Hey There Stranger....

So it's been ages. I have thought about blogging on one occasion or another but just didn't have the motivation. Or the desire to go stay up after I got the little ones to bed. But here I am, looking for a distraction from my homework. Yep, I said homework. The last few months have been a complete blur but I think I may be on the path to where I will ultimately end up. I'm currently in graduate school trying to determine if I even remember how to study, or write a paper or the very tactful skill of getting all of your class participation points without sounding like a know it all. Turns out I still got that part nailed down, the other stuff, I think it is coming back to me. The good news is that I have a new lap top so my internet life should be much more streamlined. I have an professional organizer coming to my house tomorrow to help me determine a game plan to maximize the space in my house while getting rid of all the crap that I have let accumlate. I want to make stuff. Play with pictures. And maybe get my sewing machine out. I have lots of photos to share and once I get my act together I may even get them off of my camera. I really want to document the next two years as best as I can since I think I will blink and I will miss my kids growing up. Trying to juggle grad school and being a good Mom is a challenge that I know will be worth it. So here's hoping that I get to say hi more often than every 6 months. Maybe once a week? Who knows but gosh darn it I'm going to try. Can you even get over how cute they are?!

Guess Who Got A New Phone....

I have entered the land of constant contact and eternal peace, also known as the iPhone.
Am I overreacting that this phone has improved my quality of life?

Totally Random Thoughts....

I'm eating an apple while blogging on Colin's iPad.
I finally figured out my Pampered Chef can opener. Totally awesome btw, thanks You Tube.
I died a little on the inside when our high speed Internet wasn't working. If it wasn't for my Blackberry I may have totally lost it.
Just got home from the gym and the kids are with their grandparents and Matt is at work. I am so excited to take a shower in peace.
Going to purchase a new car seat today for Miss C, we have rewards dollars and Babies R Us has their trade in event going on.
I love saving money.
I am currently working on my Project Disney book. Each spread will be a summary of each of our past trips. I love that they will all be in one place and I will get see how our family and the park changes over the years.
It's really hard to type with just one finger while eating an apple.
Happy Saturday!

We Are...Because You Were

How I Am Using Project Life....

Yeah, I know.

If you read blogs or are on Pinterest. It's everywhere.

If not you can read about it here.

So I started thinking about this project 11/13/2009. This is the day that I decided to have a baby. I still have no idea what changed my mind that day I was driving to work, but I did, and that was the day our life changed.

So I started taking a picture everyday so I could document the process from infertility treatment to birth. I was so excited to keep track of every detail...and then I got pregnant and totally forgot how exhausting growing a person is. So I pretty much stopped everything related to memory keeping since I was just barely keeping my head above water. But now I am starting to feel little bits of my old self and I'm ready to tackle a project. (Or at least I think I am).

So I've decided to finish the album I started but also use it to catch up.
I have barely printed a photo in the last two years. TWO YEARS! Everything is kind of a blur from 2009 to now. One of the great aha moments of my life happened when I realized that I didn't have to try to take a photo for everyday or have a layout in this album for every week. Seriously this was a pretty life changing revelation for me. Yes, I know...I don't get out much.

So this album will cover weeks from 11/13/2009-January 2010. Then I got a little sketchy with taking photos and January-September 2010 will be months in review layouts. I am using We R Memory Keepers 4x6 page protectors for this project so months that I have 7+ photos get a 2 page spread, months with less than 7+ photos get one page. Again...LIFE CHANGING :-)

October it picks up again to weekly layouts since this is when Miss C was born and babies sleep so much at first and well I was excited and I took lots of photos. Yeah that didn't last long and once we get to January 2011 we are back to monthly highlights. This album will hold everything up until 2012. I plan on starting a new album and stick to the week in review approach.

I'm so stinking excited for this and I suddenly feel much for organized and less guilty about sleeping. And get this...I saw an idea to use this for frequent Disney trips and I was all like..."Hey that's us...we have 8 trips that are just waiting to be put somewhere." Again, LIFE CHANGING. Seriously.

Happy New Year!

Yes, I realize that it is already seven days into January but this is the first chance that I have gotten to slow down all week. I am currently sorting through photos to attempt, again, to be successful with Project Life. If you haven't heard of it by now, you may be living under a rock, or you don't spend a great deal of time on the internet...good for you :-)

So for me this year, I purchased two styles of page protectors, (B and F) and a new We R Memory Keepers album that I was able to use a 50% off coupon. For everything else, I'm going to use what I have. I have so much stuff that has been collecting dust over the last year that it all seems like new product to me anyway. That's the one good thing of getting out of the whole publishing thing for awhile, the pressure to use the latest and greatest is gone. I can just use what I like regardless of when it was manufactured. Don't get me wrong, as soon as I can start fitting scrapbooking into my life again I will start submitting, but for now I am learning to appreciate the break.

Before I go, I just wanted to share a few photos of our Christmas holiday.


This is TJ, our very naughty elf. He is wearing the bow tie I made for Colin's Christmas concert. I originally volunteered to make 155 of them. Don't worry, I eventually came to my sleep deprived senses.


Reindeer Food and Teacher Gifts.


Eating our Gingerbread House.


Colin squeezing Miss C. too hard as usual.
I can't explain why his legs are in the air.


This is a weird face that Charlotte is making but it's the only one where she kept on her headband that I made her. I threw this together 5 minutes before we left for Christmas Eve dinner at my Mom's. Gotta love a glue gun and a cuttle bug.


Miss C. is starting to be much more aware of whatever Colin is doing and wants to sit right next to him or even on his lap. Keep in mind that Miss C. walks around like she owns the place so it is very possible that she thinks Colin is her toy, chair, servant etc but I still think it is cute.

Wi Fi Where Have You Been All My Life?

As I sit on my couch soaking in all of the possibilities, I am in awe of technology. In just one day we have increased our online presence significantly with a new iPad and a Google TV. Santa was very good to us this year and we are truly blessed. It will take a little time for me to learn how to do everything I am used to doing on my regular computer but I hope to be able to blog more regularly. Because that, my friends, is the gift that keeps on giving :-).
So just a quick update while I learn to add photos to posts.
The kids are great although why any toddler should get 5-6 teeth at once is beyond me.
Miss C is running all over creation and wants nothing to do with being held and certainly does not require hand holding.
Colin has been enjoying his Christmas gifts even though he was really sweating the Santa stuff. He was sure the big guy was not coming to our house this year. Colin's doing well and being well, Colin. See previous sentence about being worried that Santa was not coming.
I have been trying to craft but it's been hard to make time. I'm hoping to start working on Miss C's newborn photos. Maybe that will get my butt in gear? It was around 18 months when I started scrapbooking for Colin so I only have a few more months, right?
Anywho that's a lot of words with no photos, I will post some Christmas photos soon. Promise.
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!