Easter recap and Scrapping Turtle weekly reveal

Pin It Now! Easter 2011 was a big success - we have hosted family before but always stuck to somewhat safe menus like brunches or bbq's - this was our first real fancy meal and it couldn't have turned out better!

It was kind of fun having two events back to back too because the prep work was kind of a 2 for one deal -- we did  a little candy buffet (which btw  by the end of the weekend gave me a stomach ache from even looking at it - I have since entered a "healthy eating phase" - bought a ton of veggies yesterday and made a soup last night - I think I am officially on a junk food cleanse)

 pretty flowers from costco - these are now on their last legs but I can't bear to throw them out just yet - it's not very often that we have so many fresh flowers in the house and they are so nice

 my little jonah bunny - he was SUCH a good boy this weekend - it was  pretty much a weekend full of his favorite things - people, lots of loud noises and attention...and as much as it's been a learning process for both of us these last few months (like in the sleep department) one thing I know to be thankful for is that he's such a portable, adaptable little guy, he just loves to be carted around and would be perfectly happy being carried around town all day (which came in handy on Thursday when I had to get ready ;))

 Dinner #1 - success!  Delicious menu courtesy of Dish Entertains cookbook and prepared by us!  The only thing that was a bit of a pain is the risotto is a bit time consuming - but we were all visiting in the kitchen anyway so it wasn't a big deal (just requires constant stirring)

 Dinner #2 - a bit more simple but just a delicious; homemade burgers and shrimps that we served after an afternoon of walking around town and eating yummy appies.

 Me and my fabulous sister in law - I am so happy for Jonah that he'll grow up having so many great people in his life, so special that the people that are dear to me are quickly becoming special people to him as well.

And onto some scrapping news - yesterday was reveal day at The Scrapping Turtle - our challenge was to create a layout using our April supplies based on this ad

it was our last challenge of the month so I was running low on supplies but I actually love the way this one turned out, it is so far from my "typical" style:

Have a great day!

Hello long weekend!

Pin It Now! Welcome back, we missed you :) I love that the Easter long weekend marks the start of monthly long weekends through the end of the summer....I know that summer is still a little ways away but now it just feels like it's within reach.

We have big plans this weekend - hosting two dinners, I must be crazy becuase I left our Costco run until today and took the baby -- we went pretty early in the morning so it wasn't so bad but it was still pretty nutty....think lots of cartjams and people aimlessly wondering the aisles. I have to do one more grocery store run later today (becuase I only need one carrot not 450 and a few other small things) and then hit the bakery on Saturday am and then we are good to go.

I'm making centerpieces for the table - I wanted to do a potted plant for all the ladies but the Costco pickins were slim and I couldn't go anywhere else so I just got a bunch of tulips and small roses and some greens -- I think it'll turn out pretty and spring-y.

Tomorrow we're having herb roasted beef tenderloin, spring pea rissoto and roasted asparagus and Saturday it's grilled shrimps (on the barbie!) and burgers with tons of appetizers....pretty much all of the above comes from this book - I think I have raved about it before but it's seriously amazing.  Go buy it.  Apparently Trish Magwood has another book coming out soon - I will definitley be getting it...I am a huge sucker for cookbooks in general and I love it when I can turn to any page and love what I see (and be able to tackle it!)



Hm - the afternoon nap I was counting on has been cut very short.  I will be back later with a recap of our weekend and a few more crafty shares

Happy Easter!

Scrapping Turtle Monday Reveal

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I finally got around to scrapping J's 4 month page - if only I could get caught up with Project 12 I'd be in good shape - I am pretty much in love with this paper from My Mind's Eye - it made the whole page come together so easily - I have another sheet from this line already in the works for my 5 month page.  

Today is Design Team Monday over at The Scrapping Turtle blog - our product of the month was smooch - I am not much of a mister but after having worked with it this month I may be a convert. 

Here is a very simple layout of my boy - love these pics and the papers I had to work with were a bit on the girly side so I am pleased with how this one turned out: 

I also missed posting last Monday's reveal using Nikki Sivils paper and a sketch - here was my take

Off to watch DWTS - have a great night! 

4 and 5 month recap

Pin It Now! I had this 4 month recap typed but never ended up blogging so today is a 2 for 1 kind of post - I still need to do corresponding layouts for both 4 and 5 months but now at least I have the journalling documented.

How is it possible that over 1/3rd of a year has gone by? Yet in a way I cannot imagine life before the chubby baby caterpillar

 

There was so much I had heard about being a parent before actually becoming one and it all kind of just sounded a bit cheesy but most of it is SO true. Like how I was told that it was the hardest but most rewarding job in the world. and it is SO. True. It is so hard - I think the reason I didn't believe it before is because I was thinking about all of the physical acts - like changing diapers etc -- and that stuff is not hard. The hard part is the surrender of yourself - the sacrifice that you make for another person. And it is a mini person - who is so trusting and dependent upon you - so it is so worth it (obviously) but I think that is the part that you are never really prepared for - at least I wasn't.

So anyway - here is the recap of Jonah at FOUR months!

