Today my little baby...

turns four!! Happy 4th birthday to Maddie. I can't believe she's four. Time really flies, and this time of year is always a little bittersweet as it will be 4 years (in just over two weeks) that Kaycey got sick. Maddie was only two and a half weeks old. I am happy that I can remember the day I went to the hospital to have Maddie (a scheduled c-section at 1:30pm, Jan. 7, 2005). But I honestly don't remember much of Maddie's life for about her first 6 months after she was born. So many other people took care of her, while I spent countless nights at the hospital with Kaycey.

Back to Maddie's birthday, which should be a happy day! Here are a few pictures.

A crown for the princess

Posing for a picture...all 3. Amazing!

Happy to have the "new" vanity!

Showing off the puppy tattoo on her cheek

We had my Dad and Maria over this past Sunday, and she got some birthday presents then. Today, we'll give Maddie her presents from us (one I gave her already--a Little Tykes makeup vanity that was Kaycey's and in storage for the past couple years, Cal picked out a necklace for her, a princess notebook, and a little polly pocket princess thing). Saturday we are having Mike's family over for a party. Then Sunday my Mom, sister, cousin (?), and grandparents will come over. People say why don't we just have one big gathering, but I'd rather have the multiple gatherings. Somehow it's just easier. Which reminds me, I was going to ask my blog readers for input on games and arts n craft ideas for 8 kids ages 3-9. With the nieces and nephews coming over on Saturday, I'd like to have it more structured so that all the kids aren't running around the house like mad. Any suggestions??

2009, already??

The kids had such a long Christmas break, yet it flew right by. Back to school already today, and though it was tough getting them moving early this morning after so many late nights the past couple weeks, they were awfully excited about getting on the bus this morning.

It was a quiet day here. While I should've spent it putting Christmas stuff away, after lunch, Maddie and I went to a friend's house (they live less than a mile away). It's friend time for Maddie (Lauren is also 3). And friend time for me (Lauren's mom is the one gal I have befriended out here since the kids started at the new school). The more friend time I have, the happier I am : ) I always have such a hard time taking down the Christmas stuff anyways. It's so much work for having it up for such a short time. I swear I'd leave it up till February if Mike let me.

I'm excited to say the house feels a little more like a home...I FINALLY put some stuff up on the walls (just the kitchen, but I figure we spend much time there, and the fact I have no idea what to do with the other walls in the house!)

LOOK...

at what I bought tonight online...

Yay! I paid for the spinner class. Need to make a trip to Hannahs or Archiver's to get a few misc. things for the spinner.

Ali Edwards Technique Tues. stamps

Totally don't need it. But had to have it. I do plan to use them on my photo spinner project.

Have wanted this Maya Road chipboard book forever:

bought it : ) not sure yet what I'll make with it. Definitely will involve paint. Love it!

Scrapbooked with a couple friends last night @ the store. Didn't do much, but it was nice to be in the store again (it's been too long!) and with some of my scrappin' girlfriends. I really want to go on a weekend again, but don't know if I can get anyone else to go???

Happy New Year!!

Christmas break...

and I've been out of commission a few days here. Sunday I didn't get out of bed till after 11am, and that's because I needed to get a drink of water. I woke up with some sort of bug; just feeling yucky. My head was so stuffed and I had a terrible headache. The kids all have terrible coughs, but other than that they're seemingly fine now.

So for Christmas I made photo books on Shutterfly for gifts for my parents. I've decided I am going to go through and make photo books for myself for each year (well, as of now I only plan to go back to when I first got a digital camera, so about 2002). Wait--before you think I'm giving up on scrapbooking, I'm not!! Honestly, what I scrapbook won't affect this photo book thing at all. I generally only scrapbook my favorite pictures, and some events like birthdays and first days of school. I don't scrapbook everything, that'd be impossible for me. I don't stay in order, I do whatever I feel like doing. So the photo books will be more of recaps for each year, and they will look so *lovely* on a shelf. They can be pricey, so I'm in no rush...but I love the way my parents' 8x8 books turned out. While shutterfly has some great choices, I really want to do a book off of scrapbooksetc.com--I really love their designs. I am not becoming a digital scrapper--I don't have the patience or desire to make digital pages. But to be able to sum up a year by moving pictures to blank boxes on the screen of the computer...that's just too easy.

It's a quiet morning. The girls are playing with Littlest Pet Shop guys they got for Christmas. Cal slept over by my Dad & Maria's last night. Sleepovers go much smoother when all the kids aren't together anyways. They deserve alone time, since it doesn't happen very often. I think tonight the girls are staying by my Grandma, and Cal by my sister. I'm not trying to pawn my kids off on anyone, everyone has been asking the kids to sleepover! It's hard when school is going on obviously, they can't stay anywhere during the week. And then they have Sunday school, too. So it's a good week for them to have their sleepovers!

Hopefully we'll all be 100% in the next couple days. It never fails, right around Christmas the kids always get sick with something. I don't think any of us got affected the same way Kaycey did by whatever 'bug' got into our house. But I feel a little relieved that she is getting better, and the kids and I got sick, too. Sounds weird, I'm happy we all got sick. Helps me rest easier if it was contagious!

Okay, off to start the day...the girls and I are planning on going to lunch (even though I'm not quite up to eating much yet), and then picking up Cal (I think), and then meeting my cousin and her son to exchange Christmas presents.

Surprise!!

Look what I got in the mail early this week...I didn't open it right away, as instructed : )

(Maddie took this picture this morning...everyone else was playing outside where it was mild and rainy! Which made for great packing snow for snowballs and forts)

The 7 gypsies photo carousel. AWESOME!!!! This is the greatest present! It was a total surprise!! I love surprises! Thanks to my penpal since 8th grade. She lives in Norway; we've never met, but have always managed to stay in touch. Kristine, thank you a million times over!! This is so cool!! I think I might just sign up for the Ali Edwards class online to make that cool family spinner I posted a while ago. Maybe that'll get me in the scrapping mood again.

Other favorite gifts I got: a ticket to see Britney Spears (from my sister)--now before you make fun of me, I've seen her before, and while she is one donut shy of a dozen, she puts on an awesome show--esp. her dancers, which is really my favorite part. Anyways, I also got a new rolling tote for scrapbooking (not to replace my current one, but so I have 2 if I go on weekends and such). I also got a GPS. I, of course, have to use it all the time, just to hear the Austrailian accent, though I switch it to the British accent now and then. I don't know why I get such a kick out of it. "Recalculating!" "Turn on County Teast" (supposed to be county T east.) I think I enjoy listening for it's mistakes.

Anyways, that's all for now...