trying to hold back tears..

so things change.

babies grow, people die, time passes waaay too fast, and as women, we have hormones.

my hormones are at this very moment on the emotional up-swing.  it’s fabulous. 

(we are all thankful that I can step back and realize that it is hormones…)

so while I created these layouts earlier in the week, when my hormones were doing other things to my body, as I look at them now, I want to cry!!!

so we’ll get through this quickly…

first up is “grandpa’s chair” using goodies from liv, including her newest, brownbagger paper pack vol. 5.

I could NEVER get enough of her brownbagger papers…  NEVER.

(for full credits click on the layout.)

this second one is only four years old (ppffttt…), but this is what digital project life is so good for!!  catching up in a fast, easy, gorgeous way!

this layout I used becky’s “p” template (perfect for little peyton..), “honey” edition cards, “baby” paper,  stitching from anna aspnes, staples from liv, and that fun baker’s twine from splendid fiins.

okay..  so I am not going to look at these for at least another week, try to block out the fact that school will be starting again this month (aaaakkkk!!!!), and just try to do things that are fun, non-tear inducing.

this is going to be hard…

did I mention that it’s really the hormones fault?

news to me.. it’s friday!!

seriously, I forgot.  I mean, really.  I didn’t even take the trash out last night.  aaaand, we have a full can.

blerg.

this has been quite the week…  merrill had a root canal (#2 for the SAME TOOTH) on monday, spring break started that day for the girls as well.  but guess what?  they are all sick.  I know, we have had our turn already!  (multiple times.)  but sore throats, and nagging coughs seem to be on the agenda of “fun activities”.  ash was fevering friday, saturday, and sunday.

so we have done, well, a lot of nothing.  unless you count dosing out cough medicine, ibproufin, and doing breathing treatments…

okay, just kidding, we’ve done some crafting too…

my brother got into an accident in southern utah, so our house has been slumber party central for a number of nieces and nephews.

between all the extra bodies, coughing, and not the quality of sleep I desire, I think that might be how I forgot today was friday…

anyhow, here’s a new product from liv:

I love ALL of liv’s scribbled anything…  I used some doodles on this page as well.

told you, I love them..

click on the page for full list of credits + links.

now go enjoy your friday!

(or whatever is left of it.)

chevron love!

let’s be honest..  these have been trendy for a while now, I have loved them all along, and I am not tired of them!!

liv has out, brand new today, some lovely shabby chevron papers.

two things I love: shabby & chevron.

(oohhhh!!  ooohhhh!!  and liv, of course.)

they are on sale this weekend!  I would go grab some…

(I also grabbed nancie rowe janitz crazy for chevrons 1 and crazy for chevrons 2 first thing this morning..  LOVE her stuff!!  and hello, it’s more chevron!)

here’s the layout I created with liv’s goodness:

(as always, click on layout for full list of credits and yada yada yada..)

the major things on my to-do list today:

- finish kitchen stools

- clean craft room

- play in craft room

- eliminate the “to mend” pile

- do taxes (blah!!)

- find blueing (this should be #1)

- wash pillows (banish the sickie germs!!!)

hope my day is as productive as yours…

basic frames: my need + want

and liv made the dream come true!!

these are just what I need so often when I am scrapping a page.  sometimes, you just need a simple, sweet frame, nothing to detailed and crazy, just enough of something to set the photo apart from the rest of the page.

they come in black and white, basic and keylined.

(I would suggest you just go for it and get the pack with both!!  or regret it later…)

(as per usual, click on the layout for full credits.)

you even get a bonus on this one: a recipe!!  these cookies are delicious.  the recipe has replaced our standard “go-to” chocolate chip cookie recipe, the one I have memorized and have made pretty much my entire life..

that says a lot.

another bonus, you get staples with these frames that are perfect for either the white or the black frames.

(liv thinks of EVERYTHING!)

here’s the basic:

and here’s the keylined version:

we are spending this snowy utah day inside, with pillows + blankets, ibuprofen, a lion king coloring book, a stack of disney flicks, a good book (for me), and lots and lots of liquids.  you can rest assured that there will be plenty of snuggling going on.  I am even plotting a nap.

all of these things are a sure-fire cure for the ailing five-year old in my life..

five.

roll that around in your head…

5.

it doesn’t seem like the day she was born was that long ago… 

 

but here we are…  she is so excited about 5!

I think it’s funny that she still calls this skirt her “birthday skirt”, still loves to wear it, and was the first thing she thought about wearing today.

