Toy Story Birthday Invitations

Since the girls' birthdays are only about 2 weeks apart, we'll be doing double birthday parties for them until they get old enough to want their own.  This first time around though, I going to have a few of the "1st birthday" things for Kaylie, like chocolate cupcakes in addition to a carrot cake for Elora and set up a special spot for her with the appropriate decorations.  But for all practical purposes, this year's party will be Toy Story themed. Elora loves Toy Story. 

found here

No, you don't understand.  Elora loves Toy Story.  If I let her, she would watch all three movies, in reverse order, every day.  (When she was sick over Christmas, and we let her vege in front of the TV?  Yeah.  All 3 movies.  And the time that she was sick before that?  You get the idea.)

found here

It's hard to say which character she likes best, but I picked Jessie as the central theme for her invitations.  I'm no Jessica, (you really should go look at hers, she designed those from nothing!) but I decided to design and print my own, rather than buying them pre-made. I found this image online, and downloaded it. Now I have to wait for the ink I ordered to get here so I can print them out.

I had a hard time choosing between doing a flat card or folded card, but in the end went with the flat one for the invitation,

 
and made the thank you cards folded.  Now, where is that ink??

'City View Park' Page

http://52sketches52weeks.com/

This time, instead of trying to make 2 sketches work together for a double page LO, I chose one and expanded it; and instead of using the sketch as a blueprint, I used it as more of a guideline.  It came together much easier.

At least until it came to doing the title.  I think I spent as much time trying to do that as I did on the rest of the page combined.

'Picture Perfect' Page

I started with these, for inspiration:

http://52sketches52weeks.com/

And came up with this:

I don't believe I've worked from a "sketch" before, and I'm not sure that I liked it.  I'm also not sure that I'm done playing with this one, but it is time and past that I went to bed.

Edit, 1/23: I had to mess with it again this morning.  Which one do you like better, yesterday's (above) or today's (below)? 

'Oma's Visit' Page

'Elora's 2nd Birthday' Page

Elora's birthday page.  I don't know that I'm completely happy with it.  Suggestions?

Edit: At Kelly's suggestion, I broadened the tiny white borders I had on the photos, and added the drop shadows, which I'd forgotten, and I'm liking it better, but I'm still open to your thoughts.  :) 

Second edit: I found the elements I'd originally intended to use on this layout, and what do you know?  I'm happy with it now!  

New Year's Eve 2011

There was the usual New Year's Eve party at the Gager's house.  There was good food.

There was a fire in the fire pit.

There were people being silly.

There were a ton of people having a good time.

Here's Staria with all of "her" boys.

These guys have been coming to her house to hang out with her sons for years.  It's no wonder she feels proprietary.  Now she's started a collection of ladies to go with those guys.  Next year, we'll have to get a shot of us, too.

Happy New Year, everyone!!  I hope that 2012 will be a year of joy and blessings for us all!

Old Friends

My long-time BFF organized a play date at the park for a bunch of our home-town friends and their respective children while we were all home. There were a few people who couldn't make it (we missed you Billy and Angie!), and a few people who didn't get invited but should have (I am such an idiot, Rex and Kelly, please forgive me!), but it was still fun.

There were so many of us, we took over the entire row of baby swings.

I finally got to meet Sara's boyfriend.

This will need to happen again, but next time we will need to include Billy, Angie, Ava, Rex, Kelly, Olivia, and Dominic.  :)

Our 2011 Christmas Story

We had a topsy-turvy Christmas this year.  We went home to Florida, as usual.  We made the trip down in our new car, and the most notable incident was that our touch-screen console went down for several hours, taking the radio with it.  Once we realized that we'd have to wait until we stopped to try restarting the car to get the system to reboot, Brandon looked at me and said, "Great, now we're actually going to have to talk to each other!" and I laughed.

Our first few days there were uneventful.  We spent our time with his parents mostly, since my dad was taking care of my ill grandmother, who wasn't up for company, and my mom was busy fulfilling other familial duties, including being with my other ill grandmother at the hospital.  (We did make it over there for a couple hours a couple of times during those first days, but I forgot the camera both times.) 

We went to Merritt Island to take the girls to see Santa, and got lunch at the Hooter's across the way.

The girls and I went with Mom and Wade to see my step brother and his family.

We celebrated Christmas with the Gager's on Christmas Eve.  The girls, of course, got the bulk of the gifts, but there were also original paintings by Elora, and fridge magnets that Elora and I painted together for Papa and Gigi, and Aunt Carrie and Uncle Jamie; Staria and Carrie got purse-and-pouch sets, to be posted later.  

I really made out.  In addition to the One Yard Wonders book, I also got a really nice cast iron skillet, a set of Pyrex bakeware, and a set of tupperware, and a gift card toward the steam mop that I've been lusting after.

We had lots of plans for the next day, but a really nasty stomach bug hit Staria, Carrie and Elora that evening and all three were sick all night, while Jimmy, James and Brandon stayed up all night to take care of them.  We scrubbed going to Mass and and to Orlando, but went ahead to my mom's in the evening on Christmas Day, to see my mom's side of the family.

Shortly before we left my mom's house, Brandon started feeling sick.  When we got back to the Gager's, we discovered that James and Jimmy were right there with him, and so began round 2 of the stomach bug.  (Mercifully, Kaylie and I continued to be well, and everyone at my mom's house had already had it, or never got it.)  It was the 28th before we were able to make it to see my dad and grandmother.  We almost didn't go, because by that time, we'd started coming down with a cold, but Grandma said to come on, she'd take her chances with it.  I'm glad she did; if we'd waited for us all to be healthy we'd have never seen her.  It's always so good to see her, and I'm increasingly grateful for every year that she's still with us.

It was a good Christmas, even if things were crazy and everyone did get sick.  We got to be together, and see our family, and so it was good.   I hope you all had wonderful Christmases, preferably without the germs!!