Project 365: Week 14

Monday, March 30, 2009



The worst part about a vacation is that you come back and have to do all the laundry, unpack, and try and catch up from all the time you missed. We are all SO tired today. I think it is going to take a couple of weeks to recover. I got a start on the laundry and working on getting all my photos organized and unpacking. I'm just too tired to get it all done right now. JJ was excited to go back to school today and tell his teacher all the fun stuff he has been doing, but he came home pretty tired and onery.


Tuesday, March 31, 2009



Beth's turn to be all excited about going back to school. She wore her new Cinderella shirt and got to share her new Princess dolls for Show-and-Tell. We are still trying to recover. I'm slowly getting unpacked. I had to license our van today and did a little grocery shopping. I feel like I have so much catching up to do and I don't know how I'll get it all done.

Maybe I'll just go take a nap instead - wait, it's 6pm, I guess I'll have to wait until night now....darn it!


Wednesday, April 1, 2009



Beth loved the paper chain countdown to Disneyland so much that we decided to do one for her birthday. I can't believe she's going to be 4! She's growing up so fast. I really love her imagination. Today, I looked over to see her imagination in full force. She had a blank piece of paper, a straw from her juice cup, a tray from some store-bought cookies and she was "painting." She didn't need real paints or anything else - she was painting and she could "see" it all.


Thursday, April 2, 2009



I haven't been able to do much this week - I just haven't felt good. So instead of catching up on all the things I need to do - I laid on the bed and finished the whole Twilight series again. I love books and the Twilight books are quickly becoming a favorite. I get so engrossed in them that I just can't stop reading it. I read all 4 books in 2 days!


Friday, April 3, 2009



JJ brought home a cup with a little wheatgrass (I think that is what it is). He had drawn a cute face on it. A little water, sun, and a few days later, we had lots of grass! Lots of fun!


Saturday, April 4, 2009



I truly love it when my kids play together. It is so fun to just watch them play and listen to their fun conversations. They were playing with JJ's new Mac (from Disney's Cars) and I love that Beth can be so girly and yet will go play trucks with JJ too! It was the start of General Conference today too. I really enjoyed listening to our prophets and hearing their words of wisdom and encouragement. I am so glad that I live in a place that I can turn on the tv and listen to the wonderful words and that I can do it from my own home!


Sunday, April 5, 2009



Today was filled with the spirit as we listened to the last 2 sessions of General Conference. I feel so blessed to be a member of the church and to have so much spiritual inspiration from the leaders of the church. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by all the things I need to do better, but something I took out of this conference was inspiration about taking it a little at a time. I know I have so much to learn and so many changes I should make in my life to be a better person, but I'm trying now to just do a little at a time. Such a wonderful blessing to have these General Conferences twice a year where we get to hear from the Prophet and all the Apostles. It truly lifts my spirits and helps me to endure through my trials. I love the gospel and I have a testimony that Heavenly Father and Jesus lives and they love us. I know they hear and answer prayers. I am so grateful to my Savior for his sacrifice for me. Where would I be without the gospel? I am just truly truly blessed.


And here is my weekly layout:


I used my DIGITAL 365 Kits to create this layout!

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Project 365: Week 13

So it was really hard to choose just one photo a day for this trip - so most days include a lot more. I am planning on making 2 trip albums. 1 big trip album that I plan on creating for my WHOLE family for Christmas that includes all the photos from everyone and then an album just for Joey, JJ and Beth and I. And then of course include some of my favorites here in my Project 365 album! Lots of work to do!

Monday, March 23, 2009



We spent the day in Universal Studios-Hollywood. As a family, we love movies and so we had to spend some time here. It has changed quite a bit since I went there 10 years ago. More rides and since the fire last summer, the Studio Tour has changed too. I miss the King Kong - but what can you do? The new Mummy Ride was probably my favorite of the rides. Beth was SO scared on the Shrek 4D Ride at Universal Studios. With her 3D Glasses on - the spider looked WAY TOO REAL. She screamed and screamed and screamed and we had to take her glasses off. For the rest of the trip, every ride we went on started with, "Is there any spiders on this ride?" Poor Bethie. JJ was excited to see all the Spiderman stuff and we were able to get photos with Scooby Doo and Shaggy and Curious George. Beth and her Daddy shared a special memory of going on the Simpsons Ride together. The kids all had a fun time shooting water and balls at the Curious George Playpark. Lots of fun things to do. Since Universal Studios closed at 6 and we were back to the hotel by 7:30pm, we decided to have a date night. My parents watched JJ and Beth (and took them to Denny's for dinner) and we went with Cody and Becky to STEAKHOUSE 55, a fancy restaurant. It was really nice to have a little time to be together and visit and the food was good, although expensive. But a really great end to the day! We came home to 2 happy and sleepy kids!


