This is My life

*Almost* Comical

Have you ever had one of those days that was so crazy, so chaotic, so stressful that it was *almost* comical?  Nope?  You're lucky.  Yep?  Then you are in good company.  Yesterday was just one of those days. Well actually, most of the day was okay but from noon onward it was just craziness.

Jason's brother flew into Penang to visit for the next three weeks.  So, we picked up Alaina from school and we all drove out to the airport (which, on a side note, is a rather humorous sight...five people all sitting in the front seat of a 15-passenger van...Caleb on Jason's lap, Alaina on mine, and the car seat between us.  I know, I know, all you American moms can freak out but life is just different in Asia. You get used to the lack of safety precautions and just hold on for dear life.)  Anyway...so we drove to the airport.  No problem.  Flight was on time, customs was a breeze, no biggie.  The kids were a little cranky (and shy) but what can you expect from a 2 and 3 year old?  So then we drive almost back to campus and stop at McDonald's for a late lunch.  The kids played at the playland and were having a good time.  We sat down to eat and I thought it was weird that as hungry as I had been earlier, I COULD NOT eat my food.  We're half way through lunch and Levi starts crying.  I knew he was getting hungry but I wanted to eat.  Checked his diaper, messy.  Now in Asia there aren't any changing tables or usually even a counter to change kids on.  Actually, the bathrooms are so small that most of the time it is hard to open the door and actually squeeze into the stall.  So, Jason had to change Levi on the floor (on a mat of course) in a far corner of the restaurant. Clean diaper, still crying.  I didn't want to leave yet because we promised the kids they could play.  But after a few minutes of Levi screaming because he was hungry and me not feeling so great (I was sooooo tired!) I told Jason we needed to leave.  Now in the States, I would have thrown a blanket over me and fed him there.  But, we have enough people staring at us here in Asia when we aren't doing anything, that I really don't need all eyes on me while I am nursing.

So off we went.  A quick stop at the grocery store for some ice cream and we were home.  I fed Levi and then was going to take a nap.  I laid down for a bit and slept maybe 20 minutes and then I woke up shivering and with my teeth chattering.  Guess I caught Alaina's fever.  So, I spent the next hour in the hottest tub I could, still shivering.  Shriveled like a prune, I got out, got dressed and took some pills. 

The rest of the night proved to be just as hectic. Jason took Alaina to dinner with the dorm while I stayed back with Caleb and Levi. Caleb had been playing in his baby pool and DID NOT want to come out. But I had to feed Levi so I had to bring him in.  Not wanting to deal with a total Caleb melt-down, I bribed him with some fruit snacks.  So there I am, feeding Levi, and realized that I haven't seen Cabe in a bit.  A few weeks ago this wouldn't have worried me but now that Caleb is strong enough to open our screen doors, I was concerned.  Sure enough, I found him outside, under the house, covered in dirt.  Chasing his cat, I'm sure.

So I bring him in, clean him off.  Jason and Alaina came home soon after and things stayed crazy.  There were major issues in the dorm, Jason needed to give students rides places, the kids needed to be put to bed, Levi needed a bath. So finally, it was 8 o'clock, Alaina was finally in bed, and I actually got to sit down and eat dinner. So there I am, eating a chicken sandwich with some pretzels and carrots and Caleb keeps crawling on the table to steal pretzels.  He loves 'em, so I didn't care (I DID care about the crawling on the table bit).  Jason was supposed to be gone already, people were visiting to deal with dorm issues, I am TRYING to eat.  Then all of a sudden Caleb starts choking.  Apparently he stuck like pretzels in his mouth without chewing and was gagging.  Chewed pretzels coughed up all over the table.  Oh, and by this time Levi was crying.  And as I stood there cleaning up disgusting pretzel mess from the table, I was thinking, "This is so crazy it's *almost* comical."  Almost.

So that was my day.  Today has been better but I am still super tired.  Woke up at 5 and couldn't go back to sleep.  So I got up and worked on my Ultimate Digi-Scrapper contest LO.  I finished it but am not positive I like it, so I'll wait a bit before posting it in case I want to change things.

That's about it.  There is a ton of other stuff going on but I need  a nap before dinner.  Here's a new favorite picture of Levi from the other day (you know how I hate to post without anything to show you!)

Have a great day!

NSD, my anniversary, and a few LO's

Hope everyone is having a GREAT day!  Things are a little crazy around here!  We were told that our power would be cut today at 9:30 am while new electrical poles were being installed.  But then the wrong crane came and we had to wait for the new one to arrive.  And then it did...but still no power cut.  Ah, the fun of living in Asia.  So I got up a little earlier than I would have liked this morning so that I could get all my computer stuff done before we lost power.  I was saving every few minutes in fear of losing my work.  In the end, I finished three pages! And I still have power.

