Good Start

In my opinion, getting 8 new layouts done, as well as pull together a birthday for one sweet 7 year old is a great start to a new year! Since the scrapbug was biting, I had to put other responsibilities aside for a day and concentrate on getting (almost) caught up with my pics. I was so excited about scrapbooking my very first airplane ride, that I think it jump started me into doing all of the Christmas layouts. I did scrapbook my Christmas photos, but those layouts will remain hidden in my precious memory. Besides, you've seen the photos already!

On to bigger and better things.... Here is my 2 page layout for my first flight!

These were hybrid pages. I used an 8.5X11 digital template from Crystal (found HERE at 2peas) for the second page, and a free template from CK for the first page. I simply made the photo collage in photoshop, including using some digital pp from a cute 2peas kit called "Family Time", which I couldn't find a link to (it was an older kit) but I DID find a link for all of their FREE digital kits - and seriously, there are SO MANY awesome kits to choose from. After I printed out the photo collage on my printer, I just glued it onto my 12X12 brown carstock, added a journaling block from Word, and some letter stickers. I did the same thing on both pages, only I journaled directly on to one of the patterned paper blocks on the second page.

These next 2 pages are from back in October when my niece, sister-in-law, and Mother and Father in law came to visit. (Like I said - I've been falling behind in my scrapbooking!). We spent the day at the local science center and had a blast! TJ was SO happy to have S come to visit - and I was happy that THEY were so happy. I love the quote I used on the second page because it sums the two of them up perfectly, "Cousins are many, best friends are few. What a rare delight to find BOTH in you!"

Have you noticed that I'm favoring collages lately? WHen you're behind, there is no better way to use up a LOT of photos than with collages and color blocking. SO EASY!


These last 2 pages are pictures from our first snowfall - you know the one, where it's still warm enough to PLAY in the snow, and it's wet enough to make snow men! THE BEST KIND! I love days like that. In these photos I left the journaling blank, but I filled it in after I snapped these pictures.
I used a page kit from CK to make those last 2 pages, as well as the Christmas ones. I managed to squeeze 9 photos from Christmas onto my CHristmas layouts, which I was VERY proud of. Unfortunately, in my zeal, I put the pages into my 2008 album and off to the livingroom they went with nary a photo of them for my blog. Like I said, you've already seen the photos, so please use your imagination - and imagine the BEST 2 page spread EVER! Then make it EVEN BETTER and it *might* come close to my awesome Christmas layout ;)

Now, here's the trick. Will I keep on top of things? I'm not sure. I WANT to. I REALLY want to. But, we have been busy, AND sick, AND busy, AND even more busy. We'll see how things go. I have been looking into the whole "cloning" thing, but I'm not sure I could stand two of me around. I can barely stand ONE of me :) I guess I'll have to figure out how to better train my kiddos to do more around here with less of my voice straining in the process. They are pretty good at doing their jobs, and they make their beds each and every morning, but I still manage to puncture my foot on one of their toys at least once a day. Things could always improve there.

Add to that the most joyous news that we are potty training JJ. We wanted to wait until after the Christmas holidays and the craziness that always ensues during that time. AND she's almost 2 1/2 years old, which means I'm getting a little tired of changing her poopy bum. Yeah, I know - it could be worse, but for ME and 8 years of non-stop poop wiping, I'm about ready to be done. She has grasped the concept of POOPING in the potty (SWEET), but she hasn't caught on to the other yet. She realizes AFTER she's peed all over the floor that she needs to go. HOW do I transition her to the point where she "gets" what the "uh oh, I have to pee" feeling is? You would think I'd have caught on to this whole potty training thing after successfully training 3 of her siblings and another family's child to boot! But, as my mother reminds me, just when you think you've finally got things figured out, the Lord sends you another child with a mind of her own to remind you that you know NOTHING!

Any tips would be welcome. MORE than welcome!