happy valentines

i love valentine's day. i think that i love it because my birthday is the day after. i feel that february is the month of love. so give love away...it always comes back.

fishies - a staple?

it's funny how little things in life change when you have kids. on my counter are jars of "staples" in my kitchen. wheat, flour, powdered sugar, sugar, oats, wheat thins, and fishie crackers. (the wheat thins are for me to eat on the run, and the fishies are for jack and gracie.) they eat fishies just about every day. it's handy to have them on the counter for the kids to reach. now that i have my kiddos, it is hard to remember/imagine life any different. although frustrating, tiring, and difficult at times, life with children creates an abundance of joy. each child brings different moments of joy to our life too. jack is such a lover (like his daddy). he is always telling me how much he loves me, giving me hugs, and planting wet smooches on my lips. the other day at football practice jack called out from the field, "mom, are you watching? i sure love you." the other parents chuckled while i held back the tears. hearing i love you from my children is the best. also, the other day i was making cookies and jack said, "sweetheart, can you bring me a cookie." i laughed for a long time. sometimes i will just be driving or walking somewhere, and i'll remember and laugh at his comment. (he has a good daddy as a role model.) one time i picked him up from nursery and jack said, "hey, pretty mama." he is a character. i love him. gracie is my little princess. from the time she was born, i can't go anywhere without at least one person stopping me and commenting on her beauty. several people have told me i should get her into modeling. (too bad she has a stubborn streak, or maybe i'd do it to save her money for college.) i'm a bit partial, but i think she is beautiful too. before she was born (actually, when i was pregnant with jack) i had recurring dreams about a little girl with dark curly hair and bright blue eyes. she would reach out her hands and say, "mama". when we found out that jack was a boy - i didn't understand why i had those dreams when i had felt so strongly that the baby in my dreams would someday be mine. when i was expecting for the second time, i hoped this baby would be the baby in my dreams. when we found out i was carrying a girl, we didn't pick a name right away. in my dreams, i had called my baby girl "gracie". if the baby i delivered looked like the baby in my dreams - we would name her grace. well, as soon as my baby girl was delivered and put on my chest for me to hold...i instantly knew this was the baby in my dreams. she was beautiful with dark curly hair and bright blue eyes. sometimes when she was first born i would look at her and cry. i thought that why would a baby this beautiful be sent to me. later matt and i were talking and wondering why i had dreamed about her when i was pregnant with jack. we both joked that jack stepped in front of her to come first so that he could protect her. (and boy does he). now that gracie is growing, she has such a precious little way about her. her name, "grace", fits her perfectly. every night i thank Heavenly Father for sending me these to little ones. they are far more perfect than me. may matt and i have the guidance from above to help these two find their rightful places in this life.

cha - scrapbook convention

i went to aneheim, california for the scrapbook convention to sell my paper (and everyone else's)! this is our booth... tara, the owner built it herself. everyone kept saying how fabulous our booth was. i didn't realize the hard work that goes into these conventions. i'm pooped! we were on our feet all day selling our papers and helping the customers. It was a huge show...30,000 people were there. it was a bit overwhelming walking onto the floor and seeing so much going on. our papers and company is a bit unique because there are 9 designers and we all have our own style. we also get to put our name on our papers. most other companies do not put the designer's name on the paper, and their paper is all very similar. each line of our paper is very different from the others. people would come into our booth and say things like, "there is something for everyone," or "this is a one stop shop". also, our booth was busy all the time. it was exciting to see lots of retailers getting excited about our papers (and buying them!). tara said that we tripled her expectations and that we would probably have to go to reprint! it is so amazing to be a part of this company and team of women. we are all different, but got along so well. we didn't get a picture with everyone (kind of sad), but here is a picture with some of the women. also, i have a picture with my roommate, alicia. she was a great roommate to have, and such a sweetheart. she lives 60 miles from cleveland (where we are moving in 5 months) - so we will have to get together with her and her family. i loved meeting all the girls. each one is unique and fun in her own way. i feel so privileged to be a part of the dream street team. we are already talking about summer cha in chicago! thanks to everyone for accepting the new girl and for a fabulous show. i'm excited for the new chapter this company and opportunity creates in my life.