Happy Halloween!

Ah, the aftermath of trick or treating *lol*! It was hectic, it was crazy, it was exhausting but it was worth it. For the most part, the boys had a great time and racked up a ton of candy (which is fun for one pregnant mommy too *lol*!)

I only managed to snap a couple of pics before heading out the door. As usual, I was running a bit late and everything was in a rush. I'm not too bummed because today is actually Halloween so I'll have my photo shoot when the boys come home this afternoon.

Halloween on Main was an experience for sure. I'm not sure what I expected but I certainly didn't expect the lines! That is pretty much what it was a MASSIVE line. Talk about no fun! I'm so glad my Aunt went with us because she's much more assertive than I am and after we had waited FOREVER in line she just started pushing through. Maybe that isn't the fairest way to do things but people were forgiving because we had Gabriel with us in his wheelchair and he was starting to get super cranky from all the waiting! We got lots of ooh and ahs at his wheelchair wheels. His back wheels light up when they roll so that was a big hit with the crowd. Unless they have something else worked out next year we'll be skipping Halloween on Main!

After main street we went on up to a local church that was having a Fall Festival and that was lots of fun! There were tons of games and candy. Next year I think we'll head straight for that :)! Overall I'm so glad we finally got to go!

I'm looking forward to a much less hectic day today. I have just a few things I need to get done so it should be a nice quiet day. I'm feeling great today and that makes things even better. Life is good!

Happy Halloween to all your ghouls and goblins!

On the eve of Halloween...

BOO!

Did you think I had vanished again? Nope I'm here. Just no time to blog. Life has been busy with lots of small stuff that added up to no time for blogging *lol*! I also had a sick kiddo :(! Gabriel had tonsilitis for most of last week and all weekend. Thankfully he was finally well enough to go back to school today.

I did tons of bunches of layouts but there are really just too many to blog so you can scoot on over to my gallery if you are curious! DST Gallery :).

Tonight is the big night! We are finally going to go trick or treating! Over the years there have been various reasons but we have never been trick or treating. We had every intention of going last year but an exhausting pre-trick-or-treat party and the unwelcome intrusion of rain we had two grumpy kiddos and ended up not going after all. So cross your fingers for us. I think this year we may actually make it happen!

The next town over is doing "Halloween on Main." I guess the nowadays kids are discouraged from going to house to house like we used to do as kids. So they shut down main street for two hours and the businesses give out candy. There are supposed to be some other things going on but I honestly am not sure what they are. I think the boys will have a good time and I know Tristan will enjoy getting the candy *lol*!

I know house to house trick or treating is still going to happen but we are going to skip it. It's too complicated with a wheelchair. Most streets (especially the town I live in) aren't really wheelchair friendly. I'm actually not even sure how we are going to go through all of main street with Gabriel's chair. I guess we'll get it worked out!

If you peak in my gallery you'll see we have tried to have some pre-Halloween fun. We have had Jack-O-Lantern Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Mini Mummy Pizza. Last night we made Halloween cookies which were a big hit *lol*!

We had to go buy Tristan some new shoes yesterday! Isn't it amazing how fast kids feet grow? I swear he just got new shoes in July or August but it was definitely time again. He started complaining about his feet and I checked his shoes yesterday and sure enough his little toes were right to the end of his shoes! We got some cute shoes from the Disney's Cars movie. That kid loves Cars! He was really excited about the shoes. The only disappointing thing is that they didn't light up like his old shoes though they supposedly glow in the dark. He was happy enough to trade off lights for Lightning McQeen though. However, next time I'm going to search extra hard to try and find some Cars shoes that light up too!

I'll be sure to snap lots of pics of my puppy dogs tonight! I can't wait to see how cute they'll be. The fun won't be over tonight though. They are going to have a "Fall" party at school tomorrow with some fun treats!

TGIF...

This week has seemed forever long! I'm so glad the weekend is finally here. I don't have too much on my plate this weekend thankfully. A trip to the grocery store, a little designing, inevitable trips to the park and of course, church.

I do have a few quick, informal movie reviews for you. I never have time to watch movies but I have managed to actually watch a couple lately!