• Went for his first swim in Florida.Loved it.
• Started to use his bouncy seat
• Started to HATE his car seat
• Started to love his stroller.
• "Talks" a lot - more vocal than last month and giggles and responds to other people.
• Likes to sit up (with help) and stand.
• Is sleeping through the nigh for the most part - goes down between 7 and 8 and wakes once to nurse and then up again at around 8.
• Still takes a long time to get back down in the middle of the night but the first bedtime is MUCH quicker now
• Daytime napping is a work in progress. It happens every day just not always in his crib.
• He LOVES to be held, and rocked, and swayed.
• He also LOVES to be out and about - I swear if we don't go somewhere where he can meet a friend during the day he is grouchy by the end of the day.
• People have started coming up and talking to us wherever we go - I never thought I'd be the type of person that could just visit with a stranger but I can and I do - it also doesn't bug me when strangers touch him (I totally thought it would)- most people are so sweet.
• Still loves his soother for bedtime and naps
• Started to bat at toys and kicks like crazy

At 5 months

• We did sleep training in between 4 and 5 months - it was tough, the first two nights I left the house while Kirk stood watch because I think I would have cracked otherwise - he took about an hour to settle night one, night two was even worse but by night 3 he went down much quicker and easier and ever since then has been able to go down much better at night so tough as it was it was worth it
• His downy hair is being replaced by "real" boy hair - I will miss that fuzz!
• Not sure what his height and weight are because we don't have a 5 month dr apt but I think he's somewhere between 18-20lbs based on my unscientific calculations (of holding him on the scale) and he's starting to outgrown his 6-12 month clothes
• We have started looking at daycare - crazy to me that we have to start now but apparently we are already late and many people start to look when they are pregnant (how crazy!?)
• Rolling around - but not quite over yet
• Started taking at least a bottle of formula a day - sometimes two along with a little bottle of water and rice cereal (not so sure how he feels about food yet)
• Doesn't mind the car seat anymore (thank goodness!)
• Daytime crib napping is getting more consistent
• LOVES his dog Ben and playing "fetch" with him (translation I throw the ball for Ben and he brings it back)

those cheeks...

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are so kissable and cute and CHU-BBY! I always say I can't believe I had such a big fat baby - and I mean it in the best way possible, he is soooooo chubby and roly poly - I love it!  I did this layout for a challenge on the Scrapping Turtle Message Boards - the challenge was the layout had to have:
-home made embellie (starbucks card)
-stamp (starburst stamp)
-pink (cloud and on starbucks card)
-circle (buttons)
-no flowers (well the card has little flowers printed on it but no actual flowers so i think this counts)
 - that little card with the tree on it is a Starbucks card that I love - so springy and cute.  Can you tell I have an obsession with turquoise?  Ha ha - oh well at least I'm branching out from my standard turquoise and yellow and threw in some other colours.

ok - gotta go maximize this nap time
have a great day!

Weekend update

Pin It Now! So of course I had this entire post typed out and some how lost it just before I went to publish it (what the heck!?)

Anyway - I had a terrific weekend, got to see ALL of my high school girlfriends, it doesn't happen very often that I get to see all of them in such a short span of time but I had my kiddo date with Meag and Linds on Thursday and then met the Toronto girls for brunch on Saturday - it's funny because spending time with Meag and Linds is so easy we just talked about kids and other stuff fluidly throughout the day. I'm still getting used to talking to people without kids, and even though these girls and I have been friends for forever and a day and I know I could talk to them about anything I don't want to be one of those people that "onlytalksabouttheirkids".....but honestly?  That's really all I have to talk about these days - and not in a bad way, but really that's what's consuming my life these days.  I think it's funny now when people ask me "what did you do today" - sometimes I am at a loss at how to answer that question, because frankly my schedule these days is just tough to describe, and if I were to list out all the things that I've done I'm sure I would put non mom's to sleep.  But when I really stop to think about it what I'm doing these days is not about me - it's about Jonah - and I am still making an effort to do things just for me but now it's just a different type of balance.

This sequence of pictures from last week kills me - check out how Hunter swipes J's toy from him.....while all the while us girls are totally oblivious (ha ha!)

I will be back later this week with some scrappy posts but J has had enough of his jumparoo thank you very much.

Have a great day
xoxo

Scrapping Turtle - April Reveal

Pin It Now! I am having a lot of fun playing along at The Scrapping Turtle as one of the members of the Design Team.
This month we were given Nikki Sivils paper to work with and some Jenni Bowlin and Maya Road embellies (both of which I was already a big fan of).  It's been great so far and is pushing me out of my comfort zone of the manufacturers I always gravitate towards.

Just a reminder there is a stamp giveaway in yesterday's post if you are interested :) 

Have a great day!

Bright and sunny & a RAK giveaway

Pin It Now! The weather here has been all over the map the last few days - from snow to thunderstorms to hot and humid yesterday - bizzaro!  I'm really looking forward to the summer weather especially now that I can take the little guy for walks in the stroller - this layout was inspired by one by Jen Jockish - if you scrapbook and you aren't already familiar with her work go to her blog and check it out, she does beautiful work, lots of little pieces and always so colourful.

I used my Studio Calico February kit along with some playing cards by My Minds Eye.

And just for fun a little RAK giveaway today - I'm not much of a stamper so haven't been able to put this stamp to good use - if you are interested leave a comment with what you are most looking forward to about spring and I'll do a drawing on Thursday

Happy Tuesday!