was in our price range (we
were approved for up to $175,000) was either too small or it was
structurally unsound. We were getting beyond discouraged. After
a particularly bad day of house hunting, Joe and I decided to go
to Palm Harbor, just for a look-see… What I find interesting, is that
we didn’t go to the one in Portland, which is much closer to our
house. Joe wanted to go out to the one in Woodburn instead, and
then take the kids put-put golfing at the Family Fun Center in
Wilsonville… I actually think this was the Lord at work, because He
wanted us to get the lot we have now. If we had gone to the Portland
Palm Harbor, we would have never heard about this lot, and we
wouldn’t have been able to get as nice of a house… But I am getting
ahead of myself… After talking to Dea at Palm Harbor, we finally
felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel. We were delighted
that we would be able to get a nice house, that would be big enough
for the six of us… But it would also take months to get the house
done and made move in ready, and we had to have a home in the
mean time… Well, it just so happened that Joe’s great aunt and
uncle had moved into a retirement home in 2005, and their house
was sitting empty. We had been interested in buying it before, but
they were attached and not ready to sell. But when Joe called up
their daughter, Jean, they were more than willing to rent it to us…

Credit: Celebrate Harmony (and Addon) by Retrodiva and Eva Kipler
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Font: CAC Camelot
Links:

Kit: http://retrodiva.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=132
Addon: http://retrodiva.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=145

The Big Move (page 2)

Journaling:

Charlie and Nellie agreed to give us a break in the rent, if we would
paint the interior of the Sandy house while we were there, which we
were happy to do. They only charged us $500 a month, which was
yet another answer to prayer. We couldn’t afford much, because
after we signed on the new house, we would have to start making
interest payments at the same time we were paying rent… Our
arrangement couldn’t have been more perfect… With housing in
place, it was time to look for a lot for the new house to go on, and
we found in on 2/22/06. Dea told us about some lots in Molalla, and
we went to see them. We fell in love with the quiet, rustic sub-
division and the lots were a lot bigger and a lot less expensive than
all the other ones we had seen. (God was just working out every
thing perfectly!) So we put an offer on the lot, and then got busy
with the move… The last couple weeks before we moved out of the
Portland house was very stressful. The buyers were asking for a lot
of repairs done to the house before they would sign, so Joe and a
friend spent 2 weeks repairing things that had been driving me
crazy for over 10 years. *grins*… But we made it, and we moved out
to Sandy on Saturday, February 25th… We lived in Sandy for six
months, which was a lot longer than we had originally planned.
There were so many delays! It took a long time for our home
construction loan to go through (because it was our lenders first
time doing one), and then our contractor messed up on the pad
for the house, and it was off by 29 inches… But slowly everything
got worked out, and we *finally* were given the keys to our new
house on August 21st…. Can you say EXCITED!!! … From then until
we moved in, we were out at the house a few times a week, cleaning
the house and moving some of the smaller stuff over… I didn’t have
too much to pack this time, because most of our things hadn’t
gotten unpacked in the Sandy house. We had left most of the boxes
in the basement and lived on the bare minimum…. Finally the day
arrived when we could move in!! Joe’s family came over on
Saturday, September 2, 2006 and moved us into the new house.

Credit: Celebrate Harmony (and Addon) by Retrodiva and Eva Kipler
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts: CAC Camelot and BethHand
Links:

Kit: http://retrodiva.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=132
Addon: http://retrodiva.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=145

Joe (page 1)

Journaling:

In 1997 the company, RiteAid, bought out Payless Drug Store, and put in place a lot of changes, that weren’t really all
that great. After giving it some thought Joe decided to quit his job as assistant manager and go to truck driving
school. After an 8 week course he was           hired on at Container Recovery, Inc. and his first day on the job was on
August 3rd, 1998. Joe really likes driving truck, and he has become
one of their most dependable drivers. He even won driver of the year
in 2004… For the first year Joe worked a route in Lake Oswego, but
in November of 1999 Joe was given one of the Salem routes, and he
has been working that route ever since. He sure puts in a lot of
miles, driving that truck back and forth between Portland and
Salem… In the evenings Joe likes to kick back and watch the TV,
while he snoozes and catches up on his lost sleep. On the week-
ends he likes to do things as a family, so that he can
spend time with the kids. He likes to go on outings
with them, like to the zoo and other fun places.
The kids love it too!

Credit: Good Friends Collection - Kenneth (retired) by Eva Kipler, Cardboard by Michelle Swadling
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Font: CAC Camelot

Joe (page 2)

Journaling:

Joe doesn’t really have any hobbies, but he does love to work out in the yard. He likes to mow the lawn, trim the
trees, etc. It’s his thing. Maybe it’s just because it keeps him inside, where he likes it best… When the sun is
shining you can’t keep the guy indoors. *grin* … When he is inside, his         favorite thing to do is watch TV. He’ll
watch pretty much anything, but mainly he likes to watch the news,
sports, and his favorite show, which is Cops. But he also enjoys
watching shows like Little House on the Prairie with me and the
kids. What a guy! He also loves comedies like Gilligan’s Island
and Home Improvement. Another thing Joe enjoys is his music.
He always has to have the radio going (if the TV isn’t on). Country
music is Joe’s tunes of choice. He likes the country oldies the best,
but enjoys the newer songs and artists as well. His favorite artists
include Pam Tillis, Toby Keith, and Alan Jackson,
among others. One of Joe’s all time favorite things
to do is to go camping. He loves packing up
the trailer, and
heading out!