(I made it for birthday #3.)

  

there have been a lot of changes, like the obvious things:  height, hair, shoe size…  talking and the like.

then there are the things that haven’t changed:  still sucks on those fingers (trying to break her of that..), she still loves to snuggle, she is the best sleeper of the bunch, the best eater too..

I pray every day to make the most of each with her.  I have never had just me + one little girl at this age, there was always another sidekick floating around.  I hope to make every moment a special one for her.  I have enjoyed her so much! 

this morning, she opened a few of her gifts.  the girl loves the lion king, make-up, and candy, so we chose just a few gifts for her to open first thing, saving a couple more for later.  she opened lion king 2 and got so excited.

“mom!  remember when I watched this a long time ago when I was 4?”

“I remember like it was yesterday…”

and that is how it goes.

she may be five, but she is still my baby..

more layouts for another friday.

we are anticipating another storm here this weekend.  nothing like “nemo” that the east is bracing for right now, but still..  we love our storms.

I plan on staying in the majority of the day.  I get to go to the doctor, for me.  it’s one of those “fun” womanly visits.

I have already popped my aleve, have the heating pad ready for later on, but hope to be comfortable enough to sit up and play at the computer.  I have some serious organizing and creating plans…

wish me luck!

two layouts today with new products from liv:

up first is “evidence”.

this is using a new mini kit from liv called “t+mini vol. 1 – filmed”.

(click on layouts for full credits.)

and here’s “sweet”.

this is supposed to be showcasing the little label that says “sweet” from liv’s “all about love” labels, but all I can seem to focus on is that sweet little face…

excuse the emotion…

this girl is going to be five!!!

I am a little behind (clearing throat..) on her scrapbook.  I have been enjoying every second of her as my baby.  I am not ready to quit, but, well, this is life.

hope you have a wonderful weekend and that you find some time to play!

because I am just mean, but have a terrific sense of humor.

peyton now fits into the size 5 hand-me-downs.

(gasp!!)

really, for the most part the 4s were alright, minus the fact that her sleeves were too short, and her little tummy was peeking out a bit, or that one other fact that she looked like she was waiting for a flood all. the. time.

yeah, it was time to bump her up.  she is a lot like lynnie-lou in this area.  makes me wonder if peyton will be skinny and leggy as she gets older.

so we went through 3 tubs of size 5 stuff.  3 tubs is a lot.  thankfully, one whole tub is still packed away, awaiting warmer weather, and some things that are in exceptional condition are being held back as school clothes.  she will start kindergarten next august after all.

(double gasp!!)

among the longer pants, better-fitting shirts, crazy amount of swimsuits, and this awesome coat I forgot that I scored at old navy for $2.99 (!!!), there were these pajamas.

clearly, peyton loves them, and as she was prancing around the kitchen the other morning in this number, a hilarious idea struck me:

post a picture of her wearing them on facebook, and let the good times roll.

so, I did.

it was hilarious indeed.

the congratulations immediately started rolling in, people who know us well accompanied their congrats with shock.  I couldn’t stop laughing!  every “like” and comment just incited another fit of giggles.

I called merrill to let him know what was up, just in case he started getting congratulations of his own.  I wasn’t sure how long I was going to let it go on.  then I called my best friend who is anti facebook for good reason, and maybe if I were as good as her about not going there, I wouldn’t feel annoyed/enraged/the need to throw up/homicidal so much everyday.  she is as good at not going on facebook as I am at the whole not yelling thing.

side note:  I have a rule about the facebook.  I do not post anything unless it fits one of the following criteria: 1) it has to be terribly important.  b)  it has to be funny.  III)  it has to be exceptionally cute.  I will not bother others with updates on what I am doing/thinking/eating every changing minute.

so since this fit two of those three criteria, it was perfect.

julie and I had a good laugh, and I dare say, she didn’t regret going on the facebook that day.

as we were talking, a man in our neighborhood figured it out.

“Wait....your youngest is now old enough to wear her big sisters PJ's?”

see.  nailed it.  he even said just that a few comments later, after I confirmed his first comment with a “like”.

but what is funnier is that other people didn’t read his comments or other’s comments, and kept on congratulating. 

after all was said and done, those who figured it out AFTER their congratulations were given, didn’t like me so much.  rude, jerk, suck, and mean, are all words that were thrown at me.  it was kind of mean of me.  but it was funny.

for the record, if I were to get knocked-up, again, I would be more than happy, but merrill would have blood-shot eyes, and his hair would no longer exist in his head, but would most likely be pulled-out, in his hands.  he is done.

done!

