Feeling Scrappy and another James moment

Scrappy in a good way though! For the first time in two weeks I felt like opening up Photoshop in the afternoon instead of just taking my (now normal) nap. Maybe I'm doing the digi version of nesting? Looking around my house I think a more traditional nesting might be in order, but since my sciatica is getting worse the lower this baby drops, sitting on my behind in my comfy chair is a lot more appealing. Plus, I have online commitments... yeah, that's it!

Templates have become my friend lately since the basic design is all set out for me, which saves valuable brain cells that would otherwise get fried trying to decide where to put everything, and Sahlin Studio's templates are all on sale right now. For the first page I started with a template from the In Review: Modern set, although you might not recognize it now because it kind of evolved as I went.

I can't believe a year and a half has already gone by since these photos were taken. Peter has definitely lost that baby look, as well as most of his hair. Apparently we hadn't discovered the many benefits of the buzz cut back then! Now I know it's time to cut all their hair off whenever they wake up with bed head. Hey, if I'm going to have all boys, there should be some perks, right? I consider being able to get them up, throw some clothes on them and walk out the door a major benefit of having sons! Saves lots of time on Sunday mornings!!

Grabbed the camera and took a photo of Andrew baking away in there; thank goodness for the bathroom mirror. I tried just holding the camera out to my side, but my arm didn't seem to be long enough anymore! We are so ready to welcome this baby into our family... these last few days seem to be dragging by so slowly. I think the boys are starting to doubt that he'll ever arrive.

Okay, so my James moment...

The boys were sitting around the breakfast table this morning, happily consuming donuts (I know, I'm a bad mom) that Simon had brought home from work yesterday, when the proverbial lightbulb went on above James's head...

him: Mom, I have an idea. Let's pretend this is a restaurant.

me: mmm-hmmm

him: You can be the cooker person...

me: the chef

him: yes, the chef, and the boys and daddy can sit at the dining room table

me: mmm-hmmm

him: then you can bring us a list and we can look at it (pretending like he's scanning a menu) and then tell you what we want, and you can cook it and bring it to us

me: uh-huh, well that's an idea all right

Chief chef, diaper changer, bottom wiper, maid, and comforter of all kinds of injuries... that's me! But, all in all, it's a pretty good job and I wouldn't trade it for the world (most days!) Check back with me in a couple of months when I won't even be able to remember the last time I slept through the night!

What I've Been Up To

I can hardly believe that it's been two months since the last blog post... life has been busy! I started kindergarten with James last month and it's been going surprisingly well. I had started him last year on the book Teach Your Child to Read in a Hundred Easy Lessons but he just wasn't getting it and I had taken too many breaks in between the lessons so we eventually gave up. We started at the beginning again last month and this time it's going great! I can't wait for him to be able to read on his own and if he's anything like me, I'll be prying his nose out of a book whenever I need him to do something else. I haven't had as much time to read as I used to (read: before I had kids) but I did discover that I am able to borrow audio books for free online through a program that our local library has. I just listened to a mystery book called Maisie Dobbs while scrapping, or doing housework, or before falling asleep. In fact, just this week I was extolling to Simon the benefits of listening to a book rather than reading it for, I said, "if I were reading it I'd no doubt be up all night in order to finish it, but when I listen it puts me to sleep." Of course, that very night I stayed up until two in the morning in order to hear the end of the book! So much for that theory.

In September we participated in a park outreach event that the church we are part of hosted. It was fun to meet people in the neighborhood and for the boys to jump in the jump house and get their faces painted. However I came home with three creatures:
this big tiger...

this little tiger...

and this furry dog...

who was a stray wandering the streets. We've had her now for a month, watched for signs advertising a lost dog, checked to see if she has a microchip, discussed multiple times whether we really want another dog, and named her Mocha. (Well, actually I named her Mocha, because the only thing better than coffee is chocolate AND coffee.) We're keeping her. The boys love her. She sleeps next to my side of the bed. She fills a little spot in my heart that's been empty since my last pomeranian died. And that's the end of that story.

I'll be back in a bit with some of the crafty things I've been up to; there's a stench wafting from the boys' room that needs to be attended to and I guess it's time to start school for the day...

First class all the way...

Well, not really first class actually... more like World Traveler, which is British Airline's way of communicating that they will pack you in as tightly as possible, with only enough room to cross your legs if you don't mind your knee up your nose. And believe me, that gets mighty uncomfortable really fast!



