Happy March!

YEA! It's March. Time for Spring. My favorite time of year.

This weekend I did a little "Spring Cleaning." (wiping down things I don't usually wipe down)

and got out some of my Spring decor.

Then I took this basket of jars that sits on my dining room table

and added some Easter candy. Isn't Easter candy the best candy!? I wait for it all year. The Cadbury Eggs are in the cupboard (they just didn't look as cute in the jars). :) Wonder how long this little centerpiece will last? Chicks Ducks and Bunnies will be the first to go.

Happy March! Bring on Spring.

Smart or Not Smart?

I've always believed that my husband was a pretty smart guy.

-He was a straight A student who graduated from two colleges (Dixie and SUU) as the Valedictorian. Smart.

- He then went on to do great things at a highly ranked law school and is now an attorney at a top law firm. Smart.

- Kenny is great with finances. He's frugal, plans for the future, and has even found a way to successfully contain my spending. With him in charge I know we'll never stress about money and our family will always be taken care of. Smart.

- He always knows the right things to say. When I asked him to proof read one of my posts the other night I added, "It's a lame one" and he answered "None of your posts are lame." Smart. When I asked him last week if he was excited for me to be thinner again he answered "You've looked great pregnant." Once again - Smart.

- He gave me two pregnancy massages (one of which I'm using this weekend and can't wait!) and a pedicure for Valentines Day. Smart.

- He comes home from work and immediately engages with the kids. Smart.

- Then he reads them stories and puts them to bed. Smart.

See. Smart guy.

Or so I thought.

I had a doctor appointment today and my doctor, based on the size of the baby and her schedule, suggested inducing me on March 30. MARCH 30th!!! I was ecstatic. March sounds much better than April. I'm all for having this baby as soon as possible. So I'm sitting there just beaming and Kenny says "I don't know...I'm closing an IPO at work around that time...wouldn't it be better to wait until closer to her actual due date?"

WHAT!!?? Not smart.

I shot him a look with eyes that could kill, sweetly smiled and said "You know babe, you don't really need to be here for the birth of this baby."

Then he sweetly smiled at me and said, "You know babe, the April birthstone is a diamond."

Crap.

Now THAT was smart.

Slow week...

Slow week for me. I can't believe tomorrow is only Thursday. It's felt like it should be Friday for at least three days now. Probably because Addison has pneumonia and I've been home bound a lot. Or because I'm heading into my last month of pregnancy and I'm really feeling it. Or because I've stopped drinking root beer. Yup. I bet that's what it is. I'm missing my root beer.

I've been drinking Lemonade instead. Remember this post and how I was going to squeeze my home grown lemons to make lemonade? Right. Must have been feeling really good when I had that little notion. Instead I gave my lemons to a friend who will actually follow through and make homemade lemonade. For us, I bought some pre-made, ready to drink lemonade. Erin style. I'm sure its actual juice content is about 2% and the rest is sugar, but I can't be sure because I didn't look at the label. I don't look at labels when I'm pregnant. But I did feel like the root beer obsession was getting out of control, so instead I'll drink my 2% juice pre-made lemonade for one more month. And then it's back to water.

Poor Addie - she's been so sick for the last few days. She's been pretty much just sleeping or resting on the couch (we've watched Cinderella four times now). So I've had some time to work on a few projects. I've started the nursery, found my crib bedding (thanks to my mom and one of my blog commenters!) and the room is starting to look a little more boyish. Here'a a peak...

and I'll post a picture of it when it's done.

This is my "Project Life station" which will soon be transformed back into a "diaper changing station." Now why is that not sounding quite as appealing? I am excited though about all I'm getting accomplished on the girls' books. Ellie's is up to date and I'm starting Addison's tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who has been so sweet and encouraging about Ellie's album! You have all totally motivated me to keep working on these books and it will feel so good to have them both up to date before the baby gets here.

