the aftermath...

of Christmas every year is that our (that would be Brent & I) analness kicks in, and we go in OCD overdrive with organizing, purging and cleaning. So far, the office has been gutted and put back, as has the kids craft cabinet, and the kitchen and playroom. The garage and Cam's room are next.
We have to make room for the insane amount of Legos that made their way in our house, and the Star Wars collection of miniature people, ships, and strange animal things (no, not a fan, and no, haven't seen any of the movies, and yes, my husband and son watch them all regularly). Along with the creepy doll that's always sleepy and reaching our her arms to you whenever you walk by, the insane amount of bathtub soaps/bubbles/toys, the new games, and the new collection of Mickey Mouse (the latest Meg obsession) stuff that has weasled its way in. And let's not forget the enormous three room dome tent that now has taken over the playroom (thanks, Shelley).
I'm ready to get the Christmas stuff put away, but just can't bear to do it before the NYE party, so up it shall stay until next weekend!
Bring on the fondue and fireworks, and let's hope I remain injury free this New Year's!

Merry Christmas!

From our home to yours, here's wishing everyone a blessed, fabulous holiday, full of great memories, fabulous food, and wonderful friends and family!

poor megan....

now that she's potty trained, her tiny little booty just can't keep her britches up... we're always struggling with plumber's crack around here....

and the winner is...

Carmen!
1. Star Wars people
2. Transformers
3. Power Rangers
4. Stuffed Animals
5. Webkins
6. Hot Wheels

fa la la la...

many good times abound.

Had Haven's birthday party yesterday...princess party for a princess turning 3.... :) complete with a wishing well, face painting, and a cute little craft for the kids to decorate their own ornaments- they were so excited to hang them up on their tree upstairs-

Then we had Rita & Jim's wine tasting party- great times! Every couple had to bring two bottles of wine- one cheap, and one a little pricier. They had to be covered so we couldn't see what they were, and everyone brought appetizers to go with their wines. LOTS of great food!
We all had score cards to rate the wines on a 1-10 scale, and the best wine got a prize, the best cheap wine got a prize, and the worst wine got a prize. Guess who got the worst wine prize? Yes, yours truely brought the most awful wine that has ever been tasted in the history of the world. That stuff was horrible. Amusingly, Rita and I picked the same wine for our other bottles, and almost everyone scored them differently! ha!

Had a really great time- great way to celebrate the holidays!

And here is my new hair, with my cute little hubby... it's hard to tell in the picture, but it's angled and the back is a lot shorter....oh, and I bought my new pink Chi yesterday. :)

Tonight's girl's night at the Melting Pot for Stephanie's birthday- after last night's endeavors, I'm tempted to wear sweats! Either way, love me some girl time and Melting Pot- sure to be a fun night!

12 on the 12th of December

You know, I've been doing these a while, and yet, I haven't gotten tired of them. Most of my favorite pictures throughout the year come from doing the 12 on the 12th pictures- capturing random funnies and things throughout the day... give it a try and mark your calendars in the new Year!

1. Countdown to Christmas Calendar- I actually DID finish it (we missed the first few days of December, but hey, there's always next year)! Cameron loves opening these up every day, and Megan has caught onto to it also, so she's never far behind him to check out what's inside.

2. Megan chillin' in the chair watching some Sesame Street while I do some laundry- she looks so little next to the tree, and in the chair!

3. You didn't think I could go two months without having this somewhere, did you?

4. Really haven't had near enough time on computer as usual... hopped on to check email and weather.

5. Pool progress- they have the slide up, and will be covering it entirely in rock. To date, we're up to 24 tons of rock that's in the backyard so far.

6. Today is baking day. Brandy has come up to bake with me for the last few years, and Rita joined us this year. Lots of fun! I think this was about the time that we realized Brandy's popcorn mix was looking more like popcorn poo.

7. Our little helper.

8. Stephanie picked up Cameron for me, and he was so excited to play with Dylan for the afternoon!

9. Rita picked up Jensen and brought her over after school- all the bigger kids love Dylan!

10. Mud Pie for storytime- Megan is being the toot that she is so well- that's the back of Rita's head, telling Megan maybe it's not such a good idea to have a ceremic plate on your head. (yes, all the while I'm taking pictures... send your "mom of the year" awards right on over...

11. Rita and I ran to the Dollar Tree for tins for all the goodies, then through the Chick-fil-A drive through for dinner (healthy!) and came back to the house and chowed while packaging everything up.

