For the Love of Friday...

I haven't done this for the past few weeks, but there are a few things I'm loving right now in particular...

1. The uncharacteristically cool weather we've been experiencing in AZ for the past week....so far, it's been a relatively mild June (knock on wood...I really hope this continues for a while longer)

2. Fun-filled splash parks scattered throughout Chandler and the surrounding area...a fun alternative to swimming in the pool every day

AK

Roo

Making new friends everywhere they go...

3. Dollar art supplies in the Dollar Deal area at Target (we're talking water colors, finger paints, paper rolls, brushes, markers....it's the perfect time to stock up!!)

4. Afternoon trips to the zoo with the girls...even if the trips are only for an hour or two

They wanted to climb on the stone frog, but the stone was too hot, so the girls settled for sitting on his feet...AK's on the left (holding her "spy-the-scope"), Roo's being goofy on the right

AK's favorite of the day were the flamingos

Roo got a kick out of watching the camels

5. Having Doug home for a relaxed evening of $5 pizza and movies...we're pretty laid back, but that's how I like it!

New Digiscrap Kit Releases

Just wanted to let you all know about some new kit releases from the designers for which I CT...

[Doodly Spring] from Pixie Perfect Designs, available exclusively at Enchanted Studio Scraps

[Safari Stampede] collab from Creations by Rachael and Late Night Scraps, available at Pretty Scrappy

[Psssttt....For a chance to win this kit PLUS the adorable add-on for FREE, check out the Rubber Room at Digiscrap Addicts...]

[June Color Play] Paper and Elements Packs from Julie Marie Designs, available at Elemental Scraps

This last one isn't a particularly new kit, but it's new to me and I [really] enjoyed working with it, so I figured I'd add it to this post...it's called [My Secret Garden] from Creations by Rachael, and it available at Pretty Scrappy

Thanks for looking!! I sort of feel like my scrapbooking has taken over this blog, but since the pages I scrap are all about us and the girls and contribute somewhat to the journaling of our family, I suppose there are worse things that could happen.

Kid-bits

Kids say and do the darnedest things, sometimes. I try to write down all the little tidbits and happenings that make me laugh, but I don't always have a pen handy. That being said, here are some random little kid-bits from our lives...some we find amusing, others you may find amusing since you aren't the one at which they are being directed:

"Whoa...that was weird!" - I think Roo picked this one up from the movie "Horton Hears a Who." She gets the cutest little look on her face when she says this...it's pretty hilarious, if you ask me.

"Prince, prince! Come here prince!" - this is usually directed at AK, who has taken on the "boy" role in their imaginary play. Roo is the princess and AK is the prince...one of the unfortunate consequences of not [yet] having any brothers to torment.

"This is gonna be de-licious" - usually accompanied by very enthusiastic arm pumps and BIG smiles.

"I do it my own self!" - this is one I hear a LOT...unless it comes to wiping a dirty bum or cleaning up toys.

"Scratch my arm?...No, you scratch my arm." - this is a little exchange that goes on between Doug and Roo. She is very much like her papa and [loves] to get her back (or arm, or leg, or foot, etc.) scratched. Doug will ask her to scratch his arm, only to have Roo decline by immediately asking him to scratch her arm. It's no surprise that Roo always wins this argument...

"This is gonna be awe-some!" - AK's coin phrase...for some reason, she likes to whisper this in my ear rather than say it full volume

"You bone-head!" - Yes, I admit, this phrase is one that the girls picked up from me...most often overheard while driving. It was cute hearing them say it the first couple of times, but it's not so cute when the girls are screaming this at the top of their lungs in protest to something Doug or I have asked them to do (at least, not for us - others seem to find it hilarious to watch!)

"Hmmm-hmm...I not listening" - usually accompanied by placing both index fingers into their ears and avoiding eye contact. This most often occurs in primary during singing time (so I'm told) or when I'm asking the girls to do something they don't want to...such as clean up their room.

"Hmmph...NE-ver!!" - usually yelled and accompanied by arms crossed over the chest or emphatic stamping of a foot.

"I yuv you" and "You're my bestest friend!" - Although not new, these are all-time favorites. Hearing these make dealing with all the other "not-so-great" kid-bits worth it...especially when they are said to each other. The girls are growing up so quickly now...I can't believe how quickly the past 3 1/2 years have gone by! I am so grateful they have become such good friends, and only hope their friendship continues to grow stronger.

Kid-bits

Kids say and do the darndest things, sometimes. I try to write down all the little tidbits and happenings that make me laugh, but I don't always have a pen handy. That being said, here are some random little kid-bits from our lives...some we find amusing, others you may find amusing since you aren't the one at which they are being directed:

"Whoa...that was wierd!" - I think Roo picked this one up from the movie "Horton Hears a Who." She gets the cutest little look on her face when she says this...it's pretty hillarious, if you ask me.

"Prince, prince! Come here prince!" - this is usually directed at AK, who has taken on the "boy" role in their imaginery play. Roo is the princess and AK is the prince...one of the unfortunate consequences of not [yet] having any brothers to torment.

