Happy 4th! Family photos and a few more things...

Good morning!  The sun is shining bright and it is already hot here this morning in Alabama!  My hubby is working today and me and the kids are planning on spending the day out in the pool and having some fun.  I actually have secretly planned to scrapbook this afternoon ..... after I wear the kids out and bring them in for napping and/or watching a movie later this afternoon.  :)

 Old Glory....I love seeing this flag hanging from the front of our house each time I pull in the driveway!  It reminds me of the freedoms I have and of all the men and women that have fought and gave their lives for that freedom!  Pray for and remember OUR soldiers today....both past and present....AND be sure and thank God for this great country and the blessings we receive as a result of being citizens of this great country!

The last few days I have been printing lots of sketches off of some really cool sites that I have familiarized myself with lately....Pencil Lines and Page Maps are probably my two favorite....however, there are a few more that I have found and I will share with you soon. Oh and one that I found on my buddy Leah's blog....Little Book of Sketches....I am quickly growing fond of it!  Check these sites out!

I am working on some birthday gifts for some of the girls friends and some wooden letters and coasters for home decor.  I plan to share my finished projects with you soon!  Also, I have been printing pictures and getting pages together a little this week and really hope to be able to share some new layouts after the weekend is over.

I have gotten so far behind in my scrapping...and it makes me so mad at myself....because I DEFINITELY collect plenty of cool supplies to be able to do all the cool pages....and I have collected and continue to collect many idea book, magazines, and websites that I view and think....I can do that ....

However, I never seem to be able to start or finish a layout....it stresses me and makes me uninterested when I think of how far behind I am....IT IS TOTALLY OVERWHELMING TO ME!!! and the madness has to stop!!!  :)

I am so so tired of not getting any pages done....so, I have come up with a system that seems to be working for me....I will share it with you in the next post....I had to do something so that I would get my tail in gear and preserve all these precious memories that we have made as a family....maybe you can pull something from it and use it in your own scrapbooking.

I have some pictures to share with you today....I mean come on....is it really a post if there are no pictures?  LOL

First, we had our yearly family photo done this past weekend and I was pretty happy with the way turned out...we were supposed to get my mother and father -in -law with us in one of the sittings, but at the last minute they couldn't come....hopefully we can get one with them soon!  We went to Hollis Photography....which we have been going there for some time now....and as always they did a great job!  You can go to the above link and click on the button that says View Your Photographs Now and then our password number is 5678.  Type that in and you can view a slide show of our family photos.  Let me know which one you think is the best....cause I am having a hard time choosing!!!!!

Here are just a few others that I have taken over the last few days that I thought were cute!

Just "Croc" -ing around outside!  Parker finally got his first pair of Crocs and he is trying to figure them out....he will walk in them...but does not seem too sure about them... :)

Some outside fun in the backyard yesterday with the bubbles!

Good morning Sleepy Head!  Took these this morning when I went in to get Parker....he was in there singing and letting me know it is TIME to come and get me Mama!  :)

Have a great day and enjoy the festivities!

More later....

Too may first's to count...and thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Hey everyone!  I have so much to tell you and a bunch of pictures to share with you....a bunch of first's to talk about....

• First time I have had the chance to sit down and update my blog and actually start to get back into a routine here at home in several weeks
• First night in several weeks that I actually feel caught up on housework and laundry
• First day (well actually today is the second day...but I started typing this last night  :)  ) of a new week and the first of many new posts to share with you.....I hope
• First day that we have had rain in a long time...and I hope we get some more tonight.  We had a pretty good shower this afternoon and it really cooled things off and I am so thankful for the rain!  We REALLY needed it!
• Parker finally got his first haircut a few days ago....bye, bye little curls....my little man is growing up to fast!
• Before

 

 

 

 

 

 

 After

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• First time to have one of my children not scream and go into hysterics around a dog....Way to Go Parker!

 

• First ballet recital for Kennedy

• First pool party of the summer

• First time Parker has ever been brave enough to run into the sprinkler (while the water is on) by himself

• First trip to the Kiddie Carnival...however, I am sure that there will be many more to come during the summer!

• First taste of a Cheeto for Parker...it ain't easy being cheesy!

• First look at my finished flower gardens out front....It took us over a month to finally get everything transplanted and mulched and like we want it.....it isn't perfect....but we are pretty happy with it.....now for working in the backyard! 

 

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• First time I have had the chance to really and truly THANK ALL OF YOU from the bottom of my heart for the friendship, kind words, emails, and most of all prayers for my family and for my Gram and Pap over the last few weeks.  I have made so many new friends because of this blog....and many of my "old" friends read my blog....it has just really and truly been a blessing to me to communicate with friends through this medium and know that there are so many people out there thinking about and praying for our family when we were in need!  It sort of becomes like your extended family I guess....I mean I have learned a lot about all of you and your families from reading your blogs....I feel like I have known some of you all my life....and I am sure you have learned a lot about me from my blog, emails, and all our commenting back and forth.    So enough mushy stuff....but just a big THANK YOU!!!!  Love to all of you!