Happy "11" Birthday Logan

My baby boy is "11" years old today

It seems like yesterday that I sat and rocked him,

 holding him knowing that he would be my last baby.

What an amazing boy he is.

He loves "ANYTHING" sports related (just like his brother's)

Tonight the LITTLE LEAGUE ALL STAR TOURNAMENT starts and Logan is the starting pitcher.

Should be an awesome game. This is an awesome group of boys and I believe they will do very well.

This morning I am planning on taking Logan to breakfast with two of his best friends. A few years ago Logan became fast friends with 2 boys on his baseball team that were twins. In fact Logan and Andy (one of the twins are so much alike it is scary) Well come to find out the twins were born the day as Logan and they were actually born just a few hours apart. So jokingly you always hear them calling themselves

 "My brother from another mother"

Then Logan will go to basketball camp with his cousin Zach and then prepare for the big game tonight !!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET BOY !!!!

1 Month Old . . . .

Happy Father's Day

Happy 1 Month Birthday Baby Malorie

Happy Happy 1 month birthday to my precious little grand baby !!!!

I went over yesterday to play for just a bit and took her a new toy bar. She is so fascinated by everything. You can just see her taking it all in. Looking at all the bright colors and shapes. She is such a good baby and Morgan is such a good mommy and Trent is such a good dad and provider. They are making sacrifices so that Morgan can stay home with Malorie. So proud of them and their cute little family !!!!

be on the lookout - tomorrow is her offical 1 month photo shoot with Aunt Jamie (http://www.jamieharper.typepad.com/)

Happy Birthday Dylan !!!!

19 years ago I gave birth to this precious little boy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DYLAN

Follow the journey . . . . as the doctors begin "Perfecting the Feet of a Princess"

www.morganandtrent.blogspot.com

You can call me "Mimi"

So we have been a little busy this week getting used to our new role as grandparents!

All I can say is that this is what heaven must be like !

 

Morgan and Trent are doing great and they are just in love with their baby girl

Introducing . . . . . .

Malorie Dawn Archer

May 15, 2010 ~ 11:51 pm

7 lbs 5 oz

21 inches

5 day old photo's done by my amazingly talented sister-in-law
www.jamieharper.typepad.com

Just waiting to meet her . . .

(photo courtesy of http://www.jamieharper.typepade.com/)

Oh my . . . . Inspiration Overload

I have been totally inspired by some of the  fabulous work I am seeing out there lately. Really I would be happy to sit in my little craft corner and craft all day. I am sure the arrival of my new little grand-daughter might have something to do with it. Maybe it is grandma nesting !!!

But you have got to check these out . . . .

Craftaholics Anonymous

And to feed my flower addiction . . . . .

Look what Rhonna is up to

oh and then I stumbled upon this site . . .

Whippy Cake

and I can't believe I missed this . . . But I was at Scrap Happy Sisters event . . . wish it would have been a different day because oh how I would have loved to have gone . . . . next time . . . soon I hope. The girl who is running it is the daughter of one of my most absolutely favorite young women leaders from when I just about 17 years old.

Boutique in the Barn

Okay - I hope you get something accomplished today, because it would be oh so easy just to sit and look at all the inspiration on these sites today.

Baby Report : Morgan goes for her amnio today at 2pm to see if little Malorie's lungs are ready to face the world. If they are then she waits for the call from hospital to be induced. So exciting !!!!

The End to A Fabulous Weekend . . . .

Church was amazing yesterday. The spirit that was felt there was something special.

It was fast and testimony meeting and many beautiful testimonies where shared.

As a Relief Society we are working on a number of service projects that I am really excited about.

Our theme for this month is

 "Helping Hands: An Evening of Service and Sharing"

We will be making quilts and will use them to give to those who can use a little "extra comfort"

and we will be learning how to make crocheted hats.

There is a group of women in our ward that have been making hats for cancer patients.

As mothers, daughters, sisters and wives we have the natural want to nurture and care for those in need.  Many of the cancer patients express a need for a covering for their heads after the ravages of treatment have caused their hair to become thin or to fall out altogether. What a wonderful project this is. We have also expanded and will be making newborn hats for babies in the NICU and then hats for the homeless. I am excited to learn how to make these and then teach my family and what a wonderful "summer project" it will be.

