June 28, 2009

Summertime and the Livin' Is....

Easy?  Unlike the famous lyrics, summertime has not been easy, is not currently easy, and I don't forsee it being easy until mid August!  Work has been the craziest of all - ugh.  Let's just say the the little boy throwing up in the first row of seats in the Museum's auditorium as I was handing out arts camp certificates was the perfect ending to a draining 2 week session.  That's all I'm gonna say about THAT for now.

I've got loads to catch up on so I'll be doing a June wrap-up this week, but I do want to leave you with some photos and a layout. 

I let Em play in the sprinkler yesterday as it's been horrifically hot for a few weeks now.  It feels like August, not June!  Miss Em was happy to get wet:

2009-06-27 Sprinkler Fun 022 copy   2009-06-27 Sprinkler Fun 032 copy

 

2009-06-27 Sprinkler Fun 008 copy

2009-06-27 Sprinkler Fun 017 copy

And here is a recent layout of an much older picture of a very little Emma having some water fun in the backyard.  Ooooo, I miss this sweet babe!  I had a lot of fun extracting her out of the original photo  - especially that poochy tummy...heeheehee. 

Summer Sweetie

Full credits can be found here: Summer Sweetie at Designer Digitals.

Be back later this week for more photos, layouts and musings. 

June 08, 2009

Tiny Dancer

My goodness - what a whirlwind the past couple of weeks have been for the kids - and us.  First we had Preschool Graduation, then Tippi Toes Dress Rehearsal, then the actual Tippi Toes Recital, the Preschool end-of-the-year program, Fiesta Day at middle school, then the 6th Grade Honors Assembly and finally the Preschool end-of-the-year party.  Whew!  Needless to say, I've not been able to keep up in the blogging world, but as we move into our summer schedule, I'm hopeful that I will do a much better job. :)

Of course, I have to show some pictures of Emma's recital.

2009-05-30 Tippi Toes Recital 011

This was the culmination of the first dance class she's ever taken.  The organization is called Tippi Toes, and the instructors come to the preschools and work with the kiddos.  Because it's structured this way, Em's class consisted of mostly 2, 3 and 4 year olds.  She was the oldest one, and I think the only one from the 4/5 year old class. 

2009-05-30 Tippi Toes Recital 034

And because she was the oldest, she definitely stood out among the other dancers.  Being older also gave her lots of confidence, and she was able to learn the steps to her routines really well.

2009-05-30 Tippi Toes Recital 039

The other girls in her class, as you can see, had a little trouble keeping up.  Look at the little one next to Emma.  Sweet babe - she stood still the entire time with her fingers in her mouth.  Awwwww....

2009-05-30 Tippi Toes Recital 040

Em had a big fan base there.  Grandma Connie, Grandma Margie, Grandpa Felipe, 'Buelita, Ryan and his friend, Cameron, Roland and myself were there to cheer her on. 

2009-05-30 Tippi Toes Recital 052  2009-05-30 Tippi Toes Recital 061

She felt like quite the princess because she got to wear a little makeup.  And I have to say that she had the sweetest instructor, Miss Sara.  You know how you can tell when someone really, really likes kids?  Well, she's definitely one of those people.  She talked to me about Emma taking a hip hop dance class this summer, and we're going to try and work it out with my schedule.  Em is SO excited!

2009-05-30 Tippi Toes Recital 057

On the scrapbooking front, I've done a few layouts for Designer Digitals since I've last posted.  Here is one of them.

Snappy-Dresser

I used one of my fonts, Lindy Kay, here.  For a full list of credits, please see Snappy Dresser at Designer Digitals

Hopefully, I'll get to scrap some dance recital pictures soon!  Crossing my fingers....

May 28, 2009

May Celebrations

I've been wanting to update my blog for days now, but my wish for more than 24 hours in a day still hasn't come true, unfortunately.  Arrrghhh.... 