Tuesday, March 24, 2009



We visited Knott's Berry Farm today. It was a nice change of pace. A lot less people and not too hot. We mixed it up a lot and went on all kinds of rides. I went with Cody on the BIG ride - the Xcelerator and it was a blast! I really enjoyed that one. Joey got to go on one of his favorite kinds of rides - this one was called the Supreme Scream. JJ really liked the rides and got to play with some remote cars for awhile. Beth went on the Ferris Wheel TWICE. It was her favorite ride for the whole week! And we went on the famous log ride and a Stagecoach ride. Lots of fun things!

We got back early to the hotel again so we decided to use our extra ticket and head over to Disneyland. Unfortunately, it was SO CROWDED, that we just got really frustrated, so we ended up just seeing the Castle and riding the monorail to Downtown Disney and walking home. Kind of a waste of a trip, but the kids got their first glimpse, so I guess it was okay.


Wednesday, March 25, 2009





We went to Sea World today. Beth completely loves dolphins, so we watched the Dolphin Discovery Show the very first thing and both the of the kids really loved it. We also visited several of the aquariums, including the amazing Shark Encounter where we walked underneath the Sharks - really neat experience. We also saw the Clydesdale horses, the Sesame Street Lights, Camera, Imagination 4D Show, the Wild Arctic, Shipwreck Rapids, and my favorite ride, Journey to Atlantis. It was a cross between a roller coaster and a raft ride and I loved it. I wish I would have had the time to go on it again! The last show we saw was the Shamu BELIEVE show. It was amazing and I am just in awe of what they can do with these amazing sea creatures. Beth spent the next few days going around the room doing the "Shamu Slam", which they taught us at the show - except Beth keeps calling the whale "Shampoo" - and when the show ended, JJ said "Dad, I don't want to go on anymore rides, I just want to watch Shamu again." Unfortunately, that was the last Shamu show of the day. We finished our time at Sea World at the Sesame Street Bay of Play with a couple of kiddie rides and running around.

Before leaving San Diego, we made an impromptu stop at Mission Beach for a little walk in the ocean. Most of the kids had never seen the ocean so even though it was dirty and messy, I'm glad we did it. We arrived at sunset and splashed around for about 45 minutes. The ocean at sunset is a beautiful sight to behold and I'm so glad that JJ and Beth were able to have that as their first beach experience!


Thursday, March 26, 2009



We headed out bright and early for Disneyland. As we were walking to the bus stop, Beth put her right arm forward and said, loudly, "Disneyland, here we come!" From a 3-year-old this was just hilarious. We got in line early and we were one of the first groups of people into Disneyland. We headed straight to the Finding Nemo Submarines. We were able to use JJ's special access pass at the Fast Pass Lanes and/or exits to get on the rides sooner. This truly made our day so much better as JJ was overwhelmed. We went on the Matterhorn Bobsleds, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain, Star Tours, Autopia, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, the train, and the Winnie the Pooh rides, as well as toured the Sleeping Beauty castle. I also took Beth to the Princess Faire where we were able to see Cinderella, Aurora, and Pocahontas, while JJ and Joey went on the Indiana Jones ride. The longest line we encountered was at the Princess Faire. We waited in line for almost 2 hours. Bethie and I were definitely tired and my feet were killing me by the time we actually got to the Princesses - too bad we couldn't use JJ's pass for that. :) But it really was worth it to see Beth's face as she hugged the princesses. The Cinderella was the same Cinderella we met at Goofy's Kitchen and she recognized Beth! Out of all the little princesses she sees everyday - what an amazing moment to have her remember our little princess, Beth! We also got photos with Buzz Lightyear, Pooh, and Tigger. My only regret is that we didn't get to go on some of the other rides like Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Dumbo and the rides in Toontown, but still a really great day. We were starting to really feel tired and worn out so it was good that we didn't push it too hard. I think we could have used just one more day in Disneyland to see everything. We took time to have some pizza in the park and even went back to our room for dinner (we ordered chinese food) and had a nap for about an hour before heading back to watch the amazing firework show. We picked a wonderful spot right on main street, in back of the Walt Disney and Mickey statue. I think it was the perfect spot to have the best experience because it was right in the center of the action and we had fireworks going off around us! Truly magical!


