santa's on his way...

omg!
can you believe it's almost that time?!?!?

i can't wait!

i am absolutely infatuated with christmas...can't get enough...can't start decorating soon enough...can't wrap enough presents...i just can't get enough!!!

so...
i have been a busy little crafter this week, and i've been a sculpting fool...

here's a sneek at a few little guys that will be appearing in my etsy shop

{just imagine them all bearded and dressed...}

look who's scrappin...

well, that would be...me!

i needed a little self-guided therapy after winning the world's worst mother award...{see previous post}...
so i was up until almost 4 last night workin on some pages...


a little cheesy, but i like it...

and the worst mother award goes to...

drumroll please...

me!!!

today was a little crazy...
i'm home on break, and i got a late start on lunch
jaden has to be at school at 12:45, and we were pushing it!

i rushed the girls to the truck, and headed off to school...
when we pulled up, i thought it was a little strange that her classmates were not in the hallway like normal, but i know we were running late...{although i knew in the back of my mind we weren't that late}...and i thought the kids had already headed to class...
so i kiss jaden, tell her to go straight to her classroom, and ashlyn and i head off to run an errand...

i made it about half a block away from the school when something started nagging me...i vaguely remembered that today might have been the day they had an early dismissal!

crap!

so i call the school to verify...the conversation went something like this...

me: "hi...do you have an early dismissal today?"
secretary: "yes...did you just drop off a kindergartner?"

so i make a u-turn and race back to the building...
as i pull in, the assistant principal is walking jaden out to the truck

please keep in mind that all of this happened in a matter of about 3 minutes...

i get jaden...{who is breaking my heart with the crocodile tears}, i put my arm around her, apologize, tell her i love her, and she says...
"thanks! you ruined everything! you should give your number to mrs. caldwell so she can call and tell you when i have a dismissal next time!"


...my bad...

october updates...

oct. 12 ~ my last day of school before my two week break...{my break is now over...that's how far behind i am on posting!}
i went to the newport aquarium with a group from school for WOEA Day...
a couple of my faves from the trip...

these fish cracked me up! they look like those old cartoons...you know...where the animal turns sideways and nearly disappears...i love it!



this stingray was swimming above me as i walked through the shark tunnel...he would get to the top of the arch and actually slide down the other side...






~ and later that evening...
our 2nd annual "haywood hayride"...{so aptly named by my aunt becky...a.k.a. "precious"}

the girls actually cooperated {for a minute} with my incessant photo snapping...


ashlyn had a ball throwing hay...{which, by the way, they ask you not to do...but the pics were so dang cute...everyone was doing it!}...


when the wagon stopped and we jumped off to get pumpkins, i {apparently mistakenly} asked jaden to wait a sec so i could get a pic of her and ashlyn grabbing their pumpkins...
this was her reaction to my suggestion...


this is why she didn't want to hang out with me...her buddy kacy


and i finally got a couple {grudginly cooperative} shots of the girls and their choices...












oct. 13 ~ i attended a balloon launch in memory of a dear family friend...Tara West
she passed away 6 months ago as the result of a car accident...
she was only 18...

it was very meaningful and emotional...
and i am so thankful that i captured these shots...

Tara's grandma...writing a note to attach to her balloon...


Debbie...Tara's mom...waiting for the release...

my etsy shop is open!

check it out!

twogirlzstuff

labels galore!
santas on the way...
and lots of grand ideas for fun and fabulous "shtuff"!

you want cheese-nuggets-salad?

okay, so a while back, jaden started pretending she was a waitress...

she'd walk around with pad of paper (or a box lid, or whatever was handy) and a pencil (or crayon) and she'd ask jackson and i what we wanted to order/to eat...

jackson and i would almost always respond with the same things...chicken nuggets, salad, water

well, ashlyn has picked up the "i-want-to-be-a-waitress" bug, and she walks around with whatever's handy (a pad, play phone, scrap paper, diaper) and asks...

"you want cheese (chicken) nuggets salad?"

fall is in the air...

just a few things that remind me of fall...

pumpkins (of course!)





homecoming corsages...(not mine, of course!)

spiders...(not really a fan, but this one was pretty cool)

bonfires


and some journaling labels i made

as promised...

i know...
i'm a slacker...

but here are some of the things i promised a few days back...

a couple pages i made for jaden
...this is her totally fed up with me and my camera




...and this is a while ago...let's just say you need to look really closely at the picture

jaden right now...

1. is a big, bad, kindergartner

2. jumps (not steps, not walks) down the steps of the bus every day, runs up to the porch, kisses ashlyn, and then runs into the kitchen to grab a snack

3. loves her sister so much she can't keep her hands off her...{trust me, they're not always this sweet and innocent}

4. is officially addicted to reading {she has to read her library book at least once a night...and, on occassion, once with every person in sight}

5. is totally independent...{i think she'd make her own meals and take care of ashlyn if we let her}

6. conquered her fear of the "giant blow-up slide", only to ride it over and over and over again

7. loves her some bling!

8. thinks that she's all grown up (refer back to no.'s 2 & 5)

9. actually is beginning to grow up...{i don't beleive it...i'm still in denial}

10. is affectionately referred to as "boogers", "dude", and "goof"/"goofball" (see picture below)

ashlyn right now...

1. loves grapes ...and "myilk" {milk}...and "roni cheese" {macaroni & cheese}...and "fruit nacks" {fruit snacks}...and hot dogs...and...
well, the girl loves food

2. stops and says "can i jump?" everytime she steps out of the bathroom and into the hallway {it goes from tile to wood, so she thinks it's too different to step over}

3. is affectionately referred to as "monkey"...see picture below

4. is easily entertained with the most mundane things...{she spent well over an hour playing in these rocks}

5. {see no. 4}

6. can't {or should I say chooses not to} eat yogurt or mashed potatoes without smearing it all over her arms and face...{and usually squishing it between her fingers - can't wait til the girl visits a beach for the first time and can squish the sand bewteen her toes}

7. loves her sister more than anything, even though she can't be around her without screaming

8. would live outside if she was allowed

9. gets more excited about baths than anything else...{aside from food...}

10. is hopelessly in love with "pink", her favorite, grungy, well-worn, don't-know-how-we'll-cope-if-he's-ever-lost-or-destroyed stuffed elephant

how (not) to apply a temporary tattoo...

okay...

i know... it's shocking, but i'm behind on my posts

a couple weeks ago, we took the girls to Abby & Alex's joint birthday party
{the birthday boy and girl belong to a couple of our friends from high school}

anyway...
it was a pirate themed birthday, and the kids were all dressed up in their pirate garb (except mine of course, who had to be in full BUCKEYES garb since it was a game day)

they got little goodie bags that had eye patches, swords...

bandanas...

and temporary tattoos...

which jaden was determined to put on at the party, whether or not she had water to apply it!

it's hard to beleive...

but i actually did a little scrappin this past weekend!

i know...you need proof...

i'm working on it {i hope to get some layouts posted tomorrow}

so...stay tuned!