First, Evan Almighty! LOVED IT! A+ in my book. It was a fun and hilarious movie. It certainly kept me giggling throughout. I give it two thumbs up :)!!

Second, Knocked Up. Can't say I like this one as much. Given the title and some of the actors I kind of expected more of a comedy. I expected it to explore the humorous parts of pregnancy and the effects that it has on relationships. Instead it was a more serious flick about life and relationships and pregnancy. It had a few funny moments but overall a more serious movie than I expected. I have to give it a C-. Not neccesarily a bad movie but it fell short of my expectation fo sure.

Before I go let me share my latest creations with you! One of Tristan and one of me. The anxiety referred to in the layout was all about worrying if this baby was healthy or not. Thankfully all seems to be well with my little bun in the oven!

Credits available here.

boy oh boy oh boy....

That's right! I had my big ultrasound today and I'm happy to announce I'm having a healthy baby boy! Three little boys! I was so relieved to see that everything was okay. I was such a bundle of nerves waiting for this ultrasound. I was so afraid after losing Katriel 2 years ago.

Short entry today. I've been trying post all day but blogger was having issues with me *lol*. Here are my latest two layouts.

Credits available here.

Monday, Monday

I am so dragging today. I've been sooo tired all day. I guess I just have a case of the Monday blahs. It's been a major job to motivate myself to do the stuff I needed to today. I'm proud to say that I pushed through and everything got crossed off my list....just barely *lol*!

I'm sure I've complained about this before but man I wish Mother Nature would just make her mind up. It is so frustrating getting the kids ready for school everyday with this wonky weather. It is in the 40s when I put them on the bus in the morning and in the upper 70s to lower 80s when they come home. *ugh ugh ugh*.

This week has brought a new movie to our repetoire. For a little over a week Tristan wanted to watch "Fish" aka Finding Nemo constantly. One night out of desperation and on the brink of madness if I had to hear that movie one more second I put in Ice Age. Well, it worked. He LOVED it. He laughed his head off. Thus began the Ice Age *lol*. In a similar desperate moment I put on Cars yesterday hoping to at least watch something new for a little while. Now he's all about Cars. I even heard him quoting a line from the movie last night *lol*. That is really a big deal becuase he is speech delayed and while he has vastly improved he's still catching up and sometimes speaks in his own little language. He was playing with some of his trucks last night and said "hey you aren't Mack!" I was so proud of him!

I'm in the midst of making dinner now so I better get back to it. Nothing fancy, chicken strips, pasta salad and corn on the cob but oh so yummy!

Here are my latest two layouts! Credits available here.

well rested girl...

I couldn't believe it when I opened my eyes this morning. It was actually morning. The sun was up. I must have worn them out shopping yesterday because they both slept through the whole entire night. That's not a huge thing for Tristan but its practically constitutes a national holiday for Gabriel *lol*!

Gabriel's appointments went well on Thursday and we don't need to follow up for a year *woohoo*! They are considering doing a surgery on his ears that isn't exactly medically necessary but it might help him feel better about his appearance as time goes on and it may help him keep his hearing aids in better. You can kind of see it one of the layouts I'll share today but his ears have an interesting shape to them. The Commission for Children with Special Healthcare Needs want to help make Gabriel's life as normal as it can be. Honestly, I'm still undecided about the surgery. Gabriel has multiple issues and with everything considered I'm not even sure how likely it is that other kids will notice his ears when he comes rolling through in a wheel chair. Of course, I'm not a kid anymore so I don't know. I've got a year to think about it so we'll see.

A funny little side note about our visit to the dr's office. Tristan is so obsessed with the movie Ice Age right now. We *just* came off a big run where he wanted to watch "fish" (Finding Nemo) everyday. So Tristan wants to watch Ice Age (Ice as he calls it) all the time. Imagine my surprise when we walked into the dr's office and what else would they be playing for the kids but ICE AGE *lol*. I *almost* wished Tristan was there with us.

