Record keeping, again

I'm going to (again) be updating the blog with some of my random facebook posts & photos from the past year so that I can make my blurb book out of the blog.  A few weeks ago I came across a company that *finally* caught on, and created a program to make a book out of your facebook feed!  Finally!!!  But I already have this one going, and I have been really thinking about what I post on facebook and my reasons for posting, or the implications of it at least.  So it hasn't been incredibly active lately.  I have phases of more posting, but I have been in quiet a long phase of resistance lately.  Resisting it feels right, actually.  But it's a great record of funny things the kids have said, photos, milestones, etc-- so this is my little record-keeping "scrapbooking" project.  Transferring snippets back here again. 

The LOST lost tooth

My boy lost his first tooth! And then, he LOST it! I never even got to see it! He's so cute & excited- we threw together a last-minute note asking the tooth fairy to still come
 

Hey, that's weird! It's been almost a year since I've posted anything!

Ha!!  {{of course, those first three words are spoken with utmost sarcasm!  the same tone in which my husband says, "That's weird!" every time I tell him I lost my phone.  again.}}

Last night I decided that I have something new to add to my bucket list, but then I realized that I don't have one...    And then I remembered that one time I entered a giveaway by posting a {spur of the moment} bucket-list on my {latent} blog. 

So I came here to add  #16.  See the Northern Lights~*
{{yes!!!!  I must see them!!!}}

There, added.

But then, I moseyed on over to some of my old favorite blogs... Wasted some time while sipping coffee (divine), read some sweet stories & thought-provoking posts, felt distances shorten briefly as I enjoyed photos of friends' memory-making... and then there was the heart-tugging and the longing to pause time as I scrolled over the pictures of all of our children growing too fast.  It reminded me of why I love this little space so much! 

I've always been a memory-capturer, journaler, scrapbooker-- in fact, I was just recently reminiscing about my first scrapbook.  My favorite page is the one with a little hair carefully encapsulated between plastic and labeled with an arrow & 8-year-old script: "bobcat hair". 

I specifically remember walking up to the front of the amphitheater at the Wild Animal Park after the Wild Cat show, and I remember the thrill when I found the long, wiry 'bobcat hair' stuck to the log that the feline perched on just moments earlier.  I protected that specimen for the rest of our entire excursion, and was so excited to put it in my scrapbook! 

((The runner-up is few pages later, where there is a bird seed with a few dried sprouts bursting from it.  Again, carefully labeled: "this was growing in the bird dish".))   I laugh out loud every time I happen to pull out that old album during family visits.

But I don't do much memory capturing, journaling or scrapbooking anymore, even though it's part of what makes me me.  I've always needed to create.  My other titles have kept me busy: full-time Momma to 3 active boys, part-time RN, full-time homemaker, and everything that goes along with that (owie-kisser, tantrum-calmer, but also tantrum-thrower sometimes (ha!), family taxi, tutor, cook, and a million others) ... I just don't journal or scrapbook anymore.  ever.  (And, honestly, I don't even charge my cameras anymore since we have phones with camera/video... I have really missed those crisp images, the zoom, and full-length videos!)

SO...  There is a chance that I will stop letting facebook fulfill my journaling tendencies, and I will reach for my 'real' camera more often than my phone to capture some of these moments.  I'm ready to indulge in some memory-capturing & creating!  There you go, #17 on my bucket list!  Maybe it will be through the blog, or actual scrapbooking, or Shutterfly.  Maybe (hopefully) I will dance again or pick up some yarn & try my hand at that again...  I'm ready to bring that little part of me back to life again!

ETA (edited to add):  I realized that, for me, facebook has been a more accurate "journal" of our last few years... but it can't be made into a book the way a blog can be converted into a hardbound book ("Blurb Book").   ... And that has been a goal of mine for a while now...  So because of all of the *huge* blog-gaps & un-scrapbooked time, I decided to sprinkle the blog with some of my old facebook updates & photos throughout the years.  It may be confusing to read, since all my blog posts seem to be about how I never write on the blog (!) and now it will be full of posts!  But at least I can have (with some regularity) little snapshots of the past few years in my book.  (They are dated & filed chronologically, so the label will be the give-away.  Any of the posts labeled "Facebook Post" is something that actually was copy/pasted.)

May 29, 2012
Andrew wants to be an alien when he grows up now. 
May 30, 2012
Overheard.  Austin to Andrew: "Don't talk to me like that! I'm a NINJA!"



May 10  My mornings are the best! (until the morning rush begins... But 2day, we r kicking the morning rushes butt!)


May 10, 2012  MacGyver at it again, headlamp under his cowboy hat, always prepared; eyepatch string = "rope" wrapped around a pen




May 16, 2012    We turned our frowns upside down with this delicious Pinterest banana cake recipe! {These kids were majorly crazy & grumpy this morning... at eachother's throats from the moment they woke up... Now look at those smiling little bed-heads!}

Mother's Day 2012  ~
 
May 13, 2012      The boys each chose a flower for me. Kevin made me come, & I'm glad he did because it was SO precious! so precious.