After church we came home as a family and watched "THE BLIND SIDE" Don had got it from Red Box and he had it for about 4 days and we needed to watch it so we could return it. I had no idea what I was in for. By far the BEST movie I have seen in a very long time. My entire family loved it and was touched by it. For those who know me, mostly my kids, can imagine that I sobbed through most of the movie, but then there were times in between the tears that I laughed out loud. My mother's heart was truly touched and I loved it. I can't believe it has taken me this long to see it. (yes, I can - I have been a little busy) It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

Fabulous Weekend Part 3 . . . .

Saturday after math class I went and spent the day at

SCRAP HAPPY SISTERS 3 day CROP for National Scrapbook Day.

It was a blast !!!

I helped all the women make a cute 4x4 mini album with the new CINCH from WE R.

They were super cute and everyone loved them.

These are my fabulous friends Kit & Kris - the owners of Scrap Happy Sisters.

"Some people come into our lives and quietly go. Others stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same."

I love these girls and I am so thankful to be part of their lives. This is the best part of what I do. Being able to work with friends like this who share the same passion that I do.

Fabulous Job Kit & Kris - It was an awesome weekend !!!

Fabulous Weekend Part 2 . . . .

So I have two more weeks left of this semester and all I can say is that i truly am so proud of myself for not quiting. Cause it was really hard and when I started I wasn't sure that my brain was capable of absorbing all the information that was being thrown at me. So over the course of the past 4 1/2 months I have gotten the hang of this college thing and I am more determined now more than ever to finish a degree. I will continue to pursue nursing - and if the time comes that I have to find another job - I will have a direction. With the economy I am not really sure what is going to happen. If I had a choice what would I really want to do it would be to JUST BE A MOM (and Grandma) and stay home and take care of my family. But the reality of that is not possible. With teenagers, car insurance, missions, college expenses, sports, swim teams, and everything else that comes with raising a big family - I have to contribute income to the family budget. I don't work so we can take fancy vacations or buy fancy cars or expensive clothing. Those who know me, know that I am  SIMPLE gal and know that I contribute just so we can make it. I would love for the economy to bounce back and I would be so happy if I could just continue making it with my job in the scrapbook industry. I LOVE MY JOB and I LOVE THE PEOPLE I WORK WITH. That is what I want and then I would have a degree for back up.

So anyways - I have been working hard and getting some pretty good grades and I am happy to report that on Saturday I got

on my math test. Now I have gotten A's on all my tests this semester. But to actually get 100% - I was pretty darn proud of myself. Especially since I never did well in math in my earlier years. So I have a final English paper due today, a psychology exam tomorrow and then onto finals.

See this precious baby - she is schedule to make her arrival sometime before this weekend right at the start of finals. But no worries all my professors are aware that I may need special accommodations to the timing of my finals and they are all completely understanding. I am so excited to meet

MALORIE DAWN ARCHER

I think this may just be the best Mother's Day ever !!!!

Fabulous Weekend Part 1 Continued . . . .

Dylan had found a Peruvian restaurant in Mesa and so after the temple we headed there for dinner. Let's just make one thing clear. Just because Peru is in South America does not mean that there you will find Mexican food. I wish I would have copied the menu. But it seemed to be full of dishes that consisted of rice, potatoes, eggs, chicken, beef and lot's of veggies. Lot's of radishes ! Everyone loved their food. Dylan's plate looked very similar to a dish of fried rice to me.

One of the highlights was getting to drink "INCA" KOLA. We have heard that this is the favorite soda in Peru, so the guys had to try it. They all said it tasted like bubblegum and they loved it. The other drink they got was a purple rice drink. I guess this one is more of an "acquired" taste. We had a great time sharing this fabulous experience with Dylan and are so proud of the man he is growing up to be.

Fabulous Weekend . . . part 1

What an awesome weekend we had. Friday night we went to the temple with Dylan and had such an amazing experience. Dylan, was attaending the Temple for the first time in preparation for his mission. I knew in my heart that it was going to be a special experience, but I truly did not know how special it would be. I am always touched when I enter the house of the Lord, because the spirit is so strong. If there is anywhere on earth you feel close to Heaven, that is where it is.