I did get Memorial Day off, however, and the long weekend was really nice. 
Emma, Memorial Day 2009, May, swimming, pool, backyard 032

The boys were home for a change, and we spent some much needed family time together.  We barbecued, and had my inlaws over on Sunday since Roland had to work on Monday.  And Em and Ryan managed to play in the water in between a couple of bouts of rain (I know, can you believe it - we've been in such a drought!).  Here is Emma after she was bitten by an ant - definitely not a happy camper!

Emma, Memorial Day 2009, May, swimming, pool, backyard 005-4

I had fun playing around in Lightroom as you can tell. 

Here are a couple more of my cutie pie - these are straight-out-of-the-camera:
Emma, Memorial Day 2009, May, swimming, pool, backyard 043

Emma, Memorial Day 2009, May, swimming, pool, backyard 064

These pics were taken on Monday afternoon when Ryan was off at the movies with a friend.  I was so busy at the grill on Sunday afternoon when they both were in the pool, that I didn't get to snap any pics.  Oh well...it's gonna be hot for a looooooong time, that's for sure.  Plenty more time to get photos of my monkeys. :) 

Roland and I also celebrated our 16th anniversary last week.  Still can't believe that it's been 16 years!  Where in the heck did the time go??????

Here we are in a layout I did about a year ago.  You find a list of full credits here at Designer Digitals.  This picture was taken a couple of months before we got engaged.  We were SO young...wow.
Remember-When

Today was filled with more celebrations.  Emma had a dance dress rehearsal today (the big recital is on Saturday!), and moms were asked to come and help the children get in their new costumes so they could get used to them.  Here's a sneak peek of a couple:

2009-05-28 Tippi Toes Dress Rehearsal 077

2009-05-28 Tippi Toes Dress Rehearsal 029

A little later in the afternoon, we headed to Ryan's school for their end-of-the- year honors assempbly. 
2009-05-28 6th Grade Honors Assembly 013

And here he is with his friend Andrew.  I hadn't seen Andrew since the begining of the school year.  Boy, has he grown his hair out!  In fact, Roland and I were pretty stunned to see Andrew sporting such long hair; we saw lots boys there today that were sporting the long locks.  What goes around, comes around yet again...

2009-05-28 6th Grade Honors Assembly 018                                                                                                       

I've got more photos to share, stories to tell, etc...but as I can barely keep my eyes open, I'll do us all a favor and sign off.  Six a.m. will be here before I know it! 

May 18, 2009

Home Is Where the Heart Is...

There's a new challenge up on the Designer Digitals blog to create a heritage page about home.  I hope you check it out and play along.  I have to admit, I really hadn't touched my childhood photos - either in traditional OR digi scrapbooking up until participating in this challenge.  Even though I wasn't really gung-ho at first to take part in it, at first, I kind of forced myself so that I would record some memories for ME and not necessarily the kids.  And you know what?  I actually really enjoyed creating it.  What memories these photos brought back for me!  Of course, I was just a little astonished to find out that the 70s are considered "heritage" now.  Wow, when did that happen?  Sigh....I do feel that clock ticking faster and faster lately. 

Home

Anyway, here's a closer look at my page.  All products are, of course, from Designer Digitals.  Would you look at that hair?  I can't believe my mom complains all the time that Emma's hair needs to be cut short - it's too big and bushy.  Umm, mom...hello?  My hair was the exactly the same way when I was little (still  is as a matter of fact!).  When I asked her about it she blamed it all on my dad - that he wanted to keep it long. 

Oh well...

I'd better head to bed; I can't even keep my eyes open.  Long day today and another one of the same tomorrow. 

May 14, 2009

Graduation

No, not a high school graduation...nor a college one...

We celebrated a PRESCHOOL graduation tonight.  Actually, TWO preschool graduations...

2009-05-14 Preschool Graduation 079

Emma and my nephew Andrew graduated tonight. 

2009-05-14 Preschool Graduation 043


2009-05-14 Preschool Graduation 072

I didn't expect to get a little teary-eyed. 

I always thought preschool graduations were kind of cheesy anyway.  Ryan's preschool didn't have a ceremony way back when he finished preschool.

But to see the kiddos so excited, and to hear the pastor's kind words...well, it touched me.  And afterwards, there was quite the reception.

2009-05-14 Preschool Graduation 085

The kids ate it up.

