My blog, my life...

One month

2010-05-09T21:24:00.003-06:00

That's how long it's been since my last blog post.

Clearly I am not doing a better job at staying caught up.

This seems to be the trend in many areas of my life!

I have the DESIRE to do so many crafty things but can't seem to finish any projects that I've started.

The WORST has been scrapbooking. The most recent entry in my scrapbooks is November 2005. Which puts me about 4 1/2 years behind. I love scrapbooking. And I have a group of friends that we go scrapbooking at a local scrapbooking store about once a month. It seems to be the ONLY time I can get any scrapbooking done anymore. The past month or so has been "slow" as far as things-to-do around the house (just STRESSFUL with a bunch of other stuff), and I have not scrapped a single page. I even joined a scrapbooking page kit club - www.scrapbooksussies.com - in hopes that perhaps this would add to my motivation. I LOOOVE the kits, but have not gained any new motivation.

Then there's the knitting and the sewing and the crocheting and the reading and the cleaning and the getting rid of junk and BLOGGING............. oh the list is endless.

Where is this going? I don't even know. I just know that somehow I need a kick in the pants and a dose of motivation to get better at BEING CAUGHT UP on stuff. :)

My poor neglected blog :(

2010-04-09T21:42:00.008-06:00

So it's been, what, 3 months? Yeah... ME = FAIL! I have no words! I want to say I haven't forgotten about you............ but I have. I really honestly have and can't think of anything to blog about now that Project 365 version 2009 is over. We've been busy... but I just haven't had the energy to keep up with the catch up. We celebrated the boys' birthdays in the past month, as well as a two week spring break full of sickness. A bunch of other birthdays of family and friends. Easter. Valentine's Day. St. Patrick's Day (also B's birthday). A job change by Rob. I've been keeping busy with some photo sessions. And a 4 year old and a 6 six old. I hope to think of something clever soon, but for now... a few pictures. :)

Brayden blowing out his birthday candles!

A couple of stray Easter bunnies, getting ready for church....
Jack enjoying his birthday cake, even though he was sick and we spent much of the day at the doctor's office and then the pharmacy!

That's all I've got! If you're still around, say hello!

Last two Project 365 shares...

2010-01-11T09:54:00.002-07:00

Back when I started the Project 365 journey, I downloaded these quick pages from weedsandwildflowers.com. I'm using the first one as a cover page, and the second one as the last page of the book. The second one includes on picture from each month of 2009. I think it's a nice finishing touch. Hoping to send the book off to print today... :)

And with that, my 2009 Project 365 journey comes to a close.

I've had a lot of people ask me if I'm going to do the project again in 2010. The short answer is NO!

The long answer is, while I love the idea of having a book like this every year, I'm burned out. By the end of the year (the last several months in fact) I just didn't know what else to take pictures of. If there wasn't a specific event to document, everything felt repetitive. I can't even count how many nights, an hour before sending the boys off to bed, I realized, "Oh no! I haven't taken a picture yet!" and had to scramble for an idea. While the project was absolutely rewarding, I feel it wouldn't be as special to do it again this year. I don't expect the day-to-day life will change much from last year to this year. I'll still take pictures, and somehow I need to figure out a way to get better at scrapping them (I'm still torn between traditional paper and digital scrapbooking... and I take SO MANY PICTURES that it's hard to decide what to scrap and what not to... I'll probably never figure this out!).

I do want to share though... I do think I will do another Project 365... someday. One of my 2009 P365 friends (Hi Margaret!) who came up against similar struggles by the end of the year suggested the idea of doing it again in 5 to 10 years. And I looooove that idea. I'm thinking 2014... what a fun way to document how the day-to-day changes over time.

For now, I have a few other photography challenges to conquer for 2010... not the least of which is continuing to pursue the building of my own family photography business (link in the side bar). I am also planning to participate in a weekly, theme-based photography challenge (although I already missed out for week 1). And hopefully I'll still find something to blog about here and there. :)

Thanks to everyone who followed me through this journey! I'm sure I'll take pictures of the finished book to share when it arrives!

Week 53 Layout

2010-01-08T17:52:00.002-07:00

Week 53 layout...

(click to see a little bigger)

Credits: Kit is Plaisirs d'hiver DigiCrea collab kit; Template by IkeaGoddess; Fonts are Pea KatieH, Pharmacy, and Tahoma

I have a couple more pages to share... front and back cover pages (but not the actual covers)... then Project 365 for 2009 will be ready to put to bed!

Week 53 (12.28 - 12.31)

2010-01-08T15:23:00.003-07:00

I disappeared! In the 11th hour to boot! No, I did not abandon Project 365 during its final week for 2009... I took my final pictures, started working on my layout... then the clock struck midnight on December 31 and I think I had built myself up to that meaning I was "done," even though the project itself was not done yet.

During the final week of 2009 I went through and proofread and color-corrected (long story) the first 52 weeks worth of layouts. I also uploaded them to a photo site that makes photo books and expected that all I had left to do was add the last two pages for week 53 and I'd be done. I started assembling my book, at which point I discovered that "100 pages" means "50 pages front and back" not "100 pages front and back." My book is 106 pages long. ACK! Okay I knew this was a possibility, but really hoped my version of 100 pages and the site's version of 100 pages were the same. Needless to say I was a little bummed about all the wasted effort.

But do not fear... I found another, more expensive site which will create my longer than 100 pages book. I spent a good portion of the day on New Year's Eve uploading and assembling my book on this new site. Only to run into another road sblock... some of my pages had text and pictures too close to the edges... close enough that they could be cut off in the printing. So once again I went through my layouts one by one working to ensure that my text was far enough away from the edges that it would not be cut out during production. Check.

So I'm done! NO! There's more! Now I need to design a COVER! A cover???? Okay I probably should have planned for this as well. But after the New Year's Eve resizing fiasco, I was BURNED OUT. I took a week off. :) After my brief P365 vacation, I went through all 365 photos a couple of days ago, and chose a few (24 to be exact) for my cover design. And I opened up that week 53 layout and started putting the finishing touches on it. And I figured... I better blog that last week before I bury this project forever! Very likely to happen as soon as I order the book!

So without further ado (or long-winded story telling).... WEEK 53 in pictures!

While cleaning the boys' bathroom last week, I was nearly knocked over by the smell of the boys' bath toys. I knew our water and years of baths had done a number on them, but I didn't realize just how bad they were. Sooo... we decided to use some of the boys' Christmas money to buy new bath toys. I threw away a ton of the old, stinky toys, and replaced them with some new ones. There was a bit of a fuss about the toys that were tossed, but overall, I think the boys are enjoying the new lineup!

For Christmas, Jack and Brayden got sleeping bags from the Easter's. With all the craziness of the new toys the received, they kind of forgot about their sleeping bags until tonight. I unrolled their bags for them and kind of showed them how sleeping bags work. Immediately, they decided they wanted to change into their pajamas, turn off all the lights (except the Christmas tree), and have a pajama party! We set their bags up by the tree and they had their little party. It didn't last long, but it sure was adorable!

