Back from Blog Holiday

Hola....
It has been a hectic few weeks since Paul returned home.
1. Trying to see everyone that Paul (it feels like) has ever met since his return.
2. Going to Iowa and getting snowed in while in BFE WITH A TODDLER.
3. Continued to unpack and clean--still not done.
4. Organized scrap area (one of the few fun things of this holiday season)
5. Gained some weight (struggling to breathe in my jeans as I type this.)
6. Played Sponge Bob Diner Dash A LOT.

SO glad to be hanging out at home and playing games for New Years.

I hope everyone has a Happy New Year. 2007 SUCKED a*%, so I am pretty excited to ring a brand spankin' new year.

Missouri Botanical Gardens

http://www.mobot.org/events/GardenlandExpress/glexpress.asp

Trains, Flowers, Model Beavers:

Me with my eyes closed AGAIN:

At "Rooster"...a wonderful breakfast/brunch place downtown:

I miss them!

I am happy to be home, but I miss seeing these guys on a regular basis...

Me and Catie: (my niece who is like my sister)

Mikey (my brother) and I trying to keep our eyes open for the camera. This one was after about a bazillion pics and we were getting slap happy.

Really...we aren't high.

Andy (my brother) and I in Chicago:

The Chin and Albert Family:
from left to right around the table: Andy, Catie, Uncle Dave, Mom, Dad and me.

December Fun!

Here is our creation...it is a Gingerbread Train. We had fun, though right before bed isn't the optimal time for a toddler's attention span. Paul wanted to use every piece of candy that they supplied with the kit. Oh, and this morning he walks into the bathroom talking to me eating a piece of the caboose. And I responded with a shriek-y "What are you doing?? You are eating our decoration!!"

Our elf.

This is Tate and me before we left Michigan. Sledding is VERY fun. We now have snow in St. Louis and I couldn't be more thrilled. Catie gave us a push down the hill.

Thank You Cards

For Tate's teachers in MI and for the best garbage man ever!!

Getting back to normal

This is when Paul flew in to MI to help bring us home...

How to entertain your toddler while you unpack the house. Of course, Paul wanted to send this picture out to his friends showing them what he got Tate for Christmas. The funny thing about that is that he will probably play with his "rocket/house creation" more than anything he actually gets from Santa.

A few decorations amidst the unpacking mess to make it feel like home.

HOME at last!!

OK, I knew it would feel good to return to our house in St. Louis after having spent the last 6 months in a temporary home in MI while Paul was deployed, but it feels AWESOME!!!

We are still unpacking and just got internet today, so I will post more blog entries and pictures once we have settled in a bit more.....

Hope you all are snuggled in on this cold night :)

Paul's home...almost!!

After 6 days of travelling, Paul returned to the United States. He just happened to have a layover in Detroit on his way to St. Louis, so we drove the 1 hr 45 min to see him. Why didn't he just come home with us, you ask?? He is required to return to the base for briefings, turn in equipment, etc. He'll fly into Lansing, Mi on Tuesday and be officially "home".

When Paul got off the plane (we had a special military pass to meet him at he gate), Tate didn't even hesitate...he ran right to him. It was like he had just left yesterday! Tate is a cautious kid who doesn't just go to anyone, and he was 100% comfortable with Paul and called him" Dada" almost immediately. It was awesome.

As we were waiting, Paul let Tate dig through his bags. Here he is dumping everything out on the floor.

And us on the way home after a stop at Trader Joe's, wayyyyyyyyyy past nap. Yea--that's a box of cereal I let him have on his lap. The hands on the ears? Him just being a ham for the camera.

Out of commission

Did I spell that right?? Anyway, not much blogging going on as I have been sick the past few days. I guess I have a breast infection and have had a fever, vomiting, all the ickies.

After being further frustrated with military health insurance, I went to the ER and got some antibiotics. I am thankful that I am getting this out of the way before Thanksgiving. See? My way of looking on the bright side :)

More after I recover.

Last Layouts B4 Thanksgiving

I sometimes get burned out from scrapping, so I am waiting until Thanksgiving weekend, which is an annual crop at my Aunt MaryAnn's house. I want to save my creative energy until then!

This LO was inspired by a Scrap in Style TV tutorial that showed going through all your stickers and just slapping things on in a cluster and taking only a few minutes to complete a page. It was so fun!!!
This LO was inspired by Ali Edwards "Daily Inspiration" using junk mail and I loved the idea and translated it on to a page. Not as cute as AE's envelope, but I will be using more junk mail in the future.

Is Halloween over?

I sit here with a tootsie roll in each cheek. Stupid Halloween Candy! So much for the 10 lbs I planned to lose before Paul came home. He'll be here in about 2 weeks, and unless I do nothing but work out until he arrives, it's not happening!

Catie, Tate and I decided to pull out Tate's sing along CDs. And then we pulled out anything that could be considered a costume and we danced and dressed up and laughed hysterically. A good way to burn an hour, especially when you are so tired you could pass out and need to wake up.

