April by the numbers

Another fun month...lots of wonderful thing to be grateful for.

zero - diet cokes consumed by me {still so proud of myself}
one - mile walked {in pink shoes} by Brody in support of the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event for the Rape Crisis Center.
two - books read by me (Change of Heart and The Collectors).
three - contests won (free family photo shoot, John Mayer tickets, and free name graphics from Sugardoodle...it was a lucky month}.
four - new pairs of shoes were purchased.
five - fleece blankets tied for the Binky Patrol = 5 free tickets to Disneyland.
seven - the # of times Carter got sick during the night.
nine games won by the Yankees(T & C's team} so far{they just lost their 1st game this month}.
ten - blog posts for the month.
fourteen - free bottles of Windex {actually made $14.00 on this deal}
fifteen - miles were walked /jogged by me. I am back on track.(these miles were logged in just the last week)
sixteen - days until my baby turns 3 years old.
twenty one - Little League games/practices for the boys this month.
thirty six - Easter eggs were boiled and colored.
forty - kindergarten scrapbook pages created.
forty two - the # of birthday candles John blew out on his birthday cake this month.
two hundred and thirty nine - pages completed our Book of Mormon challenge.

making me happy

it's time for another favorite things post.
Here are a few things that are making my list, making me happy and making me smile this week.

1). New lotion from Bath & Body Works.
The Summer Vanillas, the Lemon Vanilla to be exact. It smells so good. Very light and refreshing.

















2). The re-release of Toy Story 1 & 2. Tanner was totally into Toy Story when he was two. We had the VHS videos and he wore them out. I had not been able to find the DVD's at any of the local stores. I was so excited when Disney released them from the vault. Brody is loving them. I love how excited he gets when we turn them on. He is still walking around quoting the movies...so fun!














3). My John Mayer CD's. It wouldn't be a complete day without listening to at least one. My favorite album this week is the Where the Light Is. Two discs, all of the songs were recorded LIVE. His music makes me happy!












4). I love getting happy pieces of mail. This magazine actually came last week but I am enjoying it this week. A few years back I would devour my magazines the instant they came. Chores would be put on hold, errands would cease and I would read it from back to front as soon as I received it. With the Internet at our finger tips, I haven't felt the need/urge to read my scrapbook magazines right away. I still love receiving them and even more so now that Creating Keepsakes is now released every other month.















5). I am still couponing and scoring some major deals. I am getting things for free. In the last two weeks I have picked up cleaning supplies, shampoo, toothpaste,tampons, razors, sunscreen, dish soap and sponges for free. It totally makes me happy.













6). This silly boy makes me laugh. Each night when we tuck him into bed, we can count on him asking for his blankie, a sippy cup with water, Woody and Buzz. Just as much as we can count on those items, we can count on tucking a few more things in with him. This is what he wanted a few nights back. He had a paintball helmet, Shin guards that he wore to bed and a teddy bear, all in addition to the above mentioned items. What a silly boy.














7). Our family finished reading the Book of Mormon this week. We have been reading it for the last 239 days. After accepting a challenge from the Young Women in our ward to read it with them, we read a chapter a day as a family. To be honest, some days we had to read more chapters to catch up if we had missed a day or two. Trust me, this was not an easy task with littles who can't sit still. I am happy to report that we finished it on Sunday night, right on time. I am thankful for the Book of Mormon and the spirit I feel when I read it. I know with out a doubt that is is true.














8). I love this wall art. It makes me happy. I am thinking I need to re-create it in my own home. I will keep you posted :-).
















What is making you happy this week? I would love to know!

walk a mile in her shoes

Today was my Mom's big Walk A Mile In Her Shoes event. Brody and I headed to the Bay Area so we could show our support for Mom/Grandma and the event. When we arrived, the rain had subsided. Two minutes before the mile walk was to start, the heavens opened and DUMPED rain. Despite the crazy weather, there was an amazing turn out and everyone walked in the rain. It is always a hoot to see all of the good men sporting heels for the walk. Once again, the San Jose police chief, the captain of the SJ fire department, Major computer companies of the Silicon valley, San Jose State University basketball players, Fathers, Brothers, boyfriends, etc... were all out walking in support of this good cause.
Here are a few sights from the event. Those cute pink tennis shoes were on Brody's feet...he was so proud!



























Let me know if you want to join us next year :-).

week in the life of us...

picture a day style.
I am still on track with taking a photo a day(something that represents our world for each day this year). I am even caught up on getting those photos in the album with the journaling to go with each day. I am loving this project. While I still love to scrapbook, I love that these photos have a home even if they don't ever make it onto an actual layout.

Here is a glimpse of what we have been enjoying this past week.

