Lots of scrapping stuff going on in March!!

It's been a busy February!! I didn't get much scrapping time due to our big move, but I did get some cute pictures of Logan and Dan building things for our home.

I created this page for a valentine's day contest, using the theme "hold hands". I thought of Robert and Barbara and their hand-holding. Then, I dug thru mom's trip pics and found these.

This was a fast, easy one using an artsy black and white of heather.

I'm now working my way thru a big box of childhood pictures. They are a bit of a challenge, as they are small and mostly very dark.

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www.Scrapbookdreamer.com is hosting a March sketch challenge. The best Part?? This sketch has been created just for us by the ever talented Becky Fleck!! You can see her website and free sketches here: www.pagemaps.com. The winner will receive a $20 gift certificate with free shipping from the store!!

We are Home!

I will start with the most important room of the house, my scraproom :) I put up pegboard to organize all my goodies. This is just one wall. The room measures 10x10.





Our master bathroom is bigger than the bedroom! It has a this huge jetted garden tub, which we haven't used because it takes 2 water tanks to fill it, a big standing shower, double sink and double walk in closet. The bathroom measures 15x 14!!

Our dining room opens up into the living room. It has a sliding door that opens to a deck that goes between this room and the play room. Mom gave me the china hutch :)

Logan and Heather are really enjoying their new space. They are sharing a bedroom right now per their choice, which opens up the second bedroom for a play area. We've also utilized the family room as a toy room. so really, they have about 2/3 of the house for themselves!!

Just a wild and crazy picture of Heather. She was being very silly!!

We are packed...and outta here!!

In between a gazillion trips to Evanston for classes required for childcare licensing, we've been packing and getting ready to move into our new home. As of saturday, everything is finished except for some minor finish work by the carpet guys and the floor of the garage! It really looks great. I'll post some pictures of the inside/garage as soon as we close tomorrow and I can go up there and snap a few.

I've been adding some fun things to my scrapping repetoire. Since all my paper items are packed, I've been dabbling in digital. Let me tell ya, these programs have so many options, it's overwhelming! I'm using Photoshop Elements...and should probably get a book to learn how to use it! The great thing about digi scrapping is that I can print out the digi elements and combine them with traditional paper scrapping. I've wanted to learn to do this for a long time.

Here are some of my first digi pages!





This was a fast one--the fun black brushes are like digital stamps and super easy to use.

This page is my official first digi page. It took about 4 hours!! but, now that I know a few things, it's getting faster.

I put this one together last night in under an hour. I used all freebie elements found online. This is my first attempt at using a digi overlay, cutting empty circles, and using scalloped papers.

Ths page is not digi--but it has some exciting news!! I won my first big manufacturer's contest!! A copy of this layout was used by FiberScraps, the maker of everything on this layout, in their booth at the big Crafts and Hobbies Association convention in Anaheim. I won $100 and lots of free stuff made by FiberScraps. FUN!! I mailed it off to them a couple weeks ago for photographing, and possible use in magazine advertisements.

Heather and Logan....Meet 2

The 'twos' are officially here. I can't believe it!! Where has the time gone?? I can remember thinking "if we can just get til may, everything will be okay". Of course, I was thinking may 2005, not may 2007. I don't think may can help us now. The tantrums, the independence, the only eating yogurt for 4 meals a day...is really starting to take it's toll. It's gonna be a long year hahahaha.

Heather is so independent. She refuses help getting her shoes on, tells me "NO" any chance she can get, and the last few days will only eat apples. "No, momma, apple". ARGH this is fine and dandy for chunky babies--but she needs to dip them in a little peanut butter!!! Her cardiology appointment went very well. Her malformed valve seems to be functioning just as a normal valve would, so no follow ups needed for another 2 years!!

They both enjoyed their little birthday party. We ate lasagna and had little individual cakes with way too much frosting for dessert. We practiced for WEEKS blowing out candles. Logan got it on the first try--Heather got the lip pursing part right, but doesn't like the smoke, so blew from a distance. At least they ate the cake this year :) Last year they wanted nothing to do with anything remotely solid. Heather of course nibbled on hers like a little mouse and Logan just dug in full speed ahead. Amy and Annelise were here so they joined in the fun as well!

