Another one...

Old pics from last summer!

Memory Mixer VS Smilebox

A few people asked which program I use for my digital scrapbooking. I've always used Smilebox, but I'm trying a new program called Memory Mixer and I'm liking it a lot! Smilebox is sooo easy, you basically find an album you like and plug in the pictures. The problem is if you don't like some of the pages or all of the embellishments, you are stuck. Sometimes you can remove them but not always. I love how easy and fast it is. Memory Mixer, I don't have a lot of experience with yet...I created the above page using it. This page was done from scratch. MM does have pre-done pages, they call them Quick Mix, but I think I am more interested in having the freedom to create my own. A friend mentioned this program at a Relief Society meeting this week so I was excited to check it out and can't wait to play with it more! These are pictures from last year... I was just messing around! But, Allie really is starting lacrosse...and she's excited!

Where did 12 years go???

Allison Kate ~ 12 years old!

Allie had her 12th birthday in March. I just have to say...where has the time gone? I remember very clearly the day she was born and it just doesn't seem that long ago. I'm so proud of Allie and the young lady she is becoming. She is a great girl and tries so hard to do her best at everything she does. Allie is an awesome student and a great lacrosse player as well. She is also a great friend. Lately I have had a couple of moms compliment me on what a great friend she is to their daughters. Allie is also really loving attending Young Women's and has been reading the Book of Mormon on her own. I just love this girl and I know she is going to love the next phase of her life! More scrapbook pages of Allie's b-day...I know it's overkill! :)

LaS VeGaS bAbY!

In March our family traveled to Las Vegas for a lacrosse tournament Tanner was participating in for his competitive team. We made a little vacation out of it and had a lot of fun! The funniest part about the trip was the kid's wanting to visit Gold and Silver Pawn shop. This shop is featured on a TV show called PAWN STARS. It's kind of like the Antiques Road Show only in a really white trash way, because it's actually a pawn shop. So, people bring stuff in to see what it's worth and they call in experts to tell them because they aren't even sure what the item would be worth. The people that work in the store....well, let's have the pictures speak for themselves...

This is Chumlee...for some reason my kids were REALLY more excited than I wish they would have been to meet this guy. But, I must admit, he was pretty nice to come out and pose for a picture with them. He even gave the girls stickers that said "I ♥ Chumlee". Tanner has one that says, "Chumlee 4 President." A scary thought! The shop really was a typical pawn shop, but they did have some cool stuff. They had a few super bowl rings. Can you imagine some football player....pawning their ring in Vegas? Crazy! I really don't know what else to say about this...the kids were stoked! I wanted to remember this, because it really cracks me up!

Below are some scrapbook pages that tell about the rest of our trip.

HOTEL

My girls have the best imaginations...ever! Lately they have been playing a game they made up and call "Hotel." This game basically turns our house into a hotel. It requires the use of our house phone and my cell phone, the entry table has to be pushed out for the front desk and occasionally, food for room service is necessary. So, someone checks in at the front desk and is then taken to a room where they....ask for things they need, complain about the room and call the front desk for room service.... finally end up eating pretzels or an orange on the bed. It's fun to watch the girls and their friends playing fun things like this even though there are aspects of it that drive me a little crazy...like my lack of access to a phone while they are doing it!! Oh well, they are only little once!

The Lady at the Front Desk

These lovely gals sure did enjoy their stay at

The Lambert Hotel

 (or whatever it's called!)

McKenna's Baptism ~ February ~ 2010

This is a scrapbook I made for McKenna's baptism. It was such a special day for our sweet and special girl! We had pictures taken by my sis-in-law's good friend Cecily Cook at the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple with two of her best friends, Josie Pratt and Christina Lindquist. It was freezing cold and snowing at first, but I love how they turned out. My parents surprised Kenna by coming from S. Carolina for her special day. It was great to spend time with them and the rest of our family. 

We love you Kenna!

The invitation we sent to family and friends...Kenna's favorite color, YELLOW!

I can't believe the day has come and gone! McKenna looked forward to her baptism for soooo long and was so excited. I love Kenna's great attitude and the way she always tries to do what is right. So glad we could enjoy her special day as a family. :) 

Valentine's Day

We had yummy fondue, salad, roasted chicken and bread for Valentine's day. The kid's loved dipping into the fondue pot! Here are some pictures of the girls on V-day with their boxes and bags of Valentines.

We made Kelsie and Allie's boxes and Kenna made hers at school. On Super Bowl Sunday we stamped all of their Valentine's and got them ready for their classes.

LoOk wHo's EiGhT...McKeNna!

We had such a fun time celebrating McKenna's 8th birthday!

She wanted some new things for her bedroom, so we didn't let her sleep in her room the night before and did a little makeover on her room while she slept in the basement. I made a magnet board, with mod podge and scrapbook paper and got a new quilt for her bed. She woke up to her "new" room with her presents all wrapped on her bed. We let her open them in her jammies. Later we went ice skating with our family at the Olympic Oval and came home for dinner and cake. It was a great day, celebrating this sweet girl!

Kenna is so full of life and so happy to finally be 8! She was so excited for her baptism and we had such a great time getting everything ready for her. McKenna is very active and social...always wanting to play with a friend. She loves riding her bike, roller blading, swimming, playing at the park and just being a kid! She is such a fun girl. I ♥ Kenna

OrGaNiZaTiOn...

In January, I spent A LOT of time organizing my kitchen. I cook 99% of the meals for our family and decided my work space needed some help. Here are a few before and after pictures. This probably seems like a silly post...I actually revamped almost every cabinet and drawer in my kitchen! It has made cooking SO much easier and I've been so happy with the results. I couldn't find a spice when I needed it and even ended up buying double on occasion because they were such a mess. I love organizing and having everything in its place, but the reality is...it doesn't always happen! I've been happy I spent a little money and took some time to make my kitchen space more functional! So far it still looks like this too! :) 

My cRaFt RoOm!

A few people have asked me to post pictures of my craft room...so here it is! 

It's actually a little room...but I don't care because it's mine!! I've wanted a place that I could work and store all of my projects FOREVER! So I love this room. I have a place for everything, pictures, scrapbooking stuff, wrapping paper/cards, beads etc...

It was so fun decorating in bright fun colors and not caring what anyone else thought. I have my old kitchen table for projects and the changing table stores all of my stamps and ink pads. I got a few fun things from IKEA for storage and a bright colored rug. I love going down there to work on projects and if I don't finish, I can just leave it and shut the door! Yay! The green room above is another room we finished. We refer to it as the kid's family room. It has a TV, a few chairs and a game table. It's their hangout, with two large closets lined with shelves for games and a few toys. It has been SO nice to have the extra space. Red spent about four months getting these rooms finished, along with the hallway and a toy space under the stairs for Kelsie. He worked very hard and did an awesome job! It's so nice to have a handy husband! I am truly grateful for the extra space!