Alaina is sick.  This is new for us.  Really, our kids are never sick.  Sure we get a cough and sniffle now and then but not really sick.  But the other night when I was putting Alaina in bed I noticed that she was really warm.  Then I kept her home from school yesterday for a fever (that went to 102.5 in the afternoon.)  She's still running a fever today and I just feel so bad for her.  I'm am so not used to this.  I just want to make it all better!

So...National Scrapbooking Day!  Soooo much will be be going on in the States for the event but unfortunately I will be sleeping away in my cozy bed.  If Levi gets me up in the night I may feed him while I join in one of the chats at the SHABBY SHOPPE.  Soooo many cool things are going on there, so I guess it doesn't matter what time I am up in the night, I am sure to catch something fun.  There are TONS of sales going on too but I am trying to avoid those.  I have soooo many wonderful kits that haven't been used that I DO NOT need anything more (well, except for the few things I already bought this morning =)  I couldn't help myself.  In my defense, though, I used a gift card so I think I only spent about $5 for THREE kits!

OH...GUESS WHAT??  I am SOOOOO excited!  I thought I was going to have to wait until we got to the States for THIS:

But Jason's brother is coming on Tuesday and he got it for me!  I am super, super excited to see so many of my friends at 2peas in all their glory!  Congrats everyone!  I can't wait to take a peek!

Okay...I mentioned that NSD coincidentally falls on my one year anniversary of digi-scrapping. Yep, one year ago today I made my first LO.  It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either.  So, in honor of this day I re-did my LO.  I tried to stay true to what I was trying to do before...so I used basically the same pictures and I used the same kit.  I added a few things but really tried to keep the same idea while making the LO better.  So...here you go.  My first LO ever -- May 6, 2005. 

Of course it was a Shabby Princess kit.  I think almost everything I scrapped for the first six months were by SP (as was my first purchased kit!).  Okay, like I said, not HORRIBLE.  BUT, notice the beveled edges (yuck) and the HUGE drop shadows.  Notice the distorted paper in the title.  And my favorite source for a good chuckle...the paper clip.  I didn't know how to actually "clip" it to the paper so I just laid it on top.  LOL!

Now here is my remake...again, nothing spectacular but much better.

Shabby Princess SHABBY SMILES kit.  Atomic Cupcake wild tear effect. Gina Miller notebook paper (from her NOTE THIS! collection).

So, what do you think?  A little bit better?  Even though I made a lot of mistakes at the beginning, I won't go back and re-do the LO's.  They still convey the love I had for the memory I was scrapping and it IS fun to go back and see my style change and evolve.

Okay, the second thing I was going to do in honor of NSD and my own scrapping anniversary is to finally write the story of how I got started in all this digi-scrapping madness!  I knew I wanted to use the SP Studio Chic kit for this so I got it this morning and had a blast with it.  It's just one of those kits that although the preview looks AWESOME, when you actually open the kit up you are BLOWN away by all the treasures inside.  (Yoo hoo!  Kristie!  You are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!...I am so indebted to you for this 'lil hobby of mine!) So here goes...it's a two pager!

Here's the journaling:

"My journey to the "dark side."

Ever since I saw my first "modern" scrapbook my junior year of high school, I have been fascinated with the art.  Preserving memories is something I see infinite worth in.  To pass on the memories and stories of our lives to future generations is a gift to which little can be compared.

I tried to paper scrap, I really did.  I owned lots of materials, had thousands of photos, and had every good intention in the world.

But it never happened.  I did a few pages here and there but the effort it took to get out my supplies and photos never seemed worth the trouble.  After all, it would just leave me a mess to clean up later.

Even the birth of my first child was not enough incentive to actually start getting my pictures in albums.  Guilt was my friend as I thought all the memories I wasn’t scrapping.

And then it happened...the moment that changed it all. 

A friend of mine was moving and she gave me all of her scrapping magazines to look through.  One night as I sat on my bed drooling over the gorgeous pages I was looking at, something caught my eye.  In the magazine was an article entitled, “Shift into (Hard) Drive.”  There I was, starting at beautiful layouts, and this article said these were created digitally.  What?  On a computer?  But they look so REAL!  I had to find out more.  The article gave some websites to look at and some other resource ideas.  I logged onto scrapbook-bytes.com and there was no turning back.  I knew I had found something that was for me. 

