Another Day in the Life of the Neuberger Family

Smiley Taylee

2012-02-14T16:15:00.005-07:00

Taylee has really started grinning a lot lately. In church on Sunday she grinned at me most of the way through Sunday School. I love how she crinkles up her little nose and makes the cutest little cooing noises. It melts my heart every time.

A couple weeks ago Jeff's parents came up to visit. Marilyn was holding Taylee and talking to her. Taylee was smitten and couldn't stop grinning at her grandma. I grabbed my camera and got these shots.

She is such a little sweetheart. We are so glad she is part of our family!

Aiden & Taylee

2012-02-13T09:32:00.005-07:00

I was worried how Aiden might react to a new baby around the house, but he has really surprised me with how gentle and loving he can be with Taylee. I say "can be" because he can also be a little rough with her. But what kind of big brother would he be if he didn't hit her over the head a few times with a bubble wand? ;) He asks to hold her a lot and right now is fascinated with poking her in the eyes.

Last week I had a little flower in her hair. He pointed to it and said, "princess."
See what a loving brother he is? ;)

Taylee: "Listen, if you try that again you'll have to answer to this fist."
I was doing the dishes last week when he took the dishwashing tablets. Next thing I know, he's telling me Taylee is a pirate. I turned around to see this:
A couple days ago Taylee was sleeping on my bed. Aiden heard her start to cry, so he ran in, jumped up on the bed and tried to put her binkie in her mouth while he said, "it's otay." I guess he can be sweet when he wants to be!

Sunday Clothes

2012-02-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

My Grandma has made it a tradition to give her grandkids Sunday clothes for Christmas. She has continued it with her great-grandchildren. I wanted to get a picture of the kids in their new duds to send to her, so I took these last month. This was the best one of the bunch:

I just love Aiden's expression in this one:
And this one shows their true personalities coming out! ;)

And just because she's dang cute, here's one of Taylee from 3 weeks ago when she was 4 weeks old:

Swimming

2012-02-08T10:35:00.003-07:00

Yes, it's the middle of the winter, but who wouldn't want to beat the winter blah's with a couple hours at the beach? Last week Taryn invited us to go swimming with them. She had the easy job of watching 3 little kids in the pool while I wrestled with the 2 babies on the sidelines. ;)

Aiden was so excited to get in the water.

Dustin was so cute to hold his hand and help him up the stairs for the slide.
I was surprised at how brave he was. That is until he went under the water and couldn't lift that king-sized noggin out of it. Taryn rescued him, but after that he was much, much more cautious!
It was little Camille's first time in the pool - she did great!
I was in big trouble when Jack and Makele caught wind of what we had been up to while they were in school. I sense another trip in our future with them tagging along! ;)

Jack's Birthday

2012-02-07T16:03:00.004-07:00

Last week Jack turned 7. Isn't that cake awesome? ;)

He had the hardest time blowing out his candles. I think he tried about 10 times.
He was just a little excited about this wii football game that he has been asking for for what seems like forever!
We had a nice little party with my sister's family, then went to Chuck-E-Cheese last Saturday with Dustin. I can hardly stand the place, but the kids always have so much fun there. Aiden found a basketball game and hardly budged from it the whole time we were there. In fact, I was helping Dustin with one of the games when Jack came running over and said, "Aiden's in the basketball game!" Yea, he crawled under the bar and up into the place by the hoop to get to the balls. Fantastic!

Last week was parent-teacher conferences for Jack. He got a glowing report card. He is above average on his reading and math levels. His teacher says she never has to worry about him and that he always does what he is instructed to do. I asked her if she was talking about the same Jack I know. We've been having just a few issues with him tuning us out at home. ;)

A couple weeks ago, Jack received the trustworthy award at an assembly at his school. The first grade also sang a song. I managed to get a couple pictures while Aiden was running around wreaking havoc.

Don't you love the ring around his shirt? He has taken to chewing on his shirts lately. It drives me crazy, but I haven't been able to come up with anything to get him to stop. Anybody have any bright ideas?
With Jack there is never a dull moment. He is quite a smart little boy with a quick wit. Like his father he loves anything sports-related and is well on his way to learning every player in the NBA, including Paul Pierce. ;) We are so glad he is part of our family!

Valentines Heart Wreath

2012-02-06T09:52:00.002-07:00

A few weeks ago my sisters and I got together for a day of crafting. It was so nice and just what I needed! I had seen this on pinterest and loved it. I don't normally go for the whole yarn-wreath craze, but this was different than what I've seen before. At the time there wasn't a tutorial, so I just kind of went with it, but there is a great tutorial HERE now.

Instead of a completely round wreath, I used one that is flat on the front. It took forever to wrap the yarn around it, but I really like the end result!
Makele keeps telling me, "we need to get ready for Valentines Day." I guess she thinks we need to decorate the house for Valentines Day like we do for Christmas. ;) Now at least we have something cute hanging on the front door!

Brenda Neuberger Design Creative Team Call

2012-02-03T10:12:00.004-07:00

Requirements:

-Create 1 layout per new kit released, 3 layouts per month

-Upload layouts to at least 3 galleries - Funky Playground Designs, DST, Brenda Neuberger Design's Facebook Page

-Participate in CT forum

-Promote my products in ISO threads, social media, forum signatures, your blog, etc.

To Apply:

E-mail the following to brendaneuberger@gmail.com:

-Link to your gallery or 3 of your favorite layouts

-Your blog address if you have one

-List of other creative teams you are currently on

-Why you want to be on my team

Call Ends February 27th so get crackin! Good luck! I look forward to seeing your submissions!

Pictures, Pictures & More Pictures

2012-01-16T17:22:00.007-07:00

Poor little Taylee has had to put up with the camera constantly being in her face. I really wanted a picture of her sleeping with her head propped up on her hands, but she was not down with that at all. Every time I would try it she would wake up and fight me like crazy. She is a lot different than my other kids in that she wakes up when I pick her up or move her; she's a pretty light sleeper. I still got some really cute pictures of her though!

Four Days Old:
I told you she wasn't down with the pictures! ;)

This picture makes me yawn every time I see it:Our little Santa Baby:

When I crocheted the owl hat and the Santa hat above before Taylee was born, they looked so little to me; I didn't think there was a chance they would fit her! Then I put them on and they were too big!
That newborn diaper pretty much swallows her whole:

I was born on the 16th of December. The hospital gave my parents a stocking to send me home in:
My mom gave me the stocking to bring home Taylee in. These pictures were taken when she was 9 days old:

I went over to Taryn's to enlist her help in the posing department since she got Camille to do the aforementioned pose. But even with her professional help, we couldn't do it. I gave up while she snapped a few pictures with my camera. 15 Days old:

And finally, I snapped this one last weekend after Ellie's baptism. Her first little dress:

Meeting Taylee

2012-01-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe Taylee will be 4 weeks old tomorrow. It has gone by so fast! She has been a very busy little girl, meeting lots of new family and friends.

The first family member she met was Aunt Taryn when she visited her in the NICU:
Grandpa Dave also came to see Taylee in the NICU (don't know why I don't have a picture!).

The kids were so excited to meet their new little sister when we brought her home:

Look at that! A real smile from Jack!

Laney thought she was pretty darn cute:

I'm not sure Camille knew what to think of her! I can't believe there is only 4 months difference in age between these two. Amazing how fast they grow!

Taylee's middle name comes from her great-grandma Pearl:

Taylee is so lucky to have so many people who love her!

New Release Today!

2012-01-12T10:30:00.004-07:00

This kit of course is inspired by baby Taylee. I needed something to scrap all her cute little baby pictures with! Sweet Baby Girl Element Pack & Paper Pack:

Sweet Baby Girl Element Pack:
Sweet Baby Girl Paper Pack:
I made her first two layouts using this kit:

I also used the Bella Page Template Pack on the layout above.

Don't forget everything in my store is 30% off until the end of the month when you use the code below at checkout!

Our Holidays

2012-01-09T13:18:00.011-07:00

We had a very busy holiday season (so much so that I'm just getting around to posting the pictures ;)). On December 13th, Jack had a little Christmas concert with the rest of the 1st grade. He had been singing his songs all around the house. His favorite was "Jolly Old St. Nicholas." He had every word memorized on all the verses - I didn't even know them!

On December 16th, I celebrated my 3oth birthday. That morning Jack came in my room and told me to get out of bed because he wanted to see if I had gotten any bigger. Then he wanted to see my hair to see if it had gone gray. Funny kid!
Jeff ordered a cake for me. I laughed at the icing sentiment - "Love Jeff and the Kid." Sounds like a wild west duo doesn't it? ;) It was supposed to be "kids," but I guess they liked the sound of "the kid" better!
On the 18th, we went to Jeff's parents house for the Neuberger family Christmas party. We had so much fun eating a huge dinner, laughing and opening presents. This is one of the only pictures I got before the battery on my camera died (of course I have back-ups, but with me always being prepared, they were all dead too). Grandma and Makele:
The next morning Taylee was born. We came home Wednesday - I'll post more about that later along with the pictures from her homecoming. My parents were able to come up to help out and stay for Christmas.

On Christmas Eve we made sugar cookies and decorated them for Santa. I handed Aiden one to decorate. When I looked back, he was shoving it in his mouth as fast as he could! I guess I underestimated his appetite!

That night my sisters came over for a little Christmas Eve program that Taryn put together. The kids each performed a talent then did the nativity scene. Makele played the part of Mary, Taylee was baby Jesus, Dustin was Joseph, Laney was a shepherd, Camille was an angel, Jack was a wiseman and Aiden was a reluctant sheep.

After the program, the kids opened up their Christmas pajamas.
Aiden was pretty excited about his Buzz jammies and Jack's Woody jammies. I didn't think we'd ever be able to get him to take them off!
Santa had a long night of putting together a doll house, but he managed to get everything set up before the kids woke up the next morning! ;) Jack and Makele were so excited and happy with everything they got; Aiden wasn't too impressed. We kept trying to get him to open up a present only to hear him say nonchalantly, "no." I think the problem was that he saw Jack's little basketball hoop the minute he walked in the room and didn't want to play with anything else!

Finally got him to open one up! Don't know what Jeff's hands are doing in the shot!
Taylee slept through all the excitement. Makele was dying for her to come in so she could "help" her open her presents.
That afternoon we went over to my older sister's house for Christmas dinner with my parents and younger sister's family. This was the first year we have spent Christmas at home. It was low-key and nice. We were lucky that my parents were able to come up and spend it with us along with my sisters and their families.