12. Went to the children's program at the church... Chase was in it, and adorable! they had cookies for the kids after the program. About 2 minutes after eating that cookie, Cam didn't feel so good. I wonder why?? Baking day goodies, CFA for dinner, cookies at the church... hmm... it's a mystery... again, you can send all "mom of the year" awards my way... you can also check out Cam's new buzz cut in this pic! :)

adjusting my list...

that doesn't exist, for Christmas. I would now like to add a Chi to the list please. :)

Hacked off all my hair today. Feel oh so chic. Need a Chi. If anyone would like to send me one wrapped up in a pretty bow, feel free!

a moment...

yesterday was Santa's shop at Cam's school... the kids all bring money, and they have a special store set up so they can buy Christmas presents for family members and have them wrapped there. So fun to see all the kids getting so excited about doing for others.

the teacher was walking through helping the kids shop, when she made a little announcement to the kids:
"Now, boys and girls, you need to think about who you're purchasing for today. If you're buying a gift for your Mommy, she's probably not going to want a little squishy football, or light up shoelaces."

I've never seen such sad little looks as all ten little boys in the class going through their bags, and all putting back the little squishy footballs they had picked out for their mommies... so cute.

my cuties..

pre-buzz cut anyways. Cameron is now buzzed in December. Thankfully, it's been 82 the last couple of days, so it all works out.

This was at the Angel Tree party at the church this last weekend... we really enjoyed participating in this, and I'd encourage anyone that can to help with it too- my kids had a great time at the party. We adopted two kids this year, a boy and a girl, and it was great to meet them and spend a little time with their families, and for my kids to put a face with the random gifts. We took pictures of all the kids together, put for the sake of privacy for them, I just wanted to post the one I took of mine. :)

Also had Gray's 5th birthday party this weekend too- Shawna always does such fun and creative parties- the kids had a blast!

oh, and made this Friday night- if you're looking for a great Christmas dinner, this is it. I'm definitely making it for Christmas. I served it with Parmesan mashed potatoes, and asparagus wrapped in proscuitto and feta- so good!

it took five and a half years...

but he did it.

Cameron cut his own hair at school today.

Part of me just wants to laugh, because of course he would cut it right in the middle of his head, down to the scalp.

When I asked why on earth he would do something like this, he said, "Because I just wanted it shorter right there."

Of course.

Cam's Santa list....

haha! My adorable son and his handwriting :)

Any guesses as to his list? I'll send a RAK your way for whomever gets the most right!

Serene has a blog now-woot!

AND the Christmas party pics are up! Who knew I threw my arms in the air so much when I was dancing?!? Must check effectiveness of anti perspirant.... oh, and I'm pretty sure Brent consumed more alcohol Saturday night than he had...ever.

insanity of the season...

has sprung! woot!

'kay... Thanksgiving rocked. Really it did. Had a great time. Proof. Very cool to have ALL my sibs there. SO cool. Did I say cool?

The rest of my mom's visit was.... well.... upchuckish? shall we say? Someone was sick every day 'cept T-day, and it rained. A lot. 'Cept for the day it we went to Kemah, but Nathan was upchuckish that day, thus the pics of him not moving much.

Still had good times, but I won't put it in the "to repeat" category.

Been working on this. Hope to get it done by tonight, and yes, I realized I'm late. Almost done, I swear.

Brent's company Christmas party was this weekend. Still working on getting those pictures up. They took us to L'Auberge du Lac for the weekend. Lots of pictures, lots of editing. Brent did lots of shots of tequila Saturday night. Thus his upchuckish nature during the night (and before he responds, yes, I was due- 'specially for my broken nose last new year's)... he got a round of applause the next morning at brunch if that tells you anything. :) Had a great time tho', just crazy to be gone a whole weekend like that this time of year.

Almost all of the decorations are up... my goal is to have the inside done by this weekend. We'll see. And as far as the outside, not so sure it's going to happen with the sad state of affairs our yard is in with the pool work right now. the king scrooge is saying no. We have the downstairs trees done, and the upstairs one is up, but not decorated... Megan got to hang her first ornament this year...

My son informed me tonight at dinner, to my devestated ears, that he has kissed his first girl. Dude. Thought I had a couple of years. (yes, that is the way the picture goes, and was taken. Do not adjust your monitor.)

These are freakin' adorable. Got them in the mail the other day for Scrapfaith. Awesomely cute- can't wait to cut it up!