The past few days... maybe because of some of their craft-related Christmas presents, the boys - especially Brayden - have been very into "coloring." Something that has never held their interest for very long. Still, they sat and colored in their old Tonka coloring books for at least an hour tonight. Brayden chose to use markers in his book, and Jack opted for crayons. They were both very serious about the task at hand, and did not want to put their coloring stuff away when it was time to eat dinner!

New Year's Eve! It's hard to believe the year is already coming to a close... the time goes by so fast! We spent our morning at Monkey Bizness with our neighbors so they kids could all play! Then the Johnson's had us over for dinner and games, and this was the sight outside our front door as we left to walk over to their house. A full moon, the last full, "Blue" moon of 2009. It took me a few tries to get my settings right, but I love the outcome of the photo. We had a great New Year's Eve, and a fantastic 2009!

Coming soon... the week 53 layout... and then I'm going to need to figure out something new to blog about! :)

Week 52 Layout

2009-12-27T20:42:00.001-07:00

Ta da! Week 52 is done! 4 days to go!

Click to see a little bigger...

Credits: Kit is Candy Cane Christmas by Miss Mint of Peppermint Creative; Font is Pea Heather Michelle; Template by Simply Yin

Week 52 (December 21-27)

2009-12-27T20:18:00.004-07:00

Well first and foremost... Merry Christmas! I hope you all had a blessed Christmas surrounded by loved ones. I know we did!

So it seems I've taken to blogging once a week... the whole week's pictures at once. Not sure if it's easier this way or not... but here in the home stretch of 2009's Project 365... it works!

The boys were long overdue for a haircut, so we gave them our usual "at home" haircuts tonight. Although tonight was different, because they were both completely miserable about the whole process! The whining and complaining started before the scissors even came near their heads. Usually haircuts are a slight hassle, but tonight it was like pulling teeth! Jack pouted and complained of hurting feet, Brayden cried, and Rob and I were generally stressed out!

Brayden randomly started playing "Santa" tonight... he was using the love seat as his sleigh, and had packages (block boxes) in the back to deliver to all the good boys and girls. After we caught on to what he was doing, I put one of our Santa hats on him - "Santa Brayden!" Of course, then I tried to get a picture and the fun ended. Still, if even for a moment, he was very cute driving his sleigh yelling "HO HO HO!" over and over again!

On our agenda today was baking and decorating gingerbread cookies. The boys helped roll the dough and make the cut-out shapes. We had gingerbread men, snowmen, snowflakes, and Christmas trees. They love helping with baking projects right now. Then our whole family together had a great time decorating the cookies after dinner. I think the end result was one of our most creative batches of decorated cookies yet!

At long last... Christmas Eve! We mostly spent a low key day at home... I did some baking while the boys played and Rob rested his back. (It's not Christmas without Rob's back acting up!) We went to mass at STM, then had my mom over for dinner. She gave the boys some gifts, then they changed into their new, annual Christmas jammies! We left a snack for Santa and his reindeer, read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," and hurried off to sleep so Santa could come!

Merry Christmas! Jack was up at 6:01am (earlier, but that's when he got out of bed!) despite telling us the night before he was going to sleep until 8 or 8:30! Ha! Brayden, however, slept till 7:30! We headed downstairs to see the goodies Santa left for us! It was truly a magical Christmas with the boys this year. We had a nice morning at home, and took (via self-timer - thus, not focused well) our annual Christmas jammies family photo. Then we headed to Uncle Brian's for the afternoon and evening with the Roe's.

Over the course of the holiday, we did our fair share of baking... and also acquired, as gifts, even more baked goods and sweets. On the counter is the collection of our spoils... gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies, shortbread cookies, brownies, peppermint bark, chocolate covered pretzel sticks, skittles, reese's pieces and peanut butter cups, milk duds, tootsie rolls, salt-water taffee, and more... and not shown are the leftover apple pie and pumpkin cheesecake in the fridge.

The Broncos' second to last game of the regular season was today, an important game to win if we want to make it to the post-season. Jack was super excited to wear his new Brandon Marshall jersey during the game today - a Christmas gift from Mommy and Daddy. Over the course of this season, Marshall has become Jack's favorite player. Sadly, the team lost in a very close game against the Eagles. Jack played his own pretend football game for almost the whole game!

Week 51 Layout

2009-12-21T12:23:00.003-07:00

I had my layout done before the end of the day Sunday... that hasn't happened for awhile! It seems I must be motivated to get this project finished up so it's ready to print when the end of the year arrives!

So without further ado... Week 51. Click to see bigger....
Credits: Kit is "Evergreen Holly" by Miss Mint at Peppermint Creative; Font is Pea Candice; Template is by Scrap'Anges

Week 51 - on time! :) (12.14 - 12.20)

2009-12-21T11:19:00.003-07:00

I "stole" the idea for this year's teacher's gifts from one of my Scrap Mania friends, Jennifer. She made these adorable little tins, and let me borrow her die-cut supplies to make the materials for my own tins. They turned out so cute... I can't wait to give them to all the boys' wonderful teachers! (The final product will be filled with hard candy and chocolate!)

I went into Brayden's class today and decorated cookies with the preschoolers! Each child got to decorate three cookies with icing and sprinkles. They all had so much fun! By far the favorite part was the sprinkles... as you can see by Brayden's plate! And most of all, Brayden was thrilled I finally helped in his class!

Every year, the boys make little craft ornaments for their teachers, family, and friends. This year's ornaments are little foam wreaths which the boys decorated with foam stickers and glitter glue. I added a picture of the boys to the wreath's opening when they were dry. There is nothing better than stickers, glittle, and glue to these two!

An impromptu dance party broke out in our home tonight... dancing to the music on one of the old toy cell phones. Brayden's dancing was complete with wearing the toy goggles that go with our Snoopy stuffed animal. Wearing them, everything looks green. The faces he makes when he is rocking out are hilarious! The song selections were mostly classics they know from the Little Einsteins.

We took the boys to the Wildlife Experience tonight for their "Winter Wonderlights" display. It was nice because they had the lights outside, then activities inside too, to warm up after the cold! The boys wrote letters to Santa inside... here Jack is writing, "I have been very good this year." We finished the trip off seeing The Grinch on the big screen!

We hosted a pre-Christmas dinner for the Martin families at our house this evening. The kids all wanted to sit at our already-to-small table, so we improvised and had our infamous picnic dinner instead, while watching The Polar Express. Carter and Noah joined the big kids for a quick photo... Carter was so cute resting his head on Jack's back! All in all, we had a great family night!

During our get together last night, the kids all opened their gifts from their aunts and uncles. The boys love the play food they got from Uncle Chris and Aunt Sarah, and the Shel Silverstein poetry books from Uncle Ryan and Aunt Pam. Jack was asking to read poems from "A Light In The Attic" all day, and Brayden spent his day "grocery shopping." He's carrying his bags to the checkout here.

Week 50 Layout

2009-12-17T19:20:00.002-07:00

At worst, from here on out, I'll never been more than a couple of weeks behind! Yay! Kind of loving the Week 50 layout... :)

Click to see a little bigger...

