My Word for 2009

Every year I pick one word (or 2) and use that word to focus my thoughts and actions through the course of the year. For 2007, I chose the phrase "Experience Life" to help me get through the long days with newborn twin infants. I kept that phrase in mind as I soaked up the newborn kisses along with the flood of spit-up. In 2008, I "Chose Joy". Most of the time. 

But for this year, I simply want to :

Chose your word. And then share. Inquiring minds want to know.

** BTW... though I'd love to take credit for this amazing idea, it is actually the brain child of my favorite famous scrapbook guru - Ali Edwards.

Splish Splash Moo

One of Elizabeth Kartchner's layout in Creating Keepsakes December issue was the inspiration for this sweet layout. I love how the blue, scalloped ribbon mimics waves of water and how the red cardstock appears to bring out the red in Luke's adorable lips. I also love how the photos of Luke and Lucy, both taken the same night and in the same tub, turned out two totally different layouts.

I'm a bit behind creating my website for creativeandcrafty.biz. Life, ya know? Oh - and then those pesky things called the holidays - both tend to impede on my re-learning of Dreamweaver. I figure that, just like a scrapbook layout, the website will come together without me having to think too hard about it. I know what I'm doing. I just have to do it!!

And good news - Angela and I just completed our first official project - 35 cow invitations that look just like the one below only we ended up using green cardstock instead of red. Moo.

Little things to love

I love:

** How Jack explains Bakugon to me. (This is a four-fifty Mom!)

** How Lucy "fed" Elmo milk from her sippy cup this morning. (Elmo dink milk Mommy!)

** How Luke waves when he sees me and exclaims "Hi, Mom!" in a voice that sounds like it's coming from a much older child.

And finally - I love how Jack bends over backwards to make his often whiney brother and sister happy. I remember Jack going through a period where all he did was test his limits and whine when he didn't get his way, and Luke and Lucy are doing the same thing right now. Jack rarely contributes to the problem and works hard to keep peace - even when he feels like he's getting the short end of the stick. He's so cool.

Back to my Roots

Amidst the starting of my new business, the wrapping of gifts, the fury of shopping and the tedious holiday planning, I made it a point to return to the thing I love most and scrap a page. Both Luke and Lucy have loved bath time from the very beginning. We'd bathe them, one after the other, in the little infant tub in the kitchen sink until they were just too big to fit into it anymore. I used some Sassafrass Lass papers (since Lucy's full of sass!) and some Heidi Swapp Journaling tags to show the ordinary ritual of our daily baths. Simple black cardstock appeals to me lately. The neutral-ness of it lets me combine it with any patterned paper I desire!

Look for changes to creativeandcrafty.biz later this week!

Hello world! I'm in business!

What a whirlwind! Over the past week, I've started a brand new business! Creative and Crafty creates handmade, custom order invitations and party supplies beautifully boxed up and delivered to you for your next party or event. {plug. plug.}

My friend and partner Angela and I filed our DBA (doing business as) with the State, opened a business checking and credit account, received our Federal Tax ID, filed for a Texas Sales Tax permit and bought a web domain. I've created a logo and am working on creating order forms. I'm thrilled and hyperventilating.

Presenting my brand new business web address:

http://www.creativeandcrafty.biz (I even created a little icon on top next to the web address. See the little flower? Cute, huh?)

Watch us grow over the next few months as I re-learn Dreamweaver and create a robust web site. Hopefully it'll be robust. Or I'll just bust. Open. And it won't be pretty.

I'm so excited though. Angela - my talker and marketing guru extraordinaire - has already landed us our first client who is planning a John Deer, tractor, farm animal theme for her son's 3rd birthday. I'll be making cows till the cows come home. And I'll like it!

Wish us luck as we venture into the great unknown. =)

Suicidal Super Squirrel

I was going to start this post out with an image of a suicidal squirrel. You know... a squirrel high-tailing it out onto the asphalt just when a mini-van full of screaming kids comes charging up the hill doing 45 mph on a residential street. Then I happened upon the image of Super Squirrel in her flashy hidden super suit. Super Squirrel laughs in the face of danger. She charges ahead knowing that she's faster than the mini-van on a mission. She can beat it. She'll get to the other side, scramble up the nearest oak and grab as many acorns as her little paws can hold.

