{Beautiful Day}

After more than week of rainy, gray, cool days, we have been blessed with a gorgeous hot, sunny day today. There was no way I was going to spend the day inside with the kids, and they were thrilled to soak up some much needed sun.

We decided to pack a yummy picnic lunch and head to a park. We laid out our blankets under a big weeping willow. The girls LOVED the tree. They were excited to hear that it was the same kind of tree as Grandmother Willow in Pocahontas, and they had fun trying to figure out where this tree's face would be if it could have one. It really was majestic; it felt like we were eating in a special garden room with the most amazing canopy ever. Sasha decided we should find a really HUGE weeping willow and build a house beneath it. If only that were possible . . .

Dixon was in heaven out here. He could run and play and get dirty and just be a boy. He kept trying to blow on this dandelion like you do the "wish" dandelions. So cute!

Clara decided to take a bit of a cat-nap on the blanket under the tree. Man, that is totally what I would have done if I didn't have to watch the kids! It was the perfect spot to fall asleep while reading a book. But then she perked up and became quirky Clara again.

There was a wedding at the park while we were there and the wedding party was having pictures taken by a train not far from where we were. What a day for a wedding! I'm sure the bride was beyond happy that she had beautiful weather for her big day given all the rain we've had. After the party moved to a different area we headed to the train. Dixon is completely smitten by trains so I thought he'd get a kick out of it.

Surprisingly, Dixon didn't know quite what to do with himself! He acted like he didn't want to be near the train for a while and just kind of walked around pouting. I think he was just hot and tired. He eventually began to act more like himself and was jabbering about the train. Of course, by that time we were all ready to go and he pitched a fit because he didn't want to say goodbye to the train. Go figure.

After letting the kids play on the playground for a bit, we called it a day. They were all hot, sweaty, and pink from the sun - just as they should be. I had promised the girls we would go to an art store and get some new supplies, so after that stop we headed home.

What a beautiful, perfect day! If only Cory were here to enjoy it with us. Hurry home, sweetie! :)

{Some New Layouts}

I thought I'd post a handful of layouts I've created recently. Hope you enjoy taking a peek! :) OH - Remember to download my iNSD freebie TODAY if you haven't already. The link will be disabled on Saturday evening!


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Have a great weekend!

{iNSD Blog Train FREEBIE!}

It's finally here - iNSD! This is a day, well, a weekend, that I look forward to every year. For all my family and friends reading this who have NO CLUE what iNSD is, it is International Scrapbook Day! The "day" has evolved into an entire weekend of scrapping, online store sales, games, freebies, contests, chats, and other fun activities. It's a weekend to celebrate the hobby that so many of us love!

Today I am participating in a fabulous blog train sponsored by my favorite digi scrap store, ScrapMatters. The designers at ScrapMatters have seriously been working their tails off creating amazing Grab Bags, kits, freebies and fun for all of us to enjoy. One of their creations is a gorgeous vintage inspired collab kit called "Timeless". It is filled with beautiful papers and stunning elements in a color scheme and theme that you'll go back to again and again as you scrap your family photos. And the best part? It's FREE when you purchase $20 of yumminess at ScrapMatters this weekend during the iNSD sale!!!

To make this even better, a SLEW of the designers and creative team members at ScrapMatters have gotten together and created freebies for you with this kit. You'll find everything from stacked papers to brag book pages on this blog train. I have created an element cluster for you. It is perfect to put beside a photo of a loved one or along the side of a layout. Here is a preview of the freebie as well as the kit "Timeless":

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Your next stop on the blog train is Kelli's blog.

Enjoy the rest of the blog train (it's HUGE by the way!) and make sure you spend some time scrapping this weekend!

{My Boy}

Today my little boy turned two years old. Seriously, I feel like he was just a teeny little chicken-legged newborn who stayed curled up in a ball when I took him out of his car seat. And now he is two. Two!
Dixon has grown in so many ways, especially during the past few months. He hasn't had much of a vocabulary. For example, I was "Nana" up until about a month ago. Every girl was "Sasha". He said typical boy words like "ball" and "choo choo" as well as a number of other words like "shoe" and "eat". But lately his vocabulary has exploded! He repeats words he hears and is even putting together simple sentences like "I yuv you, Mama." Yeah, that's my favorite one. And he tells us he loves us ALL the time. But it'll never be too much.

Dixon has also begun to really get into sports. He would love to be outside playing with balls, riding on bikes and tractors, and running around the yard during every waking moment. He also looooooves Thomas the Train. I got him Thomas Crocs recently and they have to be on his feet from the moment he wakes up till the moment he goes to bed. And if Dixon had it his way, he'd sleep with them on, too. At his birthday party last weekend he got lots and lots of Thomas trains, clothes, books, movies, and other items. He loves them SO much! He is a boy through and through.

I'm so grateful that God gave us this adorable, smart, ornery little guy to love, teach and nurture. He is a gift . . . a dream come true.

Happy Birthday, Robert Dixon! We couldn't love you more!

{Peep Invasion}

Last night forty of these peeps and their eggs decided to nest in my kitchen. Although they sure are cute, they thankfully made their way to Sasha and Clara's classrooms this morning so the kids could enjoy them. Bye bye birdies!

Cheep Cheep!

{Chocolate Vampire}

This is what happens when you give an almost 2-year-old boy a Tagalong Girl Scout cookie and he holds it in his mouth too long. Attractive, isn't it? I think he's onto something here. Enough of this bloody vampire stuff that's so popular right now. Chocolate is the way to go! I'd grow fangs if it meant I could drink chocolate all day . . . wouldn't you?

Aside from his shiner, red marker spots, and overall messiness, he's a rather handsome vampire.

Eat your heart out, Edward.

{Future}

The final Joy Of Love assignment: What do you see in your future? Truthfully, I don't know what the future holds for us as a family. Heck, I don't even know if our family is complete yet! But I do know one thing for sure: We will live in our dream home someday. That is our ultimate goal, the focus that keeps Cory and I driven to succeed. We aren't positive about where this dream house will be, but we do know of a couple of options right now. One is the old stone farmhouse he grew up in in St. Thomas. It is currently vacant and he has wild dreams of gutting it, remodeling the entire thing and adding on a big wing. The problem is that I am not sold on the idea for a number of reasons. But because I don't want to squash Cory's dream, it remains an option. The second possibility - the one that I am really hoping becomes reality - is to build on a section of land that used to be a part of my grandparent's orchard. There are approximately seventy acres of cornfields, fruit trees, and woods that are singing my name to come make them home. I can just picture raising our family there, and watching the kids run through the fields and exploring nature without worrying about street traffic and neighbors. It is the picture of peaceful utopia. Here is a picture I took in 2009 of the clearing at the base of the mountain where we would likely build our home if this dream came true. No matter if we end up in Cory's childhood farmhouse, on the piece of farmland or somewhere different altogether, I know that Cory and I will enjoy many more years together with our family. We will grow old together, hopefully enjoy grandchildren, and will spend evenings on a porch in rocking chairs. That is a future that I can look forward to.