Credits: Kit is Hermitage by Amanda Dykan; Font is Century Gothic; Tempate is by M Originals

Week 50 (12.7 - 12.13)

2009-12-17T15:36:00.005-07:00

At long last, we've worked brushing teeth in the morning into our "get ready for school" routine. Jack has gotten very good at brushing his own teeth, but Brayden still usually needs some clean-up work. This morning though, he was trying to shard to do a good job and get all his teeth clean! And the bed head is tremendous!

Tonight the boys (finally, a little late!) made their construction paper ring countdowns to Christmas. Brayden had fun making the first couple of rings, then he was ready to move on to other things (like playing cars). Jack, however, was very dedicated to the project, and wrote numbers and drew little festive pictures on every ring! I love his little Santa!

I bought this big piece of brown fabric awhile back to make myself a big "blankie." I've used it as a photo prop a few times, but finally decided to sew it up into my blanket. All was going well till I attached the satin border... which didn't really match and was super difficult to put on straight. So now I have a big ugly (warm) blanket, and need a new photo prop!

Brayden has become quite the whiner and pouter in recent days. I can't remember exactly what he was whining to me about, but my camera was right there so I snapped a picture of his pathetic whiney face. Which, for whatever reason, caused him to crack up. So I got a picture of that too! I like the happy face better than the whiney one!

We had a playdate at the Gumm's house today. Alyssa and I went down to the basement to check on the playing boys, and were surprised to find that, of all the things they could be doing, they were all playing together in the play kitchen area! They were cracking themselves up making "water soup." Who said that playing kitchen is just for girls!?

Basketball continues to be a lot of fun! Today was the second to last practice. Rob has been working with Jack before the formal practice begins on shooting from his chest. His technique really is improving... we really can see changes from one week to the next!

We made our annual visit to see Santa at Park Meadows today. The boys could have sat and atlked to Santa for hours I think! This is the first year there were no real nerves, just smiles and excitment! Okay, Jack was a little nervous. ;-) They also enjoyed playing around on the reindeer bench after visiting with Santa!

Annnnd........ Week 49 Layout

2009-12-08T21:21:00.003-07:00

Yay! Caught up again! Week 49!

Click to see bigger...

Credits: Kit is Winter Sparkle by Miss Mint at Peppermint Creative; Template by Christina Brown Designs; Font is sf Katie

Week 48 Layout!

2009-12-08T20:06:00.001-07:00

It's official, I'm on a roll! One week to go, not counting this week... all completed today! :)

Click to see bigger....

Credits: Kit is October Rush by Miss Mint at Peppermint Creative (one of my all time favorite kits!); Template by Katy Larson; Font is Whackadoo

Week 47 Layout

2009-12-08T19:02:00.001-07:00

Two weeks to go, not counting this week - woot!

Click to see bigger....

Credits: Kit is A Piece of Her Heart by Ellie Lash; Template by Digi Designs by Denise; Font is Time New Roman

Week 46 Layout

2009-12-08T16:10:00.003-07:00

Okay posted Week 45 an hour ago maybe... already did Week 46!?! I must be on a roll! Or for once, I don't have a million other things distracting me. On that note, I guess I could share the fact that after a crazy couple of months of taking photos for other people, working to start my own business, I'm all caught up on all that crazy stuff! Finished designing my 2010 calendar too (including calendars for three other people, too!). Can't have idle hands here, so I better get to week 47 ASAP! :)

Click to see bigger....

Credits: Kit is Through The Patch by Sweet Digi Scraps; Template by Lindsay Jane Designs; One paper used and recolored from Kit Manuella by Scrap'Anges; Font is King Kool KC

Week 45 - And Post #200!!!

2009-12-08T15:11:00.006-07:00

Well, I've made it to my 200th post! That's kind of exciting right? I know there's at least one reader out there who has made it this far with me... but I don't think my husband counts. ;-) Anyone else out there?

Working on catching up with my Project 365 layouts again! What am I going to blog about when this project ends? Tell you what, I can't wait for this project to be OVER! Not that I haven't enjoyed it... and I certainly do not regret having undertaken this project! However, it has gotten very difficult, even boring... and certainly repetitive. At least for me. I hope the book I make at the end of all this doesn't put us all to sleep! There's another photo-a-day challenge I'm thinking about for next year... I'm just not sure I can handle it!

Anyway for now I've got week 45 to share. Four more to go on this round of catching up. And then it's nearly the end of the year anyway!

Week 45 - click to see a little bigger!

Credits: Kit is Nature's Own by FoxyDesigns; Template by Simply Yin; Chipboard labels by Sweet Blossom Designs by Sara; Font is Pea Bonnie

Week 49 (November 30 - December 6)

2009-12-06T15:27:00.006-07:00

Brayden's preschool hosted a "Preschool Science Night" tonight for the kids and their parents. There were three rooms with different experiments using water, gas, and solids. The boys' favorite was this one with a ketchup packet in a water bottle full of warm water. If you squeeze it, the ketchup packet sinks! Brayden had to use ALL his muscles to squeeze the bottle enough to sink the ketchup!

It's December! That means we can break out the Advent calendar and start the official countdown to Christmas. I made this paper craft Advent calendar a couple of years ago. Each day you take a tag out of one of the numbered pockets. Last year Brayden didn't really get it, but this year he and Jack already have a plan for Jack to do the odd days, and Brayden the even days, all the way to Christmas!

Rob's been working long hours lately, and when he gets home, the boys are all over him. Usually, the first thing they want to do is play cards. So they've come up with a "three way war" game they can all play together, so they BOTH get to spend time with Daddy, RIGHT NOW. Jack was quickly eliminated from the 3-player game tonight, and was very upset about it. After recovering slightly, he sat watching, not-so-patiently waiting to get back in the game.

The boys both love their dry erase "workbooks." Brayden did handwriting at school today (specifically the letter "C"), so he wanted to do more letters when he got home and busted out the workbook. He was holding his marker invertedly, and didn't want to correct it, but I finally talked him into holding it "right." He was very proud of himself! And then had to concentrate VERY HARD to trace the rest of his letters! (I think his mommy makes the same face when concentrating!)

Rob and I went on a date this evening... Christmas shopping at Target and dinner at Olive Garden at Southlands mall. We got a lot done and then had a delicious meal. We both tried something new off the Olive Garden menu, definitely two new favorites. We even got a free dessert because my meal was a little delayed in the preparation! After dinner we drove down Southlands Main Street to get a closer look at the beautiful Christmas lights and decorations. A great date night!

Saturday mornings are still basketball mornings. Some weeks are harder than others for Brayden, who has to sit on the sideline. Usually our neighbor Lisa is the on the sides with us because her son Marcelo is on the team, and Brayden likes to play with her iphone. She wasn't here this week so Brayden was sooo bored. It's hard to just sit and watch. Toward the end of practice he noticed the balance beam on the gym stage. That kept him busy and happy... for a few minutes, at least.

It's a cold and snow Sunday, so we stayed in and attempted to stay warm! The boys played some guitar hero, watched the Broncos win, and Jack had to do a little bit of homework in preparation for the coming week. We were sitting together thinking of "H" words when he put his pencil behind his ear, and doing so he just cracked himself up! He said he looked like "Handy Manny," thus coming up with his last "H" word, "Handy!"

