Another double layout

I've been busy scrapbooking lately, and it's so nice to get more of Nathan's album accomplished!  When I took these photos, I already knew what the title of my layout would be.. this really was so "him" at 7 months.  Always with his fingers in the mouth.  Lately I've been asked why I do so many double layouts.  Well, I probably would prefer to do one page layouts, (they are in my opinion easier and quicker!)  however, when leafing through my finished albums I much prefer the look of a two page spread over a one pager.  It just flows so nicely, and is much more pleasing to my eye.  So that's why I do it.  And that's just what I do right now, my style is subject to change at any time, without notice! And that's the beauty of being a scrapbooker... there are no rules - you can do whatever you want for whatever reason.  :)

Asleep on the swing?...

The boys have been hit with more sickies the last few days, and I guess Lucas isn't totally one hundred percent yet.  He begged me today to go outside and play.  He was swinging nicely on the airplane swing, when I noticed the squeaking sound of the swing had stopped.  I looked outside to see him slumped over the front of the airplane.  At first I didn't know what to think... was he okay?  Did he get hurt?  Upon closer inspection I heard snoring.  He had actually fallen asleep while on the swing.  Wow, I've never seen this before!

Papertrey Ink Stamp Set!

I came home to a pleasant surprise this afternoon, my free Papertrey Ink stamp set from the BlogHop challenge arrived!  I picked the Green Thumb set, and I am so excited to ink these up!  I love how cute and versatile this set is.  I'm hoping to make something with these stamps later on today, maybe when the boys are napping.  ;-)  Thank you Papertrey!

Water Slides

Last night I pulled out some waterslide photos from last summer, and put together this double layout.  I was just a few weeks post partum when we went last year, and I still remember laughing hysterically as I got tossed around going down the tube ride.  Whoever said "Laughter is the best medicine" has a good point.  I remember I was feeling a little worn out, trying to establish breastfeeding, not getting much sleep, and still tired from all the changes my body was going through.  Going to the water slides was a turning point, exactly what I needed to lift my spirits and get me enjoying the good times once again.  Lucas loved it so much, he still asks when we can go again.  We are all very much looking forward to going sliding again this summer.  Water slides '08 here we come!

Mom-in-Law card & Nathan

Here's a Mother's Day card I made last night at our Tuesday night craft session.  I used some patterned papers I got from my Secret Pal for my birthday, (thank you whoever you are!!)  and the bird is from the "Birds Galore" Inkadinkadoo stamp set.  The flowers are from Prima, and the sentiments are from the "Women of Life" set from PaperTrey Ink.
Sorry I had to bail "early" on you girls  last night, sleep hasn't been great lately and it's really taking its toll.  Nathan has been waking up two, three times a night.  And last night was no exception.  I brought him in to the doctor yesterday because I thought his ingrown toenail was bugging him, as it turns out his throat was very red.  (Go figure!)  So, the doc had me bring a swab to the lab to check for strep throat.  I'm hoping he'll recover quickly with a bit of Tylenol and Advil.  That's all for today!  I'll leave you with a photo of my Mom-in-law with Nathan.

Springtime Scrappin'

The other night I was sorting and came across a group of photos of Lucas from last Spring.  Back when Jaco kept up our family blog he wrote a little story to go along with this sequence of pictures.  The story is written from Lucas' point of view.  It's really quite funny.  So, I wanted to incorporate it into this scrapbook layout.  I used a picture from a child's story book and some photo turns, to hide the story underneath.  The patterned papers are from Stampin Up! as well as the felt flowers.  The "Spring"  tag is from My Mind's Eye, and the brackets are diecuts from our local scrapbook store.  I embossed 2 inch squares of cardstock with my Cuttlebug, inked them up and adhered them in a row along the bottom.  I love the vibrant colors, reminds me of spring.
Story: ( I know it's long, but it's quite funny if you have the time to read it)

Saturday, June 2, 2007 - submitted by Lucas – 2 years old
It was a warm summer day and Mom and Dad have decided it's time to pull the pool out of the garage.  After some searching we found it bundled and tucked away on a shelf among the rollerblades and hockey gear.  The bright pink, yellow, and green colors gave it away. I'm hoping maybe later this year we can upgrade to a Vancouver Canucks or Chilliwack Bruins pool -- something a bit more “guy'ish”.  Our next problem was finding the right tool to inflate this enormous water bearing creature. Dad soon located the pump that was hanging on the wall nearby, so he pulled it down and handed it to me so I could carry it outside for him (he keeps me busy).

The first step involved getting some instructions from the old man.  Dad was trying to tell me to put my foot somewhere, but I just wanted to start pumping the thing.  This was cool!  It was making all kinds of whistling noises.  Eventually dad managed to get the nozzle into the pool and away I went.. up.. down.. up.. down.. up.. down.  This was a lot of work, so I asked dad to show me how it was done.  It was definitely easier watching him than doing it myself.  I did pose for the camera to prove I had some involvement in the inflation process.

It was slow going, but I knew I'd get there eventually.  For some reason the pool looked much smaller than it was last year.  Dad said it probably shrunk a bit over the winter.

After several minutes of toiling behind the pump I was satisfied to see that all three rings and the bottom of the pool were inflated.  It was now time to fill 'er up.   The hose had a lot of kick on it but I managed to hang on and aim the water into the pool.  Dad stood back about 15 feet (a few weeks ago I "accidentally" soaked Dad when I was helping him wash the truck).  It was only a matter of time before I could relax on my air mattress with cold cup of juice in my hand.

Ahhh... the clear and tranquil waters of the backyard pool.  After about 15 minutes of testing the waters I finally got in at the shallow end and stood there for a while pondering my next move.  I inquired about the diving board, but Dad said that this model did not have that feature.  I'd have to wait until we upgraded.

I looked to my left and saw Dad had gone back to putting up the fence. On my right Mom (who is 8-months pregnant) continues to relax in her chair. I notice the camera has been put away.  The batteries have probably died again.  Life is good... I'm one spoiled little guy.

SO blessed.

Had my 26th yesterday and it was such a wonderful day.  What a huge blessing to hear God's Word preached, have some nice weather, and to be with family.  I never experienced it before, but it was actually pretty cool to have the whole congregation sing to me, we are so blessed with a great church family.  The afternoon was spent at Devisser's, where we heard the very exciting news that Erik & Jete are expecting a baby!  We are so happy for them, we know this is something they've been hoping for.. words can't describe it.  I've been the receiver of many wonderful gifts in the last couple days, but the gift of a new life to Erik & Jete is the one I'm the most excited about.  Praise God!  My kitchen and dining room are turning into a garden centre thanks to all the beautiful flowers I've received.  I also am pretty excited about the gift of Photography lessons from Karen Russell.  Thanks Mom, for making this possible.  I actually got my registration in on time morning!  I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to have my photos critiqued by Karen.  She is very talented.  Classes start June 2nd, for  8 weeks, so you'll be hearing lots more about it, I'm sure. ;-)  Well, that's it for today, so many good things happening in the last couple days, so many blessings.  I'll leave you with a photo of my gorgeous flowers!