Wow...

What a day! This pic is actually from the end of our day. Tracy and I got to scoop all of these Prima flowers (as much as we could get in 10 seconds) into a bag for placing an order with them. That was lots of fun...we do love these flowers, we thought it would be fun to dump them out on the bed for a picture. Yes, I know. We're dorks. :)

And THIS...this was the highlight of my day. I am a huge fan of Heidi Swapp...she's an amazing designer who has her own line of products (check out www.heidiswapp.com), which I LOVE, LOVE . Her new stuff is incredible, and we be featuring lots of it in the coming months! Happiness, I promise. Anyway....I had been watching out to see if she was going to be here, and today she was! And she was just as cute and fun as I thought she would be. Love, love this girl!

Today was great~ busy. We were up late last night making final decisions on what to order, what to pass on, etc. Today we spent the entire day placing those orders, which was fun, exciting, and a little overwhelming. We feel great about what we've chosen though...there are so many new trends and techniques that WE CANNOT WAIT to show to our customers. It's going to be fun, different, inspiring...amazing. We've placed orders with a great variety of companies, some familiar, some new (and really cool!)...Sassafrass Lass, Chatterbox, Fancy Pants, Pebbles, Heidi Swapp, Jillibean Soup, Cosmo Cricket, Bo Bunny...and lots more!!!!! Tonight we are sitting down to plan what product will go with what project, making lots of plans for the next several months...there is so much swimming in my head~ I don't want to forget anything. :)

As a bonus, I got to have dinner with my dad tonight! Most of you probably don't know this, but he travels to California nearly every week for work. How cool is it that I got to meet up with him tonight? We never get to have dinner, just the two of us. He took me to a very nice restaurant, and we talked and had a great time. :)

Hopefully I will be posting from home tomorrow (most likely it will be Thursday!) b/c we get in late tomorrow night. We're hoping the weather doesn't affect our flight too much...say a prayer!

Creative Overload

I'm posting from sunny California this week! The Create Joy team is at CHA (Crafters and Hobbyists Association), which is basically like Market for scrapbookers. We're placing orders and getting inspiration for our spring/summer class projects, and it is SO MUCH FUN! I feel like I've found my mother ship. :) Happiness. Here are just a few of my favorite things I have found...I don't want to show too much though~ it will ruin the suprises we have in store over the next few months.

This is a pillow made with this

amazing sticky canvas, painted, distressed...so very cool.

How much I love that Tim Holtz...

this was part of one of his booths...

I love his stuff. Amazing.

This is one of my favorite layouts...

I can hardly wait to get home and get busy in my craft room!

And here is a Tim Holtz bag...I wish you could see it in person. I guarantee

I will be carrying something similar to this very soon!

One thing that has thrilled my heart has been the huge amount of really great boy stuff! Before I even had my boys I was always drawn to the more boyish stuff, to the brighter colors (I love blues, oranges, greens...robots, monsters, arrows, etc.). I think this layout is greatness! Can't wait for you to see what we have ordered!

On a side note, I am missing my boys BIG TIME. It's a very weird feeling of "this is great!" and "I'm so homesick" at the same time. Both my mom and Brian have said that Hunter keeps saying, "I wanna see Mommy" again and again, which breaks my heart. I hope he knows how much I want to see him too. I miss all 3 of my monkeys, and the big monkey too. :) When I'm not with them, I feel lost, no matter what I'm doing. Please pray that the weather is okay for Wednesday so I'm not delayed getting home!

11 Years...

...of wedded bliss. :) I really can't believe that we have been married for 11 years. Time flies when you're having fun, right? Yes it does.

I don't remember not having Brian in my life, and don't want to imagine life without him. I'm so, so thankful for him and the husband he is to me, the daddy he is to our boys...he's pretty incredible.

So thank you, Brian, for loving me the way you do. Thanks for always knowing how to make me laugh just when I need it. Thank you for always knowing just what to say at exactly the time I need to hear it. Thank you for supporting me, for loving me unconditionally, for always putting your family first.

Tonight at dinner Brian asked me where I thought we would be in another 11 years. That seems so far away, but then again, so did today not that long ago. In 11 years, I will be almost 43, he will be 43, Harrison will be 19 and in college, Hud will be 15 and gearing up for his driver's license, and the Hunter Man will be 13 and in middle school. Doesn't that seem so weird? The one thing I do know is this: I will be just as in love (and more) with this man and my boys as I am today, and I can't wait to see what God has ahead for us.

