Karla Dudley Designs | Jubilee

Good morning! Karla Dudley has a fantastic new kit available in her shop today named Jubilee. I used a few photos from the girls weekend I took in June to create my layout. And I have no idea why I was wearing a sweatshirt in the first picture... it was over 90 degrees in Orlando! The bottom picture was taken at the theater before our movie started. We saw Magic Mike and I got to drink a Long Island Iced Tea during the movie. :-)

(Supplies - Staples: Me Time. "girls weekend" alpha: Calipso. Template: Everyday Storyteller No. 4. Stickers: Jubilee. Brushes: Jubilee. Patterned paper: Jubilee. "note": Me Time. Journaling card: Wild Child. Flair button: Jubilee. Butterfly: Roycroft. Stitching: Me Time.)

Evan and Jack are both in school this morning and I am going to enjoy 3 whole hours of peace and quiet. Thanks for stopping by!

Pool Day

We are celebrating the last two days of summer vacation by sleeping in, playing games, enjoying our patio, and registering Evan for first grade. He has been getting up around 7:30/8:00am the last few weeks, and come Wednesday that is going to change! He will have to be up by 7:00am so he can eat breakfast and get ready for school.

The weather here has been hot, hot, hot, and to stay cool we've been enjoying the pool! Our neighborhood has a nice pool we can use, and we are lucky to have friends who also have a pool. We spent last Thursday cooling off in the Cate's pool, and the kids were in heaven! Evan is my little fish and is also an independent swimmer, which is great because Jack is a reluctant swimmer and takes some coaxing to get into the water. 

Evan can't swim without his swim goggles, but keeping track of his goggles has been a constant struggle this year. I finally told him that his two pairs of goggles are his responsibility, and I'm not buying another pair this year (we've gone through at least 4 pairs). He took my warning very seriously and has not lost a pair since. He has a special place for his goggles and he puts them back after each swim. Way to go, Evan! 

Jack was a little agitated when he first got in the pool. He isn't comfortable in the water and likes to spend 5-10 minutes in, then get out and walk around the pool (which I hate). Anna grabbed her pool seats and blew them up for the kids and Jack *loved* sitting in one! I don't think I've ever seen him so happy in the pool. He called it his "boat" and happily floated around the pool for a long time. 

Only two more days of summer for us! I am looking forward to the routine of having Evan and Jack in school, but I really do love having them home during the summer. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I'm exhausted so today's blog post is in bullet form:

* This picture was not taken today... my Easter pictures are still on my camera and I am too tired to export them onto my external hard drive. Maybe tomorrow! But it's a cute picture, isn't it? Evan's new basketball hoop is getting a lot of use & Mark even taught Evan how to play HORSE.

* Jack refers to my office as mommy's "worker room". Apparently Rocket took his hippo into my office and Jack was very upset. He called to me from his crib "Mommy! Hippo is in your worker room!".

* Easter morning was crazy. Completely crazy. Evan woke up super early to play the Easter Bunny in our living room, then he and Mark scattered the rest of the eggs outside. We got Jack up and the two boys ran around collecting eggs. We haven't told Ev or Jack about the Easter Bunny being real (or Santa Clause for that matter), so Evan took over that role. He *really* got into it! And Jack was a maniac, running around stuffing eggs into his basket as fast as he could.

* By 10:30am the boys were so hopped up on sugar they were running around the living room shouting "I LOVE YOU GRANDMA AND GRANDPA" while Mark and I each talked to our parents. They. Were. CRAZY! Too much sugar and too much energy = wild and crazy boys.

* By 1:00pm Jack was having a full on meltdown and Evan was pouting. Their sugar high turned into a sugar crash, and they were both cranky.

* I know I've said it before, but I am so grateful for the friends we have made here. We had company over last night and again tonight, and it reminded me of our revolving door of friends & neighbors in Pullman. So much laughter. And cupcakes. :-)

* Jack had his first swim lesson of the new session on Tuesday. This month he is swimming in the pre-school class and not in the mommy and me class. I want him to get used to taking directions from another adult, and interact with other kids his age. He loves swim & is really enjoying his twice-per-week class. His instructor made the comment "wow, he sure talks a lot!". Yes, yes he does.

* Evan has been working on mastering the first grade reading list recently. When I tested him on those words in December, he knew all but 24 of the words (the list has about 160 words on it). When I re-tested him last week he knew all but 3 words. When I told him that I am so proud of his improvement he shrugged his shoulders and said "Now I get to learn the 2nd grade word list!". The kid is a sponge! He loves to learn and is doing exceptionally well in school.

That's it for me tonight. Have a great week!

Back to the Brevard Zoo

Happy Monday!

I can't believe how fast Thanksgiving flew by. Our friend, Dion, was here for a visit, and the five days he spent with us are a blur. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, the boys went to the beach on Friday (and the big boys went to a bar that evening), the five of us visited the zoo on Saturday, we watched the Apple Cup, and we ended his visit by dropping him off at the airport before some shopping at Ikea. I must say I am completely exhausted & my house is a mess, but it was a wonderful few days.

