Chloe Elizabeth....

Her name always remind my of Emily Elizabeth from Clifford. Just thought I would throw that out there :) Who else loves Photoshop? It's probably my all time favorite program. I wanted to share a photo, I edited for one of my good friends of her daughter.

A girl can dream...

This photo is absolutely amazing. Obviously, its staged but I love love love the hot pink pencil skirt and leopard carpet, and of course the wall of shoes. The little kiddo on the floor, sooooo precious. In my dream world, this is what I would wake up to everyday.

Photo credits: Douglas Friedman

Potty Baskets and Ipods!

Funny little story to share tonight. Blake and I went to the grocery store tonight. While in there, I try to keep him entertained with questions and small talk. He likes to walk so he can get distracted with the cookies and other junk on the shelves. So today I was talking about Christmas, Santa, and presents. I ask him what he wants Santa to bring him for Christmas this year. He thinks about it for about a minute and then says a IPOD. (He means one of the Ipod touch that he dad has) What an Ipod. What happened to 3 year olds asking for wagons, cars, trucks, trains, and dinosaurs? I guess it really shows the times we are living in today.


I am also VERY happy to say I we are "almost" completely potty trained. Blake has refused and said I can't do it for months now. He would literally sit on the potty for 20 minutes, get down, ask for his diaper and as soon as it was on he would go pee. Follow by requesting another diaper. Bribery, why not. I come up with the fabulous idea of potty prize basket. I filled it with books, matchbox cars, little monster trucks, growing dinos, Pez dispensers, and other small toys.







I proceed to show Blake the basket and explain how it works, then I place it on top of the refrigerator. I placed his potty in the living room and told him when he when potty in there he would get a prize. OK Literally he went from "I can't do it" to going potty in his potty the rest of the night. He almost clean out the basket the first day. This was about a week ago now and we have only had one accident. Needless to say we moved to the sticker system today and he is just as excited about peeing. My question is now night time? How do you teach them that part of it?

He loves to play with his underwear now. lol







Yep still playing with them while he sits at his computer. Anyone with little kids this Fisher Price Cool School system is amazing. Blake has learned so much from this system.





And last I will share my Chuck E cheese layout with you. I used more nerdy bird from Sass. I really love the colors in this line. I hope you like it.

Easter Bunny has arrived

Blake saw a bunny in the back yard a couple days ago and said look mom it's the Easter Bunny. This got me thinking about the Easter photos from earlier this year, that Ive tried to scrap several times already, without success. I tried several lines including BG green at heart, which I thought were the perfect colors for Easter, and the reason I bought the papers in the first place. The problem was the photo colors like the color of my couch, curtains, and Blake's Thomas PJ's. Looked awful I tell ya!!! While cleaning up my table and organizing my scrap drawer I came across Cosmo Crickets Joy Ride paper scraps. Light bulb moment: these colors are perfect, but bad theme. Thats when I came up with this title and in about 15 minutes this LO was finished. (believe me this must be a record for me) I must say I'm very happy with it.






I made the decision to give going back to work at try. I talked it over with the boss and he has agreed to let me work 3 days a week for now. Monday, Wednesday and Friday.... how cool is that? That means I keep a paycheck, we have extra spending money again, and the guy they hired to fill in for me doesn't lose his new job either. I start back to work on Monday. I'm hoping it works and I can continue to work, but we will see how it works out for Josh with the kiddos.

Off to catch up on some blogging buddies.....

It was nice knowing ya

I was lucky enough this year to have the summer off. Never mind the fact I was 8 months pregnant, hot, and exhausted. In the RV business, everyone says I choose the perfect maternity time frame, and they could not be more correct. Going in and out of those closed up RV's in the 100+ Georgia temperatures can literally take your breathe away at times. And I'm not referring to their beautiful interiors either, but rather their 120+ degree furnace like heat ovens. That's one thing I didn't miss this summer at all. But all things come to and end, and this is my last week before returning to work next Monday!

Summer 2010 I will leave you a LO featuring American Crafts Heat Wave line and that terrific core colored cardstock. Yep it was nice knowing ya this year.






PS. If anyone spots a pair of white cheetah pumps anywhere send me a link.

Hugs Cathy

All board the Choo-Choooo

That will be six dollars ma'am. You may be asking yourself if I've lost my mind about now. Well yes I have, but thats another post for another day. Six dollars is what it will cost you for a big smile on my little big guys face. It's this 3 minute bumpy ride, aboard this small but super incredibly cute choooo choooooo train. It circles the top floor, of our local mall every 10 minutes or so. We always have to ride every time we visit the mall. On this particular day, my sister and Landon meet us at the play area, which conveniently is located next to the boarding station sign. (clever huh, kids +train ride = $$) SO whats a scrappy mom to do, well of course ask the conductor to take a snapshot for her. Blake, cousin Landon and myself aboard the Cobb Express (not its official name but what I've dubbed it.)

easy as ABC

Dear August! where has the year gone? Its steadily trucking along... and in case anyone is wondering, Christmas is 4 months away. Let's not think about that right now.

Life in the B home is pretty tiring right about now. I completely forget how exhausting getting up every 2-3 hours all night long can really be. I'm not complaining, I know Im lucky because thus far, Bry is an awesome baby. He is happy all the time, and only cries when he is hungry or poopie. Ha, he really gets angry with dirty pants.