Lately I've felt like both Suicidal Squirrel and little miss Super Squirrel. I'm darting off into traffic because I'm running full steam and haven't been able to take the time to see what's around me. I just go. And go. And go. And hope I make it to the other side.

And when I make it there, I turn around flashing my super "S" and think, "That wasn't so bad! Throw some more at me! I can take it!" And so it begins again. 

This Super Squirrel needs to take a load off. But how to do it and avoid the mountains of guilt that comes with the feeling that I'm slacking? Aye - there's the acorn.

Right here - right now - at 2

Here you are a day after turning two. My 2 at 2. Just moments after being pulled from my tummy they placed the both of you in my arms. Amidst kissing your pink faces, I remember thinking "Well... here we go!" And here we went - laughing and giggling through most of the days and learning how to deal with frustration and big emotions on others.

Sweet Lucy Leigh - your smile lights me up on the inside. I love hearing your little voice call out "Moooommmmy!" first thing in the morning as you dump your beloved fuzzy crib mates overboard. The second I step into your room, you begin jumping up and down in your crib so full of glee and happiness that you nearly burst into rainbow colors. You want to hold my hand wherever I go. This makes me smile. I remember wanting to hold my momma's hand wherever she went, too. 

I love the way that you share your treats with Luke in the car. Inevitably, he finishes his road snack before you and promptly says "I want some more! I want some!" I call out to you - asking you to share - and then watch as you use the hand that's farthest away from him to hand him your snacks. You strain your right arm across your body when it would be so much easier to just use your left hand. But the two of you manage. You smile as Luke takes the treat you offered. You have a generous heart. 

We'll often play a game where I'll ask you for a kiss. You laugh and say "no!" while I pretend to pout. You wait for that pout. As soon as you see my head dip, you come diving into my lap giving me the biggest kisses. Tonight as I left for boot camp, you followed me, waving and calling out "bye! bye mommy! bye!" and blowing kisses. I almost didn't go. I hated to leave you. I wanted more big kisses.

Your favorite movie is "Oompa" - otherwise known as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - the 1960's version with Gene Wilder. You've memorized the Oompa Loompa dances and love to sing the "Candy Man" song. A day rarely passes without you stomping around the house singing "Oompa Loompa Oompa Ooompa!"

I taught you and your brother many signs including "please", "thank you" and "water", but it's the signs for "more" and "all finished!" that you use the most. Communicating with you has been so much easier since you mastered those so long ago. I adore watching your little hands wave "all finished!" whenever you declare yourself finished with a meal.

You thrive on routine. You know what's coming and can anticipate each activity through the day. In the evenings, you hop right off the couch and declare "Go 'night 'night!" I've started playing "Knock, Knock. Peak in. Turn the latch. Walk in." with you at nap time. You giggle when I 'turn' your nose and open your mouth so wide for me to 'walk in.' You love to sit in my lap and let me do your hair (thank you!!) and have a serious shoe fetish. Each day you carefully select your footwear from the 3 pairs of sneakers that still fit. Just wait until you see the red, sparkly Converse I ordered for you in the next size up! I haven't shown them to you yet because I know you'll want to put them on straight away! You love to try on my shoes and scoot around proudly in Momma's rockin' sneaks. We're 2 of a kind Lucy Leigh. You give me warm fuzzies. I'm having the time of my laugh watching you grow. I love you beautiful daughter.

Sweet Luke William - you are so very different from my other two. You are my thoughtful, mechanical little boy. You can dive into projects with such intent and focus that I wish I could bottle it and sell it to those of us who are easily distracted. You are the one who went nutty over the tea set given to Lucy for her birthday. You bring me "tea" and "cookies" and "pie" and love to pour me a "dink". Your spoon spins furiously as you mix up all the special ingredients in your cup and then pretend to slurp it down. 

Most days when I walk in from dropping off Jack at school, I immediately hear you yell, "Momma! Momma!" and you scurry as fast as you can down the stairs to give me a hug. You hug so tight and always place your sweet noggin on my shoulder.