Hud

With all of the birthday stuff going on lately, it seems like I haven't posted about my Hud Man in awhile. Tonight we were trying to find something that started with the letter "O" for show and tell tomorrow, and decided to get crafty. I have this really cute owl stamp, so we got it out, and Hud stamped, colored, wrote the word "owl" and cut it out, and did a super great job! He had so much fun that he wanted to make another one. And so he did. He's going to be really proud to show his artwork to his friends at school tomorrow.

I'm so thankful that all three of the boys seem to love art as much as I do. Hud made this snowman at school last week, and was so excited to get to bring it home. It is now proudly displayed on our pantry door. If you can't tell, his favorite color right now is purple. :)

I'm so proud of this little guy...he is just the coolest kid. Funny, compassionate, artistic, super smart, incredibly thoughtful, yet so tough at the same time...he just rocks (and I'm not biased at all). He's my one who just randomly tells me he loves me and gives me extra hugs and kisses, and seems to know if I'm having a bad day. I'm so thankful that all three of the boys are affectionate and very protective of me (even Hunter already), but I always tell Brian that Hud will be the one to take care of me when I'm an old widow someday. :)

Lately I keep thinking about how he's starting kindergarten next fall, and it makes me a little sick to my stomach. I know he's ready, I know he'll do great, but wow, I'm going to miss having him home with me. Not quite ready to share him with the rest of the world just yet. :)

Obsessed

I know it's only been a couple days, but this kiddo is living and breathing that skateboard. Once he sets his mind to something, he doesn't give up until he's mastered it. There are a lot of kids who skateboard on our street, and a couple of them came by yesterday to give him some pointers. Very cool. :)

Caught a couple of cute shots of him outside this morning...here's my favorite.

Harrison is EIGHT!

How did that happen?!? And how do I make it stop?

That also means that I have been a mommy for eight years. Seriously? Wow.

His main gift, and something he has been begging for for a couple of years now, was a skateboard (and all protective gear)...I'm having to let go of my fear of serious injury and just let him do his thing. It's time to accept the fact that with three boys, we're going to be making some trips to the ER. God help us. :)

Harrison buddy, being my first means being my guinea pig in so many ways...I know I haven't done everything right, but you are an amazing kid nonetheless. I'll never forget the first time I held you and realized that I was a Mommy. That I was your Mommy. Then the worry and fear that came with you getting sick and spending your first night with us in the NICU. Then the unexplainable relief when I got to hold you again, knowing you were going to be okay.

It was then that I knew love on a whole new level,

and knew that I would never be the same.

And it's been the best thing ever.

I look at you and see so much of me, some of your dad, a lot of your Papa...I never thought I would have a blonde-haired boy, and I love it. I love your smile, I love your independence, I'm proud of your intelligence...and after seeing "Hotel For Dogs" with you today, I was reminded of how much I love your heart. At the end when things got a little sad before the super happy ending, I looked at you and caught you wiping away tears, and then caught you smiling as things worked out just as we hoped they would. I hope you always stay just like this. :)

So happy birthday, H. Know how very loved you are by all of us.

We can't wait to see what this year holds for you.

Happy Birthday Hunter!

How in the world is it possible that my baby is two? Time is moving way too fast. We celebrated Hunter's big day with an Elmo-themed party at home with our family and friends, and it was a crazy, chaotic, fun time!

My mom made the Elmo cake and all the cupcakes...aren't they cute?

I LOVE, LOVE this one of Hunter with Mimi and Papa! Sorry I caught you with your eyes closed, Mom, but I still think it's a great pic! Is it just me, or does my baby look way older than he should in this one?

This baby loves a party...I love that he is social and friendly to everybody, even those he doesn't see very often. :)

I thought that he would be really into opening presents this year, but I was kinda wrong. He LOVED the presents, but wanted to take the time to play with each thing before moving on to something else...made the process a little long, but we managed!


Sweet boy, we are so very thankful for you...you have brought the most wonderful completion to our family, and we couldn't imagine it without you! It's hard to believe that you've been with us for two whole years, but at the same time, I can't remember a time when you weren't right here with us. I can't wait to see what this year brings you...you are growing up, talking like such a big boy, showing so much personality...I'm thankful that you are such a snuggler, and hope you stay that way. I love it that you are so crazy about your big brothers, and hope that all 3 of you always feel that way about each other. I love that you are so attached to your nite-nite and paci...I know it's time to start letting the paci go (you can keep that nite-nite as long as you want!) but honestly, I'm not in that big of a hurry. If it keeps you little for just a while longer, then it's okay with me for now. I love you so, so much. Happy, happy birthday.