{Sunday}












Brody watched Toy Story and Toy Story 2 for the first time this month. He is a HUGE fan of the movies. He now has to have Woody and Buzz tucked into bed with him every night. He has been walking around the house & quoting the movie. His favorite line is "Reach for the sky".

{Monday}












This is a favorite after dinner past time at our house. The boys love to head out into the back with Dad. John is so good about getting out and playing with the boys. Whether it's a game of catch, throwing the football, or playing goalie as the boys practice their shots on goal...everyone gets involved.

{Tuesday}











A big happy birthday to our favorite husband/daddy! We celebrated his big day with a baseball game, a soccer game, dinner, cake and presents. Whew....and to think we accomplished all of that between 5-9 pm.

{Wednesday}










Tanner got to take the mound for the first time this season. He was excited and so nervous. he has been waiting for his chance to pitch. He has wanted to show his coaches that he could do it and he did. He struck a couple of batters out and there were no RBI's while he was the pitcher. Way to go Kruppy!

{Thursday}






















I have been enjoying taco Thursdays...or Tuesdays at my friend, Moe's(Moe is in the bottom picture w/her new man) house. She is the hostess with the mostess. She makes yummy tacos and we all get together to visit and enjoy her home cooking. Tonight we played Go Fish, Old Maid, and a round of Memory. So much fun and something to look forward to each week.

{Friday}












It has been two days now & I still get giddy when I think about this. I had heard that a local radio station was giving away John Mayer tickets this weekend. I wanted to try and win some. I thought it was a long shot and planned on listening all weekend in hopes of winning. The first set of tickets were going to be given away at 5 pm. I heard the DJ announce that it was time to start calling. I picked up the phone and dialed. After two calls that ended with busy signals...the phone started to ring on my 3rd try. The man on the other end just said "hello". He didn't say "thank you for calling The End". I so thought I had dialed the wrong number. Then he asked if I wanted concert tickets. I started jumping up and down while screaming "No way". John thought I was totally joking and goofing around. So, long story short, I won tickets to see Owl City and John Mayer this summer. I am so excited and hope August gets here fast.


{Saturday}








We finished tying our fleece blankets for the Binky Patrol. We signed up for the Disney "Give a Day, Get a Day" service project. We let the boys help pick out the fleece. It was fun to see what/why they picked it. For instance, Carter picked the fleece that had dogs on it. He picked it just in case there was a boy or girl who might love dogs just as much as he does. It was a great little service project for our family. It will be fun to hit Disneyland sometime this year...for FREE.


{Sunday}












Carter received a note in the mail with $20.00 cash. It was from Grandma Shore. The note attached said that Carter had won her drawing. She had entered every family member and then she randomly picked winners in remembrance of Grandpa. She is always doing fun things like this. She is the best. Carter's name was drawn and so the $20.00 was his to spend. He picked out a new Giants jersey in honor of Grandpa who loved the Giants. We love being part of a fun, loving family.

So how are you? How has your week been?

p.s. as a side note, thank you to all of you who have dropped money off in support of my Mom and the Rape Crisis Center. You are awesome. I will be collecting money until Wednesday morning and then I am heading to the Bay Area to participate in the Walk a Mile and Cheer on the good men who will be walking in their heels :-). If you are out of state and mailing money, just let me know how many tickets you need so I can let my Mom know before the drawing. I will hand deliver the money then.

for a great cause

Okay friends, as most of you know, my Mom is the Director of the Rape Crisis Center for the YWCA of the Silicon Valley. Each year, they hold their biggest fund raising event in April. This event is the Walk A Mile in Her Shoes. The idea is that everyone collects donations/sponsors and shows up at the appointed meeting place. All of the men are asked to wear a pair of women's shoes that are provided by the YWCA. It is a hoot to see the Santa Clara University & San Jose State University football/basketball players sporting their 3 inch heels while walking to support women and children they don't even know. Fire fighters, police officers, Fathers, Brothers, boyfriends and Grandpa's show up to walk to show their support. They then, all walk a mile to a determined destination in their flats,heels, pink flip flops, or sparkly stilettos. This is all in support of women/children who have been victims of sexual assault. All the money that is raised from this event goes to this program. It helps provide new sweat outfits for the victims to wear home after their S.A.R.T. exams(their clothes are usually taken as evidence). It also helps provide a new outfit and a stuffed animal for the children to snuggle while they are examined. It is such a worthy cause.

Each year, my Mom makes one of her fabulous denim quilts to raffle off. All raffle ticket proceeds go to the Rape Crisis Center to support these women and children who need love and support.

If you would like to support the Rape Crisis center and have a chance to win this fabulous quilt(I think it would make for an awesome Fathers Day or teacher appreciation gift)let me know. Each ticket is $1.00 and you can buy as many or as few as you'd like. I will collect the money and get it to my Mom. My Mom said I can call her with the names of those who donate and she will personally write your name on each ticket. Here is a peek at this years denim quilt.


























p.s. this years Walk A Mile in Her Shoes event is next week. The winning raffle ticket is picked that night!

