family in town...

My dad, mom, and sister arrived this evening for a quick weekend visit. I was surprised the entire clan was coming, we were just over there two weeks ago for Evan's birthday, but they wanted to come! Mark is really looking forward to golfing with my dad, and I think the only reason my mom comes is to see Evan! Abby is on spring break from PLU this week, and my mom is on spring break next week, so she might stay an extra few days, and I can drive her home some time later in the week. It is really hard for me to imagine my dad as a college student in this town. I don't know why, but he actually took the same classes, at the same school, as my husband...only thirty years earlier! I bet a lot has changed since my dad went here...so it is probably pretty weird for him to come back, too. I always thought my dad was so smart for going to a "state university," and now I can proudly say that my husband is attending the same school.

That is so cool.

I really am so proud of Mark for all his hard work, and everything he has done to stay on course. Even after we had Evan, halfway through his first year here, Mark finished that semester with great grades. Not many people could work through Electrical Engineering school with a wife and baby boy.

Keep going Mark, I will stand by you....

My parents have been so supportive of his schooling, and their frequent visits prove it. I know the 5 hour drive, on a Friday night, after working for 8 hours, is not a lot of fun. But, they do it because they love us, miss us, and want to see Evan.... :-) Really, though, I think they visit to show Mark how proud they are of his accomplishments, and his ability to stay focused, and work toward a goal.

We love you, babe.


Mark and Evan at the Air Museum in Seattle. March 2007.

What a BEAUTIFUL DAY!

Spring is here! I woke up this morning to fantastic weather, so i had to come up with an excuse to go outside! I ended up taking Evan into Moscow for the afternoon, and we had a great afternoon "date"! He loves being outside, and is really into pointing at things. He points at cars, birds, flagpoles, and people. I love his cute chubby fingers! He should be sleeping right now, but I can hear him babbling in his crib...I think the nice weather is keeping him up.... I am teaching a class this evening at Paper Pals , so that should be a lot of fun. Happy Spring!

Happy Birthday Evan!

Evan turned one today! We had a little mini party for him today with just the three of us...I think he really had a great time. Mark got him balloons and an ice cream cake, and he opened a couple of gifts from us. We decided to just get him a couple of things, because he has SO MUCH STUFF! So, we got him the Little People Pirate Ship, and a few Nurf balls. They were both a hit! Evan loved the cannon ball on the pirate ship, and he really enjoyed tossing around the Nurf balls.




One of his first few bites of ice cream cake...






Evan's Little People Pirate Ship.

Diego ball from daddy...

For Evan's birthday, Mark picked out this cute Diego ball for him. Evan is really into his little roll-a-round balls that go with his green dinosaur, so we thought a big ball would be great for him. He loved it! He, of course, had to see if it would fit in his mouth...he was only slightly disappointed that it didn't.

new layouts and new pics...

I got together with two of my girlfriends last night, and I was out way too late! But, I did get a couple of layouts (almost) finished...that was BEFORE I left my keys at Kristi's house, 30 minutes away, at 2:30 in the morning...then had to use a stick to tap on our bedroom window to wake Mark up...he was not very happy with me! But, it was really nice to spend time with my friends, and get a couple of things done. Today I recovered from my lack of sleep by taking a nap when Evan did, and getting some cute pics of him! We also got a package in the mail today from Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa North for Evan's first birthday. It was really nice to hear from them, and Evan got a really cute jean outfit as well. Thanks G & G North!

















This is one of my new favorite photos of Evan...he is just so darn serious!


He was very excited to play with his new Tonka truck from Uncle Ken.

A few recent layouts...

I have been scrapbooking so much lately, and I love it! Teaching at Paper Pals has kept me really busy...but I have been finding some time to do my own pages, too. I get a lot of inspiration from Bethany, Ali Edwards, and Rebecca Sower. They each have such a unique style, and I love to read their journaling. Anyway...here are a couple of layouts I have completed in the last few weeks (or months!).










The last layout, "Evan Plays Peek-a-boo," I scraplifted from Ali...I think it was from her Studio A column in CK, but I can't remember. I love all her layouts, and both of her books are awesome! Actually, I think I scraplifted the layout above "Peek-a boo" from her, as well! Her style is so clean, but really eye catching.

I just finished prepping for a class I am teaching tomorrow at Paper Pals. We are doing three layouts in two hours, which is always a little bit stressful!

I am off to bed... :-)

I am REALLY new at this!

My good friend, Bethany, has a really cool blog that I have been jealous of for a long time! She has been encouraging me to create my own blog for some time...so here it is. Nothing too special, just a place to show off my adorable son, wonderful husband, and a few of my scrapbooking creations. Enjoy!