{Lotsa Layouts}

Have you ever been so incredibly frustrated by something you could just cry? That's how I've felt for the past four days. My computer has decided that it doesn't like my camera and is refusing to load any images. I have so many things I want to blog about and so many photos to organize for when I'm ready to scrap them. Argh!

Anyway, I have a number of new layouts that I haven't posted yet, so I may as well do that now. This isn't nearly all of them, but it's a good sampling. If I have posted any of these already, forgive me! You can click any of the images to enlarge them if you want to read the journaling or see the details better.

This one is for Clara's preschool album. Dixon is six months old today - I can hardly believe it! I'm trying hard to do as many layouts of him as I can. Baby pictures can be hard to keep track of - the first year goes so fast! This first one was actually a quickpage. All I added was the photo and title. Easy!

This is one of my new favorite layouts. I just love how it came together!

And a few pics of baby D when he was born.

Here's another new fav of mine. These two have a special bond and a special love. It's adorable!

I have the most beautiful sisters ever. Here's my younger sister, Becky, two summers ago.

A couple pics of our last day at the beach two years ago.

This photo is from 2006. Sasha is so young!

And finally, the most adorable witch you've ever seen! This was Halloween 2007.

That's it for now! I sure do hope my computer and camera work on their relationship or layouts are the only things I'll be able to share with you. Keep your fingers crossed!

{Roast and Toast}

Last night we had the pleasure of attending a surprise Roast and Toast for Cory's aunt and uncle, Jean and Denny. They are not only celebrating their 40th anniversary, but they are also both celebrating their 60th birthday. In fact, I learned that they were born just four hours apart! How cool is that?

We gathered at a local church and awaited their arrival. They thought they were coming to a Bible study. . . heh, heh. Surprise! They were definitely surprised. In fact, I heard Denny whisper to someone, "What's this for?" Men really are clueless sometimes, huh? :)

Throughout the evening, a slideshow of photos of Denny and Jean played on a big screen. Some were beautiful, some were hilarious.

We pigged out on delicious desserts, cheeses and pretzels, and fresh fruit while a number of Denny and Jean's friends and family members told stories about them.

Who do you think was being roasted this time?

It was a really fun evening and worth trekking out in the cold rain. Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday, Denny and Jean!

While we were at the event I realized I haven't taken any photos of the three generations of men we now have in the family. So I asked the guys to humor me and they happily obliged.

I love how they are all wearing zippered fleecy/sweater shirts. Three Meyers men. I love them all.

And finally, when we got home Dixon had fallen asleep in his carseat. He was doing that adorable sleep sucking thing that babies often do, and I couldn't help myself. I had to videotape it. Both Sasha and Clara did this as babies and it melts my heart every time I see it. It's the little things . . .

{More Birthdays}

Yep, we have more birthdays to celebrate! Can you stand it?

On Sunday Cory celebrated his 32nd birthday. I wish I could say, "Man, he's gettin' old." But I can't since I'm older than he is. Instead I'll say, "Man, he's lookin' good."

We went to his parents' place for dinner and a Penn State cake. Yummy pork, pasta salads, watermelon, and other tasty tidbits filled our bellies quite well. Thanks MeMe for a good meal and a fun evening!

Happy Birthday, Cory! I hope you get everything you wish for! The next day, Monday, was our dear little puppies' 1st birthday. Whether you're a dog lover or not, you can't deny that these two are fiercely adorable.

This is what they looked like the day we adopted them from a rescue in West Virginia. There were six in the litter, and they had been rescued from a basement where they were barely being cared for at all. We intended to adopt just Perdy, but Jasmine's adoptive parents backed out so we got her, too. It's the BEST decision we made. The two of them are completely inseperable!From left to right we have: Jasmine (she was called Ariel, but we already have an Ariel so we changed it), Jasmine (the original), Sebastian, Dodger, Perdita (Perdy), and shoot. I can't remember the last one's name. Our Jasmine and the black Jasmine (confused?) were the only two itty-bitty pups in the litter. The other four were more . . . stocky. Their momma was a chihuahua and the rescue folks believe their daddy was a dachshund/hound mix. Clearly Jazzy favors her momma and Perdy favors her daddy.I got them a custard cake to celebrate last night. It was yummy.

The pups thought so, too.

Happy Birthday Cory, Perdy and Jasmine! Love you all lots!

{A Girl's Gotta Have Shoes}

So when the adorable Stella Rain made her appearance last Wednesday, I knew I wanted to get her something ultra girly and special. I went to a great store and scoured the aisles of infant clothes, but nothing really screamed, "Buy Me! I'm the perfect gift!" Then a friend mentioned getting her a pair of Robeez. If you've never experienced the joy of Robeez before and you have small kids, you must go get a pair. Or two. Or ten.