Logan is super opinionated and super frustrated that we can't quite understand his version of English. He is starting to learn words very quickly, he just doesn't say them in any english dialect that we recognize :) He is obsessed with cars and trains to the point that they are always in perfect order. He only eats yogurt and the jelly half of a PB&J and ALWAYS tells me NO, no matter what the request. I'm not sure where this comes from, but I'm sure a month in daycare had something to do with it!

And speaking of daycare, Friday was our last day. They had a horrible time adjusting to the noise and activity. Kathy is a sweet lady, but also is running a business and can't justify giving 2 full time spots to 2 part time kids, especially with the shortage of daycare in this county. I wasn't a very good fit for the Big Piney clinic and am leaving quietly. Therefore, I am working as fast as I can to get my daycare open. I already have zoning approval and all the inspections, orientations, and trainings scheduled. I am hoping to start taking kids March 1st--and actually have leads on enough kids needing care to be almost full on March 1st!! This is definitely a different road than what I had planned on taking, but will be quite rewarding ( I am hoping. remind me of this when you visit me at the state hospital lol).


This outfit is her very favorite. aunt Shana and family gave it to her for Christmas and she really does look cute :) Such a girly girl!

Here's one of my favorite pictures from our impromptu photo shoot on their 2nd birthday. She is really starting to look less and less like a toddler, and more like a preschooler. She can sing her abc's--well, her version of abc's--and count to 5 with some help. she knows all the animals on the planet AND the specific noise they make. Blues Clues is her favorite tv show of the moment and her babies never leave her side. Of course, Day-Day is never far either. Grandma Comeau has nicknamed her FiFi, as she will always find a warm lap to cuddle on--and won't leave until she's ejected!

Logie, as Heather has named him, is busy, busy busy. In fact so busy that the only pictures I got of him on his second birthday are of him eating because it's the only time during the day he stays in one place more than a millisecond. He loves to count and can get to 5--usually in a round about way including 2 and 4 several times, but he gets there in his own time --he likes to look at books as long as there's pictures he can recognize. He seems to imitate Heather much of the time and really misses her when she's not around. We had to move him into her room so that he'd quit getting up in the middle of the night looking for her. He is still a great hug-giver and very tender hearted.

Okay Grandpa Urbigkit...it's updated just for you :):)

Merry Christmas!!

There's a new grandbaby in the family...his name is Bugsy--or that's what it was this day. I'm not sure if Jason has made up his mind yet. Bugs is a shar-pei something or other mix and he's just adorable!!






We decided to give him to Jason a day early because it would have been impossible to keep him a secret. Besides, we were tired of getting up every 20 mintues to let him outside!!

We all went sledding the day before Christmas and had lots of fun. This was the first time Heather and Logan had been sledding. I was really suprised--they both LOVED it! Heather would squeal all the way down the hill...and then want to be carried back up. They were both pushing to get in line to go back down. It was very cold that day, but they lasted over an hour.

Here's the whole crew, minus Annelise who was napping in the warm car. Even she made it down the hill a time or two. What a fun day.

Dan and Logan going down the hill.

Annelise's first time sledding. She wasn't so sure about all the layers required.

Christmas morning was fast and furious. All 3 kids had fun...for the first 3 presents and then lost interest. They just wanted to play with the ones they had already opened.

Great Grandma Urbigkeit gave them little rockers for Christmas. They were a huge hit, especially with Heather who lovest to find little places to sit.

The 4 grandbabies in front of the tree and presents. It was impossible to get all of them in the same place, looking the same direction, at the same time.

So many pictures, so little time...

It's only December 18th, but I've already taken almost 500 pictures this month!! I've only covered tree decorating, sugar cookie making, and a few early presents :)

I decided to let H and L help me decorate cookies this year. What a mess!! They got frosting, sprinkles and spider egges (our kiddie term for those round candy sprinkles) everywhere but the cookies!! Logan just double fisted the frosting knives, getting as much into his mouth as possible before I took them away...then proceeded to frost himself.





I snappe this photo before he got too sticky. I gave him a haircut the night before...poor guy. He'll have to wear a hat for awhile hehehe.

