Stuck?! Sketches Feb. 1st Reveal

It's my last month on the Stuck?! team. It's been fun working with all the awesome sketches over the last few months! Look forward to a new team next month. Can't wait to see what they have in store! Thanks, Sara, for everything :)

Here is the Feb. 1st sketch:

And here's my take on it. Featuring another awesome picture by Lynette!

This paper has so much sparkle in real life. Too bad it doesn't show up as well in a photo. You'll just have to come visit and see it for yourself :)

I've been (virtually) hanging out over at TallyScrapper. The site too me some getting used to but it was worth it. The girls are really fun and friendly and there are some fun challenges. Right now they have a cyber crop going on with tons of challenges, games and, of course, prizes. All you scrappy gals should go check it out! I hope to have many layouts to show from it in the near future :)

In funny Riley news, this afternoon he was talking about saving money to buy a Lego set he wants. He said, "I've been waiting 10 years for this!" (For those of you who don't know, Riley is 6 :)).

Kevin and I just finished our EA Sports Active workouts on the Wii. I swear that chick is trying to kill me! But now it's time for How I Met Your Mother. We're almost done Season 4 and then I'll be seeking out Season 5. I swear all the shows we normally watch have been forgotten, lol. What is happening on House or Grey's Anatomy?? Ah well, I'll catch up on those in a few years...

'A Good Day' or 'How Cute Are My Kids??'

It's been a nice day. I took Riley out of school early for an orthodontist appointment. Man, that stuff starts young...orthodontists, opthamologists! So many years of appointments left! At least we got to play hooky and have lunch together and run a few errands. It was fun! So nice to spend some one on one time with Riley. Thanks to Mom for looking after the other 2!

While we were out at Michael's Riley picked up some stickers of mythological creatures...a dragon, a hydra, a griffin, etc. When we got home he made a little book titled, 'Hawe to fight ferse thing' (traslation: 'How to Fight Fierce Things'). It's actually really good. He put a sticker of each creature on a page and then describes how you should best fight that particular beast. Apparently to fight dragons you need a bow and arrow. Then, "go to a very fare plac and shot!" LOL! I love it! To fight a Griffin you need, "a banch of sords. You hid and throw." Finally, to fight a troll you, "need a sord. He swings down lowe you jamp and swing." So creative! Then, get this, he says he wants to send it to someone. I think, "that's so cute." I asked him who he wanted to send it to he said, "someone who will make a lot of copies, then I want to put them in a store." Heehee. My 6 year old is looking to get published already! Awesome! He is too amazing. He later told Kevin that he wanted to have a fighting store where he would sell Nerf weapons, fake creatures and copies of his book. Don't worry, I'll let you know when the grand opening is. Save up, a fake dragon can't be cheap ;)

Yesterday I did preschool duty for Kieran's class. He always loves it when I go and then ends up being whiny and clingy by the end. But we had fun, despite that he never wants to paint or do arts and crafts with me, haha. It's all playing in the sand and blocks. Boys! I guess we did do a little play-doh. Today, randomly while I was reading him a story he reached over, rubbed my cheek and said, "I like when you're on duty." This is the next day! He is so sweet :) I guess it's worth it.

Another Kieran thing...he wanted me to sing him Do, A Deer at bedtime. While I'm singing he says, "this is a good song because it has a deer in it." Umm...ok, I guess so :)

Bridget got glasses last week and Kieran got new ones. I tried to get decent pictures on the day, and the next morning even, but the kids weren't so cooperative, but it'll give you a good laugh :)

Here are my little artists at work one snow day last week :)

Bridget has been asking for so many weird things at bedtime. She'll call asking for lip balm. The other day she told Kevin it was ok because, "Mommy lets me share her lip balm." :) Tonight she wanted Kieran's hippo stuffie. It was already in his bed so we had to do a trade for her fish stuffie. Oh, the many jobs of a parent :) Kieran actually got up not that long ago to go to the bathroom. Apparently he took off his pj pants and his underwear and put them back on in the reverse order. He may wonder tomorrow when his underwear are on the outside :) As he was stumbling back to bed he told Kevin he wanted his hippo back. He was ok with it when we told him he'd have to wait, haha.

Here's a new layout...it's been awhile :) I'm having so much fun scrapping pics that Lynette Mason took for us last fall. She also took the one that is my blog header now. It's my fave and I need to get it blown up big!

I finished one of Kiearn tonight too but I have to wait for the light to take a picture :)

Ok, off to devote my full attention to How I Met Your Mother. We are so, so addicted. We're watching Season 4 right now. Gotta love having tv on DVD.

