2.28.2009

Seriously??

My sweet Westley

Can this kid BE any cuter? :)

2.27.2009

Just for fun

I've been doing some playing around in Photoshop with a few of the recent pictures I've taken of the boys. I just love editing photos! :)

So what do you think?

It's raining!

Eli at home

And, just some regular ol' ones. Eli at home with his jammies on and crazy hair.

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And West chillin' in the Bobby, with his crazy hair, too. I just love that full head of dark hair! :)

Cute hair man


2.26.2009

Happy Birthday to you....

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...my dear sister Angie Bean.

And even though Ali beat me to the punch, I'm still going to write a little about why I love Angela so much. :)

First of all, it's hard to imagine Angela without a smile on her face. She's always making me laugh, giggling, telling funny jokes, and making funny faces. Case in point -- that top picture is her version of a silly inside family joke and I love it (even though Tom is the master at it)!

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Second, Angela is so sweet and has such a tender heart. I know how much she cares about others, and it completely shows in her words and her actions. She has a soft spot for those who are left out or feeling bad, and goes out of her way to be friends with them. I just love that about her.

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And Angie is still the queen of the scene! She is fun to hang out with, fun to be around, and she has a ton of friends to prove it. I'm so glad to be her sister and even though we're far away, I know that we're connected.

Love you Beanie! Happy Birthday! :)

2.24.2009

Just want my hubby to know that I love him and I know he sneaks peeks at my blog every once in a while. So here's a shout-out, SMR! Love you! :)

Oh, and if you're wondering why, it's because I had a really tough day with the kidlets and trying to get a few things done for work and all the dishes staring at me from the sink, and he came home and immediately took the little kidlet and put him to sleep. Something I could hardly do all day long. So yeah, my hubby is a good one and I think I'll keep him.

2.19.2009

I'm a Published Author!

Well, sort of. :) I wrote and taught a class for the 2008 Scrap Girls Digital Scrap Link Convention and it is now available for purchase in the Boutique over at Scrap Girls! I'm so excited to have a product available to buy, this is my first one. It's a great opportunity for anyone who wanted to go to the convention but didn't get a chance, as we are now selling all of the classes that were offered at the convention.

SO, if you're so inclined, you can go check out
my eBook and pick it up! It's a great deal, only $8! And if you have any questions about the book or any of the concepts, you can just email me or comment here. It's great knowing the instructor, right? :)


And if you're interested in finding out more information about this year's convention, you can look here. It's going to be really awesome, we've learned some things from our inaugural run last year, and have made some great improvements. I'm going to be teaching another class this year, all about photo retouching, which is going to be so fun and really worth the admission! So check it out! I'd love to see any of my friends there in Utah!

2.18.2009

Ah, I can breathe again!

Okay, so I know yesterday's post was pretty sad and pathetic. But that's how I was feeling. Luckily today was a much better day! I didn't take any pictures today, but I did get to the store, cleaned up the house, did some laundry and even got to watch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. So yeah, it was a much better day today.

Here is a little ditty just for you all, courtesy of Eli. Love ya!



PS: Thanks for the comments of encouragement yesterday, they meant a lot to me! I love my friends! :)

2.17.2009

Count to ten, count to ten

I need a break today. Didn't get much sleep last night and I have a particularly busy 3 year old. And it's raining nonstop so we can't go outside. Heaven help us. :)

So instead of getting upset, I'm going to do a stupid questionnaire that my sister did on her blog. That will relieve stress, right? Right??

Where is your cell phone? Counter
Your significant other? Nathan
Your hair? Messy
Your mother? Crazyfun
Your father? Dad
Your favorite thing? Resting
Your dream last night? None
Your favorite drink? DietCoke :)
Your dream/goal? Travel
What room are you in? Kitchen
Your hobby? Digiscrapping
Your fear? Alone
Where do you want to be in 6 year? Happy
Where were you last night? Home
Something that you aren't? Skinny :)
Muffins? Blueberry
Wish list item? Laptop
Last thing you did? Cook
What are you wearing? Pajamas
TV? Love
Your pets? None
Friends? Loyal
Your life? Frazzled
Your mood? Tired
Drinking? Water
Smoking? Yucko
Your car? XTerra
Something you're not wearing? Socks
Your favorite store? Target
Your favorite color? Blue
When is the last time you cried? Today
Where do you go over and over? Downstairs
Five people who email me regularly? Ali, Facebook, Layout Team
My favorite place to eat? Riptide
Favorite place I'd like to be at right now? Italy

Well, that worked okay. Didn't yell at my kid, so that's a start. :) Wish me luck for the rest of the day!