Week 48 (11.23 - 11.29)

2009-12-03T21:51:00.005-07:00

One of the games the boys like to play together is "hospital." One of them ends up sick in bed at the hospital, and the other is the caretaker. Or sometimes it's the stuffed dogs that are sick. They get out the play doctor kit and take care of each other and their dogs. Lunch was ready today when I found them upstairs playing hospital on their beds. Brayden is looking after Jack's dog, Numbutts. :)

It's Thanksgiving week, and I've decided to undertake some baking projects. Last week Sarah made us pumpkin rolls and they were delicious, so I decided to attempt to make them myself. It was one of the messiest, most illogical recipes I've ever made! They aren't nearly as pretty as Sarah's were, but they are still delicious! It's like cheesecake and pumpkin bread all wrapped together!

Because the pumpkin bread wasn't enough, I decided to attempt my first cheesecake - a pumpkin cheesecake - for dessert for Thanksgiving dinner with the family. It was much easier to make than I expected (although I did need to buy a special pan for it!). It smells good and it looks good... I sure hope it tastes good too!

We spent Thanskgiving this year with the Martin side of the family, at my mom's house. We had a nice laid back afternoon together, and dinner (well, a late lunch) was wonderful as always. And the cheesecake... success!!! After lunch and everything, I took Noah's 3 month photos. He's so handsome! This is my favorite shot of him from the session, but really, it's hard to take a bad picture of my gorgeous nephew!

Our family tradition is to put up our Christmas tree and decorate it the day after Thanksgiving! So when the boys had their quiet time, Rob assembled the tree and I unwrapped decorations. When the boys got up and everything was ready to go, they were so excited to put the ornaments on the tree. The tree is pretty bottom-heavy, but overall they did a great job, and the tree looks beautiful! (The furniture around it is a different story...)

Is that a naked child under the Christmas tree? Why yes, yes it is. I don't know exactly what Brayden was pitching a fit about, but it was probably something about getting dressed... something he doesn't do agreeably right now. So today, he took off MOST of his clothes, and crawled under the tree to hide and avoid putting on his clothes. SUCH A MONKEY!

During this long weekend, Rob took the boys to the park three mornings to play soccer and football. It was great that they had a chance to get out and run off some energy, and do what they LOVE to do the most right now - sports! Then this afternoon, even though it was freezing out, Jack went out in our front yard to play football with some of the bigger kids in the neighborhood. He had a great time, and really held his own with the big boys!

The rest of week 47 (11.20 - 11.22)

2009-12-03T21:27:00.004-07:00

Jack's class is learning about turkeys and all things "Thanksgiving" right now. One of his homework assignments was to "disguise" a turkey. He decided to disguise his turkey with fruit loops! Brayden made one too, disguised in regular cheerios. I think their favorite part of the whole crafty activity was GLUE... they certainly used more than a generous amount!

It was a busy, photography filled weekend for me. I did the Dickinson's family pictures Saturday morning, which was fun since I hadn't seen them in about 6 years (and 5 kids between us!). Then the Swietek's Saturday afternoon, including 3 month old Oliver. Oliver is getting so big and adorable! (Not that he wasn't adorable before!). Look at those blue eyes! After pictures we had a girl's night at Stephanie's with some other friends, decorating Christmas cookies.

I took the Easter's family pictures today... an exciting and defintiely adventurous task! The boys were just not that into it... like pretty much all kids ages 1 and 3! I did my best to get some great pictures of them anyway! When we tried to get the big group picture with uncles and grandparents, Ashton was DONE, and threw a huge tantrum. So everyone else threw a tantrum along with him, and it made for a hilarious group shot!

Library day (11.19)

2009-11-20T16:31:00.001-07:00

It had been awhile since we'd been to the library (and one of our books had been requested by another patron and needed to be returned), so we headed to the library this afternoon. As always, the boys picked out a ton of books, and got right to work on devouring them when we got home. It was late and I had to make dinner, so they were a great distraction while I prepared our food. I love how focused they are, and that they love to read!

Cooking (11.18)

2009-11-20T16:29:00.001-07:00

Again following with his fading interest in cars and traditional toys, today Jack broke out the play kitchen gadgets and got to "cooking" on the kitchen table. I'm not sure what he was making, but he needed to add two cups of something! Clearly, it was very serious business!

Sports (11.17)

2009-11-20T16:27:00.003-07:00

Jack has a new obsession: Sports. The days of cars and trains are fading away. All he wants to do is play pretend (or real!) baseball, football, soccer, etc. Kind of hard given that it's winter and our living room is small. The games often get out of control and rough (given the limited space) and the balls have to go into timeout on the stairs. I never really expected him to deveop into such a sports fan and have such a desire to be athletic!

Dinnertime (11.16)

2009-11-20T16:25:00.003-07:00

Dinnertime... is not my favorite time of day. In fact all meals are a battle right now with Brayden. He always says he's not hungry or he's full after just a couple of bites. I know he'll eat if he's hungry, but it's still frustrating! Tonight, trying to get him to eat one little piece of quesadilla too probably half an hour with all of his storytelling, complaining, and avoiding tactics!

Broncos Fans (11.15)

2009-11-20T16:23:00.001-07:00

The boys have become quite the avid football fans this season, especially Jack. They are all about the celebration dances, yelling at the TV, and rooting on their favorite team, the Broncos. Sadly we lost this week's game (this makes 3 in a row), but these three fans are still adorable!

Basketball (11.14)

2009-11-20T16:19:00.001-07:00

Jack has been playing basketball for almost a month now, and he loves it! I think his favorite part is that Daddy is the coach. It's been fun for Rob too, but controlling a group of 20 kids ages 4 to 6 is a handful for anyone! It's fun to watch how much the kids improve from week to week... during the first practice they would just grab the ball and run for the basket, but as time has progressed, they've gotten better at things like passing and dribbling during their scrimmages!

McD's (11.13)

2009-11-13T19:27:00.003-07:00

Jack didn't have school today, so we were able to spend our first lazy morning at home for several weeks. Eventually I decided we'd head out to run some errands at Kohl's, and we went to lunch and play at McDonald's afterwards. Jack was very serious about his chicken nuggets.

Bradyen in the box (11.12)

2009-11-13T19:24:00.004-07:00

Not sure why, but Brayden decided to climb into a toy box this evening (the hot wheels - which were all IN the box!) and play guitar. There's no logical explanation for why Brayden did this, but there often is no logical explanation for the things Brayden does! He's just a crazy boy! He was mostly giving me goofy faces when I tried to take a picture of it, but I managed one "normal" one!

Mike (11.11)

2009-11-13T19:21:00.002-07:00

My very good, old friend, Mike, was in Denver today (literally for one day) for work. He came over to our house for dinner and to meet Rob and the boys, who he'd seen in pictures but never met. We literally have not seen each other for 10 years. It was so good tos ee him, and the boys all loved him too. Didn't hurt that he works for the boys' favorite radio station, K-Love, and brought them goodie bags!

Moo Moo (11.10)

2009-11-13T19:19:00.001-07:00

Brayden absolutely loves everything about preschool. Right now they are learning about farms, and he reminds of these things over and over again. Today at school, he made a cow puppet named "Moo Moo." Moo Moo has gotten so much love in one day, he's already all wrinkled and falling apart!