2009-05-14 Preschool Graduation 096 copy

Sigh....another milestone checked off the list.  The last two "babies" in the family will soon be on their way to Kindergarten. 

Congratulations, sweet babes! 

2009-05-14 Preschool Graduation 084

Do you remember those baseball photos I posted of Ryan here?  Well, I created a layout with them the other day. 

Allstar

Ryan really likes it so that makes me happy.  :)  Everything here is from Designer Digitals.  For a full product list, please see here

Happy Friday all!

May 10, 2009

Being a Mother

I recently finished reading My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult.  Tonight I saw a trailer for the movie version of it - I had no idea it had been made into a movie.  I'll be seeing this for sure. 

About a sister who was essentially conceived to provide stem cells (from her cord blood) for her older sister diagnosed with leukemia and now, at age 13, wants to declare medical emancipation from her parents, this book touched me in so many ways.  It is told from many different points of view, the dying sister, the mother, of course the younger sister, the lawyer, the father, the delinquent older brother, etc.  I felt like I could relate to each character...I ached for all of them.  It was so so heartwrenching but very thought-provoking.  And throughout the book were so many passages that I kept thinking about.  Here is one of them (after the mother finds out that her 2 year old has leukemia):

I have known her only for two years.  But if you took every memory, every moment, if you stretched them end to end - they'd reach forever.

I knew EXACTLY what the author meant.  Ryan is 12, Emma is 5.  I've been alive for almost 39 years so really, 12 years is barely a third of that time.  But my goodness, those 12 years that I've been a mother feel like EVERYTHING.  My memories of my children, all the funny times, the sad times, the tough times...they truly would reach forever, I'm sure of it. 

This is why I cannot be one of those scrapbookers who is ever "caught up."  I don't want to be caught up.  I have so many things that I want to say to my children...to THEIR children.  There are so many memories I want them to have, so many moments that cracked me up, that taught me something...

Anyway, with all that being said, I had a nice Mother's Day.  Em and I were flying solo once again as Ryan had a tournament in Houston, and she has no business being around the ball field right now.  She's still wheezing - which is not good, ugh.  BUT...she's been a lot perkier as you can see:

2009-04-10 Mother's Day 008  2009-04-10 Mother's Day 016

Silly girl. 

And I have to admit that one of my favorite things about having a little girl is getting to dress them in so many fun clothes.  We recently had a few...okay, a lot of Gymbucks to spend and this is one of the outfits I purchased for her:

2009-04-10 Mother's Day 022 copy  2009-04-10 Mother's Day 046

2009-04-10 Mother's Day 039 copy  2009-04-10 Mother's Day 111

Okay, I know I'm biased, but isn't she beautiful?  Even when she's pretending to be a horse as she is in the picture where she's running.  She and her cousins were playing a game they made up called, so appropriately, Horse.  :)  Of course, all that running caused more of this:

2009-04-10 Mother's Day 029

We had yummy barbecued steaks and chicken, potato salad, a spring mix salad, watermelon, canteloupe and strawberries, and Emma and I baked an orange-flavored cake that was declared delicious by all.  Afterwards, we took some family photos as there are never enough pictures of the kids with their grandparents, are there?  Here is my mom with the younger set of grandchildren.

2009-04-10 Mother's Day 096

And my grandmother (whom the kids call 'Buelita) with the kiddos:

2009-04-10 Mother's Day 102

I sent Roland with my point-and-shoot camera so he could snap a few pics of Ryan this weekend.  They were very excited as they were playing at the Big League Dreams field in League City.  It is supposed to be a fancy schmancy field, but Roland said they were a bit disappointed as it was not in the best of shape.  It still looks pretty cool I think.

2009-05-10 Misc. Ryan Baseball Emma 127
(with his teammates, Adrian and Cameron)

2009-05-10 Misc. Ryan Baseball Emma 128

2009-05-10 Misc. Ryan Baseball Emma 108

2009-05-10 Misc. Ryan Baseball Emma 105

2009-05-10 Misc. Ryan Baseball Emma 114

2009-05-10 Misc. Ryan Baseball Emma 120

Wish we could have been there or they could have been here.  We celebrated on Friday night however so that was nice. 