The next day the kids and I packed up and went home to Flowell with my parents. The kids were out of school for the whole week, so we decided to go down where I could get a little more help while adjusting to 4 kids! I was a little nervous about the 2 1/2 hour drive down, but Taylee did great - she slept through the whole thing!

The weather was unusually warm while we were there. The kids were even able to play outside a couple of the days without their coats!

On Friday, Jeff came down with Taryn's family. My brother's family and Shawna and Kylie also arrived that night for the weekend. On Saturday afternoon, a whole crew went over to Delta to bowl. I stayed home with the baby, but Tia got these cute pictures of the kids.

We had a rockin' New Year's Eve party complete with Jeff knocked out cold on the couch before 10:30!

The kids had such a fun weekend playing with their cousins and didn't want to go back home. The girls: Dakoda, Brinlynn, Kylie, Camille, Chloe, Laney, Makele & Taylee.
The boys: Tanner, Aiden, Dustin, Jack, Durgan & Dawson.
With all these kids under one roof, you can imagine there wasn't a dull moment (or a quiet one either)!
We had a great holiday season!

And just because he's cute (and actually smiling naturally), I couldn't help but post one of Aiden in Jack's Luigi hat:

New Year, New Release & Sale!

2012-01-02T20:46:00.008-07:00

This month I am one of the 4 featured designers at Funky Playground Designs. We worked together to come up with a coordinating theme and color palette for our Playgroup Kits. Here is my portion, Family Memories Bundle:

Family Memories Element & Paper Pack:

Family Memories Elements:

Family Memories Family Tree:
Family Memories Paper Pack:
Family Memories Solid Paper Add-On:

When you purchase either the Bundle or the Element & Paper Pack Set, you will receive the coordinating Free With Purchase Collab which includes the following kits:

As if that isn't a steal as it is, until January 5th, all the kits in the playgroup are 50% off! Also, when you spend over $12 in the store in the month of January, you will receive the Family Ties - January FWP Kit free!

Here are a couple layouts the Funky Playground Design Team made using my Family Memories Bundle:

"So Cute" by Shauna:

"Home is Where the Heart Is" by Akhn:

Also during the month of January, everything in my shop is 30% off when you use the code "JanSale30" at checkout.

Don't forget to check out the coordinating kits from my fellow designers:

Quality Time Bundle by Jen C. Designs

Family Archives - The Whole Shebang by Tracy Martin Scrapbook Designs

The Ties that Bind Bundle by Farynar's Wings

Taylee's Excellent Adventure

2011-12-19T21:06:00.009-07:00

Taylee Pearl Neuberger

7 lbs. 6 0z.
19 inches

Warning: if you hate labor stories just go ahead and skip this one! ;) I just want to get it down before I forget (although that's not really likely anytime soon)!

Taylee made quite the entrance into the world this morning. I woke up with contractions around 3:30. I have been having a lot of contractions over the last couple weeks. In fact on Friday, I had them most of the day. I could tell these were different, but for some dumb reason, just thought I could wait a little while. I think in the back of my mind, I was thinking we could get Jack off to school in a few hours and take Aiden to my sister's house before going in to the hospital.

I took a shower around 5:30 to help with the pain. I went back downstairs to lay down and see how I felt. Jeff woke up, and we decided we better get to the hospital. He called my sister and asked if we could bring the kids over. Sometime between then and getting into the car, I realized we probably wouldn't have time for that. We raced to the hospital (and when I say raced I mean Jeff topping the good old mini-van out at 100 mph - it will probably never be the same).

We went in through the ER where they threw me in a wheelchair and ran me screaming down to labor and delivery. Seriously. I was screaming. I'm highly embarrassed about it now, but at the time it just felt right, you know? I mean I've seen it done in movies and on TV, so why shouldn't I be able to do it too? ;) Honestly, whenever I've seen scenes like that, I really thought that no one acts that way; that doesn't really happen. Oh, I'm here to tell you it does! I think I woke the whole hospital up. And I pride myself on being able to take pain without too much whining. Well my pride went right the heck out the window on that one!
We finally got to L&D after what seemed like miles and miles of halls. My water broke right by the nurses' station. They quickly wheeled me into a room, got me onto the bed and told me not to push. Yea, right. That baby was coming whether I was pushing or not. I could not help it, I had to push. One time and she was out. I think the nurse barely had time to catch her!

It was such a shock that it all happened so fast. We arrived at the hospital a little after 6:30 and the baby was born at 6:40. Jeff missed the whole thing because we had the kids with us. My sister met us at the hospital to pick them up, but by then the baby had already made her grand entrance.

After they checked her out in my room and let me hold her for a few seconds, she had to go to the NICU because there was meconium in the amniotic fluid and her oxygen saturation levels were low. She has had to stay there all day and at least for tonight so they can continue to observe her and get those levels back up to normal.

One good thing about not having an epidural is that I could get up and go see her (that's pretty much the only good thing though ;)). I got to hold her this afternoon.
She is an absolute cutie pie. And definitely worth all the pain, tears and screaming!

Christmas Elf

2011-12-15T10:12:00.005-07:00

We have had a little visitor in our house this month. The kids love our Elf on the Shelf and look forward to seeing where he's hiding every morning. The first morning he came, you would have thought hell froze over by how good the kids acted and how smoothly we got off to school. Of course they quickly acclimated to having the elf around and things have gone back to half-crazy in the morning, but it was nice while it lasted!

Here's some of the fun things the elf has done:

Drew funny faces on the kids' pictures with dry-erase marker (they thought this was hilarious):

The first night we told the kids about the elf, Jack predictably freaked out a little bit because he didn't want the elf sneaking around while he slept. I told Jeff it would be funny if the elf decided to hide under the top bunk and be staring at Jack when he woke up. The elf was nice and didn't do it that night - he waited until he and Jack had become friends:
Making a "sugar" angel:
Oh look, I found my own little elf hiding in the cupboards!
Diving into a Christmas present:
Ziplining in Makele's room:
Some other fun places we've found him include in the shower with a towel wrapped around his body and head, in the fridge drinking a soda pop and sitting in the Christmas tree. One morning he was even having a "snowball" fight with one of the kids' toys. He had set up legos as forts to hide behind and mini marshmallows were thrown everywhere. The marshmallows mysteriously disappeared throughout the day as Aiden went in the living room to see the elf. ;)

I have been surprised at how good the kids have been about not touching him, even Aiden. He just laughs and says, "elf, funny!" This is the first year we have had the elf visit, and it's been such a fun little addition to the Christmas season!

Getting Ready for Baby

2011-12-11T10:18:00.005-07:00

This pregnancy has really done a number on me - I haven't felt like doing much. I kept waiting for the "nesting" instinct to kick in, but it really hadn't until the last couple of weeks. I've managed to get all the clothes out, washed and in the dresser. The bassinet is set up, the car seat all ready to go and the swing and bouncy chair in place waiting for the new arrival.

Now if I could just get Aiden used to his new bed we'd be all set! ;) He is having a hard time adjusting to sharing a room with Jack and often wakes in the middle of the night and wants to sleep in his crib. That is if he goes to sleep in the first place - he and Jack take turns keeping each other up at night giggling and yapping at each other.

After three babies, my boppy was getting pretty ragged. Ragged to the point of the seams popping and the stuffing coming out. I found a really good tutorial online here for sewing a cover. It turned out so cute and the total price was less than $5! A lot better than buying a new one!

I've also been making some headbands and flowers for the baby's little head. I have found a ton of great tutorials thanks to pinterest.

I crocheted this flower using the pattern found here and then attached it to soft fold over elastic that I purchased from etsy here.
I made the pink and yellow fabric flowers from a tutorial here. I used left-over fabric I had on hand from other projects.
The instructions for the felt flowers can be found here. They recommend using 100% wool felt, but I'm too cheap, so I just used the regular polyester stuff found in the craft store.

I was pleased with the way they turned out - it felt good to be hand-crafting something again!

Custom Made Christmas Cards

2011-12-07T23:07:00.003-07:00

I have listed a few printable card designs on etsy. All you have to do is purchase the card, send me the photos and any text you want, and I'll do the rest! I will send a digital proof via e-mail within 24-48 hours (usually sooner) for your approval. You can submit any needed changes until you are happy with your card. I can also convert your photos to black and white or sepia tone at no extra cost.

Once you have approved the card, I will e-mail you a high resolution .jpeg file (300 dpi) that you can send to the printer of your choice (Shutterfly, Snapfish, Walmart, etc.).

Here are the cards I have listed - Our top 10 in 2011, traditional colors:

Our top 10 in 2011, non traditional colors:
Happy Holidays:
Merry Christmas:

Craziness & New Releases

2011-12-05T14:11:00.007-07:00

This last week has been crazy. On Thursday morning we had a huge windstorm that knocked out our power for 2 days and nights. My sister was kind enough to let us crash at her house so we didn't freeze to death in ours. Saturday morning the power finally came back on and we were able to go home. Of course, the food in our fridge and freezer was no good, so we had to toss it. Our internet is acting up and of course they can't get a technician out to our house until next Tuesday. So I'm sitting here in the library getting some things uploaded and caught up on.

But enough with my sob story! I have a lot of new releases this week (which is good since I probably won't have a whole lot for the rest of the month with all this craziness). The first one is the Christmas Whimsy Bundle:

Of course, everything in this bundle is sold individually as well. Here are a couple layouts I made using the bundle:

I also used a template from my Bella Template Pack for the layout above.

I used a template from the new Abigail Template Pack for the layout above.

I have unpacked my grab bag from November and am now offering the parts individually. The Abigail Template Pack above and Flourishes, Volume 1 and See Clearly Journaling Tags below were part of the grab bag.

The We Are Family Mini Kit is available in the Cafeteria section of the store for only $2.00!

That's it for now - hopefully I'll be able to update again soon on some of the other happenings in our life lately!

{Digital Scrapbook Freebie} Best Friends Kit

2011-11-16T14:13:00.003-07:00

I have a brand new "Best Friends" Paper & Element Pack Freebie for all my Facebook Fans:

If you are already a fan of Brenda Neuberger Design on Facebook, just go to my PAGE and click on the "Fan Freebie" tab. If you aren't a fan (what's wrong with you? Kidding, kidding - kind-of) go to my PAGE, click "Like" and the link to the download will magically appear.

