Very Lucky Woman!

So what do you think....looks like your ordinary, fabulous scrappbooking crop, right? Well if you were thinking that, you would be very very wrong! No, not that it wasn't a fabulous day of crafting (or 'crap' booking as Dagan, age 4, calls it) it was a fabulous day BUT what was so amazing about it is that my dear hubby organised the entire thing...he was very devious, he ferreted out email addresses and phone numbers from my computer and organised everything from the venue and date to the scrapbook shop for our retail therapy and of course all the lovely ladies that came to the crop! I felt very proud, a couple of 'my' ladies-that come to my classes most every month-were there and we even had a couple that had never been to a crop before so that was very exciting for me! I'm still not sure of all the details, how exactly Ty did it all but he did an exceptional job of setting everything up and really surprised me! Ty had been planning this for months and I never knew a thing! Sometimes it really worries me that he can be so deceptive! Thankfully it's always for good purposes! ;o) Of course I'd say it's pretty easy for him, I am so naive and completely unobservant, it's not like I make it very challenging for him! LOL We had a great time, got lots of work done, can't show any of it though as it's a gift for someone special! and of course got some great new stash and it should go without saying that we chatted.....a lot! There was great munchies and Ty and kids even brought us all cheesecake! All in all it was a wonderful day and Ty reminded me once again of how very much I love him and how lucky I truly am! Thanks to everyone that helped make the day so great!!!!!!!

Night before school starts and all thru the house...

the kids are in bed now and the real work begins...lunches to be made, uniforms organized...BUT we are all happy that school is starting up again..especially the kids!

We got Christmas presents just after the post started running again between Christmas and New Years so the kids were all excited again! They got great dressup costumes and I think have dressed up now every day since. They also got these adorable outfits from Grandma and Grandad and the hats are adorable. I just had to have a little photoshoot after church this morning. They were so cute I couldn't resist!

Well that is about all we have been up to...pretty boring I know but we've been having a very relaxed holiday....that will all change come 8am tomorrow morning though! Wish us all luck on a good week with school, swimming lessons, ballet lessons and gymnastics and Emma's birthday and party....phew!!! I'm tired now just thinking about it....

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!

So far we have had a great holiday. Its been cold and rainy outside so we've spent a lot of time in the house but we've had fun. Santa was good to our family this year too. He brought digital cameras for each of the kids and they have been snapping pictures of anything that would stand still long enough-and alot of things that weren't still! Since Christmas morning between the 3 kids I think we have more than 300 pictures. We got to spend Christmas dinner with some great friends. We all ate too much dinner and just got to hang out and be entertained by the kids playing all their musical instruments. It was great to be with such good friends since we couldn't be home with our families.

New Years eve was pretty low key too. The biggest excitment was with Emma. We went to KFC for lunch and all of sudden Emma says 'Mam what is this...it's a bone...no it's MY TOOTH!!!!!!!!!' Her front tooth has been wobbly for weeks but, like her others, she would not let me or Ty hardly touch it without flinching and she wouldn't pull it either. She wants it to fall out on it's own. Well it did! It's funny how losing your front tooth can change how you look. She has the cutest smile now. Not that it wasn't cute before but just a different cute! Now with the one tooth gone the other one is very wobbly too so I'd say in the next week or two the other one will be gone as well. So after that excitment, we went to a church get-together til about 10:00 then came home, tucked the kids in and watched TV til midnight rolled around. Then on New Years Day we did nothing! We sat around in our pjs all day, it was fabulous! The kids played games on the Wii which was hysterical to watch! They were so cute dancing around trying to bowl and play tennis and golf, etc. They were so funny, Ty and I were rolling on the floor laughing! Very funny.

Here are some pics of Christmas decorating, opening presents and Em's missing tooth!

Emma in her school Christmas Play

Merry Christmas

Tis Been Awhile...

Well seems like ages since I've taken the time to post...first and foremost Happy Birthday G'ma!!! My grandma Austin celebrates her birthday today so I had a nice chat with her this evening which was a great ending to a wonderful day.

Our day today started out chaotic and hectic like most mornings, all of 5 of us trying to find shoes and clothes and tights and ties and jumpers (sweaters). I really should have a better system but alas it's one more thing I have yet to get around to doing (story of my life really). Every morning its the same routine, I get up around the time the kids do, fix breakfast-which involves pouring cereal and milk in a bowl-and while they are eating (and I'm telling them to hurry and eat and stop talking) I make their lunches. Then we all trek upstairs and while they are brushing their teeth (or playing in the sink, which ever the case may be) I'm laying out their uniforms for school. Then I try to get myself dressed and ready to go for the day as well. Ty is on is own! LOL Well today there was an exception...I had to also fit in curling Emma's hair because today, at school, she was an Angel in the class Nativity Play! She was very excited and nervous because her daddy and I were going to be at school to watch the play. Since Mary Helen is back home in Virgina for Christmas Ty had to work a couple hours in Longford this morning, so we dropped the kids at school, drove to Longford, he treated a few people, then we drove back the 45 minutes to be at the school to watch the 20 minute play. She was absolutely adorable! What we could hear of her was adorable anyway...there was a little Angel in front of Emma swinging her angel wings back and forth in front of her. We could barely hear Emma's line (in Bethleham, your saviour was born today!). She was fantastic and of course the STAR of the performance! When they were all finished, we got to take her out of school an hour early so all 3 kids got out of school at the same time today (yay!!!!) and we popped home for just a bit to change clothes and then go and see santa at the new shopping centre in town. The kids were so cute! They each told santa what they wanted for Christmas-a digital camera for all three-and even Austyn sat on his knee for picture, without tears this year! That was monumental for her! We were very proud! We did a little Christmas shopping, then all went to dinner together! We had an exceptional family day together today. Everyone was very good, listened to us, didn't walk too far away from us, no whining that they were tired/hungry/feet hurt...etc... It's after days like this that I am reminded just how lucky I am to have been given such an awesome, wonderful family! I am truely blessed! I know that sounds terrible, I know that I am blessed and I feel it most of the time...it's just easy to forget when life gets so hectic and chaotic, which seems to be more and more these days. It's good to get little reminders from time to time!

