Catching Up...

Sorry to have been MIA for a bit...this new work schedule is taking some time to get used to. I hope to be back on a more regular routine soon but until then it's just a matter of surviving from one day/night to the next. Aside from work and momhood nothing really changes much from my day-to-day. That being said, here's the 411 on the rest of the fam.

Doug is doing well. There are some changes in the works at UOP...some good, some not-so-great...but nothing we can't survive. In the meantime he is working hard to enroll students and trying to finish up the remaning classes for his degree. He will be taking the LAPD written exam in a couple of weeks (wish him luck) and he is also planning to compete in a few jiu jitsu tournaments over the next 2 months. It's been a while since he last competed due to injuries and such so I'm hoping he will be able to participate in the tournies he's is planning on without any setbacks.

The girls are doing wonderfully - feisty and silly and mischeivous and independent as ever. They are having gymnastics withdrawals so I'm going to look into getting them into a class as soon as I'm able. Also trying to figure out what we are going to do for a Pre-K program since we decided not to have them start kindergarden this year. They haven't been sleeping so well since I started working nights but I'm hoping it's just a phase that will soon pass. They have been enjoying a new favorite toy - their little bicycle (a gem-of-a-find from one my trash-digging expeditions...we'll just leave it at that). They really do make a good effort to share but I have decided that when it comes to bikes one is simply not enough for these two...so I've also added a 2nd bike on our list of things to get. The beach and the library are still our two top places to visit...we've even managed to start walking to above-mentioned places so that I can get a little more exercise.

We've had some fun visitors in the past few weeks (Doug's brother and his family came out from Arizona, my sister and her 3 boys came up from San Diego, friends from AZ) and we will be going to Arizona for
Doug's tournament in a couple of weeks. I would really, REALLY like to get up to Utah sometime before the holidays but I'm not quite sure if I'll be able to swing that with work. If not before the holidays, perhaps we can plan something for afterward. It's been way to long since we last visited and a little bit of R&R with my siblings and friends up there would be wonderful!

I believe that's all for now! Sorry for such a short update but at least you all know that we are alive and well and surviving!! Even though I don't comment on everyone's blogs as often as I should, know that our family and friends are constantly in our thoughts and prayers! Hope today's post finds you happy, healthy, and well!

And just because - here is a slide of some photos from last month that I don't think I've posted yet....on this particular night there were hundreds of itty, bitty baby sand crabs being pushed around by the waves...the girls love those little critters! Sand crabs aside, these photos are representative of a pretty typical evening for our little beach family!

 Thanks for stopping by!!

Wanna Be a ScrapMatters Girl?

ScrapMatters is looking for some awesome gals to add to the team!! See below or click HERE for complete info.

Scrap Haps

I haven't had a whole lot of free time to scrap lately, but it's been a while since I last posted my creative endeavors so here you go...enjoy!! (Click on the Site CT link to be taken to my individual galleries for full page credits information)

Funky Playground Designs CT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ScrapMatters CT

 

   

 Zig Zag Scrap CT

 

 

As much as I love scrapping, I had to make the very difficult decision to step down from a few of my CT committments. With going back to work and having to figure out a new work/sleep/live schedule, I felt it was the right time to cut back on some of my "extracurricular" activities so that I could better focus on Doug, the girls, and our home. I have decided to stay on the site CT's, but for the time being I will no longer be creating for individual designers. It was a really hard decision but it is better for me, our family, and now those designers will be able to get someone who can better promote and publicize their creations. That being said, you probably won't see as many scrapbook layouts from this point forward. I'm still scrapbooking, just not in the mass quanties I was before!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Catching Up...Cousin Time

The beginning of the week started off with a fun-filled visit from some of our AZ cousins. The girls were in heaven...in the morning we goofed off out in the yard and the girls tumbled to their hearts content. Then we had a fun-filled day at the beach (Doug took the day off work and we both managed to get some water time in since Granma and Granpa H. also came down...it was fabulous!!) followed by a bonfire in the driveway with smores and a little FHE. The following morning we slept in and hung around the house until it was time to say good-bye....family visits never seem to last long enough!

Anyway, pictures tell volumes more than my words can, so here are some slides of our cousin fun (thanks to the many wonderful photos from my sister-in-law Kary)!!

Catching Up...County Fair

The girls and I were able to hang out at the County Fair before it closed for the season, thanks to our wonderful neighbor who had an extra ticket (the girls were free). I didn't realize it was $1 dollar rides the day we went, or else I would have gotten us there earlier...that being said, Aiden and Reilly seemed to have an absolute blast!!

 

They loved visiting the animals, especially the baby chickadees and the baby piglets. As for the rides, they enjoyed every single one that we were able to try out - 2 fun houses, some bouncy cars, a mini coaster, the mega slide, and (of course) the ferris wheel. That's right folks...I took one for the team, put my fear of heights aside, and went on the ferris wheel. I had a minor panic/anxiety attack after being stuck at the very top for close to 10 minutes (it probably was less than that, but it seemed like hours)...but the girls noticed I was getting scared and they started to get a little scared (especially Aiden) so I had to quickly pull myself together and enjoy the rest of the ride. We also walked through the "fun zone" and took a look at some of the exhibits...I didn't buy anything, though, because I refuse to pay ridiculously inflated fair prices. On our way out we passed by some street performers...one group in particular was really, REALLY cool - a drum trio who used water jugs, sauce pans, and a plastic plate fastened to a bar stool. They were very talented and extremely entertaining...a great way to end the evening. Oh...and we also picked up a bag of kettle corn for papa...I should have splurged for the large bag, though, because the small one was consumed entirely too quickly!