Toy catalogues (11.09)

2009-11-13T19:17:00.001-07:00

And... the toy catalogues are beginning to arrive! We received two Target toy catalogues in the mail today and the boys were more than ready to sit down and start reading... and contemplating their Christmas lists! (I think maybe Brayden should ask for new socks......)

Family photos part two (11.08)

2009-11-13T19:15:00.003-07:00

I didn't take today's picture, Farrah did! Our families got together today for another picture exchange, hoping for some variety to add to the shots from two weekends ago. I think we were able to get some great shots fore ach other, and this one may very well end up being our Christmas card photo this year! Too bad the boys made super goofy faces in almost all of the other pictures!

Pea meet-ups (11.07)

2009-11-13T19:12:00.003-07:00

One of the 2peas photographers I met over the summer, Amy, was in town for the weekend. So a group of the local photographers got together for lunch while she was here. We met at the Olive Garden in Westminster: Becky, Janett, Amy, Farrah and myself, as well as a few of the kids. We're getting together again tomorrow night (minus Amy) because another Pea, Jami, is going to be here!

Weekend Pal (11.06)

2009-11-13T19:10:00.001-07:00

Jack came home from school today with the class stuffed animal, "Taffy," the Weekend Pal. Taffy is supposed to hang out with us and be part of the family for the weekend, doing whatever we do! Jack gets to tell his class about our weekend together on Monday. So far today he has watched the boys play cards, and he's going to watch Jack's basketball practice tomorrow!

Spelling (11.05)

2009-11-13T18:59:00.002-07:00

New to Jack's already rigorous homework schedule this week is spelling! He came home with his first spelling list on Monday, complete with spelling activities and plans for practice tests. He has two weeks to learn the list before his actual test. Today he had his first practice test. It seems so intense for a kindergartener, but I guess he is ready for it. He got 11 out of 12 words right today on his first practice test!

Bored (11.04)

2009-11-04T21:29:00.002-07:00

The boys are in kind of a rut lately. As I mentioned, they like to play cards. But we can't play cards ALL OF THE TIME. We just can't. They hardly ever play with their toys anymore. That, and they won't play at all unless they can play with each other. One of them will decide to play cars, ask the other to play too, and if the other says no, neither of them plays at all. And they both just sit there, bored. They just don't want to do much of anything. A lot of time is spent like this - sitting around, bored.

Gloves (11.03)

2009-11-04T21:26:00.004-07:00

Last week I got my desk. A day or two later, I got a REAL mouse! It's been wonderful! But now... my hands (especially my mousing hand!) are always FREEZING when I'm working on the computer! I thought maybe some fingerless gloves would help keep them warm while working on the computer, and I found and picked up a cute pair at Target's today while funning a million errands. I'm hoping they'll be good for taking pictures outside on cold days, too!

(Edited to add: I wrote this post last night and didn't publish it till today. Earlier today, I tried out the gloves. No luck with keeping my hands warm at the computer - bummer!)

Card Shark (11.02)

2009-11-04T21:22:00.002-07:00

Earlier in the year, Jack was the card shark in our family. Well, he's getting some competition from Brayden now! In the past several months, he's learning how to play all the games he didn't quite understand then. He loves to play Crazy 8's, Go Fish, War (his favorite), and even Texas Hold 'Em. That's right, the boys both know how to play basic poker. (No betting though!) So now there are two kids always wanting to play cards around the house!

Week 44 Layout

2009-11-04T17:07:00.002-07:00

Phew! Caught up on layouts again! Now I can focus on some other things in anticipation of the crazy photo session weekend coming up!

Week 44 - click to see bigger

Credits: Kit is Crazy Beautiful by Fei-fei Stuff; Template is by Andrea Gold; Font is Too Much Paper!

Week 43 Layout

2009-11-04T15:43:00.003-07:00

One more to go! (Not counting this week - LOL!) Here's Week 43...

(click to see bigger)

Credits: Kit is Daditude by Miss Mint at Peppermint Creative; Template is by Simply Yin; Font is SBC Courtneys Journal; Stitching is by Christine Nash; Ribbons are by Ellie Lash (recolored)

Week 42 Layout

2009-11-04T10:08:00.005-07:00

Two weeks to go, here's Week 42! Only 10 weeks to go in the project - can't believe I've managed to stick with it!

(click to see bigger)

Credits: Kit is Harvest Spice by Shabby Princess; Font is SP You've Got Mail; Template is by M Originals

Week 41 Layout

2009-11-03T16:25:00.003-07:00

And week 41... three weeks to go! (Not counting this week, ha ha!)

(click to see bigger)

Credits: Kit is Life Captured by Julie Marie Designs; Template is by M Originals; Font is Pea Gemma

Week 40 Layout

2009-11-03T15:36:00.002-07:00

Here goes week 40!

(click to see bigger)

Credits: Kit is Chilled Wine by mgl Scraps and Sugarplum Paperie; Template is by Simply Yin; Fonts are Attic and Pea Felicia

Week 39 Layout

2009-11-02T21:47:00.005-07:00

And now begins the process of catching up on the layouts... I'm several weeks behind. Here's Week 39:

(click to see bigger)

Credits: Kit is Andrea Burns Sample; Font is Berlin Sans FB; Template is by Red Leaf Digiscrapping

On the move! (11.01)

2009-11-02T18:41:00.001-07:00

Look who is on the movie! Since taking the Martin Family's pictures last weekend, Carter has picked up a new skill - crawling! We got together at Mom's house for Ryan's birthday and Carter was more than happy to show off his newfound mobility! Here he's attempting to crawl across the slippery kitchen floor to his Daddy, the birthday boy!

Happy Halloween! (10.31)

2009-11-02T18:38:00.003-07:00

Happy Halloween! We spent our Halloween night at the Easter Family's annual Halloween party. This year, since Halloween fell on a Saturday, we went trick-or-treating with them in their neighborhood as well! A great time was had by all. Rob and I also opted to dress up this yaer. Someone at the party took a family picture of us - Princess Mommy, Woody, Monkey, and Crybaby Cutler!

Snow day #3 (10.30)

2009-11-02T18:32:00.002-07:00

Finally the storm subsided, the sun sort of started to come out, the wind stopped, and it warmed up enough to go play in the snow. The boys were so excited! It's a heavy wet snow and there is so much of it! The boys didn't really want to be bothered to take a picture, but I made them stop for a minute anyway! And as always, after some fun time playing in the snow, they were more than happy to come into the warm houes and drink warm chocolate!

Snow day #2 (10.29)

2009-11-02T18:28:00.004-07:00

We definitely got quite a bit more snow overnight, and I was curious just how much. Popped a ruler into the snow-covered chair showing nearly a foot of snow! Not 100% accurate, but still, a huge storm for Colorado in October! Other areas got as much as 2 feet! Craziness! The boys have been itching to go out and play in it, until we walked to our neighbor's house - the wind is a bit strong for playing outside just yet! All this snow, and Rob's office stayed open! Lame!

