And because I couldn't resist...

This one's for you Abs...

Check it out by clicking on the link below.

http://www.scroogeyourself.com/?id=9567625695

You're one hot scrooge!

2 months?!?

So...I'm sure by now you all have fully realized that Abbie has had a birthday! haha! I'm sorry I haven't updated my blog in 2 months! Life has been crazy busy! I've started babysitting two sweet boys (5 months & 3 1/2 years) and combine them with my two & life is nuts! Mason loves having a buddy play with him around here!

I've also started doing some photo sessions for people. A lot of my spare time has been spent editing photos. I'm hoping to launch a website in the spring & officially launch a little photography business. I'm pretty happy with how things have turned out so far! Want a peek?

Liz & Reuben: www.flickr.com/photos/acrossthemiles/sets/72157602441915254/

Clayton & Amy: www.flickr.com/photos/acrossthemiles/sets/72157602326136187/

Shawna: www.flickr.com/photos/acrossthemiles/sets/72157602987173014/

Hutchins family: www.flickr.com/photos/acrossthemiles/sets/72157601674895682/

My business will be called "Across the Miles" in memory of our little guy! I'm excited to get started!

I've also been busy scrapbooking & getting Christmas presents ready (which I'm almost done with all of my Christmas shopping!)

Are you forgiving me yet for the 2 months it has taken me to post? Maybe some new layouts of the kids will help! :)





Ok...another excuse from me...I decided to do genetic testing to see if I carry the breast cancer gene. After losing my mom at such a young age, and knowing that both of her sisters have had female cancers...I knew I should probably get tested. I was talking to Melissa Lewis online one day and she really encouraged me to do it. So, I talked to my doctor about it and we proceeded with the test. I received a phone call yesterday that I do not carry the breast cancer gene! I was 100% sure that I would've carried the gene...it just seemed like it was going to be a given for me since my mom had it. It feels like there is a HUGE weight taken off of my back! There's definitely a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Let's see...what else has happened? Oh! Tyler got his first deer on Monday. He killed a button buck (buck without antlers--born this past spring...I'm learning!) It's been funny watching him be all excited and call his buddies...and we have pics of him and Mason posing with it. They aren't uploaded yet...and I don't know that you all really want to see a pic of a dead deer! LOL! We should have lots of deer jerky soon!

Ok...want some more pics?









And...one more funny thing to leave you with! Jessica Hollis made one of these today & it just cracked me up, so I had to give it a try, too!

Hey, I just made a total elf of myself. Check it out by clicking the link below.
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9567010187

Pretty funny, huh?

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!!!

Happy Birthday to you!!!

Happy sweet sixteen, Abbie!! I wish we lived closer so we could spend the day with you...but, you'll have to settle for a blog post dedicated to you instead! haha!!

You should know by now that when you make silly faces, they will either get scrapped, or put on the blog...so, first up is the many faces of Abbie! (and I was just playing around with these in lightroom, so they look a little crazy!)







You seriously crack me up!!

Here are some other pics I thought you'd find funny!



and this one is proof that Mason is a boy! LOL!!!



Also...Millie and I have been practicing...and she said "Abbie!" about 10 minutes ago!

I hope you're having a great day! Eat lots of tacos and cake for me!

We're still here!!

I bet you're all thinking we fell off the face of the Earth! We've just been so busy this hasn't been something I've had time to do here lately! (and...I'm so forgetful about it, too...feel free to post comments saying "We need updates!!")

We have been doing lots of potty training here lately! Mason's doing great...because he loves to get his potty prizes (Hot wheels, dum dum suckers, 88 cent cheapie toys from Walmart)! He's definitely my kid...we'll do anything to get free stuff! He has completed several potty charts with his stickers & when he fills one up he gets to go to the store and pick out a new John Deere tractor. The kid is obsessed with John Deere (more on that in a bit!) We are becoming a pro at pottying...it's the other that we still struggle with! But, this morning he managed to figure it out, so I'm hoping we are on the downhill side to potty trainig. It feels sooooo good to be this far! (but, I am wore out! It's a ton of work!)

Millie will be 16 months here on the 17th...and she's still not walking. She is doing much better & is cruising around the furniture, but who knows when she'll actually take off! She loves giving hugs and kisses & is tons of fun! Her curls get her lots of attention when we go out in public!