A beautiful Sunday

So, I did something today that I wouldn't normally do. I know some of you will be shocked by this, if you know me well enough that is. I took part in a winter activity. One that wasn't just sliding in my front yard with my warm, cozy house close by. Riley and I went cross country skiing for the first time with a friend of mine and her daughter, who is the same age as Riley. It was the perfect winter day for it, sunny and warm.

Still, if you know me, you know winter and I are the best of friends. I am all too happy to bid him good-bye in the (hopefully early) spring and reluctant to greet him upon his return. I get cold easily and stay cold forever. But, with kids, I am forced into that unpleasant winter more often than I would like to take part in sliding and snowball fights and, now, cross country skiing.

Now...I've done downhill skiing a couple of times when I was younger and it is so not for me. I have no idea what possesses a person to strap slippery sticks onto their feet and hurtle themselves down a steep hill. So, so, so not for me. I'm hardly a thrill seeker! But I thought, "I can handle cross country." And, since I haven't been running lately (see above if you've already forgotten my dislike of winter... I'm thinking I'm a seasonal runner :)) I figured it would be good to get out and be active. I don't mind being out too much on the warmer winter days. So glad we did too because we really had a great time! Yes, I am as surprised as you are :)

There were a couple of hairy spots going up some hills (that were far from 'beginner' in my opinion!). Poor Riley kept falling and sliding back down and really, I couldn't do much to help since I would just end up in the same position! All I could do was try to talk him through it. Of course, when he fell and was struggling to get up, skiing was the worst idea ever but when he got to the top of the hill and was on the way down it was the best! That kid is SO black and white...super negative or super positive. Sadly, it's usually super negative when it comes to what he's able to accomplish and what he considers fun. We can take him sliding one day and he has a BLAST but if we suggest it a couple of days later he will swear up and down he had no fun the last time and it was the most BORING (I strongly dislike this word as I hear it at least 20 times a day from Riley!) thing ever! It's a very frustrating trait that he has and I'm hoping he grows out of it soon! He can't be a moody teenager at 6! For the most part though, I think he had a great time and I'm super proud of both of us for getting out there and trying something new. At least he got to see his mom struggle up hills too :)

What would a blog post be without pictures? :)

All squinty looking into the sun. Don't you just love how you can see the shadow of me taking the picture :) At least it's not over our rosy-cheeked faces!

It's been a good weekend. I spent a good part of yesterday scrapbooking which I hadn't done in forever! I had a great time hanging out with the LCOM girls and can't wait to do it again. You'll see some pictures of layouts soon :)

Well, I must get back to critiquing the Golden Globes. All I have to say is, "What is up with the return of shoulder pads???" Some things need to just stay in the 80s. Ok, a lot of things need to stay in the 80s since I am also deeply disturbed by teenage boys in skinny jeans.

Christian Bale...the music is playing...get off the stage. Dude, he's still talking....

Fave 10 of 2010

I meant to do this last year (as in yesterday :)), but hey, life gets busy. So, here are my favourite layouts of 2010, in no particular order (though I think the 'get messy, be happy, make art is my number one fave of the year).

Doing this made me realize 2 things: 1. I REALLY need to scrap the boys more often! Anyone have recommendations for great boy papers. I think it's more because I lack good boy product. Let's face it, there's lots of pretty flowers and bling to be had but boy stuff isn't nearly as fun. 2. Most of my best work was done early on in the year. Not sure why. Maybe I was more inspired, had more time...not sure, but it's an observation.

As I was looking through all my pictures I realized how much has happened this year. Kieran got glasses, we said GOOD-BYE to diapers (woohoo!) and the crib, Riley learned to ride a two-wheeler and started grade 1, Bridget grew enough hair to put in pigtails :) (how could she have had so little hair only a year ago!), we (and by we, I mean Kevin) grew a small garden and ate some of our own potatoes (now that we know more this year it may be more successful this year), we caught and (tried) to raise tadpoles (not sure where we went wrong but I'd like to try again, even though that feels cruel, lol), we went on our first 'official' family vacation to New Hampshire (no diapers, high chairs, baby food!), we added a puppy to our craziness! (luckily, he is such a good dog and rolls with whatever we do), Riley started Judo and lost his first tooth, I started running and accomplished a few races, including a 5 miler. It was a crazy, loud, hectic, BUSY, awesomely fun year with our amazing little (and large extended) family! Here's hoping for more of the same in 2011. Happy New Year to all!!