Robeez are ultra-soft leather shoes for babies and toddlers. They are like little moccassins that allow a child's foot to grip the floor and move naturally. And the best part is how stinkin' adorable they are.

But on Wednesday I didn't have time to order a pair of Robeez. I wanted to give Stella her gift that day. Planning ahead isn't always a talent of mine. And doesn't this babe deserve a great gift ON her birthday? My womb is aching again.

So instead of getting Stella Robeez, I decided to get her an entire shoe wardrobe. A girl can't have too many pairs of shoes, right?

Check em out:

My favorite pair: the white leather boots with pink side laces.

The Ugg knock-offs. Pretty cute, huh?

For the more dressy-casual occassions, I give you white butterfly flats:

And when a fancy dress is a must, Stella now has pink sparkly shoes:

The inner-princess in me could not pass up these ballerina slippers. They are white silk with light pink ribbons and an elastic back strap. I can just see Stella lounging in her bathrobe with her toes nestled in these babies propped up on her Daddy's lap. OK, that probably won't happen. But Megan better put these gems on her baby's feet and at least take a picture!

Metallics are neutrals in the fashion world, so these silver quilted flats should go with a variety of outfits:

And finally, I give you the everyday kicks:

Man, I want another girl.

The same friend who suggested getting Stella Robeez also recommended wrapping each pair in individual boxes and stacking them with ribbon once she heard that I bought a whole shoe wardrobe. Great idea! Here's how it turned out:

I wonder if I'll be buying a shoe wardrobe again in May for Becky's little one(s)?

{Happy Birthday X 3!}

September 30th is a pretty cool day. It is the day that I gave birth to my first child, Sasha Rose, six years ago. It is the day I finally felt absolute, complete love for someone else. My once 5 lb. 8 oz. little pink bundle now stands as tall as my armpit (lovely, huh?), is missing her front two teeth, and is learning how to read. But each time I look at her today I see that little baby girl who was placed on my chest right after being born. So tiny, so perfect, and so mine.

Weep. Sniffle. Sigh.

Yesterday Sasha donned her Birthday Girl ribbon to school. She was a wee bit excited to be six. This girl has the most sensitive eyes ever. It was totally overcast, yet she still could barely manage to look up for a picture. This was the best shot I could get.

Wednesdays are dance class nights, so after class we came home for some cake. I had kept the top tier of her birthday cake in the freezer so we could enjoy it on her actual birthday. And this time she got to blow out candles, something I forgot to do at her party.

And yet, both the girls opted for a cow cupcake instead of cake! That was fine with me - I lurve that cake!

Happy 6th Birthday, Sasha!

Now for some extra cool news . . .

Announcing the arrival of baby Stella Rain Martin!

My sister-in-law, Megan, gave birth to this beauty yesterday morning. That's right, she shares a birthday with Sasha! Pretty darn cool! What's also neat is that they have the same initials, too. We didn't even realize it until a few hours after she was born. I wonder if Stella and Sasha will have a special cousin relationship as they grow up together.

As soon as I saw this wee little girl and held all 7 lbs. 11 oz. of her, my womb started to ache. Yes, I know I have a five month old, but I can't help it. I want another one.

Can you smell the sweetness?

I'm going to spoil this little lass rotten.

Megan looks fantastic less than seven hours after giving birth, wouldn't you say? Fortunately, she had a relatively easy and uncomplicated delivery. Not saying that childbirth is easy, but comparatively speaking this was a good one.

And here is the proud Papa. I have a feeling Stella is going to bring out a number of emotions Jason doesn't know exist yet. Just a hunch.

And now you may be wondering who the third birthday celebration is for. Well . . .

My sister Becky is preggers!!! She spilled the beans two weeks ago and at this point I think all of the family and her friends know, so it's safe for me to announce it here. I'm SO STINKIN' EXCITED for her and Barry! Baby Leonard is due to arrive at the end of May. Or should I say "Babies Leonard". Both of Barry's parents are twins. You never know . . .

{My Beautiful Bride}

Let me explain. My girls are somewhat obsessed with princesses and everything super-girly. They are just at that age when fairy tales are real and the best thing in the world is pretending to be Cinderella.

So when Sasha asked to be a bride for her birthday a few months ago, I wasn't at all surprised. A bride party actually sounded fun!

