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may take twelve ...

I had the perfect day to take pictures for the Ella Publishing Take 12 challenge this month.  It was the day of Nicholas' Communion, so there were definitely lots of photo opportunities.  Here is the mosaic of the photos I will use for my May layout.

And, I'm getting back on track with LOAD.  My layouts for days 13 and 14 are below.  I still have to create layouts for days 11, 12, 15 and 16.   

  

Don't you just love that pouty face that Rebecca is making!

Thanks for stopping by.  I'll be back soon with more layouts.

a few busy days ...

It started off on Thursday ... Nicholas' school puts on a muffins with mom event at the local firehouse every year.  We went to the firehouse that morning before school and enjoyed some light breakfast and enjoyed time together before I had to bring him to school.

Later that morning, I went out with mom and Rebecca to pick up some last minute things for the weekend.

That night, Nanny and Poppy arrived and the kids could not have been more excited to see them.  Rebecca was over the moon.

On Friday, Nicholas and his second-grade class put on a Mother's Day Tea for all the mom's.  They made us beautiful projects and sang us songs.  It was not only special to spend the hour with him, but it was nice to catch up with the other moms too.

Saturday was Nicholas' Communion, and the weather could not have been any nicer.  We all got ready in time and headed out around 11am to the church.  All of the kids looked so grown up, and they didn't look nervous at all.

The kids did beautiful with the readings and carrying up the gifts.  It was a small class, so things weren't rushed.  It was nice to be able to get the pictures I wanted without having to wait for people to move out of the way to get good pictures.

After the ceremony, our family went out for a late lunch.  It was a special day for Nicholas and we are so very proud of him.

So, since my weekend was full of "events," I didn't get a chance to create layouts on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday for the LOAD challenge.  But, don't you worry, I will be getting those done.  I never participate in LOAD for the grand prize, I participate in LOAD to get scrapbooking done.

These two layouts below are from last Wednesday and Thursday. 

Thanks for stopping by!

silly things he does ...

I look at the below picture of Nicholas and see that little boy face that I miss.  The picture was taken in 2008, so he was only four years old.  Now that I say that, that means I'm four years behind in scrapbooking his life.  I better get on the ball.

He does such silly things; so many things to make Rebecca laugh.  He can make her laugh her "heartly" laugh that we all LOVE. 

The patterned paper I used was on my desk for about a year.  I knew that I had this picture, and was digging through my papers one day and came across this "orange" paper.  I knew immediately that I wanted to use it with this picture.  I knew that I wasn't going to work on the layout then, but I didn't want to put the paper back with my other "orange" patterned paper, because I knew that I would forget that I had it.  So glad that it was waiting for me on my desk.

I'm already thinking about what layout I'm going to create tonight.

still on track ...

Nicholas had Communion practice on Friday evening.  He makes his Communion next weekend.  He is doing part of a reading, and I was so proud of him when he was practicing.  I thought when he got to the podium that he would freeze and say he couldn't do it, but he did well.  He didn't even rush through when he spoke.  I just hope he stays as calm when the church is full of people next weekend.

And if you are wondering, yes, I am still on track with LOAD (layout a day).  Below are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday's layouts.

Loving the challenge .. loving the inspiration found on the LOAD boards ... loving that I'm actually scrapbooking.

draw for me ...

I love finding things in my scrapbooking stash that I can put on a page.  I've had the "paint" embellishments for quite awhile now, and thought they would add some life to my layout for yesterday's LOAD challenge.

The layout is all about how Nicholas loves to be creative.  He drew the Wimpy Kid character below - it was perfect for my layout! 

I'm so loving getting back in the swing of scrapbooking and can't wait to get home later to create tonight's layout.

his first reconciliation ...

Nicholas took part in his First Reconciliation yesterday afternoon.  He was extremely nervous about going in front of the priest and telling him his sins, but mostly for having to say the Act of Contrition (which he was having a hard time remembering at times).

We got to the church pretty early, but that just gave Nicholas more time to review what he needed to say.  Rob and Rebecca didn't get to come with us because Rebecca had been fighting a fever all day (today she is going to the doctors).

When it was time for Nicholas to go, he wasn't very nervous.  He was in and out of the room within minutes.  Once we got back to the pew, he told me that he didn't have to recite the prayer.  Not quite sure how he got out of that, but he sure was happy.

Here is my big boy.

We are so proud of him.  Next on the agenda is his Communion in May.

Enjoy your day everyone!

last post of 2011 ...