Alrighty, surely I'm forgetting plenty, since it's been entirely too long since I updated.... although I'm probably the only one that noticed! :P

I'm off to get more holidayish things conquered...

wow...

so the madness is about to start...



tomorrow my mom and stepdad and two brothers will be here through next tuesday.

had Cameron's turkey feast today at the school. all i can say is that the bright side is that it's easy to top the awesomeness of a cafeteria thanksgiving.



thanksgiving count is at 22 now. this will be the first time i've ever spent a holiday will ALL of my siblings....all six of them! and significant others and children... pretty cool, huh? crazy/cool....



i bought a six pack of wine at the grocery store this week. brent says it won't be enough.



my house is clean momentarily. wait until my children get here.



meg's been sleeping in her big girl bed for two weeks now, and has been potty trained for two as well. here's a little peek at her room:

she has flat/semi-gloss stripes on her walls, and two different sections of butterflies hanging from the ceiling. These are all along the wall opposite her bed. she's been sleeping on the trundle for now, until she can stay contained in her bed for the night, and not wake everyone in the house with the loud boom of her body falling out of it at 3 in the morning.

had my sister's baby shower last weekend... turned out well, and she got some pretty cute things. my other sister susan had the camera, and had a grand time... i ended up with over 500 pictures from a BABY SHOWER. go girl.

had a craft day sunday with Brandy, Rita (oh ye who won't update her blog) and Sabrina... it was quite productive- i think i ended up with around 40 cards finished- woot! great start to the season. :)

off to finish some last minute stuff for the rest of the week... wish me luck!

still got it...

and have another 12 on the 12th somewhere that I need to put together... it was pre-camera breakage, so it's old news now.

Sometime, I'll learn how to make these all pretty, but in the meantime:

1.This is what happens when a 2 year old wants to dress herself. Sandals, with socks. check. shirt, two sizes two small, check.

2. dropping happy cameron off at school.

3. Megan's artwork- she's obsessed with fish since we went to nemo

4. she's also obsessed with the %&$* jack in the box- has figured out how to turn it, but not to get the goofy guy back in. So guess who does that part twenty times a day? Oh, and yes, she is in a semi-state of vegitation, watching Sesame Street. While I fold clothes.

5. Got a layout done during nap time. So uninspired these days. Could someone bring back the mojo???

6. our pool. we're at the water it twice a day stage. or i should say that brent is anyways. i just stare at it a couple of times a day.

7. the potty. meg's potty trained- woot! the downside is that i stare at this. a lot.

8. lunch with Ashley, but she didn't want her picture taken, so there's another one of Megan. one of my favorite places!

9. play date after school with Gray & Ty. got a chance to catch up with shawna.

10. ran to the store so people in my house wouldn't claim to starve. pish.

11. crap! my mom is going to be here soon! ack! yeah, been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get crap done before they come, and before we have 20+ people here both for Thanksgiving and the Saturday after. Ha!

12. bed time= story time for 30 minutes

love these two...

and LOVE the new Loveland papers! :P

Happy Birthday Brent!

Woot! 32 old man! Here's to another fabulous year to my most awesomest husband, and rockstar dad... I can't think of a better match for me- who else could possibly put up with me and all my quirks??


I actually let Brent pick (novel idea) what he wanted to do for his birthday this year... I felt like such a let down, but I have learned that as much as my husband is such a good sport about the constant plans and on the go and the social gatherings, parties, and miscellaneous obligations, sometimes he just likes to do....nothing. So that's what we did. Kind of. We went to Disney on Ice on Saturday to see Finding Nemo- the kids were enthralled by it the entire time- we had 2nd row seats, so it was pretty cool. Check us out with the fish himself- Meg is trying to rip his fin off:

Sunday Brent got a lazy Sunday morning pass in leiu of church, and then we met his parents for lunch. Then we finished up getting Meg's room together, and spent the latter part of the evening hanging in our friends next door hot tub with celebratory cocktails. :)

Our children are so lucky to call you Daddy (I'm keeping the mailman a secret- shh!!)


Thanks honey, and Happy Birthday! Love you!


(Please excuse my trashy children- one nekkid and one with his redneck sleeveless shirt on that he picked out deep from the drawer of what-other-people-give-our-children so he could show off that awesome tat. Nice and trashy folks.)

*day 4, no accidents. this chick rocks!