We went shopping for Halloween costumes yesterday! That is very unlike me. I usually have the costumes chosen and purchased by mid-September *lol*! I hate waiting until the last minute because the selection for cute kids costumes becomes really sparse. I'm happy with the final selection though. They are going to be puppies!! Tristan is nearing the age where he is going to want to decide what he wants to be for Halloween so I figured this is my last chance to have cutesie matching costumes *lol*. For what it's worth I think he will like being a puppy because he already loves to pretend he's a dog! The puppy part of the costume is more of a little vest type thing. It's plump and furry and has a hood with ears and it has a tail *lol*. We got brown shirts and khaki pants to wear underneath them. I'm really tempted to paint their noses brown and maybe a brown circle around an eye but I'm really not sure how they will tolerate the face make up so I'm still undecided!

Before I rush off this morning I'll share my latest creations. This is a series of photos I have always loved of Gabriel. The photos aren't edited in anyway but his eyes look SO BLUE. I used Pamela Gibson My Favorite Winter Sweater Kit.

Credits

Another page using Pamela's goodies. My 14 week entry in my pregnancy album!
Credits

And my 15 week page using Karen Hunts Summer Skirt!

Credits

and we are off....

Busy day ahead! Gabriel has an appointment at the craniofacial anomolies clinic in Lexington. I debated about sending him to school this morning because we need to leave here by 9:15. I had about decided not to send him but changed my mind at the last minute. I need a few quiet moments this morning and my living room is looking a bit rough around the edges. I also need to throw another load of laundry in.

Gabriel had a truly bizarre night last night. TMI alert ahead! I woke up at 2:45 am for one of my many pregnancy induced nightly trips to the ladies room and heard Gabriel awake. It's not unusual for him to wake between 2-4 am but it is unusual for him not to cry when he wakes. He was perfectly content and just clicking away. Clicking is a happy noise for him. So I headed toward his bedroom and was assaulted with the smell. I knew I was dealing with a massive poop situation. Holy crap! Who would have known such a little guy could even hold so much crap! So I get him up, have a quick bath, change the bed sheets and redress him for bed. He seemed content to go back to bed but he still didn't go to sleep. I could hear him clicking on and off for the next few hours. He fell asleep sometime around 5 am. Then his chipper little self popped up at 6:45 bright eyed and bushy tailed *lol*!

So that was my morning *lol*! Here are my latest couple of layouts for your viewing pleasure! I used tons of Micheline Martin yummies on this LO of Tristan in the bathtub!

Credits HERE.

This is a rare serious photo of my little Gabriel using Danielle Young's Lost Vegas Nights coming October 15 to Oscraps!
Credits here.

wednesday already...

A fairly quiet Wednesday going on here. The boys had a field trip to Sigmund Farm today so that should be fun for them. There was a bit of confusion about the bus and Gabriel's wheelchair but the school assured me they would get it all worked out.

I need to make a quick trip to the store but I'm dragging. I think I'll just wait until Gabriel gets home and take him with me. I've also misplaced some paperwork I needed to drop off this morning and it's driving me up the wall trying to find it. Not sure if I'll have the chance to blog tomorrow, Gabriel has an appt so that should take up most of our morning.

Here is my latest LO of Tristan. I used Karen Hunt's Set of Wheels from her Gender Balance Collection.

Full Credits Here

laundry and a layout

Is there ever and end to laundry? I didn't think so *lol*! I started my morning putting away a basket of freshly washed laundry and I'm getting ready to drop another lovely load in. How is it that kids go through so much clothing? Don't even get me started on socks. I swear there is a little elf that comes through and steals socks (and sippy cups) at night!

Hoping for a quiet day here today. I have to make a small trip to the store at some point but I'm hoping it will be quick and painless. All the way to daycare this morning Tristan was going on about pizza, so I'm thinking we'll make pizza for dinner tonight! As Tristan says "pete-zaaaaaah!" *lol*

I leave you with my latest creation using Pamela Gibson's Stanley Park. Full credits here.

Lots of layouts...

I do have a gazillion layouts to share today *lol*! That is what I get for not blogging for almost a week! We have just been busy little bees in Bella Gypsy Land!

Gabriel's appointments on Friday went great! The weather was dreary but we made it up and back in one piece. His appointments were fairly quick once we got into see the doctors, they were just post operative checks to see how he is healing. My poor little guy had TWO surgeries this summer! We got an all clear from the general surgeon with no need to return *yay*! We go back to the plastic surgeon in January. They just want to make sure the skin graft is doing well. He had some webbing on his fingers and they seperated them using a small skin graft. So far the graft is doing wonderful!