I've also started dragging out all of the baby girl clothes I saved in case #3 was another girl (still shocked it's not!). I've been getting rid of baby clothes and already too small pregnancy clothes like nobody's business. It feels so good! I'm excited to go through each stage ONE MORE TIME with this baby and then I'm excited to get rid of all of my baby stuff. It takes up so much space! The high chair is one thing I'm especially excited to be done with. I might have a ceremony and burn it. I really hate the high chair. Maybe I'll feel differently when it's actually time to part with everything, but right now, in my last month of pregnancy, being done with all this is sounding pretty appealing. I'm so ready to get my little boy here!

I'm not the only one who is getting ready for the baby. I walked into the playroom tonight to find Ellie busy taking care of her babies. They all had their own little blankets. And their own little toys.

And their own little bowls and spoons.

I may just turn this next baby right over to her!

{*side note - just watched Joannie Rochette ice skate - the darling Canadian who lost her mom. (It was recorded. I know we're a bit behind.) Now I'm BAWLING. Just great. Tomorrow I'll wake up to puffy eyes. Guess they'll coordinate with my already pregnant puffy cheeks which are seriously starting to resemble a squirrels cheeks. One who's storing nuts for winter. Oh well. I'm so proud of Joannie!}

Meet Snakey

We have a little friend.
He lives in our bathroom.
He comes out to visit most mornings.
His name is "Snakey."
And he is a curling iron.

"Snakey" came to life one morning when Ellie was old enough to get her hair curled and styled, but decided she was a bit scared of the curling iron. On a whim I upped my voice a few octaves, gave it a bit of a screech and introduced myself as "Snakey the Curling Iron" who was a beloved and trusted friend. He was hungry and wanted nothing more than to munch on Ellie's hair for breakfast. Within seconds her tears were gone and she was asking Snakey all kinds of questions like where he slept, who he was friends with, if he liked getting so hot, and why he loved to eat HER hair so much. Over a year later, Snakey is still a major hit each morning. Ellie shares things with Snakey that she doesn't tell anyone else. Their conversations are simply classic. Other friends (friends of Snakey) have made their presence known -like Straighty the straight iron and Lotialina the lotion (Snakey's long time girlfriend). But no one will ever take the place of Snakey. He will always be the favorite. Even Addison is close buddies with him, despite the fact that he has no desire to munch on her hair (too many curls give him indigestion).

Kenny also enjoys himself immensely when Snakey comes out to play. He teases Snakey about the way he talks and likes to ask questions that catch him a bit off guard. Luckily though, Snakey is as smart as they come. Much too smart for Kenny's sarcasm.

Snakey puts a smile on our faces each morning. He is a close and trusted friend of Ellie's. One I hope she never forgets. And one I hope she doesn't outgrow for a long long time.

Honest Scrap

My good friend Jessica gave me an "Honest Scrap" award on her blog which basically means you are asked to share 10 honest things about yourself. Well, if you've followed my blog for a while, you probably know me as well as I know myself! So for those of you who are in this category, feel free to skip this post and carry on with that Monday to-do list you're avoiding by blog stalking. I know how it goes. If you're new to my blog and are incredibly bored interested at all, here are 10 past posts that tell a little about me...

1) Here's 25 Random Things about me. Doesn't get any more straight forward than that.

2) Currently I'm 33 weeks pregnant. Here's the latest update and here's how we announced the news.

3) I love to decorate. Especially for the holidays. Here is my home decor getting ready for Fall and Christmas.

4) I hate to cook, but here are two things I do make often because they are so yummy and simple: Tri-Color Pasta and my Summer Salad. Try them - you won't be sorry. (I'm actually just really proud of these posts because posting recipes made me feel incredibly chef-like. Until evening rolled around and I threw together another batch of Kraft mac-n-cheese for dinner.)

5) Here are some things I'm fond and not so fond of. (Or check it out if you just want to see a pic of Edward Cullen and picture him with his shirt off which, compared to Jacob with his shirt off, leaves a lot to be desired.)

6) Kenny, my husband, and I are completely opposite. See here how opposites attract. (Or check it out if you just want to see a terrible pic of us acting like idiots in High School.)

7) I think I'm Irish. At least Irish at Heart.

8) Here are some really dumb things I've done. Have you ever?

