This time tomorrow...

This time tomorrow night Shelby, Emma, and I will be in Puerto Rico with my Mom, Dad, brother and sister-in-law. We are flying tomorrow morning for a 7 day stay with my brother who moved there about 4 months ago. I am so excited to see them both and spend some time touring. I cannot wait to take the girls to the beach to see the beautiful water. Believe me, I plan to take lots of pics. I really wanted to post pics of our most recent events, but ran out of time. So I will get back to scrapping and posting when we return. But to update you on the latest and greatest, Shelby rode a mechanical bull when we went to the rodeo Saturday night. She also got her ears pierced yesterday. I have videos of both and hope to load them. Emma has been fitting into the three year old image well lately, fussing and whining and more fussing. The word MINE has surfaced more than ever. I am just trying to love her and discipline at the same time. She, of course, had to show off her earrings when Shelby got hers done. So, obviously, she remains to be the girly girl we all love. We are all packed and hope to get a good night's sleep before that alarm goes off at 5:30am!

digital layouts

Visiting Friends in Hilliard, FL

One of my dearest and most missed friends from Florida is Marty. I went to college with her as part of a cohort group. So, needless to say, we were in the same classes at UNF and became very close friends. When I went to say good-bye to her before moving to Atlanta, she was pregnant with Mason(the little boy with Emma). We cried and hugged and cried some more as I drove off. I try to visit with her when in Jacksonville, but find it difficult with conflicting schedules. So this visit was very special to me. We had grabbed lunch here and there. But our kids had not played together since Shelby was much younger. She has no recollection of meeting baby Mason b/c she was just 15 months older. So to have seen them taking off and trying to pop wheelies on bikes, climb the treehouse ladder, and come in dirty and sweaty was a treat. They had a ball. Shelby requested several times to call Marty to see if Mason could play again. I guess that'll be one of those special memories for her now that she is old enough to rememebr times like these. Marty also has Caroline, who she was pregnant with in my wedding, & Grant, who is unbelievably 9. They are all so special to me and I miss seeing her. By the way, yes that is Emma with a baby deer. You probably cannot read the story on the layout, so here's a short version. Marty's family found this baby deer caught in a fence. They are taking care of it by feeding it bottles at night and letting it roam free during the day. When it gets mature enough, they will let him go. He just happened to walk up while we were playing outside. So Shelby & Emma had a special encounter with one of God's sweetest creations. Of course, once full grown, they would never be able to interact so sweetly. This was an unforgettable experience. (Shelby's layout coming soon.)

Coming Home

This is my official last posting before hitting the road to head back home. I had a great time scrapbooking in Jax and love to share my layouts. I "scrap-lifted" the Rock Climbing layout idea from my friend but was able to do it without using the template. I love how it turned out. This morning I completed the Easter Basket layout and love how the colors came together with the girls' pajamas. I am getting much faster but still find the process more enjoyable than I had originally thought. It is different from traditional scrapping. But both have their perks!

Emma Language

I love to journal after scrapbooking a page. Tonight I sat and thought about Emma's haircut she got in April. After creating her layout, I started to type. I want to capture those special moments in my girls' books that you tend to forget as time goes by. So I typed our typical conversation about haircuts. Emma seems to talk about things by stating the obvious and them forming it into a question, kinda like this: Mommy: Emma, did you get a haircut? Emma: Carecut Mommy. Mommy: I like your haircut. Emma: Carecut Mommy? Mommy: No, just Emma haircut. I love that as I type I can hear her little voice in my head. I know over time I will forget how that voice sounds as it changes, Shelby's has. And she will eventually talk with a more mature vocabulary. But for now, I will enjoy her statements turning into questions for as long as I can.

One of My Favorite Layouts

We have been in Jax, FL for about 9 days now. It has been a walk down memory lane for me. I have been able to visit some old friends and make new memories with my girls at the same time. I went to my friend Annette's house last week. I had not seen her in a very long time. She had last seen Shelby when she was a baby and had never seen Emma. We then went to Janice's house to play and swim. Normally we see her and her kids each visit. But with holidays, vacations overlapping and work, we have missed them for about a year. So it was nice to visit and play like old times. Shelby caught a tree frog there and Janice so graciously told us where to buy a "house". Pics coming soon of Freddy the Frog. Marty is my girlfriend from college, who I eat lunch with in Callahan every other visit or so. We met her and her husband, Neal, for lunch again but this time drove out to Hilliard to see their new house. We stayed and played until that evening. If she e-mails me the pics, I will be able to share with you Emma & Shelby's first close up encounter with a baby deer, Bambi as they named her. Bam-Bam as Emma said. As always, I have spent time with Mary Kay. We have shopped, gone to the beach, and went in her pool. I also got my haircut by Hope, my favorite hair dresser!!! I love it! Shane may be going to Detroit again Tues so we may stay another week. That's the great thing about summer and staying at home with your kids, no worries, just fun!