And because it is Mother's Day still as I write this, I want to show a layout that I originally created a couple of years ago about my mother.  Recently, I updated the look by recreating this in digi format. Full credits can be found here.

She-Is-A

And should you be curious about the journaling, here it is

She is a Mother: In 1965, she gave birth to her first child, and her life was never the same again. Now, more than 40 years later, she continues to be as devoted a mother to her 3 children as she was when we were infants. Giving us room to grow, she has been there to guide us when we have lost our way. I know I wouldn’t be the mother that I am today without the example she has set before me. Selfless without being a matyr, generous without expecting anything in return, she is a mother, MY mother, and I love her.

She is Brave: I have seen my mother evolve into one of the bravest women I know. No, she doesn’t fight fires or train wild animals (well, she does watch the grandkids on most days), but she is brave in little ways - like asking for a refund when she gets bad service at a restaurant or dealing with contractors to fix her house or confronting her loved ones when she knows they are doing something wrong. She gives me courage to stand up for myself time and again. She is brave, and I love her.

She is a Daughter: For as long as I can remember, my grandmother has lived with my mom. In the past 15 years, my grandmother’s health has declined. Though my aunts and uncles do small things for her, my mom is the one shuttling her back and forth to doctor’s appointments, the one who keeps track of her multitude of medications, the one who stays up with her when she has vertigo, the one who makes sure she eats well and dresses nicely. She is an example of what a daughter should be, and I love her for it.

She is a Survivor: On June 26, 1995, my father died suddenly and unexpectedly. For the first time in more than 30 years, my mother was alone. Though my sister, brother and I helped in the ways we could, my mother proved she was made of “tough stuff” as she dealt with finances, insurance policies, home improvements and more. Since my father had normally taken care of these things, it was a lot to absorb all at once. But she survived, and continues to survive by taking one day at a time, and I love her for it.

She is a Sister: As the oldest of 4 sisters and 2 brothers, my mom was often looked up to and made the example to her younger siblings. As they all grew up and set out on their own, they still kept in close touch. My mom was (and still is) the sort of home base for all the siblings to check in with. Maybe it’s partly because their mother lives with my mom, bit I like to think that it’s because my mom gives sound advice, is always ready to help, and truly loves them. She is a sister, and I love her.

She is Passionate: Though I don’t know where she finds the time, my mother is passionate about gardening. If she has a free moment, you can find her out in the yard, trimming, weeding, watering, planting or otherwise occupied by the lawn or flowerbeds. Unfortunately, MY passions lie elsewhere, and I just get by with the bare minimum of landscaping at my home. FORTUNATELY, my mother loves gardening so much, she even loves to bring her green thumb over to MY house! She is passionate, and I love her.

She is a Grandma: My mother is a grandmother to 5 kids, ranging in age from 4 to 20. Currently, she watches the youngest 2 after school and 4 of them most days in the summer. With an energy and patience that I envy, she manages to fill the time they spend with her with fun, learning and lots of love. My brother, sister, and I know what a wonderful gift we’ve been given to have our mother play such a integral role in our children’s development. I know that she loves my children like her own. She is a grandmother, and I love her for it.

She is Blessed: It’s always easy to look at what you don’t have, but my mother never fails to appreciate her many gifts. Maybe that’s why she shares them so freely. I think of the book “I Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch and am reminded of my mother always being there for me as a kid, and even now, as an adult. She has so many people that love her; she will never be without help, without a home, without hugs, kisses, and smiles. She is blessed because she is such a blessing to so many people. I love you, Mom.


And I do so love her.  :) 

Happy Mother's Day to any moms out there reading this.  :)

May 04, 2009

Monday Catch-Up

Well, the weekend flew by once again.  I wish I could say it's because we were having a blast, hanging out at the beach and other fun stuff, but alas, it's not.  Emma started feeling *off* on Friday with low-grade fever, sore throat and coughing.  On Saturday, Ryan and Roland headed out-of-town to yet another baseball tournament.  By noon on Saturday, all of Emma's symptoms escalated, especially that darn fever! And finally, after having a tough night on Saturday/early Sunday, and several complaints that her whole body hurt, I took her in to the doctor Sunday morning. 