9) I love being a mom. Here are some things I suppose someday I'll miss. (A favorite post of mine because of the way I captured exactly what my girls were like during that moment in time.)

10) I love Spring. It's my favorite time of year. Here is a fun craft I put together last year when I was Inspired by the Weather.

There you go. You now have enough reading material to avoid that to-do list for quite a while. :)

Have a great Monday!

Project Life

Hi everyone! I was featured on The Mom Creative blog today for Ellie's Project Life album. So fun! Thanks Jessica! Check it out here and you can also see some other fun ways to do your album. (I'm almost caught up on Ellie's and will hopefully have some more pages to post soon)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

February Randomness

Just some random pictures from this month I never got around to posting...

Addie's first time bowling. I'm not a big fan of bowling, but I loved the way she was rockin' the shoes.

Ellie's class Valentines Party

On the way to a Valentine Party with friends. She'd only hold still long enough to admire her tights. It's very clear which of my daughters is going to be my future shopping buddy. Ellie only cares about comfort. Addison has learned early on that there are many times you have to sacrifice comfort in the name of fashion. She may look more like her daddy, but she's got a little of her mom in her too.

On Valentines Day we surprised Kenny with some hearts on the pantry door. We all wrote things we love about him. Similar to the Father's Day book the girls made him. He loved it. Last year I heard of another cute idea that I wanted to start and never got around to it. You start at the beginning of February and each day tape up a heart saying something you love about someone else in the family. Great idea I want to make a tradition... as soon as Addison can write. For now she just dictates and signs her letter "A". My favorite one she told me this year was "I love daddy because he gets our favorite babysitter for us." Yeah...that's one of my favorite things about daddy too. :)

Speaking of Addison and her daddy, she sure is becoming a daddy's girl lately. My girls seem to be all about me until they get close to age four...then there is a switch and all they care about is their daddy. Good timing for another baby. I need some love around here. The above picture of Ellie is a favorite of mine because it shows her life long obsession with grapes.

With temperatures being in the mid to high 70's this week, we've been spending a lot of time at the park. Last weekend the girls had fun at a b-day party doing sack races. They were prepped for this little game from all the hopping they've been doing around the house in my pillowcases.

What's a sack race without a victory dance afterwards?

Typical evening doing homework. Ellie always has a little "helper" that's never too far away.















And as for me, I've been doing lots of cleaning. My energy level has been dropping big time lately and my back always hurts. Once a day I have to take a mini break and sit down and just rest for a minute. My girls are great to entertain themselves and each other, I just have to be prepared for the tornado that is the result of this little rest period.

Like when they turned my hallway into a "boat filled with treasure." Just like in this post, they've also been doing a lot of pretend play on my bed. It's never made these days. I love that my girls are creative. I just need a creative way to make the 'after' messes disappear.

Speaking of messes, the girls were supposed to be picking up their room last weekend and when I came up to check on them, this is what I found. Bless her little heart. Can't blame her really. This looks a lot more appealing than cleaning to me too.

Dear Erin

{**Preface - I've made no secret of the fact that the "newborn stage" of motherhood is not something I look forward to. I really struggled through this three month phase with both of my girls and am trying to mentally prepare for it one more time. So this is a little note - to me from me. Something that I can pull up and read when I'm in the thick of it. Hopefully it will help.}

Dear Erin,

This is a phase. You will not always feel this way. You will not always look this way. Repeat those three sentences five times. Take five deep breaths. Now read on.

Before you know it your days and nights will be two separate entities once again instead of one never ending black hole. It feels like forever away right now, but in the big scheme of things, it really is such a short period of time.

Be nice to Kenny. Try not to snap at him. Everything isn't his fault. You're just tired. In the night, when you're up with the baby for the fourth time - and he rolls over and half asleep mumbles, "gee babe I'd love to help, but since you're nursing" ...snore snore snore... do NOT smother him with a pillow. This will be tempting, but you need him around to take Ellie to school the next morning.

If you're feeling depressed, do one of the following. These things always make you feel better.
- Call family or a friend (you have several great friends close by)
- Organize something. A drawer, a closet, the fridge.
- Step outside. Even if it's just into the backyard for a few minutes. Sunshine works wonders.