Snow day #1 (10.28)

2009-11-02T18:26:00.003-07:00

Today it snowed... a lot! It was one of those storms the weather people avoided putting a number on because they didn't know what was going to happen. We moved the pumpkins under the awning just in case. They got snowed on anyway. By the end of teh day we had 6-7 inches, at least... and now the forecasters weren't afraid to say it was going to keep going through tomorrow!

Puppy dogs (10.27)

2009-11-02T17:21:00.003-07:00

Week 2 of fall break, and the boys have definitely become my little puppy dogs, following me around everywhere I go! Today I just wanted to run upstairs for a quick shower, and they said, "we'll come too!" I can't get away! Ultimately, I decided to turn on the bedroom TV and let them hop up on the bed and watch some cartoons while I stole a few minutes by myself to shower. Win-win! So here's me and my puppy dogs just before I showered!

My Office (10.26)

2009-11-02T17:18:00.001-07:00

Well, I officially have an "office." No longer do I do my work on the end table at the end of the couch. Over the weekend we bought, and Rob assembled, a small desk to set up in the living room. It's not ideal, but it's way better than the previous set-up! It'll be even better when I get a real chair! The metal folding chair is not the most comfortable! Overall though, I think it's going to work out very well!

Family Photo Exchange (10.25)

2009-11-02T17:16:00.001-07:00

At the end of the 2peas photography get together in August, another Pea and I thought it would be fun to get together with the locals for a family photo exchange! Well that day was today! We met at the DU campus and took some pictures despite it being a super cold day and ultimately despite big fat snowflakes falling around us! I think everyone got some great family pictures though, and I especially loved the ones I got of my two boys together!

The Martin Family (10.24)

2009-11-02T17:14:00.003-07:00

Right now, weekends mean family pictures for our friends and family! Today I got to play with Ryan, Pam and Carter. All I can say is, we're related to some seriously good looking people. Once again, I had so much fun with the three of them - Carter especially is such a joyful and fun little guy! Also, I officially have a new favorite place to take pictures - the Westlands Park on Quebec and Orchard - awesome!

Pumpkin Patch (10.23)

2009-11-02T17:12:00.001-07:00

Rob took the day off today so that we could drive up to the Rock Creek Farm pumpkin patch in Broomfield. Sadly, the early freeze this year meant the pumpkins weren't great, but we still found some keepers. The boys also had fun in the hay-bale maze, looking at the farm animals, and of course in the bouncy castle. We even found someone to take a family picture of all four of us together! It was a fun family day.

Basketball (10.22)

2009-11-02T17:09:00.002-07:00

This weekend Jack's kinder-basketball season begins, and Rob is coaching. Or as the boys call him, "Coach Daddy." We now have a big bag of basketballs in the back of the van, which the boys like to take out and practice dribbling with. With our carpeted floor it's hard, but they've adopted a small corner of tile by the front door for their dribbling. They are both getting pretty good already! (Not sure why Brayden was so grouchy in this picture, though!)

The five kids (10.21)

2009-11-02T17:07:00.001-07:00

Before my Dad and Lezel's trip ended, they wanted to get a picture together with the five grandkids. Getting the picture was much harder than it looks! The boys were all cooperating pretty well, but Kate just DID NOT want to be in a picture! Solution? Chris popped her up on his shoulders, then ducked down behind everyone for the picture. You can't even tell! It's not perfect, but given the group, it turned out pretty great!

Chocolate (10.20)

2009-11-02T17:04:00.001-07:00

Today my Dad and I spent most of the day together, talking while he made lasagna. Well, two lasagnas. We were supposed to have the whole family over here for dinner, but schedules and illnesses meant it was just our little family and my Dad and Lezel. Dinner was great, and as promised, Granpda brought a treat over for the boys - chocolate! They couldn't wait to dig in. Bonus: They got a 2nd piece after letting Lezel give them haircuts!

Grandpa visits (10.19)

2009-11-02T17:02:00.002-07:00

Last night Grandpa came into town for a brief visit. Jack and Brayden always LOOOOVE when Grandpa visits, he is just so great with them. And so far they have kept him plenty busy playing cards and just generally talking his ear off! The part part for me, though, is that I can't tell who is having more fun - the boys, or Grandpa himself!

The (other) Roe Family

2009-11-02T17:00:00.001-07:00

Another day, another adorable family to photograph! This time it was my brother- and sister-in-law and family, at the Regis University campus! They did not disappoint! Once again I had a great time with a great family, and got some (I think!) awesome pictures! It always helps to have such photogenic subject matter! Can you believe how blue PK's eyes are? And that's all real! He is such a cutie, as are big sisters Corinne and Josephine!

The Johnson Family (10.17)

2009-11-02T16:56:00.001-07:00

Today kind of marked the kick-off of what looks to be a busy few weeks for taking pictures for other people (by me!). It was supposed to start last weekend, but the weather did not cooperate! So first us was our wonderful neighbors, the Johnson's! We went to the University of Denver campus where there are so many fun spots for pictures, and the leaves right now are just gorgeous! And the best part, I think we got some great family pictures for them! I had so much fun with such a great family! Had to believe they are even nicer than they are cute, because they are a darn cute bunch!

Sick Jack (10.16)

2009-11-02T16:50:00.005-07:00

And here we go with another round of catch up blogging........

Sadly, Jack was still sick with a low-grade fever today. It's always so sad when the kids are sick. He mostly just laid around and rested all day, but never really slept. Well after lunchtime (which he didn't eat), I told him he should really try and close his eyes and get some rest. I think prior to that time, Brayden must have been really distracting him, because as soon as Brayden was gone for his nap, and I told him to rest, he was out like a light! He even stayed asleep for a couple of hours. Poor guy really did need the rest!

Pumpkin field trip (10.15)

2009-10-16T10:51:00.002-06:00

Brayden had his first school field trip today, to a pumpkin festival at a local nursery. Jack was supposed to have school while we went, but he woke up this morning with a fever, so Grandma came over to babysit. Brayden and I had a great time, it was our first ever fun outing together with Jack - hard to believe. He played in the bouncy castle, went through the hay bale mazes, played with the tractors in a corn sandbox, played bean bag toss, picked out (and cleaned) a pumpkin, and went on two hay rides. The hay ride was tractor-pulled, and Brayden said the hay ride was his favorite part. My favorite part was hanging out with Brayden. When he heard that, he changed his favorite part to hanging out with me. Love that little dude.

Video playback (10.14)

2009-10-16T10:47:00.004-06:00

We recently learned that the boys both say the Pledge of Allegiance at school every day. We also learned that they both already have it memorized. Brayden’s recitation is especially cute, so tonight Rob caught it on video. (Jack’s too). Of course having the video camera out meant they wanted to see back their Pledge videos, as well as other old vidoes. Jack thoroughly enjoyed watching the video from his last baseball game of the summer, and Brayden wasn’t nearly as entertained as we expected by the video of him tripping over the Geotrax.

Protege (10.13)

2009-10-16T10:45:00.002-06:00

Having a photographer as a mom is wearing off on the boys. They, now, want to take their own pictures. One of their friends has a play kids camera, which they have both enjoyed playing with. A few weeks ago, I finally got out my super old Kodak Easy Share point and shoot camera, charged the batteries, and let them play. It’s become a new fun toy for them to play with now and then. Mostly they just take pictures of random things like toys, furniture, or the TV, but sometimes they actually take some good ones! Here, Rob is taking a picture of Brayden taking a picture of Jack and I cuddling on the couch. Brayden’s didn’t turn out too bad, either!

