Photo Books

I have finally finished my first LONGER photo book!  I decided to give it a go by doing the year 2012 all online as a printed book.  Every year since 1995 I have done one or two family albums a year through scrap booking.  I've always used Creative Memories products and have been happy with the results.  Along with the family albums, I've kept a school album for each of our kids as well as a Christmas album with highlights from each year.  My albums started out all cutesy but over the years have become more like my personality...straight and to the point.  I love taking pictures so of course I want my albums to reflect the many photos I've taken.  So rather than fill the pages with stickers or die cuts, I opt to just use photos and pens.  I like to write a bit about where we were or dates, just for reference, but I really want my pages to be about the photos.

About August of last year I realized I hadn't completed my 2011 album and was already way behind for the current year.  After pinning a few pins on Pinterest about Blurb, I decided to give it a try for a year.  I was able to get caught up and keep it up throughout the year.  My family has had mixed reviews about this idea of mine.  They all love to look through our albums and are afraid this book won't be the same.  Honestly I have that concern as well.  I've done photo books in the past from other sites and I do love them, but haven't felt that they are quite the same as a homemade album.

Have any of you switched from a scrap book type of album to a printed book and had success?  I'd love to hear some feedback.

Random happenings

My boy, Tarzan (far right) and his date Jane and their friends ready to head out to the Sadie's Disney themed dance.  Such a great group of kids!

Nikki going up for a header.

Ali and her teammates getting ready to start their volleyball tournament.  Ali is the one braiding her friends hair.

Yep this was our front lawn.  I left it an entire afternoon so that Ali would have to come home and clean it all up herself.  She still says it's really fun to do it to her friends and worth having to clean it up herself.  Ugh!  I've never taken any kid TP'ing because I hate it being done to us.  She is my only one that feels the need to partake in the mess making with friends.  I know it's really harmless, but it's one of those things I just feel could be avoided forever.

This is what I do for fun...crossfit.  It was one of my better showings.  I finished the WOD (workout of the day) in 8 minutes, 17 seconds and did it rx'd (prescribed, which means I used all of the recommended weights).  I've been crossfitting for nearly three years now and can't imagine doing any other form of exercise.  I love it and am learning a lot about what I should be putting into my body and my family's bodies as well.

That's just a few of the happenings round here.  What's going on in your casa?

Bring your parent to school day...not

Ali had been telling me that today was going to be "bring your parent to jr. high day" all week.  She wasn't quite sure how she felt about me coming to school.  She didn't want to be the only kid there with a parent.  But when she mentioned it last night, both Stephen and Nikki told her that she should let me go.  They said all of the kids love when a mom they know shows up.  So this morning, I told her I'd come around 9:00 and stay for a class or two.  She was happy with that.

I was hoping to get to see English since they were doing live Public Service Announcements to work on their persuasive writing skills.  As I turned onto the street the school is on, I see a group of kids in their PE clothes out on their power walking unit.  A few waved, I waved back.  Then I spot Ali and think, "oh dang! I have my new Ugg boots on and don't really want to walk on the dirt trail in them".  Oh well, that's what I'm here for.  So I park and RUN to catch them.  I caught them at the corner when they'd stopped for a light.  Ali and her friend Paige came up and gave me a hug while cracking up.  In between laughs, they proceeded to tell me that Bring your parent to school day is actually next Wednesday and that I should leave.

I know I could've continued on the walk with them, but again the Ugg boots came to mind.  So I gave them a hug goodbye and walked back to my car.  Guess I'll try again next Wednesday!  Kids!!

My little girl got her car!!

Getting the permit was a big step.  She did great on the test and at her first behind the wheel.  Problem is there isn't a good car in our household for her to practice in.  I drive a Suburban and while she has driven it, it's not the best to park.  Hubby drives a huge Jeep.  It's lifted and big and (in my opinion) doesn't handle very well.  Son drives a Toyota truck, that is hard to see over the front of the car.  I know it would make her a better driver to learn on something more difficult, but we're going to have to get her something eventually anyway.  So....