I knew that my dad would be present, not only in spirit, but that he would be close by as he watched his oldest grandson prepare to serve a mission. As each of my children cross milestones in their lives I can feel of the love of my dad. His grandchildren were his life. He loved them more than anything in this world and even though he is waiting for us on the other side, I know he is still watching over them and rejoicing in their accomplishments and loved them through their trials.

Once you have done your own work in the temple, you can then return to perform ordinances for those who have gone before. To find out more about Temple work go here. As I sat in the chapel and said a prayer, I could feel that there were many who were very happy that Dylan would be serving the people of Peru on his mission. As we enter the temple and perform ordinances for those who have gone before you are given a name of a person who is deceased. As I sat in the chapel and looked down at the name I was given and said her name "Maria" and noticed that "Maria" was from Peru. The place where Dylan will be serving his mission. I am not sure if I can relate the feeling in which I had at this time. But it was testified to me that Maria was so happy to have her temple work done and she is so anxious for Dylan to go and teach her people.

I will be back to post pictures and follow up on the rest of my weekend . . . gotta go get the family ready for church.

Going to the Temple . . . .

Today is a very special day . . .

Dylan will be going to the Temple to recieve his Endowments

I am so thrilled to share this special day with him . . .

We have him home for 14 more weeks until he goes to serve the people of Peru for 2 years.

I think one of the greatest blessings you can receive as a parent is to hear from priesthood leaders what an amazing young man your son is and that he is well prepapred to serve a mission and that he will truly be an amazing missionary and that he will truly bless the peole in which he serves.

What better way can you think to spend two years than by blessing the lives of others.

I am so very thankful for the gospel in my life and all the many blessings we have recieved.

Essay's . . . . .

Oh my I have been writting my final essay for days now . . . . . . Need to get it finished before the baby comes !!!!

Saturday . . .

Three more math classes left . . . wooooo hooooo (until summer school begins.) I know, crazy isn't it. But I am bound and determined to finish my college degree. But at a little bit slower rate than this past semseter. This has been crazy. But ya know "I didn't know" I really didn't know what it all intailed and so with each new thing in life we learn and grow and that is what I have done this semester. Proud to say I am working my tail off and getting almost all A's. I have learned alot in many areas. One of the main things I have learned is to keep going with my math and just focus on math until it is done.  So that is what I am doing. With all degrees you need to go to atleast 142 or 150. I have found a teacher that I totally "get" his teaching style and so I need to just keep going.

As for now I need to go and start a load of wash before I head to "saturday school".

Friday Night and All is Well . . . .

Well, here it is Friday night at 11:37 pm and I am blog hopping (getting caught up on happenings with everyone) and enjoying a quiet night at HOME !!! Dylan went with some friends to California for the weekend. Don and Coleton are on a campout. Logan is fast asleep and Karleigh is enjoying a movie on the big screen.

GUESS WHAT ? I LOVE FRIDAYS !!!!

I really LOVE Fridays . . .  becuase I don't have ANY classes on Friday's (one smart choice I made as an adult returning to school)


I can't even tell you how much i LOVE being at home !!!!!

Making a list . . . checking it twice

This month we need to . . . .

• Mission Call Acceptance Letter Sent (of course) DONE
• passport and visa application sent to church headquarters  DONE
• Appoitments for Shots - there's alot - HEP A Series, Typhoid Fever, Yellow Fever, so on and so on. Don't want my boy getting sick so we will make sure he get's them all.
• Patriarchial Blessing
• Temple Endowments

He will probably kill me when he finds out I uploaded his visa photo. The photographer would not let him smile. Why do some places let you smile for passport/visa photos and some don't ?  But it is a memory right. And I think you can tell by looking at the photo it signifies a very memorable time in his life. Just look at the tan line on his face. He has been able to enjoy some pretty amazing skiing this ski season. Almost every other weekend and it had now come to an end. I am so glad he had such a fun winter, becuase when he comes home from his mission it is back to school fulltime.