This was our transportation the first leg of our journey... the most ginormous plane I've ever seen. I honestly didn't know that you could get a two-story plane. As we were hurtling down the runway, I was trying not to think about how huge the force of gravity that we were attempting to overcome must have been. Simon, aka Mr. Physics, never worries about the takeoff because he knows all about the different physical laws that work together to get the plane up into the air. He only gets nervous about the landing. Me? I never get nervous about the landing because at least we're headed in the direction I want to be going... down. I've discovered that the older I get, the less I like to fly.

Ironically enough, the only stress on the trip over was while we were on the ground in London. Our flight was delayed getting in because of bad weather, and the flight attendant was assuring everyone that all the connecting flights would also be delayed. We also had some kind of medical emergency on the flight which delayed the disembarking by an additional 45 minutes while the paramedics came on to tend to the woman. By the time we finally got off and got through security, the monitor showed our flight to Delhi as closing in 15 minutes. Of course, right next to the monitor was a sign estimating the time necessary to reach our gate... 15 minutes, hence the stress. Now, no lie, Heathrow airport has the world's longest escalator... and it feels even longer when you're running up it in flipflops, carrying a backpack that's getting heavier by the millisecond, and gasping for air because you think your lungs are about to explode or maybe you'll just have a heart attack! We were second to last to board the plane and I was actually happy to have a chance to sit down again. It was a good thing we ran, because the plane took off right away... wait, just kidding... we sat on the runway for an hour before taking off. Oh well, at least I got some exercise.

Here's my first (of many, no doubt) page about our trip...

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I've been slowly trying to catch up on things I missed while I was gone. This is with one of Creashen's new kits and is Simon & I on our anniversary trip to Seattle last December.


And, speaking of Seattle... lots of families that love my mom and dad got together and sent them on a surprise trip to Seattle for their 30th anniversary this week. I am so excited for them (and amazed that with all the people in on the secret, no one spilled the beans!) I made a card for them... inside it says {you two make the cutest couple}.


And one last project: this one was so easy, but it turned out super cute (if I do say so myself!) A set of thank you notes for James to send out after his birthday this year...


Well, that's it for now. Way too much happened in India to put it all in one post, so I thought I'd spread it out as I have time to sort through photos and process everything that happened. It was an amazing trip though and I'm so glad that we were able to go!

Time for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up...

Another conversation with James

sitting around the dinner table tonight...

Me: I'm going to miss you boys.
John: You're not going to miss us!
Me: Yes I am.
James: Yeah, because we're going to Grandma's house and they're going to India for forever.
Me: not forever, just two weeks
James: Yes I know; forever is two weeks!

I guess when you're four, two weeks probably does feel like forever!

Getting Ready...

Tomorrow's the day... this is what my dining room table looked like this morning:

...everyone's clothes laid out in stacks, being double-checked and then crossed off the list. Slowly the piles are getting packed into the suitcases; there's only one load of laundry left to do and our carry-ons to be packed and then we're set.

Checking in...

Tap, tap, tap... Is this thing still on?

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last blogged. I guess that shows what a boring life I lead; I couldn't think of anything to talk about. But this morning, sitting here listening to the melodious sounds of the garbage truck cruising through the neighborhood, hoping that it won't wake up the boys, I felt like writing.

But wait, now I hear the boys stirring in the bedroom, so it looks like my attempt is ill-fated. Maybe I'll be back this afternoon, or maybe it'll be another whole month before I hit that little blogger icon in my browser...

goodbye for now,

me

He just makes me smile!

I thought I'd pop in with a photo of John from last week. Every time I see it I can't help but grin back at that little face!



Hope you're having a great day!

The Birthday Boy

James turned four a couple of weeks ago. When I stop and look at him, I realize that he has left toddler-hood far behind. I know that in the blink of an eye the next four years will be gone too. He has already become such fun to be around (when he isn't grumpy, of course) and the funny things he says and does keep us laughing.

I went looking for some pictures of him taken on or around each of his birthdays just so I could see how he'd grown, and thought I'd share them with you too. Here we are in the hospital.

I think by his first birthday he was already running, and he's been mostly a blur of action ever since!

Two years old and already a style icon.

Last summer in Hawaii (our camera broke while we were there so I don't have any pictures for a couple of months)... muscle man.

Last week...

How I love that kid! Thanks for walking down memory lane with me.