I did manage to give us a small chance (infinitesimal really), to have another one. 

my own personal pundit was so sure that obama would win re-election, and I hoped that that wouldn’t happen.

(sorry to get political on you, it won’t be for long, promise.)

so I proposed a bet of sorts.  if romney won, we would have another baby.  guess what he said to that?

“okay.”

holy crap, he was confident.

but I hoped.

so the bottom line is, peyton is really enjoying her hand-me-downs.

more of peyton.

documenting the life of a 4 year old is rather interesting, and humorous.

I get to hear some pretty interesting knock-knock jokes, and various versions of “why did the chicken cross the road” riddles.  my days with her are never dull.

I have noticed, that whenever I tickle her in her neck, she has to concentrate, like put all of her thoughts and energy into getting my finger out of her neck.  she gets a really serious look on her face, she opens her mouth wide, and slowly lifts her little face off of her neck, freeing my finger.  it is quite the feat.  it is also so funny!!

what is not so funny, her second horrible, but this time, self-inflicted hair cut.

night before last, the kid got me up at 12:24 am, 1:26ish, a couple of times in the 2 am hour, two more times in the 3 am block, and the last time at 4:54 am.  I was a little tired once my friday REALLY started.

the last time she got me up, she told me that it was raining in her room.

she led my sleepy self there, and then stood in her bedroom doorway, looking up at the ceiling.

“don’t you see it??…”

no, I didn’t. 

the solution to this up and down kind of night, and the “rain falling from the ceiling”, was to snuggle with big sis in her bed. 

sometimes that is all you need I guess.

a big sister to snuggle with, and sleep, solid sleep, that is.

despite her odd nocturnal activities, she is pretty darn cute.

these are going up, into her darling pink-striped room.  I am finishing a couple of projects and then I can show you something in my house that is really cute, not beige, and has some personality!

hey girl…

I recently took pictures of peyton.  she was looking super cute with her hot pink nails!

we went to the dollar store for a prize after.  now I have two other little girls who want their pictures taken now, for some reason…

I am having a hard time deciding which is my favorite.  so I guess I will have to post the rest later, but for now:

I am so very thankful to be a mother to this sweet girl.  so thankful that my days are spent with her.

I am thankful  for all my girls, even with the crazy, emotional week that was this week.

the top of the dislike list.

there are a few things i can honestly say that i dislike.

the top of that list:

- dishonesty in all forms.
- clowns.

the third item:

- vomit.

now i know that vomit certainly has it's purpose and all, but the smell of it..  and what's worse, at my house, it usually makes a very unwelcome appearance while people should be sleeping.

yesterday was tuesday.  a busy day for us.  it went something like this:

- get the girls to school.
- doctor.
- store.
- lunch with merrill.
- chores.
- get the girls from school.
- after school snacks and a little homework.
- tumbling.
- dinner.
- soccer.
- baths/showers.
- teeth brushing.
- prayers.
- bed.

i was very happy that peyton was more than happy to go to bed.  no arguments.  no "one more drink" routine.  she was out when she hit the pillow.

i was very proud of myself when i got to bed before 11 (!!!!), but was really confused to be woken up an hour later to peyton, crying and covered in stinky vomit.

the poor kid.

when these things happen, i get crazy compassionate.  seriously, who wants to be vomiting?  she needed extra love.

she was concerned about her bunny who fell victim to a generous coating of the smelly stuff, and her sheets.  i put her in the tub and set to work cleaning and getting messy stuff in the washer.

the thing i can like, is that my kids are old enough to know to get to the toilet when they feel it coming, but a surge in your sleep is "a-hole nother" story.

after the tub, and pulling her wet hair back, so as to keep it away from another tummy assault, we set up camp on the couch.  "e.t." was the movie of choice.  we both tried to fall asleep.  i was a little jumpy.  every little cough or throat-clearing, and i was up, ready to present the barf bowl if needed.

as i lay there, thinking about how this sucks for her, i saw a bright side to this situation:

we get to spend time together,  just the two of us, totally uninterrupted.  and she is pretty darn sweet when she is sick. 

it would be so much funner if the vomit didn't smell so bad.  seriously.
if vomit smelled pleasantly, then the alarm clock or poop (because i dislike them equally) could claim the #3 spot.

some of the perks of being “mom”.

being home with my kids is what I have always wanted, ever since I was small.  there are days, when I know I have reached my limit, and kind of sort of want to run away, and I am then reminded that an event will more than likely transpire in my life within the next couple of days that will generally explain why I had a hormonal freak-out.