And to the question that my sister will inevitably ask, "what if I'm not on facebook?" I answer: Get an account already! Or just log in under your husband's account and like my page from there (I'm sure he'll appreciate that)! ;)

New Christmas Cards and Tags

2011-11-11T16:11:00.003-07:00

I released some new Christmas card templates yesterday in my store. Perfect for getting your Christmas cards done quickly and easily!

Here are a few examples (thanks to my family for letting me borrow their faces for these):

The templates are all 5x7 and come in both .psd and .png formats. Just plop your pictures in, write a little sentiment and send them to your favorite printer. Everyone will think you spent hours on them (because I know I did ;)).

I also have some journaling tags and shaped text paths to go along with the Be Merry collection:
I am starting a newsletter. Sign up and stay in the loop on new releases and sales. I will also be offering the occasional freebie which will be offered exclusively for my newsletter readers. You can sign up HERE.

A New Birthday-Themed Release and Sale!

2011-11-04T08:00:00.004-06:00

Today marks the start of the DSD sale at Funky Playground Designs. Everything in my store is 40% off (except my already reduced grab bag)!

I also have a brand new release. I created two birthday-themed kits, one for boys, one for girls. You can also purchase the bundle for an even better deal.
http://funkyplaygrounddesigns.com/store/product.php?productid=25992&cat=0&page=1

http://funkyplaygrounddesigns.com/store/product.php?productid=25991&cat=0&page=1

http://funkyplaygrounddesigns.com/store/product.php?productid=25988&cat=0&page=1

For some reason I have such a hard time scrapping birthday photos. I think I get overwhelmed with the number of photos I take. This kit was the perfect inspiration to get Makele's and Aiden's birthdays from the last year scrapped.

Get over to my store and start shopping!

Digital Scrapbook Day

2011-11-03T10:02:00.005-06:00

This Saturday is Digital Scrapbook Day. Yes, it is an actual "holiday." I remember a few years ago when I told Jeff it was International Scrapbook Day he just laughed and didn't believe me. But every hobby deserves to have it's own day, right? ;)

To celebrate, Funky Playground Designs is having a huge sale starting tomorrow. Everything will be 40% off in my shop (excluding my new grab bag below) through the weekend. They also have some fun activities planned:

This month all the designers in the store created grab bags. They are available until the end of the month for only $3.00. You can see mine with the detailed images of what's inside HERE.

Here is a layout I made using one of the templates and the flourishes in the grab bag along with the Be Merry Bundle:

Also when you spend more than $12 in the store in the month of November on a single visit, you get the Picture Perfect Collab Free!

I also have a new release I'll tell you about tomorrow. It's one of my favorite designs so far!

Jr. Jazz Basketball

2011-10-31T09:57:00.002-06:00

Jack has been loving going to play basketball every Saturday morning. He is in an instructional league where they teach the kids the basics. He keeps asking me when he's going to play a real game, LOL!

The all important stretching:

He is really doing well with it and will be excited to start the "real" games in December.

Fall Activities

2011-10-31T09:27:00.005-06:00

Last week was a busy one around here. On Monday Makele had her field trip to Black Island Farms. She was so excited that I signed up to chaperone. Riding the bus:

On the "hayride" (don't know why they call it that - no hay was involved) out to the pumpkin fields.

We started out in the kiddie corn maze and somehow got off course and ended up going through the bigger mazes. It might have been due to the fact that the girls cut through the field... I was getting a little worried we might not find our way out!

On Wednesday, we had a Halloween Carnival at the church. I almost fell over when I saw this shot - they are actually all looking at the camera and looking pleasant (if not a bit cheesy in Jack's case)!
I made Aiden's costume with a lot of help from Taryn. She made one for Dustin and gave me the pattern she made which I just adjusted down. She also provided all the material - not too bad, right?
Taryn also sent me a link for these shirts Jeff and I are wearing. They were relatively easy to make and the kids loved them. It's probably the first time I have done any kind of dressing up since the kids can remember.
Thursday Jack had his party and then a parade around the school. He looked so cute in his Luigi costume. I had fully intended on putting together his costume myself, but I could not for the life of my find overalls that fit him. I found some girls' in Savers that had Harry Potter stitched on the front of them. I bought them thinking I could somehow cover that. When I pulled them out at home, I realized I had missed one important thing - they sparkled all over! Jack wasn't too keen on that, so I finally just gave up and went and bought the costume.
Thursday night Makele had her school Fall Festival. The kids look forward to it every year. Aiden was a madman running from room to room and getting into EVERYTHING! Thank heavens Jeff was in charge of coralling him, because I couldn't keep up with him! When we first got there, a little boy about Aiden's age who was dressed as Elmo saw Aiden and got all excited. He said, "Buzz! Buzz!" and grabbed onto Aiden's wings and started pulling him around. Aiden freaked! I mean he loves Elmo, but I think that up close and personal encounter was a little too much. He might not ever look at Elmo the same! ;)
On Saturday we went to pick out pumpkins. Once again Aiden was running around everywhere, and more than once Jeff had to stop him from running into the street.
Wow, this picture is impressive... ;)
We carved pumpkins Saturday afternoon. The kids kept asking when we were going to do it, but then when it came time, they cleaned a couple seeds out and were done. Jeff and I ended up doing the rest. Although they did line us out on how they wanted them carved. Thank heavens for that, I don't know how we would have done it without their direction. ;)

{Digital Scrapbook Freebie} Page Template

2011-10-21T09:26:00.006-06:00

I have some new border and page templates in my store today. The first is a set of border templates: Edge Strips Vol. 1:

Edge Strips Vol. 2:

Page Edges:

And since I'm feeling generous, I decided to offer this fun page template for free just for you:

*Link expired*

Here is a page I made using the template and my Spooky Bundle:

Not sure how to use a digital template? Carina Gardner made a short and really easy to understand video on how to use masks in Photoshop Elements (the same techniques apply to Photoshop). Masks are pretty much the elements that make up templates. This video also explains how to use things like the edge strips and page edges I posted above. If you prefer to watch the video full size (which might be easier to see) here's the LINK.

It Seemed Like a Good Idea...

2011-10-20T17:20:00.005-06:00

I haven't taken pictures of the kids in a while, so I thought it might be fun to take them up the canyon last night to get a few. Now I remember why I haven't taken any lately. It was pretty much a total and complete disaster.

Makele and Jack were certain that a train was going to come up from behind and run them over, so they kept looking back over their shoulder right when I went to snap the picture. Then Jack decided he really needed to use the non-existent facilities as evidenced here by him holding himself. Oh yea, that's going on the family Christmas card...

Then Jack and Aiden had the bright idea of picking up rocks and throwing them at the bridge, making their hands filthy.
Finally mean mommy got them off the tracks and sat them on a log by the river. I snapped a few pictures in between them falling off a few dozen times and acting like crazy maniacs. Jack really wanted a picture of them acting goofy (like they weren't already). That was about the time my lens decided it had had all the fun it could stand and totally crapped out on me. In the middle of all this, Aiden found a rock and pegged me in the back of the head with it. Then as I was trying to corral them all into the car, Jack decided to throw a rock and narrowly missed the windshield.
Ever the eternal optimist, I decided to try one more location with my wonderfully awful lens that came with my camera. Aiden was way too distracted by all the leaves and Jack was just being his usual charming self.
That's it - pack it up!
We couldn't sit still for two seconds, now could we?
Yep, it's over...
I don't know why it's so hard to get decent pictures of my own kids. I think I just don't have the patience for it. That and they are obviously way too comfortable with me!

New Sports Page Templates

2011-10-14T09:49:00.002-06:00

I have 2 new page templates in my store today for basketball and soccer fans. The first is the "Basketball Star" template. It holds up to 8 photos and includes a shaped journaling spot.
Thanks, Tia for lending me some photos for this page (I haven't gotten any of Jack yet since he just started Jr. Jazz last Saturday).
The second template is "Soccer Star." Up to 6 photos can be featured in the soccer ball-shaped template. It also includes a shaped journaling spot.

These templates are also available in a bundle:

Template Challenge at FPD

2011-10-11T09:29:00.002-06:00

I'm sponsoring the template challenge at Funky Playground Designs this month. CT Member Ariana made this template for you to download and play along. See THIS thread for the download and details.

Everyone who participates will receive a 50% off coupon to my store for orders $3.00 or more. In addition, the names of everyone who participates in any of the seven playground challenges will be entered into a drawing for one of three prizes. I hope you enter!

End of Soccer

2011-10-09T16:57:00.003-06:00

Jack and Makele are outside playing right now. A few minutes ago Jack burst through the door and yelled, "Call the fireman! The cat is stuck in the tree!" When I told him the cat could get down himself, he and Makele decided to give it a little help anyway. Jeff had to go out and take the broom away from them that they were using to "help" the cat out of the tree. Never a dull moment!

Yesterday Jack started Jr. Jazz basketball and had his last soccer game. He got to play goalie for the first quarter. He did an amazing job diving for the balls and only let one get past him.

Shawna and Kylie came to see him play - he was so excited to see them!
Aiden had to have his picture taken too:
Jack has loved playing soccer this season. His team has struggled a little (to say the least). We were getting ready for his 3rd or 4th game, and he said to me, "We're kind-of the losers, huh, Mommy?" But he wasn't particularly broken up about it - he just said it matter-of-factly, like no big deal! ;) What a little character! I'm glad that he's learning young that he can't always win everything, but that he can still have fun trying.

Sunday Afternoon Drive

2011-10-07T13:30:00.004-06:00

Sunday after conference, we were all feeling a little antsy and needed to get out of the house. We decided to take a drive up the canyon to see the changing leaves. I was all ready to get some great shots with my camera (the poor thing has been collecting dust lately). We stopped by Snowbasin, the kids got out and posed by some trees, I went to take the picture and bam! The dreaded "no camera card" appears on the screen. Nice. Oh well, at least I had my cell phone, right? I managed to get 2 pictures before it died! ;)

You can't see it very well in this lovely picture, but Aiden is wearing Jack's soccer jersey. Every time he sees it, he insists on putting it on. He looks pretty cute with it hanging clear down to his knees. I love Jeff's expression in this picture - typical! I swear I have a harder time getting him to look at the camera than the kids!

