Check this out...

So I was checking my e-mail this evening, and had an e-mail from the Scrapbook Expo (I'm signed up to get their updates).  It was telling me it is only 1 week to the expo, and it had links to their blog and facebook page, etc.  I almost deleted the e-mail and then had a second thought to go look at their facebook page.  The top post was this:

The Original Scrapbook USA Expo

We knew that Scrapbook USA Expo fans were generous and caring, but who knew so many of you would send in SO many cards for our new Care With Cards program, which will benefit Operation Write Home. A great big facebook bear hug to all of you! Here are today's Care With Cards winners of a free regular admission pass to the show: Penny Atkinson, Cindy McFarlane and Allisha Hughes. Congrats, Ladies!

 Wahoo!! My friend, Cindy, and I both won tickets to the expo with the cards we mailed in! So excited! :)  I was not expecting that!

 

Cards for a Cause



Scrapbook USA is coming to the South Towne Expo Center on March 23rd and 24th. (So excited to go!!) This time they are doing a service project for our troops.  They asked that people send them cards.  Not for the troops to get, but for the troops to be able to have a handmade card to send home to their loved ones.  My friend, Cindy, and I decided that it was a worthy cause and wanted to help out.  On Monday, we had a card making day and made a few cards to send to those in charge.  I have to admit that I only got one card made while I was there (I also helped my friend begin her son's guest sign-in book for his wedding).  I told Cindy that I would make a few more later that day if I could find the time.  I made two more and then looked in my stash for the other two.  Cindy came and picked them up and mailed them for us.  (Thanks!)

This one was in my stash



Also in my stash, and has been for about 6 years (I taught it in a class). Time to let someone get some use out of it!

Made this one at home.

Also made this one at home--tags turned presents!

Made this one when we got together on Monday.

  As an added bonus if they pick our card(s) we win free entrance to the expo.  I don't really plan on winning--just the thought that my cousin or brother-in-law who are in the service could send one of my cards home to their wives or children makes it worthwhile.

Happy Birthday Big Brother!

Happy Birthday, Dustin!  Hope you are celebrating! :)  Love you.

What a Great Weekend!

Our weekend started with Morgan leaving right after school with her Grandma and Grandpa Hughes.  She went to Salt Lake to see Toy Story 3 Disney on Ice with them and Coralie's family. We missed her, but had several great adventures of our own. 

Once John got home from school with the boys, we took a long bike ride.  It was beautiful weather in the 60's.  We couldn't pass up the opportunity to get outside!  Eli fell asleep as he often does when we go on bike rides.  Poor Lindey!  He was using her for his pillow.  She was a good sport, and didn't protest too much.  She must have gotten in a few good hair pulls to make up for all the "love" Eli gives her. :)

 We rode out on the airport road to the freeway overpasses.  I didn't quite make it up the hill--had to get off and walk.  One day I'll do it, one day...Anyways, the boys love to climb up them.

 They even got in some meditation before we were on our way. 

We rode from there around the road to the golf course, across the main road and around the block, then back to our house.  Quite a ride!  That night, Ian asked if I would help him and Micah make a fort. Zander had fallen asleep by this time, and Eli fell asleep around 5pm--before dinner, and slept all night long!   Four kitchen chairs and several sheets later, and we had a fort!  They thought it was so much fun!

 It was quite roomy inside.

 Lindey even got in on the action.  She kept lifting the sheet up around the edges where there wasn't a "door", heading into the fort, and crawling out another opening.  She was so fun to watch.  She thought that was great!

