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I'm floating out here ... trying to keep my head above water ;) Lots to accomplish before the weekend. It's a big weekend in the scrapbooking world - National Scrapbooking Day is Saturday. This, of course, spills over into my creative team work so I wanted to make sure you knew about all of the exciting things happening! First, when you stop in on Saturday you'll be jumping on another blog train! The ScrapMatters team will have 5x7 and 8x8 brag book pages for you created with an amazing collab kit that the designers have put together call "Hawaiian Happy Hour." With a BIG sale and tons of fun challenges and speed scraps galore you'll definitely want to get in on the fun! 
I'm also taking contributing to a new hybrid scrapping/crafting blog called The Hybrid Chick. There are some crazy good hybrid girls over there with loads of amazing ideas. My first project was posted a few weeks ago (you can check it out HERE if you want) and I'll be contributing about once a month. They are also doing it up right for the weekend with lots of challenges, ideas, and GIVEAWAYS!!! You really don't want to miss out!
Another not-to-miss-out-on spot will be Jessica Sprague.com. Anyone who has known me over the past year and a half knows how much I love Jessica for her inspiration and teaching style. My life has honestly been changed since meeting her and taking her classes (and, of course, making so many dear friends on the Spraground ... can't wait to see everyone in September!!). She will be having nightly live chats, new products in the store, freebies, a big sale, and two new FREE quick start classes being released! I just finished the Scrapbook Alchemy 3 course and completed an album for my mom for Mother's day (I'm pretty safe posting that because I'm fairly sure my mom only checks my blog about once a month ... maybe). I'll do an entire post about it later with lots of pictures but what I will say now is that you WILL NOT regret taking that class. In fact, it will inspire you. And at 30% off through Mother's Day you simply can't go wrong!!! If you've been wanting to take a dip into digital scrapbooking this weekend is the perfect time!
One last thing ... There is another site called Songbird Avenue that puts together a kit for charity every month. They invite a guest designer to collaborate with their already talented designers to create something beautiful. The kits sell for $8 - almost $7.50 of which goes to the charity of the guest designer's choosing (they only take out Paypal fees ... 100% of what is left goes to charity). This month's guest designer is Ali Edwards who is a phenomenal scrapper and designer. She has been hugely successful in more areas than you can imagine. The charity she chose is dear to her heart - Autism Speaks. Her son is autistic and she has written many stories and blog posts about their journey. In an act of extreme generosity, Jessica Sprague posted on Sunday that she will personally add a $2 donation for every kit purchased by April 30. When Ali heard about it she, too, decided to add a matching $2 for each kit sold. That means that almost $12 will be donated to this worthy charity for every kit sold in the next few days. I am astounded at the giving spirit of those wanting to make a difference. Thanks to Songbird Avenue, Jessica, and Ali for their incredible examples. Even if you don't know what to do with the kit, head over, purchase it, and make a difference. Then head to Jessica's site this weekend to check out her new FREE quick start class ... I'm sure she'll give you an idea of what to use it for ;) Click on the image to make your purchase!
Well, it's time to get back on task ... break over! Oh!! I almost forgot - one of my recent projects was featured on The Daily Digi site this past weekend (right HERE in this post)! To say I was shocked to see it there would be an understatement :) Haven't had a chance to post the project here yet, or many other projects for that matter. One day I'll post a Projectpalooza so you can see what I've been working on ;) If you don't have that site bookmarked you MUST do so now ... or add it to your Google Reader. You won't regret it. Thanks for stopping by ... with my poor excuse for blogging lately it's a wonder I have anyone who bothers anymore *HA*
For weeks now the girls have been having Cougar practice -
Girls: "What is your name?"
Cougar: "Curgar" (or something slurred together like that)
Girls: "How old are you?"
Cougar: "I'n Tchew!!"
And so the day finally arrived when Cougar could tell people that he was, indeed "tchew." I know all moms say that it goes so fast and that they can't believe their baby is such and such an age, but I MEAN it!! I know my memory is shot but I really seem to have lost a good chunk of the past 2 years to nothing but the few things I've written on my blog and a folder full of about 10,000 pictures. These are the times more than ever that I wish I was one of those people that was good about carrying a little notebook around with me everywhere to record the funny things being said in the car, the not-so-funny episodes that take place in daily life, and the sheer chaos that seems to take over most days. Lucky for me I am good about keeping a calendar so I can at least go back and see what was "on the schedule" for the days gone by ;) *SIGH*
Here's an unedited photo of the day our little man marched into our lives. 
I DO remember that day. I was supposed to be induced on April 12th. I had to call in every hour to see if there was room for me ... which there was not - all day. I was finally told they would call me when they had an open room. I did not like the idea of having to deliver on Friday the 13th but, as luck would have it, the call came about 1:30 A.M. that we could come on down and get things started. I had to be induced with all of my kids so this was routine procedure, but I'd never been turned away for an entire day!! Off we went, leaving all of the girls at home with my mom. The picture at the end of my last post was literally taken on our way out the door. Once we got to the hospital to start my gel induction they hooked me up to the monitors to find I was already in a steady 2 minute labor pattern ... WHAT?!?! I had never gone into labor on my own and didn't even know I WAS in labor! They decided to watch my labor pattern for a while rather than do the gel and hyperstimulate my labor. This was about 4 A.M. and I got my epidural about 8 A.M. - just in time ;) I've been blessed with easy pregnancies and deliveries for the most part so I sailed right along with no complications and my doctor came in to deliver him about 2:30.