Credit: Good Friends Collection - Kenneth (retired) by Eva Kipler, Cardboard by Michelle Swadling
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts: CAC Camelot and Stamp Act

Julie (page 1)

Journaling:

            From the time Joe
           and I first got married
        we both agreed that when we were
blessed with kids, I would stay home and take
care of them myself. We just didn’t want to go the day-care route.
I always thought I would love it, and I was right. I find it more
fulfilling to take care of the kids (and the house) than any career could be.
And, thanks to the Internet, I don’t find myself lonely for adult company, since
I can find that on-line. Being home full time probably isn’t for everybody, but
it’s a perfect fit for our family… I know I am not the best mom around, but
I love the kids with all my heart, and I try to do what I think is best for
them… Though not everyone agrees with my methods… But, it works for us…
In fact, the greatest compliment Joe has ever given me was about my parenting.
He said, “I have to hand it to you Julie, when it comes to babies, you know
what you’re doing.”… That meant the world to me, and I will never forget
                                          it… My goals, as a parent, is to teach
                                          them to love the Lord, to be a loving and
                                          respectful person, and to be caring, giving,
                                          and to work hard at the task on hand…

Credit: The Promise Collection by The Shabby Princess, Template by Michelle Swadling
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts: Eisia and Doodle Cursive
Link: http://www.theshabbyprincess.com/downloads/promise/promise.asp

Julie (page 2)

Journaling:

When the kids became old enough for school, teaching them at home seemed like
the next logical step. While I would have loved to have sent them to a private,
Christian school, we couldn’t afford it on a single income… But I still wanted
the kids to have a Bible based education, and that’s something that is impossible
in the public school system. So homeschooling them was what was right for our
family. Though I admit to things sometimes getting a little hectic in the house,
with four kids, a household to run, and school lessons, it’s always been
rewarding. We were also lucky that we didn’t get a whole lot of negative
feedback, like some homeschooling families do… We loved the extra freedom
homeschool gave us too. If we wanted to take the day off school to go to the
zoo, we could. We would just make the lessons up later. The kids loved it
too, because they could get their lessons done in half the time of the
public school, and then they got to run off and play. That’s a plus in
their book… It was
also very rewarding
to me, to know that I
had taught my children
how to read, and had
guided their learning.
And the best thing of
all? I got to keep them
at home with me all
day, and you
gotta love that!

Credit: The Promise Collection by The Shabby Princess, Template by Stacy Carlson
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Font: Doodle Cursive
Link: http://www.theshabbyprincess.com/downloads/promise/promise.asp

Man… I got chilled this evening, and I can’t seem to warm up!! Does someone want to lend me an extra blanket? *lol*

Hope everyone has had a good couple days… It’s been nice and quiet around here. We haven’t really done anything worth blogging about, but I wanted to check in.

Between yesterday and today I got around 4 more (large) totes of baby clothes priced and ready for the garage sale. It always takes me a while, because I hold everything up and say, “Awww… I remember when…”

I. Am. So. Pathetic! *sigh*

After Joe got home from work and we ate, we all headed outside. It’s supposed to get into the 90’s for the next 3 days, so I wanted to clean out the kids’ wading pool and slide, so they can play in it… But we ended up doing more than that. Joe emptied the entire shed, and then we sorted through the things that we want to sell (like all the Tonka Trucks, and the toddler ride-ons that the kids have long outgrown… Yes Sabina, we still have that ATV that used to be Dyllan’s. Jared loved it so much as a tot, that I am going to have a HARD time selling it). After everything was cleaned up and sorted, I swept out the shed and we tried to get things organized… It’ll be easier once the garage sale is over, and half the stuff is gone out of there.

When I wasn’t doing that stuff, I’ve been buried in Photoshop Elements, working on the kids’ heritage album… I am really close to having it done! I’ll post the new layouts when they are all done.

Well… I guess I won’t bore you any more. Maybe tomorrow I’ll have something a little more interesting to write about.

Sarah Meyer, one of the designers that I do layouts for, has these new text paths for photoshop elements, and they are way cool!!!… She has the numbers 0 thru 9 in the kit, and it lets you journal into the shape of a number. They are SO EASY to use! I plan on doing a layout for each year, for Jared’s album… Here are the first two.

One Year Old Today

Journaling:

Happy Birthday my sweet little man! I can’t believe you are a year old! At 4:40 pm Daddy and I hugged each other and kissed, to celebrate the time you were born… You were napping and couldn’t join us… This morning I put you on your “Ready, Steady Rider” that you got for your birthday. I wanted to take your picture on it. Well, without me even showing you, you actually got it going with your feet! You went 4 or 5 feet before running into the couch. I was very impressed… Also, with Uncle Rudy’s help, you walked down the hall and back at Grammy’s house… The amazing thing is that he only held onto one of your hands. You usually insist on holding on with both your hands.

Credit: Text Paths for PSE - Numbers by Sarah Meyer, and Honk Honk by Sarah Meyer (Retired)
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts: Eccentric and CAC Camelot
Link:

 

http://www.gottapixel.net/store/product.php?productid=19486&cat=0&page=1

Look Who’s Two

Journaling:

Jared, I can’t believe you are two years old. The last two years have just flown by, and you have brought me so much joy. It no longer seems to matter how long it took to become pregnant with you. Now it just seems perfect. I can’t imagine you being any older, or having you at any other time in our lives. That is a lesson I need to learn better… That the Lord knows what is best, and that we need to wait on His time, and not on ours. He has his own time table, that is perfect… But your Mama can be impatient!!! And if I had known just how wonderful it would be to be a Mommy… Your Mommy… It would have made the wait that much more unbearable… Because the last two years have been heaven on earth. They have been filled with hugs and kisses, and your cute little laugh. They have been filled with your intense curiosity and your bright little mind. They have been filled with exciting discoveries, and you learn all about the world that the Lord has created… And I want to say thank you. Thank you Jared, for two of the best years I have ever known. I love you so much sweetie.

