Back from vacation!

Ok, since this would be a VERY long blog post if I were to tell you about our whole vacation all at once, I'll go a day at a time. I know you are all SO interested in our lives and need to know every detail ;) Today I'll recap last Friday and Saturday since Friday was just a driving day really.

Last Friday we were up bright and early to leave. I think we left here around 7ish. The kids had some cereal in the car so we were all ready to do some driving before we had breakfast somewhere. Of course, as soon as we're 10 min from home I realize that the kids hadn't peed before we left and that Bridget, in fact, had not peed since going to bed the night before. How she held it that long and never even said anything, I still don't know. So, we stopped to pee (for one of 6 or 7 times she would have to go on the way down). Not long after that...about another 5 min down the road, Bridget asks if we're still in Canada, haha. It seemed like it would be a long drive! But they ended up being really good. They only watched one movie on the way down but kept busy with books and toys and snacks and naps (for Kieran and Bridget anyway, oh, and Mommy :)).

The only bad part was the breakfast at Burger King. I'm not sure I'll be able to go in one again for as long as I live. First of all, their coffee maker was BROKEN (hello people, I have an 8 hour drive with 3 kids, I need caffeine!) and the food was so gross and heavy. Blech. Kevin assures me the BK breakfast in Canada is different but I may never find out, lol!

We got to our condo and it was perfect for us. A room with a couple of beds that we put Bridget in (we moved a mattress to the floor for her like at home) and a space for the boys with 2 beds. The only part that took a little getting used to was sleeping on a different floor from the kids since the master was on the main floor. We didn't take the monitor so I worried about being able to hear them if they woke up. Luckily they didn't do that often but I did hear them the times they did so it was ok. We went for a quick swim in the pool before bed that night. The kids were thrilled to be able to go to a pool everyday!

On Saturday we visited the Polar Caves. Here's a quick description I grabbed from the website:

The Polar Caves were formed about fifty thousand years ago as the third continental glacier descended over New Hampshire's White Mountains. When the ice retreated, it left behind an amazing series of caves and passageways for visitors to explore. Self-guided tours take you to the rock garden and nature trails and through the caves.

It was so cool and fun! A little difficult at times getting the kids (and ourselves!) through the caves, but very fun. One of my favourite outings for sure. If you're in the area you must check it out! There's also an area with some animals and a sugar shack to look through. The kids also panned for gems and fossils and found some neat treasures!

Here are some favourite pictures from the day:

Looks like fun, eh? :) I can say 'eh' now that I'm back in Canada. Stay tuned for more Winchester adventures.

While I was gone Stuck?! Sketches had it's August 15th reveal. Check out all the gorgeous work here. Here are the sketch and my take on it :)

Be sure the participate in the Stuck?! blog hop too. It's still going on :)

See you tomorrow!

Vacation time!!!!

I think we're almost ready to go. Bags packed, snacks packed, kids bookbags packed with enough stuff to do that we should be able to get 10 min from the house before they ask if we're there yet :) We're off to NH for a week. It will be so nice for just our little family to get away and spend some time together. Something we don't do nearly enough!

A few cute Riley stories, of course.

We had a movie night last week and watched Homeward Bound. It was a little intense for Kieran...I think he thought that the animals were toast at every turn. He spent 2/3 of the movie in my lap. They were all very into the movie the whole time and I swear they were all teary at the end. After it was over Riley said, "Mommy, I learned something from that movie. Well, I already kind of knew it...miracles really do happen." Awww, how cute is he?

I was noticing tonight that he had lots of scrapes and bruises and mentioned it to him. He said, "yeah, I get damaged a lot!" Heehee.

Bridget had her first pig tails a couple of days ago. Her hair is *just* long enough to do it and it is horrible trying to get those tiny elastics in, but worth it when you see this cute face:

Today, in the midst of packing we had a visit from our puppy, Oz. We brought him to our house for a couple of hours to hang with us and get to know the place. He is so cute and the kids love him so much already.

(finding a safe place to hang out :))

Awww!!!

Well, I must get to bed soon. Kevin is making us get up bright and early to head out. He's so excited, it's like Christmas. We told the boys they could get up at 6:00 instead of 6:30 (yes, that's the latest they sleep and we have to MAKE them stay in bed that long). I told them it was just for this one day and Riley says at the same time I do, "except for Christmas" because we told them they could get up at 6:00 that time too. He doesn't forget a thing. Wish us luck! It's our first family vacation, ever really. Have a great week!

Stuck?! Sketches Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Stuck?! Sketches blog hop! Here are the details:

You must collect each of the letters from the Creative Team members blogs. Unscramble them and then send an email to stucksketches@optusnet.com.auwith the winning word, your name and location by midnight September 10th. You must also comment on each of the blogs to be eligible for the prize drawing.

We have a wonderful sponsor lined up for the blog hop.
Kimmie from Kimmie Prout Designs has kindly offered a $15 voucher to her store for one lucky winner. This will be determined randomly from everyone who emails the correct word through.

Start out at the Stuck?! blog and let us know you are playing and then start hoppin' along! My letter for you is A! Happy hopping!!