I can't believe that another year has gone by.  For the most part, it has been a good year.  I am thankful that we are all healthy ... everything else is second to that (no matter what we go through).

Last night we celebrated Nicholas' 8th birthday.  My little man is growing up too fast and I can't believe in two years he will be "double digits."  We spent the afternoon hanging out with my mom and Rebecca.  We went to McDonald's for lunch (where Rebecca enjoyed her first milkshake).  The milkshake was supposed to be for Mom, but Rebecca wanted to try it and then proceeded to drink the whole thing.

We then hit Kohl's and Toy's R Us to get some "birthday" things and spend some bonus cash I had at both places.

Mom and Dad came over last night to have some cake and coffee.  Here are some pictures from last night.

I want to thank all of you for stopping by to visit throughout the year.  I love to read your comments.  Whether you are a new (or old friend), I always welcome you to stop by whenever you like.  I have been slacking a bit on my posting these past couple of months, but one of my goals for next year is to improve on that.

In my next post, I will list some goals (both creative and personal) that I have for 2012, and will let you know about what my "One Little Word" for 2012 is going to be.  So, stay tuned!

Happy 2012 everyone!  Be safe and enjoy the last night of 2011.

he is enjoying school ...

There have been no complaints from Nicholas about school yet.  Granted, it has only been four days, but he hasn't given us a hard time about getting up in the morning (yet) and really likes his teacher.  I'm sure this will come as the weeks go on.  Right now, we are enjoying the calmness in the mornings.  I'm looking forward to back-to-school night in a few weeks and meeting his teacher.

CCD starts tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to Saturday mornings because Nicholas ALWAYS gives us a hard time about going there.  This is a big year for him - he will make his Holy Communion in the spring.  I just need to keep reminding him that it is only 1.5 hours long each week.

On to last week's color at Project 64: Out of the Box - the color was melon.

 
This week's color was very hard for me, but I managed to find a mini-scrapbook I created a few years ago.  I thought the color of the cover matched perfectly.

 
For more photos, go here.

  

Thanks for stopping by everyone - enjoy your weekend!

second grade already ...

I think we were all ready for today ... especially Nicholas.  He asked for days how many days there were left before school started.  Nicholas started 2nd grade today ... is that even possible?  He will be eight at the end of the year.  Time is going by WAY TO FAST.

Here is our big boy all ready for school. 

  
(By the way, that is not a stain on his shirt ... it's water from having to spray his hair to get it tamed.)

And here he is giving his little sister a kiss goodbye before we left for the bus stop.

 
I hope he has an AWESOME day.  I can't wait to hear how his day went and who is in his class this year.

Enjoy your day everyone!

wee bit wednesday on wednesday ...

Before I get into my responses to the Wee Bit Wednesday questions, I just want to say how excited we all are that Nicholas will have the teacher we wanted him to have for second grade.  We went and picked up his school packet today, and when we opened it up to see the teacher name, we all yelled, "Yeah" while standing in the school office.

Now on to Wee Bit Wednesday ...

1. What is your guilty pleasure TV show? Days of Our Lives and The Real Housewives of NJ

2. Ear Piercings on men: yes or no? My husband has his ear pierced, but hasn't worn earrings in years (thank goodness).  I'm not a fan of earrings on men.

3. Do you have dish or comcast? DirecTV - hate it

4. What is your current favorite fashion trend? I usually don't follow fashion trends.

5. If you could learn to do anything, money not being an issue, what would it be?  I would love to own a piano and learn how to play.  This has always been a dream of mine.

6. White or Red Wine?  White Wine

7.  What type of food is your favorite (ex. mexican, italian, etc.)?  Mexican

8.  HP or MAC?  I've only ever used an HP, but would love to get a MAC one day.

9.  What color is your bedroom? Sea-foam green, but I would rather it be a few shades darker.

10.  What is your favorite form of exercise?  Exercise, what is that?  Only kidding.  I love step aerobics, but only when someone is teaching it and I'm there in person.  I can't exercise while watching a video off of the TV. 

For more Wee Bit Wednesday posts, go here.

Thanks for stopping by everyone.  Enjoy your evening!

cadet blue ...

Little late posting my picture for the Project 64: Out of the Box challenge this week, but I got it in before the deadline.  Last week's color was cadet blue.

 

And my submission for this week is this backpack ... Nicholas' backpack from last year.

 
Speaking of backpacks, I can't believe school starts in just a few weeks.  I have to admit, I'm looking forward to school starting again,and I know that Nicholas is looking forward to getting back too.  He may not be excited about having to get up at 6:30am every morning again, but he is ready for the work, the new challenges, and seeing his classmates.  We will find out next week who his teacher is, and I'm hoping he got who we are ALL wishing for.