Credit: Text Paths for PSE - Numbers by Sarah Meyer, Gummy Grins - Boy by Sarah Meyer, and the lace is from Sarah Meyer’s Cozy Valentine
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts: SlashHmk and CAC Camelot
Links:

Text Paths:

 

http://www.gottapixel.net/store/product.php?productid=19486&cat=0&page=1
Gummy Grins: http://www.gottapixel.net/store/product.php?productid=654&cat=0&page=1
Cozy Valentine: http://www.gottapixel.net/store/product.php?productid=18502&cat=0&page=1

P.S. Only FOUR days until the new Narnia movie is out in the theaters!!!!

Yes, that’s me … I found this picture on some old negatives, I had completely forgotten about it. *rofl* (Probably on purpose) This was taken at our church’s Family Camp at the Canby Grove Conference Center in July 1983. I was 12 years old.

Since I finished scanning all the non-digital pictures of the kids in, I am now turning my attention to my pre-kid photos. I got my first camera when I was 12, and YES, I still have every negative for every photo I have ever taken… All in the correct order (Can you say OBSESSED). They are neatly stored in protective sleeve/sheet things in a couple hot pink binders. *lol* (Hey, I was 21 when I started organizing them, and hot pink was in back then! *rofl*)

It’s probably going to take me another 3 years, but I have plans on scanning in all those photos as well. I have started a new Flickr account, where all my photos can be posted in the correct order… Because I am sick like that.

In other news, all weekend long Alicia has been begging me to let her do the dishes all by herself, so this evening I let her. She was beyond thrilled (wish that would last into her teen years, but I know it won’t *lol*) and from what I can see, she did a great job. She even cleaned out the sink and stuff when she was done… I still need to wash the pan and wipe down the counter though.

Well, I think I want to scrap a couple layouts. Have a great night!

Hope you all had a good Mother’s Day. Mine went well… I had hoped to be able to stay home all day, but Joe wanted to go to the annual Mother’s Day breakfast at the Beaver Creek Grange… Every year most of Joe’s family meet there for breakfast, and this year was no exception. I think Joe likes to go because it’s all you can eat, and he can eat him some breakfast!

And he’s not the only one (I am always amazed by the amount of food that girl can eat! *rofl*)…

Jared, Josh, and Amanda all ate well too…

After breakfast we went over to Joe’s parents’ house for an hour or two, and just chatted while DeeDee (one of Joe’s sisters) cut Jared, Josh, Jacob, Scott, and Jim’s hair.

When we got home, I kicked back on the computer while Joe did a little bit of picking up (gotta love Mother’s Day!), and then later he BBQ’d hamburgers for dinner. (Alicia took this picture for me )

Then after dinner, Joe did the dishes and wiped down the counters… Like I said, you gotta love Mother’s Day!!!

Oh… I was also sweet taked by Jared to play a racing game on the playstation for the first time. *lol* … Jared wanted to play the Nascar game, but I in NO WAY have that kind of skill level. *snicker* So, I told him I would race with Disney’s Cars, or not at all…. So, there I was, sitting on Josh’s bed playing play station… With the kids laughing their heads off at my (not so) driving skills… Let’s just say that I gave the term “off road” a whole new meaning.

I also got a couple bouquets today!! … It’s VERY rare that I even get one, much less two!

Here is the one I got from Joe:

And here is the one I got from Alicia:

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day!!!

Tidbit #1 :: Cuddles’ 4th Birthday

Today is the cat’s birthday, and she is now 4 years old… Which thrills Amanda to no end, because from now until August, she and Cuddles are the same age.

Every year when Cuddles’ birthday rolls around, the kids insist upon celebrating it. This year I almost spaced the whole thing off, but luckily for Cuddles, Jared remembered… But I had forgotten to get her a treat of soft cat food (which she only gets on her birthday), so we had to call Joe and have him pick up a can for us.

When Joe came home with the cat food, the kids wanted to celebrate RIGHT THEN. *rofl* … So we called Cuddles over for a birthday song and treat.

• Tidbit #2 :: A Loose Tooth

Alicia has her first loose tooth! … A couple 2-3 weeks ago, Alicia came to me and said that her lower tooth was hurting. I looked at her tooth, but it looked fine. It was VERY slightly loose, but not much at all. I told her that it was probably her tooth getting looser, and left it at that.

Then on the 2nd I asked to see the tooth again, to see if it had made any progress on the loose tooth. That’s when I saw that she had a permanent tooth coming in behind the baby tooth… Just like both her brothers.

Then yesterday, while eating a hot dog, Alicia’s tooth became quite a bit looser… And she couldn’t be more thrilled!… All day long she kept saying, “I can’t believe I have a loose tooth!” and she’s been grinning from ear to ear about it. … Too cute!

• Tidbit #3 :: Digital Scrapbook Layouts

I know… I know! You guys are probably getting SICK TO DEATH of looking at my layouts. *lol* … But I am trying (”trying” being the key word) to catch up on my albums…

These layouts are random ones from July 2006. I had some odd and end layouts done, but there were gaps. These layouts fill those gaps and finish July… So that is why they look so random.

Two Girls in a Tub

Credit:Bath Time by Michelle Swadling (www.gottapixel.com), and Bathtime by Jenna Robertson (www.digitalscrapbookplace.com, in the freebies), and Template by Teriann Hanks
Program:Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts: Girls are Weird and SuccotashHmk
Links:
http://www.gottapixel.net/store/product.php?productid=339&cat=0&page=1
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=14714

The House

Journaling:

We went       
out to Molalla to
check the mail, and see
the house. There wasn’t much new
done. Chris had just laid out the
gravel for the front side-      
walk. Things seemed to           
be going so slowly!       