It took me a while to get the hang of things.  I bought a book to learn my software, downloaded lots of free kits and embellishments (especially from Shabby Princess!) and just played around.  There was a learning curve but I stuck with it because I knew that I wanted to do this. For my family and for me. 

One year ago today I created my first layout.  It wasn’t anything special in itself, but it was the beginning of a beautiful journey I have been on for the last twelve months.  Never would I have guessed where this road would lead me.  Not only am I preserving precious memories for my family, but also I am finding an outlet for my creativity.  I’ve always known it was there, but it never had an way to express itself. Until I found this. 

In November 2oo5 I stumbled upon 2peas (a scrapbooking website) and found a new “home” for my hobby.  I have met some of the most wonderful women through the gallery and message boards.  My love and thanks to my peas.  I love you! 

In January 2oo6 I was accepted to my first design team (thanks MandaBean!) and have since been accepted to numerous others. I love creating pages that show off another’s creativity. 

And so here I am, one-hundred and fifty layouts later, celebrating my one year anniversary of digital scrapbooking. Coincidentally, this day is also National Scrapbooking day.  It’s been quite the ride and I can’t wait to see where else this road takes me. Inspire. Create. Imagine. Scrap (digitally, that is.)"

I did this LO last night.  If you can believe it, this is the FIRST Christmas picture I have scrapped!  I just couldn't look at any more red and green at that time of year.  I think I am ready to face it now!  I better, or I'll be into THIS year's Christmas pictures before I know it!

Background paper by Jen Wilson,, tan paper, cardboard piece, and clip by Gina Cabrera, bows by Traci Sims, tags by Michelle Coleman, paper tear by Steph Krush.

And one more LO to share...this is the new MUMMY DEAREST by Jasbeanie. Metal tag by Kim Christensen.

Only Have A Few Minutes...

...but I wanted to check in.  Just a few things for you before I go to bed and try to get some MUCH NEEDED sleep.  And you know what, I CANNOT blame Levi for my lack of sleep.  Well, I can blame him form the lack of CONTINUOUS sleep, but really, he's such a sweet little guy and lets me feed him int he night and then he goes right back to sleep.  Nope, no one really to blame but me and my 1)complete addiciton to anything scrapbook related (scrapping, browsing the gallery at 2Peas, emailing scrapping buddies, reading a few blogs I am faithful to, etc.) and 2) My need for some peace and quiet.  Being a true introvert, I really do need some alone time that is QUIET.  And the only time I can find that is late at night when all the kids are in bed.  So, although it would be good for me to sleep, my sanity really needs this time.  Maybe that is why me and scrapping make such a good fit -- it is something I can do while enjoying quiet.  Now my FAVORITE time for peace and quiet is in the morning when everyone is still in bed and I can enjoy my hot cup of coffee all by myself before I have to greet the day.  But Alaina has radars built in to her little body and the moment I leave my room she wakes up and starts her routine (which inevitably involves many demand, er, I mean requests).  So morning is usually out for me.

Anyway, I was going to keep this short.  I need to stop rambling.  What was I even talking about?  Hmmm, let me go check.  Ah, apparently all that was to say it was going to be a short post because I need sleep.  Someone stop me.

Okay, on to my "short" post.  First, let me just give a huge shout out to one of the sweetest people EVER...you know and love her... SHABBY MISS JENN! (aka my shabby mommy twin.)  She is just the greatest and the sweetest and a seriously talented scrapper.  Her lil' Matt and my lil' Caleb are just a day apart so we've been celebrating "together" half a world apart.  Matt was sick, though, for his b-day but glad to hear he is feeling better. So when you are done here, hop on over to her bloggie and wish Matt a happy birthday.

Okay, second, we celebrated Caleb's birthday today (finally).  Nothing big or grand, but it was fun.  He is just the sweetest little guy.  And as much as he is ALL BOY -- loves to get dirty, to smash things, to throw things, to annoy his older sister -- he is also showing us this little tender and compassionate heart that just melts my heart!  Two examples from the last two days -- Alaina was crying (after getting hurt, again) and I was holding her.  Now usually the first thing Alaina does is ask for her blankie when she is crying, but she didn't this time.  So I was just holding her and then here comes Caleb, carrying her blanket, and handed it to her and then went about his business.  Second event: this time Levi was crying.  Caleb disappeared into our bedroom and cam back carrying Levi's pacifier (which Levi doesn't really like but we won't tell Caleb that.)  Caleb just wants to make people happy (or maybe he just doesn't like to listen to crying..hmmm.) No, just kidding, you can see it from the way he tenderly sits with Levi and pats his back just how much he loves him.  I haven't really gone through his birthday pictures yet but I did want to show you one because isn't this the coolest? 