 Silly boys. :)

 Saturday morning we were able to sleep in after staying up way too late! (We're getting too old to do 2am!)  Eli wouldn't let us sleep in very long, which was good since it was another beautiful day outside.  After breakfast, John took a couple of the boys and went to the school to finish up a few things, then I walked over and met him there with the rest of the kids.  We walked to Ace to get a bracket (John wanted to put a solar spotlot on the shed that shines on the swingset so the kids can play at night--turned out pretty cool--Eli loved it!).  Then we had an impromtu barbeque out back.  We played basketball for a little bit, then took the kids on a little hike.  We decided to explore a different canyon out by the beach.  This canyon was much more rocky than other ones we have explored.  We had to do quite a bit of climbing over and up rocks.  I thought this would make a fun picture--Ian's shadow with Zander.  Made me smile anyway.

 This little boy loves to do things by himself.  He loves to climb and get dirty.  Scares the heck out of us too--he's too brave for his own good!

 Micah was loving all the climbing today as well. He made the comment that we ought to build a house out there and become cavemen!  Silly kid. :)

 Zander bug enjoying our hike--Take my picture too, Mom!

 Ian found this rock that had a hole in it to create a handle.  He thought it was pretty cool!

 John and Lindey--we really need to see if we can find a bigger baby carrier for her.  This one is just too small. She doesn't seem to mind.

 John and I were going to get a picture of ourselves, and ended up with this goofy one. :)  Ian even poked his head inbetween ours! LOL  There is a sound effect that goes with this picture, but I'm not sure how to translate it into print. :)

 There, that's better. :)

 Ian took my iPod a few times to get some pictures.  He wanted to get a picture looking down on us--thanks bud!

 Ian and Eli in a little alcove we found.

 Another Ian picture.  A natural target. On the way down from here he slipped and put a gash in my iPod screen protector.  Good thing he didn't crack the glass on it.  I would have been ticked! Don't know why he didn't put it back in his pocket before climbing down.  I guess you live and learn.

Morgan returned home Saturday evening with many treasures and a smile on her face.  Thanks for taking her Grandma and Grandpa!  Sunday evening we had the missionaries over.  Morgan's best friend, Talynn, has decided she wants to be baptized. Morgan has been a great example for her.  (They buy special pop just for her when she spends the night because we don't drink caffine--she lets them know what is expected of her.)  He mother came and talked to us and asked if we could do the discussions at our house.  She and her husband are very supportive of Talynn's decision.  Talynn is such a cute little girl and we joke back and forth that we have adopted a daughter.  She fits right in here!  I think she impressed the missionaries (Elder Smith and Elder Lopez) with how much she knows about the gospel.  She has been coming to church for more than a year, and has also sat through many of the discussions with her grandmother who was recently baptized. We are so excited for Talynn's decision and want to support her any way we can.  Plus, I think the discussions will be good for our family to hear.
It was a wonderful weekend, and I'm sad that we have to return to reality tomorrow.  Thanks for the fun, family!  I love you! :)

5th/6th Grade Dance

Every year the PTA puts on a dance for the 5th and 6th graders. This year they had Danielle Holyoak teach the kids some dances. She taught them the Macarena. You could totally tell they were 10 and 11 year olds. Every time they had to put their hands on their bottoms they would all giggle--EVERY time!

This is just a cute picture of Ian enjoing himself.

Danielle also taught them the Cuban Shuffle, and Cotton Eye Joe, which I danced along side Ian. :) Still not embarrassed to be by his mom--hope that doesn't change!

The PTA had some treats for the kids.  Little cheesecakes and cupcakes, and water.  I think Eli has a few of the girls in John's class wrapped around his little finger! :)

To get the kids back to dancing, John put on the Rio song they danced to at the dance festival.  It was fun to watch the 6th graders run from the tables over to gym and start dancing.  They remembered it!

They also did the Limbo.  My pics aren't very good--all blurry.  The kids were going fast to get under the broom handle that John and I were holding--I was trying to get pictures one-handed! lol  Some of the kids were very good at this!  We were holding the broom handle by our knees before anyone couldn't go under without falling or touching the floor.

Glad I was able attend! 

Bunko!