Credit: Beautiful, Blessed by Marcee Dugger, and Template by Stacy Carlson
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts: Kayleigh and Koffee

Mama’s Little Sweeties

Credit: 60’s Chic by Diane Isbell, and Template by Lynne Simmons
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts: The Kings and Queen Font and Koffee

Cute

Credit: Sunny Days by Anita Designs
Program: Photoshop Elements 5

The Carport

Journaling:

Chris, our contractor, tried to get us to not
attach the carport to the house… Because of
the slope of our lot, and his error, the side of
the house that faced the street was about 4-5
feet off the ground, which would mean he
would have to pay for longer beams. But we
were not to be swayed. We wanted the
carport to be against the
house so that we could
stay dry in the rain…
When we checked on the
house again, Chris had the
carport up… It was pretty
tall, but we thought it still
looked pretty good!  

Credit: Blissful Blossoms by Lara Payton, and Template by Dea Spina
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts: Eccentric and SlashHmk

The House (page 1)

Journaling:

We had gone
to Oregon City to see the dentist, and
since we were in the area, we went
out to Molalla to see the house… It
is looking good! The skirting is on &
painted, Chris has done the “back- fill”,
replacing the dirt that was dug up,
and he had built the steps going to the
back door, and the platform thing in
front of the front door. It’s really
looking nice!… Joe noticed that the
living room door was unlocked again,
so he called Jim and Elvina and invited them to come out and look through the house. It was fun to get to see
the inside of the house again!… Jim and Elvina seemed to like what they saw, and were quite impressed with
our mammoth sized closet and bathroom in the master bedroom… The yard looks bigger than I thought it was
going to be… But it’s sure going to take a lot of work to get it looking like a real yard. Right now it’s 90%
dirt. Before we even plant grass it’s going to need to be tilled, smoothed out, and the stumps, rocks, and weeds
removed. Thank goodness that Joe loves to work out in the yard! … Since we’ll be moving in so late in the
year, a lot of it’s going to have to wait until next summer to do. I hope we can get grass in soon though!

Credit: Amelie and Addon by Retrodiva
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts: BethHand and Doodle Cursive

The House (page 2)

Credit: Amelie and Addon by Retrodiva, Covered Stamp Sheet by Meredith Fenwick
Program: Photoshop Elements 5

The House (page 3)

Journaling:

Joe, Jared, Josh, Alicia, and
Amanda wait patiently
for Grandma and
Grandpa to arrive.

Credit: Amelie and Addon by Retrodiva, Scattered Frames by Michelle Swadling
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Font: SuccotashHmk

The House (page 4)

Credit: Amelie and Addon by Retrodiva, Scattered Frames by Michelle Swadling
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Font: Vivacious

• Tidbit #1 :: Dyson, Day 2

I vacuumed all the rooms with the Dyson again today. I wanted to see if it really did as good as a job yesterday, as I thought it did… After I was done yesterday, I had dumped the container, so I started out today empty too… And as you can see, it didn’t even get half as much today, as it did yesterday. So it must have done great yesterday. Yay!

• Tidbit #2 :: Dishes

The boys have been doing dishes (usually around once a week) for over a year now, and both the girls have been dying to get in there and do them too. So, I might as well let them, right? *lol* … So now when Josh does the dishes, Alicia does them with him, and Amanda does them with Jared.

Last night Josh and Alicia did them, and Josh had Alicia wash. She was in heaven, and did a really good job! She washes those dishes so much, I’m surprised the patterns are still on them. *rofl*

Jared and Amanda did it tonight, but like the dork that I am, I forgot to take a picture. *pout*

• Tidbit #3 :: Improv Everywhere

These “Improv Everywhere” videos completely crack me up! *rofl*

• Tidbit #4 :: Zoo Layouts

And here are a couple layouts I made for Jared’s album:

First Trip to the Zoo (page 3)

Since everyone thought it was a good idea to give Jared a camera to take to the zoo, and liked the idea of seeing the zoo from his perspective, I thought I would make a couple layouts out of the pictures that he took… So thanks for the idea! *lol*

Journaling:

Jared, these are the pictures that
you took while we were at the zoo.
Seeing as you were only 3 years old,
and it was a cheap disposable
camera, I was impressed at how
they turned out. I think you did
great!… I bought you a cheap 
photo album, and let you put the
pictures and and “decorate” the
pages yourself. You loved that!

Credit: Kathryn Estry; Alphabet Soup - A is for Ark sets 1 and 2
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Font: Kristen ITC
Links:

Set 1:

http://www.gottapixel.net/store/product.php?productid=19419&cat=0&page=1
http://digitalscrapbookpages.com/digitals/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=&products_id=10121

Set 2:

http://www.gottapixel.net/store/product.php?productid=19484&cat=0&page=1
http://digitalscrapbookpages.com/digitals/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=&products_id=10244

First Trip to the Zoo (page 4)

Credit: Kathryn Estry; Alphabet Soup - A is for Ark sets 1 and 2
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Links:

Set 1:

http://www.gottapixel.net/store/product.php?productid=19419&cat=0&page=1
http://digitalscrapbookpages.com/digitals/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=&products_id=10121

Set 2:

http://www.gottapixel.net/store/product.php?productid=19484&cat=0&page=1
http://digitalscrapbookpages.com/digitals/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=&products_id=10244

I’ve been wanting a Dyson since last October, but the $500 they charged at most stores was a bit more than we wanted to spend on a vacuum. Wal*Mart had one for $378.42, which we thought was a great price, but it was still more than we had to spend on a vacuum… Well, this week in their Mother’s Day ad, they are on sale for $269.98 … So guess what Joe brought home for me today!!

It may not be pink (or even purple, like Bi*Mart had for $500), but IT’S A DYSON! Whoo-hoooo!!! … Isn’t it pretty?