2.14.2009

Happy Valentine's Day!

To Nana and Grandpa,



Love, Eli and Mama (and Dada and West, too!)

2.13.2009

Rain, rain, go away

Today has been rainy and freezing! But there was a brief period of sunlight, so Eli and I went outside to play a little. He got to ride his bike and run around until I was too cold and had to go back inside. But I did get some good pictures, so it was worth it.

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Lately I've been noticing how much he has grown up in the last 6 months or so. He's gone from toddler to little boy overnight! It's especially noticeable since we've got a newborn in the house. I can hardly remember when Eli was that little. Just makes me want to soak up his cute little self as much as I can. Working on that one.

2.06.2009

New Header

Can you believe it? I actually had a few spare moments to scrap (albeit it took me two days to finish)! I like this color scheme a little better, it's more soothing. And I sure need that lately.

We've all gotten whatever Eli had. I won't go into details for those of you who are faint at heart, but I will say that my system is completely cleared out, so I feel better. Yeah, there's nothing like you and your spouse being that sick at the same time, and still trying to recover from giving birth, trying to nurse a newborn, and keep up with a 3 year old who is 'all better now'. Whew. I think I need a vacation. Anyone up for Vegas?? :)

2.04.2009

New pictures!

Well, West and I had a great little photo shoot this week, while Eli was napping. It was so fun to get to practice with him. I shot in RAW and filled up my 4GB memory card in about 30 minutes. I either need to get a bigger card or start being a little more conservative with the amount of times I click the shutter. I'm leaning towards a bigger card. Valentine's Day gift, honey? :)

Anyways, here are a couple of the cute ones. I'm saving the best ones for his announcement. And don't worry, I'll be sure to post that here for those who may not get one directly. Okay, so enjoy! Let me know what you think, this was my first newborn shoot. :)

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Stretching his hands waaaaay out!

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Just chillin'.

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I love this one because it shows his adorable little wrinkly arms. And that nice scowl. Too cute.

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I absolutely LOVE this one because he's doing his little one-eyed stare. He does this a lot, and Eli used to do it too. West looks a lot like Eli (except for his coloring and hair, obviously) and so it's fun to see him pulling the same faces that Eli used to.


We hate sicky days...

Today kinda sucks. I've got a 3-year-old who was up half the night throwing up, and a newborn who doesn't want to sleep well. I'm thinking he's got gas issues. Yeah, needless to say, we're homebound today and not going anywhere. So why not post on my blog, right?

My friend Amy did this on her blog and I thought it looked kinda fun.

Bold whatever you have done. (I went ahead and colored the ones I've done, since it's hard to see the bold versus the non-bold on this blog layout.)

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you're not sick.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Learned a new language.
37. Had enough money to truly be satisfied.
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served in a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Been to the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the paper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had Chicken pox.
89. Saved someone's life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

Okay, so some of them are stretches (I read the entire Curious George book in one day with Eli, and the rock climbing was one of those indoor wall ones, but who's counting right?) :)

Also, I'll have pictures to post once I get downstairs onto my computer, where all my photos are. West and I did a little photo shoot on Monday for his 2 week birthday and they turned out marvelously. Sorry to tease, but you'll get to see them soon. :)

Oh, and if anyone has a really good recommendation for a double stroller for Eli and the newborn, I need to know what it is. I'm looking for one to get soon and I want to make sure I get one that will be comfortable enough for Eli, roomy enough to hold stuff, and not too huge that I can't maneuver it around. So let me know if you have a great one and why you love it!