Anyway, enough of my babbling...here's a slide of the photos from our afternoon/evening at the fair!!

And while I have the fair on the mind, I want to share a new scrapbooking kit that is absolutely FABULOUS...and it will be perfect to scrap all my photos from this excursion. Two wonderful designers - Jennifer Barrette and Sahlin Studio - collaborated to create the amazing Vintage Carnival digital kit. It's available NOW at ScrapMatters. Have a looksie...then stop by the shop to pick it up!!

Catching Up...Cheer-nastics Camp

I know I promised this weeks ago, but I'm finally getting around to posting the video and some photos from performance day of the cheer/gymnastics camp the girls participated in this month. As you're watching the video, Aiden is the one with gray leggings under her shorts and socks on, Reilly just has the shorts with no socks. The girls loved camp and had a blast, but their skills retention wasn't that great for the cheerleading part...that's alright though, because it was still really fun to watch my cute little girls...

(Okay....so I haven't been able to get the video to upload to blogger....or YouTube....anyone have some video uploading tips? suggestions? help?!)
The girls especially loved the gymnastics part of the week...they loved getting to do all the forward rolls and straddle rolls they wanted. Here are some of the video clips of that part of the show, as well as cute one of the girls dancing on the sidelines after finishing their turn...

(See above comment...video will be posted after I figure out why it's not working...)

In addition to Papa, Granma and Granpa H. and silly cousin Connor came up to watch the show. The girls were SOOO excited to have an audience to perform for, and were much too busy to sit still for photos. Even so, here are a few I was able to get throughout the day.

  

Aiden (Left Photo) - not wanting to get her picture taken pre-show    

Reilly (Right Photo) - kinda, sorta, not really cooperating but still letting me take a picture...I'll take what I can get from these two.

  

(Left Photo)The girls and "silly Connor"...did I mention how excited they were by his surprise visit?    

(Right Photo) Probably one of the few times all week when the girls were sitting still after being asked...small miracles, folks...I live through small miracles!! 

ScrapMatters Birthday Blog Train!!

Come on ride the train, hey ride it - woo woo

Come on ride the train, it's the choo choo train...

You have arrived at your next stop on the ScrapMatters Birthday Bash Blog Train. You should have just come from Jen's (Abcmomof4) blog at http://www.wolfffpack6.blogspot.com/

And your next stop will be to Tracie's (marto_gal_30) blog at http://siggypiggy.wordpress.com/

But before you leave, don't forget to grab your freebie from me - a fun pack of cupcake toppers, which are versatile enough to be used as gift bag tags or scrapbook page embellishments. There are two sheets - one with black background papers and one with white background papers - each with 9 designs. The toppers are 2 5/16" so they can easily be cut with a 2 5/16" paper punch...just print, punch, attach and you're done! Easy peasy!!

So sorry - this freebie has expired!! But you can still grab the amazing kit HERE at ScrapMatters

As a reminder, this free download will only be available for ONE week...so grab it before it's gone! In case you get derailed at some point along the blog train, you can see the complete list HERE on the ScrapMatters Blog. And don't forget about all the wonderful festivities going on this weekend in celebration of ScrapMatters 3rd Birthday!! Here's the full schedule of events...

And the ScrapMatters Sale will continue through the entire week...

So, that's about it! Thanks for stopping by...I hope you're enjoying all the fabulous FREE goodies the SM designers and creative team have created for you!! Have a choo-riffic day!!

 

 Ride that choo choo - woo woo

Come on it's the choo choo - woo woo

Come on it's the choo choo train...

MIA...

In case you are wondering where we've been...we're not hiding, we've just been really busy this week. The girls are participating in a cheer-nastics camp where I have been helping out at the "Team Mom." They are a little young for the group (it's supposed to be for ages 5-12), but despite a few rough moments they seem to LOVE it...especially the gymnastics.

They have made some fun friends and it's been so neat for me to watch Aiden and Reilly branch out and interact with new people. Aiden in particular became quick friends with an older girl names Isabella...Reilly just seems content to flitter around from person to person, coach to coach, doing her own thing and having a good time. The coaches have been absolutely wonderful with the girls...very patient and understanding of their limited attention span. The group had a little dance-off earlier this week...both Reilly and Aiden were in the "finale" and wouldn't you know that it was little Miss Aiden who won...thanks to some wicked cool break dancing moves. If I can remember to grab the flip, I'll try to get some video of her so you can see her get her groove on. These two girls seriously crack me up...they never cease to amaze me. There will be an end of camp showcase on Friday, so I'll definitely have some pictures to post then.

And if you're reading this, thanks for not giving up on me...summer has been fun and crazy and wonderful...which means less time on the computer and more time hanging out as a family. Eventually I'll get caught up with photos and journaling and all that jazz...until then, just know we love and appreciate all of our family members and friends!

Later gators!