"This is gonna be de-licious" - usually accompanied by very enthusiastic arm pumps and BIG smiles.

"I do it my own self!" - this is one I hear a LOT...unless it comes to wiping a dirty bums or cleaning up toys.

"Scratch my arm?...No, you scratch my arm." - this is a little exchange that goes on between Doug and Roo. She is very much like her papa and [loves] to get her back (or arm, or leg, or foot, etc.) scratched. Doug will ask her to scratch his arm, only to have Roo decline by immediately asking him to scratch her arm. It's no surprise that Roo always wins this argument...

"This is gonna be awe-some!" - AK's coin phrase...for some reason, she likes to whisper this in my ear rather than say it full volume

"You bone-head!" - Yes, I admit, this phrase is one that the girls picked up from me...most often overheard while driving. It was cute hearing them say it the first couple of times, but it's not so cute when the girls are screaming this at the top of their lungs in protest to something Doug or I have asked them to do (at least, not for us - others seem to find it hillarious to watch!)

"Hmmm-hmm...I not listening" - usually accompanied by placing both index fingers into their ears and avoiding eye contact. This most often occurs in primary during singing time (so I'm told) or when I'm asking the girls to do something they don't want to...such as clean up their room.

"Hmmph...NE-VER!!" - usually yelled and accompanied by arms crossed over the chest or emphatic stamping of a foot.

"I yuv you" and "You're my bestest friend!" - Although not new, these are all-time favorites. Hearing these make hearing all the other "not-so-great" kid-bits worth it.

No Shirt, No Shoes...No Service

But, apparently pants are optional!

While potty-training the girls, I allowed them to play around the house in the just their panties. I had read and heard that this made it easier for them to get used to going potty, but I mainly allowed it to reduce the amount of laundry I had to wash on account of the initial potty accidents. Well, I am now rethinking this method as the girls continue to want to walk around the house in just their underpants. They have no problem putting on shirts or shoes, apparently, it's just pants they no longer wish to wear.

Sorry the pictures aren't the greatest...I still haven't gotten the hang of our new camera - I'm finding it very difficult to get a clear shot of my squirmy little monsters. And please disregard that pile of blankets in the background...we made tents this morning, which turned into magic carpets, which then turned into beds for their stuffed animals. Fun, fun!!

Wa-hoo!!

It's official...I got an A in my algebra class...a 96%. Who would have thought I would be so excited about getting on A for re-learning things I originally learned my sophmore year in high school?! It's amazing how much you can forget in 12 years...and the past 5 weeks have been filled with a LOT of studying and frustration. Special thanks to Doug and the girls for putting up with and for being so patient with me while I tredged through the course.

Let's hope my next two classes won't be quite as time consuming.

Recent Scrap Pages and a Sneak Peek...

So, even though my algebra class has delivered a serious bootie-whooping and taken up a lot of my time these past few weeks, I have managed to regain some sanity by scrapping a few pages. Most of these were made as part of my CT requirements for Pixie Perfect Designs and Julie Marie Designs, but there are a few extra pages as well. And, because we all know I'm a little inclined to keep myself way too busy, I decided to guest CT for a third designer - Creations by Rachael - who will soon be releasing a new collab kit and has provided a sneak peak of the adorable-ness that is to come.

Here's the sneak peek...I am totally looking forward to scrapping some zoo pics with this one.

And, here is a look at all the pages I've made in the past month.

Using [Polka Dots and Paisley] by Creations by Rachael

Using [Juicy Pop] from Creations by Rachael

Using [Fairy Hollow] by Pixie Perfect Designs

Using [Summer Love] by Pixie Perfect Designs

Using [Enchanted Sea] Collab by Pixie Perfect Designs and A+ Designs

Using [Graceful] by Pixie Perfect Designs

Using [Life Captured] and [Worn Alpha2] by Julie Marie Designs

Using [The Graphics] by Julie Marie Designs

These are my non-CT pages, created for a variety of challenges at my favorite scrappin' sites.

[Font Challenge] at Funky Playground Designs

[Scraplift Challenge] at Funky Playground Designs

[Color Challenge] at Funky Playground Designs

May [Apple Cart] Challenge at Scrap Orchard

May [Font This!] Challenge at Scrap Orchard

Congrats, Congrats, Congrats....

I'm a little late on these, but I wanted to offer the following congratulations:

[Congrats] to my brother Ben on his engagement to [the beautiful, talented, kind, fun-loving]Karen Dupree. I am so excited to have you join our family...who would have thought an engagement would be the result of that blind date months ago? Wedding date will be July 25 in Draper, UT.

[Congrats] to the Eccles family on the arrival of their handsome baby boy on April 28. Both mom and baby Q are doing well!!

[Congrats] to my friend Heidi on her engagement to Devon. Wedding is planned for September 4th in the Salt Lake Valley...I feel so honored that I've been asked to be a bridesmaid. I can't wait!!

I am so happy for all of you (ecstatic, actually)...and I'm greatly looking forward to our many trips up to Utah this summer!!