We got her this cute Ford Focus today!!  For the time being, hubby is going to drive it to and from work because the Jeep's gas mileage isn't so great.  She will get to learn to do some freeway driving in it, practice parking in tighter quarters and get a feel for how it  handles.  It really is a cute little car.  Lots of bells and whistles, which is what makes it appealing to her.  They had to locate it at another dealer because she was set on the Platinum White.  It's a beautiful color and I can't wait to see it!  We should get to pick it up tomorrow. (I decided to edit and add a picture of the real deal)

I can't believe we'll have two teenaged drivers in the house!!

Long Early Morning

Let me start this post with this photo:

That's my 17 year old, highly independent son that is never sick.  In fact in four years of high school he has maybe missed 3 days total for not feeling well.  So when he woke me up at 2:00 this morning saying his stomach was killing him and falling to the ground writhing in pain, I took him seriously.  I asked if he was nauseous but he said no it just really hurt like he was being stabbed.  I briefly looked online to see if there were any nearby Urgent Care centers that were open 24hrs, but there weren't.  So off we headed to the Emergency Room.  They were under construction so they had valet parking, which in the freezing weather I was happy to oblige.  

They got him checked in quickly as we were the only ones there.  Once he was admitted the doctor came in to check him out.  She asked a few questions, pushed all around on his abdomen and then said he'd most likely be losing his appendix.  That was my fear, and the only reason I'd brought him in.  Flu's I can get through, organ failures not so much.  So they hooked him up to an IV, got him doped up on morphine and took him for a CT.  

After the CT scan, we had to wait a bit for the results.  When they came back, it was good news.  His appendix looked healthy, but the lymph nodes surrounding it were inflamed.  She said it could be several things; the flu coming on, a viral infection or early appendicitis.  She gave us the option to stay put and have him observed for 8 hours or send him home and have me observe him.  I opted to head home.  

By then his pain was coming back so before disconnecting him, they shot him up with another dose of morphine and waited for the pain to recede.  We got home just as the girls were ready to go to school.  I  got in another hour or two of sleep and Stephen slept for several hours.  

I woke him up and fed him his bland diet foods that he was told he could only eat for today.  He said he felt a lot better at that point.  It still hurt, but nothing like before.  So fortunately the only bad thing to come of this was another missed day of school.  He'd missed Friday because he was up at Santa Clara University on a recruiting trip.  So he's a bit stressed about what he's missed in school, but we're all very relieved not to have to go through a surgery.  

It's such an awful thing to watch your kids in pain.  Especially when they are never in pain and there isn't anything you can do to make that pain go away.  

New Driver

Yep today was the day, Nikki's half birthday.  You know what that means?  She is 15.5 and eligible for her driver's permit.  With her, we decided to let her take the online course rather than going to take the course somewhere.  She watched lots of video, read lots and took lots of quizzes.  She thought she was ready, but then the day before panicked and started studying all of her brothers past quizzes as well.  She wasn't doing so well on his past tests and basically talked herself into thinking she was going to fail.  Her appointment was at 8:00 this morning, so it didn't give her any time to back out or stress out.  We dropped her sister off at school and headed straight to the DMV.

We were served promptly, turned in our paperwork, paid our fees and she was ready.  She gave her fingerprint, signed her name and was ready for the vision test.  Then she remembered that she'd forgotten her glasses at home.  Thankfully her vision isn't that bad, and she was able to pass.  Whew! Next it was on to the test.

It took forever!  I was in the waiting area on pins and needles.  Finally I saw her in the corrections line. When I headed over there, the security guard promptly told me I had to stay in the waiting area.  When it was done, she said she'd only missed 4!  You are allowed to miss 8 and still pass so I'd say she passed with flying colors!

Now who's going to be the one to drive with her?! Okay I will.  I've been letting her do laps around our house and I think she's going to be a great driver!  I can't believe we have two teenaged drivers in our house.  So exciting!!

Budding Photographer

Nikki joined the yearbook staff at school this year.  I was so excited that she was going to start taking photos and was hoping she would enjoy it as much as I do.  Turns out she's having a great time.  So the other day her friend asked her to do a "photo shoot" of her.  They walked over to the wash and had some fun all on their own.  I was so impressed with their work that I had to share a few of their shots.

This is my daughter's friend, Syd.

 This is my baby, getting in on the action.

I love that they went out there and had a good time.  As of now the photos are still on the camera card, but I know they have big plans to download them and do something special with some of their favorites.  It will be interesting to see which ones are their favorites, compared to mine.