I expected there to be a huge crowd what with all the H1N1 flu scare going on, but there were just a handful of sick kiddos in the waiting area.  The nurse later told me that they had had 110 kids seen yesterday - in the 3 to 4 hours that they were open!  Yikes!  She did share that only about 4 kids were tested as Flu A positive, and that they had to be sent to our local children's hospital for a more sensitive test. 

They did swab Miss Em for both the flu and strep (as her throat was a mess!), and while the flu test came back negative (yay!), her strep test did not. :(  She also has an upper respiratory infection to boot.  So hopefully, Em will be on the mend very very soon.  The sooner the better, I hope; she woke up with an even higher fever of 103.2 and an upset tummy. 

On a more cheerier topic, Ryan did awesome in his tournament this weekend!  Not only did his team sweep the tourney and win the whole thing, but my son, yes, MY son hit a GRAND SLAM to take them into the championship game, AND then hit another homerun in the final game.

2008-10-12 Sharks Game 2 071 (photo taken earlier this year)

Wow, Em and I are sure sorry we missed all the action.  Hopefully we'll catch him the next time...

And of course, I can't leave without sharing another layout.  This is one I created last year for the Ultimate Guide to Digital Scrapbooking 2, Scrapbooks Etc.  This book is an awesome resource (as was the first one) if you are interested in dabbling in digi! Easy instructions, lots of screenshots and some really fab layouts. :) 

By-the-Seashore_LindaR

All products are from Designer Digitals, and a full supply list can be found here

April 29, 2009

Play Ball!

And that's just what Ryan did this past weekend.  Em and I traveled with the *boys* so that we could see Ryan play with the Angels on Saturday and Sunday.  On Saturday morning, we woke at the crack of dawn to travel to the first game about 3 1/2 hours away.  The weather alternated between threatening storm clouds and burning hot sun over the course of the day (as he played two games).  And as a proud mama, I have to say that he played great!

2009-04-25 Angels_San Marcos Tournament 019 border copy


I normally shoot through the fence, but there were so many people sitting on chairs on either side of the bleachers, I had nowhere to shoot without blocking people.  I think I still managed to get some decent shots. 

2009-04-25 Angels_San Marcos Tournament 029 border copy
2009-04-25 Angels_San Marcos Tournament 039 border copy

 
Over the course of the two games, he played third base, shortstop, catcher and pitcher!

2009-04-25 Angels_San Marcos Tournament 045 border copy

2009-04-25 Angels_San Marcos Tournament 064 border copy  2009-04-25 Angels_San Marcos Tournament 104 border copy

In the pic above to the left, he had just caught the ball at shortstop and was running and getting ready to throw it in.  Trying to practice getting better action shots...ugh.

In the meantime, I had a hard time keeping Miss Em occupied.  We brought her backpack full of toys, coloring books, reading books, etc., but that little goober was most happy playing with the rocks around the bleacher - ugh!  Or she was trying to climb trees...

2009-04-25 Angels_San Marcos Tournament 117 border copy 2009-04-25 Angels_San Marcos Tournament 049 border copy

She still gave Ryan a thumb's up for doing well.  When she finally ran out of things to do, I let her use my little point-and-shoot to document the game and the people...

2009-04-25 Angels_San Marcos Tournament 120 border copy
Think she'll take after her mama??  Hehheheheheheeee...

And just because I was thinking about how many years Ryan's already been playing ball (for 8 years now - since he was 4), I had to dig out some of his t-ball photos.

DSCN1273 border copy DSCN1304 border copy

Can you believe he was so little????  I'm having a hard time believing it, and I was there, ha!  Look at his batting stance... and check out that back-handed catch he's about to make.  Guess he was born to play ball. 

DSCN1309 border copy

And because it's all about baseball for this blog post, I'll add some baseball layouts I've made over the years. 

