This is My life

We were supposed to be on the road...

Yes, today was the day we had PLANNED on heading out -- me and the kiddos to Michigan and Jason to Florida.  But, when we got home on Monday night we decided that we all really needed to get some sleep rather than stay up late to keep packing.  So, we decided to wait a day.  That officially makes today our last day in Nebraska.  Feels kind of weird.  Don't really know how to explain it.

We have A LOT to do still, though.  I really had hoped to be farther along in the process but between kids needing lots of love and torrential downpours threatening to soak all of our stuff, the truck is being loaded slowly but surely.  Jason would load a few things, then the rain would pick up again and he would have to stop. Then start again.  Then stop.  And so on.

Let me tell you about this truck...it is HUGE.  And we really, really do NOT need all the space.  We figured we would need a 16 ft truck.  It would give us some extra room so we wouldn't have to pack really, really tight like we would in a 12 foot. Well, when Jason went to book the truck they talked him into a 22 ft truck because it is diesel which 1) gets better gas mileage and 2) is cheaper at the moment.  THEN, when we go to pick up the truck, they don't have any 22 ft trucks so they give us a 26 foot truck!!!!  We weren't even sure we would fill a 16 ft!  It is rather funny...people drive by and they must be thinking, "Oh my, they have sooo much in that house!"  But no.  Jason will be driving a half empty truck all the way to Florida!  LOL!

So, our trip.  Really, really good.  We stayed pretty busy.  Good for Jason and Alaina, bad for me and Cabe.  Levi is pretty indifferent at this point.  Jason and Alaina like to ALWAYS be on the go.  Caleb and I, while we like to do new things, also really like some down time.  Some QUIET time.  We didn't have much of that! But, we had a great time nonetheless, got to see a lot of people, and reconnected as a family.  Good stuff.  Here are some pictures...

On Friday we met up with Whitney and her kids at Chuck-E-Cheese.  Alaina and Jace hit it off really well!

And so did the moms :)

After lunch that day we went down to the church where Jason used to work to visit people.  We didn't get to see one of the people we really wanted to see, but oh well.  It was good anyway. Lots of things have changed, lots have stayed the same.

After the church we finally took Caleb to get his first hair cut.  He is THREE and has never needed a hair cut.  It was getting a little out of control in the back so we found a cute place that did kids cuts. 

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

It was a fun experience but I have to be honest...I don't like the cut. The lady did a GREAT job, it has nothing to do with that.  I guess I just don't feel like it suits him.  Caleb is a messy scruffy kind of kid, so it is odd for me to see him to neat and tidy.  I kept thinking over the next few days, "they cut off his personality."  At least I know now that I like it a bit longer.  So when the stuff on top starts growing and we can grow ALL of it out, I think I am going to have him wear it a bit longer.  So much more HIM.

And then I think I can say we officially wore them out!

On Saturday I drove up to Castle Rock to visit with Laura.  We have known each other for quite a while and she has been on my creative team since September.  We went to lunch and talked for HOURS.  Then we shopped a little before heading home. It was really great to meet her, talk to her in person, and just to have girl time.  We left the husbands and families behind (which is good since we talked for sooo long!) but that meant there was no one to take the picture.  We asked the host at the restaurant but it was REALLY bad.  I fixed it the best I could.  But believe me, it was really, really bad.

It was good to get some shopping done.  Lots of stuff for the kids, for Jason, and eve a few things for me!  It felt good to begin to replenish my wardrobe.  Alaina kept telling me, "Mommy, you look so pretty!" ever time I put on something new.  I think my kids (and husband) are pretty tired of the same old stuff.

Here's a picture of Caleb enjoying a new shirt...

And here is a picture I LOVE...

The one thing that I get asked most about digi scrapping is "What do they look like printed?"  And since I had not printed anything for so long, I really didn't know what to say.  So after I had a lot of my LO's printed last month, I thought it would be fun to print some of my favorite/best LO's in 5x5 size and put them in an album that I can carry around in my purse with me so when people ask I can just show them.  I put it together in the car on the way to Colorado so we had it with us.  One night before bed I saw this...

It just makes my heart happy to see my family loving the pages and reading the stories.  So fun.  Makes it all worth it!