Trying to get hime to work on his piano skills. He plays by ear amazing. I love listening to him play - music to my ears. And I think he will bless the lives of many if he would learn to play a handful of hymns. We will see if moms encouragement works.

PERU LIMA EAST MISSION

Elder Dylan Thomas Paolacci

has been called to serve as a missionary for the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

in the
Peru Lima East Mission

He reports to the MTC in Provo, Utah on
August 11, 2010 at which time he will participate in phased training
and then will be transferred to the Lima Peru MTC 

We are thrilled !!!

.

Mission Calls and Grandbabies . . . . . .

I guess that is what is meant when they say "these are the best days of your life" We are anxiously awaiting Dylan's mission call - which should arrive tomorrow (hopefully) and we have about 5 more weeks until we meet our darling grandaughter Malorie.

Besides working 2 jobs (both of which I love) and going to school. Being a wife and mom is keeping me pretty busy right now.

Love One Another

Monday, Monday, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah - So good to me . . . . .

Another reason I think I love Monday's so much is becuase they follow Sunday which is by far my most favorite day of the week. I love the Sabbath and the the opportunity I have each Sunday to recommitt myself . I love having my cup filled and be inspired to do good. I love Monday's becuase I love having a fresh start to my week every Monday morning. My week starts Sunday nights at 9pm, when I arrive at Marge and Tom's. Last night my friend Marge was a little crabby. She is so cute, she tries really hard to be a grouchy old lady with Alzheimers, but then I look at her and she just laughs. She is darling. I have learned so much these past 6 months while caring for her. I absolutely love her to peices. I know I can't work 7 nights a week. But I truly miss her the two nights I am off each week. What am I going to do when I leave for CHA on Friday night ? I am going to miss her for 6 nights.

Speaking of CHA - yep it is that time of year again and the annual Winter CHA show is in Anaheim. Janna and I pack up the car and leave on Friday. We don't return home until Wednesday Night. I am hoping the next two weeks really boost the business in the scrapbook/papercrafting industry. More to come on that later (maybe) But I always love CHA and rubbing shoulders with such talented people. I love seeing my friends that I usually only get to see twice a year and catching up with them. The wonderful thing about this industry is that it is filled with such good, good people that truly are all so much alike. I love it and I love my friends and I am excited to see them all and excited to see what their creative minds have created.

When I return from CHA we will be running a MEMORY MIXER booth at the Quilt, Craft & Sewing Expo. Just another three days of crafting inspiration. I went last year and I LOVED it. So if you are a local be sure to come. Click here http://www.rustybarn.com/festival-dates.html to get a 1.00 off admission. I was simply amazed at how well Memory Mixer did there. The response was unbelievable. So I am excited for this year and Janna and Karen are going to be helping me out.

The kids are out of school today. We always love a day off. It was raining this morning (love the rain) And now I have a house full of neighborhood boys. I am just going through all of my .99 Savers finds from this monring. It is really bad when you get up at 5am to work and just so by 9am you can take a break to go to the Savers sale. I am finding lot's and lot's of cute baby clothes.

Well gotta run got lot's to do today . . . . . . .

I LOVE Books . . .

Guess what - I LOVE books. And I LOVE reading to little people. But sometimes the trick is to get the little people to sit and listen. We all know how important it is to read to our children. I guess I am really excited about this becuase even though my life is really busy - I look forward to reading to our new grandbaby when she arrives.

Ok - now I need to back track here for a moment. Since the news of our soon to be "grandparent hood" I have been excited to help Morgan and Trent prepare for this new little life. I have always dreamed of what kind of grandma I wanted to be and guess what ? The time is NOW !!! Needless to say the economy has really hit our home and my business in the Scrapbooking Industry (but I have all the faith that 2010 is going to be a good year and it will build back up - but as for now there is very little moola which makes for challenging times) So we have been a bit challenegd financially - but those who know me know that I LOVE a challenge. So I have become the queen of thrift shops, second hand stores and clearance racks. Finding these bargains has almost become an obsession. Becuase now I won't buy anything baby girl for more than $1. You probably cringe at the thought of what I must be buying for .50 - $1 - but I promise you that you would be amazed at what I have found and never in a million years would you beleive what I have paid for it. I may have to start taking pictures of some of my incredible finds.