For more Project 64 photos from this week, go here.

 
Tomorrow we are going to get the rest of the school supplies and maybe do some school clothes shopping - especially for sneakers.  Are you ready for school to be in session again? 

Thanks for stopping by everyone ... enjoy your weekend!

instagram pool fun ...

I thought it would be fun to bring my camera phone out by the pool last night and take some pictures while I watched Nicolas swim ... of course I then played with Instagram to enhance what I captured.

 
 
 
Instagram is STILL one of my favorite apps that I always go to on my phone.  It definitely is one app that I use everyday.  If you have an iPhone and don't have this app, I am telling you again that you need to get it on your phone.

So, I didn't realize that "Wee Bit Wednesday" started back up yesterday, so I'm going to participate with my answers today.

{one} what’s the #1 most played song on your iPod (or whatever you use)? Right now, it's "Dream Big" by Shupe, Ryan & The Rubberband

{two} what’s your favorite type of exercise? Even though I haven't done it in awhile, I love step aerobics.

{three} what’s your least favorite mode of transportation? I really don't have one, but the best one (no matter what it is) is when I'm not the one in control of getting somewhere.

{four} if you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what would it be? Definitely 25 - BEST year of my life.

{five} when you have 30 minutes of free time, what do you use it to do? I don't have very much free time, but when I do (especially only 30 minutes), I love to pick up a good book and read.

{six} what do you miss the most about being a kid? Being carefree!

{seven} when was the last time you were nervous? I used to get nervous all the time; however, I feel like I can remain calm in most situations these days.  So with that being said, I don't remember the last time I was nervous.

{eight} what was the first thing you bought with your own money when you were young?I seriously do not remember what I bought.  I don't remember getting a lot of money when I was young.  I may have bought a Barbie doll.

{nine} what is your favorite month of the year? October. I look forward to it all year. I love the smells, the colors, the decorations, and the temps in the air.  I especially love the traditional trip to the Pumpkin Patch with my family.

{ten} what are 3 songs from the soundtrack of your life? Good question ... I would have to go with, "Say" by John Mayer; "Don't Blink" by Kenny Chesney; and "The House that Built Me" by Miranda Lambert.

For other entries, go here.

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy your day.

he is officially a second grader ...

Today was the last day of first grade for Nicholas.  Where did the year go?  I was a bit emotional this morning taking him to the bus stop for the last time of time of him being a first grader.

Here is his picture from his first day of school this year.

 
And a picture from today.

 
He looks all grown up.  Funny thing ... he wore the outfit in the first picture to school yesterday.

He really soared this year in reading, writing, and math.  He constantly received the neatest handwriting award.  We are just SO super proud of him, and we know that he will achieve even more next year when he starts second grade.

On to last week's color challenge from Project 64: Out of the Box.  The color last week was Olive Green.

 

I found this color a bit hard, but then I looked down and saw my work backpack.

 
The birds that are on the bag are what I'm using for the color selection.

For more Project 64: Out of the Box entries, click on the link below.

 
Thanks for stopping by!

currently ...

We opened our pool last weekend and Rob and Nicholas have already gone in.  The water temperature has been pretty warm since we have been getting temperatures into the high nineties.  I have yet to go in, but here is Nicholas enjoying one of his first swims this summer.

 
 
And for fun, below are some things that I am currently doing today.

enjoying : a quiet house (with the exception of the dryer running)

wearing : jean shorts, a grey t-shirt, and flip flops

celebrating : it's Children's Day today, so I'm celebrating my kids

drinking : just finished drinking a cup of hot tea

listening : to the dryer

wishing : someone (anyone) would call me to come in for a job interview

doing : work ... for work

watching : my twitter updates as they appear on my PC screen every few seconds

That's it for today everyone!  As always, thanks for stopping by.

first grade reading event ...

The first graders at Nicholas' school had a special reading event last week.  All of the parents were invited to hear/see the books that our children wrote and illustrated.

It started off with the class standing in the front of the room and hearing them read us all a story.  I was so proud of Nicholas.  He was designated as one of the narrators, so he did a lot of the reading.

After the story, they read us two poems, and then we, as the parents, gathered at their desks so they could read us their books in small groups.  Nicholas' book was about what else, Sponge Bob.  The title of his book is "The Pineapple Flood."

Here are some pictures from the morning.

 
 
 
 
I'm so very proud of him.

Thanks for stopping by everyone.  Enjoy your day!