HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIZ!!!

Okay, so if you know me...you know that I have an extremely bad memory and I'm reeaaalllly bad at calling people. So, today is my sister Liz's b-day and I've been wanting to call her ALL.DAY.LONG!!!! But when I finally got a chance it was way late. Not here, but where she lives (in Texas...darn that 2 hour time difference!). So I wanted her to know that I did not forget her birthday, and I can't believe how old..er..I mean, I can't believe that another year has gone by. So much has changed and so much has happened in such a short amount of time! I'm so glad that she's my sister. Sure in highschool we may have had our differences, but we also had a really fun time together. We were quite the pair and could make anybody laugh with our craziness. Seriously...I don't know how many times she caused me to go running to the bathroom before I had an accident from laughing too hard. She also did anything to make things perfect for me...driving 100+ mph to get to the flower shop before it closed because I forgot to get the boutonniere for my winter formal date (which she got right on time), buying my $200 dress for winter formal (which I still have), and I won't ever forget when she went out and got me a steak dinner right after I had Mikayla...seriously...that was the best. She's done so much more than that, she's been my rock and my confidant my entire life. I really don't think you could find a more energetic, fun, caring person if you searched every nook and cranny on this Earth.

For Liz...finally!

Here you go, Liz! Sorry it's so blurry...Joel was watching something on tv and not really concentrating on taking a great picture (obviously). I had him take 2 just in case, but he chopped off my head in the other one (so you're stuck with a blurry picture but at least my head is fully intact).

Elizabeth Kartchner Challenge

{contest continued @: pumpkinpatchscrap.blogspot.com}

Scrapbook Challenge #3

For the challenge on Project Runway, the contestants met with the legendary fashion guru: Diane von Furstenberg. Diane presents the designers with their challenge: Design a look inspired by her fall 2008 collection, A Foreign Affair. Diane was also the guest judge in the episode.

I am so incredibly excited to announce that we have our own scrapbooking icon: Elizabeth Kartchner!! She won Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooker of the Year 2007, she writes articles and she also designs layouts for the scrapbooking bible: Creating Keepsakes! She has a fun, fresh sense of style and our challenge is to design a layout using her work and style as our inspiration. She will then judge this challenge and choose a winner!

You can go to her website to get a sense of what her style is:
http://www.elizabethkartchner.blogspot.com/
And here is a link to some of her layouts:
http://www.scrapinstyletv.com/portfolio/view_album.php?album_id=5200

It is such a pleasure to have her be our guest judge, so please ladies, let's go all out!!

A few of her favorite things...

This picture sums up perfectly what Mikayla loves to do lately: watch The Bee movie on her slide (or as she calls it, her "wee") while wearing her "duckie" swimsuit and tutu.

PROOF!

I had to post this as PROOF! I actually do do Mikayla's hair!! She normally realizes that there is something on her head about 10-20 minutes later and quickly remedies the situation by pulling them out along with her pony tails (I guess she takes after me in that way. My mom said that when I was little she tried to use sponge curlers in my hair, but when I noticed one I pulled it out...hair and all). Then of course by the time I finally get ready and get her ready it's time for her nap. Have you ever seen Mikayla after her nap?hehe..it's pretty funny.

Breaking Dawn

Finally I can concentrate on other things again! Patience is not one of my strong suits when it comes to books or movies. I have to know what happens at the end of the story. Never go see a movie with me if you've already seen it. I'll be asking-or rather trying my hardest not to ask- "What happens!!" the entire time...very annoying. Soooo, let's just say Mikayla's been watching a liiittle too much tv this weekend, but on the upside I finally finished the book tonight! The downside is that nobody I know has finished it yet (they actually attend to their responsibilities!)so I can't talk about it. I can't say whether or not I liked it, or let anything slip about how things end, or say who dies (hehe...gotcha). The one thing I'm really curious about is whether or not the adolescent crowd (who supposedly this book is targeted) will actually get it. I don't think I would've. I'll explain this a little more later so I don't spoil anything for those who haven't read it. I'm not saying that teenagers aren't intellectual, not at all. It doesn't have anything to do with how smart someone is, but rather their life experiences and emotions.

Ouray, CO. and a Bad Case of PMS

I think I could actually hear all of the guys clicking the x button after reading the title. Well, don't worry fellas, it's not what you think! Last week, we took a trip to Ouray Colorado for a little family reunion. It's been a tradition in my family to go there since I was little. It's a beautiful old mining town with natural hot springs about 12 hours away. While I was excited to go, I wasn't looking forward to driving that far with a 20 month old, so I had Joel book a hotel in Gallup, NM. Let me tell you what. This place was ritzy! They actually had granite beds! I mean, I didn't actually look to see if that's what they were made of, but boy could you feel it. The air conditioner had one of those fancy dancy "nature" relaxing white noise machines built right inside! It didn't sound like anything from nature that I'd ever experienced...but it was New Mexico after all.. Perhaps in NM nature sounds like a big semi truck. So..even in all of the luxory of the "Tra vellod ge" we couldn't get any sleep because Mikayla's allergies kicked up a few notches and she couldn't stop coughing. After a few times (and hours) of driving up and down Gallup's main street we stopped at a 24 hr Walgreen's and I got Zyrtech for kid's, Mucinex for kids, Delsym, Benedryl, throat lozenge lollipop's and honey..I figured one of those oughtta work. So after we gave her Benadryl and finally got her to sleep, we woke up (why we even bothered to try and get more sleep is beyond me) and headed on our way. It was a pretty good drive from then on..even tho the last 20 miles took over an hour..here's why:

(I actually stood up thru the sun roof to get this shot)

Gramma took Mikayla to the Hot Springs and Layla had a blast!

Daddy and Mikayla at the Waterfall

That night Mikayla was up coughing again with a runny nose and puffy eyes. I was about to pack everything up and head home to go see the doctor..or go to the ER (j/k..I'm not that bad)...my baby couldn't breathe and was hacking up a lung!! That's where the bad case of PMS comes in. I am a chronic sufferer of Paranoid Mom Syndrome...I'm not proud of it, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Luckily my mom and sister were there to tell me that it was just a cold and to give her Benedryl and Mucinex every 4 hours and she would be just fine. And oddly enough..she was! Thanks guys. After that I was able to breathe easier and enjoy the beautiful scenery and the shopping. I couldn't do any of the fun stuff like horse back riding, jeep tours, long hikes, and hot springs because I'm preggers. Ha! If you hadn't read through my insanely long post you wouldn't have gotten my little announcement. Even shopping was a little strenuous. The whole dang town is on a hill and there's no oxygen. I did manage to make it up a small (but steep) trail to a waterfall. It was gorgeous! And Joel and I drove to Telluride to check out the scenery and shops there. Fun, fun.

Here's a picture of my sister, Olivia, and Mikayla playing in the river.

Take the Quiz here!

A New Tradition

We had a wonderful 4th of July this year! We had some friends over for a barbecue, watched the baseball game, then went to the park a few blocks from my house to see the fireworks (I was a little worried it would be really hot, but was pleasantly surprised when the weather was absolutely beautiful with a nice breeze). We took popsicles and icecream bars with us to the park and laid down on my favorite picnic blanket while the kids ran around in the field before the show. Mikayla loved the fireworks and kept trying to walk towards them...thinking that she would be able to reach right out and grab one. It was so nice and relaxing. We were able to sit back and reflect on what a wonderful country we live in and all the sacrifices that have been made for the life and freedom we have today.