Chicago or bust!

the last time I did the "_____ or bust" I busted, but this time, it rocked! Had a fabulous time in Chicago, and only wish I could have had a day or two longer there- a beautiful city, with tons of character, and OMGosh the shopping is rockstar awesome! To top it all off, I met some FABULOUS ladies from all around, and I am SO glad I decided to take the trip! I was a little homesick- missed my kiddos, but overall, a great time was had... and just to SHOW you, in case you're interested in 5,000 pictures, you can look-



here,

here,

here,

and here.

(that's what happens when 15 scrapbookers get together. I'm pretty sure I was the only one that didn't bring a camera)



I know everyone's wondering about meeting 13 people you've never met in person before, so I'll touch on the key points of the trip...



everyone was pretty much exactly as I thought they'd be, save for a few, little itsy bitsy life altering moments.



one can never buy too much at Costco, or Sam's, wherever it was that Carmen went shopping before this trip. Thanks Carmen! Nothing says fabulous like a Diet Coke and a huge muffin in the morning.



It really is a windy city.



Sometimes, even when someone has two maps, they can still walk 20 blocks too many.



No matter how old you are, you get enough girls together, drama will happen.



I wish I would have thought of the damn American Girl store. those people are making a killing.



Brandy has a cute snore. I've spent the night with her plenty, but this was the first time I actually was awake enough to hear it. I think between the two of us we might have slept a full hour the whole time.



Those bike taxi dudes are scary. I saw my life flash before my eyes.



Chicago has THE worst traffic EVER. And lots of ambulances.



Laura is a drug dealer. and a lifesaver.



People don't type cuss words anywhere close to as much as they let them fly (I will omit, this is myself included(hanging head in shame))



You also can't hear those great accents (Carrie and Susan- LOVE them!)



I'm so glad I did not have to ride the elevator in the Sears tower. You have no idea how relieved I was.



Those cupcakes.... nah. Pass. The chai latte across the street? Bonus!



Puppy chow rocks. And the recipe is on the BOX. Same with scotcheroos. On the BOX.



It's really cool to get Krystn as a Secret Sister. And then give her a huge hug. Twice. She likes that.



I instantly knew Lisa and Bre would be awesome roomies when they had flasks waiting for Brandy and I when we got there. Pretty hard to top that coolness, so good thing we didn't try.



I gotta tell ya... Chicago deep dish.... eh. Good, but I like New York thin crust. Sorry.....



You can still bounce on metal couches. Promise. Saw it with my own eyes.



AND, I definitely want to do a trip, with ALL of these great fabulous peeps, again!! SOON!

Happy Birthday Em!

It's Emmie's 14th birthday!! Yay!

Went to dinner tonight, and sang an obnoxious Happy Birthday to her (I sound like a frog in a blender when I sing, for anyone who's thankfully never had the blessing of hearing me) and porked out on some serious sushi... who knew you could develop a gut from sushi...huh.

Poor Ethan was a trooper with his runny nose and sicky... but he's still adorable!

and my brother and Serene.... could someone PLEASE tell him to shave the 'stache??? I'm not going to tell you what I think of when I look at him with that thing, but it's from right around this time....at the rate we're going, I'm buying him Chicago's greatest hits for Christmas....

***Megan went potty ALL day today... NO accidents!*** just a small PSA for anyone who cares... :P

hmm...do you think...

that if your two year old is able to run upstairs,



scale the changing table,



lie down on top of it,



pick out a diaper,



and scream your name over and over



until you come find her



only to have her say,



"poo poo"



as she is laying there....



that maybe it's time to potty train?

some scrappy stuff...

These layouts were created with this month's Simply Obsessed kit: And this one was for Scrapfaith this month:

while I was gone...

I'll have to save the Chicago trip for another post with some uber fabulous pics (none of which I took, and the fact that all pictures taken of me helped to motivate me to get back on that diet bandwagon) but I had a fantastic time!

BUT, while I was gone...

our yard went from this:

to this:

my kids apparently had a great time with stickers: and my awesome flowers my hubs gave me for my anniversary finally bit the dust. :(And, as you can tell, the world is whole again, and I got my camera back. There's a peace in my soul that has returned.

My family will be here in two weeks- WOW! Lots to do, so I better get off the computer, huh?

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone had a fabulous one, and all the kiddos had a great haul! Here's a few pics of our handsome knight and adorable dragon....we're still at the mercy of others for pictures, so we've got a couple from the stop at Gramma's, thankfully. :)

The kids have definitely got this down now- Megan was hilarious at every stop- "Treat!" then "You!" and "Halloween!" ...she left out the "Trick or" and "Thank" and "Happy" but I think everyone got the general idea. She'd throw in an occasional "Raaar" too.