Rockies vs. Phillies (10.12)

2009-10-16T10:43:00.001-06:00

The Rockies are playing in the wildcard playoff round right now. Last night the game was late and Jack was very upset that he didn’t get to watch. Today’s game was at 4pm so we let him watch. He’s so cute and gets so into the games now - yelling at the TV and everything, just like his Daddy. Unfortunately, the Rockies lost tonight’s must-win game and that’s the end of baseball season for this year.

Broncos vs. Patriots (10.11)

2009-10-16T10:41:00.001-06:00

Today, Rob and I went to the Bronco’s game! I’ve been keeping my eyes open for a chance at tickets this season as a surprise for Rob, and yesterday we got our pair. It was a great game - quite cold - but close the whole time and ultimately the Bronco’s won! At home, the boys had a great day with Grandma Jeanne, even though Brayden was sick.

Chili's (10.10)

2009-10-16T10:39:00.001-06:00

Randomly, Jack really wanted to go to Chili’s for lunch today. Well we didn’t go for lunch, but decided to take the boys out to dinner. We had enough food for twice as many people, but still ordered a yummy brownie sundae to bring home. The boys loved it. Rob and I, too. :)

Telephoto (10.09)

2009-10-16T10:31:00.002-06:00

New camera take two! And today I got to try it with my new telephoto lens! Both the lens and the new camera body seem to work great! Here’s the little monkey making a silly face at 70mm. I think we are all going to be very happy together!

Dyson (10.08)

2009-10-08T21:42:00.003-06:00

Our vacuum over 4 years is on its last leg so we decided to take the plunge and get a Dyson! Only instead of saving up for years, we found a sweet deal on Craigs List and got this one cheap! And it works perfectly! Maybe even Rob will vacuum now! HA HA!

And with that.......... I'm caught up again! (Sept. 25-Oct. 8!)

Out Of Focus! (10.07)

2009-10-08T21:40:00.002-06:00

Day two with the new camera revealed the problem with the focus seemed more than just user error. Instead of taking tons of great photos today, I spent the day researching and taking test shots to figure out the focus problem. Is it the new camera, or is it my trusty lens. The jury is still out. This photo should be a no brainer to focus, but it was blurry using my usual lens, and on BOTH cameras. Very suspcious. I ultimately decided to exchange the camera body in case that was the problem. I’m also probably sending the lens in for maintenance. What should have been a very exciting day with a new toy ended up being very, very stressful.

New camera (10.06)

2009-10-08T21:39:00.002-06:00

After much deliberation, I got a new camera! It arrived today in all its glory! Sadly, I only managed to get a handful of pictures in focus today. The ones that focused though - wow! Look how amazing my little monkey looks! LOVE!

The couch (10.05)

2009-10-08T21:37:00.000-06:00

The boys are frequently fighting over this spot on the couch to watch TV - usually it’s Brayden’s spot. Jack got their first this morning before school, and Brayden was upset, so Jack shared the spot with him. Well, at least for a minute... then he decided to move.

Roe Cousins (10.04)

2009-10-08T21:36:00.001-06:00

Rob’s Aunt and Uncle who live in California were in town for the weekend for a wedding, along with their four kids, Rob’s cousins. The family had a get together at his grandparents’ house to see the out-of-town family, as well as celebrated Rob’s grandmother’s birthday. The kids mostly played outside and had a great time together (mostly - there’s always SOME drama!) as usual! I went outside for a few minutes and asked if I could take a picture of the cousins together, and they cooperated so nicely! So here’s all the Roe cousins, minus little PK, who was inside. Maybe next time!

Soccer and the telephoto (10.03)

2009-10-08T21:33:00.002-06:00

I finally had a chance to play with Kerry’s telephoto zoom lens at Jack’s soccer practice and game this week. Needless to say, I fell in love fast. It was great getting up so close to the action with my camera compared to what I’m used to with my mid-range zoom! I started shopping for one of my own almost as soon as we got home! More importantly, Jack had fun at his 2nd to last soccer practice. He scored a goal during the scrimage and everything! Here he’s congratulating himself on kicking the ball into the goal during a drill. (For the sake of perspective, we were in the middle of the field on the sidelines, and he’s at one of the ends!)

Rio (10.02)

2009-10-08T21:31:00.001-06:00

Rob and I had a date night tonight, and despite deciding not long ago that we should expand our horizons as far as restaurants go, each of us just really wanted to go to The Rio. And as always, it did not disappoint. Rob thoroughly enjoyed his regular chicken burrito with green chili, and I my grilled steak quesadillas. My mouth waters just thinking about them! And of course, the margaritas were great, too.

Nature walk (10.01)

2009-10-08T21:29:00.001-06:00

I’ve started helping out in Jack’s classroom once in awhile on Thursdays. Today, his class took a nature walk on the paths behind the school (and our neighborhood) looking for signs of the changing seasons, and collecting leaves of different colors to make a leaf picture. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging with Jack and getting to know some of his classmates a little better. Here Mrs. Dougherty is showing the kids some brown leaves that had fallen off a tree. (That’s Jack in the gray hoodie!)

Photoshop (09.30)

2009-10-08T21:28:00.002-06:00

One of my recent projects has been working on my photo-editing skills. Are working on a recent batch of photos from one of the downtown shoots of the boys, I found my ability to fix some color problems was very limited. I finally requested some books from the library - the photoshop books are always in high demand! - and two came in this week. Looking forward to diving into them... and wishing I had more than 4 weeks with them!

Halloween costume (09.29)

2009-10-08T21:26:00.001-06:00

With halloween a month away, it’s been time to start thinking about costumes! With Bradyen’s nickname being “Monkey,” I’ve always wanted him to have a monkey costume, and this year he agreed after seeing this cute one from Old Navy, complete with banana! Jack has worn the same costume for 2 years now, and was excited about the idea of being Woody - so glad Toy Story 3 is coming soon and we were able to find a Woody costume! They are both so excited and enjoy dress-up with their new costumes already!

Sleepy boy (09.28)

2009-10-08T21:23:00.001-06:00

After a playdate at the Gumm’s and no nap because it went long, the boys were both tuckered out. Despite claiming they weren’t tired, they both dozed off (Jack for a minute, Brayden for more like an hour) watching a show later in the day. Brayden was sooo cute, drool running down his cheek, sleeping sitting up on the couch! Sadly, the catnaps resulted in serious crankiness for the rest of the afternoon and evening!

Telephoto (09.27)

2009-10-08T21:21:00.001-06:00

Last night Kerry and I went to Scrap Mania, and I picked up her 55-200mm lens to borrow. Believe it or not, I never used it today, didn’t take a single picture. Couldn’t let the new toy go to waste, so I at least took a picture of IT. Isn’t it pretty???

Birthday Party (09.26)

2009-10-08T21:20:00.000-06:00

Jack’s friend Jaxon turns 6 next week, and today was his birthday party. There were a ton of kids! Here the kids are in line for a game... I love how Brayden is spontaneously hugging Jack, who is so not into it. The kids all had a great time!