On Sunday we decided we would go to the evening service at church since that wasn't there when we attended.  That left Sunday morning open so Jason went riding.  And I have to say...I have trained my husband well.  It was HIS idea to take the camera (and no, he didn't take my Canon, we have a little Nikon that I won last year in the Scrappy Awards).  It was his idea to take all these pictures and he even figured out how to use the timer.  Impressed?  I am!

On Sunday night we met my sweet friend Lindy at church.  Lindy and I met 11 years ago during my sophomore year in college.  I had just transferred to Taylor University and she was on my wing.  We didn't really get to know each other too well that year, but the next year we were both PA's (like an RA).  We became really close and enjoyed lots of late night coffee chats on my bed.  She moved to Colorado Springs right after college and that is how we ended up there.  Lots I could say about her...but I will save it for another time, probably a scrapbook page or two :)  But, suffice it to say, she is wonderful and I really cherish her friendship.  It was great to see her.  Here is a picture of us...

And here is one she took of the family...notice my little antagonist Levi kicking Caleb in the head, Jason trying to stop him, and Caleb attempting to protect himself.  Levi is going to be a handful!  LOL!

And here is one of me and my little guy at dinner.  LOVE him...

When I got home there were lots of yummy things waiting for me.  After going for so long without buying anything for myself I went a little crazy and bought myself some fun gifts.  Here are some of the things I got:

I got this laptop sleeve from Etsy.  I was soooo excited to see that someone made stuff for 17 in screens.  It isn't a bag (as it in doesn't have extra pockets, etc) but it is a padded sleeve.  I LOVE it, and it is VERY well made (she does them all custom).  However, I am sad that I didn't see this one...

I LOVE both of them but this one you can get a matching tote bag to go with it...

which would be great for the "extras" -- EHD, power cords, etc.  I asked if mine could get the tote bag too, but she said the fabric isn't right.  So if anyone wants to buy my other one, let me know.  It IS for a 17 in screen, though, which I know isn't very common.

I also got home and this was waiting for me...

I saw a link on Tara Whitney's blog for a gal who makes these gorgeous handmade necklaces.  I always wear a necklace and it was time for a new one.  I LOVE it.  HERE is a link to her blog so you can see some of the other stuff she makes.  Gorgeous!

I also ordered some stuff from Amazon...

** A wireless remote for my camera

** This book by George Barna.  I head about it from Emily's blog and it is totally my kind of book.  Can't wait to dive into this one.

I also picked up THIS BOOK after buying one for one of the gals at SBG and then wanting it for myself.  So many possibilities...

I also picked up something else but that is for Father's day so I have to keep quiet about that. Jason actually reads my blog :)

Phew!

Well, that's it from me.  And most likely, I will not be be back tomorrow or Friday.  Not sure about that, but we'll see.  LOTS to do and lots of driving to take place. 

I will have my June Grab Bag in the shop, though, on Friday.  So stop on by!

Hope you all have a great day and great rest of the week!  "See" you Monday (if not sooner!)

A Real Quick Post...

Just wanted to pop in and say hello.  I only have a few minutes, though.  We decided that since we detest Denver traffic we are going to leave here EARLY in the morning (Jason is thinking 5:00 am is our late departure!)  We still need to finish packing up and clean, and then try to get a few hours sleep!  Then it is on to Nebraska for two days, then we part ways with me and the kids going to Michigan and Jason going to Florida.  The thought of the next seven days scares me and makes me incredibly tired.  However, knowing that a week from right now we will all be reunited in Michigan makes me feel much better :)  It's only seven days, right?

I haven't had time to download pictures from this weekend yet, so you will have to wait for those.  But I had a great time meeting up with two of my CT members.  I met up with Whitney on Friday.  We met up, kids in tow, at Chuck-E-Cheese.  It was a lot of fun and I am glad I got to meet her and her wonderful family.  On Saturday, I left the family behind and drove up to Castle Rock to meet up with Laura.  We met up at the Outlet Stores (which was NOT good for my wallet!)  We had a long lunch (as in almost four hours!) and then we shopped some.  So fun to meet up with other digi scrappers.

I didn't get a whole lot of time to scrap while we were here, but I did do a few.