I'm not even going to attempt to get you all caught up on everything we've been doing since my last blog post...because it's been FOREVER! But, here are some highlights!

We took our tractor obsessed little boy to the Farm Progress Show. It was seriously better than Disney World for him! He got to climb up in tractors & combines & was surrounded by every kind of farming equipment imaginable. I can't get over just how huge everything was. They don't look that big from a distance in the fields, but combines & tractors can be HUGE! It was really a ton of fun & I can't wait to take him back in two years! (It really makes you appreciate what all goes into farming more!) Mason loved watching the combines harvest the fields! Here are a few pics from the day:









Doesn't Millie look hilarious in that hat?

The other day, someone was reading a book to Mason about tractors & said "Look...here's a harvester." He said, "No, it's a combine!" She started laughing and looked at me and asked me if his grandparents farmed...I just laughed and said, Nope...we are all learning about farming because he loves it so much! He has a John Deere hat that he wears everywhere. I'm really wanting to have a big tractor painted on his bedroom walls...just not quite sure how to do it yet.

We had our NICU reunion yesterday. It is always so good to see everyone there...it really is like going to a little family reunion for us! It is just so nice for people to talk to us about Miles...it just feels so good to know that he is still remembered in the lives of others. I absolutely love the staff over at Carle & can't thank them enough for the impressions they have left on our lives. It is also good to see the other kids that were in the NICU during the time that Mason & Miles were...they are all growing sooo quickly! We didn't get to know any families when we were there with Millie since we were just there for a week. It is still crazy to think that all 3 of my children have had NICU time. I have two little miracles with me daily...and one more waiting for me in Heaven! I don't have the pics from yesterday off of my camera yet so I'll upload those soon.

Here are some layouts I've made here lately:


















I hear Millie waking up from her nap, so I'm going to have to run...I'll try to post more tomorrow or Wednesday!

We're getting so big!

Millie is really getting so big! (and no...not just weight wise...I think she's finally starting to slim down a bit!) I mean...she's just acting "bigger" each day. She loves to play with Mason's cars and push them around while making "vroom" type noises. She also says "Mama, Dada, Ni-Ni (night, night), chips (yep...chips...she's never even really had them!), and choo choo! She also is starting to point at lots of stuff while jabbering about them. And...when you tell her no, she'll frown at you, scrunch her eyebrows, get serious, and tell you off! (which of course, we end up cracking up!) We're still not even close to walking. She won't pull herself up, but she'll stand and hold onto stuff if I place her there. As long as she walks before Kindergarten, we're good! :)

I went to some garage sales today and bought Mason some tractors and hotwheels...and when I came home, you would've thought it was Christmas! He was so excited and has been playing non-stop. (and they are all in his bed napping with him right now!)

I scrapped a picture from Nationals (you were right, Sarah...I made it a scrapbook page!)



Sarah...I am so thankful to have you as a friend!!!! You truly mean so much to me and I am so glad that God has given you to me as a friend! I love you bunches!

I totally forgot...

that Andrea Burns "tagged" me (like a month ago! LOL!)

So...here we go! :)

Four of my favorite jobs (I've worked a lot of places!):
1. Being a Mommy
2. Kindergarten Teacher
3. Working at a bridal salon
4. Working at Express

Four of my favorite local places
1. Lake Decatur
2. Children's Museum
3. The mall! (that's a no-brainer!)
4. Triple Dog Dare Ya (world's yummiest hot dogs!)

Four of my favourite foods
1. Grilled Shrimp
2. Roma's Pizza (makes me miss Bethalto!)
3. Garlic Smashed Potatoes
4. Mom's Lasagna Recipe (seriously...it's the BEST!)

Four of my favorite international places (Well...I've not travelled much...so let's just dream here!)
1. Paris
2. Australia
3. Italy
4. Greece

Four names of people I am tagging
1. Jessica Hollis
2. Michelle Filo
3. Melissa Lewis
4. Emily Bold

For the first time in 2 and 1/2 years....

Mason and I washed the van. Yep...you read that right...that was the first time we washed our van since we owned it...crazy, huh? Mason had so much fun with his little sponge...he was very serious about scrubbing! After we finished, we washed his little Tykes car (and then Mason was soaked so we can inside for a bath.) Can you believe that this scrapbooking mom has no pics to prove it? I know...shame, shame!