Stuck?! Sketches Birthday Bash!

Be sure to join in the fun over at Stuck?! Sketches this month! There's extra sketches, a blog hop and lots of prizes to be won! C'mon over and join the party!!!

Two reveals! Lots of Scrappy Fun!

Hello, August!! Can you believe the summer is half gone already? And my sanity is still hangin' in there (though last week gave it a run for its money!!). We still have our vacation in NH to look forward to as well as the addition of a new puppy to our family at the end of August. He's a sweet little Boxer and we've named him Oz. Isn't he a cutie?

The first of August brings my first reveal with the Crop Addict team! I had such fun working with the bright, fun colours in this kit. Perfect for summer fun and great colours for scrapping little boys (had to sneak a girl page in too though ;)). Here are my layouts, but you can check out the whole team's work here.

The birthday card is for a friend of mine and I forgot to give it to her before she went away for a short vacation. I saw her the other night at dinner and was trying to remind myself all day to bring it with me but of course, in the rush of the day, I forgot. I also made her this cute cork board to go along with it. I totally love this project...fun and easy. I followed a tutorial on this blog.

So, C, if you are reading my blog...surprise! Haha!

August first also brings my first Stuck?! Sketches reveal! I've been a busy little scrapper :) Here are the sketch and my layout, but you can check out all the takes on the sketch here.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. We have a long weekend here (extra long for us since Kevin took Friday off). We are having some friends over for a barbecue later. We're really looking forward to it. Kieran's already talking about having hot dogs and marshmallows for supper :) Should be a fun time! Until then there's some cleaning and napping on the agenda! Have a great day!

My Mind's Eye Challenge

I tried out one of the My Mind's Eye challenges from their blog. You can check out the challenge here. Basically I had to work with the sketch given and use the word HOPE. I've been saving these papers for awhile and I think they work so nicely with this picture. And the die cuts and transparency are nice additions as well. I've only tried making my own flowers a couple of times, but I'm really pleased with how these paper roses turned out!

I was checking out some of my competition and the other layouts are all amazing! I'm not sure I stand a chance, but I had a lot of fun creating this one. Gotta love a sketch and a title prompt for getting a layout done quickly. Ok, ok, so it still took me a few days, but I only get very short chunks of time in which to work :)

I also finally received my Crop Addict kits today! Yay! I was getting impatient :) When they were delivered Riley asked what I got and I told him scrapbooking supplies. He said, "Again? That's all you ever get!" Haha, so true :) I can't wait to get creating. The kits are just beautiful!

On a sad note, all of the tadpoles are now dead :( Kevin had changed their pool water. It was seriously gross and we put the logs, rocks, leaves back in and gave them some fish food. But something must have gone wrong. The kids were a little upset. Maybe we'll get the chance to try again someday. It was cool to see them transform and grow. I'm glad I got to see it, but sad that we didn't get a chance to take them back to their home.

Well, who want to end on a sad note like that? I think we need another cute Riley-ism and some sweet kid pics, don't you? That's right, I thought you did!

We were out for a walk the other day and Riley says to me, "I don't need one of those music thingies, I hear my own music in my head." I have no doubt at all that this is true :) I wonder what else he hears in his head, lol. His imaginary friend, Lem (in case you'd forgotten) has cropped up again recently. The other day he was telling me that he and Lem and Kieran and Kieran's Lem (why be crazy and think up another name???) were going to build something. Okidokie.... Crazy kid :)

And for the pics:

Heehee, dress up is so much fun! How cute are they?

Bridget in her pink dress with the pockets (I think the pockets are what makes this one of her favourites) and a yellow Corona hat. Quite the outfit. Especially to wear to drop the boys off at vacation Bible school....

Awww!

Kieran has had a hard time taking a decent picture lately. Doesn't seem to want to smile but this cracks me up, so maybe that's better :)

Ok, I must be off to bed. Bridget has been getting up a lot lately so I need all the rest I can get!

I can't wait....

I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my first kit from Crop Addict. I'm holding out a small hope it will come today before the weekend, but I'm not sure. The kit is available for sale July 20th as well as the add-on option. Want to see what I'm waiting on...

I just love the colours in this kit and I can't wait to play with all my new goodies! You can have your very own kit too in just a few short days ;)

On the tadpole front, I had a fear yesterday that we had lost Bridget's too. I couldn't find him anywhere, but later in the day he was out, just hanging out on the rock. His tail is pretty much gone now so he's a teeny weeny frog. I don't think he's much bigger than my thumbnail. I guess that's why he's so hard to find. We went back to where we got them to look for more, but had no luck. We did have fun chasing and catching minnows though. Riley was pretty good at catching the small ones but the big ones were more elusive. Kept them busy for an afternoon though :)

Here's Maddy. Isn't she (he?) cute?

Riley's little tadpole is still swimming around. It doesn't really even have back legs yet...maybe just the beginnings of some. It's still lively and swimming around though. It was much smaller than the other 2 so Riley just has to have some extra patience, which couldn't hurt, right? :)

Happy Friday everyone! I am glad to see the weekend!