Credits can be seen HERE

Credits can be seen HERE

Credits can be seen HERE

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Don't forget that my Memorial Day sale runs through Monday night.  Thank you to all who have stopped by!

Oh Where to Begin???

So much to say (and even more to show!) For those that make it through everything, I applaud you!  Here we go...

That's right -- 40% off EVERYTHING all weekend long (including Monday!) I don't have BIG store-wide sales very often and this will most likely be the last one until the Fall.  So hurry on over!  There are SEVEN brand-new template packs and there is one pack that was originally part of the QUEEN OF THE CROP swag bag.  So that makes EIGHT new products!  Lots of different styles to meet the needs of a variety of styles!  Want previews?  Here you go!

LINK TO MY STORE HERE

And here are a BUNCH of layouts that my CT and I have done.  Some of mine you have seen, but I wanted to show them again with the template sets.  Even though I have been making templates for nine months now, I am still amazed at how they can turn out.  Some may look just like the original template, and some are very different and yet the starting point for the inspiration was there.  I love that you can add to and subtract from them to get a LO that truly meets your needs.  I love seeing what other people do!

LO by Hollie using PLAYING WITH PAPER 5

LO by Whitney using ALL STITCHED UP 2

LO by Hollie using LOTS OF PHOTOS 5

LO by Gina using PLAYING WITH PAPER 5

LO by Kellie using THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM

LO by Steph using THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM

LO by Kellie using FLOWER SHOP 3

LO by me using PLAYING WITH PAPER 5

LO by me using THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM

LO by Kellie using PLAYING WITH PAPER 5

LO by me using AT SECOND GLANCE

And then HOW CUTE ARE THESE???

So fun to see all of these in use!

Hope you all get a chance to stop by this weekend!

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Thought you got enough to look at already?  Well grab another cup of coffee and sit back because we had a GREAT day yesterday and I took TONS of photos (I loooovvvveee digital!) I won't share them all, you would be here for days, but I will share a few I love.  Mostly straight out of the camera here, but I see lots of potential! 

We had lunch with a friend at Focus on the Family and then we headed to  GARDEN OF THE GODS park.  It is definitely my favorite place in the city.  I just LOVE it.  It was a bit chilly out but once the wind died down it was glorious out.  Alaina was loving it and about every ten feet wanted her picture taken...and then she wanted to take our picture!  The boys had fallen asleep on the way to the park so they were pretty groggy and were very happy riding in the stroller.  Finally towards the end the boys decided the join us and then I got to have two kids posing and telling me to take a picture.  Caleb's problem is that he really just wants to SEE the picture so he usually moves before I even take the photo yelling, "I see! I see! I see!"  Then he comes up to the camera and barely glances at the photo and says, "Whoa, cool."  Silly guy.  Anyway, here are some pictures...

Caleb was trying to run away and we were trying to get him to stay for the picture :)

This is soooo Caleb...

It was a wonderful day and really nice to just be outside, being together!

Today is a full day...lunch with Whitney, one of my Creative Team members and her kids.  Then down to the church where Jason worked when we lived here.  Then tonight I have having coffee with my good friend from college...it will be so good to catch up (without the kiddos!)  We used to have lots of late nigh chats on my bed in college.  It will be good.

Tomorrow is another full day...I am driving north to meet up with Laura, another CT members.  I also plan to do some shopping.  Then lots of other stuff we want to squeeze in.  Sunday is church and visiting, then Monday morning we head back to Nebraska, finish packing up the house, and I PLAN on leaving for Michigan on Wednesday.  We'll see how that goes.  Crazy couple of weeks, but great nonetheless.

I hope you all have a FABULOUS Memorial Day weekend!

I thought I was done with winter for good...

One of the best things about moving to Orlando is that winter will be a thing of the past.  NO complaints from me on that one!  Winter and I have never been friends and after two years of Malaysian blood-thinning, I like cold even less.  As spring finally arrived and the days warmed up I was able to breath a sigh of relief that winter was out of my life.  So you can imagine my surprise when we were driving back to the apartment where we are staying to see this...

Snow.  In May.  I said to Jason as we pulled in last night, "You have GOT to be kidding me!"  And Alaina, being herself, said, "Mommy, why does dad have to be kidding you.  It really is snowing!"  Aaahhhh...kids.

