Some of my favorite toys!
Some of my favorite toys right now are:
1) legos - the big kind in this picture
2) toy cars
3) small slide on the mini-castle we have at home
4) pushing around the stroller
5) balls
6) any remote control
7) include car alarm remotes
Stampin' Up! News!
Mommy's corner: For those of you who know me, I've always enjoyed crafting, working with my hands & creating. But around the time Nicole was born, for a couple of years, I didn't "allow" myself to create, for whatever reasons I told myself. I suppose I had some very good reasons, but I now realize that during that time that I suppressed my desire to create, I lost a part of myself. It was almost like a part of me was dying & I didn't even know it.
Now, I can really relate to these words from Sandra Felton, when she encourages us to honor the need to create: "You need to maintain the best balance possible for good mental health in your life. If you have a creative spirit, this means you must create to be happy. Be sure to make time to if you neglect this aspect of your personality some kind of malaise difficult for you to do other things right."
So, a time came when I began rubber stamping & learning different techniques for cardmaking. My friend, Anna, was my inspiration & enabler, as she was my Stampin' Up! demonstrator. As I got more involved with communities of ladies that also rubber stamped (yes! communities of ladies!! LOL!) I slowly but truly became HOOKED! I have also discovered that I LOVE to teach others what they can do with rubber stamping! I love that energy & excitement that comes from creating together & it always feels good when I hear someone say, "Ohhhhh, I made that! So pretty!"
That's led me to a decision that Chris & I made (I suppose it was mainly my decision, but I REALLY, TRULY need his support & belief in me) some time in August. I signed up to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator! I was "officially" in their system on September 17th, and TODAY, I received my starter kit items!! See below for my happy mail!
If it were up to me, I would have ripped into those boxes right away!! And as fun as it would have been to play with my new crafting toys, I had to wait until the next night! Why?? Oh why must I have to wait?!!?
Why? I was scheduled to go to a women's conference with some of the ladies I serve with at my church. The UPS man came literally seconds before my ride picked me up. Bummer! But God is so gracious - I had a wonderful time at the conference & I was so blessed to be in the company of these precious sisters in Christ.

Besides not being able to play with my new stamps, my only other regret is leaving these two little ones behind! Look at these mugs! You'd think I was leaving them for a week, instead of just one night!
Allendale Park
What a treat! Mommy brought us over to Allendale Park to play!
We've still got really nice weather, even though it's already mid-September!
Up & down....
....down & up!
Wrong Shoe Size
I told Mommy that my current shoes were getting too small. Now I think they're too big....