Doggies (09.25)

2009-10-08T21:16:00.002-06:00

Tonight was movie night. Afterwards the boys started running around crazy. Eventually they both started playing like they were dogs. The light made it hard to get good action shots, but I did get them to stop and “pant” long enough for a picture!

1996 (09.24)

2009-09-25T21:36:00.002-06:00

In the spirit of cleaning out the junk from our house, I went through a box of old e-mails from 1996 today before throwing them all away. I had many good laughs in the process, especially at this “Deer Danielle” letter from Tony. Funny stuff.

Jack and Noah (09.23)

2009-09-25T21:34:00.001-06:00

Sarah, Kate and Noah came over today so I could help Sarah get started on making a blanket. Jack finally decided he was ready to hold baby Noah! Sadly, Noah was not that into it at the time, so it didn’t last long. But still, they were so cute!

Hot chocolate party (09.22)

2009-09-25T21:31:00.003-06:00

Our neighbors had a “hot chocolate” party for the kids... a way to celebrate the change of seasons... it’s been a cold week in Colorado! Brayden was so excited to go, he was literally HANGING from the door.

The guys (09.21)

2009-09-21T20:58:00.004-06:00

The boys are really into their "guys" right now - that is, the little man figures that came with all of their trucks. The guys are becoming more important than the trucks for the first time ever! Earlier today we discovered there were only 7 guys, which meant someone would have 4, and someone 3, and that's not fair. (Or, "dat is NOT DARE!" as Brayden says). There is another one... but he's lost. Devastating. They ultimately problem-solved and decided to put one away so they'd each have three. Good boys. Then as luck would have it, I was cleaning their boxes of toys in the garage today and found a different guy. Back to four each. Happy days are here again. Here the boys have their guys lined up facing each other, and knocking each other down. Boys are great.

Week 38 Layout!!!!!!

2009-09-21T16:33:00.003-06:00

YAY!!! I caught up! (Not including the fact that I have yet to take a picture today). Much faster than I expected I would, too! Here's the last layout for at least a week. I'm gonna try and slow down on the blog front for fear of burning out me 3 readers after the past week's catch up! :)

Click to see bigger............

Credits: Kit is Urban Baby by Lisa Whitney; Font is Pea Susela; Template is by M Originals

Week 37 Layout

2009-09-21T15:24:00.002-06:00

Almost there!

Click to see bigger....

Credits: Twinkle Toes by Miss Mint (one of my all time favorite kits!); Template by Lindsay Jane Designs; Font is Pea Carol

Week 36 Layout

2009-09-21T09:29:00.004-06:00

Two left! (Because I finished another week before I managed to finish this layout!) In any case, here's week 36 (click to see bigger):

Credits: Kit is Bayadere by Miss Vivi; Template by Simply Yin; Font is Pea Darlin' Deb

Tomatoes (09.20)

2009-09-21T08:57:00.001-06:00

When visiting the Martin’s Friday, Uncle Chris helped the boys pick some tomatoes from his plants. They weren’t quite ripe yet, so Chris instructed them put them in the sun so they’d red-up. Here are Jack’s tomatoes in our window, as instructed. (Brayden’s are red, Jack’s are getting less green!)

Goober (09.19)

2009-09-21T08:54:00.003-06:00

I was gone for the night at Scrap Mania, so I commissioned Rob with the task of taking a photo (since I hadn’t yet). Here’s a gem he snapped of Brayden in his sunglasses (which he’s obsessed with right now!) and green hat, playing piano and singing. He is such a little goober!

Baby Noah (09.18)

2009-09-21T08:52:00.003-06:00

Rob had the day off work, so after Jack got out of school, we all went over to visit the Martin’s - Jack and Brayden had yet to meet baby Noah. Took two weeks! They were so happy to finally see their newest baby cousin. Jack was a little distracted with toys and stuff, but Brayden definitely wanted to hold baby Noah. He is going to make such a great big brother someday.

(Too bad I'm a dope and forgot to change my ISO so all the cute pix I snapped are grainy grainy grainy!)

Storytime (09.17)

2009-09-17T21:47:00.001-06:00

A generally undocumented part of every day... storytime before bed. Lately Rob has been doing the majority of the work at bedtime. I appreciate the break after the long days with the boys. And I think he likes the one-on-one time with them since he doesn’t get to see them all day.

Week 35 Layout

2009-09-17T21:35:00.003-06:00

Three down, two to go! Yay!

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Credits: Kit is Chirpi Delight by Victoria Greenlees; Template by M Originals; Font is Irezumi

Week 34 Layout

2009-09-17T15:09:00.002-06:00

Two down, three to go!

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Credits: Kit is Fresh Linens by Paislee Press; Font is Ian Jude; Stitching is by Christine Nash; Template by Lindsay Jane Designs

Week 33 Layout

2009-09-16T21:53:00.003-06:00

A layout! Woo hoo! One down, four to go I think?

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Credits: Kit is Spontaneous Delight by Carrie Stephens; Font is Garamond; Template by M Originals

Mall trip (09.16)

2009-09-16T21:09:00.003-06:00

Grandma (my mom) is going out of town again, so we decided to meet her at the mall after the boys’ flu shots this evening to have dinner and hang out for awhile. While the boys were goofing around by the fountains, I suggested a quick picture, and they were actually happy to cooperate! Finally a good shot of the boys with their Grandma!

Bye Mom! Have a safe, fun trip!

Homework (09.15)

2009-09-15T21:29:00.003-06:00

At Red Hawk Ridge Elementary, homework starts in kindergarten. And there’s a lot of it! Jack and I spent about 20-30 mins every day working on homework before he has some quiet time. It’s overwhelming for me... but thankfully, he really enjoys it - so far!

Me and my sweet boy (09.14)

2009-09-15T21:26:00.001-06:00

The boys were taking turns playing card games with Daddy, and Brayden was really upset when it wasn’t his turn, so I was holding him trying to cheer him up. When it was Brayden’s turn, Jack decided he wanted to cuddle too, just for fun. My little sweetie. Daddy snapped a picture.

"The Immaculate Deflection" (09.13)

2009-09-15T20:16:00.003-06:00

The beginning of the football season is officially here, and Rob couldn’t be happier. First, his CSU Rams defeated my CU Buffs last Sunday night (much to Jack’s disappointment - he was rooting for the Buffs). Then today was the Bronco’s regular season opener. In the last moments, the Bengal’s scored, and the game was all but over. Until the “Immaculate Deflection” and a completely unexpected Bronco’s touchdown when all hope seemed loss. Rob’s reaction was classic, and I was so glad the camera was handy! I was pretty sure his heart was going to burst with joy!

Movie night (09.12)

2009-09-15T20:14:00.001-06:00

We weren’t home on Friday night, so movie night moved to Saturday night. And movie night has definitely evolved into always involving picnic dinner. I had gotten my haircut earlier in the afternoon, and picked up chinese food on my way home. Yum! The boys usually love chinese, but they were way too involved in Dumbo to eat. There were plenty of REAL laughs throughout, and Brayden seemed to like the sound of his laugh so much, he kept FAKE laughing through much of the movie. What a monkey.