reflecting

some days i think i could handle a few more weeks of summer holidays and non-schedules.

then there is a day where the kids are tired or grumpy.... and i am counting down the days to send them packing! ha!

parenthood is definitely a roller coaster. a roller coaster you could never understand until you are in the middle of the ride!!

at times i lose my breath seeing how quickly our kids are growing up. part of me wants to hold on to them and keep them young. i came across the quote:

        "Scraped knees are easier to fix than broken hearts."

so true.

then i get myself together and remind myself of the benefits of healthy, growing kids. despite the sad, angry, painful, bitter moments that accompany life...it will be those times that help them grow to be happy, patient, thankful and sweet. watching your kids hurt is much harder on me than when i hurt for myself. likewise, watching them succeed and meet joy is far more exhilarating than experiencing my own joys.

sigh.

this year BOTH of them will be considered ELEMENTARY kids.

breathe Roxanne...

i thought time was moving quickly before. i think we are about to take off at light speed now!!


one of our neighbours brought home a baby girl (barely over 6 pounds) 2 weeks ago. so exciting! i can't wait until she is all colicky and they need a break from holding her. isn't that terrible of me?! those dreams were floating in my mind one day as we were on an errand. it got interrupted by a voice from the backseat:

Aidan: "mom, when she is my age, will i be a teenager?"
Me: "no."
...at which point i quickly did the math and realized he was correct! gasp!! what?!
Me: "actually you are right. but don't you ever bring it up again!"
Aidan: no comment...but i knew he was grinning. kid can't wait to be a teenager.

i mentioned this to my 'brand-new-parents' neighbours. {not the part about hoping she is colicky.} although i should have after they made this comment:

"he will be old enough to babysit her too. that will be handy."

and i left. they were keeping a tight grip on that baby anyway...it would have been more awkward if i had ripped it from their arms at that point!

back to scrapbooking....



last years' family photo. taken by me. with the help of a tripod and a remote. i have a feeling this years' will be more candid. the kids always surprise me with interesting poses.

i had put the photo onto so many Christmas cards, that i don't think it had been scrapbooked before. i had extras. regardless, i love the quote.

happy family. most of the time, anyway! wink.

Pat posted a link to handmade paper flowers on the Urban Scrapbook blog a month ago. this is one of the tutorials. they are time consuming. but still worth it. i made a few of them now. a friend made a few for a guestbook album she was creating for her brother and sister-in-law. i told her she had to share the photos. she used the new BoBunny EtCetera papers. oh. my. goodness. loveliness!!

wonder of wonders i managed to complete the layout for my September class in a day. yes. history was made. after tomorrows' class it will be hanging in the store. i will do my best to post all the photos on Friday. for now, here is a little sneak peak......

this layout will be perfect for anything to do with fall or thanksgiving. anything. i am hoping we have a long and slow fall. i want more pictures of the golds, reds, oranges and coppers that we enjoyed last year.

one day i would love to be in Eastern Canada to witness the fall display of colours. i've heard it is stunning.