Leaving the cold and snow aside, Colorado Springs is still a gorgeous place.  As promised yesterday, this is the view out our window...

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So, yesterday was good.  A bit of culture shock.  We have been living in a tiny town of 3000 people for the last ten months. Before that, we lived in Asia.  City life is not something I am used to...at least not American cities.  EVERYWHERE you go there is a store or restaurant. America at its finest.  I'm not saying it is good, or bad, just really different.  And something I will have to get used to.  Although we choose to live a simple life I am aware of my own struggles with materialism.  And the more you are around it, the more it creeps in unnoticed.  When you are around the stuff and people who have lots of things, the whole line between NEEDS and WANTS can get blurry.  I have grown a lot in this area and I am a little scared that I will go backwards once faced with having all the stuff available.  I guess it is easy to realize things aren't needed when you aren't around them.  But as I drove to Target yesterday...10 minutes instead of over an hour...I realized that I am having to be careful. And to pray for strength and guidance as I raise my kids to be thankful for God's blessings in life without looking for peace and happiness in material things.  I have no problem surrounding myself with nice things, with beautiful things, but I don't want to fall prey to the thought that THINGS could ever bring happiness.  I also want to set an example to my kids of self-control.  Just because we see something in a store that we like, or would even use, it doesn't mean that we NEED it.  Our kids have done really well with learning that.  They don't ask for things at the store (and in return I usually let them pick out one small treat).  If they do ask for something (a toy, etc.) we say no.  Then they put it back.  No tantrums.  No fighting.  It makes it so much more fun when I decided that they can get something.  They are so surprised and it is a real treat.

Anyway, I am totally rambling (coffee not fully ingested yet). All this to say that although we are really excited to live in a city again, with so many things to do and places to go, I am just a little scared of myself and my selfish and worldly tendencies.  AND, I have learned that a clean and uncluttered house brings me a LOT of peace, so I need to keep it simple.  Hard to do with so much stuff around you.  Make sense?

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Back to yesterday -- good, laid back day.  Jason took the kids to the library and they all went to story time and we checked out books and DVD's (our library card from three years ago still works!)  Then we came home, had lunch and naps, and then just hung out together.  Then out to Wal-Mart and some dinner, then home, baths, and playtime.  Then I got to scrap (yea!) and work on stuff for the sale this weekend.  Good day.  Good to be together.

A few pictures and LO's...

Alaina drawing in the car.  She is getting good...I can actually tell what it is she is drawing.  This (according to her) is her dad and her in a garden.  So sweet.

This is what I woke up next to yesterday morning (and something quite similar this morning).  I guess he is not doing well sleeping in a new place because sometime in the middle of the night Jason has to go get a crying little Levi.  Doesn't help that he is teething.

There is no TV at the apartment, but Caleb happily enjoys watching Diego at the computer after the other kids have gone to bed (he had a three hour nap).

SP's WILD LOVE kit

Dani Mogstad's ROCK STAR kit @ Sweet Shoppe Designs

Both of these are using new templates that will be in my shop tomorrow!  Along with a big sale.  Yea...so fun! Can't wait to show you what my CT has been up to.  Really talented ladies!

A beautiful morning...

After telling Alaina for days that there would be beautiful mountains in Colorado Springs, we drove in from Denver and all we could see were really thick clouds.  There was nothing, really.  Alaina saw the small hills bordering the highway and kept saying, "Oh look at the mountains!"  We just had to laugh... no way to try to explain to her just how BIG the mountains that she WASN'T seeing.

But this morning is a totally different story.  After enjoying a good (and long) night's sleep, the kids all piled into our bed.  We are used to sleeping on a double so to have a king sized bed is quite  a luxury! We opened the blinds and there before us was the gorgeous snowy top of Pike's Peak. So gorgeous.  Can't believe we used to live here. Can't believe Caleb was born here.  So good to be back.

The drive was long, but good.  And now we are just looking forward to enjoying the next five days...just being together, nothing that "has" to be done.  Seeing old friends. Meeting new friends. Reconnected...with each other, with friends, with God.  Should be a great week.

Hopefully the wireless internet will be all set up and running today so I can upload pictures from my computer.  I don't like pictureless posts.  But hey, I take what I can get.  Right?