Friday, March 27, 2009



We spent most of the day in Disney's California Adventure. We were pretty tired today as it has really been a busy week. So we definitely took it easy today. Today was our Red Shirt Day, where all 34 of us wore our red shirts that has my castle design on it. We got some great photos taken in front of the Mickey made out of flowers. We took in the Playhouse Disney and the Aladdin Shows in Disney's Hollywood and they were amazing! We had great seats for both and the kids really enjoyed it! We spent some of the day with my parents, brothers, and nephews and I really enjoyed that. We also did the Monsters, Inc, Muppet Vision 3D, Grizzly River Run, Toy Story Mania and the Soar 'n Over California rides. We got photos with Sully, Pluto, Lightning McQueen, and Mater. The Soar'n Over California ride was a big hit. It is a simulator attraction that has you lifted up into a huge movie screen and you feel that you are gliding over some of California's beautiful scenery. It felt so real to Beth, that when we glided over the ocean, Beth put her feet up on her seat because she didn't want to get her feet wet! We went on the ride TWICE! We had the perfect seats for the Pixar Play Parade. We sat on a bench and watched the fun Pixar Characters go by and the kids just really took it all in with joy! We then did a little shopping and returned to Disneyland for the Fantasmic Show. While Joey saved our spot for the show, JJ and I took my brothers and went on the Indiana Jones ride, since I didn't get to go yesterday. I didn't have very good seats for Fantasmic, but Joey lifted JJ up on his shoulders and it was still a really awesome show - in one part of the show, Capt. Hook and Peter Pan sail by on a boat, and this must have made a really big impact on JJ because he spent the next few days using Capt. Hook as the "bad guy" in all his imaginary games with his sister. Sadly, Beth missed the entire show because she fell asleep in her stroller before it started. When it was over it took a long time to get out of the park since the fireworks were going on, but we finally made it. We were all so tired, but really so excited and happy that our trip has been so wonderful!


Saturday, March 28, 2009



It was kind of sad to be packing all of our bags into the bus again. I can't believe that our trip is over! I think even the bus didn't want to go home yet, since we had a delay of about an hour since the bus driver locked the keys inside and we couldn't get in. But we were finally on our way. We started our vacation with a buffet dinner at Goofy's Kitchen and we stopped in Las Vegas and ended our vacation with a buffet dinner at Circus Circus. We arrived in St. George in the dark and my parents and brothers and sisters still had to drive home. But the Bakers side of the family and us stayed in the motel for a night. The kids were beat and went to bed with Joey and I went over and played some games with my Aunt and Cousins until past midnight before finally turning in.


Sunday, March 29, 2009



We stayed at the Rodeway Inn in St. George again and then finished traveling home. What a trip! I'm so glad we were able to do this as a family. I hope that my children will remember this. We had such a wonderful time and did so many fun things. I wish it wasn't over, and yet it was good to see home again too. Joey and I plan to save up some money and go back in a few years. We really had a great time!


Here is my Weekly Layout:


I used my BELIEVE IN THE MAGIC & DIGITAL 365 Kits to create this layout!

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I'm BACK!!!

Just a quick note to tell you that I am back from my amazing vacation to California! Lots of photos and memories to share soon, but give me a little bit of time. I have a lot of catching up to do!

Talk to you soon!

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Project 365: Week 12

Monday, March 16, 2009



JJ was still a little sick, so he stayed home from school today. The kids were actually really good today and played together all day. I thought this was the cutest candid photo. They were sitting in the rocking chair together - sipping their water and watching movies.


Tuesday, March 17, 2009



We went for a walk after dinner tonight and it felt like Spring. I think it is actually coming. I captured this adorable hug between my kiddos and I really love the moments when they are so good to each other. Unfortunately, Joey got our sickness now and he was really miserable today. He stayed in bed all day - I hope he gets better soon.


Wednesday, March 18, 2009



Our vacation is almost here! I am rushing around like a crazy woman trying to get laundry done, get packed, and clean the house. Beth was my little helper today as we got the bathroom cleaned and laundry done. I so can't wait until Saturday!


Thursday, March 19, 2009



I made some more yummy Red Velvet Cookies today to take and share with everyone on our trip. They turned out great! I also finished all the laundry and the cleaning of the house today! Yay!


Friday, March 20, 2009



Everything is ready! We are set to go on vacation tomorrow morning! Our countdown is down to one chain and our bags are all packed and ready to go! I can't believe it is finally here - less than 24 hours and we will be on the bus. I'm a little nervous about all the stuff I have - but I think I have everything that I could possibly need. I think I am even more excited than the kids - is it Saturday yet?