As soon as I had it together, I just had to try it out. So I vacuumed the living room, our bedroom, and the kids rooms… I can’t believe how much stuff came out of the floor that was vacuumed YESTERDAY.

I emptied the container, and will vacuum again tomorrow, to see if it gets as much… After living here for almost 2 years, it may take a few times through to get everything out of the carpet. *lol*

Since we have a little extra money this month (Joe gets his extra paycheck this month), we also bought Alicia’s birthday present… Her birthday isn’t until October, but money is usually pretty tight at that time of the year, so we like to buy ahead. *lol* … Anyway, we wanted to get her a digital camera. She LOVES to take pictures, and goes through the dispoable ones like crazy! In the long run it would be cheaper to have her use a digital camera and put the pictures on Flickr, and not print them or have to buy the disposable cameras all the time (this is what we do for the boys)… So, in the same ad Wal*Mart had some digital cameras on sale, and one of them was PINK! Alicia *loves* pink!

So, now that is up in the closet, waiting for Alicia’s birthday… And MAN, am I going to have a hard time waiting to give it to her! *rofl* She is just going to DIE when she sees it. I can’t wait to see her face!

I measured and weighed the kids today, since it’s been a few months. And for memories sake, I am going to list it here (so I don’t lose the info. *lol*)

• Jared :: 4 feet, 4 inches (52″) tall and weighs 52.4 pounds
• Josh :: 4 feet, 3 inches (51″) tall and weighs 52.8 pounds
• Alicia :: 4 feet (48″) tall and weighs 46 pounds
• Amanda :: 3 feet, 4.5 inches (40.5″) and weighs 31.4 pounds

What I find interesting is when I did this last October, Jared and Josh were the same height, but Jared weighed 3 pounds more than Josh. Now Jared is an inch taller, but they weigh the same… So I am wondering if Josh is getting ready for a big growth spurt… I told Jared that and he about had a heart attack!… He didn’t like it when Josh was as tall as him (since he’s 2 years older than Josh), and he’s hoping Josh doesn’t get taller. *lol* … Poor Jared!

Another amusing thing… In Oregon it’s a law that kids have to be in car/booster seats until they are 65 pounds. So Jared, who is TEN, is still in one… And has to be in one for another 13 pounds. *lol* Poor kid!… Luckily, it doesn’t bother him at all. If we tell him something is a law, then he will stick to it To. The. Letter!

Well, I want to get some scrapping in, so I’ll catch ya on the flip side!

“A Day in my Life”

For lack of anything more interesting to post about, I thought I would do a couple meme’s that I found over at Gina’s…

What time do you usually wake up? I used to be able to sleep in until 7:30 or 8:00, but with the sun coming up earlier, I am now waking up between 6:00 and 6:30… Which explains why I am so tired all day (since I’m not going to bed any earlier *lol*)

What’s the first thing you do? Use the restroom *lol*

Breakfast? More brunch… I don’t usually eat until sometime between 10:00 and 11:00

Do you go to work/school? Nope. I get the privilege of staying home with my munchkins

Do you like it? Sure do! I adore being with the kids!

If you stay at home, what do you do all day? I do my daily chores (cooking, dishes, sweeping, make bed, laundry, etc), during the school year I homeschool the kids, I digi-scrap, occasionally I quilt, I blog, read a book, etc…

When is lunch and what you eatin’? We don’t really eat lunch. We eat a late breakfast (brunch), and then dinner between 4:00 and 5:00. *shrugs* It works for us… The kids sleep in so late, that they aren’t hungry until around 10 am…

What time do you get home from work/school? I’m always home.

What do you do? I think we’ve covered this. *lol*

Dinner: When and what? We usually eat dinner at around 4-5 ish… And what we eat varies. Some of the kids’ favorites include spaghetti, lasagna, pizza, hamburgers, sloppy joe’s, bbq chicken, etc…

What do you do to unwind? Snuggle with kids, digi-scrap, read a movie, read…

What’s your favorite part of the day? In the evenings, when the house is quiet

Who’s your favorite person to interact with? My kids

Whens bedtime? Between 12:30 and 1:00 am… Most nights. Some nights it’s later. *lol*

Who’s bedtime with? Joe, of course

About the House

1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? Irish Spring… But I like Zest and Coast too

2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? No. Joe and most of the kids don’t like watermelon (pout), so we don’t buy it. I only get it at family reunions and get-togethers.

3. What would you change about your living room? I would get an all new living room set… The furniture we have now we bought when we lived in our 880 sq ft house in Portland, and the living room was less than half the size of our current living room. So right now the room looks kind of bare. Plus, the couch is sagging, and the coffee table is wobbly, and nothing matches. *sigh*

4. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? Right now they are dirty, because the dishwasher is only 1/2 full. I will run it tonight, after dinner

5. What is in your fridge? Ummm… Milk, water, soda, eggs, applesauce, cheese, apples, grapes, jam, mayo, ketchup, bbq sauce, saladdressing… Ummm… Mustard, relish… Oh, we have some red potatoes in there too…

6. White or wheat bread? White (but Joe and I like wheat too)

7. What is on top of your refrigerator? Joe’s cookie container (he’s my cookie monster *lol*), and the bread

8. What color or design is on your shower curtain? The kids bathroom is done in blue and dolphins, and our bathroom is done in blue and lighthouses. The shower curtains match

9. How many plants are in your home? I have three (let’s see if I can spell this ) philodendrons… They are the only house plants I have any luck with at keeping alive. *rofl*

10. Is your bed made right now? Yes, but Joe is on his way home, so it won’t stay that way for long!

11. Comet or Soft Scrub? We actually buy Ajax, because it’s cheaper than Comet most of the time. If we find Comet cheaper, then we buy that

12. Is your closet organized? Yep… Would I be ME if it wasn’t? *rofl*

13. Can you describe your flashlight? Huh? Where did this question come from? … Joe has one of those big yellow flashlights, with a handle.

