A week and half ago, we had a Kaylee visit. It was wonderful in all ways. Even, when my girls fought like sisters over a Barbie doll, despite them not living under the same roof. It warms my heart that they are bonding already, whether it’s through arguing or dancing! Kaylee even calls Savannah “my baby sister.”
And now? Savannah keeps looking and asking for Kaylee and settles for wearing Kaylee’s old (way too big) shoes. Now that’s sisterly love.
Normally Love Thursdays feature a photo showing love. But not today. Today, it’s a conversation that I was privileged to have:
Me: Hi Kaylee!
K: I’m four now.
Me: I know! Did you have a happy birthday? What did you get?
K: Yes. I got a um…a baby doll! With um…strips on her clothes. And…she has something in her hair with strips on it too. Oh! It’s a bow.
Me: What did you name her?
K: I named her Cyndi (which is my stepmom’s name)
Me: What else did you get?
…Pause
K: BYE!
Her Mom gets on the phone again and she says, “Oh, Kaylee wants to talk again.”
K: I love you.
Me: I love you, too!
That makes my day, my place, so much better. Why, oh why, do I ever worry that she will forget or not love me? Yes, simple words can mean so much.
Yes, we’re one of those couples. We’re corny. We like to match.
This picture was taken on our first wedding anniversary last Monday the 19th. We were headed out to eat at Firebirds, where I was so excited to finally get me a Filet Mignon and shrimp only for it come out burnt. Twice. And so, we got our entire $50 meal for free. Free! God certainly has a sense of humor, but I’m not complaining! The night didn’t turn out exactly as we planned, but it was still wonderful to spend some time with Mark and we were thrilled about our free meal.
And, we were thrilled to show our lovey-dovey-ness by matching. It actually kind of happened by accident on this day, since I knew I wanted to wear this new outfit because I don’t have a job to wear it to, and Mark just happened to wear red and black to work that day. I even got to wear my beautiful red shoes that about killed my feet!
Matching was something I grew up with in my family, especially on holidays like Christmas, but Mark and I match often regardless of the event. This Sunday to church we both wore brown. Some times Savannah gets lucky and matches us, too.
Told you, we’re corny. I can just see us when we’re 80 wearing matching sweatshirts, can’t you?
Not only has the beautiful, warm weather kept me away from blogging land this week, so has the many trips to my little brother and sister’s school for various reasons. Lunch with one, lunch with the other, watching talent show try outs, or simply picking them up after school. I can’t imagine how many school visits there will be once Savannah is that age!
But really, the main reason of my absence: a new hobby. Gasp! I know, and I’m in love. With digital scrapbooking! I dove in it one afternoon earlier this week and it’s been my nightly craft every night since (carrying me way too late into the night…). I realized I had so many pictures I wanted to do stuff with (ya know, besides sit in my flickr account or, the few that I actually print out get stuck on a shelf hidden away) and the computer seems to be the only way I get things done (I think if laundry were virtual I’d be on top of things!). I had grand plans of making scrapbooks for Kaylee and I to give me something to do after her birth and capture memories for us way back in 2004. Family and friends were extremely generous and bought me very nice supplies. From albums to pens, papers, cutters, organizing folders and even a scrap booking book bag! I had everything I needed, I still do. I made a grand total of 3 pages. And those pages? Nothing to do with Kaylee. And all that stuff now sits in a big box in the garage. So, I thought that maybe going digital was the way to go for me. Here’s why I love it:
1) Saves time. Don’t have to mess with cutting pictures and decoration papers by hand. Just point and click and it’s always a straight line!
2) Saves money. The graphics you buy online you can keep using over and over, mixing and matching, unlike paper and “real” decorations. Once you use it, it’s stuck.
3) No printing individual pictures! I just don’t have time for that. It’s easier to get one page created within just a few minutes and send it off to be printed and mailed to me already in a book.
4) No MESS! Especially with a 1 year old running around, I’ve got enough mess on my hands. And, I’d rather not have my nice pages and hard work destroyed. Plus, with our living situation, there just isn’t room for me to spread all my things out! With digital everything is held nice and organized on the computer, away from small hands and where I’ll actually use it.
Get this though, everything I’ve done so far has been FREE! I downloaded a free 30 day trial of Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 and all the backgrounds and elements I’ve worked with have been found at various digital scrap booking sites for free. I couldn’t afford the newest Adobe Elements, so I bought an older version at a much cheaper price (it’s being mailed to me as a type). This program really makes scrapbooking easy! Everything is pretty much open the picture/graphic and drag to where you want it. I’ve learned a lot through tutorials to help get me started.
And now, a taste of my joy:
1) The BEST place for awesome freebies (where most of the above is from): Digital Scrapbook Place
2) Tutorial- How I learned to use the program: Free Digital Scrapbooking
3) Tutorial- How I learned to colorize photos: Photoshop Momma on YouTube
4) More great free stuff: Computer Scrapbook
*sigh* I wish I could just scrapbook and write all day. I’d be in heaven.
Anyway, I digress. Once I found where Kaylee had disappeared to, I stayed in there keeping her company (along with some others, too), and she eventually asked me to read her some books. I said sure and she plopped down in my lap and we read. And read. And read. And Jess, bless her heart, was a good friend and took this picture. I’m sure she knew how much it’d mean to me to have for later. Thanks, Jessica!
I am so blessed to be her birth mom and to be able to have this kind of relationship with her. She may not understand the power of this yet, but it’s sure special to my heart. This is not just any love, it’s an adoption of love.
I came home from a long day of classes and the drama of losing a car key (thank goodness for my Father in Law!) to this:
I have the sweetest husband. He always has the best ideas for holidays or just because he loves me. I’ve got one of those hopeless romantic kind of guys. Yes, I know how lucky I am.
On this romantic bed included the bear from our first Valentines Day way back in 2006, our freshman year of college. The bear is holding a bottle of sparkling grape juice (our favorite). Beside the bear is a “Tonight” pillow (you know what that means). On the other side is the movie “Suburban Girl” he rented for us to watch (about to go watch it after this) along with a wonderful home made card from Mark and Savannah.
I also came home to a drive way and side walk declaring how much they love me in bright side walk chalk. Yes, I am one well loved girl.
The card has the cutest picture, it’s my favorite part of all this stuff!
I hope your Valentines Day was as well loved and wonderful as mine has been (minus the losing the key part…).
Tonight was a unplanned date night! Of course, it consisted of nothing romantic what so ever. In fact, most people would think of it as a typical outing and nothing special, but those people must not be parents. As parents, every outing without children is a date.
And so, our trips to JC Penny’s, Kohl’s, Target, Dollar Tree (see the pattern here? Cheap! We’re poor college student parents), and Chilli’s to eat, were simply wonderful.
Granted, the picture above was taken on our honeymoon when it was nice, warm, I had longer hair and was all about romance….still. It reflects tonight’s couple time and the love we find even in the simple things.
Like Target. What’s a date without Target? We go there every. single. date.
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