She's been a sicko like me all week, and was a total trooper, carrying that bag the whole time, even with Brent offering to carry her and the bag again and again. And Cameron can clear a street fast- that knight has never ran so fast as he could once he was done with one house and moving onto the next! It's great to see the different stages they're at- Cam at the "hmm... this gig pays out- wonder how many houses I can conquer!" and Megan at the "wow, every house throws candy in my bag- I dig this costume!"

I'm pretty sure Halloween is definitely the best holiday when it comes to low stress, big payout for kids holiday. :)

Brent and I decided next year to make our front lawn into a graveyard... some fencing, fog machine, and our neighbor is going to make a coffin for us. Should be fun! I think a tombstone for each of us would rock- I gotta come up with some creative epitaths :)

Link me to Halloween pics, if you've got them!

crazy, as usual

been a nutso few days.

Brent and I celebrated our anniversary saturday. six years have flown by in our lives. got some gorgeous flowers, and as soon as i find the one i want, an armoire for the living, and a new flat screen. then finally the big black beast shall move upstairs. yay.

been sick all weekend. blech.

serene and the kids came up for the weekend. loves it. wish they lived closer. em stayed an extra night, and i took her home last night.

kiddie birthday party. my fab husband actually took both the kids to it since i felt like i was going to die.

wish i had a camera. praying i'll have it by wednesday.

had a tastefully simple party friday. good times with girlfriends + good food = good times.

had two soccer games. this coming weekend will be the last for the season for cameron, and i'm a tad thrilled.

finally made a pool decision. met with one saturday, and then another tonight and signed a contract. they'll be digging a big hole in our backyard come monday. swimming for new year's- yay!

2 days til halloween. wow.

4 days til i leave for chicago. wow wow.

totally snuck up.

can't wait for the fabulous weekend- seems so surreal to meet everyone FINALLY!

a new one...

finally got it finished... it's done with a lot of stuff from Simply Obsessed's kit for September (leftovers that were courtesy of Brandy!)

out of desperation...

I've been browsing through my pictures... going a month with no camera is quite devestating.

Anyways, found some funny pics from August that were cracking me up- I had forgotten that I had taken them. I haven't taken many pictures of anyone on the trampoline. As you can imagine, it's hard to get a good one with everyone bouncing every which way. But I think my husband likes to relive his childhood dream of being some kind of acrobat when he's out there on it- he can clear the top of the cage no problem, and do all kinds of crazy flips on it. This thing has definitely been a family bonding element- we're constantly out on it cracking up.

After having two kids though, I have to tell ya, the bladder just isn't what it used to be... you think you're fine, until you going jumping on a tramp....

These aren't fabulous- it was around dusk, which is not optimal picture taking time, but they made me smile...it was the end of summer, when Em was staying with us. Miss her!

our house has grown...

by one child :)

As much as I wish I could say,"I'm not chubby, I'm pregnant"....


I cannot.

Our nephew Ethan is on loan to us for a couple of days. yay! such an awesome baby, and the kids LOVE him! Cameron this morning woke up and said,"This is such a great surprise Mom!" and then later,"This is like having that baby brother I always wanted!"

I told him to repeat that to his dad.

Megan is little mommy. Always helping and letting you know exactly what Ethan is doing.

VERY loudly.

"MOMMY!! MOMMY!! EAN SEEPING!!!"

Not anymore chicka, not anymore. :)

Dear Hubby,

I love you. I want you to know that.

I love you so much that last night, I fought the urge with every bone in my body to push, knudge, kick, or wake you up over your SNORING.

I didn't bother you because I knew you didn't feel good. I love you that much.

I listened to your symphony of snoring that you intermittenly woke yourself up with.

I didn't even do my usual dead fish flop. (For anyone who is married to a snorer, especially one who you pat, then knudge, then push, then kick, then finally yell,"ROLL OVER" only to have them say,"You don't need to be SO rude" the technique is great. Flop around on the bed like a dying fish, then lay very still with your eyes shut. Hubs wakes up, looks around, and ROLLS OVER. It's awesome.) Now my gig is up, since my husband reads this blog regularly, but that's okay. It's my duty to inform the wives of America. My PSA for today.