We had a nice quiet weekend thankfully. We had two unsucessful attempts to go to the park this weekend. Saturday's trip was cancelled because Gabriel was entirely too grumpy after our grocery trip and I had oodles of things to do at home. So we decided to try again on Sunday after church, also a no-go -- this time because Tristan was just too tired. Little guy slept all the way home from church!

Speaking of church *lol*! Why is it that toddlers never speak when you want them to -- like when you are asking them a question? The same toddler will become a chatterbox just when you need them to be quiet -- like when you are in church and your kid is the only making any noise *lol*?

Well my munchkins are waking up so it's time for me to wrap up this post! No school today or tomorrow because of "Fall Break" hopefully we can find something fun to do today and maybe actually *make* it to the park!

Let me leave you with my latest creations! I just love this photo of Tristan! I've scrapped it several times trying to get the *perfect* layout. I think I got it this time! I used Paula Duncan's Mocha Autumn Papers and Alpha.

See full credits here!

A sweet page of Gabriel from this summer using Oscraps Jack-O-Lantern Collab kit and some goodies by Danielle Young!

Read full credits here!

This fun page is also showcasing my little Gabriel. He truly is always happy! I used Karen Hunt's Just for Fun kit, Plastic Fantastic Borders and Plastic Fantastic Alpha #3!

Read full credits here.

This is a retro Gabriel from Halloween 2004! He tuckered out well before Trick or Treat *lol*! I used Danielle Young's Handmade Costume Papers and Elements!

See full credits here.

Lastly a sweet retro Tristan! He still us cute as a button! Using Pamela Gibson's Chicken Pie papers and elements.

See full credits here!

heat wave....

Okay, not really *lol*! It's quite comfortable actually. Fall is my most favorite season. Here in Kentucky fall weather can be a bit wonky in the transition stage. We are still having fairly nice days but it is getting more and more chilly at night. Unfortunately my Central Heating and Air died! Great timing, eh?! It's comfortable enough to not need the AC but a bit too chilly to go without heat.

Thank goodness the repair man is here fixing it now. He's been at it for quite a long time, I had no idea everything was so complicated. Of course, my unit had to totally conk out and the compressor needed to be replaced. I almost fainted when they told me how much it was going to cost. Not like I had much choice though! Gotta have heat!

I never did really get back to sleep yesterday morning so I felt like quite the zombie all day yesterday. I managed to sleep a little better last night and have a nice quiet morning. I'm super impressed because I've managed to be quite productive too *lol*!

I do have a couple of recent layouts of Tristan to share with you! While I'm at it...did I mention I just joined Danielle Young's creative team?! I don't think I did. She rocks hard! If you haven't checked her out drop by Oscraps today and drool over all the yummy goodness!

Here is a page using Danielle's Defunct Destiny kit! Tristan has become quite the yeller - cringe!

See full credits here

This LO was inspired by our trip to the park this weekend. Tristan totally fell in love with this little horse bouncy thingy *lol*! I used Micheline Martin's yummy Adventurous Paper Pack and a few other goodies from her shoppe!

See full credits here

I do have another bit of fun news that I can't share just yet but look for it soon!

Awake...

That's me. I'm awake. Long before I need to be awake, but awake none the less *lol*. Not sure why but I just spontaneously woke up at 4:30 and it has become evident that I'm not going back to sleep any time soon!

I've got a pretty full week ahead of me so I'm not sure when I'll have time to blog again. Gabriel has several dr's appts this week. It seems like I'm always dragging my poor little guy to some dr. I think we are almost through this latest round. We usually have big waves of appointments every 5-6 months. So we've got 3 more this week and we just got a letter notifying us of another appointment next week. I thought the calender was looking a bit bare *lol*!

I'm starting to feel that oh-so-hopeful lull of possible sleepiness again so I'm going to jump on it and hope to catch a few more zzz's before my alarm bellows through the house. Before I head back to neverland here is my latest creation!

My little pumpkins using Pamela Gibsons On the Lighter Side: Halloween and Micheline Martin's Old and Forgotten alpha.

See full credits here