We had yummy BLT's last night with fresh corn on the cob and tomatoes and cucumbers from Lee's garden...yummo! Then, we met up with Tyler's parents and went out on their pontoon boat last night. THe kids love getting to ride around and Tyler and Mason caught a fish! (I did too...somehow I managed to snag a fish on it's side...I didn't even get the hook in it's mouth. Some fisherman, huh?)

I have worked out twice this week...world record! I ran/walked on Monday night and decided running really isn't my thing. I don't enjoy feeling like my heart is going to pound out of my chest and I'm sure I look like a moron running and trying to catch my breath! haha! So...I think I'm going to do more of the power walking thing. This morning we got up and Tyler pulled the kids in the wagon and I walked with hand weights. I'm also trying really hard to make smarter choices with our food and really work on portion control. Not easy for this girl who loves to eat!

I have a layout done with some pics from CHA...thanks Jen Caputo & Robin Cabana for sending me these pics! :)


You can see the credits here

And the blog slacker award goes to....

me!! So sorry I've been neglecting this blog. We've been so busy this summer. Let's see...what all have we done since my last blog post? (which was well over a month ago...yikes!)

We spent a week in June with Johnny & Jessica Hollis...so much fun! I got to take some pics of Millie using Jessica's studio...definitely makes me want my own!

Abbie spent the first week of July with us...Mason still asks every day "Where Abbie?" They loved having her around! We were able to see my family for a few hours when we dropped her off...and I did some shopping at The Grapevine! (Love that store!)

We've been having VBS each Wednesday night & I'm teaching the Bible story. Tyler's working with the teens, and Mason & Millie are having fun in class with Grandma!

Last week was our denomination's national convention in Little Rock, Arkansas. It was quite an adventure getting there. We were about two miles out of our town when the air conditioning went out...we just new it was going to be an adventure at that point. Then...when we were a couple hours down the road, our tire sounded like it went flat on the interstate. We pulled over, but everything looked ok. When we pulled back on the interstate, it did it again...so we drove very slowly to the nearest exit only to discover we had only two lugnuts on our wheel. We called Johnny & Jessica and they came to our rescue! Between Sesser Auto Body & Garrett Payne, we were able to get a different car and head on down the road the next morning while our van stayed behind to get fixed. Packing everything from the van into a car was a challenge, but it all worked out! :) I had so much fun seeing lots of friends and family at the nationals...definitely something I look forward to each year! (I really do have some pics...they just aren't off of my camera yet...will add those later!) We took the kids to the zoo while we were there...and Mason asks daily to "Go see animals!" He loved it!

We got home on Thursday evening and then I left Friday morning for Chicago for the craft and hobby association convention. I've never seen so much scrapping stuff in all of my life! It *almost* makes me want to scrap with paper...but then I think where would I put it? And...it is so much cheaper to scrap digitally! I was able to meet some of my scrapping buddies...they are just as sweet in real life as they are online! Janet Phillips and Hollie took me downtown on Friday night...it's hard to believe I"ve lived in Illinois my whole life but had never seen downtown Chicago! It was so much fun walking around downtown, navigating the L, and bus hopping. We spent the evening eating yummy food and walking around the navy pier. I'm a huge fan of Chicago now...but not enough to switch from my love of the St. Louis Cardinals!

I came home on Saturday and was greeted with lots of hugs from my kids...They are the sweetest! It feels good to be home! I've been trying to get caught up on laundry and scrapping before we head out of town again next week so Tyler can work at church camp & the kids and I are going to hang out with the family in Dexter.

I've still been going strong with scrapping...I've been a guest this month for Traci Murphy and Amy Wolff...and I'm a guest for Gina Miller next month! (seriously...somebody pinch me!) Also...Anne DeJong and Rachel Young asked me to be on their creative teams...I'm one lucky girl!

So...wanna see some layouts? (that's the reason you visit, right?)

Well...I didn't win...

but thank you all so much for your votes! :) Three amazingly talented ladies won the contest & seriously left me amazed and inspired each week! Congrats Sprellen, Angie, and Laura Kaye!

I am disappointed because I felt like my photography dream was so close...now I have to find ways to save some money to buy some new equipment. But...I have a great camera & now I need to start searching for some people who want their pics taken! :) I'm just going to have to work for the money...and I definitely need the practice. Plus, it will give me a feel for if this is really what I want to do before I spend all of that money on equipment.