Saturday, March 21, 20092


We are on our way! The bus picked us up about 11:30am and we joined the Baker side of the family on the bus. JJ really loved riding on the bus - he just sat there staring out the window, so happy! When Beth first boarded the bus, her first words were "Where's my cousin, Whitnee?" Unfortunately, she would have to wait one more day before Whitnee would come on the bus. We traveled to Nephi, Utah - had some lunch and then continued to our hotel in St. George. We were able to meet up with Lucas, Heidi, Jacee, and Landreth Alfred for dinner at Denny's and it was so awesome to see them and visit with them, especially since it has been a few years since we have been able to be with them. Joey and the kids hung out in the motel room before bedtime, while I was able to visit with my cousins, my aunt, and my uncle for a couple of hours. A great start to our vacation!


Sunday, March 22, 2009



What a day! It began about 7:30am when my parents and brothers and sisters arrived with their families. We had a total of 35 people on the bus (including our bus driver) and it was a good drive with all of us visiting, some sleeping, and watching DVDs. We had lunch in Barstow, California and we were able to go to In-N-Out Burger. YUM! We finally arrived at our hotel. We stayed at the Best Western Stovalls Inn. We could see the roller coasters at Disney's California Adventure across the street. Then the highlight of the day came, when we walked to Downtown Disney and had dinner at Goofy's Kitchen. It was a lot of fun for the kids. We got to see Goofy, Pluto, Geppeto, Chip, and Cinderella. Beth was so excited to see her favorite Disney princess. She even got to dance with her! The kids enjoyed tasting Goofy's Kitchen's specialty, Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza and lots of other food. After dinner we walked back to our hotel and went swimming. The kids enjoyed splashing around in the children's pool and Joey and I enjoyed the Hot Tub.


Here is my Week 12 Layout:

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2 Crops this week...

Please join me in the chatroom this week!


Wednesday, March 18th:







The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan

Thursday, March 19, 2009
9pm EST
Divine Digital Chatroom


Hope to see you all there! Please come and join me!

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High/Low - March 13th + Freebie

My LOW for this week is that I'm sick. I'm not exactly sure what it is but I'm dizzy, my head really hurts, I hurt all over, congestion, I can't sleep and all of it is killing me! Beth was sick and now I am - I'm just really hoping that it will go away soon and that Joey and JJ don't get it.

My HIGH for this week is that there is only 1 MORE WEEK until we leave on our vacation. It's going to be a crazy week - cleaning and packing and getting everything taken care of since we will be gone for 9 days! But I am just so excited! I just need to get better so I can accomplish everything I want to do! And I'm scared that the kids will get sick before we go - and I really want us all to be healthy so we can enjoy this vacation to the fullest. So I could really use your prayers!

Sorry so short - I gotta lay down again. I hope you all have a great weekend!

My freebie for today is a ScatterZ that goes with my BELIEVE IN THE MAGIC Kit, which is on sale at 3Scrapateers now as the HnH deal (see the post below for more details).



DOWNLOAD LINK




DOWNLOAD LINK

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HnH - Believe in the Magic

Okay here's the deal for you! You will have until March 28th to purchase the 1st half of this kit for ONLY $2.50 and do a layout with it and then you will receive the second half of the kit as your posting bonus! This kit will be on sale after March 28th for $5.00 - so this is a great deal!

Get the details in the forum HERE.

Here's the first half:




This is the second half:




And I have a couple of coordinating products that you can find in the store as well HERE, including a Quickpage Album & a Bracket Album.






AND please hit the forum at 3S on March 20th for the Friday Freebie, as it coordinates with this kit as well! Check it out here:




THANKS AND CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU ALL THINK!

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Project 365: Week 11

Monday, March 9, 2009



We had an amazing opportunity today to go to the Draper Utah LDS Temple Open House. The temple is being dedicated next week, so it was our last chance to be able to walk through it. Unfortunately Joey wasn't able to go with us, but I took the kids and I am so glad I did it. It was a snowy day so I wasn't able to get a good picture of the temple (so I took a picture from the internet), but we were able to get a picture of us in the church (next to the temple) with a picture of the Savior. There was a lot of waiting time since there was so many people there, but the kids did pretty well, although by the time we took a photo, Beth was done and wouldn't look at the camera. I hope the kids will remember the special feeling that we had in the Temple. The Spirit was truly there and I needed that feeling of peace in my life right now.


Tuesday, March 10, 2009



My Valentine's Day present for Joey finally arrived today. We are big fans of the Indianapolis Colts and they have a new stadium. I was able to purchase a brick at the stadium with our names on it for Joey and of course we get a brick to display at home. I would really like to be able to take Joey to a game at the Colts Stadium someday and we'll have to drop by our brick!