With as crazy as everything is around here there was no way I was going to take the time to try to make a cake (especially in this heat where all the icing melts anyway.)  So, I ordered one after finding out that you can photos printed on  a cake.  Now for all of you in America, no big deal.  But in Malaysia?  I was excited. So I pulled out one of my awesome Shabby Princess kits (Silly Boy -- Nut But), used my awesome Atomic Cupcake painted wood effect, and whipped up a LO that could be printed on his cake.  I LOVE how it turned out.  How cute is HE??? More birthday pix to come soon!

Third -- the ULTIMATE DIGI SCRAPPER contest is going strong.  Lots of Lo's up but a TON more to go!  I think the last time I checked there were something like 180 LO's posted.  I did mine yesterday...I was pretty pleased.  I scrapped this picture before but it was in my early days and I wanted to re-do it.  I can't post it on my blog but you can see it HERE.

Finally, speaking of my early days,  do you know what this Saturday is?  It's a VERY special day because 1) It is National Scrapbooking Day and 2) This fun day coincides with my one-year "anniversary" with digi-scrapping!  That's right, one year ago this Saturday I did my first LO!  So in honor of these two fun events I hope to do two things: 1) A re-do of my first-ever LO (which was not nice at all but I have saved it so I can see how far I've come.)  I'll post both the LO's here when I am done.  2) I want to do a "How it all began" Lo telling the story of my "journey to the dark side" (aka how I got started digi-scrapping.)  So, be looking for these LO's soon!

Okay, off to get that sleep I need so much.  Have a great day!

*ETA* OOPS... I really wanted to post these pictures.  I was in the office at the computer and Levi was sitting in is Boppy behind me.  I turned around and this is what I saw.  This is my life and I will EMBRACE IT!

Guess Who's Two??

                                        MY LITTLE BOY IS TWO!!!!

                              

 

I cannot believe that Caleb is already two.  He was only two months when we moved to Malaysia...the time has gone by soooo fast!

We didn't do much yesterday to celebrate.  We had to work AND the dorm was off of school for Malaysia's Labour Day, so we really had no time to do anything as a family.  Jason and Alaina filled Caleb's bed with balloons in the morning which Caleb LOVED.  They had a blast playing in there!  And then in the evening we had cupcakes with the dorm.  Not much, but at least we were able to acknowledge it was his birthday.  We'll celebrate for real on Thursday (our day off). We'll do presents then and have his cake and just enjoy being together.  I love this little guy!

Things around here are pretty good.  We've been super busy but still having a good time.  Alaina and Caleb have both adjusted really well to having little Levi around.  the first week or so was a struggle for Alaina, but she seems to be doing much better.  I LOVE seeing the kiddos all interact.  Even now, Alaina and Caleb are int eh other room watching Higgly Town Heroes together.  They are sitting right next to each other, faces glued to the T.V.  They really, really love each other and I really, really, love that!  I can't wait to see how Levi fits into this mix.

Lots of people have asked about what Levi is like, about his personality. I have to say he reminds me A LOT of Alaina as a baby.  He LOOKS like her and he ACTS like her.  He is so alert (when he is awake).  He loves to just look around and soak up everything.  Sleep wise, he has been doing great, too.  He's up once or twice in the night, eats, and then goes back to bed.  I've been able to sleep until 8 or 8:30 every day which is nice (especially because we get to bed late because of the dorm).

As far as the move goes, we haven't really even started making plans.  I did book our plane tickets so I DO know that we will be arriving in Detroit on July 4th.  We decided to stay a few weeks after the end of the semester so that we don't have to have everything packed and ready to go at the same time we are trying to get the dorm shut down.  So, we'll send our freight about a week after the semester ends and then we'll have about 2 weeks to unwind and enjoy some fun times in Malaysia.  Okay, so, July fourth... (crazy day to travel!)  All I have to say is that I hope Fazoli's isn't crowded because that's where I am headed!  For all of you who are not fortunate enough to know what Fazoli's is, it is an Italian fast-food restaurant that I LOVE.  The breadsticks there are the best things I think I have EVER put in my mouth.  And then I dip them in ranch dressing and...ohhhh..my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Anyway, back to the move.  So, I have plane tickets.  Now we need to contact shipping companies to figure out how mush we are taking back with us.  Once I know that, I can actually start packing.  Ahhh...packing...becoming on of our specialties. If only someone paid us to do it.  Every year that we have been married (six) we have moved.  Every year.  And the crazy thing is, only ONE time did we know the whole time we would just be a year.  All the other times it was a total surprise.  We haven't changed jobs that much, but we have changed houses.  It's a lot of work but at least we get to clean out and pare down! 