You're independent and like to "work" alone. Though you love your sister and rarely do anything without her around, you enjoy sitting quietly and drawing, putting together legos, coloring and "fixing" things with your tool set. You can play with the tea set and bake in the kitchen for unfathomable amounts of time. Lucy grows bored easily and often moves from toy to toy, but you prefer to pick one thing and stay with it. Yesterday you re-adopted an alligator pull-toy. That alligator ate lunch with you. He stayed with you all afternoon. He even settled down in my lap with you while we watched a little pre-nap Sesame street. Today he was forgotten for a yellow ball. You're a one-toy boy.

You speak all the time. You're constantly talking. Yes - you speak and get what you want, but you also have "Luke" language - a string of sounds so interwoven and filled with inflection that it sounds just like a real language. I wish I could understand it because it's chock full of stories. You're usually pointing to a picture or something unique in your field of vision. I usually get the gist of what it is you're trying to tell me and accompany your story with English words of my own. You'll nod in agreement and pat my head. 

Hats are your thing. Any hat. You even make a real pineapple into a hat. On our last trip to the grocery store, I pretended to place a pineapple on my head and asked both you and your sister "Do you like my hat?" in my best Dr. Suess voice. You thought that was absolutely hysterical and insisted on holding that heavy fruit up to your head on the course of our trip through HEB. Your favorite hat is the one Miss Kristen passed down to us. It's red and fuzzy and has cool fuzzy balls hanging down from it. You wore that warm thing through the heat of summer. My silly boy.

Yes, you're my silliest child. Instead of a blankie, you carry a remote control. Instead of stuffed animals, you cuddle with a flashlight. You eat bagels by the dozens and love to mix yogurt tubes with a bite of Cheese Nips. I don't pretend to understand this. I find it repulsive. But if it gets you to eat more yogurt, then I'm all for it. 

Speaking of food - you're definitely more selective than your brother and sister. You'll eat a Power Bar, but not a bite of hamburger. You adore grilled cheese one day and throw it at me the next. A few constants remain - chocolate - pumpkin muffins - cupcakes - and your milk bottle. But please, don't think I feed you only junk. Those are just the items you'd have at every meal every day if you had your way. I gently persuade you to try new foods by showing you with every bit of zeal I can muster as I try them myself. Sometimes it works, and other times you'll taste it only to spit it back out all over me. 

I love how you adore playing with Jack when he gets home from school. You're working on mastering his Jedi moves and love it when he engages you in light saber battles.  Jack's full of energy and you adore it when he pushes you on your big wheel. The two of you play hide and seek, tumble with each other and chase each other from one end of the house to the other many times over. You must travel several miles in the course of one game of chase.

Whenever you sit in my lap and give me big, giant hugs, my heart melts and I cover your noggin in kisses. Your engaging personality, your natural curiosity and inquisitiveness fill you up with so much light that you nearly glow. I love you, Luke... my cuddle monster.

Let's rock this 3rd year together, kiddos. Let's get our groove thing on and dance right through it. "Ooompa Loompa" anyone?

Double the (sewing) fun

Last week Mark approached me while I was thoroughly engrossed in my online obsessions. "Would you like these?" he said as he handed me two pieces of fabric he'd recently ripped off of his favorite, dying pair of khaki shorts. "What!? No!" I exclaimed, stunned that he would think they had any value. "They smell." He shrugged and threw them away. And then I realized that he thought I would want them for my recently adopted sewing endeavors.  

Suddenly, those scrappy scraps of fabric had merit. 

I quickly threw them in the wash (because the truly did smell) and began planning the layout above. I cut the strips into one inch pieces and stamped out the words. I added some sewing on the sides and voila! A custom, totally one-of-a-kind scrapbook page.  And the best part - I went green! I recycled! Yay. Me. :)

The promised banana pic

And finally, the promised 'banana picture'. Notice the peel is halfway down and not totally removed? Yes, this boy is serious about his bananas.