14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic more at home? I actually drink out of my CF diet Pepsi can most of the time, or a (store bought) water bottle. If I have milk it’s in a plastic glass though

15. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? Nope, but man does that sound good! May have to go brew me some!

16. If you have garage, is it cluttered? No, we don’t have a garage (wish we did though). Our shed is a cluttered mess though… Every spring Joe has me come out and clean/organize the shed, but by the time the summer is over, the shed is a wreck again… It’s about time to go out and clean it again!

17. Curtains or blinds? We have blinds and a valance on every window

18. How many pillows do you sleep with? One

19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night? No, I like it dark. The only light on at night is the nightlight in the hallway by the kids’ rooms, in case they have to use the restroom at night

20. How often do you vacuum? In Portland I used to vacuum daily… Now it’s Alicia’s chore to do it every day, but I still do a “Mommy job” once a week.

21. Standard toothbrush or electric? Standard22. What color is your toothbrush? Purple

23. Do you have welcome mat on your front porch? Yes, it’s in the shape of a bear and it says “Bear Feet are Always Welcome”

24. What is in your oven right now? Not a thing but the oven racks

25. Is there anything under your bed? Just the kids’ folding picnic table… Just until we get around to putting it into the travel trailer

26. Chore you hate the most? Cleaning the bathrooms… Especially the kids’ toilet. Ick!

27. What retro items are in your home? Retro?

28. Do you a have separate room you use as an office? Not anymore, now that we’re giving the classroom/library/office to Jared for his room

29. How many mirrors are in your home? Two too many… One in each bathroom… Wait, I take that back. In the master bathroom it’s actually two mirrors side by side, so there are three mirrors too many…

30. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home? I wish *sigh*

31. What color are your walls? Most of the house has white walls, but Alicia has half pink walls, Amanda has half purple walls, and the kids’ bathroom is a very light blue

32. What does your home smell like right now? I can only smell the shampoo in my hair…

33. Favorite candle scent? We don’t use candles (I don’t know why)… So I have no idea. *lol*

34. What kind of pickles are in your refrigerator right now? None

35. Ever been on your roof? No, and I don’t plan on it either!!!!

36. Do you own a stereo? Yes, we got it in 1996

37. How many TV’s do you have? Six *hangs head in shame* … But one of them is not in use

38. How many phones? I have a cell phone, and so does Joe

39. Do you have a housekeeper? Just me and the kids

40. What style do you decorate in? We are trying to go for a nautical theme

41. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? Doesn’t matter, as long as it’s navy blue!

Conversation of the Day (from last night):

Mommy: “I haven’t watched that movie since before I married Daddy.”
Josh: “Before you married Daddy?! That was like 80 years ago!!”

(Edit: The movie was “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”… Was Disney making movies 80 years ago? )

Sorry I wasn’t by yesterday. I spent a good portion of the day doing some extra cleaning and organizing, and then I lost myself in photoshop, as I wanted to get some layouts done.

Today is pretty much planned out too… After posting this I want to catch up on my blog hopping, pay the bills, and then work on the garage sale. I pulled out 4 totes of clothes that I want to get priced today… And trust me, that will take a while!

The room (the old classroom, that will become Jared’s room) is slowly getting cleared out. I can see more and more of the floor, as I get things priced… Then after the garage sale, the work really begins… I’ll have to move 5 desks out of there, and the shelves, and all our homeschool curriculum, and all my books… And I have a TON of books.

I hope we can afford to get shelves for my books soon. Over half of my books have been in boxes since I was pregnant with Josh… And he’ll be NINE this fall! The rest have been packed since we sold the Portland house in February ‘06… I can’t wait to have access to my books again!

Jared’s Birth Story (page 7)

Credit:Bathtime Fun by Verena Karolyi, Frame overlay from DSP, and stitching by Michelle Swadling
Program:Photoshop Elements 5
Font: Girls are Weird
Link: http://digitalfreebies.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2147

Jared’s Birth Story (page 8 )

Journaling:

After a while the nurse came in to give you a
bath. Since I was still numb from the epidural,
I didn’t get to help like I would have liked to,
but at least at Providence they do it right in the
room, so I could watch… Daddy didn’t take any
pictures, but he got it on video tape, which is where I got these pictures from (and yes, I know I went over-board!
*grin*)… You didn’t like that bath, I can tell you! You loved it when she put your head under the warm water from the
faucet, but when she washed your body, you screamed bloody murder. You did calm down when she covered you
with a towel and turned the heat on the bed on (warm air would come out the holes on the bed, and it completely
relaxed you). You just lay there and watched the nurse and Daddy… We figured the blinking light from the video
camera was catching your attention too. Finally you had warmed up enough, and she got you dressed and brought
you back to me. We then got settled in for the night. Though I didn’t intend to co-sleep at home, I couldn’t resist it
while at the hospital. I put a bunch of pillows around my side so you wouldn’t fall out of bed, and then laid you down
in the crook of my arm, and we settled down. We both slept well, even with the interruptions from the nurses, and
needing to feed you and change your diaper through-out the night… But I so didn’t mind that at all! I loved taking
care of you, even in the middle of the night! I was just so thankful to finally have you, after all those years of trying
and waiting and longing. I finally had a baby of my own to hold, and love with all my heart… And you know what?
You are so worth the wait! And I wouldn’t change a thing… I believe in my heart that God’s timing is perfect, and that
you came at just the right time in our lives. I love you my sweet little man!… Thank you Lord, for my precious son!