- Do NOT go shopping. Retail therapy backfires when you're still carrying around baby weight.
- Do NOT eat away the blues. This is only a temporary upper that will result in more depression later on. (Besides you ate enough junk food during pregnancy to sustain you forever. And then for a week after that.)
- Do NOT make a drastic change to your hair. Color, cut, OR style. Chances are, you won't love it and because of the hormonal state you're in, the consequence of this little decision won't be healthy for anyone.

Don't stress when the house is a mess. Don't stress when the girls are going to school with "daddy ponytails" once again. Don't stress when at the end of the day you don't have a nice hot meal ready to serve the family. (Ha! I put that last one in to make myself smile since I rarely have a nice hot meal ready to serve the family.)

Hang in there. This too shall pass. And before you know it, you'll be going through your pictures on the computer - maybe for a blog post, or scrapbooking, or because you enjoy just looking at them - and you'll see pictures of your newborn baby boy. He'll look so unbelievably small and sweet. And you'll wish so badly that he could be that small again. Just for a few days. So you could smell his cheeks and kiss his little feet and rock him to sleep one more time. Remember this when you feel tired and when the baby is fussy and when the house is a disaster. And try to enjoy every minute you have with your precious newborn boy.

Love, Erin

Happy Valentines Day

It's Friday!

Well, not technically since it's 10:30 on Thursday night right now, but for some of you on the East Coast...it's Friday!!! Valentines weekend. Does everyone have fun plans? Plopping on the couch with a good flick like You've Got Mail sounds ideal to me.

Whatever you're up to, I hope you have a swingin' weekend! ;)

(**Yes, I know I'm getting a little cheesy in the last two posts with the play on words, but it's Valentines - and I'm pregnant... and tired. Enough said.)

How would you like your Valentine?

I'll take mine to go.

With a few of these on the side.

Project Life (Ellie's book)

Finally ready to share some of my progress on "Project Life." I've mentioned before that I'm not doing a picture a day, but instead am using these books for my kids' scrapbooks. I've been working on Ellie's book and I'm loving this system! I started in August (when the school year began) and am almost caught up through January. Here are some of the pages in her book so far:

Cover Page

One thing I love about these books is that I can add bits and pieces of my kids' randomness. Like these little animal drawings that kept popping up all over the house last summer. :)

I have also been adding journaling inserts from my blog. So easy! I just pull up certain old posts that I want to include in her book and hit print. Then I insert an 81/2 x 11 page protector into the book to hold the journaling. Also fun to add bits of memorabilia like these little stars from Ellie's Star Behavior Chart. (which we still use on and off - they work like a charm every time!)

I love how some pages are completely random pictures (like the page on the left) and then other pages have a theme (page on the right from the beach). It makes it so easy to just use the pictures I really want her to have and remember.

These pages are from Ellie's first day of school. Sometimes I use a big journaling card and display it in a 4x6 slot if I have more to say than will fit on the little journaling cards.

I loved this blog post about a conversation Kenny and I had with Ellie and wanted to include it in her book with the "pool" pictures so again, I just printed it from my blog.

A lot of the vertical pockets I'm using to hold pictures instead of putting the journaling cards in each slot. I've found that one or two of the little journaling cards is usually all I need.

Love seeing her artwork throughout the book. This was a picture she drew soon after we told her she was going to have another sibling. Our family including "baby." :)

On this layout I had so many pictures that there wasn't any room for journaling so I just printed our December Traditions from my blog. (Grateful for blogging! It has made this project so easy.)

I've also inserted pages from my School Kits.  You can read more about how I document "school days" here.  

And I've added this packet at the back of her book for any other miscellaneous awards, artwork, etc. that isn't already included throughout the book.

I'm loving this and I'll tell you why. It's DOABLE. All I'm doing is printing pictures and inserting them in slots with a little journaling. It will be so easy to stay on top of. Especially since I'm just picking select pictures each month to include. I'm so happy to be printing my pictures again and to have a solution for my kids' scrapbooks!