Maybe next time I'll manage to put the card in my camera!

New Release Today!

2011-10-06T10:45:00.005-06:00

I know Christmas is a ways off yet, but I'm being featured in an e-zine in December, and wanted to include some Christmas stuff for the design team to work with. Besides, it's never too early to start on those Christmas cards, is it? ;) Or if you are me - to finally get around to scrapping last year's Christmas Photos!

The Be Merry Bundle:
Element Pack:
Photo Frames:
Paper Pack:
Paper Pack Add-On:
I made a couple layouts using the bundle. I also used Little Green Frog's Fairyland Template Pack. I seriously love these templates. My pages turned out great, and I didn't have to spend an eternity on them! I also love that I could get so many pictures on one page without it being overwhelming.

I wasn't kidding when I said I needed to get last year's Christmas pictures scrapped. I still have a ton of them!

Funky Playground Designs also has a great promotion going on right now. During the month of October, spend $12 in a single visit and receive the October Free With Purchase Bundle for free (a $14 value):

So what are you waiting for? Get over there!

Grand Opening and Freebie

2011-09-29T09:29:00.005-06:00

Today's the big day! My shop has officially opened at Funky Playground Designs. Click HERE to get to it. Like I said Tuesday, everything is 30% off for the first two weeks.

To celebrate, I'm giving away this Spooky Mini Kit (because I love you so much). It coordinates with the rest of the Spooky Line. You can download it HERE.

I made this layout using the Spooky Bundle.

Memi from the Funky Playground Creative Team put together this fun layout:

Make sure you check out my store and take advantage of the sale!

My Big News

2011-09-27T12:40:00.003-06:00

After months of planning and creating, I am excited to announce I have been offered a design position at Funky Playground Designs where I will be selling my own digital designs. My official store opening is this Thursday, the 29th.

I am holding a grand opening sale. For the first two weeks, everything in my shop is 30% off. Here are the kits I will have up for sale.

Spooky Bundle:

Sweet Life Bundle:

The Bee's Knees Bundle

Play Ball! Paper & Element Pack

All of these items will be offered individually, and of course, there will be more to come! I have started a facebook fanpage, so make sure to "like" me HERE for the latest news and special offers. And don't forget to check out my store on Thursday!

My Last Jessica Sprague Projects

2011-09-26T08:00:00.001-06:00

It's the end of a wonderful chapter in my life - being a member of the Jessica Sprague Creative Team. I have been on the team for a year and a half and have loved every minute of it. I've been working on something new that I'll tell you about tomorrow (how's that for being cryptic and annoying?). It's a big and scary change for me, but also very exciting.

But back to my layouts. I am totally in love with Nisa Fiin's new Super Hero line. It is so much fun and perfect for little boys. She also made a Super Villains line that I thought would be perfect for Aiden's villainous streak. She has a tutorial for sale HERE on how to do these fun comic book photos.

Credits: Paper: Super Villains Paper Pack by Splendid Fiins; Elements: Super Villains Elements; Template: Super! Comic Panel 12x12 by Splendid Fiins; Photo Treatment Tutorial: Splendid Tutorial #6 – Super Comic Photos by Splendid Fiins; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: International Super Hero.

Credits: Paper: Circa 1934 Paper Pack by Cosmo Cricket; Banners, Arrow, Watch, Border: Circa 1934 Candy Candy by Cosmo Cricket; Typewriter, Time Flies By Wordart: Circa 1934 Elements by Cosmo Cricket; Baker’s Twine: Baker’s Twine Photo Wrap by Splendid Fiin; Staples: Office Supplies Element Pack by Creativity by Crystal; Buttons: August '09 Basic & Bright Button Collection by Creativity by Crystal; Crystal's {Sweet Vintage Charm} Elements by Creativity by Crystal, Old Boris by The Queen of Quirk; Beads: Christmas Wishes & Whimsy Mini Kit by LivEdesigns; Stick Pin: Granny’s Sewing Basket by Kitschy Digitals; Template: Template Tuesday #35 by Jennifer Hignite; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: Rough Typewriter.

Credits: Paper: Snorkel Paper Pack by Cosmo Cricket; Journaling Spots, Sun: Snorkel Elements by Cosmo Cricket; Alphas: Snorkel Alphabet by Cosmo Cricket; Baker’s Twine: Baker’s Twine Photo Wrap by Splendid Fiins; Staples: Office Supplies Element Pack by Creativity by Crystal; Beads: Christmas Wishes & Whimsy Mini Kit by LivEdesigns; Template: 2011 Templates Series 1 Template Bundle by LivEdesigns; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: dearJoe4.

Credits: Paper: Jack’s World Paper Pack by Cosmo Cricket; Alphas, Quote: Jack’s World Elements by Cosmo Cricket; Giraffe, Car: Jack’s World Candy Candy by Cosmo Cricket; Glitter: Glitter Spills by iKari Designs; Flourishes: Pinfeathers - Doodly Swirls by Carina Gardner; Staples: Office Supplies Element Pack by Creativity by Crystal; Template: Template Tuesday #36 by Jana Holden; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: Century Gothic .

An Afternoon Out with Grandma

2011-09-06T16:44:00.004-06:00

My little sister Taryn had her baby last Sunday, so my mom came up to help her for a few days. Thursday afternoon she took Dustin and Laney to the Treehouse Museum, so Aiden and I tagged along. Aiden had never been, but he couldn't get enough of it! It took him a little bit to warm up (he didn't want anything to do with this firetruck, but being the mean mom that I am I threw him on it).

He even sat still long enough for Grandma to read him a story (he NEVER does that for me):
Little cowpoke:
It didn't take long before he was excitedly running around the place like a mad man. I put this little cow costume on him and he went tearing out of the barn. He looked pretty hilarious running around with the little tail dragging behind him.
I think his favorite place was the music room. He loved banging on all the drums and making lots of noise.

It was fun hanging out with Grandma for the afternoon. We don't get to do that very often since she lives so far away.

And since I mentioned Taryn's baby, I couldn't help but post a few pictures of her. She was quite the chubby little baby - 9 lbs 6 oz and 22 inches long! I saw her when she was just 2 hours old and couldn't believe how active and alert she was.

The proud parents (I hate Taryn for looking so good - especially after a NATURAL birth):

Laney and Dustin were so excited to see their little sister. They ran right in and immediately went to work adoring her.

August Jessica Sprague Projects

2011-08-30T22:20:00.003-06:00

Here are the layouts I've created this month using products from Jessica Sprague:

Credits: Paper: Snorkel Paper Pack by Cosmo Cricket; Flower: Granny’s Attic by Kitschy Digitals; Leaf: Valpolicella Elements Pack by In the Making Design; Flourish: Pinfeathers - Doodly Swirls by Carina Gardner; Splatters: Daisy Jane Inkblots by Carina Gardner; Button: Old Boris by the Queen of Quirk; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Acrylics: Brenda’s own design; Fonts: JaneAusten, Times New Roman.

Credits: Paper: Me & My Brother Paper Pack #1, Me & My Brother Paper Pack #2, Me & My Brother Add-On Paper Pack by Creativity by Crystal; Camping Elements: Me & My Brother {Outdoors} Element Pack; Template: Sweet Summertime Quick Page #15; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: Dead Secretary.

Credits: Paper (Background and used to make flower): Odds & Ends Paper Pack by Cosmo Cricket; Stamps, Date Label: Odds & Ends Candy Candy by Cosmo Cricket; Photo Frame: 4EVER Blog Hop Collaboration by LivEdesigns; Baker’s Twine: Baker’s Twine Photo Wrap by Splendid Fiins; Alphas: Nutmeg Alpha by Cosmo Cricket (I & p), Life is Good Alpha Set by Echo Park (m), Little Girl Alpha Pack #1 by Echo Park (first e), Lil’ Man ABCs by Cosmo Cricket (r), Crystal's {Sweet Vintage Charm} Elements by Creativity by Crystal (f), Crystal's {Merry & Bright} Element Pack #2 by Creativity by Crystal (second e), Aubergine by The Queen of Quirk (c), Life in a Nutshell Alphabet by Splendid Fiins (t); Stitching: The Essentials Stitches V. 1 by Carina Gardner; Cross Stitch: Crystal's {Sweet Vintage Charm} Elements by Creativity by Crystal; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Brush: Grungy Watercolor, www.bittbox.com; Fonts: Click Clack; Problem Secretary, dearJoe4.

Credits: Paper: The November Paper Collection by Creativity by Crystal; Word Tag: Fall Word Art & Labels Collab Kit by Creativity by Crystal; Owl: Happy Little Owls Rub-Ons & Stickers by Creativity by Crystal; Branch: Au Natural Elements by Creativity by Crystal; Pumpkins: Tricks & Treats Elements Pack by Echo Park; Template: Crystal's {Inspired By Susan Weinroth} Template #08; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Fonts: Another Typewriter, Marketing Script.

First Day of School

2011-08-24T10:19:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was Jack's first day of 1st Grade. He was so excited to go back.

There are only 2 other kids from his class from last year (both of them girls), but I'm sure it won't take long for him to buddy up with the other kids in his class. He likes his teacher and was excited to tell me all about his day when he got home yesterday.

Makele started today. I asked her if she was excited. She told me, "well just for the first day, then I won't like it anymore." Ha, ha!
Now it's just me and Aiden. Poor kid's probably not going to know what to do with himself. Either that or he'll enjoy actually being able to play without being tackled and mauled!

A Few Last Summer Adventures

2011-08-20T21:13:00.006-06:00

Jack had his first soccer game today. When I went to upload the pictures from the game, I found a whole bunch I had forgotten about.

At the first of this month, the kids and I went to Flowell with Taryn and her kids. We stayed for a few days. As usual the kids had a ball. Nothing better than swimming in the old horse trough:

A favorite activity at Grandma & Grandpa's: sitting outside eating popsicles (you should have seen Aiden when this was over - he was covered in chocolate - too bad I didn't get a picture!):
Aiden and Lainey sat down for a little light reading:
Last week our stake had a swim party at the aquatic center. The kids were so excited to go since they have had a dud of a mom all summer and haven't been able to go.
Aiden wasn't too happy with going in the deep water (okay he pretty much freaked out); he was satisfied to just play at the end of the pool. I can't figure the child out. He loves splashing around in the bathtub and in his little pool, but try putting him in more than a foot of water and he freaks.