I was in charge of Bunko in February.  February was a busy month. (which one isn't! lol) Between deciding what I was going to do for prizes and working around Girls State Basketball (one of our friends is a coach), I decided to have it on February 23rd.  It was a crazy day because I also had piano group that day. I was out of Thursdays, so we just went with it.  (Huge shout out to my friend Kristin for giving up her time to help me prep dinner and take care of the kids so I could get things ready! You continue to be my angel. Thank you!! :))  I was pretty excited about my prizes.  I did something that hasn't been done in our group as of yet--quite the challenge since we've been doing bunko for four years now.  I did some of my favorite books!  It was so much fun!  I think everyone really liked it--at least I hope they did.  I also hope they enjoy reading some of my favorite finds! :)  They made me laugh saying that everyone needs to bring their book to Bunko next month so we can trade them around. :) Others didn't want to wait that long and asked for a list of all the books I picked.  I made everyone a bookmark to go with their book(s).  That was the fun part! :)  I made flowers out of book pages, and hooked them to ribbon and a charm of some sort on the end.  Love how they turned out!  They are all cute, but I was excited to end up with one of my favorites. (The light pink one with the rhinestones in the flower.)

Books I gave out were (in no particular order):

Beautiful Creatures & Beautiful Darkness, The Books of Bayern (The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets & Forest Born), Peter and the Star Catchers, Tuesdays With Morrie, Kringle, The Secret Journal of Brett Colton, Book of a Thousand Days, Princess Academy, A Girl Named Disaster, Shadow Spinner, Bloomability, and part of the Shadow Children Series (Among the Hidden, Among the Imposters, Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons).  There were several others I had on my list that didn't make it here because of pricing or avaliability--I had to stick with our preset prize amounts. It was fun to whittle it down and get everything just right. I loved that some of my most favorites were in the $5.00 prizes. :) So glad I thought of doing books!

 Thanks for coming, eating, visiting, and laughing ladies!  I love our girls night out.


Lto R: Pam, Danielle, Kristin, Kristi, Me (Lindey), Melissa, Annie, Jenni, Taffee, and Lacey (Jett)
Not able to join in the fun: Julie, and Jessica--we missed you!



Lindey-10 months

Our baby girl is growing up!  Lindey turned 10 months old on Saturday the 25th. She now weighs 19.2 lbs., and is 28 1/4 inches tall.  She is crawling like crazy, and is now pulling herself up on everything.  She loves to eat what we are having, but still likes her cereal and baby food.  She gets very excited about the little freeze dried yogurt snacks.  Octopus arms come out in full force!  If you put them on her tray with a few other things, they get picked out first. :)  She's a girl who knows what she wants.  She giggles and laughs at things and smiles a lot.  We get comments all the time on how happy she is.  If we can keep Eli away from her--he makes her cry quite often--he's a little rough still.  Almost gave her a black eye the other day! (If you look closely at the pictures, you may see what's left of a bruise under her right eye.)  Lindey got her top two front teeth this month.  She has learned how to click her tongue and make the kissing sound.  She also learned to wave--just like a princess! :) (Elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist, wrist! j/k--Octopus arms, one handed. lol) 

Lindey has been given a few nicknames.  Lindey Lu has stuck from the beginning, as well as Pretty Girl, Baby Girl, and she shares Sis with Morgan. John started calling her Lu Lu. (The rest of us have picked that one up now as well.)  And whenever Micah talks to her, it's always, Lindey Princess. :) Too cute! 

Lindey has decided that she likes her binky again. (Mom and Dad like it too! Saves us from making a bottle in the middle of the night!)  Never had a baby do that.  Usually once they give it up, they don't go back to it.  We really don't mind it.  Like I said, it comes in handy! It is still kind of funny to see her with one. 

We love you baby girl!  I can't believe you are 10 months old!  It doesn't feel like it's been almost a year.  Maybe it's because I missed out on a month of your life. *sigh.  Glad you are part of our family, Lu Lu.  You make me smile every day.