So the next few weeks should be fun.  A few fun things are going on.  First, Jason's brother Josh is coming to visit for three weeks.  We have NEVER had anyone come to visit us so it will be fun to experience Asia through the eyes of our family.  Second, I am part of a HUGE digital scrapping event...the ULTIMATE DIGI SCRAPPER contest!  DIGISCRAPPIN is hosting this amazing contest.  It will run for five weeks with new challenges each week.  There will be over $1800 worth of prizes!  It's unreal...there are 377 people entered!  It is going to be SOOO fun!  Of course I am not in this to win...there are some AMAZINGLY talented women in this group that I don't hold a flame to.  But, I think that like most of the women in the contest, I am hoping that it will challenge me, stretch me, and make me grow as a scrapper.  Most of all, I want to learn to be more comfortable being ME when I scrap...not feeling like I have to do things the way others do them, feeling comfortable in my own totally eclectic style.  I don't want to scrap in a way that I think the judges will like, I want to scrap in a way that I like.  So anyway, this should be a blast and I can't wait to see who the ultimate digi scrapper will be.  I have my own personal vote, so we'll see if I'm right.  377 people is A LOT!

Okay, a few new LO's before I go.

JOURNALING READS:  "Sometimes I find myself still in awe that I have a little girl.  For as long as I can remember, I dreamed of having a little girl of my own...of being known as mama to a sweet little girl.  When I was pregnant with you, I knew you were going to be that dream come true.  Not because a doctor told me (which no one ever did) but because I could feel it in my heart.  And when I heard those magical words in the delivery room, “It’s a girl” I finally let myself feel the weight of the dream I held for so long.  And even now, almost three years later, I am still filled with all the joy of that moment.    I want you to know, Alaina, that being a girl is special.  You are not a boy.  God designed you as a girl and with all the wonderful gifts and blessings that come with it.  From the moment you were born, being a girl has defined you.  Don’t ever be afraid of that.  Don’t ever let the world tell you that it doesn’t matter, because it does.  Are you better than a boy?  No.  Are you different than a boy? Yes.  God has designed you in a specific way for a specific purpose.  Embrace your femininity without flaunting it.  Enjoy the things you excel at as a girl and accept the things you may struggle with.  I couldn’t care less if you are a girl who gets dirty, plays sports, and likes to catch frogs (I did all those things!) Being a girl doesn’t mean lace and frills, but it does mean that you get to carry that feminine mystique that for centuries has intrigued many.  You get the wonderful gift of hopefully becoming a mother one day, of feeling new life grow within you.  The most special part of being a girl, though, is the gift of showing the world a part of Christ’s personality.  While your brothers will carry the warrior heart of God, you will carry his tender and compassionate heart.  Embrace this calling and privilege and never be ashamed of what or who God has made you."

Journaling Reads: "If someone would have asked me a while ago what my biggest fear was, I don’t think that I would have had an answer. I suppose I don’t usually ponder questions like this.  But the other day, a great fear enveloped me.  And I have to admit, it is a selfish one.  I know now, more than anything, I fear not being able to see my children grow up.  I fear something happening to me and I miss watching these three miracles experience all the joys and struggles that life will bring them.  If I were less selfish, perhaps my fear would be that they wouldn’t grow up at all -- that something would happen to them.  Of course, I can’t even begin to imagine the anguish I would feel if anything did happen to one of them. 

But the fear that grips me now is that I could miss it...that I could miss the moments...all the firsts.  First steps.  First “I love you.” First days of school. First dates. First grandchildren.  I am afraid I won’t be there to hold them and comfort them when they encounter their first bully, the first fight with a best friend, the first heart break.  I am scared that I will miss the milestones... graduations, marriages, babies of their own.  For me to imagine not being there to experience these things with them brings tears to my eyes.  Of course, my prayer and hope is that I will be there.  That I can be the mom who is their to help heal a broken heart, the mom who cheers the loudest at the soccer games, the mom who helps her daughter find the perfect wedding dress. 

And so my sweet children, know tihs. If I can’t, if for some reason God calls me home before I can experience all these things with you, always know that your mom loves you deeply.  Know that your mom aches deeply with a fierce devotion to you.  Know that I long to be with you through all times, good and bad. Enjoy the good times.  Learn from the hard times. And embrace all the lessons that life has to offer you.  I love you."   

Okay, that's all for today.  Have a great day (or night, depending on where you are!)