Wednesday, March 11, 2009



I started getting things together for our trip today and the pile of stuff that needs to go with us is already pretty big! I really need to learn to pack lighter! I finalized my list of attractions that I want to hit at the amusement parks and got quite a lot done. The kids helped for awhile but ended up watching a little tv before I finished. I have been doing better lately with less tv time for the kids, but we still need to work on finding better activities to keep them busy.


Thursday, March 12, 2009



About 2 am, Beth came crying into our room saying that her head hurt. She had a 103 degree fever (which she has never had that high)! So of course she slept with us for the rest of the night and felt awful all day. My poor little girl!


Friday, March 13, 2009



So of course I had an awful night and Beth's illness is now mine too. Headache, body aches, pain, congestion, and did I mention pain? Can't wait for all of this to pass. Beth seems to be a lot better, so hopefully it's only a 1-2 day thing. While Beth and I were taking a late nap, JJ created his own little workstation at the table. It was adorable!


Saturday, March 14, 2009



I caught this adorable little scene today. Beth and Joey were playing with her ponies and it was just so precious to see their daddy-daughter relationship. Joey also got on his laptop and found some sites where we could figure out all the ponies names! So much fun for Beth!


Sunday, March 15, 2009



So I am finally doing a lot better and although I still have a bit of a cough at least the pain is gone. But of course JJ was sick today. Thank goodness the sickness seems to not last long so hopefully we'll get through this! Only one week until we leave for California!


My Week 11 Layout:

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High/Low - March 6th + Freebie

My LOW for this week is that stupid time of the month again. UGH!

My HIGH for this week was finishing up another kit. My BELIEVE IN THE MAGIC Kit is coming out on March 14th and a sneak preview is coming in one of my Project 365 Photos for this past week. I'm a little behind...

Sorry so short - but I have to get back to work! :) I hope you all have a great weekend!

My freebie for today is a ScatterZ that goes with my FRIENDZ FROM THE WOOD Kit. Also be sure to head over to 3Scrapateers as I have the Friday Freebie in the forum there as well!



DOWNLOAD LINK




DOWNLOAD LINK

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Scrap the Night Away Chat

Please join me for another wonderful Scrap the Night Away Chat tomorrow night!

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Project 365: Week 10

Monday, March 2, 2009



We got out the kids travel cups today as I am starting to put things together for our trip. Just looking at things and starting to plan out what I want to do and what I want to take. The kids like to play with these cups because they can put it around their necks. Pretty goofy kids - but I'm glad they can find delight in the little things!


Tuesday, March 3, 2009



JJ's school is having a read-a-thon this month. Each student who reads at least 500 minutes (or is read to) will receive a pass to a local water park and also a pass to a family fun center. I've been really slacking off lately with reading to my kids, so this is a great opportunity to get back on track. We decided to start with The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A Milne. This book was one of Joey's treasures, until we had kids and now it is worn-out. I am going to have to purchase a new copy for Joey someday. But so far the kids are really enjoying being read to EVERY NIGHT!


Wednesday, March 4, 2009



We got some light snow, but of course it melted later in the day. Today was spent on the computer trying to finish up a new kit. I also had my wonderful Over the Hump Chat tonight. I really love meeting with the members of the Digitals community!


Thursday, March 5, 2009



I decided to get an impromtu hair cut today. I had a coupon to Fantastic Sam's and suddenly felt like I'd like to have a haircut before our vacation. So off Beth and I went and I cut 7 inches off my hair. It feels really great! We also took a trip to Costco and got some snacks for our trip!


Friday, March 6, 2009



I finished my kit today and I think it turned out pretty well. I am definitely excited to be able to use this when I get back from California! The kids and I hung out while Joey did his Friday activities of racquetball and recording of his podcast.


Saturday, March 7, 2009



The kids and I took a day trip to Richfield today to watch my brother play in the State Tournament. Valley took 3rd and I was very happy for them - though I wished for them that they wouldn't have lost yesterday - they definitely should have been the champions this year - darn it. But they played extremely well. I can't believe my little brother is 16 years old - he's gotten so tall! I'm very proud of him!


Sunday, March 8, 2009



When I was growing up - Sunday was always pudding night. My siblings and I would make hot Vanilla and cold Chocolate pudding and fight over who got what! LOL I made some chocolate pudding tonight and the kids LOVED it. I think I am going to carry on this tradition for Sunday nights. It's a great memory of when I was growing up.


And here is my Week 10 Layout:

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