Saturday am

It is dark. Tate woke up at the buttcrack of dawn saying "eat", which I thought he was saying "itch" (eczema on his legs) until "WAFFLE" was said very clearly at 5:10a!! Oh yea, he went back to bed...only for an hour.


I was making Halloween shaped pancakes (we're out of waffles) before my eyes were even open. I know, Halloween is over, BUT THEY ARE SO COOL!

The pic is blurry, but this is how he wakes up every morning. He melts down in the evening, don't be mistaken, but he is alllll smiles at the break of day.

Trick or Treat!

Yes, it was cold and it was rainy and we still HAD A REALLY REALLY FUN TIME!!!

Me crammed into a 3T sized "Blue" costume. Yea... I had to cut the side out.

This jailed pumpkin even hade the "Tattooed" teardrop. So funny.


And PacMan for you older bloggers who remember who he is....

Dad and his favorite "kid"

He's not as grumpy as he looks... And that mouse lookin' thing in his vest, is his darling daughter, JOSIE, the favored child of the family. She is pretty cute, though. She is one of those rare friendly chihuahuas, except if you try to bug her while she is sleeping on my dad's lap.

Presents!!

Today after a less-than-desireable Storytime at the Library (Tate had crack for breakfast), we went over to my parents' house and helped my mom clean a variety of rooms. I am helping her to organize her scrap stuff, and she has A TON of it. The best part, I left with PRESENTS!!

The paper is from "DCWV" (Die Cuts With a View) Fall Stack and there is some good stuff in there. She gave me one of each, as there are 3 sheets of each pattern. They have really upgraded the quality of those stacks. A few years ago, my mom had purchased the Spring/Summer pack and it was ok...ya know the stuff you MIGHT use in the wayyyyy background. This new one has papers that I would pick out at the scrapbook store and pay the 60 cents a sheet for each one. She got the stack at JoAnns, and before coupon, it was $19.99. Awesome deal and worth a look.

She also gave me this awesome leather photojournal with places for the photos on one page and blank 7gypsies-like manila blank space on the other page. Too cool and I can't wait to fill it.

Smokey fantasizing about going outside to play in the fall leaves.

And Sabrina wishing she could scrapbook.

ONE MORE DAY UNTIL HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I don't know how to change the date, so this posting is in the wrong order...

TAG--if you read this you're "it" :)

I was tagged by reading a fun blog that I discovered on one of the many scrap blogs I visit. Hi Natalie!

4 Jobs I've Had:
1. USAF Pilot
2. Pharmaceutical Rep
3. High School Teacher
4. (Currently) Mom

4 Movies I Could Watch Over & Over:
1. Almost Famous
2. Fools Rush In
3. Sense and Sensibility
4. Sweet Home Alabama

TV Shows I Watch: (only 4???!!!!)
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. The Hills
3. Real World 500 ( sad to say I am old enough to have watched the FIRST Real World regularly)
4. Sarah Silverman Program

Places I've Lived:
1. Sacramento, CA
2. San Antonio, TX
3. Ann Arbor, MI
4. St Louis, MO ok, really Swansea, IL (the 'Burbs of STL)

Favorite Foods:
1. Really Good Cheese, Bread and Wine
2. Thai Food (Tate was grown on Yellow Chicken Curry)
3. Mexican Food cooked by Dad
4. Caprese Salad

Places I'd Love to be Now:
1. In bed SLEEPING
2. At an overnight scrapbook convention
3. In San Francisco
4. With Paul in our STL Living Room watching good TV

Names I Like, But Would Not Use for My Children:
1. Lake
2. Soliel (LOVE it, but I can see mean teenage boys altering it in the future)
3. Chloe (too many these days)
4. Irina (means Peace, but my brother has already shown me how it can be altered in that #2 way)

Again, if you are reading this, you are tagged. :)

Scrap Tips from Other People

So I am was wandering around online tonight, waiting for Tate to fall asleep (he was yelling "Mama" for the 400th time) and found some GREAT scrap techniques on youtube.

I've used youtube, mostly to watch innapropriate humor my brothers have shown me. Who knew there were also scrap tips on there??

Here are a few cool things:
GLITTER CHIPBOARD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaJPSNRRlk4
GRUNGEBOARD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gODmW_qULL8
CUSTOMIZED PLANNER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXHxWzbzv60
***This last one is long, but it is a cute project. Also, this woman is a champ. She even toted he 4 kids along with her to Staples and she still manages to look cute and have time to scrap. I am officially a wimp.

More OcToBeR Cards!

Here you go. I am usually done and mailing my Halloween cards out by now...

And Tate created yet another nest. If you don't know what I am talking about, refer to old post here.
And since I have almost ruined our camera from throwing it in the diaper bag and letting Tate do his own photo shoots... a new camera case. LOVE IT! (got it at Target.)

Happy Monday!