Anyways, my dear husband, I just wanted you to know how deep my love goes for you. So deep I sacrifice my own sleep to let you get the rest you need when your sick.

Now that's love.

Brandy inspires..

and I finally took a stab at an 8 1/2 by 11. simple, but works well for my 12 on the 12th layouts... might just make the album this way...

this is for May of 2007:

It's official.

Megan's going to be a dragon. I ordered her costume today. It has a purple belly and purple wings, so I figure I'll make her a big purple bow to go on top!

After her moments today, I just decided the 'princess' thing is just not her gig.

Like when she got into Brandy's purse, and smeared an entire bottle of lotion all over herself, the couch, and all over Brandy's purse.
Granted, they all have a wonderful citrus smell now.

Yes, and that was just the beginning of the day...

How do you...

move past missing what you thought was, and who you thought someone was?
How do you move forward with a relationship with someone, when you've realized they are not at all the person you've thought they were?
Is there an ability to make your brain go numb?
does anyone know of any book I can read?
are you tired of reading my retarded questions that make no sense?

in other not so insanity inducing moments, do you think a little girl can be a dragon for Halloween? Because with Cam being a knight, I was going to do the damsel thing, but thought it was a little odd, and I think both the kids would love the dragon.... maybe a dragon with a bow...

I'm a second guesser...

habitually.

about everything.

I'm constantly wondering if I'm forever damaging my children. In the extremes too- "Will Cameron never go to college because we didn't do a craft this week?" "Is Megan going to be obese as an adult because I don't stop her enough from digging in the garbage?"

Most of the time I can laugh at myself, but the last few months have been a major crossroads for me. With something that really only I can figure out what is best for the future, and whichever way I go, it will drastically affect our lives.
The message in church today was about giving of ourselves, with our full heart. It made me really think about everything, and the actions and things I've done over the last couple of months.
So, at what point is do your values, and self-worth, overtake giving of yourself? When do you stop giving of yourself? When it's a one way road, and nothing is returned, when do you stop? And when you are disrespected, and not valued as a human being, does that overrun the urge to put yourself out there, and do "what's right?" What is right, anyways? What I had thought was right was not at all what I thought it was. I know, I make no sense.
All I know is at the core of it all, I want my children to know that they have honest, caring people in their lives around them, that show them how to value themselves, and respect themselves, and expect the same from others. Period.

In other, much more comical news, my not always so bright husband bid on a fish tank at Cam's fall festival, and won it. Because I didn't really think I cleaned enough after people and animals around here. Now I get to clean fish poop.
Speaking of poop, our daughter dropped a load in the living room tonight. yes. Potty training rocks. She stared at it and screamed "EEWWWWWW" and then when back to chewing on her candy necklace in all her nekked glory. Whoever always said that girls were easier than boys LIED.
Oh, and Megan has some booo-tiful stripes on her bedroom walls. it looks awesome! And NO peeps, I have no crappy camera! So pics will have to wait!

dude.

well, well... another Friday is here.

seriously cracks me up whenever I hear Rita say "Dude." Because I can just about swear on my life that the word did not come out of her mouth much before she starting hanging around Brandy and I. I can't help but laugh whenever she says it.

Got new hair today. Fall hair. Must be one hot chick for Chicago!

I'm an official Soccer PTA mom. Ewww. And yet, I like it. Hmm... it has come to this. As I dropped off the basket for the silent auction this morning that will be at the Fall Festival I'm volunteering at tonight, of which I shall be pooped from when I get home, only to get up in the morning and go to Cam's soccer game. Who knew?

I'm feeling ADD-ish when it comes to the stuff that I need to work on. A total aversion, if you will. I have no idea why, but I want to work on anything BUT what needs to be done.

Painters coming tomorrow to paint Meg's room, master bath and guest room. yay. Our house will officially be fully painted then. in colors I actually like anyways. rock on.

My daughter is speaking like there's no tomorrow. I will cry the day she stops saying "I want hold you" with her arms up. Talk about tug at the heart. She's also randomly working on potty training. I should say that I am randomly working on potty training. It's just not something you wake up in the morning and say, "Huh. I feel like potty training a child today, and cleaning up lots of messes while spending the majority of the day in the bathroom. yay!"

That's it really. I still have my 12 on the 12th of September to post, but haven't gotten around to it. I won't be doing 12 on the 12th this month, because I have NO CAMERA. Boo. hiss.