So with that said. I have been searching for the perfect childrens books - but refuse to buy them new (unless of course they are on a blow out clearance rack) Becuase you know all childrens books are only .69 at SAVERS. As I researched the "perfect books for baby" in order to develop language and inspire a love of reading I came across this list.

MUST HAVES FOR EVERY FAMILY :

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister


The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt

Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth
 
Now having six kids I know some more of the "all time favorites" that we had to read over and over. I know that when choosing baby books to read to infants and toddlers you should look for bold, interesting pictures, rhyming text and simple words that are easy for babies to follow.
 
One thing that I always knew but I can honestly say that I didn't take much time to do was reading to baby during your pregnancy. Recent studies have shown that babies may even remember the rhyme and rhythm of the books you read while they were in utero! So needless to say I won't be reading to baby Mallory while she is in Morgan's tummy. (That might be crossing the line of CRAZY OBSESSED GRANDMA TO BE - which I am already teetering on) But I surely will be on the hunt to find some good books for Morgan and Trent to read to my precious grandbaby. These are the ones recommended for optimum brain development -

1. Oh Baby! The Places You'll Go
2. Pat the Bunny
3. Where the Wild Things Are
4. The Cat in the Hat
5. Where the Sidewalk Ends
6. Hop on Pop
7. Love You Forever
8. Goodnight Moon
9. Mama, do you love me?
10. Brown Bear, Brown Bear
11. Guess How Much
12. Time For Bed
13. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Now remember - I won't be paying full price for any - let me see what I can find - working on a basket of books from grandma. I will return and report.

So if you have any of these that your children have out grown and you would like to get them off your hands just let me know. I think I might be able to hook you up with some cool scrapbook stuff in return.

Recommitted to documenting my life . . . .

I haven't been the best blogger. You know life sometimes seems to get in the way. I have had many freinds share with me that they had their blogs printed and bound for Christmas and the absolutely cherish them. They were good bloggers. And for 2010 I want to be a good blogger. I want to focus more on recording the moments of our life so that I can have a treasure to share with my family and generations to come. Why do I blog ? Becuase I want to treasure the moments of this life I have been given. We all have moments we want to treasure. We want to use our later years to look back on our days and bring back all the good "stuff". Our blogs can help us do that.

As a work at home mom, my days are busy - really busy. Just my average day (before work and now school) is filled with laundry, meals, running errands, sports practices, more laundry, carpooling, cleaning, kids homework, and more laundry. You get the idea...

Then I add work appointments, phone calls, emails, scrapbooking, my church calling, and now some college classes etc . . . . and the mix becomes very, very interesting. but none the less - "this is my life, it might be a bit crazy at times - but I love it"

Since my children were younger i have been told to ENJOY all this. I even know that I should be taking  pictures of all of it. What? Pictures of my over-flowing laundry hampers? Yes - Take a picture.

Once the mom of babies, toddlers and little children, soon to be the mom of all teenagers and adult children Just around that corner is Grandma! (approximately 139 days according to the baby widget on Morgan's blog) I also know I will miss this chaos and craziness of this busy life one day. One day I will look back on this busy season and be a little sad. One day.

But as for today, I need to start taking pictures of my over-flowing laundry hampers. And my sink with the breakfast dishes crusting over. And my boys video games stuff everywhere. And my children playing Madden together or Karleigh sitting on facebook. Because one day, I will not have this anymore. But as for today, I still do and I am happy to be right where I am. (I need a camera becuase mine is broke - probably from being old and over used - but I have a nice blackberry that will do the job for now)

So my challenge to not only myself but also to you my friends, is to really begin to focus on documenting what your days are like. What a treasure it will be. I wish I had a blog back when I was a first time mom so I could share with Morgan what my days were like, what my apartment looked like, etc. So pick an average day in your life and begin to document every hour -  what you are doing, where you are, or how you feel about it. One day we will all  look back and smile. I Promise. ENJOY where you are at - wherever it may be.