I love this picture of Jeff and Aiden:
Monday we went to Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake. There was a good deal on Groupon a while back, and we had never been, so we decided to check it out.

Aiden was not down with sticking his head through that hole. His face cracks me up:

Jack and Aiden were dying to try to touch this bird. The bird was having a good old time running back and forth teasing them.
The kids had a lot of fun seeing all the different birds and going to one of the bird shows.

Like I mentioned earlier, Jack started soccer today. He almost missed out on it because his absent-minded mother didn't realize it started so early this year. I went to register him online on Monday, but registration was closed. I finally got a hold of the lady in charge and she signed him up just in time for the game today. He was so excited yesterday and kept asking when it would be night time so he could go to bed and wake up for his game the next day. Obviously it's very rare that he actually looks forward to going to bed! ;)

He did great running up and down the field in the heat. It was quite a big transition from last year where the field was half the size. His team won 3-0 (Jack would update me on the score after every quarter).
School starts next week, and we couldn't be happier around here! ;) We've had a good summer, but it will be nice to be back on some sort of schedule and hang up my referee whistle for a while. ;)

Playing Photographer

2011-08-10T17:14:00.004-06:00

Last month while we were in St. George, my sister-in-law's sister asked me to take some pictures of her 2-month-old baby boy. July was crazy, and I just found time today to finally edit them. Pathetic, I know!

Braxton wasn't too fond of me and even less fond of trying to be posed, but we still managed to get a couple of good shots.

Taelor is his older sister and is such a little cutie that I couldn't resist taking some of her too.

I put together these photos onto a 10x20 storyboard. You can click on it to enlarge.

July Jessica Sprague Projects

2011-07-30T22:00:00.004-06:00

I'm really glad I'm on a scrapbook design team where I have to meet layout requirements every month, otherwise I'm pretty sure I would never get anything done! It gives me the motivation I need to get a few pictures scrapped.

Here are the layouts I created this month:

Credits: Paper: Salt Air Paper Pack by Cosmo Cricket; Fish, Labels: Salt Air Candy Candy by Cosmo Cricket; Border: Salt Air Elements by Cosmo Cricket; Template: Sweet Summertime Quick Page #6 by Creativity by Crystal; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Fonts: Impact, Myriad Pro, Century Gothic.

I spent waaaaay too long on this one, but love the eclectic look of it.

Credits: Paper, Journaling Box, Brads, Label, Staples: Teen (add on) Full Kit by Splendid Fiins; Glitter: Glitter Spills by iKari Designs; Doodles: Loopies Vol. 1 – Flutterby by LivEdesigns; Stitches: The Essentials Stitches V. 2 by Carina Gardner; Butterfly: Jewel Toned Butterflies by Kitschy Digitals; Bird Tag: Nutmeg Candy Candy by Cosmo Cricket; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Brushes: Grungy Watercolor, www.bittbox.com; Fonts: Arsenal White, Body Hunter, Everday Ghost; jamaistevie.

I used Nisa Fiin's polaroid frames on this one. It looks like I really went all out and layered a bunch of stuff on them, but she did all the work for me - love it! You can find them HERE.

Credits: Paper: Very Krafty Mixed Bag Paper Pack by Splendid Fiins; Frames: Evidence Polaroid Frames by Splendid Fiins; Border: @ The Office Border Bits by Splendid Fiins; Date Stamp: Evidence Date Stamps & Brush Set by Splendid Fiins; Check It Out Arrow: Evidence Arrows Vol 2 by Splendid Fiins; Arrows: Points of View Vol. 1 – The Bold Set by LivEdesigns; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Circle Brush: Brenda’s own design; Fonts: Mom’s Typewriter & Century Gothic.

Credits: Paper: Summer Days Paper Pack by Echo Park; Elements: Summer Days Element Pack #1 by Echo Park; Alpha: Summer Days Alpha by Echo Park; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Template: Cookies for Kids, Sweet Shoppe Designs; Font: Century Gothic.

24th of July Weekend

2011-07-28T09:37:00.005-06:00

We had a busy 24th of July Weekend. On Friday we went to the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo. Kylie was riding in the grand entry and doing barrels. I would get a nice shot of the pole... ;)
The kids' favorite parts were the cotton candy, watching Kylie and the motorcycles at the end. We got the best seats in the house with the sun shining right in our face for the first hour in the blistering heat.

Aiden was mesmerized by all the horses at first, but the novelty wore off after a while.

Kylie made the Coca-Cola team for junior posse and competed in the barrels. I obviously need to work on my fast action shots. I blame it on the short lens... :)

On Sunday we celebrated Jeff's last birthday of his relative youth - 39. I sure hope he takes turning 40 better than he did 30. I remember him telling me, "I feel like the best years of my life are over." Especially heartwarming since we had only been married for 2 years and had basically just started our life together! He's such a sweet talker...

We had dinner at Jeff's parents' house. I love that Makele is in the background "helping" him blow out the candles.
On Monday we went to the 2 hour-long (emphasis on long) parade in Ogden.
Great. Just great. Aiden is becoming his older brother in pictures. Goofballs...
The kids were excited to see Kylie ride by (in the green in the middle).

We had a fun weekend and were glad that we got to spend it with family.

Camping

2011-07-19T10:21:00.004-06:00

We went camping over the weekend with my sisters and their families. It was nice because we didn't go too far from home for once. The kids were so excited to go and had a lot of fun playing with their cousins.

Kylie showed up dressed to the hilt - seriously, who goes camping looking like this? ;)
This was the first night and about the last time Aiden was even remotely clean. One day he laid down in the moist dirt and started rolling around. Right before we left Jeff had the bright idea to empty the cooler water right in front of the picnic table. Aiden was there in a matter of seconds kneeling and splashing in it.

Jack and Makele helped Shawna make breakfast one morning.
Look at that little imp face.

It's always fun to get away, but even better to come back to civilization! If only that pile of laundry would fold itself...

The Big Announcement

2011-07-18T15:07:00.005-06:00

So I don't think I've announced this before here, but pretty much everyone knows anyway. I'm pregnant - 18 weeks along and due December 21st. Terrific planning, I know. The kids are so excited about it - well Jack and Makele are anyway; Aiden probably won't know what hit him. They have been arguing over whether it's a boy or a girl. Makele has totally been pulling for a girl and told me last night that she would scream if it was a boy. My ultrasound was today. I'll give you a few hints...

What - you don't think a girl would enjoy playing with all of these? ;) I'm sure glad I don't have to hear Makele scream - over this anyway!

Our Little Adventure

2011-07-09T14:08:00.006-06:00

Last week Jeff was off work for a few days, so we drove down to St. George to visit my brother's family. Makele and Jack were so excited to see their cousins. It was 110 degrees most days, so we spent a lot of time in the water.

We went to Sand Hollow Aquatic Center one afternoon.

Aiden loved splashing in the water as usual.
On Monday we went to the 4th of July parade. If the kids look a little sleepy in the picture below, it's because the parade was at 8:00 am in order to beat the heat.

Later in the afternoon we went to ride the new Town Square carousel.
Aiden rode with Tanner and didn't want to get off when the ride was over.

After the carousel, we stopped to get snow cones and saw this cute little matching couple with their kids at the snow shack. ;)
That evening, Landon and Tia threw a neighborhood barbecue complete with dutch oven potatoes and cherry and peach cobbler. It was so good! They were quite the hosts all weekend. They even went all out one night and made us steaks and grilled potato slices.

When it started to get dark, we broke out the considerable stash of fireworks.

We were able to watch the St. George fireworks from their front yard and let off a few aerial fireworks of our own.

The kids were sad to leave their cousins the next day, but the fun wasn't over yet. We drove to Flowell and spent a couple of days with my parents. The kids loved playing in the backyard and holding the new kittens (which my dad kept trying - unsuccessfully - to get us to take home).
Aiden loved the kittens, but kept grabbing them around the neck to pick them up. He's definitely not ready for a kitten of his own yet. ;)
Aiden just HAD to climb up the ladder to the tree house, so my dad went behind him and made sure he didn't fall. Thankfully, he also carried him down - I never would have been able to do that. That ladder scares the heck out of me.
There is a little nest outside the tree house with baby birds inside. Jack asked me if he could go get some worms to feed them. I told him that their mommy chewed up the worms before she fed them. He said, "I'll chew them up for them too!" Yuck!
Jack couldn't get enough of playing baseball in the backyard with grandpa. Grandpa was a good sport even when he got hit a couple of times (good thing it was only a wiffle ball)!
Aiden loved the horse swing. He'd pat it and say, "howse."

We had so much fun on our little get-away. It was great to spend time with family and friends! A big thank you to Landon and Tia and my mom and dad for putting up with us!

June Jessica Sprague Projects

2011-06-30T11:09:00.003-06:00

Last week we went to the splash pad. Aiden absolutely loved it and couldn't get enough of the water.

Credits: Paper: Make a Splash Paper Pack by In the Making Design; Journaling Tag, Splashes: Make a Splash Elements Pack by In the Making Design; Template: It's a Start Templates Set #6 by In the Making Design; Buttons: August '09 Basic & Bright Button Collection by Creativity by Crystal; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Fonts: Century Gothic & Impact.

Credits: Paper: Valpolicella Add On Paper Pack by In the Making Design; Elements: Valpolicella Element Pack by In the Making Design; Template: It’s a Start Templates Set #6 by In the Making Design; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Fonts: Impact & Century Gothic.

I made these gift card holders for Jack & Makele's school teachers. I put a little thank you note along with a Jamba Juice gift card inside.

Credits: Gift Card Template: Hybrid Project Friday: 11 by Tori Johnson; Elements: Crystal's {Sweet Summertime} Elements by Creativity by Crystal; Flowers: Crystal's {Sweet Summertime} Polkadots & Posies by Creativity by Crystal; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Paper: Red River Paper.

Jessica Sprague Blog Hop!

2011-06-24T20:00:00.011-06:00

Welcome to stop #14 on the Jessica Sprague birthday blog hop! My name is Brenda Neuberger, and I'm part of the Creative Team at JessicaSprague.com. I have created a 12x12 Quickpage just for you. Here is what it looks like with my photo and journaling:

You will receive a .png file to which you can add your own photo and journaling .