Have a great Wednesday.  No plans here.  How good does THAT feel??

Okay, quick post...

I was supposed to be in bed by now!  LOL!  Oh well, better late than never, huh?  The packing has gone fairly well but I think we lost a little (okay, a LOT) of momentum tonight.  There will be a little more than planned left to do when we get back from Colorado Springs, but, oh well.  Life goes on. I am excited for vacation, for relaxation, for meeting and reuniting with friends.  Should be a great week.

I found out tonight that the apartment where we are staying DOES have wireless internet so I should be able to pop in most days.  And on Friday, there will be LOTS of new goodies up in the shop.  And what? What was that?  I didn't quite hear you...did you say a sale?  A BIG one?  You mean, like the kind you only have every 3-4 months...LOL!

Tonight was good. God is faithful and full of surprises. We sold our washer and dryer tonight.  So good...And, we don't even have to move it!  The guy who is moving in bought it.  Yea! One less thing to do.  LOVE that. 

One quick LO before I go...

Credits can be seen HERE.  Have a great day (days, week, not sure when I will be in again!) 

The end is in sight...

Thing around the house are finally starting to look packed!  We have tried to leave a lot of stuff until the very end, so we don't feel like we are living in a hotel, but yesterday we finally started packing up the smaller stuff.  The only BIG project left is to pack up the kitchen. I wanted to do it earlier but then I realized I should just do everything else first and leave the kitchen as long as possible.  I don't want to be eating out all the time and so it is just easier to keep things intact.  But this morning the time has come and I need to put it all away. 

I have lots of mixed emotions right now...happy for the new things to come, sad at leaving other things behind.  I had to say goodbye to people at church yesterday, which was hard.  Funny that the only church we have ever really loved in our 7.5 years of marriage is this tiny church in a tiny little town in nowhere Nebraska. But we have really enjoyed it.  The pastor is really amazing and his wife...well, let's just say I got a little teary eyed coming home after saying goodbye.  We didn't really get to know each other at all until about two months ago and I could tell from the first time we really talked that there was a kindred spirit in her.  I am totally a square peg trying to fit in the round holes in life. So to connect with someone so easily is great, but hard to walk away from.  I think it could have been a great friendship.  But God has other things in life for both of us.

So, the end is really in sight.  We leave for Colorado tomorrow and then next week we leave for Michigan.  A year went really fast.

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So, other than packing we did get to hang out a little as a family.  We went out in Friday...did some "last times."  Last time at the library, last trip to Fazoli's, etc.  Kind of sad.  I wish I weren't so sentimental.

Saturday I spent the morning getting some work done...lots of new stuff coming out on Friday.  I got a few pages scrapped, too, but I can't show those quite yet.  I did do one this morning early, though, that I can show. 

Credits can be seen HERE

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Okay, sorry for short and boring post, but life calls.  A bunch of appointments today and lots of packing.  My goal is to get all of that done before dinner time so that tonight I can scrap and work.  I really need my creative time each day.

This is what I tried to explain to Jason....

This is a picture of my brain (well, mine does not look that pretty, but it is that scattered!)  I just feel like there is SO MUCH going on in my life and I LOVE it all and I want to KEEP it all but somehow, sometime I have to make sense of it. I need to get things back in order so I don't feel like I am letting stuff slip.  I need to re-prioritize and figure out what I really want.  I have so many ideas and dreams and I WANT it all.  But you know what?  No matter what I do, or what I say, or what I think, there will ALWAYS only be 24 hours in one day.  I can hope, pray, wish, and beg but there will be no more hours in my day.  And there is no way I can do everything I want to do in those measly little 24 hours.  So some things have to go.  Some things need a new placement in the priority list.  Some things just need to get done so I can stop worrying about them.  One of the best pieces of advice I have been given was by my supervisor in Malaysia.  She said, "Janet, you need to pray for God's wisdom as you ask each day, 'Lord, what is most important for me to do TODAY?'"  Because you know what?  No one will get everything done every day.  And I am okay with that.  Some days some things have to be set aside.  My problem is that I seem to let the SAME stuff go every day and overemphasize other things.  I need balance in my life and I can't seem to find it.  So that is my goal and prayer for this summer.  I want to spend some time with God seeking His will for me and my time.  I am pulled in so many directions and I LOVE it all.  I really do.  And there are benefits to some of the things I do that others may not see.  But I do.  And God does.  So, as Alaina would say, "This is a tricky one."  So if you want to pray for me this summer, this is what I need.  I need God to show me EACH day what is most important on THAT day.  Maybe today it is packing.  Or maybe not. Maybe reuniting as a family (Jason will be officially done with his job here in Nebraska in about an hour) is most important.  Maybe it is giving the kids and extra large dose of loving today as they prepare for a little chaos.  Maybe it is checking off some of those nagging things on my to do list that although not hard, are adding up and adding unneeded stress to my day.  Who knows. I need to pray.  And then I just need to go.  Go do what needs to be done. Whatever that may be.  If I could just take all those beautiful little pieces of life that are scattered in my heart and mind and put some order to them, I will feel better.  God is a God of order and I really believe that He created us to crave order to our lives.  I need it.  The mess is making me less effective in life.  Yes Alaina, this IS a tricky one.