Oh, anyone seen any really cute princess/damsel in distress costumes? Megs still needs a costume, and I figured since Cameron's going to be a knight, I'll have them match this year for the first time.

two new ones...

that were for some challenges over at Scraplover's this weekend...

Kraft paper anyone? :) I'm pretty sure I could be okay if I never could touch another piece of cardstock except Kraft... how boring am I?

In case anyone is wondering, I'm FREAKING OUT over not having my camera. It's like I'm hypersensitive to all these missed moments that are lost forever since I didn't capture it. Boo. Another week, and hopefully I'll have it back.

We're having a birthday bash!

Happy 2 year birthday to Scraplovers! We're having a crop all weekend long to celebrate, with fun games, challenges and fabulous prizes! Come check it out!

One Life

This layout is for the Scrapfaith blog-

my challenge this month was to create a layout about my core beliefs in 5 statements or less.

the pain...

of an injured camera.

too bad they don't have copays like they do on the kids... $300 is the price I pay for dropping it. :(

TAG!

Put an X by all the things you've done, or remove the X from the onesyou have not, and send it to all of your friends (including me.)

This is for your entire life:
(X) Smoked a cigarette
(X) Drank so much you threw up.
(X) Crashed in a friend's car.
(X) Stolen a car
(X) Been in love
(X) Been dumped
( )Been laid off/fired
(X) Quit your job
(X) Been in a fist fight
(X) Sneaked out of your parent's house
(X) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
(X) Gone on a blind date
(X) Lied to a friend
( ) Skipped an entire semester
(X) Seen someone die
(X)Been to Canada
(X) Been to Mexico
(X) Been on a plane
(X) Been lost
(x) Been on the opposite side of the country
( ) Gone to Washington , DC
(X) Swam in the ocean
(X) Felt like dying
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
(X ) Played cops and robbers
(X) Recently colored with crayons
(X) Sang karaoke
(X)Paid for a meal with only coins
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(X) Made prank phone calls
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose And laughedmore after that
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Made a snow angel
(X) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about.
(X) Blown Bubbles
(X) Made a bonfire on the beach/campground
( ) Crashed a party
(X) Gone roller skating
(X) Gone ice skating

hmm... not many spots left blank. If you read this, consider yourself tagged. :)

I killed it...

my camera, that is. :(



It's at the doctor now. Please keep Bessie in your prayers. I dropped it Sunday morning, and it won't even turn on anymore. Boo.



In more positive news, had a fantastic time this weekend! Yay! Fun with shopping, eating, drinking, eating,

lots of laughs..

got the rest of the pics here.... although I didn't really take many, other than keeping tabs on Brandy's drinking apparently. :)

..clearing out the memory card...

for this weekend, when I find these lovely photos.... the things people do to amuse themselves when you're sleeping... :P Sneaky Brent!

Have an awesome weekend- I know I will! Girl's weekend here I come!

You know that saying...

You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your family?

I'm sure glad I can pick my friends. thanks for that. :)

Just Wings...

This is for the first challenge at Scrapfaith, a new blog that just started. The first challenge was to scrap about your roots... and I don't have any to speak of. My mom gave me my baby book a few years back, and when this challenge came up, I went digging in it to find some roots. As I turned to 'religious upbringing' I found it blank, along with a cigarette (or other questionable item) burn in the middle of it. lol... doesn't that just sum it up? :P Anyways, this is what I came up with...

Happy Happy Birthday Brandy!!

The fabulous Brandy is 2-8 today! :P Hope the coming year is the best ever for you!! xoxo Smooches!

cute lil' booger...

I was. :P

Scrounging around for some ideas for an upcoming layout for Scrapfaith.

Rummaging through some old pics, and came across this one... good to know I've always been chubby....

Do you ever wonder about those weird backgrounds they used at Kmart back in the days?

Really? You want to look like you perched your baby at the edge of a cliff overlooking water all by herself? Great! We've got the perfect backdrop for you- it even has this awesome astroturf we can have her sit on to really help with the effect!

And I love the awesome orange/red hue all my baby pictures are. I was a shedevil at any age before five.

Reveal day at Scraplovers!

Go check out the fabulous layouts! Great stuff from American Crafts, Dream Street, Ranger and Strano!

This month's theme is 'angles' so Anne and I decided to get a little specific for the first reveal and do one layout from the perspective of one of our pets, and the other from the perspective of an inanimate object.

Miss Muffin...

is two. and full of life. Love this babe of mine. She brings a sense of humor to everything in our lives. you can't help but crack up at her and her antics. gotta love toddlers.