UPDATE: The Bloghop is now over and the download link to my quickpage has been disabled. Thank you to all who participated and left such nice comments!

Be sure to leave me a comment to let me know you stopped by!

Your next stop is the amazing Cammie's blog!

Jessica Sprague Birthday Blog Hop

2011-06-21T09:49:00.004-06:00

This weekend the designers and creative team at Jessica Sprague will be hosting a blog hop.

Each blog will have a freebie - a digital kit, quickpage, cluster or hybrid project. The quickpages are perfect for making a beautifully coordinated book. You can go to Jessica Sprague's homepage listed above or come here starting at 8 pm MST Friday, and I'll redirect you to the start. You won't want to miss it!

Aiden's 2!

2011-06-20T14:34:00.001-06:00

Aiden turned the big 0-2 last Wednesday. We had a little party for him that night before Jack's t-ball game. Shawna, Kylie, Taryn, Dustin and Laney came over to celebrate.

He thought it was pretty funny when everyone started singing to him.

Jack had to help him blow out the candles.

Makele and Jack gave him this stuffed Buzz. I'm not sure he knew what to think of it!

Time has really flown by since he was born. He is learning new things everyday and is constantly keeping us on our toes. Yesterday I was taking a shower and Makele yells through the door, "Aiden just dumped the garbage can over!" We usually have to keep it up on the counter so he can't get to it (it looks so lovely up there), but I forgot to do it.

He loves "lelmo" and "cookie" (elmo and cookie monster) and Buzz and "oody." He is quite fond of bringing me the remote to the TV and saying "on!" He is constantly looking for a ball to play with and always wants to go "owside!" He loves to splash in any and all water and is often seen running around the backyard soaking wet. One of his favorite things to eat (besides candy) are "papples (apples)." When he's done eating, instead of asking to be excused from the table like a good little boy, he throws his food to signal he's full.

Makele and Jack adore him and are usually very good to him. We are so blessed to have him in our family!

Sorta Huge Catch-Up

2011-06-20T13:16:00.009-06:00

I realize this poor blog has been neglected lately. I've been lazy about uploading pictures and what's a post without pictures, right?

We have been busy since school let out. The week after Makele and Jack started swim lessons everyday for two weeks. They were in the same class. Makele loved going under the water - Jack not so much! He was a little more timid than her. She will be moving up next year, but he needs to repeat the same level since he couldn't quite get the floating down. I thought Makele would be excited to move up, but when I told her she was sad that she and Jack wouldn't be in the same class.

They have also both started baseball - Jack t-ball and Makele softball. Jack is loving it while this will most likely be the last year for Makele. She's had a hard time adjusting to machine pitch and HATES to practice. Meanwhile, Jack is always tossing a ball around and asking anyone he can to play with him. I had to put a stop to him and Jeff playing in the backyard because he was constantly hitting it over the fence. I was afraid he was going to break the neighbor's windows. Jeff was pitching it to him one day while our neighbor in the back was mowing his lawn. Jack about took him out a couple of times!
We have also spent a lot of time swimming. I finally bought a big pool for the kids - quite a step up from the small plastic pool! Aiden did not like it when I put him in it, so I filled up the old turtle sandbox for him. He loved splashing in that!

Laney and Dustin came over last week to swim.

Aiden and Laney loved jumping on the trampoline. They ran around giggling at each other.

On Saturday I took Makele and my niece Kylie up to see my sister finish the Ragnar. The Ragnar is a relay race with 12 people on a team (6 people for an ultra team). They run from Logan to Park City - 191.7 miles. Shawna's team started at 7:30 am on Friday and finished around 3:00 pm on Saturday.

My favorite line came from Kylie as we were walking up to the finish line. She said, "Why would anyone would want to do this?"

When we got home that night we were met at the door by an excited and grinning Jack. He had lost his first tooth!
He was so excited for the tooth fairy to come that night. She did not disappoint!
He looks so much different with that one little tooth missing. His two permanent teeth are already coming in and his other baby tooth is really wobbly and ready to fall out.

The Master of Disaster

2011-06-03T16:00:00.011-06:00

My sister, Taryn, aptly named Aiden, "The Master of Disaster." It suits him. In the last month he has been getting into everything! His favorite thing to do is climb up onto my desk and throw all my neatly organized stacks of paper on the floor. He is also very fond of splashing in the toilet and throwing balls in it. We try to keep the door shut, but Jack can't seem to remember to do that 99.9% of the time.

Aiden also loves getting a hold of Jack and Makele's cups of juice every time he gets the chance and spilling them everywhere. A few days ago I took the kids downstairs after breakfast. I made the mistake of leaving the cups of juice sitting on the table. As soon as I was distracted by something, Aiden booked it upstairs, climbed onto the table and threw the cups on the floor.

He can never just set his sippy cup down; he has to throw it when he is done. Yesterday while we were watching Jack and Makele at swim lessons, I let him have it, but held onto the end while he drank so he wouldn't chuck it. I let go for two seconds and the next thing I know the sippy cup is in the pool, leaking milk. I looked real cute climbing over the barrier and fishing it out.

He also has a fascination with a cup full of coins that sits on my dresser. Every time I leave the door open, he goes in, gets it and comes out smiling from ear to ear. As soon as he sees me coming for him, he catapults the coins into the air and all over the floor.

Taryn was watching Jack and Aiden last week. When I went to pick them up I got a strong whiff of bleach and asked Taryn what it was. She said Aiden got ahold of it off the top of the washer and knocked it on the floor, cracking the cap and spilling it. Maybe he was just trying to clean up after splashing in her toilet.

As much trouble as he gets himself into, he also has a very cute, sweet side (lucky for him). As you might have guessed, he loves throwing things and is fascinated by anything to do with a ball. On Wednesday he started telling me to "atch" (watch) as he was playing ball. Now he says it over and over again to get me to watch him. He loves going outside and is always saying "owside? Owside?" Last Friday I took him out to play and grabbed a few (okay a lot) pictures of him playing.

He loves our cat and follows it all over saying excitedly, "kitty! Kitty!." The only problem is that the cat is not too fond of being touched (or even looked at for that matter). Aiden doesn't seem to mind - he thinks it's fun to play hide and seek with him.
Now imagine that ball as a glass full of juice and maybe you can feel my pain...

I love how he holds onto the top of the slide as he goes all the way down - a real daredevil for sure! ;)

Look at those cute cheeks!

He might be our little master of disaster, but we love him to pieces anyway!

May Jessica Sprague Projects

2011-05-31T15:01:00.002-06:00

Credits: Paper: Chalkboard Paper Collection by Kitschy Digitals, Mr. Campy Paper Pack by Cosmo Cricket; Alphas: Playground Element Pack #2 by Echo Park; Arrows: Points of View Vol. 1 by LivEdesigns; Thought Bubble: Crystal's {PLAYGROUND} Element Pack by Creativity by Crystal; Date Label: DeLovely Candy Candy by Cosmo Cricket; Pin: Granny's Sewing Basket by Kitschy Digitals; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: AbcPrintLined, Century Gothic.

Credits: Paper: Chestnuts & Mallows Paper Pack by LivEdesigns; Template: Circle of Life Template by LivEdesigns; Date Stamp: Daybrushes – Reloaded by LivEdesigns; Flourishes: Swirdles by LivEdesigns; Animals: Me & My {Baby} Brother Element Pack by Creativity by Crystal; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: Century Gothic.

Credits: Paper: Chestnuts & Mallows Paper Pack by LivEdesigns; Stitching: Needs+Wants Stitchies Vol. 2 Spring Garden Collection by LivEdesigns; Template: 2011 Templates Series 1 Template Bundle by LivEdesigns; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Fonts: Rough Typewriter & Century Gothic.

Credits: Paper: Lil’ Man Paper Pack by Cosmo Cricket; Journaling Boxes, Helmets, Quote: Lil’ Man Elements by Cosmo Cricket; Alphas: Lil’ Man ABCs by Cosmo Cricket; Template: Splendid Template 2 by Splendid Fiins; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Fonts: Century Gothic, Problem Secretary Normal.

Makele's Baptism

2011-05-12T10:45:00.000-06:00

Saturday was a very special day for our family. Makele was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

She was very nervous about going under the water, but afterward she told me, "that was fun!" As I was helping her get changed I asked her how she felt. She said, "proud."

I had the bright idea to make Makele's dress the week before. I hadn't counted on being sick, but I managed to get it done at the last minute (1:00 Saturday morning to be exact).
My camera charger decided to go MIA, so I didn't have my camera to take pictures. These are the only ones I have thanks to my sister-in-law, Tia who saved the day.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the program and traveled long distances to be here. Thanks also to everyone who brought food for lunch afterwards - it was great to be able to visit with everyone.

April Jessica Sprague Projects

2011-04-30T14:25:00.002-06:00

Credits: Paper: Dimitri Paper Pack by The Queen of Quirk; Splatters: Daisy Jane Inkblots by Carina Gardner; Planet, Rocket: A-Z Alphabet Stickers & Rub-ons by Creativity by Crystal; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicaspraguecom; Fonts: Century Gothic & Spaceman; Brushes: Grungy Watercolor, www.bittbox.com;

Credits: Paper: Vintage Cameras Kit and Chalkboard Paper Collection by Kitschy Digitals; Flowers: Paper Garden by Kitschy Digitals; Pin: Granny’s Sewing Basket by Kitschy Digitals; Template: It’s a Start 5 by In the Making Designs; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Brushes: Grungy Watercolor, www.bittbox.com; Fonts: Century Gothic, You Are Loved.

Credits: Paper: Playground Paper Pack #1 by Echo Park; Elements: Playground Element #1 & #2 by Echo Park; Stitching: Needs+Wants Stitchies Vol. 2 Spring Garden Collection by Liv.eDesigns; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: Monster Paparazzi, www.kevinandamanda.com.

Credits: Paper: Chalkboard Paper Collection by Kitschy Digitals; Butterflies: Jewel Toned Butterflies by Kitschy Digitals; Arrow: Points of View Vol. 1 by LivEdesigns; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Fonts: Century Gothic, Dear Joe 4, Clingy.

Template Tuesday

2011-04-26T14:30:00.003-06:00

Today my digital scrapbooking template is featured on one of Jessica Sprague's blogs, Digi Lovely. You can download it for free HERE. Hope you like it!