For the past two months I have been busy making plans for a bride party that would live up to the fairy tale Sasha surely has been envisioning. I've been scouring the clearance aisles at all the local stores for end-of-season wedding supplies; I've created invitations (that sadly never were sent via mail due to a faulty printer); I've ordered a wedding cake; I've purchased wedding dresses and a veil; I've made a menu. From establishing a color scheme to creating place cards and goodie boxes to hot gluing ten veils for her "attendants", every detail for a perfect party was examined closely. At times I really did feel like I was planning an actual wedding!

The perfect venue for the day was my dad's backyard. It is beautifully shaded by big trees and there is a stream that bubbles for a romantic atmosphere. Not that I was going for romance. Nope. Not at all. The backyard was simply a gorgeous place to have a bride birthday party.

Thankfully we had picture-perfect weather and all the girls and boys Sasha invited were able to come. With the exception of a handful of family members who weren't able to make it, Sasha was tickled with how everything turned out.

And without further ado, here is my beautiful bride!

I love the little details of this picture, like Sasha's missing front tooth and the engagement ring on her thumb. I didn't even know she had the ring on until I posted this picture here. It's just perfect.

I wanted the tables for the kids to look like reception tables. Each place had a wedding plate, a box they would later decorate and fill with their favors, a mesh bride dress with six cookies and cream Hershey Kisses, a mini champagne glass, bells, and bubbles. The girls' chairs had a veil lying on them that they put on when they arrived and the boys' chairs had a top hat. I then sprinkled heart confetti and candy engagement rings all over the tables.

Sasha had a big bouquet complete with a blue and white satin wrap and accent pearls.

The color is terribly off in this next photo, so much so that the red roses look black. Let's look beyond the bad colors and check out the food! On the menu: heart shaped sandwiches, fresh fruit salad, sweet red pepper dip with veggies, chips, pretzels, peanuts, and a variety of blue and white candies.

The kids patiently waited to be served. Don't they all look wonderful dressed up?

We had to get a standard wedding party photo before things got too wild and crazy. All but two of the kids are pictured here. So stinkin' cute!

Finally it was time for presents! Sasha sat down in a spot that was flooded with light and gave me her typical girly-girl poses. Check out her friend peeking in on the side. Adorable!

The birthday girl had to have a Wedding Day Barbie, right? And one of her friends got her the groom! Sasha was thrilled beyond belief with all the wonderful, generous gifts her friends and family gave her. She is now stocked with a fresh art supply and lots of crafts, jewelry, and other goodies.

As she opened each gift, she thanked her friends and gave them a big hug. I could post a dozen photos of those sweet hugs, but I'll choose just two.

Isn't this gal beautiful?!?

And get a load of Mr. Blues Brothers himself! Yes, folks, Billy showed up in a tux and he ROCKED that thing!

Now for the cake. I asked my friend Kristi, who makes amazing cakes, if she would create a miniature wedding cake for Sasha. Thankfully, she said yes, and what a cake she made! The bottom tier was called a tuxedo cake. It was white and chocolate cake layers with mousse between each layer. Drool. The top two layers were chocolate with chocolate mousse filling. More drool. The icing was buttercream, and there were tiny handmade blue and white roses decorating the whole thing. I knew I wouldn't be able to have the typical "Happy Birthday, Sasha" message on the cake, but I totally didn't expect what Kristi did instead. Check out that "6" and the monogram! It was so elegant and absolutely perfect. The photo simply doesn't do this masterpiece justice.

Cory and Sasha cut the cake together.

And then they took turns feeding each other the first bites. Yeah, a girl's first love truly is her Daddy. Look at the complete joy on this girl's face. Sigh.

The only mishap of the day (as far as I know) did involve the cake, though. Poor Kristi decided to go for a run in the morning and ended up on crutches with what I believe is a torn ligament. (I could be wrong about that, but I think that's what the injury is.) I pray you heal quickly, Kristi!

Every wedding has to have a bouquet toss, so all the girls -and boys- took turns trying to toss their bouquets into a basket. Their first attempts were done the traditional way: backwards over their shoulders. But after two rounds and zero bouquets in the basket, the kids just started tossing any which way. And as it turned out, the extra confetti I had left in the basket became the focus of the play and they had to be torn away from the little sparklies. I guess a party is a success if you leave with confetti in your hair!

Every year Cory and I give Sasha roses for her birthday. We used to give her a rose for each year: one for her first birthday, two for her second, and so on. But it's way easier to simply buy a dozen roses, so that's what she gets now.

Happy Birthday, Sasha Rose! You make a stunning bride. And I know that on the day you actually do get married, we'll pull out these photos and remember the joy you had as a six-year-old bride. Oh, how the tears will surely flow . . .