Blake is still doing pretty good with him. He likes to lay with "Blake's baby" in the evenings and watch some Blake TV aka Nick or Sprout cartoons. This usually leads to NAP TIME like this.

Now on to the crafty side of things. Remember when Blake fell off the bed and scared the crap out of me?

After five months and a tube of Head Medicine, AKA Mederma for kids, here is what it looks like now.







Moving along, I am finally getting around to Easter photos. I bought Basic Grey's, green at heart line, but couldn't make it work. I have such a hard time with Holiday layouts...Christmas, Halloween, easter even birthday pages. They take me forever and I never really seem to love them. Not sure why either. I ended up mixing random papers and this is what I came up with. I even used some of my extremely hoarded favorite Pink Paislee alphas.





Last, I will share with you my 38 week belly shot, which I still can't believe I am posting online. I keep telling myself I've seen other baby belly's with alot more damage than mine.







Bryson is almost 6 weeks old now. That means on Wednesday my doctor will probably clear me to return to work. I'm having some major mixed feeling with this. I have a great job. Super easy, simple, and its one of those where I don't have any one breathing down my back all day. Then I also have a little one at home and this is time you can't get back. I'm not sure I want to go back to work and miss out on this time as I know from Blake, they grow so fast and before you know it this infant stage is gone. I'm not sure what to do?

Happy Tuesday Scrappers!!!

Bryson' birth plus photos

We arrive at the Hospital around 2 am. I "think" Im having contractions, but I remember them hurting alot more the first time around, so I'm not really sure. I didn't want to be one of those that rushed to the hospital for gas pains. (yes, if you have never had a baby they feel like gas pains that come and go in the beginning) Upon arrival, my contraction were coming every 10 minutes then every 4 minutes back to 10 minutes back to 4 in that pattern. They started around 10pm. Lucky for me I went in (we started not to go bc I wasn't sure it was time) bc when they checked me I was at a 7. (they said an hour later and no pain meds.......WHEW good for me) They got me set up in my room and Blake was excited but didn't know what was going on. He wanted to sit with me, while we waited for Grandma Debbie (Josh's mom) to arrive.








He even got a hospital bracelet too. It was too cute. ( Sorry for the bad pic, Josh took it)









Now its about 3 hours later around 5am, and Blake finally fell asleep. It's about time!!! Now grandma can stay in the room, bc I didn't want Blake in there at delivery time. MIL goes to get them some snacks when I hear a "pop" it was my watering breaking on it own. It was cool, they broke it with Blake. I called the nurse to tell them, bc they were about to come in and break it for me.

Next my doc comes in at 7 to check me again and I was ready to go. She gets me ready and goes into the hall for some paper work, and tells the nurse to start practice pushes. She leaves the room the nurse begins. On the 2nd push the nurse says stops and says she doesn't want to catch this baby and goes and gets the nurse. I was surprised bc I though it was going to be harder than this. At this point with Blake, took an hour. A few minutes pass and she comes back with my doctor. We push again and once more and it was over. Bryson was born at 7:17am. He was 7 pounds 7 ounces, and 19 inches long. Blake was bigger at 7 pounds 11 ounces and 21 inches long.









They take him over and check him out. I kept telling Josh to go over pay attention to him, not me and make sure he was fine. This part didn't go so well with Blake, so I was expecting them to take him to the NICU unit at anytime. Blessed we were, bc he was perfect, and I could relax. This was something that was weighing on my mind the entire pregnancy.


Big brother Blake had slept through the entire process. When we woke him, to move into my room, the look oh his face was confusion and uncertainty. He wasn't sure what to think of his baby brother. I think he though he would be walking talking and ready to play Thomas like his cousins. He did give baby Bryson his first kiss, before he went home with grandma. He was so gentle.









I couldn't believe around noon that day they came in to take his hospital photo's. Really wow.


















The rest of the day went great. My sister, Aunt Thelma, and FIL all came to visit him that afternoon. (I was disappointed my mother never came, but thats her choice. She didn't see him for 9 days. My dad still hasn't seen him.) Friday went great. Then finally came Saturday morning, and it was time to go home. I dressed him in his little brother outfit and we were off.





He wasn't so sure about this car seat thing. (He still doesn't really like to get in it, but he doesn't cry. ) Now we were in the car and on the way home.




When we arrived home, grandma was waiting with Blake. He spent Thursday and Friday being spoiled by grandma, and entertaining them with his charm. I missed him so much, while in the hospital. This was only the second time in 3 years he has spent the night away from us. Whay! I think this was a pretty good reason though. (I'm one of those who believes no one was watch my boys like I can.) Once we got inside, Blake wanted to hold him for the first time and give him kiss #2.





I'm really really surprised at how well he has adjusted to being a big brother. He tells Bry he loves him and gives him so many sweet little kiss. He likes to help with his diapers, bottles, baths. Maybe even a tiny bit too much. Blake do it is becoming a very popular phase around here when it comes to baby brother.



I'll be back later to share some scrappy stuff with you. Nothing great as I have lost all sense of design at the moment. I'm hoping to make it to the scrap store in hopes I will find something inspiring to buy.

Goodbye for now