Eight is Great

2011-04-21T09:27:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was Makele's 8th Birthday. She has been battling a fever on and off again all week and wasn't feeling too chipper, but still had a good birthday.

Makele got lots of fun presents for her birthday, but I think the best one came from Jack. He and Aiden were over at Taryn's for a couple of hours so I could go to Makele's school for her birthday celebration. Taryn said Jack picked a dandelion and asked her if she had any wrapping paper so he could wrap it and give it to Makele for her birthday. He was so excited for her to open it.

What a thoughtful little brother.

It seems like such a short time ago that Makele was born. It was one of the happiest days of my life.

First birthday:

Second Birthday:

3rd Birthday:

4th Birthday:

5th Birthday:

6th Birthday (with Jack trying to "help" her blow out her candles):

7th Birthday:

Trampoline

2011-04-07T14:10:00.000-06:00

We bought a trampoline on Black Friday last November and surprised the kids with it on Monday. They were so excited to jump on it. Even Aiden got in on the action and loved it!

Jeff's going to freak when he realizes I let them jump on it before we put up the enclosure. I mean, really - I don't know how I lived without an enclosure when I was growing up! I do know that both my brother and sister knocked some teeth out on it, and my little sister saved me from having to have the dentist take off my braces, but I certainly don't remember anyone falling off of it! ;)

We had so much fun on our trampoline growing up. It was always the "safe" when we played "ghost in the graveyard" and other games. I remember "sleeping out" on it under the stars, sunbathing on it, watching she who shall not be named jumping on it in her bright yellow bathrobe, playing numerous made-up games on it: scorpions, crack the egg, break the pencil and let's not forget jumping out of the windows onto it or for those of the crazier persuasion in our family, jumping off the roof onto it. Hmmm.... maybe I am crazy for getting one for my kids...

Spring Break

2011-04-07T14:04:00.005-06:00

This week Makele has been out of school for Spring Break. On Monday I took her to Color Me Mine. She picked out a unicorn to paint. She insisted that I help her after she realized it was taking a while for her to paint it.

We had a lot of fun doing it and Makele was pretty proud of the end result. We get to pick up the fired piece on Monday.

After that we went over to the old original Farr's to get some ice cream. It never ceases to amaze me how full of people that place always is.

Then we stopped to take pictures of the Ogden Temple before it gets demolished.

They are tearing it down and building a new one in it's place. It's sad to see it go. Jeff, Makele and I were sealed there 6 years ago.

Makele looks a lot like Aiden in this picture. In fact she was Aiden's age when this photo was taken. I was a humongous 9 months pregnant with Jack - he was born two weeks after this.

It was fun to get a little one-on-one time with Makele. She told me "it was the best day ever!" :)

March Jessica Sprague Projects

2011-03-28T14:24:00.004-06:00

Here's a few digital layouts and cards I've done this month:

Credits: Patterned Paper, Embellishments: Mini Wanted Collection by Cosmo Cricket; Photo Frames: Vintage Cameras Kit by Kitschy Digitals; Staples: Teen (Add-On) Full Kit by Splendid Fiins; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Tags: Brenda’s own design; Brushes: Grungy Watercolor, www.bittbox.com; Fonts: Century Gothic, Marketing Script, You Are Loved.

Credits: Patterned Paper: Daisy Jane Paper Collection by Carina Gardner; Bird Embellishments: Pinfeathers – Stickers by Carina Gardner; Flower Border: Daisy Jane Borders by Carina Gardner; Photo Frame: The Essentials Frames v.2 by Carina Gardner; Torn Edge: Maskerade Element Pack by Liv.edesigns; Brushes: Jessica Sprague; Staples: Office Supplies Element Pack by Creativity by Crystal; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Word Brush: Old Ephemera Brush Set, qbrushes.net; Stitching: Just My Type Elements by Audrey Neal, www.designhousedigital.com; Fonts: Freebooter Script and JaneAusten.

Credits: Patterned Paper: My Dear Papers by Elle’s Studio; Tag: My Dear Notes by Elle’s Studio; Embellishments: extracted from My Dear Papers by Elle’s Studio; Stitching: The Essentials Stitches V. 2 by Carina Gardner; Frames: Sketched Framers Element Pack by LivEdesigns; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicapsrague.com; Brushes: Grungy Watercolor, www.bittbox.com; Fonts: Century Gothic, You Are Loved.

Credits: Patterned Paper: My Dear Paper and XOXO Valentine Paper by Elle’s Studio; Thank You Tags: Card Sentiments for Thank Yous by Elle’s Studio; Stitching: The Essentials Stitches V. 2 by Carina Gardner; Card Templates: Meet & Greet Card Templates Set by In the Making Design; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com.

Little Leprechaun

2011-03-24T20:26:00.003-06:00

I was playing a highly competitive game of Sorry with Jack tonight when out of nowhere he broke into a song he learned at school. It was so cute I made him do it again so I could record it.

Oh, and by the way, I totally won the Sorry game. That's right, I'm bad.

A Couple More Layouts

2011-02-28T09:56:00.005-07:00

Here's a couple more digital layouts using supplies from www.jessicasprague.com.

I finally got Makele's birthday pictures from last year done! I always struggle with birthday pages. I think it's the fact that I have so many pictures from the day and it's hard for me to narrow them down and make the page still look good with all the busy-ness going on in the pictures.

Credits: Patterned Paper: Little Girl Paper Pack Kit by Echo Park Paper Co.; Journaling Spot, Title, Scallops: Little Girl Element Pack Kit 2 by Echo Park Paper Co.; Cupcakes, Heart: Little Girl Element Pack Kit by Echo Park Paper Co.; Stitching: Crystal's {Rainbow Sherbet} Collection by Creativity by Crystal; Template, Staples: Teen Album Templates by Splendid Fiins; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com. Font: Arial.

These pictures were from the Easter Egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa Ellison's last year. It was so cold, but the kids could not wait to get out there and find the eggs!

Credits: Patterned Paper: Think Spring Paper Pack by Splendid Fiins; Journaling Spot, Bunny Tag: Think Spring Cards & More Pack by Splendid Fiins; Border: Think Spring Border Bits; Alphas: Life in a Nutshell Alphabet by Splendid Fiins; Clothesline: Clothesline by Kitschy Digitals; Date Label: Crystal’s {Playground} Element Pack; Staples: Office Supplies Element Pack by Creativity by Crystal; Painted Backgrounds: Make a Mess Painted Masks Vol 1 and Make a Mess Painted Masks Vol 2 by Splendid Fiins; Splatters: Make a Mess Splatter Overlays Vol 1 by Splendid Fiins; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com. Font: Problem Secretary Normal.

A Couple Digital Pages

2011-02-16T21:19:00.006-07:00

After I took the picture of Aiden with my Dad below, I remembered that I had a picture in my scrapbook of him holding me in about the same way. Of course I had to scrapbook it. The title of this page is "Some Things Never Change." The subtitle should be, "except hair color!" Ha, ha! My mom still has that little afghan I had wrapped around me - too bad I didn't think to wrap it around Aiden!

Credits: Patterned Paper: Pinfeathers – Paper Collection Set by Carina Gardner; Border: Pinfeathers – Borders by Carina Gardner; Birds, Flowers: Pinfeathers – Stickers by Carina Gardner; Stitches: The Essentials Stitches V. 1 by Carina Gardner; Polaroid Frames: Vintage Cameras Kit by Kitschy Digitals; Alphas: Aubergine Alpha Pack by The Queen of Quirk; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: Quilted Butterfly.

I absolutely love this new line from Splendid Fiins. It's called "Think Spring" and will be available in the store at Jessica Sprague on Monday. It makes me long for spring all the more (as it is snowing like crazy outside right now).

Credits: Patterned Paper: Think Spring Paper Pack by Splendid Fiins; Embellishments: Think Spring Cards & More Pack by Splendid Fiins; Photo Masks: Mask Me Photo Masks by LivEdesigns; Flourishes: Pinfeathers – Doodly Swirls by Carina Gardner; Staples: Office Supplies Element Pack by Creativity by Crystal; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: Pea Hart.

Jackism

2011-02-14T22:32:00.003-07:00

Jack (my sweet little 6-year-old) has a few issues with pulling on his pants without them bunching and getting all twisted at the top. This morning I said to him, "Jack, why don't you fix your pants?" Without missing a beat he replied, "Why don't you fix your hair?"

Point taken.

Happy Birthday, Jack!

2011-01-30T21:04:00.006-07:00

This morning at 6:00 I woke up to hear Jack's little voice, "Mommy is it my birthday?" When I told him it was he got so excited and said, "yay, I'm 6; I'm 6!" over and over again. Then he asked if he could turn on the light to see if he was bigger - ha, ha!

We had a little family party tonight. Grandma & Grandpa Neuberger, Shawna & Kylie and Taryn, Jeremy, Dustin & Laney all came. Jack was so excited to have everyone here to celebrate.

He got a little shy and goofy when we all sang to him, but he still managed to blow all his candles out in one shot.Last Wednesday afternoon we took the kids to Chuck E Cheese in honor of Jack's birthday. As always, they had a ball.

Aiden did NOT like the rides once they started moving. Before it started:
After:

I can't believe Jack is already 6. He made quite an entrance into the world and has had his fair share of scary moments since then, but we are so glad he is part of our family!

January Jessica Sprague Projects

2011-01-27T16:26:00.005-07:00

I know, big shocker, I'm actually posting something!

I started this layout a couple of months ago, but just barely got around to finishing it. My fellow Jessica Sprague design team member, Miki Krueger did this layout about Chicago, and I loved the idea so much I decided to do it for Ogden. After I picked the kids up from school, we went to Union Station to explore and take pictures for the letters. I really love how it turned out!

Credits: Background Paper: Wanderlust by In the Making; Flourishes: Swirdles by LivEdesigns; Glitter: Glitter Spills by iKari Designs; Graph Brush: @ the Office Graph Brushes by Spendid Fiins; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Photo Mask: Textued FotoBlendz Clipping Masks No. 1 by Anna Aspnes, www.designerdigitals.com; Brushes: Grunge Paints Sampler by Cottage Arts, www.cottagearts.net; Font: Century Gothic. Inspired by a layout by Miki Krueger.

