Memorial Day

Nine years ago today Nick and I had our first date.

One year ago today we got the news that we'd soon be a family of 5. (2009)

Today

Because of U

This is the layout I made this for the Ideas for Scrapbookers blog post last Friday. You can go here for the sketch.

TITLE: Because of U

Journaling: I want to be a better person. I always need tissues and bandaids. I try to be more patient. I find sour milk in hidden sippy cups. I hum songs from Dora. I have snacks in the couch cushions. I drive a minivan. I change diapers with lightning speed. I am loved unconditionally. I can kiss away tears. I can dechiper babble.

Product: October Afternoon paper & sticker, Heidi Grace alphabets

WooHoo Wednesday- Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Tonight for WooHoo Wednesday we went to the local ball diamond to catch some intense baseball action- 9 year old style.

My friend Jess's son Trevor plays for a local team- the White Sox and we wanted to see him in action.

Ellie in her new summer hat.

Bennet took this photo of Jess. She loves taking pictures. I won't bore you with the countless photos she took of clouds, trees, feet and grass tonight.

Me and B.

Scout just chillin' by herself.

Scout and Jess's nephew Brett playing ring around the rosie. Too cute!!

Jess's sister Amy was such a great sport. Especially with my crazy monkey children. At one point she had 3 kids climbing and wrestling with/on her. My kids want to play with EVERYONE.

Ellie at 4 Months

Another month has come and gone. Now that spring is here it seems like time is going faster than usual.

• Wearing 6-9 month clothes. Mostly 9 month. She's a solid baby. Bennet wore the outfit Ellie's wearing in the photo above at 7 months.


• Has started to develop a sleeping pattern. Most nights she's asleep between 7-7:30 p.m. This past week she started sleeping through the night on a consistent basis. Woo to the Hoo!! If she's up at all it's usually between 4-5 a.m. for a quick feeding and then back to bed.


• Found her thumb. She favors the left one. Our first thumbsucker.


• Is very smiley. Especially around me. I just love that she's a bit of a Mama's girl.


• Actually naps in her crib during the day. And falls asleep on her own. BIG change from last month when we had to wear her in the wrap and rock her to sleep.


• She still has to deal with Scout in her face for most of the day saying things like, "Ellie Lou Lou Ellie Lou Lou look at me. Look at me".


• Rolls from her belly to her back. (See Mom- she's getting tummy time :) )


• Likes spending time in the exersaucer.

• Her eyes are still dark. Most days they are a brownish green color.
  

Flower Girl

Bennet was the Flower Girl in my sister Megan's wedding. That was almost 2 years ago. I always have a hard time scrapping event/holiday photos but I finally sat down to do this.

I made the layout for ScrapFreak's monthly Guest Designer challenge that required fabric and stitching. My mother-in-law gave me a box of old ribbon and lace that was her mothers. The lace I used here is from that stash.

The circular stitching was inspired by a layout I saw in a magazine but I can't remember when or where.
Product: October Afternoon paper, Bazzill Kraft, My Minds Eye (rub ons), Basic Grey alphabet, KaiserCraft pearls

Feeling HOT, HOT, HOT

Weather in Wisconsin sure is unpredictable. Two and a half weeks ago we had 2 inches of snow on the ground. Yesterday is was 90 degrees- in MAY. This warranted a pool day in the backyard.



Of course now my floors are covered in sand and dried footprints but that's just par for the course right?

Seriously- how cute is Ellie? I know I'm her Mom- but she is just downright adorable!

Franklin School Carnival

Last Saturday we went to the Franklin School Carnival. I didn't edit these photos much so bear with me.

We had so much fun. Scout was absolutely fearless on the inflatable maze. She would climb up as fast as she could, slide down and the run back around and get in line again. She was the youngest kid there by far but held her own.

Scout's first pony ride.

Bennet's favorite face lately. She kicked her sandals off and rode barefoot.

Go Fish! Still as fun as when I was a kid.