I think I do a better job updating my Facebook page than I do this blog - mostly because I don't feel obligated to wax political and/or philosophical on Facebook. I wanted to concentrate on peace and serenity within my life during the heat of the elections, so I refrained from blogging, scared I might upset my delicate, harmonic balance. I voted and that's all the political engagement I cared for over the last week. I can breathe a little easier now that the elections have come and gone. I'm excited for Obama's inauguration and think he's capable of great things. 

On a totally different topic, Luke and Lucy turn 2 next Saturday. Every complete revolution around the sun is cause to celebrate! They're showing that they're 2 in so many ways. I bought Lucy her first round of Pull-Ups today. Little girl hates being dirty and is well on her way to being potty trained. Luke? Not so much. Though he does show interest because of his sister. I can only handle one at a time anyway.

Parting thoughts for Friday: "What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tried, against the new and untried?" ~ Abraham Lincoln

This sh**t's bananas!

Luke has a funny way of eating bananas. They must not be removed from the skin. They must not be sliced. Each banana must be handed to my silly boy peeled half-way down where he will eat it carefully and then peel the rest down by himself. If said banana is totally removed from peel and then served, it will be tossed on the floor and a tantrum will ensue. If it is sliced, it will be thrown at his unsuspecting sister. Yes. Luke has banana requirements. As long as they are followed, the banana will be ingested and enjoyed. (pictures coming!)

It only took me about a month to figure out all of his preferences. I'm a bit slow on the uptake, obviously. What other finicky things does my boy have for me to decode? Inquiring minds want to know!

3 cheers for chocolate!

Love the way this turned out. I left my chipboard nekkid and used an adorable handmade flower (found at etsy.com) as an "o". This is little Lucy and my dad. Such a cute shot with hard to work with colors. I'm happy with the results and love a good challenge!

And so my favorite time of year is upon us. I hesitate to mention how many times I've refilled the candy bowl that's supposed to be for trick-or-treaters. Mark helped clear it out. So did Jack. Lucy discovered it today and screamed, "Halloween! I want Halloween! Chocolate mommy!" Girl knows her chocolate. I don't buy crap. No mystery candy in my bowl. Nuh-uh. So cheers! Enjoy your Hershey bars without guilt. After all, they're miniature!

very very interesting...

This evening one of the neighborhood boys rode his scooter down our street chanting "Down Obama! Go McCain!" at the top of his lungs. This probably was the result of the fact that the kids at the local elementary school had a mock election at lunchtime. What was interesting to me wasn't the fact that he was saying "Go McCain" or even that he seemed to exhibit such political fervor. What was interesting was the fact that, when questioned why he voted for McCain at school, he began his line of reasoning with "My parents said..." 

Reaching

I totally modeled this layout off of an advertisement I saw in Cooking Light magazine. There were 3 circles at the bottom combined a large title and a few lines of journaling. I actually hauled out the sewing machine and stitched along the borders and in the yellow circle with the heart.

On a crafty note, I sewed Luke and Lucy's Halloween costumes on Tuesday. Look for pictures of my super cute version of Pebbles and Bam Bam soon!

Proud momma

Do you hear anything? No?! Ahhh... Good. That's very good. That means that Luke and Lucy are still sleeping peacefully. With any luck they'll hold out until I finish this post! Oh - and while we're on the topic of sleeping, it seems that Lucy truly had a reason for distress. She cut 2 of her sharp incisors at the same time. Once they broke through (after a miserable 2+ weeks of no naps and horrid evenings), she decided to sleep again. Just like that. Nature's cruel.

And since we've been sleeping more or less peacefully lately, we decided to load up the family truckster and head to the Texas Renaissance Festival on Saturday. How I love the Renaissance Festival! I love the people in funky costumes, the silly shows, the fairies, the "rides", and oh - I love the junk food! The junk food is the best around! I could go and feast on apple dumplings with caramel sauce, sausage on a stick, turkey legs, funnel cakes, and orange italian ice all day long and die happy. Seriously.