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Thanks for all the thank yous and comments on the freebie yesterday!  Glad you liked it! 

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Grey's last night...really, really liked it. I loved the fact that it wasn't a true "cliffhanger" episode.  I really don't like those.  What is the point of making viewers frustrated by having to wait months before finding out the conclusion of something big?  I love the fact that they brought resolution and answers to situations while still leaving us looking forward to finding out more.  I would have been mad if they had ended the show with Burke walking back down the aisle and we never knew what happened.  Oh, and by the way, Sandra Oh's  performance at the end was incredible.  Absolutely amazing.  THAT is acting.  And I love the fact that I am not totally sure if she is happy or sad or a huge mixed-up combination of both. It was incredible.  And I could slap Meredith.  And Callie...go girl.  It's YOUR marriage.  Tell Izzy how it is. Burke's vows.  WOW. Marry me :)  Good show. I am happy.  Silly little things in life bring a smile to my face.

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Just one LO for you today.  Jason left for work at 5:45 and I woke up when he left.  So, I did a little scrapping.

Kraft paper by Gina Cabrera (can you tell I am a little addicted to this Kraft paper?), green paper by Michelle Coleman, alpha by Gina Cabrera (another addiction at the moment, love that I don't scrap chronologically,otherwise my addictions would show), blue stitching by Lisa Barnhurst, loose stitches by Syrin, cardboard pieces by Gina Cabrera. Cardboard buttons by Kim Christensen.

 

Have a GREAT weekend!

A Short Post and a Freebie...

Jason went in early today (his second to last day!  YEA!) so I am on "kid business" as we call it around here.  Usually I have a few hours in the morning to blog, catch up on emails, and other job related stuff but not this morning.  I spent the little bit of time I had this morning (while Dora was doing a good job of occupying the children) talking to a dear friend of mine that has BIG news. I am actually giddy today!  I've come a long way from a disgruntled teen who couldn't find happiness in anyone else's happiness, even if it didn't affect me in the slightest.  I am amazed at how genuinely and completely HAPPY I can be for someone else.  God has done such good things in my heart.  I have prayed that He would teach me to love as He loves and I am beginning to see Him moving my heart in His direction.  To see people the way He sees them, to love them for who He made them instead for who I want them to be.  Yep, He is good.  And He seems especially good this morning as I "rejoice with those who rejoice."

The kids are happily enjoying some Thai sticky rice, a favorite (but special) breakfast around here.  It is a glutenous rice that is steamed and then mixed with a coconut milk/sugar mixture.  Then, if you need MORE sweet, you can add some sweetened condensed milk over top and finish with sliced mangos.  Yummy.  The kids are inhaling it.  Love making them happy with the things of Asia that they are used to.  You should have seem them the other night when I made Indian food.  They couldn't get to the table fast enough...Caleb was swiping pampadam off the table and trying his darndest to get to the rice.  That makes me happy.  We miss Asia, a lot, but it is nice to be able to get a taste of it (literally) once in a while.

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Don't ask about packing yesterday.  You would NEVER know by looking at my house that it will be mostly packed up in five days. Ugh.