Our trip to the Brevard Zoo was definitely a highlight for me. I love our local zoo, so much so that I bought us a season pass in September. We were really lucky this visit because the giraffes were hungry and stationed along the giraffe feeding area, eating and socializing with everyone. They are absolutely beautiful animals and I could have watched them all day.

I have spent the last couple of hours going through the hundreds of photos we took (Mark was just as shutter happy as I was!), and I've posted some of my favorites.

The zoo had a face painting station set up, and Jack wanted to be a lion. Evan, of course, wanted nothing to do with having his face painted and hid behind Mark.

My first sun star. The composition isn't the best, but I am so pleased with myself that I was able to get a pretty good sun star. Terri gave me some great tips when she visited in August & I finally put them to use!

Brothers.

Evan has wanted to kayak along the "African River" for almost a year. He was old enough to go on Saturday, he was all smiles and wouldn't stop talking when it was all over. He loved kayaking and has already asked us when we are going to do it again.

Evan took this picture of Dion while we were watching the giraffes.

Giraffe! I actually squealed when we walked up the ramp to the giraffe observatory. They are so big and beautiful... and friendly!

Look at that tongue!

Stationed throughout the zoo are zoo employees and various snakes. This one was curled up into a knot and perfectly happy. Mark took this great picture.

My three little sea turtles.

Feeding the birds is always a hit, and this time Jack wanted to participate. He was a little unsure of the very friendly birds, but he was fine once Mark held his hand.

I love the face Jack is making! He was not happy while we were waiting for the boys to kayak under the bridge we were standing on.

Our brave kayakers finally arrived! Evan was waving like crazy & apparently yelling "There is Mommy! And Jack! Hi!!" while the guide was trying to point out different animals along the waterfront.

Dion was nice enough to take a photo of the four of us at the end of the day. We are not very good about getting family photos, but this one I love.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Hopefully I will be fully recovered by tomorrow... I have 4 appointments lined up this week, plus Mark's formal awards banquet on Saturday. The holiday season is upon us and I am not ready!

Erin.

Terri & Jayden

This past week has been so much fun for us because our friends, Terri and Jayden, flew from Washington to Florida. I have known Terri for 15 years, and her adorable granddaughter, Jayden is one of Evan's good friends. We had a ton of things planned during their stay, including a trip to Magic Kingdom, the beach, eating out, trips to the pool, a couple of photo sessions, and lots of squeals from the kids (and a few tears, too).

I have a ton of photos from the past week to share, but I am currently uninstalling Photoshop CS4, and reinstalling CS5 & Lightroom, so I can't edit any of them. My hard drive is also full, and I need to move a ton of photos off my MacBook and onto the server. For now I am going to post a few camera photos I took last week. Hopefully I will have all my computer issues figured out within the next couple of days & I can edit and post some better quality photos. I used the app Vignette for all the photo effects and borders.

Our first stop after picking them up at the airport: dinner @ TGI Fridays.

Walking into Magic Kingdom. I love that they are holding hands! So cute.

I took Evan and Jayden on Splash Mountain, and they wanted me to take pictures of everything... including the Slippin' Falls sign right before the 50 foot plunge.

At the bottom of Splash Mountain.

The kids were really well behaved despite the heat and humidity. And they didn't mind smiling for the camera. :-)

We had lunch at the Crystal Palace. It was a nice break from the heat, and the kids loved meeting Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet.

This photo was taken right before we left the park. Jack was so exhausted because he didn't have a nap, but he did really well considering.

Evan was so hot and tired by the end of the day! But I know he had a great time at Magic Kingdom.

Ice cream @ the mall. Evan picked triple chocolate, and Jayden had a snickers ice cream cup.

It was a wonderful trip and the perfect way to end our summer vacation. Thanks for the visit, Terri and Jayden! We miss you already!

Only six more days until my little boy starts Kindergarten. I think I need to buy a few boxes of kleenex. :-)

Familiarity

Last week Karla Dudley released an adorable new kit named Familiarity. When I read the name of the kit and saw all the beautiful papers and brushes I knew I wanted to use the photo of Mark, the kids, and our friends to create a layout. When Roy, Jessica, and Dion were visiting, I made the comment that the seven of us are so familiar with each other that it was easy to fall back into our old routines. Despite the thousands of miles between us & how infrequently we get to visit each other, we reconnected and it was like we see each other every day.

(Supplies - Navy cardstock: Cardstock Essentials No. 1. Patterned paper: Familiarity. Hinges: Familiarity. Stitched twill: Relax. Flower brush: Relax. Summer clear word: Summer Freebie. Frame: Familiarity. Clear butterfly: Clear Essentials No. 1. Crystal brad: Clear Essentials No. 1. "So Loving It Here" sticker: Home Matters 1. House brush: Home Matters 1. Clear pocket: Familiarity. Journaling spot: Familiarity. Large flower brush: Familiarity. Staples: Clear Essentials No. 1. Notebook paper: Familiarity . "welcome" brush: Welcome Spring '10. "good" journaling strip: Familiarity. Font: Georgia.)