With Luke and Lucy being a mere 23 months old, we decided to skip the shows and focus on ingesting the delicious junk food, playing a few games, watching the silly people and site seeing. Lucy loved the gardens and the outdoor wedding chapels. Here she is just after giving this statue a hug. She's holding her cheek because she accidentally bumped it too hard during her hug. But that's not what this pic is truly about. Look closer. (Hint: Follow the arrow.) See my 2nd son?  See what he's doing? He's trying to crawl through the trellis! I have a whole series of pics where he's actually trying to push through the foliage. I have no idea what caught his eye. Silly boy.

 

And this picture simply melts my heart to itty-bittty pieces. Jack, playing the role of dutiful big brother, reluctantly shares his orange italian ice with his little, sweet, fairy sister. After clasping her hands together and saying "Pweeeeze?!" before each bite, Jack would hold it up for her to enjoy.

I know, I know. The picture below isn't the most amazing picture of my 3 minions, but *gasp* it's a real-life picture of the three of them. Together. In one place. Actually sitting. And just in case you're wondering, they're enjoying a most-delicious cinnamon pretzel.

My little creatures are growing into big creatures right before my eyes. Luke and Lucy are little kids now that play peek-a-boo with each other and chase each other in circles around the island in the kitchen while I clean up before nap time. Jack sleeps in his own bed in his own room (HALLELUJAH! Praise be to all that is good and descent in the world!), and exercises more patience and self-control than I ever did at his age (or even now - shamefully enough.) He's a fantastic older brother, and Luke and Lucy are incredibly lucky to have him.

Wow... I made it through the entire post and the wee minions are still exploring their dream worlds! Off to do chores before I pick up Jack at the bus stop. Enjoy your week!

To My Daughter - Who Has Decided Not to Sleep

An Ode to Lucy (who will not sleep):

Miss Lucy - 

with the cute fountain spout hair, sweet blue/green eyes and tiny hands

who is constantly wa-hooing my ipod;

I love you dearly, I do.

But why the sudden nix on sweet slumber?

Why the alligator tears, the chunking of your beloved animals over the crib rails and the high-pitched voice that could crack paint off the walls?

Perhaps your bed is too soft? Too hard? Too lonely?

I've yet to discover the source for your nixing of slumber.

Your lovely whine is engraved into the deepest etches of my gray matter.

And your ability to awaken at the ass-crack of dawn makes my sleepy eyes water.

What happened to the little one who would simply curl up at 8pm and awaken at 8am?

She's gone and so deeply missed!

I promise to await patiently

for sweet slumber to once again graces your adorable self,

But if this current scene remains,

don't be surprised if momma falls asleep

standing up in line at the grocery store

because the stacks of gum next to the register make for a superb pillow.

I feel like I'm on my way

Just like Mr. King, I have a dream. In that dream, magazines like Creating Keepsakes, Memory Makers and Scrapbook Trends regularly publish my work and have me on the editorial staff. I travel. I teach classes around the world. Moms, the daring Dads, Grannies and kids breaking into the arts-y, fun world of recording memories write me adoring emails while they worship every layout I create. Okay. Maybe worship is too strong a word... How about... deeply admire?  Knowing full well this dream won't come to pass without hard work and dedication, I spend the time the twins are at school working towards fulfilling this dream, and little by little, I think I'm making progress because... 

Scrapbook Trends has requested another layout! I'll have a layout featuring young Lucy and Luke in Scrapbook Trends special Baby edition entitled "2 New to Play." Yay! I may not be traveling the world quite yet, but I feel like I'm taking baby steps in the write direction!

Ahh... the splendor

One day, I'll scrap current photos of my tykes. Until then, enjoy this sweet ditty. I stood over my wee twins one morning and snapped pics as they gazed at the toys hanging down from their play mat. Lucy looks confused. Luke was flapping his arms - probably wanting me to pick him up.

Big J is home sick today with the stomach flu. He's sleeping now, but has been dry-heaving/barfing since he woke me up in puke-filled splendor at 6:10am. Keep your fingers crossed that I can get some Pedialyte into his system when he wakes up. Dehydration makes me nervous. Big J asked in one of his dry-heaving moments, "Am I going to die!?" oh my gosh. Poor little dude. I responded with, "No, Jack. But I bet you feel like it!" He nodded his head 'yes.' as his body broke out in the shakes. Ugh. I sent the little ones to school so that they weren't exposed (and didn't spend the day bothering him.)