My eclectic collection from my cute boys! Love it so so, so much!




The boys had so much fun scrapbooking last weeks Wild Animal Park trip! 

Charity

I am participating in another charity. The other three that I participated in were more close to my heart, being Breast Cancer and Children's Hospital Oncology... both of which have touched our family in one way or another. But from what I have read, this one seems like a really neat program as well. 100% of donations go towards the Cancer Coping Center. (We can also choose for a portion to go towards the Boys & Girls Club, but I will route my donation to the Cancer Coping Center, unless otherwise specified.)

Just wanted to throw this out there... if you are interested in donating to this cause, please email me. RNMeg@cox.net

Also, if you would like to donate a handmade item or a service, let me know as well.

They hold a silent auction and 100% of the proceeds go to the cause as well. Any handmade items or crafts are encouraged... last time there were some darling aprons and pre-made scrapbooks which fetched really high prices. If you provide a service in the San Diego area, you can also be creative and auction off your services or a discounted service. (i.e.: Last time I bid on 3 months of Stroller Strides, got it for $15!)

I don't like asking people for money or collecting donations, but the few times I have, there has always been someone who is excited about the cause or who donates monthly to another cause and would just re-route that months donation. So I'm not really asking, I'm offering an opportunity for those who are interested.

Ha! There! That makes me feel better about it! heehee

As always, after the event I will post the final amount of money raised.

MIA

I've been away from here for a long time!

When I have nothing to say, at least posting photos of the boys usually brings me here-- but, alas, my camera is broken. {Sad! I'm DYING without it!}

But just imagine that you are flipping through snapshots of our family trip to Disneyland... It was Kevin's first time going with us- and I loved seeing the joy in his eyes as he watched Jake jumping up and down during Fantasia (& yelling "Mittey Mouse!") My parent's were so, so happy too- and that was priceless. I loved spending the day with them (loved it loved it!), but maybe even more than that, I loved seeing them with the boys!

We now have photos of Austin's first birthday-- including the nautical cake I made with the stubby, crooked number-"1" candle that I had to create out of an old "8" because I lost the "1". (Found it the next day, of course, in one of Kevin's shoes. That's the work of a certain one-year-old for sure!) This montage wouldn't be complete without his sweet cake covered face & an excited gift-unwrapping photo.

Oh, and we will have to display the Sears portrait session in which the A/C was broken & the kids were uncooperative- those photos are winners. Haha They're not that bad! But they're not great either. There are a few worth keeping.

I would have definitely posted photos of my pumpkin-roasting and pureeing fiasco, in addition to the taste-test comparisons of my made-from-scratch pumpkin pies vs. the made-from-can pies. Because I'm lame like that. The photos would make you feel very cozy & fallish & probably a little hungry. I'd also add a shot of my turkey-cranberry wreath because it's pretty and makes me feel accomplished, even though it's simple to make. :)

Last, but not least, our Thanksgivings- runny-noses & all! We really had a wonderful thanksgiving and were so thankful to spend time with both of our families. It also marked the time that our month (or more) of illnesses began to turn around.

Stay tuned for some equally impressive photography this December, including (but probably not limited to) my grandma's month-long trip vising from New York (& first time meeting Austin), the boys meeting Santa, possibly Austin's dedication, some Apple-pie in Julian, and of course our Christmas.

Don't you feel just so sorry for me?? Good- so family... PLEASE send your memory cards, disks, photo attachments, or negatives my way! This is killin' me! I have a scrapbooking date this Sunday, with NOTHING TO SCRAPBOOK!

This is the worst blog-post I've ever read or written!

But I broke the ice. (Of the blog that hasn't been written-on in 21 days.)

I better get back to my life. Although there are two sleeping kids at the moment, there is also a new resolve to go to bed early and wake up before them. (Which is REALLY early. They wake up anywhere from 5:00-6:00.) But I have to do this. I want to have more of me to give them. And I can't give them my best if I'm sleep-deprived. I've been victim to self-inflicted sleep-deprivation, as I've gotten in a horrible habit of losing a few hours after the kids are asleep to mindless TV-watching or internet-surfing. Plus, if I can have my quiet time in the morning, I am so much better equipped for my day. Mornings are the hardest for us here in the R-household, and I have a little inkling that if I start them at the feet of my Jesus, they will somehow be a lot more manageable!

So as much as I want to clean the house & work on decorating, I'm going to honor my new resolve, and go to bed. It's hard! A tornado truly did hit in our house today.

But...

Good,sweet,night.

Please don't stop by unexpectedly tomorrow morning!