I will never forget the moment he was born. I love my doctor and we were talking and laughing about the next BYU football player entering the world. He was telling all of the nurses that our son's name was going to be Cougar and that he had the coolest BYU nursery. Every time I laughed I was literally pushing the boy out!! In fact, I didn't push a single time in order to deliver him. As his head was crowning my doctor told me to reach down and grab him ... WHAT?! He told me again and I leaned forward - as much as you can with a big pregnant belly in the way - grabbed under his arms, and pulled him out and up onto my stomach. It is a memory and feeling that could never be forgotten. *A*M*A*Z*I*N*G*
He has been smothered ever since - his sisters can't get enough of him (well, they could do without the hitting) and we're pretty smitten with him, too. He has definitely turned our world upside down and taught us that boys are WITHOUT A DOUBT wired differently than girls are. Anything round is a ball, anything with wheels is a car, anything long is a sword or gun, and EVERYTHING is meant to be thrown!!
For his big day we met Beth and Alex for lunch like we do every Monday. It was Einstein's Bagels in our rotation, which the kids love because we sit on the patio and they can play in the bushes, other tables, and planters. I snapped these on our way into lunch ... loved his Birthday Boy shirt!
After running to playdates, school pick up, piano lessons, and home it was time for me to concentrate on his cake. I decided to step WAY outside my comfort zone and decorate one of those shaped cakes like you find at JoAnn's. I got a wild hair the previous Saturday when I saw a Lightning McQueen cake pan while I was out finishing up Easter shopping and decided to go for it ... I'd always wanted to learn so figured I'd jump in with both feet!! It took a long time - I had to color 9 different colors of frosting - but I was happy with the way it came out and Cougar was ECSTATIC with the results! He sat at the island saying "Kween! Kween!" and pointing with delight ;) I even changed the number on the cake to a 2 instead of Lightning's regular number of 95 - yeah, I was impressed with my freestyle!!
After a fabulous dinner of grilled hot dogs ... a Cougar favorite ... it was time to light the candles and sing to our big boy. After last year's finger burning fiasco he was a bit hesitant to stare into the flames again, but after a bit of comforting and a few "practice" runs of blowing out the candles with his sisters he was ready for his big moment. I'm pretty sure he wished for some more Geotrax :)
On to presents, of course. He actually enjoyed tearing the paper this year and didn't even seem to mind his Geotrax Grand Central Station being wrapped in red holly paper with Santas on the reverse side. We bought it for him for his very first Christmas and he never opened it. It went under the tree again this past Christmas but he never got around to it. We decided it was the prefect birthday gift for a 2 year old who is obsessed with Geotrax and saw no need to re-wrap it!! He also scored some Legos, an airplane, a nerf gun from Grandma & Papa, some cash from Grammy & Paca, and Great Grandma & Grandpa Taylor. Definitely a spoiled little boy!
At the end of it all he couldn't wait to play with his new trains so we dug out the Grand Central Station, his other new trains, and let the boy play. He is completely enamored with his Geotrax!! We didn't even get to eat the cake that night because he was too engrossed in his trains ... it was okay with me because it gave me a few extra hours to fully appreciate my hard work!!
One last feat for the day ... it was time to say goodbye to his paci. He has been my only baby to love a pacifier and *LOVED* his paci when he went to bed (which is pretty much the only time he was allowed to have one - except in case of emergency *HA*). I knew I should have taken it away MONTHS ago but Steve is a sucker ("He's the BABY!") and kept giving it to him. Yup - Steve. Really. Well, it was decided that paci would be no longer on his second birthday. We had him throw one away in the morning and he seemed okay with that. I caved and let him have on during his nap because I needed him to sleep so I could work on the cake. That night came and he asked for paci. I told him paci was all gone. He cried for 45 minutes and finally went to sleep. He hasn't asked for it since. I'll ask him where his paci is and he says "My all gone!" Now he just takes choo choos (trains) to bed with him ... and airplanes ... and legos ... and sometimes Diego. At least they won't mess up his teeth ;)
Our family set a goal in January to memorize all of the Articles of Faith this year. I was inspired by my friend Emily whose parents have an incentive program for their grandkids to memorize them. Armed with that we set a plan in motion - we introduce a new Article of Faith on the first Monday of each month at Family Home Evening. We work all month learning the songs, practicing with flash cards, and simply reciting them together. On the last Monday of the month each of the girls has the opportunity to "pass off" the Article of Faith for the month. If they have it memorized they are rewarded with $1.11 - seems like a silly amount but then they get to keep $1 and pay $.11 for tithing (Steve said "Why not just give them $1.10?" I said "Because tithing on $1.10 is $.11 *LOL*). We then get the opportunity to teach the important lesson of tithing, fill out tithing slips, and have them excited when they hand over their donation envelopes to the bishop! This has been such a great thing for our family and I am so proud of the girls ... they are all 3 for 3 so far! I'm excited for next Monday when we start working on the 4th Ariticle of Faith - especially because it focuses on the importance of faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Perfect timing with Ashton's baptism just around the corner in June :) Here is an extremely poor quality video clip of Kendyl reciting the 3rd Ariticle of Faith for you (please note the emphasis on the word LAWS ... it took a lot of training to get that S on the end):
It feels so strange to be blogging during daylight hours, by the way!!