Mark and I have been keeping a secret from Evan for the past two months... his friend, Jayden, and Jayden's grandmother surprised him by flying into Orlando this afternoon. He was so happy to see Jayden and this should be a very fun week for all of us. The next big surprise: taking them to Magic Kingdom on Thursday. I can't wait!

Summer Vacation 2011

The kids and I returned home yesterday from a week in Washington State to visit family and friends. We are all exhausted, but our trip home was worth every yawn from the boys.

The boys and I met Cousin Zach and Aunt Abby at the park for a play date last Wednesday. I couldn't believe how big Zach has gotten! And he is such a cutie, too. Evan loved racing around the park with his cousin. Evan still talks about going to the park with his "big cousin Zach."

On our last full day in WA, the boys and I met up with some dear friends of ours at a park in Auburn. I haven't seen Karen or the kids in over 18 months, and I was delighted to spend a few hours with them. Evan claimed he doesn't remember Aidan and Ethan, but they hit it off right away. Look at those smiles! Seeing them made me miss Pullman... they were a big part of our life while Mark was in school.

Jack and Jocelyn are exactly 5 weeks apart. I just can't get enough of her cuteness. :-)

Jack wanted to swing, but the infant/toddler swing was being used by Jocelyn. He insisted on trying the big boy swing, and he did great holding on. He scared me half to death, but he didn't fall off. He kept saying "whoa!" and laughing. Goofy boy.

Evan wants to do everything Grandpa does, including golf in the front yard. I'm not sure why he has such a grumpy face? Maybe he's tired of Mommy taking pictures of him.

Monday we took a trip to the Seattle Aquarium. We met Cindy, Ray, and their daughter and grandson for a few hours. I knew the temperature would be cooler in Seattle, but I was not prepared for 62 degrees and pouring down rain. The kids were real troopers and I only heard a small amount of whining when we were walking through the rain.

Evan took a great picture of Abby, my Mom, and me, but it's on her camera. Hopefully she will send me that picture so I can post it here (hint, hint Abby!). But I do love this photo of Abby, Grandma, and the boys. Evan couldn't be happier than when he gets to spend time with Abby and Grandma.

Isn't this sea anemone cool looking? Such a pretty green.

This little boy is a big fan of his Auntie Abby, too.

My parents treated us to a night at Great Wolf Lodge last Saturday night. Evan and Grandpa hung out in the wave pool for almost 3 hours, while Jack and I wandered around the toddler/pre-school area. I wasn't expecting the water park to be so loud, but it was a fun two days.

Miss Kaitlyn celebrated her 6th birthday last week, and we were lucky enough to be in town to celebrate with her. Happy Birthday Kaitlyn!

Friday night I cooked a big dinner for some family friends. The boys were less interested in the Ranch Style Chicken I cooked, and more interested in playing in the backyard.

At the Puyallup Library:

What could be better than curling up on the couch with Grandma? Playing Angry Birds, of course! Evan is addicted to the game, and he has installed 5 or 6 versions onto my iPod. If I had a nickel for every time Evan asked to play Angry Birds, I would be a very rich woman.

We also had a lovely BBQ with Mark's parents, lunch at the Olive Garden with Uncle Tom (and my Dad), a mini play date with Evan's girlfriend, Jayden, and a quick trip to the South Hill Mall. I can't believe all that we did in 9 days!

Have a wonderful Friday, friends.

Perfect timing.

Evan and Jack have once again come down with a virus/flu/infection of some kind & we have spent the whole week inside, watching hours of Toy Story (1 & 2), eating gold fish crackers on the couch, and taking afternoon naps. I'm just thankful they waited until after our friends left (and before our trip to Washington) to get sick. Sick babies + airplanes = one miserable mama.

I have two more photos to share from last weekend. I was so busy enjoying my time with our friends, that my camera went untouched for most of the week. Sometimes being in the moment, rather than behind the camera, is the best way to go.

Dion was pretty popular with the kids when he was here. Jack loved showing him his toys in the playroom and playing Garage Band on his iPad 2.

Watching the kids attempt the slip 'n slide is hilarious. Our children definitely inherited my lack of coordination and require a lot of help from Mark to make it down the slip 'n slide.

This photo was taken earlier this week:

The kids and I love going to the park in the morning (before the heat and thunderstorms make being outside unbearable), and our recent trip to a park about 40 minutes north of us was the perfect way to spend a Tuesday morning. The adorable little boy next to Evan is our friend, Max. He and Evan had a blast at the park together. I am so grateful for our new friends in Florida... it has made the transition easier for everyone.

I can hear Jack talking in his room, which means I only have a minute or two before he starts yelling at me. When he wakes up from his afternoon nap, he wants out of his crib the instant his little eyes open. Good thing he is cute. :-)