Red Eye Correction

Today I was snapping pics of the boys in their cute matching shirts. Sometimes I go back on forth on the issue of red eyes. I use CostCo Photo Online for developing, and I used to select "auto redeye fix", until I received a batch of pictures where my nieces & nephews looked like scarey little black-beady-eyed creatures. Ever since, I can't figure out whether or not I like it. Red eyes are a little scarey! But the pure black eyes are too! I've used a eye correction pen before, but then the "gloss" of the photo finish shows the touch-up. Thoughts?

Unexpected Inspiration

I got a lovely gift in the mail yesterday!!!!

I won a giveaway on my friend's blog (dream create share)-- and for my 'prize', I chose a handmade piece of jewelry. The other choices were a handmade journal or a paper pack.

Well, not only did my package include these absolutely beautiful earrings...

{{(love them, love them!) Umm, LOVE THEM!!!! I don't know what else to say. But I do want to wear them every day. Today I chose my outfit simply so it would match the earrings.}}

...But there was MORE!

She included this gorgeous journal

and a paper pack full of fun papers and trims.

I can't wait to use them. My heart feels full! I want to just sit alone with these goodies and create! And pour myself into it! I haven't done that in so long, and I didn't think it was necessary- but having this in front of me-- this open, empty book-- a blank canvas and lots of media to create with --- it's drawing me.

This is who I am and what I've been doing my whole life, but it was one of the first things to go when my life got fuller. (Journaling & creating.)

Dede- thank you for the amazing gifts, and also for the inspiration that you have given me! I CAN.NOT. wait to spend some time with my journal. I absolutely treasure it. And the earrings, they are my favorite. Absolutely perfect! You are such a beautiful person and an inspiration in more way than one. Keep on loving life and living your passion in that contagious way that you do! Thank you again, sweet friend!

MIA

That's me. Sorry friends! But I'm just writing to say that I'm going to continue to take the MIA route for now. My life has been keeping me busy. So busy that I feel like I'm just barely keeping my head above water at times!

There are some people whose togetherness make me feel like I'm the only one on the planet who isn't caught up in my housework or who has ever felt this tired. And then there are those who confide that they've been there too. Aah! I'm so thankful for my friends here who have shared glimpses of their lives, and made me realize that I'm not alone!

So let me just expose, once-and-for-all, something that I've been feeling horrible about for the last few days. My house is a wreck.

There. I said it.

I feel like I'm being overtaken by laundry. My sister (who is on top of everything, including taking-in everbody else's children {and foreign exchange students too}) told me today that she's been there. WHAT!?!?!? It felt so good to hear that!! Misery does love company, my friends. LOL I just wonder why she couldn't have told me that before, it would have saved me a whole lot of beating myself up! Because if she has been there, then I HAVE to surmise that every mom has. At least, every mom who doesn't have help. Or most.

Not that I've been busy doing laundry the past week, but I have spent today dwelling on the sinking feeling this mess is giving me! (That's productive, hah!) I haven't exactly been sitting around doing nothing either. (Oh the joy that would be!) Our TV stopped working and I realized that I'm actually craving it, isn't that terrible!? (But I have a sick toddler with no TV... how will I keep his mind off his sorrows for yet ANOTHER day without at least one sitting of Baby Einstein or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!?!)

None of this is explaining why I've been missing from the blogosphere. I guess the answer is, with all the building up housework and bills and everything else I have to do, along with my precious little ones who fill my days (& whose days I strive to fill), ... I just haven't been able to bring myself here to write lately!

And now that I have, I'm really not liking what's coming out!!! LOL So my moment of dreariness is forever recorded in bloggy history. That's what I get for writing when I should be cleaning! Or sleeping! So I will end on a brighter note... The charity scrapbooking event (Fantasyland Crop) that my mom, sister & I participated in over the weekend raised >$6,000 for Rady Children's Hospital Oncology Unit!! (Final totals not in yet). It was a blast and very exciting to raise money for such a wonderful cause. Woo Hoo!

Okay, back to MIA... (AKA: consoling crying babies, trying to catch up, working, yes I'm back to work, and reading/playingwith/feeding/raising/nurturing my babies!)

I'll try to come back soon! *HUGS*

4/14 EDITED TO ADD:
THE NEW TOTAL FOR THE FUNDS RAISED AT THE EVENT IS $10,829! A PORTION OF THAT IS FOR THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB (I'M GUESSING ~$2,500 OR SO BASED ON THE PRELIMINARY TOTALS AT THE EVENT... WE GOT TO CHOOSE WHICH CAUSE OUR MONEY WOULD GO TO) - THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE CHOSE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL ONCOLOGY UNIT.

THERE ARE THREE *GREAT* RAFFLES THAT WE KICKED OFF AT THE EVENT- I THOUGHT I'D PASS THEM ALONG IN CASE ANYBOY IS INTERESTED.

