Zoo Trip

My sister's zoo membership expires this month so we want to get a few more times in before it does. We went to the zoo on Wednesday. It was a lot of fun. Only downside is Wednesdays are field trip day so there are a ton of kids there.

When we first got there we had to wait for Preggers (aka Brittany) to go to the bathroom. As we waited some ducks came up to us. Kaden even touched it. The kids had fun chasing after the ducks.

An unplanned tradition is we always go to the reptiles first. That is what Kaden always says he wants to see first.

This is about the time Ryder went wild looking at everything. He had some much fun. He could walk around and go where he pleased...

Outside of the reptile place they have this little half wall that has some birds in it. Ryder wanted nothing more, but to look over this wall that was just his size.

He'd even get up on his tippy toes!

As we were walking around having a swell time we came across this fowl. We decided to make friends with it...

Even Mema tried befriending him.

He followed us for about 30 seconds, we named him Fred. He was our friend...

Until Ryder chased after him...

Sad day, all well, Ryder had fun!

This was the first trip that Ryder actually acted like he cared!

How cute is my boy???

The day was like a never ending game of musical seats (without the music).

Ryder took his turn and pushed Hunter for a little bit. What a trooper!

Does anyone else remember when the alligators (or crocs) were at the end of this little bridge thing? I remember it being so scary because you were surrounded and it looked like it could break any second. Now they have flamingos and a few other animals.

For some reason I absolutely love this picture!

It was a fun time. Afterwards Mema treated us to Olive Garden and then the kids had fun playing outside in Mema's backyard. We're hoping to get one more trip in before the membership expires.

PPA132

I really hope none of you are sick of my cards yet! Here is a color challenge which was more difficult than the sketch ones. Usually my hard part is coming up with the layout. As soon as I saw the color combination my mind went immediately to this little scrap of paper I had in my bag of scraps (I need a better way to organize my scraps!)

Here is the challenge...

Pals Paper Arts- PPA132

Like I've said before, the thing I like about this website is that they don't care if you use the official colors. I'm really trying to break the habit of using white as my base color, (even though it is cheaper especially for my card club I'm in where I'm creating 10-15 of the same card).

So here is my take on the card.

Love the bling!

Sorry didn't realize I caught my shadow. I've learned that it is hard to take a good photo of a card. Not sure how to get the right lighting...

Anywho... I'm not sure what I used since it is mostly scraps used. Just basic cardstocks. Behind the "Happy Mother's Day" circle is a chipboard circle to make the saying stick out.

Linking to:

Etsy Shop

So as you may or may not know, I have an Etsy shop selling cards that I have handmade. Most of them are in the $1- $1.50 range including shipping. Today I lowered a bunch of prices. If you are needing cards for an upcoming event, be sure to check them out. You can click here to be taken to my shop.

Thanks, and I hope you find something you like.

Card Contest

I found another card making challenge! I love finding these because I love making cards and these challenges really help me get a start. Here is the sketch...

Mojo Monday 235

Here is my take on it... I love how this one came out. It's for my Niece's birthday her name starts with a B.

Supplies:

All solid card stock is the Joanns brand

Yellow scallop was punched with Fiskars punch

The floral print is me & my BIG ideas

Tulle for the flower

and then stamped Yippee!! in black ink.

Linking to:

This is me trying to get better at this...

Of course there is nothing really happening in our lives right now. This week was pretty relaxing compared to the usual.

Chase's dad was in town so we got to see him. That is always fun. Ryder has changed a lot since we've last seen him. It's amazing!

I've been getting ready to host a busy bag swap and am participating in a file folder swap. Hopefully we'll come home with plenty to keep Ryder entertained. He is walking and getting into EVERYTHING!

I've also got a recipe swap going on that meets once a month. We've done it twice and it's been fun! And of course card night. April is summer lovin' themed and my card is already done. Not sure if I like it or not, but it's done so no going back now.

I'm ALSO trying to sell some homemade cards on Etsy. So far no takers. They say to sell more post more. Who knows if it's true. I have 7 listings so far. Don't want to do too much and not make anything. I'm thinking 20 is my limit, if I don't sell anything then I'll quit forever.