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So, the other day I got out those trusty paper supplies I have started to accumulate. I had a gift certificate to give someone but I didn't want to just stick in an an envelope.  So I made a fun card, gift cert bag, and bag to put them both in.  I am loving this kind of stuff.  Such a different feeling than digi. There is a place in my heart for both :)

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I got to scrap a bit last night!  So fun!  Here is one I posted at DST last night...

Credits can be seen HERE

I also realized last night that it had been quite a while since I did a freebie for my blog readers.  So, here you go!

The links are all the same so please only DL once...and DO NOT share this file with ANYONE.  You can send them to my blog if they would like it.

DOWNLOAD LINK 1
DOWNLOAD LINK 2 (if link one is expired)
DOWNLOAD LINK 3 (if link two is expired)

And here is the page I scrapped with it:

Credits can be seen HERE

ENJOY!

Okay, gotta run.  Alaina has chopsticks in her hand and Levi seems to think that the syrup bottle would make a good toy.  Gotta love being a mom!  LOL!

Liquified Mommy Brains....

You know, they really should tell you.  They should tell you that each time you give birth more brain cells will be lost.  They should tell you that even if once you were one smart chick, that the birthing of three babies in the course of a little over three years will render your brain functioning at about the same level as a doorknob.  They really should tell you.

I mean really.  I have always been quick.  School came easily to me (too easily, actually, I got bored and didn't do my work.  Thus the so-so grades.  A's on tests paired with C's and D's on homework averages you out to a nice flat B.)  I catch on to things easily.  I can multi-task like no other.  I have a great long term memory...so much so that if you give me a few minutes I can usually tell you what I was doing a year ago that day.  I read fast, I remember names, and I can get a lot of things done in a fraction of the time it takes others.

I am not bragging.  I am only saying these things to make very clear that birthing babies does BAD things to you.  Things the doctors don't tell you.  My brains feel liquefied.  I didn't notice the effects with just one.  Even two did little to slow me down or impair my ability to be super-woman.  But three.  Three walking, talking, giggling, demanding, Barney watching, sippy cup obsessed kids have turned my brains to pure mush.  I find myself doing things I despise in others.

Jason will often talk to me.  I respond to him.  Then a few minutes later I realize I have absolutely NO idea what he said.  I didn't hear him when he said it.  So it makes me wonder what in the world I agreed do.  This usually happens when I am on the net or writing an email.  But that is no defense.  Remember my supernatural powers to multi-task?  GONE!

I am also horrible at remembering to do stuff for the kids.  I have always promised myself that I will be true to my word with my kids. If I say I will do something "in a minute" I am determined that I WILL do it.  If my kids can't trust my word in the small things, then there is no way I should expect them to trust my word in the big things.  But lately, Alaina will come to me and say, "Mommy, you forgot my milk."  And I did.  She asked, I said I would do it in a few minutes, and I forget.  Bad mama.  Really, the only way I have been able to avoid this is to literally get up and do it right then.  But I don't like that either.  I don't want my kids to think that I will ALWAYS drop whatever I am doing RIGHT THEN to meet their demands (no matter how politely asked). I think kids need to learn the virtue of patience, and that requires actually having to practice it.  But in my patience teaching methods I forget.  I think Alaina has earned an extra large dose of patience.

Then there are the completely ridiculous things I have done.  Two examples...

Caleb woke up bright and early this morning (well, early for me, it was 6:45).  He was ready to start his day and as I was using the bathroom he barges in carrying the gallon of milk.  You know, just saying, "Milk please" is obviously not nearly as fun as walking around the house looking for mom with a gallon of milk in your hand.  So, he politely waits while I finish up and then I go to get dressed before filling my first of 10,000 sippy cups for the day.  I go into the kitchen, get a sippy cup, put ice in it and then start filling it with water.  Oh darn.  He wanted milk.  What am I doing?  So I pour the water out being very careful not to let the ice fall out.  Just as I am about to pour the milk in I think, "Are you totally crazy or just stupid.  He wants MILK.  Not WATER.  He doesn't take ice in his milk.  So I go to the sink and throw out the ice I was so careful to keep in the cup and pour his milk.  Then I walked over to the bed where Jason was sleeping and politely informed him I was off kid-business for the morning so he better get up. 