Thanks so much to scrapbookgraphics.com for putting on such an amazing contest...it has been so much fun & I've really learned a lot! Plus...I get a 12x12 shutterfly book & get to be a studio temp in their store for a month! It's going to be so much fun! Thanks again!!!

My final layout! :)

I still can't believe I am one of the top ten finalists! Voting has begun and will continue until Friday. I can't thank each of you enough for your support through all of this! Remember...your vote will cost $2.00 but you'll get a huge download of digital scrapbooking goods. Even if you don't scrapbook, you're vote will still go towards me getting to donate $500 to charity and then getting $1000 to start up with photography. I am seriously so grateful for each and every one of you that has voted for me so far. Thank you!!!

Here's this week's layout:


and you can vote for it here (just click on the word here! :) )

Thanks again!!

Let's see...what's been happening in our world here lately.

I turned 28 on Monday. (only 2 more years until 30...I still feel like I just turned 20, how can this be?) We attempted to do some shopping, which is easier said than done with a 1 and 2 year old! I picked up a few new shirts and then we went out to eat at The Beach House here on the lake. It was yummy!

Millie is finally crawling normally and will pull up onto her knees. She's starting to put a little weight on her legs when we try to stand her up in our laps. She's such a happy baby and loves to squeal at her brother. She follows him around wherever he goes and loves to play in his room with him.

Mason has kept us busy! He loves to play outside and pushes his little lawnmower around everywhere. He figured out how to blow bubbles on his own today...quite an accomplishment! He also jumped and made it a couple of centimeters off the floor with both feet & of course we all clapped our hands and he thought he was big stuff!

Tyler has been busy with church and the youth group. He organized a youth group water activity (lots of water ballons/and tons of games) and a bonfire that we had last night. The teens LOVED it and I am always blown away by his creativity. We had our church luau tonight to kick off VBS (our VBS runs all summer long on Wednesday nights) and we really had quite a few people there. It was so much fun!

Want to see some new layouts I've been working on? I'm lucky enough to be a guest for Angela & Emily Powers this month & I'm getting so spoiled by their yummy goodies! Plus, each of the designers I create for have been cranking out so many wonderful designs here lately, I've been in scrapping heaven! (I'm hoping none of these are repeats, but if they are I'm sorry! :) )

First...this is a layout of me and Laura & Mary. I miss getting to hang out with them and they are always on my heart. I love you both so much & want you guys to come and hang out with me one day soon so we can catch up. Life has dealt us all alot of rough bumps, but us girls need to stick together! You two mean more to me than you'll ever know!


















I hope you all have a wonderful week! Thanks again for your love and support!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guess what?!?!? I just found out I'm a top ten finalist for the queen of the crop contest!!!!!!!!!!! I am BEYOND shocked and thrilled. I ran into the living room and started jumping up and down (yes, Tyler thinks I'm a dork!), and then just started crying. It is such a huge, amazing honor to be chosen as top ten among such amazing talent. There were over a hundred girls that started this competition & I am still pinching myself to see if it's really true!

You can read the announcement here:
http://www.scrapbookgraphics.com/wordpress/?p=1087

I have a one in ten chance of winning $1000 and $500 for March of Dimes! (Can you tell I'm excited?)

I'll post some layouts of the kids tomorrow (if I have time...we're having a dreaded garage sale! :) )

Thanks again for being such wonderful support to me!!!

*mwah!!!*

The kids are napping...

so I have a few minutes to update this blog! :)

First...the final round of layouts have been posted and are ready for voting! The voting will end Friday night and then the top ten finalists will be announced. I'm crossing my fingers (and toes!) that I'll make the top ten...but I'm up against some amazing scrappers!

Here's my layout for this week:


We had to scrap ourselves through someone else's eyes. I thought Martina McBride's "In my Daughter's Eyes" song would be perfect. The line "she was sent to rescue me" just really gets me...my little Millie gave us lots of unexpected joy when we needed it the most after losing Miles.

You can vote for the layout here (just click the word here!) Thanks soooo much!!!

I have some birthday party pics scrapped and ready to be shared!

Here's Millie opening up her presents. I love the pic where she's yawning! :)


And here's Millie before she dug into the cake...those pictures are coming soon! :)


Mason just woke up and is now ready to go and play! So...I'm going to run, but hopefully I'll post more pics soon! (but, you guys know how I am about this blog! LOL!)

Hope you all are having a wonderful day! We're heading outside to play in the Diego sprinkler!