WOW that sounds like a ton going on, but really it's not too bad. So many swaps!

Anyways, enjoy the rest of your week...

Crazy weekend!

So the craziness started Thursday. Chase had found out earlier in the week that the Elder's Quarm President in our ward was released. A few days later someone from the Stake Presidency asked Chase if he could come and meet with our family! His mind was going crazy for the next 24 hours or so. So Thursday night he came over and I think Chase was relived when all he wanted was to release Chase from his calling and to Thank him for his service.

Friday- Nothing really out of the ordinary. We had a kickbutt work out. We played volleyball with the Elder's it was fun and then played 2 games of softball! Man were we tired...

Saturday- We had many things on the agenda, but all that changed when Chase & I felt super sick. We both woke up sore from the previous nights activities. I was feeling not quite 100% but we had plans for a double date and didn't want to cancel. We went and saw Hunger Games (loved it!) and in the middle I rushed out of the theater fearing I would throw up on the people in front on me. Chase started feeling sick around then too. We spent the rest of the day at home napping and relaxing on the couches. Thankfully Brittany and Bryan were so willing to take Ryder off our hands so we could rest.

One of the worse parts was that we were going to hit up Goodwill half price day:(

Sunday- Woke up late for Church, but we felt like we needed to go. I needed to teach my Primary class and Chase was suppose to bare his Testimony for the Elder's. About mid day Sunday we started feeling a little better.

It's crazy how one moment you are fine and the next your whole weekend changes....

Same ol' same ol'

Man, I have really been sucking it up lately. Let's do some updates over the last 4 months Person by Person...

Chase: He finished a semester at School and has started another one. His Major is Geography, not sure if or what he'll do with it. He really enjoys it so that makes school less of a pain. In December he hit his 1 year mark with MPS. We really love that job. It is super flexible and perfect for our family right now. Chase has started riding his bike more and is hoping to do the Tour de Mesa in April (or atleast the shorter version). He recently did training at Discount Cab and will be doing that VERY part time. He just has to work 1 shift every 30 days. So he can keep it during the year and then when summer comes and he's off from MPS he can pick up more hours at Discount Cab. If you or your Hubby apply say Chase referred you! It seems like a nice set up.

Courtney: Just living the life of the wife and mom... and loving it! I wouldn't trade it for anything. I've started an Etsy shop selling homemade greeting cards to hopefully bring in some money. Check it out sometime and feel free to make a purchase if there is something you see. I'm kind of giving it a test run right now, we'll see how it goes. It's something I love doing (cardmaking) so it's fun too! I've started watching How I Met Your Mother during nap time. It's so funny and gives me something to do to relax. I participate in a card night every other month. It is so cool how "big" it's turned out. I started it about 2 years ago. It's so much fun! I also started a Recipe Swap every month. Last month was the first and there was some good food:) Next is Bfast foods. Yum!!!

Ryder: He is no baby anymore... he's 13 months now! He had a puppy themed birthday party that was so much fun! You can read birthday posts on my DIY blog here. He's been walking for a couple of weeks and walks more and more everyday. He is so smart and is learning so much! He says bye bye everytime we put him in his car seat. He's so much fun! He's a pro sleeper now and it has made life so much better! If you are hesitant to try the cry it out method, give it a try. Sleep has been so nice!!!

Tonka & Ella: Well they are still being turkey's getting out every once in awhile, but we can't really blame them. Tonka is now neutered. We took Ella in and found out that she was starting her heat cycle so we have to wait. They love attention and going on walks.

Family: We went to Disneyland in December (Post to come someday maybe). Nothing to big is happening. We started a goal of going on 1 hike a month and take the dogs. Today was actually our second hike and it was a little intense and didn't go very far. Baby steps right? We even bought a hiking baby backpack to carry Ryder in. We try to go with the Packer's that want to come and are working up to our goal of Havasupai Summer 2013. Chase & I have really gotten into the games Dominion and Thunderstone. They are strategic card games and so much fun! If you wanna play let us know. We'd love to!

Life is great and we are having fun and enjoying our time together as a family.