My next project: A mini-album of an interview I conducted with Jack in July. I asked him all sorts of questions - from his favorite food to what he likes to do on the weekends. It should turn into a fun project. It's my "final exam" for the Back to School crop I'm participating in at Simply Obsessed. Wish me luck that I get it completed by Wednesday!

Excited states of frenzy

Little Luke went through the first year and half of his life with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. I actually made another layout (called Frazzle) documenting his sweet anomaly back in May. But for this layout I chose to focus on a few other factual tidbits. Like - the one where Luke refused to be put down. Practically ever. (In fact, he erupted in screams shortly after being placed on the play mat for this photo shoot.) And how much he ate... and where he slept... all little things I would really love knowing about myself. I brought out the stamps and kept the patterned paper away from the table. Felt good to make the design come to life as I went along. I didn't plan this layout this time. 

My niece's slumber party drove 9 10-year-old girls into states of excited frenzy. She was 'da bomb at school on Monday. I mean, how can singing to Miley Sirus in the backyard karaoke-style while pretending to be on American Idol go wrong? They totally dug it. And it was frickin' hysterical! And after the lights went out I retreated into my niece's bedroom for some zzzz's while my poor sis suffered through the night with the noises of those sweet tots as they blew their noses, talked in their sleep, coughed loudly and profusely, and awoke with nightmares. Oh... the fun I have to look forward to with my own daughter...

Sleep well. It's time to watch my dvr'd episode of The Biggest Loser.

Have a sunshine day

This layout totally makes me happy. I completed this for a challenge on one of my favorite online scrapping sites, Simply Obsessed. The challenge: Incorporate a song (could be a title or actual lyrics) from the year you were born into a layout. I chose John Denver's "Sunshine on my Shoulders" for this sweet, sweet photo of Lucy and Mark. In fact, they're so sweet that I just want to dunk them in my coffee.

Headed out to Oklahoma City this weekend to help my sister with my niece's birthday slumber party. Any ideas for games for 10, 10-year-old girls? I think the weather will be pretty nice, and we'd love to keep the party outside as much as we can. Help?!

Wishing you a bright, sunshine-y day!

Can I call myself a "runner"?

** Picture from a May 2008 5K race **

Four miles into my 7-mile leg of the Austin Marathon Relay yesterday I decided that I wasn't going to sign up for the Rock n' Roll 1/2 marathon in November. Four miles into my leg I was doing ok, but I certainly kept repeating the following: "Only 3 more miles to go. That's it. Just 3 and you're done! Keep moving! Keep moving! Only 3 more miles!!"

And that got me thinking... Can I call myself a runner? I'm not particularly fast. (I completed 7 miles at an average time of 10:38/per mile. My coach, Kelly, completed her 7 mile leg averaging 8:05/mile.) I'm not so sure I'm cut out for distance as 7 miles was just about all I wanted to do. Ever. I'm not a sprinter. I tend to keep a pretty even pace through the entire run. I'm becoming more fit with each workout, but I doubt I'll ever have the beef-jerky stringy look of a marathon-er. (not really sure I want that look, anyway!)

So - I'm thinking these thoughts as I'm scooting along Ceasar Chavez Sunday morning... pushing myself through the last 3 miles of the course... and then... My brain cries out "EUREKA!" Just out of the blue I decide that ... YES! YES! I am a runner! You want to know why?

Because... 

I love running.

And because I love it so much, I'm determined to be the best 5K runner... or 10K runner... or maybe one day.. distance runner... I can be. I train. I'm getting faster. And most importantly...

I enjoy it. And that's all it takes people. A desire. A will. And the way will present itself. Once you label yourself, you become that label. A runner I am. A runner I'll always be.

Peace.

Happiness is:

... a completed layout - especially one that involves a few hours of hand-stitching!

and one industrial-sized XXL bag of peanut M&M's. Bless you Costco.

May your Thursday be filled with sweet surprises!