December is going to be a month of compramises. No you can't have the glass ornament, but maybe this one from the dollar store, No you can't have just frosting for dinner--but maybe a whole cooked for dessert....No you can't climb out of your crib 15 times...but maybe if you can stay in the bed, you can have a big boy bed for Christmas...:):)

Logan is having some issues with being asked to sleep in a crib. Booger. Just climbs over the siderail, lands on the ground with a big "whomp" and then plays, talks--even has the guts to come back out into the living room, where he knows he'll get scolded. sheesh. 2 hours of this and I finally gave in and let him sleep in the single bed in his room. He didn't let out a peep--or even try to get out of bed. I gues the big boy bed is in order...either that or he's going to break his noggin!!

This is CLASSIC Heather. Classic. She was eating frosting and got ONE little spider egg on her tongue. I finally got the big, exaggerated gag on film....

Heather, as you can see, is a master cookie froster. She managed to get frosting ON a cookie. Big accomplishment for a 2 year old, I am learning hehehe. She stayed sticky free...another classic Heather-ism.

I could take hundreds of pictures a month of this sweet little girl, and maybe, just maybe I can get one of her looking at least in the general direction of the camera. You can see just a tiny bit of the frosting eating evidence on her cheek :) Probably the dirtiest she's been in a month hahaha. She is really enjoying having "It's Anna Baby" in the house to play with. Anna gets to eat all kinds of imaginary cuisine, led around the house by her hand, and many hugs and kisses.

Notice anything different??? Yep. Heather got her first haircut. She was getting very frustrated with her bangs in her eyes, so I gave in and chopped them. I got a little teary eyed! She just looks so much older and, if I may say so myself, adorable in her homemade doo.

Grandpa stopped by on saturday and brought over lots of gifts. We decided to let the doobers open their gifts from him so that he could watch. As always, he found the perfect gift. (I made him promise NOTHING with motors :) ) they love these little tricycles and have been riding them every waking moment. Heather gets quite frustrated because her feet don't touch the ground at the same time she's holding the handle bars, but she'll get it figured out I'm sure. Logan is already faking crashes, falls off, does wheelies (I REALLY made grandpa promise no motors) It's a good thing this is a dumpy rental!!

I think we are ready for christmas. I just have some last minute baking and packing to do on Thurs and friday, and we'll trek to Evanston on Friday night after Dan gets home from work.

Man, being a working stiff has really cut into my scrapping time!! I don't have anything new to share!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas with too much food and lots of love.

Okay, Dad. I've updated just for you!!

We finally got our poor, little fake Christmas tree up and decorated. The kids were so much fun this year!! They were in absolute awe of the lights and pretty ornaments. Getting the ornaments and lights on the tree was quite a challenge, though. Heather especially wanted to play with each and every ornament --which created a BIG tantrum when I told her they had to be left on the tree.

Logan was eager to help, but fizzled out quickly. He was more interested in climbing in and out of the big plastic tubs all the Christmas stuff is stored in.

This picture of us is cute...too bad the 70's shag carpet couldn't be edited out :) We can't wait for our house to be finished. It is set on the foundation and the contractor has started working on

the ouside. As soon as it can be heated, they will finish the interior.

On a clear day, the view is breathtaking! Our builder really did a great job positioning the house to face the peaks. He also put in bigger windows so that we can enjoy the view. The guest room has windows looking at these mountains and then the view to the south. It's very pretty!

Mister Logan has decided that he would really like to be the boss of many things, including whether or not he wears mittens. It only lasted about 5 minutes, though, as he came back really quickly begging for them to be put on. I did this page as an assignment for www.scrapbookdreamer.com, using Around the Block winter papers.

This page layout uploaded really small, but you can click on it to make it bigger. These are the pictures from above. Bo Bunny press sponsored our DT at www.scrapbookdreamer.com this month, so I used their print papers, some BG chipboard and Petaloo flowers.

Hi Grandma :)

You are on the internet, curlers and all!!

I think this is my favorite picture from the whole Thanksgiving weekend. It just sums up the importance of grandparents in my children's lives. Neither kiddo had ever seen a piano, let alone play one before this minute. Here's their great-grandma with her awesome patience, teaching them not to pound. These small gifts of time and teaching may not be remembered by them in the future, but will leave a little lasting fingerprint on their personalities. Thanks Grandma!!

And speaking of fingers, isn't this just the most awesome picture?? Seasoned, experienced hands guiding new, two year old hands??? You can barely see Heather's tiny pointer finger in between her great grandmother's. I just love this! I am sure it will end up on a scrap page real shortly.