Credit:Bathtime Fun by Verena Karolyi and Frame overlay from DSP
Program:Photoshop Elements 5
Font:CAC Camelot
Link: http://digitalfreebies.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2147

First Trip to the Zoo (page 1)

A couple pages for Jared’s album… He was 3 years old on his first trip to the zoo. 

Journaling:

We took you and Josh to the zoo
for the first time on Wed, 4/25/01.
At first you didn’t want to go, and
you even cried about it…But as
soon as we pulled into the parking
lot, the first words out of your
mouth were, “There are girls at the
zoo!”… You were much happier
then. *wink* … You and Josh were
both angels the entire time we
were there, no fussing from either
of you! It’s so nice to have well
behaved little boys!

Credit:Alphabet Soup - A is for Ark by Kathryn Estry
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts:Eccentric and GweetHmk
Link:

http://www.gottapixel.net/store/product.php?productid=19419&cat=0&page=1
http://digitalscrapbookpages.com/digitals/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=&products_id=10121

First Trip to the Zoo (page 2)

A couple pages for Jared’s album… He was 3 years old on his first trip to the zoo. 

Journaling:

We gave you a disposable camera for the first time, so that you could take
pictures of the animals. You were absolutely thrilled, and couldn’t wait
to get to the next animal so that you could take another picture.

Credit:Alphabet Soup - A is for Ark by Kathryn Estry
Program:Photoshop Elements 5
Font:GweetHmk
Link:

http://www.gottapixel.net/store/product.php?productid=19419&cat=0&page=1
http://digitalscrapbookpages.com/digitals/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=&products_id=10121

Joe and the kids had a very good time at the farm yesterday, though I guess Amanda had an “I miss Mama” meltdown right before they left, where she was sobbing that she wanted to snuggle with me… Awww… My sweet girl.

I guess they didn’t do too much when they were there… Debbie and the twins went too, so the kids mainly played with Jamie and Jacob, and Joe chatted with his uncles. They were outside some, but the weather wasn’t the greatest, so they spent most of their time in the house with Joe’s grandma.

They got home around 8:30-ish. Alicia was the first one through the door, and after getting her shoes and coat off, she RAN through the house and threw herself into my arms and on my lap. Then she said something that surprised me…

… You see, Alicia is very, VERY scared of heights. So scared that she won’t let us pick her up, even to help her out of the Durango. When she goes up or down a flight of stairs, she clings to the railing with both hands. She is too scared to even get on slides at a playground. I remember when she was a toddler, I stood her up in the high chair to brush some crumbs and food off her clothes before putting her down, and she about flipped and grabbed onto me with fists of steel. *lol* …

… So when one of the first things she said to me was, “The next time we go to the farm, I want to ride on a horse!”… I was stunned speechless!

Alicia loves horses. I have no idea where she got this from, but she just loves them. She loves to watch movies like Flicka and Spirit, she plays with toy horses, she has a horse costume she LOVES, she colors in her horse coloring book, and she draws horse pictures All. The. Time.

But I never thought she would want to get on a horse, because of the height thing.

I asked her if she would be brave enough to get one one, she she said that she thought so. I told her that I would love to get a picture of her on a horse, and she just grinned at me.

We’re going to our annual, family get together at the farm on the first weekend of June. Maybe she will get to get on one then… And I’ll have to get a picture… If she’s brave enough.

I never did get anything done for the garage sale yesterday. My only excuse is that I was enjoying my time alone too much. *lol* (Hey, I even took a nap! *rofl*) … So, I made sure to get a bunch of stuff done today. I think I went through 5-ish big boxes. I now have all the non-clothes stuff priced… All except for the infant swing. I can’t seem to find the side bar things, which really puzzles me, because I am so organized. What on earth could I have done with them???? I guess if I never find them I’ll have to send the swing to the dump instead of the garage sale. It’s not like we didn’t get our money’s worth out of it, since all 4 kids used it.

I still have aprox 24 (!!!!) big totes of clothes to go through and price. Yikes!!! I better make sure to do 2-3 a day, or I won’t be done in time!

Do you hear that? … It’s so quiet in here!! … Well, except for every once in a while, when the cat wanders through, looking (and mewing) for the kids.

Joe took the kids to the farm, to visit his grandma today. I stayed home so I could work on the garage sale stuff, but so far I haven’t done a single useful thing… And the day is passing by SO FAST… I am just too busy enjoying the peace and quiet… And I can price baby clothes tomorrow, right?… Although I should try to go through at least one bin, so I can tell Joe that I worked on it. *lol*

I think the toilet is going to be OK. *lol* … Joe said the noise was coming from the floater thing. For the last couple days he’s been messing with it, but every time he messed with it, the noise didn’t stop. It just changed. But I just went in there a little while ago, and it wasn’t making any noise, so maybe Joe finally figured it out. (FYI: Joe may be a lot of things, but handy around the house, he is NOT… Bless his heart…)

The twins spent the night Thursday night, which kept the kids (and me) busy. I was glad to take them home yesterday though, as I can only handle Jacob for short periods of time. He’s whiny, and extremely lazy, and Does. Not. Like. To. Help. Clean. Up. Toys. He thinks our kids have too much work to do. *lol*

Hmmm… What else is going on? … Yesterday was just the boring payday/Woodburn trip. We did dinner at Arby’s, and then grocery shopping at Wal*Mart…

Sure wish Wal*Mart was closer though, as gas is up to $3.69 a gallon in Molalla now. *sob* Pretty soon we won’t be able to afford to leave the house at all! It takes around $80.00 to fill the tank, and with Joe’s job so far away he has to get gas every 3-4 days. *sigh* Remember the good ole days when we thought $50 a month was a lot to spend on gas.