You know its funny too, they never seems to stop amazing me either! Little Dagan, the other day said something that literally brought tears to my eyes! We were at the church Christmas dinner last week and with all the kids gathered around the pastor asked everyone (Dagan is one of the youngest) about Christmas, why is was important and why we celebrate, etc...and in the middle of everyone answering the questions Dagan pipes up loud so all could hear....It's Jesus' birthday and he died for our sins so that we wouldn't have to go to hell! He was so cute, his little voice was so pronounced and clear and he was so serious! Absolutely adorable...I had to smile! I just love it when they do little things like that without prompting, just speak from their little hearts and they mean it too! Very sweet!!!

Ok well that is about all I can think of to ramble on about just now....I'm sure I'll think of something else as soon as I post this! Stayed tuned here though...we will add a video of Emma's play as soon as we get it uploaded (Thanks Mom and Dad Russell for the early Christmas pressie)

Like Grandmother, Like Daughter, Like Grandaughter

It's funny how things are passed down over the generations....along with the creativity/artistic ability that I so lovingly inherited from my dear mom...I also got her ability to worry...now thankfully for me (and for Ty's sanity) I don't take it to the degree that she does...I'm convinced that if mom had nothing to worry about, she would worry about not having anything to worry about...you know I adore you mom but you know I'm right ;o). Well much to mine and Ty's dismay this amazing ability did not skip a generation and our lovely, sweet, caring, kind, big-hearted, motherly, Emma has also be given this 'worry' gene!

Mom had her hip replaced today and I've been nervous all day! Here I am 1/2 a world away, I can do nothing, can't even really talk to her because of the time change (thank God for mobile phones and texting!) and I'm nervous, as if I could do anything if I wanted to, but I worry because that's just what we do! Mom had some 'nerve' problems all last week and this and it was causing her blood pressure to get too high, which then threatened the cancelation of her surgery which made her even more nervous which raised her bp...etc..etc..etc...vicious circle! Well, she got her self relaxed (and got bp meds) enough to at least keep the scheduled surgery for today. I didn't talk to my step-dad but Ty did and he said that there was some delay in the doctor's schedule or something but it caused mom's surgery to be delayed but that she was out now and in recovery and was doing fine (Thank you God!) I probably won't be able to talk to her until tomorrow but I'm so glad that she came thru ok and that she is doing good so far. It is a long recovery/theapy time but I'm sure she will do great. Well with all the worrying mom has been doing I have been talking to her a lot, just to help ease her nerves (and mine too probably) and just lend an ear! In doing this though, Emma knew something was up...kept asking questions if G'ma was ok and what was wrong, etc...I told her that g'ma had a hip that was hurting her, and had been for a long time, and that the doctors were going to fix it for her so that it wouldn't hurt anymore. This was enough of a explaination for her little mind but then the worrying started! Poor girl can't help herself...is g'ma going to have to stay in the hospital? --yes for a couple days....what will g'pa Jim do without g'ma? --well he will stay at their house when he's not at the hospital with g'ma but he'll be ok for a couple days...he can't stay at the hospital too? --well I'm not sure, there maybe not be room there for him....oh they probably need the room for other hurt people......they are adding 'cushioning in her hip so that it doesn't hurt right? --well it's kinda like that, they will make it so that it doesn't hurt her to walk anymore...will g'ma have to stay in bed all the time? --no she will be able to get up and move around.....won't that hurt her hip again? --well yes it will be sore but she will have to move around to get used to the new hip....She's getting a new one??? --well sort of, it's hard to explain...go talk to your dad......this all took place in about a 4 minute period, and we've gone thru these questions and oh so many more every day for the last week and half or so! I try very hard not to get cross with her, because I know I was just like her! LOL After I heard from Jim tonight I went up and woke her up a little just to tell her g'ma was ok and out of surgery, even in her very sleepy state, she sat up in bed with a grin from ear to ear and said aaahhhh thanks mom! I'm glad she is ok.......good night! (still with a smile on her face!) she's so cute! She's frustrating at times but she means well and like her mother and grandmother (one both sides too) we just can't help it!~

On the crafting side of things...I've done a few things this week, a baby project and card to match (see previous post), the Halloween layouts for my class on Monday, but I'll post those next week though and a little birthday card for our pastor's son who turned 7 today. This is the card I did for him...he loves penguins

I should have done a little more doodling around the penguins and balloons and such but just didn't have the time, I rushed around all day! In a perfect world I would have done the card before today.....but I don't live in a perfect world...I live in a world of 3 children who run me ragged! lol