1- A CRICUT MACHINE, ($300 VALUE)
2- WALL PORTRAIT OF YOUR CHILD, HAND EMBELLISHED, ($1000 VALUE)
3- AN AMAZING PROFESSIONALLY PAINTED FAMILY PORTRAIT ($3000 VALUE)

CHECK THEM OUT &/OR ENTER HERE.

Our water baby~*
Jake is doing great- crawling around a ton and "cruising" on furniture. No walking yet! But we're okay with it, he'll be running around in no time I'm sure. He says new words and is so cute, but doesn't seem to use his newly-learned words on a regular basis. Yesterday he said "Daisy" for the 1st time, but won't say it again! Last month he (clearly) said "duck" (while pointing at his rubber duckie) but only said it for a few days but not any more. Is this normal!?!? I'm sure it is, most things that kids go through are normal!! But I get so excited about his new words, and then he stops using them... he's making a liar out of me! hehe I try not to worry about ANYthing if I can help it... Being married to a police officer has given me lots of practice with worry & surrender (& trusting God)... but I am still a first-time mommy! So every once in a while I get a little flash of worry-- is he supposed to be verbalizing more? It seems like most kids his age are. His 'babble' has even changed and gotten less complicated (not many word sounds or syllables anymore!) I think that maybe subconsciously, all my researching is affecting me! I've been reading about vaccines & autism because he was supposed to get the MMR at his last visit and I declined (much to his pediatrician's dismay). I'm sure we'll get it eventually, but I can't do it if I'm not sure. I need to make a decision that I'm comfortable with, and at this point I see nothing wrong with postponing the vaccine- he's already had enough stupid vaccines!!! And we haven't had any M,M,or R outbreaks in our area. Any thoughts on any of this??

Anyways, he is such a good & happy boy. We just finished his first 5-week session of swim lessons. He holds his breath and goes under water for 3+ seconds, kicks his feet, jumps in & turns to find/climb the wall (guided), and he's learning to float on his back but doesn't really like the feeling much. He LOVES the water, it's so cute!!! At his last appointment he weighed 19.5 pounds and was 30 inches long. His baby brother is doing great too~~ no name yet! I'll be 24 weeks this Wednesday (6 lunar months) and it's been a really easy pregnancy. I honestly forget I'm preggo most of the time, we're just having fun with our little family.

My niece, Alyssa, is visiting us for the week- we're having lots of fun doing girl stuff. A few weeks ago Jake got to meet his great aunt/uncle from Arizona. It was great to spend time with Ron & Chris (& the kids!)-- I love how families grow through marriage. I am happy to call these wonderful and kind people *my* family!!!

Hope everybody is doing well. My laptop broke so I lost ALL of my pictures from Jake's first year. I had already printed some of them, but the rest are gone! I'm so sad-- if you are family and you have any pictures from the last 6 months or so, let me know! I'm trying to get my scrapbooking & Jake's baby book finished before baby#2 comes! We're now back to using the OLD desktop but it's very tempermental & my pictures aren't really secure on it either (it's on the verge of crashing most of the time, and the CD burner won't backup anything anymore!) Yah, I know. We need to invest in new equip, but we're a little jaded at this point... the laptop was only a year old!

LOTS OF LOVE to you all!!!!

~*~**~*~**~**~*~**~**~*~**~*~**~*~**~*~**~*~**~ Over $47,000 raised for Breast Cancer!!!

I think I'm finally rested, after yet another amazing event put on by Ever After Scrapbooks Store in collaboration with Susan G Koman Breast Cancer Foundation. 24 hours of scrapbooking fun, with the goal of raising funds for breast cancer research, supporting those affected, and raising awareness. Every year I leave the event feeling pumped... it's just so awe-some what a difference a small group of people can do. (170 participants). I just learned that the most recent statistics say that 47,000 women per year will lose their battle with breast cancer each year. How bazaar is that, that we raised $47,100. Each year I also say I'm going to step up my fundraising. I already have ideas for next year...

P.S. About the event... we had a wonderful group of gals on our "island". Group picture (L-R): Gaby, Annie, Anna, Me, Colleen, Jaime, & Dede. Our island theme was "Survivor Scouts", for which we won third place! I had to include a picture of the footprints that I snuck from Jake while he was sleeping (during one of his visits). It was the perfect finishing touch for my footsie layout!

We had a local expert come speak about a very rare, aggressive type of breast cancer called Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Many people have never heard of this type... if you aren't familar with it, please read on! (Link to webpage at the bottom of this post). One of the biggest differences is that the symptoms and detection are *completely* different from what we all think. There are no lumps with this type of breast cancer, and it can't be detected by mammograms or ultrasound. Check out this website for more information on symptoms, detection & treatment: http://www.IBCResearch.org