I should be working on our family album, but I was in the mood for scrapping Jared’s album instead… I have now finished the pregnancy journal and started the birth story pages… And I *promise* I will NOT redo these pages again! *rofl* … I think these are the 3rd set… But I have learned so much about drop shadows, etc that I now know that the other pages just weren’t all that good. But I am *very* happy with how these turned out, and plan to keep them… For good! They are already loaded at www.shutterfly.com, in his book, ready to be printed when the book is done.

Pregnant with Jared (page 15)

Journaling:

Thursday, January 8, 1998                                                            
38.3 weeks gestation                                     

Eleven more days until your due date! I hope you                      
decide to come early! I just can’t wait to hold you                   
in my arms! I can’t wait to feed you, bathe you, and              
take care of your every need!        

We had our eleventh doctor’s appointment last Monday.
Dr. Prescott checked my cervix and I was 75% effaced! He said
that it was really good for 38 weeks gestation. He also felt your
head. He said, “Well, there’s his noggin!” That made your Papa
really jealous! He wants to touch you too! I told him that as soon
as you are born, he can hold you and touch you as much as
possible!… But he’s going to have to wait until AFTER you are
born! … Oh, the other day we went shopping at the new
Wal*Mart and we found you the cutest outfit! It’s got a red
Snoopy shirt, and blue and
white striped pants. I can’t wait
to see you in it! I
know that you
will look sweet!
We love you!!!

Credit: Shabbiliciously Posh Baby and Addon by Danielle Engebretson, The Great Expectations by Lie Fhung, and 9 Months and Counting by Stacy Carlson (retired)
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts: CAC Camelot and BethHand

Pregnant with Jared (page 16)

Journaling:

My friend, Lisa, wanted to give me a baby shower… I wasn’t really too
keen on the idea, because I HATE to be the center of attention… But it
also seemed like a rite of passage for your first pregnancy, so
I agreed. We decided that it would be better to
have the shower after Christmas, because
then Grammy and the Ulrichs would be moved
back from Texas, and would be able
to come, so Lisa and I scheduled
                     the shower for January
                        10th… But you must
                        have known how I
                      dreaded going, as you
                          decided to make
                           your appearance
                          that day, and I was
                  spared! *grins* … Every
                 one still gave you gifts,
                       they just got to give
                       them to you instead!

Credit: Shabbiliciously Posh Baby and Addon by Danielle Engebretson, The Great Expectations by Lie Fhung, and 9 Months and Counting by Stacy Carlson (retired)
Program: Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts: CAC Camelot and Eurostile

Jared’s Birth Story (page 1)

Journaling:

On Friday, January 9th, we had been out shopping with Grammy all day long. My back had been aching all day and I just wanted to come
home and sit. Grammy kept telling Daddy that I would be going into labor that night… For dinner that night I made tacos, but I didn’t eat
well, because I just wasn’t feeling “right”. My back was still achy, so I took a bath to soak away the pain. While I was in the bath I went
ahead and shaved my legs, just in case Grammy was right… That night, at 2:45 am, something woke me up. I thought things felt a little damp
in my nether regions, so I went into the bathroom to check things out. As soon as I went to sit on the throne, my water broke… It *really*
broke! It was pretty nasty. I sat there on the throne for a second, kind of in shock, wondering what to do next… Grammy was asleep on the
couch, and Daddy was asleep in bed. I decided that Grammy would be able to hear me better, so I called for her a couple times, but she
didn’t wake up. So then I tried calling for Daddy, and he was at the bathroom door in a second flat! I told him that my water
broke, and then all you know what broke loose! While I attemptedtoclean up, and kind of mopped up the floor with a towel,
Daddy called the hospital and they said to come in… By then Grammy had woken up… So we all dressed and got loaded into
the Explorer and off to Providence we went… At that point I wasn’t having any contractions, but my back was aching more
than it had been on Friday… When we got there we went straight to the maternity ward on the 3rd floor and checked
in at the nurse’s station, and we were taken to our room (#3K08). The nurse gave me a gown, and sent me into the
bathroom to change. She also took a sample off my pad, to make sure my water had really broke.

Credit: Little Star by Sarah Meyer
Program:Photoshop Elements 5
Fonts:Eccentric and CAC Camelot
Link: http://www.gottapixel.net/store/product.php?productid=19426&cat=0&page=3

Jared’s Birth Story (page 2)

Journaling:

This is when my memory gets a little hazy… I believe I was only 1 centimeter
dilated when they checked, and soon after we got there is when my contractions
started. But I never really felt them in my stomach, they were in my back,
and it was awful. I had made one of those “Birth Plans”, where you
write out in advance everything you want done. I had written that I
wanted no narcotics at all, and was hoping to have a natural child birth,
with no medications at all. Also, I refused to have a mirror, as I had no desire to
see myself in that area!!! … Anyway one of the nurses told me that I might want to
rethink the drug thing, because I was having back labor… At this point I had never
heard of back labor before, but I would soon find out that it isn’t pleasant!  … I
remember at one point they wanted me to walk around the halls, trying to get the
labor going. At this point I was in a lot of pain, and I really didn’t want to, but I never
was brave enough to stand up for what I want. I was already hooked up to the IV, so Daddy
had to push the IV stand along for me, as we went around the “circle” one time… I could
barely make it. My back hurt so back I couldn’t even stand up straight, and I kept having to stop for the
next contraction. At one point this other couple past us… I remember the lady was very tall and very
pregnant, and she was just chugging around those halls at full speed… I couldn’t figure out where she
got the energy!!!  ….By 2-3 centimeters I had opted for the narcotics… I know, I am very bad, but I needed
some relief. They made me VERY sleepy, and I dozed between contractions. The only other part I
remember from this time is the doctor… It wasn’t Dr. Prescott’s week