(hopefully it will also explain why that last sentence was a doosy.)

I told merrill the other night, after a really perfect day of being mom, that I really didn’t want to rub it in, but being mom is the best.

my day started out like any other, getting kids up, feeding them, policing the getting dressed routine, getting them off to school (on time), and so forth.  then it was my turn to get ready for the day.

if you are privy to the art of straightening hair, especially long-ish hair, you are aware that it can be a process.  I am used to this chore, and so is sweet peyton.

she knows that we will not be going anywhere or doing anything until it is taken care of, and she finds ways to entertain herself, and me too.

she got on a kick a while ago, a kick all about mammals.

it started with her asking what breastfeeding was, and eventually led to talk of other creatures that feed their young this way.

enter the mammal.

so we started listing animals, categorizing certain attributes (fur, hair, or feathers..), and would narrow them down to mammals.

as we drove around that day, that was the bulk of our communication.  as we shopped for our groceries, that was what got brought up.  it got downright silly. 

she sees a can of peas.

“do peas have feathers?”

(giggle giggle..)

so this fun child of mine remembered this activity as I started the process of straightening my hair the other day, and ran out of my bathroom.  when she returned, she had her bin of “little people” + animals in tow.

one by one, she brought out those animals, and we started naming attributes, and categorizing.

she is such a fun, bright child.  the fact that she remembers so much kind of scares me at times, but it will be a good thing someday.

it’s moments like these, small and what seem to be pretty unimportant, that make me so thankful that I get to be home with her.

what is wrong with this picture I ask you?

really.
this is what happens, apparently, when mom is unconscious on the couch, suffering with “the plague”.
little bo peep here, I have since discovered, is very proficient in the following:
a) finding temporary tattoos confiscated from her sister’s room and kept in that room where her belongings live until she earns them all back.
(looks like ash really doesn’t care about these items in particular, eh?)
2) finding scissors ( I have them all hidden, have no idea where she got some) to separate tattoos.
c) cutting aforementioned temporary tattoos without harming the images to be tattooed.      (or severing the appendages of the tattooee.)
IV.) applying temporary tattoos.
(very expertly I should add.)
so happy to be healed, and able to head-off any more similar tests of proficiency in this four-year-olds life.

in other news, spring has sprung:

mom + peyton

little peyton is having a hard time transitioning into her primary class.  it is not easy for anyone involved, and we are trying to think of ways to help her.  she had a hard time going to nursery, then loved it, then the nursery leaders changed, and there was another difficult period.  then she loved it again.  now she is a sunbeam, and we are in another hard spot.

I love the kid and all, but really want for her to enjoy this time.  it is hard to leave her crying in her class.  I feel bad for her teacher.  she asked me what she could do as her teacher to make this easier on peyton.  it sucks when you have nothing to say. 

merrill put out the idea of pre-school.  that would be great, if there were a pre-school in the area that I was happy with.  the pre-school that lynn and ashley went to is now out in clinton.  call me selfish, but I really don’t like the idea of driving out to clinton 3 times a week so she can be there for 2 hours a day.  gas and time are priceless these days.  add in how much the tuition would be and that is a bit much to swallow.

I am also torn because I love spending time with it just being me and her.  I have never had this with any of my girls and I really enjoy it.  when lynn was this age, ash was hanging out with us too.  when ash was this age, peyton was just a baby.  it is rather enjoyable spending my days with her.

maybe I am having some separation anxiety too?

I mean, who would take control of the remote control when a self-portrait session is in need?

(click on layout for full list of credits.)

dude, being a mom is hard.

it also sucks sometimes.

how many ways can you say 4?

(indulge me here, k?)

today, peyton turned 4.

4 brings lots and lots of excitement to life around these parts.

today, we tried out various combinations with our fingers to get the number 4.

we based a whole day around a new obsession, “aladdin” and all things princess jasmine.

the other day, peyton finally wrote her name!!!

(and in “finally”, I mean she finally showed interest in writing anything more than a “p”.)

as she wrote the “p” there was a little excitement, cause you have to show it every time.  then she got to her “e”.

I teared-up.

after she wrote the rest of those all too cute letters in her name, my eyes were glassy.

she said, “let’s do it again mom..  and this time, don’t cry.  k?”

see, she’s 4 alright.

                       

and because my children want to challenge me in my cake decorating skills, peyton asked for a jasmine cake. 