Example number two:

The other day I was in the kitchen cooking dinner.  I was thinking that I hadn't heard from Levi for a while.  Odd, but nice.  Lately he has been under-toe almost all day, so to have a  little break and have him playing somewhere quietly was quite the relief.  A few more minutes pass and I am thinking that this is totally unlike my son.  So, I decided I have to go take a peek.  I didn't want to run the risk of him seeing me and then having to figure out how to cook dinner with one hand while holding him with the other.  But, I really couldn't justify NOT checking on him any longer.  So, I go peek in Alaina's room (where the train table is currently set up.) Nope, not there.  Oh no.  Really, our house isn't that big.  Where else could he be? Not in the kitchen, not in my office, not in the living room, not in Alaina's room, he never goes in his room, so as I am starting to get scared I make a last-ditch effort and check the bathroom, all the while thinking I am the WORST mom ever and he has probably swallowed something and is lying unconscious (or worse) somewhere.  So I peek in the bathroom where he often likes to throw things in the toilet and bathtub and unroll all the toilet paper.  Nope, not there.  Oh no.  Maybe Caleb opened the garage door and he is in there.  Or worse, what if I had the big garage door open and he got outside.  I am dying here.  I start to go to the garage and see the door to his room shut.  That's weird I think.  And just as I am about to open the door to see if for the first time ever he decided to play in there, I remember something.  Oh yea.  I put him down for a nap.

See, liquefied mommy brains.

But what I want to know is, do I ever get these brain cells back?  I really, really miss them.

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So, yesterday was the last day of school for Alaina.  Another bittersweet moment for me.  She seems completely unphased by it all and is ready to pack her suitcase for the summer.  She loves change, loves to travel, isn't too sentimental.  Me, the sentimental one, gets sad to leave a place even if I don't like it.  The first few days of the week hit 90 degrees so a picnic in the park seemed fun.  Um, yea, not so much.  Try 50 degrees and WINDY.  So cold. Worse yet, Jason had the car so I had to take the kids in the trailer.  Normally we LOVE to walk to the park but in the cold wind, pushing with one hand and trying to drink my raspberry mocha in the other, I can't say it was a fun activity.  Then as we get to the park I am starting to get worried.  I see NO ONE there. The class was supposed to get there at 10:30.  It was 10:50 (they told mom's to come at 11:00). There is no one there and I am starting to feel like, once again, I deserve the worst mommy of the year award.  If we had the wrong park I was going to be in a world of trouble.  I didn't have the car and I don't have a cell phone (I know, I know, archaic person that I am...I did have one for two years in Malaysia and rarely carried it).  So if I had the wrong park I had absolutely no way of getting to the right one or of letting anyone know why Alaina's mommy wasn't there to eat with her and take her home.  Luckily, once I got to the pavilion, a car pulled in and it was one of the moms and Alaina was in the car, too.  They were just running late.  Phew!

It was a cold, cold picnic and we didn't stay long.  Caleb had  a death grip on me the whole time Alaina ate her lunch (Caleb and I had just had a date before so he was full from his kiddie chococino and a Krispy Kreme doughnut :)  The wind was blowing everything away and thoughts of a nice hot bath made the kiddos want to come home.  So we did.  All in all, a good last day.  Here are some pix from the day.  And according to one of the other moms, Jason gets the father of the year award for taking her to school and taking pictures of her locker, etc.  Good guy :)

And, here are a few cute ones of the boys.  The first one is Caleb sleeping in the hallway.  He got out of a bed a few nights ago and wanted to sleep with us.  We said no so he grabbed his stuff, laid it out in the hallways, and laid down.  When we got up in the morning we saw that he was still there and that he had put on his backpack (full of cars and trains) and slept like that all night.  Silly guy :)

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Packing yesterday was a success.  I finished both kids rooms AND went through all my clothes (which as I have mentioned, are few in number, so that didn't take long).  Today is the living room and dining room and if I have time, my office.  Feels good to be seeing progress.

Last night I just felt like taking it easy so I turned off the computer and just hung out with Jason.  We just talked, laughed, and then watched some old FRIENDS episodes.  Even though we have seen them all numerous times they still make us laugh. 

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Hope you Wednesday is great!