Happy Birthday, John Boy

Wishing my fabulous hubby a special Happy Birthday today!
We aren't going to mention how old he turns today but we will say that he is still a Spring chicken in our book :-).















We want John boy to know just how much we love him...not only today, but every day.

- He is our world, our rock...our everything.
- We are his biggest fans...can't imagine our world without him.
- He supports us in all we do. Whether it is year around sports, goals, schooling, dreams, obsessive hobbies and music loves, or when trying to maintain a perfect house. He supports us with a smile on his face.
- He works so hard, on a daily basis to provide for us. I love that he supports and has the same feelings as I do about being a Stay At Home Mom.
- He has the best sense of humor (hence, the above photo).
- He knows how to roll with the punches. You kinda have to with our crazy schedule.
- He is a wonderful Daddy to our boys. As I've said before, he has rock star status at our house. He walks in the door after a long day at work and the crowd goes wild.
- He is my best friend and has filled that role since the day we met.

We are thankful for all he does & the man that he is. We love you, John boy!
As we celebrate John's birthday today, please help us wish him a happy birthday!

the big bunny delivered

We had a nice Easter morning at home. The boys were up at the crack of dawn. They were all excited to see what the Big Bunny had left for them. Brody took the drama award this year. He was so excited and so animated about EVERYTHING. I love this picture. This was the expression we saw all morning.













He was excited to unload his basket. He was ecstatic when he saw that the Big Bunny had left eggs all over our back yard. Even more ecstatic when he discovered that there were pieces of candy in those plastic eggs...and this my friends is exactly why I love holidays with little kids. The experience is pure magic.

Our morning was filled with an egg hunt in the backyard, homemade scones with buttermilk syrup, General Conference (a world wide broadcast for members of the church)in our jammies, and probably a little too much chocolate. It was wonderful to listen to our church leaders from the comfort of our own home. Their talks were inspiring and filled with so much love. It was the perfect addition to our Easter.




























After conference, we headed to my sister in laws for lunch and another egg hunt. I think she hid 200 eggs for 6 kids(okay, two of them were teenagers but still). Petra is always the hostess with the mostess.










Once we got home, we got a visit from an old friend. John and Deanna went to high school together. It was fun to meet all of her girls. The last time we caught up with them, they only had one and we had two :-). Anyways, their girls are darling & it was fun to catch up and trip down memory lane with them.





Hope you all had a wonderful Easter.

what we love about Spring

Spring is so refreshing. So many wonderful things popping up in the world around us!
Here are a few of our favorite things about this Spring and Easter.

1). My red tulips that have popped up in the yard. I planted them 3 years ago & they come back every spring. They make me happy.













2). We planted this tree about 3 years ago too. It continues to grow and changes with the seasons. This is what spring brings. The blossoms drive John's allergies crazy but it is so pretty to look at.









3). Park days. Once the suns begins to peek behind the clouds, the boys know park days are ahead.











4). With Spring comes Little League baseball. I don't think this would have made a spring happy list last year. Brody & Garrett were all over the place. This Spring, Garrett has a chance to play & Brody actually watches all of boys games.


















We love cheering on our favorite gum chewing, players.








5). Our house getting egged. You didn't see that one coming, did you?


























The boys loved waking up to this note and plastic eggs (that had been filled with candy) all over our front porch and on the grass. We made sure to return the fun to a few friends and neighbors. Thanks to whom ever egged us :-).

6). The annual egg hunt with friends at church. The weather was windy and stormy yesterday so the egg hunt was inside. The kids still had a blast and scored in the plastic egg department.


















7). Coloring Easter Eggs as a family. Brody was the one who was the most excited this year. He took egg dying so seriously. We had to laugh when he pulled the 1st egg out and then attempted to drink the cup of dye.













8). The colors that remind us of all things Spring.















9). Swinging on the porch swing with a fun friend.



What is making you happy this Spring?

March GTKC - take two

As promised, here are my other March GTKC layouts.

First up, John Mayer{live}*sigh* still on a music high from this concert.














Next up, Scrap Weekend a yearly tradition that I look forward to...serious time with the girls & lots of scrapbooking. Oh and I can't for get to mention, lack of sleep, the yummy food and lots of good music.





I am happy to report that I am almost caught up with my 2010 photos. One more layout to scrap & it's official. Working with the GTKC has totally helped me stay on track. All of the fabulous cardstock colors, the yummy pattern papers, ribbon, fun embellishments...what's not to love and feel inspired by? Now lets hope I can keep it up for the rest of 2010! What are you scrapping these days?