(her eyes are too big, but what of it?  they are turning into poop even as I type.)

to aid me in my feat, we watched aladdin.

a lot.

the music is etched into my brain.

so, now she is 4.

an affinity for hair.

peyton really likes playing with her dolls, especially their hair.

this is what I found the other day:

all she wants for her birthday (today anyway) is a comb and a spray bottle.

I have to say that jasmine is quite the sport.

church isn't just on sunday at our house.

while peyton might prefer to not stay in her primary class on sunday, it doesn't mean that she doesn't love church.

i have heard her many times, while playing house, bless the food with her babies or say a bedtime prayer.  she has played church with them as well.

after a mistake was made one sunday on the sacrament prayer, she asked me why they had to say two prayers on the water.  i explained that the sacrament is an ordinance and that there can be no mistakes in the prayer.  she seemed to accept that.  at dinner that night, she volunteered to say the blessing on the food.  well, she made a mistake, and then started her prayer all over again!

"i made a mistake!  i had to start all over."

then there was today.

we were getting ready to go over to the school to be the mystery reader for lynn's class, and needed to get shoes on peyton, so we went into her closet.  there were her little people, all lined up in rows, one up front, sitting on a trike, just a little higher than the rest.

"i made a church for my little people mommy!"

yes, she did.

oh how i wish i had gotten a picture of that..

this whole post might be because my kids watch “despicable me” too much.

this is peyton:

she is almost 4, loves her purse (doesn’t like hannah montana though), eats just about everything (but oranges have been a favorite lately), and is my favorite sidekick.

part of her duties as sidekick include making me laugh.

(like just now, she informed me that her panties are hanging out of her skirt.)

this child, as well as my other two, love the movie “despicable me”.  I can’t blame them.  I find it pretty darn funny myself.  I am not sure if I love it enough to want to watch it everyday though.

there is just one certain part of this movie that has seemed to have stuck in the brain of my little nearly four year old.

imagine, the minion.

“whaaat?”

go, see for yourself. 

now pair it with this sweet face:

and here’s a story to put the two together for your enjoyment:

sunday has changed in our home.  we have moved from the 1-4pm church to the 9am-12pm block.  it’s still taking a little getting used to, but for the most part, we are loving it.  sundays have also changed in the fact that peyton is no longer in nursery.  she is a sunbeam!  (she is also the only one of my girls who would not allow me to take a picture of her after her first sunday as a sunbeam with her new ctr ring.  stinker.)  her first sunday in class, no big deal.  she rather enjoyed it.  I was rather relieved.

the second sunday, I was gearing her all up for another fun sunday as a sunbeam (!!!).  we got there, and despite another kid, crying incessantly, she went to class without hesitation.

now, merrill and I teach the oldest two classes in primary.  during peyton’s class time, we are in music and sharing time, during our class time, she is in music and sharing time.  so just as we make the transition to go to class, right when we are going to have the opening prayer, there is a knock at the door.  it was the primary secretary and peyton’s teacher.

and there was peyton.  big tears on her cheeks.  her teacher explained that she thought peyton wasn’t feeling well, she stood the whole class time and didn’t want to sit down.  she didn’t cry for a while, but at the end of class, she started to cry and said she wanted me.

so I took her into class with us, but when she started to get too comfortable in there (read: she was being a distraction) I had merrill take her out to see if she wanted to go into singing time.

(come to find out she didn’t like that either.)

well, after sacrament meeting, when we were going home, I decided to ask peyton what happened in class to make her so sad.

“well..  I was just trying to play with all of my friends, but they didn’t want to play, so I was like ‘whaaat?’ and then I was sad.  and I didn’t want to sit down, and so I started to cry.  and my teacher was like ‘whaaat?’ and she asked me why I was sad and I just couldn’t talk.  so I said I wanted my mom.  and well, then she took me to you.”

that girl…

other funny things she has said lately:

sunday night when she wouldn’t go to bed she told merrill:

“when I am grown up, I am going to stay up all night, and I am going to be tan.”

she also told him that she was going to change her name, but he couldn’t remember what name she said.

she also likes to bust in on conversations by saying, “what?  are you guys eating chicken nuggets over there?”

I love that I get to spend all day with her, and merrill, that does not give you permission to say anything about when she starts school, in the very, far, distant future, and leaves me all by  my lonesome.  her position of sidekick might just have to be filled if you say anything that makes me cry.

and well, I kinda sorta got my picture of my new little sunbeam in a round-about kind of way after all.