On the Bump

(As seen in the Fast and Easy Layouts with 4"x6" Photos, Creating Keepsakes)

Catcher-DD-Version


Full credits can be found here at Designer Digitals. 

Bringin'-the-Heat

Credits here.

Lucky-Thirteen

Credits here.

Eat-Dirt-copy


Credits here.

And yes, gasp, a paper layout!
Allstar Baseball

Okay...that's enough for now, lol.  But I will mention that I will have two of my favorite sports layouts in the June issue of CK.  Kind of excited about that as Ryan thinks it's pretty cool. :)

Happy Thursday all!

April 22, 2009

Spring Fever

Yup, I've got it.  Spring Fever.  The weather has been gorgeous this week - low humidity, a cool breeze blowing, the sun is shining...actually, the temps have been a little high for me (96 degrees today!), but tomorrow is supposed to be in the mid-80s.  It's practically a crime to have to be locked up at work all day, ugh. 

Spring Fever always makes me want to shop.  And take a trip.  And shop.  :) If all goes well, Emma and I may travel out-of-town this weekend with Roland and Ryan.  Ryan has a baseball tournament about 3 1/2 hours away.  There is a huge outlet mall there AND a very cool wildlife safari park where you can ride through and see the animals UP CLOSE.  Emma is already imagining that she'll be visiting the set of Madagascar 2!  Roland is promising that if we go, we'll be able to squeeze in some shopping and entertainment, lol.  Cross your fingers for us that the weather doesn't get too windy for the weekend (something they are predicting) as being at the ball field in windy weather is about the worst possible place for Emma to be with her asthma. 

I've done a little creating since I last posted.  Here is an Easter layout of Emma, Ryan, my niece and nephew and their two cousins.  This photo was taken AFTER their Easter egg hunt; you'd never guess they were wild hooligans a minute before it was taken!

Happy-Easter-2009

All products are from Designer Digitals and a full product list can be found here.

And here's a page I created using one of the photos from Emma's recent photo shoot. 

Absolutely-Precious

A full product list can be found here at Designer Digitals. 

And be sure to check out Designer Digitals tomorrow!  The quarterly sale begins at 6pm on Thursday and runs through the weekend.  The entire store will be 30% off!! 

April 17, 2009

Dreaming

Don't you love it when your kids are asleep?  And, I'm not talking about how it's finally quiet in the house and how you can actually accomplish things because you can hear yourself think.... No, I'm talking about the fact that they look so utterly sweet and peaceful, all the angst and emotion of the day forgotten from their features. 

It was with this in mind that I had to wake up Miss Emma this morning.  She was deeply and comfortably asleep, I almost hated to wake her, but schedules have to be kept so I called her name and gently shook her awake. Usually, I get this reply, "But my eyes don't work...they won't open!" 

But today was different.

Today, she offered me a smile and snuggled even more cozily in the blanket.  Of course, being the kind of mom that wants to know everything going on in my children's minds, I asked,

"Where you having a good dream?" 

"Yes..."

"What were you dreaming about?"

"YOU."

"Me?  You were dreaming about me?  What was I doing?" I was genuinely surprised - usually when I ask this question, she lists puppies, kittens or any other assortment of cute cuddly animals.  Unless it's a bad dream, THAT list is totally different...ha!

"Yes, you were giving me flowers," she says as she hugs me.  "You were giving me flowers because you loved me, and I was being nice."

I hugged her close and relished in the moment.  I mean, seriously, how long will it be before a dream about her mother won't be a good dream, but more like a nightmare!  Kidding, I hope... but I'm sure it won't be long before dreaming about me won't evoke these same emotions from her. 

You know, there are worse ways to start the morning.  In fact, this was a pretty great way to start my day. 

Here's a recent layout I created about my little chunky monkey:

Little-Ducky

All product is from Designer Digitals.  For a full list of credits, please see here.  FYI, I used one of my fonts (Lindy Jo) for the journaling on this page.  I'm still getting a kick out of using them on pages.  If you'd like to try any of my fonts out, just let me know - I'll be glad to send them your way.

Have a great Friday!

(And Susan - thank you so much for the blog award! I'll give some more info about it in my next post!)

June 2009

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