Scout looks mad here but she actually enjoyed the little hug.

Ellie slept most of the time but I had to include a recent photo of her as well. She's starting to enjoy the exersaucer. Of course B and Scout like to sit in it when she's not using it but that's a whole other story.

Ideas for Scrapbookers

My friend Pam recently started an awesome blog, Ideas for Scrapbookers. It has tips, templates and more!! Add it to your Bloglines/Google Reader now!

I am honored to be their Featured Artist today. Click here to see my bio.

My post on Scraplifting with a Twist + a SKETCH can be seen here.

Can You Feel the Love

I know- you have the Lion King running through your head now don't you? :) This is a recent layout about my new best friend- the Sleepy Time wrap. It has become a lifesaver. I'm not sure Ellie would nap somedays without it.

TITLE: Can You Feel the Love
Journaling: You love to be held. Often taking naps all wrapped up on my chest. I love being able to lean down for a kiss and hear your heartbeat.

The pink circles were handstitched.
Product: Bazzill Kraft, October afternoon papers, journaling spots, alphas, American Crafts alpha

WooHoo Wednesday- May 19- Picnic

The weather was perfect today. Days like today that make me tolerate the winters.

Tonight we grabbed a blanket, packed a picnic and went to surprise Grandma Barb at her house. We caught her planting her pots for the year but she took a break to spend some time with us.

I snagged the picnic plates and storage containers from JoAnn's clearance section. Isn't it cute?

Bennet is into picking EVERY flower she sees. She always wants to know the name of it and whether or not it smells. The lilacs are blooming right now and she makes sure our house is smelling beautiful!

We are in the process of growing out Scout's bangs. I can't wait until they are long enough to stay out of her face consistently without the complicated system of levers and pulleys.

Wordless Wednesday- Flower Power

Remember this

I want to remember that . . .

On this Saturday in May
there was a tent in my living room
with all girls tucked inside
for a mid-morning nap

Scout was to my right
wearing a fancy polka dot party dress she picked out herself
snuggling underneath her Dad's Star Wars comforter from his childhood
pointing to and naming the colors she saw
and Chewbacca

Bennet was to my left
wearing her green 'twirly' skirt
inside her Tinkerbell sleeping bag
one hand tucked under her face
the other with her fingertips gently touching my arm

Ellie was wrapped up tighly on my chest in the wrap
breathing shallow, happy breaths
I could feet the sweat from the back of her head on my neck
Cradled her bare foot in my hand.

I could hear the sounds of spring
outside the open window
birds chirping
Chainsaws
lawnmowers

As we all work up
Bennet start singing Beyonce's 'Single Ladies'
We all smiled and giggled
Laid there a little longer
Making Ellie smile
and my heart was happy

Fresh Ellie Bean layouts

A couple of weekends ago Simply Obsessed held an Easy Breezy mini-crop. I was able to participate in a couple challenges. These pages came together very quickly! They are hosting another weekend crop starting today. Check it out. Simply Obsessed

TITLE: Fresh Face
Journaling: When you smile it's like a breath of fresh air. It just brightens up the whole room. Product: Bazzill cardstock. Scenic Route patterned paper & alpha, Pink Paislee alpha

TITLE: Berry Sweet

Journaling: At one month old you've worked yourself right into our family. Time is just flying by. You love affection and prefer to be held chest-to-chest. Sometimes I still can't believe that you're here.

I used a Sketchy Thursday sketch for this.

Product: Bazzill cardstock, Cosmo Cricket patterned paper, Katie Perritet stamp, Jenni Bowlin label, American Crafts buttons, KI Memories alpha, Jillibean Soup alpha, Cosmo Cricket alpha

WooHoo Wednesday, May 12- SPA DAY

Ever since Bennet saw this episode of 'Phineas and Ferb' she has been requesting a Spa Day.

