Santa's backup

To tide you over (because I have been a pathetic blogger)...I give you...Mr. Christmas. Duncan is in FULL holiday mode. He has scammed all of us into taking him to Michael's (craft store) to stock up on "supplies". He has informed us that he likes to decorate because "the girls like decorating and I like to make the girls happy and make friends with the girls". Hey, you gotta give the kid credit...

Top ten

1.) I miss bare feet 2.) I am TRYING to enjoy the process of building a house 3.) But I'm not really succeeding 4.) I had Cooper's Parent/Teacher conference and was reminded how absolutely in love I am with him 5.) I'm really looking forward to Saturday night with old friends and family up at my mom and dad's house 6.) I love coloring and creating and telling stories with my boys 7.) I am rolling my eyes and trying to be patient but above all...loving Duncan's infatuation with decorating for the holidays 8.) I'm looking forward to John Mayer's new album release on the 17th 9.) Looking forward to Thanksgiving, my WHOLE family being here this year and a short work week 10.) I can't wait to get all the slides digitized

Where have we been?

We've been eating cake! Happy birthday to my lovely sister Jess:)

Yesterday & Today

I recently embarked on something new and exciting. I am taking an online scrap booking class titled Yesterday & Today. I have never before taken a scrapbook class of any kind (online or otherwise). I steer away from most of these classes because they seem to focus on a bunch of stickers and glitter which is just not me. What I love to do is take photographs...I know, surprising...and I love to tell stories...again, I know you're stunned. Well this class focuses on just that...taking your photographs, old and new and telling your stories. As part of this class and the process of getting ready for the class I have had to collect a bunch of photographs from my childhood and before. I am so incredibly lucky to have a father who enjoys the camera and loved documenting our lives growing up. Almost all of the stuff from the 70's and early 8o's is in the form of slides though; which has meant that over the past few weeks (and over a few bottles of wine) my family has traveled down memory lane and watched NUMEROUS slide shows. So far I have pulled 377 slides to have converted into digital format. Along with documenting my life and my childhood I plan to document the lives of my parents, grandparents and great grandparents - at least as much as I can. So...the journey began to collect even more photos...even older photos...memorabilia...stories. I have really enjoyed this process and loved some of the stuff I've come across. This is my grandmother (on my mother's side) when she was young...

and this is her at her baby shower when she was pregnant with my mom.

And this I just LOVE. This is a letter to my grandmother from her brother, congratulating her on the birth of my mother.

And the bill for my mother's delivery... So loving uncovering and learning the history of my life....