Photoshop Magic

Someone with too much time on his hands must have come up with this:

http://producten.hema.nl/

Give it a few seconds to start.

Hugs!!

So proud!

Just a quick update... see that handsome Marine surrounded by a beaming family? That's my little brother and us (well, not me because I was taking the picture) on Thursday at MCRD (Marine Corp Recruit Depot) in San Diego. Today we got to see the graduation ceremony which was amazing. I wish I could convey the sense of pride and history the ceremony had. I have to sort through the couple hundred pictures I took and then I can put up a picture of him in his dress blues. What a wonderful, emotional couple of days it's been, and I can't wait to get a chance to spend some time just talking to him and catching up on life. He's home for ten days on leave, then gone again, so for ten days, the world will be as it should for my family!

my morning

Yep, this pretty much sums it up:


They're all crying, and I want to just sit down and cry with them!

So, how's your morning going?

Semper Fi!

Remember this guy?

It's a picture of my brother taken a few days before he left for Marine bootcamp. This is how I remember him, my little brother. (Okay. To tell the truth, this is how I remember him:

But, we don't have to talk about my problem dealing with change right now, do we?)

Here's a picture taken the morning he left... EARLY in the morning... (sorry Mom and Dad, but you are standing too close to him, so I couldn't crop you out! )

Notice that serious face. Right about then he was probably thinking, "what in the world did I get myself into?"

Well, this is my new little brother. His platoon picture was posted on Saturday.

And today, he officially becomes a Marine. At ten o'clock this morning, the Crucible is over, and he is awarded his Eagle, Globe, and Anchor pin. And one week from today, we will finally be able to see him for the first time in almost four months. I am so excited I can hardly stand it!! And so proud of him! My little brother, a Marine... (but I still can't figure out why they let such little kids enlist!)


One week and counting, Will!

He's famous!! He's famous!!

Well, at least his right arm is! That's all you can see of him, but it's a nice arm... and sporting his "Pray for China" band to boot! Talk about mass evangelism!

If you've ever wondered what Simon does at work, this'll sort of give you a clue. He plays with big, powerful computers. If only I could sneak in there and install Photoshop I could scrap at the speed of light! (The picture is linked to the article in the Orange County Register if you're interested in finding out more about the wonderful medical advances that are being made in the cardiac field.)

The Reason I...

...love the security of digital scrapping

A few days ago I felt like actually getting out some real paper and quilling. Notice the pink flower in the background that's out of focus?
Here's the same flower after I stepped out of the room for a few minutes and then returned:
I guess John thought it would look better with a few of the pieces missing. I can just imagine him standing there plucking off petals, "she loves me, she loves me not, she loves me, she won't be too happy with me, I'd better vamoose!" If that had been a paper scrapbook page, I would've been really upset!

...felt like it might be time to give Peter a haircut


...know I take too many photos

We gave James the first digital camera we bought that no longer works, and he loves to "take pictures" with it. After "snapping" one, he studies the back of the camera intently, then announces, "just one or two more."



...don't find early mornings quite as pleasant as I used to

All my boys wake up a bit disoriented and grumpy!

Anyone have the number for Terminex?

You all remember the spider incident, right? Well, check out what I found when I opened my cupboard this morning:

It's an infestation I tell you! Send help quick!!

You can just imagine...

my surprise when I stepped out of the back door this evening to check on the grill, and the first thing I saw was James with his shorts down, "watering" the lawn. Ah yes, one more item for my list of "Things I Regret Teaching My Children."

Counting My Blessings

Have you ever had a day where something happened that really made you stop and consider how gracious God is to you? Tuesday was one of those days for me. Monday night James woke up crying with a bloody nose, saying that he'd fallen out of bed. We cleaned him up and got him settled back down and didn't give it another thought, until Tuesday morning when he woke up looking like this:

His telling of what happened is not the clearest, so the best that we can figure is that he was standing in the bed looking out of the window, and he either had the cord to the blinds wrapped around his neck, or he grabbed for it when he lost his balance, and as he fell it made a ragged cut from the middle of his throat to the back of his head. You can imagine the sick feeling I got in the pit of my stomach when I realized how much worse it could have turned out. Now every time I hug him, I squeeze a little bit tighter, and I tell him more often how much I love him. It's so easy to take God's blessings for granted, but that mark on my James's neck is a vivid reminder that each breath we take is a gift from Him.