Yesterday I told her that this week's Woo Hoo Wednesday was going to be a Spa Day. I can't even begin to explain how excited she was. She picked out the nail polish and book she was going to read during her pedicure LAST night before bed. In classic Bennet she talked about it non-stop.



Grandma Barb gave the girls some fancy (my favorite) Lush bath salts so we used them tonight. It added pink glitter to the water. Talk about a hit! I gave them each a little leg/foot massage with lotion and polished their piggies.

Side note- as of late Scout has declared that not only does she need to do everything Bennet does but she also must do everything herself. She picked out her outfit for today and after the beginnings of a tantrum started when I suggested something warmer I decided it wasn't a battle I needed to fight today.
Bennet wanted a mud mask but I wasn't that crazy. I whipped up a yogurt/cucumber facial. She was hilarious. "Mom- it's so cold and refreshing. Do I get those cucumbers on my eyes too? Cool!" When I asked Scout if she wanted a facial too she quickly answered NO :)
Then it was time for Strawberry Smoothies. Another thing Bennet has been requesting (over and over). I made a little slit in the strawberries to place on the side of their glasses. Move over Tom Cruise there's a new bartender in town! I wonder if Bennet is at the age where she will remember these little things when she's older.

As usual I made too much so I just put the extra mix into popsicle molds. Brilliant!

Bennet's summary of the day so far? "Mom- this is the BEST Spa Day EVER!" Thanks kiddo. And for less than $10 total we can do it often. We wrapped up the itinerary with a calming bubble bath. Very appropriate since I had to get yogurt out of their hair.

Ellie was there too. Perhaps next summer when she's 18 months she can have her piggies painted for the first time.

Wordless Wednesday- My life would suck without you

Snow? In May?

Snow in May? As a true Wisconsinite would say. "You betcha!" We had a LATE season snow last night. When all was said and done we had about 2 inches stick. Of course my early birds were up by 7 a.m. begging to go outside.

"Mom- Snowball fight like in Chance of Meatballs"
"Mom- looka me. It's so biiig"

Hard to believe it was 75 here on Tuesday.

Woo Hoo Wednesday- May 5- Library

Well- week 1 of 2010 Woo Hoo Wednesday's was pretty subdued. It was one of those days. For some reason Ellie was completely inconsolable this morning/afternoon for 2 1/2 hours. I finally ran out of ideas and loaded everyone in the car for a drive. After an hour driving from home to Brokaw to Mosinee and back she seemed happier.

I had hoped to have a picnic but then the clouds, rain and cool weather rolled in around 4:30. We did manage a trip to the library for some new books. (Side note to the Mom who left her creepy 7 yr old alone in the Children's Library section while she was upstairs: Please don't leave your creepy kid alone unsupervised. Thanks!)

It was Bennet's turn to pick dinner. She wanted sandwiches cut into shapes with cookie cutters. THAT I could handle. We made an angel food cake to serve with strawberries and whip cream for dessert.

It wasn't too Woo Hoo for our inaugural Wednesday of the season but we're just getting warmed up.

Wordless Wednesday- Outside my Window

Be Inspired

Scrapfreak.com is having a wonderful FREE class for the month of May.

Be Inspired

Sometimes we can get stuck in a rut... making layouts that all look the same, using the same products, same layout, same techniques. Nothing wrong with that, but its also good to shake things up sometimes. A great way to do that is to try new design ideas and techniques. That is exactly what this class will help you do! I have created 12 unique, fun challenges to help you push yourself creatively.

Jessica Bree asked me to provide a sample for one of the lessons. Magazine writers know that they are competing for your attention. Readers just flip thru, looking for something that catches their eye. In addition to adding great images, magazines often highlight quotes from their articles to peak your interest. Your challenge is to try something similar - highlight part of your journaling to draw the reader in. For this challenge you must at least 100 words of journaling.

Here is my take on the challenge.

TITLE: Threw Up Hot Dogs

Get over to Scrapfreak.com and start participating. The challenges are so different. Just what you need to put a spring back into your layouts!