Beautiful Mommacita

I'm participating in a 2 week "Back to School" Crop at Simply Obsessed. Every Monday and Wednesday, participants receive their "assignments" to be completed by the following Monday. Last week, one assignment was to scrap a photo that was at least 10 years old and had to be of someone other than myself. Poking around in my 'Family' folder on my Mac, I came across this stunning beauty - a scanned photo of my mother when she was only 26. I immediately dumped it into Photoshop, took out all the scratches and dust, and reprinted it to scrap. Oddly enough, I used my mom's favorite colors - purple and green - and kept the design as simple as possible. I kind-of felt her with me when I created this. 

At any rate, I'm grateful for these design challenges. I love my kids, but if I wasn't cattle-prodded, they would be all that I ever scrapped. My kids are part of my life, but they aren't all of my life!

Yearbook Yourself

Let's have a little fun. Go Yearbook Yourself and post your result in the comments section of my blog.

Here I am in 1966. I'm so classy I could just... just... kiss a mirror. The scary thing? I swear I have a picture of my mom with similar hair, and I look just like her!

and here I am again a few decades later in 1998:

The thing is, I really like my "1998" picture. I mean - if I could do my hair like that right now, I would. Does this mean I'm 10 years behind the times? I suppose that's what I get for having small children and wearing my Old Navy 'mom' uniform everyday.

Give it your best pose. Bring on the yearbook photos!  "Real" ones are welcome, too!

Twins require lots of stuff

God... I don't miss those days. All that stuff. But wait... I guess we still have lots of 'twin' stuff. It just... changed... but oh - I'm so glad to have the exersaucer, bottles, and swing outta my house!

Mosh Posh of all things wonderful

"What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is."  -- Vice President Dan Quayle

Oh I so needed to see that... I so needed the laugh.... In the wake of all that is heavy hearted and political, it's time to lighten up and poke fun at Republicans. Just kidding. Sort of. Not really. Ah hell. It's no secret which side of the political fence I stand on (Obama - Yes we can!). Feel free to poke fun at ex-supermodels and aging Republican presidential nominees all you want here. I won't stop you.

I've been so incredibly busy lately. I really need to scoop myself up from this chair and get ready to go spend the day at the Austin Mom's of Multiples Children's Resale Event. I worked my fingers to the bone scouring my own kids rooms for toys we no longer play with, clothes that don't fit and shoes that are in great condition. I've been tagging and boxing and phew. It's almost over, but it is bittersweet to see my sweet thing's clothing get sold. When someone comes to check out with one of Lucy's outfits, I can't help but say "Awwww... that was my little girl's!" Sniff...

And so I leave you with some ultra-cute photos of my wee offspring. Oh - and I'm hoping to high-tail it back into my scrap room tomorrow. I need to get my crafty mojo back. I lost in my of endless sea children's clothes, toys and price tags.

Below is super cute Jack on the morning of his first day of Kindergarten. He's beginning to look so grown up and so much less like a little boy. Insert "Mommy Bragging Moment" here: Jack's earned so many kudos for good behavior in the past 9 days that he won a trip to meet the Principal of the school for a handshake and pat on the back. He came home exclaiming, "I got to meet the Principal today! And not for being bad! For being good! And he shook my hand and gave me a new pencil and tattoo! His name is Mr. Tim!" Love, love, love that kid. Side note: Did you ever address your school principals by their first names? I certainly didn't. Principals were set apart in a status of of awe and fear when I went to school.

And after school, we all went to grab a chocolate milk at Starbucks for a special treat. Luke and Lucy are actually beginning to *gasp* like each other and *double gasp* play with each other and *sucking in my breath for the finale* share with each other! After many months of hearing the words "Mine! Mine! Mine!" it's so refreshing to see moments shared like the one below. Maybe we're on the brink of great change.

Happy early September to you all. Wishing you many wonderful, cool days.

A million miles an hour

I feel like I have not stopped or rested since school started. I have something going on everyday and every evening, and frankly, I'm tired. 

I do so want to fill you in on my life's craziness and post some pictures. I think I can pencil updating my blog in - (checking my day planner) - Sunday morning. Yeah. That's the soonest.  I mean, it's 6:38am right now and I really should be in the shower and waking up Jack for school. He does have to be in his classroom in less than one hour.