Credits: Patterned Paper: Princesa Paper Pack by Jessica Sprague; Title, Journaling Spot, Crown Emebellishment: Princesa Element Pack by Jessica Sprague; Template: Jessica Sprague 1.15 by Jessica Sprague; Hearts: Crystal’s {Sweet Vintage Charm} Add-on Elements by Creativity by Crystal; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: Century Gothic.

Credits: Patterned Paper, Flowers, Bird, Word Art: Affectionate Mega Pack by Carina Gardner; Blue Patterned Paper: Princesa Paper Pack by Jessica Sprague; Template, Title: Jessica Sprague 1.13 by Jessica Sprague; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: Cataneo BT.

Credits: Patterned Paper: Oh Boy! Papers – Robot Romp In Red and Oh Boy! Papers – Robot Romp in Brown by Creativity by Crystal and Carina Gardner; Robot Stickers: Oh Boy! Dino & Robot Stickers by Creativity by Crystal and Carina Gardner; Flourishes: Swirdles by LivEdesigns; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Fonts: Century Gothic, Dear Joe 4, and Impact. Based on a sketch by Jana Eubank, janaeubanksketch.blogspot.com.

A couple of weeks ago I cut my hair and donated it to Pantene Great Lengths. I was surprised it was long enough to donate since I had just donated it a year and a half ago to Locks of Love. I'm really liking it being shorter.

Credits: Grid Paper: Oh Boy! Papers – Robot Romp In Red by Creativity by Crystal and Carina Gardner; Striped Paper: DeLovely Paper Pack by Cosmo Cricket; Journaling Spot, Title, Flower Border: DeLovely Elements by Cosmo Cricket; Birds, Date Sticker, Flowers, Rainbow: DeLovely Candy Candy by Cosmo Cricket; Glitter: Glitter Spills by iKari Designs; Staples, Stitching: Crystal’s June 2009 Office Supplies by Creativity by Crystal; Photo Mask: Make a Mess Masks v.2 by Splendid Fiins; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: Pea Hart.

Just Say No

2011-01-13T13:44:00.003-07:00

I need a few people to say no to me. Seriously.

Here's the deal, as you probably know, I am an independent distributor for SendOutCards. I have been challenged by my team leader to see if I can get 10 "no's" to the business opportunity this week. If you would just love to help me out, you can go to www.sendoutcard.com/brendan, watch the 15 minute video on the first page, send a free card or two, then e-mail me (brendaneuberger@gmail.com) back with your response.

I mean seriously, what have you got to lose? You even get a couple free cards out of the whole thing (you just pick it out, upload photos if you want, then the company prints and mails it for you all for absolutely free).

A Spark of Madness

2011-01-07T15:58:00.005-07:00

The all-wise Robin Williams once said, "You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it."

I really don't think we have any need to worry about losing it here. In fact, I'm pretty sure most of us in this house were born with more than a little spark.

Aiden loves climbing into the drawer under the oven. He thinks it is hilarious to climb in and sit a while. He has to do it at least once every day, sometimes multiple times a day.

He has also taken to climbing into a wrapping paper storage tupperware I just bought (for the rolls of Christmas paper that I haven't gotten around to putting in). He is a big fan of tackling pillows unprovoked and can leave a nice bite mark on your leg when he's trying to pull himself up and get your attention.

Jack has gotten better about not wearing his helmet everywhere, but he just had to have it on this afternoon to do his homework.
Jack was trying to tell me something when Makele interrupted him. He said all serious and calm-like, "Makie (he never calls her Makele), you need to have a lesson on not talking when someone else is talking."

Then of course we have the hats that Makele and Jack wear every time we visit Great Grandma Robison in Flowell. They started this tradition a while ago (I don't even remember why). Grandma affectionately calls them Pancho and the Cisco Kid which I think is kinder that the names I might have come up with.

One thing's for sure: there's never a dull moment around here!

December Jessica Sprague Projects

2010-12-26T13:30:00.005-07:00

I haven't been very good at keeping up my blog this month, but these layouts show a little bit of what we have been up to over the past month.

Credits: Patterned Paper, Tree Stickers: O Christmas Tree Full Collection by Carina Gardner; Glitter: Glitter Spills by iKari Designs; Template, Alpha: Jessica Sprague Template + 1.07 by Jessica Sprague; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: Century Gothic.

Credits: Patterned Paper, Flourishes, Banner, Ornaments, Buttons, Journaling Spot: Happy Holidays Kit by Carina Gardner; Photo Masks: Happy Holidays Masks by Carina Gardner; Glitter: Glitter Spills by iKari Designs; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: Century Gothic.

Credits: Patterned Paper: Crystal’s {Merry & Bright} Papers by Creativity by Crystal; Alpha, Embellishments: Crystal’s {Merry & Bright} Elements 2 by Creativity by Crystal; Journaling Spot: Crystal’s June 2009 Office Supplies Element Pack by Creativity by Crystal; Glitter: Glitter Spills by iKari Designs; Brushes: Swirdles Stamps & Brushes by LivEdesigns; Fonts: Century Gothic & Freestyle Script.

Credits: Patterned Paper: {Merry & Bright} Papers by Creativity by Crystal; Reindeer, Ornaments: Crystal’s {Merry & Bright} Elements 2 by Creativity by Crystal; Merry Christmas Banner: Happy Holidays Kit by Carina Gardner; Bag Topper Template: Plan a Party vol.1 by iKari Designs; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Fonts: Century Gothic; Wish I Were Taller, Pea Terri Cherie.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T21:00:00.006-07:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. We went down to Jeff's parents' house Thursday night for the family dinner. A special visitor dropped by:
Jack told Santa he wanted a toy robot with a square head. What the heck? He had told Jeff that a few days before and said, "I told Santa that I wanted it, and he's going to bring me it." Well, Santa must not have realized the elves had all the shopping done and that there had not been one comment made previously about said square-headed toy robot.
Makele told Santa she wanted her presents to be a surprise.
Aiden actually did better with Santa this time. He was whining a little bit, but warmed up to him (especially when the bear balloon came out).
Grandma & Grandpa gave Jack a Woody. He was so excited the minute he opened it and said, "It's what I always wanted!"
We decorated Christmas cookies to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve.

Sure hope Santa likes sprinkles! Jack had to use every variety of sprinkles on each cookie.
They opened up their Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve. When I told Makele that they could open up one present, she said, "Can we pick which one?" Ha, ha!
Grandma's beautiful Christmas tree - she is a master decorator!
Christmas morning finally came. Jack was overjoyed to see that Santa brought him a football helmet and jersey; he wore them for the rest of the day:
Makele loved everything she got and kept saying, "Santa spoiled me!"

Aiden loved the football and basketball that Jack got (he is constantly saying "oot-all")!

I told you he didn't take that dang helmet off. He excitedly told Jeff, "throw the football at my head, Daddy. It's okay." I cannot stop giggling about that. He was trying to talk to Kylie on the phone and couldn't seem to figure out why he couldn't hear her very well through that helmet!Makele got an American Girl knock-off which she loved (and which I'm sure Santa saved a bundle on compared to the real thing!).
We had such a great Christmas and were so lucky to spend it with Grandma and Grandpa Neuberger. Thanks for letting us come and putting up with all the chaos!

Summer Album

2010-12-06T23:25:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Holiday Greeting Card Tutorial

2010-12-01T14:48:00.011-07:00

It's that dreaded time of year again - time to send Christmas cards! If you are not looking forward to filling them out, stuffing, addressing, stamping and mailing all your cards, I have an easy solution for you! I'll walk you through the whole process and show you how easy it is. You can even send a free card on me to test it out!

First, go to www.sendoutcards.com/brendan.

Click on #2: "Send a free card"

The card catalog will come up. Click on "Create a PicturePLUS card."

On the screen that pops up, click on the orientation you want the card to be. For this tutorial, I chose the Horizontal Greeting Card.

Click on “template” then “season’s greetings" (if you are creating a Christmas card). Click on the template you want to use in the screen below.

Click on "Pics" then "Upload More Photos."
A new window will pop up - click on "Browse Photos." Find the photo(s) you want in your files and start upload.
When you are finished uploading, your photo will appear in the window here:
Drag your photo to the card where it says, "Drag image here." Click on the inside icon (circled here).
You can choose different templates to use on the inside for writing and more photos. If you want to add more photos, follow the instructions for uploading photos as described above.
You can also click on "elements" to personalize your card. This gives you the freedom to decorate your card the way you want - much like doing digital scrapbooking, but a ton easier! When you are finished, click "continue."
Type in the return address and send to address. Click "continue."
That's it - super easy and so cute! I love that I can add text and pictures to the inside. Get over there and try it today! If you like it, I can show you how to make one card and send it to everyone on your Christmas card list with one push of the button. The company will print the cards, stuff, stamp, address and mail them for you. That's one last thing you need to worry about during this busy holiday season!

Jessica Sprague Projects - November

2010-11-30T20:21:00.003-07:00

Here are a few projects I have done for Jessica Sprague this month:

My mom asked me to make place cards for Thanksgiving this year (heaven forbid that we sit somewhere we're not supposed to - right, mom? ;))

Credits: Patterned Paper: Nutmeg Paper Pack by Cosmo Cricket; Embellishments: Nutmeg Candy Candy by Cosmo Cricket; Label: Extracted from Nutmeg Elements by Cosmo Cricket; Font: Crystal’s {Playful} Font by Creativity by Crystal; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com.

I'm in the middle of making a photo book of our Disney vacation. Here are a couple layouts:

Credits: Patterned Paper, Quotes, Journaling Circle: You Are Here Collaborative Kit by The Queen of Quirk & Paislee Press; Template, Hearts, Circle Overlay, Stitching: Template & Quick Page #6 by Creativity by Crystal; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Fonts: Century Gothic, LL Cooper & Edwardian Script.

Credits: Patterned Paper: Cirque Du Ciel, the Papers by the Queen of Quirk; Embellishments: Cirque Du Ciel, the Accents by the Queen of Quirk; Alphas: Aubergine Little Alpha Set by the Queen of Quirk; Template: Jessica Sprague Template + 03; Everything listed can be found at www.jessicasprague.com; Font: Century Gothic.

That's it! Maybe some day when life slows down a bit, I'll be back to make a regular post!

Free Class at Jessica Sprague

2010-11-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

Registration is now open for this FREE class! Get on it!

You can find the details HERE.