Headed out to par-tay for Labor Day tomorrow! Yay! Okay, so not really that much, since kids will be around, but Rita and Jim rented a party barge for the afternoon, and it holds 50, has a slide, and grill on it. Should be fun! I'm making bacon wrapped stuffed japs, and a 'dessert'. I decided for my dessert to marinate watermelon in some Malibu Rum. :)

Happy Labor Day!

12 on the 12th of August

I did this one on the 13th.... the 12th I took pictures, but it ended as a pretty awful day that I care not to document, so I started fresh the next day. :) 1. Bed bugs... they love hanging out in our bed watching cartoons. I let them hang out in there while I got ready today.
2. vacuumed and did some laundry... same as almost every day... :)
3. wrapped a birthday gift for an upcoming party this weekend.
4. went and got a workout in at the gym- yay!
5. went by Stephanie's after the gym- she wanted me to check out her cool new mantle decor. Let the kids play for a little while. Ran to HEB and grabbed some sushi for lunch for us, while she made lunch for the kiddos.
6.Had to get home to let the electrician in- he wired our master bathroom for a ceiling fan, and the back porch got one as well, along with four recessed lights.
7. Cam and I worked on some crafts while Megan was napping- a cool dino mosaic, and pracited his writing some.
8. I think Cameron rides around on this little car as much as Megan does- the kids both love making laps through the foyer and around the kitchen all day.
9. What Megan? You want to stamp? Oh, okay. Maybe red all over your hands isn't such a good idea though....
10. got a DT kit in the mail today- some yummy new AC papers, along with Dream Street. Yay!
11. Megan and Daddy hanging out while I was fixing dinner. Tacos tonight.
12. kids are in bed, and so is Hubs. Computer vegetation time. :)

Happy 2nd Birthday Megan!

Can't believe I'm saying that... *sniff* Just wanted to get it out, but I'm still working on Cam's birthday post from last month, so I'm not going to do hers yet :) BUT she did have a super fabulous party today, and the fabulous Brandy snapped almost every moment of the event (she rocks I tell ya) and HERE are the pics, if you are remotely interested in checking out all the rugrats :)

sigh. she's two. cam starts school on Monday. I have cried more in the last couple of days than I have in a very long time. so overwhelmed. so sad my little man is heading off. but trying to look forward to the time I'll have with miss megs.

tonight's a cool night. keepin' Ethan and Em for the night. love having a snuggly baby around :)

anyhoo... much to catch up on... later....

you know it's been a long car ride...

when your kids are in the backseat saying this over and over again:

cameron: Megan, what month is it?

megan: Hot Dog!

and laughing hysterically like it's the funniest thing in the world...

the trip was fabulous- Sea World was a great time, and the resort was awesome, and the company perfect! Definitely a do-again! Our kids were great troopers on a day at SW that had a heat index of over 100- we were all pretty melted by days end, but it was great to come back to the hotel and float the lazy river and hang out at the pool. Having Kurstee with us was awesome too- we got a "date night" with all the adults- superb!

Check out all the blondies-

Took the girls to get their hair cut this week... Miss Megs now has some bangs-and she actually sat still for it, so they're straight! *phew!* I think I was holding my breath during the process! And I colored and highlighted Kurstee hair for her Wednesday night- no pics yet- she's surprising Shelley :)

Went to parent orientation last night at the school.... and then went out to dinner with JUST my husband! WOOT! Again, courtesy of the fabulous Kurstee. Anyways, I started sniffling all over again after the orientation, and over my glass of wine starting doing the "our baby is starting Kindergarten, are you SURE you can't imagine us having another baby?" Rock on! I got a "90/10"

So you're saying there is a chance...I'll try again in a year when Megan starts preschool. :)

AND, Sabrina and Shaun's baby rolled in at around 8:30 last night! Landon Michael, 19 1/1 inches long, 6 pounds, 13 ounces. Yay! I can't wait to go see him tomorrow afternoon- Brandy and I are going to head over there after I take Cameron to the meet and greet at the elementary school.

This weekend is Miss Megs' birthday party- she turns the big TWO on Saturday! Brent can hardly wait. He loves kiddie parties, especially when it's a ton of kids running around screaming in our house. Could you hear the extreme sarcasm in that last sentence?

And we're keeping our Em and Ethan overnight Saturday night- it'll be the first time we get to babysit our nephew Ethan- he's almost five months now! I'm so excited!