But I haven't forgotten about my creative happy place. It lurks in the corners of my mind just waiting for me to have a free half hour. I shall return.

The Last Hurrah

Goodbye Summer. Goodbye to sleeping in, to summer camps at Little Gym, to lazy afternoons and late evenings on Lynnhaven with neighborhood friends. So sad to see you go.

We officially bid farewell to summer last night at our neighbor's annual "Bringing down the Fence" BBQ.

Here's a few highlights:

She would've eaten the entire thing - rhine and all - if I had let her!

My water-logged youngest son taking a Capri Sun break with Daddy (AKA... Momma. Love that he calls us both by the same name.)

And my sweet Kindergartner and his best, best pal hanging out in a wagon that truly fails to fit them both comfortably. (But they don't seem to care! Love that...)

Right now the cicadas are chirping their end-of-summer song, Luke and Lucy just went night-night and Jack is tucked comfortably into bed. Here's to the next chapter.

Yay for being published!

Yay! I'm so excited! I just received an email that Scrapbook Trends would like to publish one of my layouts in their January '09 issue. Finally! My hard work is starting to pay off.  Hope to keep this ball rolling!

Patience young Skywalker

I spent the last week just reconnecting with everything around me. And practicing patience. 

I'm back on the weight-loss wagon and have been concentrating on eating. Just eating. I tend to forget to do that. Consequently, the weight is coming off again. I think it helped me yesterday at boot camp. I ran a new personal best time on the mile coming in at 8:06. Soon I'll be in the 7 minute range. My ultimate mile run time goal is 6:30. 

Jack starts school Monday, so we've been enjoying the last few days of sleeping in. Next week will suck. Not the school part. The getting up part. Everyone in our home has a huge adjustment period lurking in the midst.

Mark and I are working on a budget and scaling back. We've dropped quite a few "extras" and are working on improving our ability to harness delayed gratification. Well - I'm working on that (Mark's just so ... well.. good at that sort of thing!). I'm terrible when I don't get what I want when I want it. But I'm learning. And trying to focus on what's best for our family, what's best for me and what we can truly do without. 

Balance. Balance. Balance. If it were easy I'd be living the perfect life with perfect kids and the perfect budget. But it's not - so I continue to strive and hope for the best while working towards the goal.

My new favorite layout

There's just something about this one that chokes me up. It's my new personal favorite. I love how sweet Jack is with his brother and sister. He always checks up on them at the drop-in childcare facility we use (the babies go to the "school" side of the building.) He'll lay down on the floor at home and let the babies romp all over him. He always shares whatever goodie he's enjoying and even manages his temper when Lucy turns off the tv in the middle of WII Lego Star Wars - as she's been doing lately to get his attention. {She must have some of her momma in her....}

Love my kids... 

Summers "off"

August. Already. Nearly mid-August now - and I have not dropped a single pound since - umm (thinking...) - June. I've remained steadfast in my activity and have even ramped up my workouts. I just broke a new personal record for my mile run coming in at 8:11, and I think I would've broken that if I hadn't started screwing around with my ipod 1/2 way through the run. Today I placed 10th in my age group at the Balance 5K at 29:45 (two seconds off of my personal best...) But I have not lost weight. 

I haven't been trying - necessarily. On average, I burn over 1000 calories in a 1.5 hour workout. That's alotta calories. I often fail to replenish myself with the right foods. I know what I'm doing wrong. I know what I need to do to get back on the weight loss track. But there is little motivation. I think I'm comfortable. And that's a wee bit depressing. Dropping just 10 more pounds would increase my running times. It would put less pressure on my joints, make my muscles more efficient, further lower my blood pressure and yadda yadda yadda. See? I know. I just need to - do it.

But how? I've done Weight Watchers in the past. Had monster success by counting 'points', but now I'm lazy. I don't want to count anymore. I need a good plan with lots of fruit and veggies and the right mix of carbs and protein for my body. But oh - such work to find this combination. I just don't have it in me to do the research today. Maybe tomorrow... ?