Owen Keeps Telling me, “It must be Spring, there are flowers out side” and “It must be Spring, the sun is shining.” He’s right, It DEFINATELY spring around here today!! Before Gareth had to meet the bus today, we played outside for a while and I just could not get over the warm breezes and the vibrant greens everywhere. Spring is definately a beautiful thing.

This weekend was a nice one, we had time to relax and got some stuff done (but not much, which is what makes it a really nice weekend ) I also was THRILLED watching all the numbers rise on my arrow post, what a treat to see so many people using them, and it’s been a blast watching them in use on layouts all over the gallery! Along those lines I hope to be sharing some exciting news with you all soon .. but not quite yet! Just hold your horses!

On friday G brought home a little new goodie for me (and I mean REALLY little) can you guess what it is?

Since I’ve been running more, i’ve been thinking about getting an MP3 player so that I can actually leave the house and run and still be able to listen to music. I took it out for a test run yesterday and it was FABULOUS, I broke my distance record so far and ran a little over 3 miles, and it was really just so fun (although i pretty much can’t walk at all today I’m so sore!) There are other great benefits to my new little toy, the boys and I had fun sitting and listening to tunes together, one head phone for each of us… It cracks me up too. Gareth says, “MOM lets listen to LOUD songs,” he loves to rock out to the FooFighters with me. Then Owen sits and listens with me, and he says “mom, this music is TOO loud and too fast,” even when we are only listening to James Blunt. They are definately two different kids.

Oh, and Gareth has been working hard at convincing us to set up his own Blog for him… He apparently has all sorts of things to share with us. Here is his first post. We’re still working on the format, but this is what he wanted to share with the world.

Okay I’ve got to get some things done, but I’ll have some pages to share soon with everyone!

*Edited to Add, I’ve decided to move these to the store where you can now get these for the special LOW price of $1.50, if you would like, there are some other stapms and freebies that you can get in the shop so go CHECK THEM OUT!*
So, I keep seeing layouts everywhere using arrows, and MAN i think it is such an adorable look… but I shopped and shopped and SHOPPED and everywhere looked there were cute arrow doodles, but NOTHING that was really what I wanted. I wanted fatter and I wanted bolder, i wanted funkier. SO after much searching it dawned on me, I am a doodler, why don’t I just make what I need. So then I go into PSE and open up the shapes tool to give me somewhere to start, and LOW AND BEHOLD there they are, the exact arrows that I’d seen that I’d been desperately seeking far and wide silly me.

The thing is, I was already pumped up for some arrow doodle action, so PSE and I played for a bit and I “funkified” my fatter, bolder, arrows in PSE. Thus was born my newest doodles: Arrow Fun.

I’m going to have a blast playing with these, and I’m sure they’d LOVE to be used by more than just me so download away!

I only ask the same as always, Please Comment, Please Use and Credit me. Two other things I’d love, is if you tell some more folks that might be looking for a little arrow fun, and that you let me know when you use ‘um

Mostly though, I just ask that you ENJOY Have a great thursday!

I went through a little phase this past weekend that all my pages kept coming up Sentimental. I’m really happy with the ones I did, but since Sunday I’ve been taking a break on pages because I don’t know if you can top a page about the amazing experience of your third born son’s birth

Today I’ve got to get back on the scrap train because I’ve got a few end of the month deadlines coming up, AND a few uber-wonderful kits that I can’t wait to sink my little tablet pen into!

Here is my little sentimental journey from this weekend…

SO this is just a page about amazing little Reece! I love this guy! Says on the picture. “Reece, you are such an amazing little person, I feel so lucky just being your mom.”

Credits: This is this months AMAZING collaborative kit at Sweet Shoppe Designs called “Dream a Little Dream” I knew that it was a bit girlish in it’s color and pattern scheme, so I did my best to “boyify” it (my own word that I use quite often as the artsy mom of three men! The “dream” font is arial bold (sorry can’t remembe the other one, something average) and the stitching is an extra of Manda Bean’s.

Had to use the “dream” theme in the journaling, since Owen is such a dreamy little dreamer.

Owen at only two you are such a dreamer already. You think in terms of dreams, you see the beauty and possibilities everywhere you look. There is in you the kind of magic that makes me, and everyone who knows you, adore you. I can’t wait to see where this life will take you my little dreamer. But along the way, I’m so grateful that I get to watch you grow, and simply be – you.

G and I found these and a bunch ove other old pictures on his computer, and I COULDN’T WAIT to scrap these up!!!

The day Reece was born will go down in the books as one of the greatest days in my life. Because he was my third child the delivery was not hard, and I felt really incontrol and together for the whole experience. Aunt Liz was there, and Daddy… and all the Dr.s and Nurses… Although it really felt like Reecey and I could have done it alone. The moment Reece made his appearance int the world, it was like he and I were the only people in the world, and the bond was instantly there. We were mother and son, He was meant to be mine. My smallest baby yet, at 6 pounds 13 ounces he was tiny, skinny and sweet. He was ready to be held and loved, and I never plan on letting him go.

So There you have it! My little sentimental journey! Now my very unsentimental day calls, with poopy diapers and three boys dancing around the house avoiding chore time! Not to mention Mr. lucky him self is SCREAMING (again) Ahhh… Just gotta let the chaotic moments settle in my mind, later when I look back, I’m sure the sweet seconds in it all will rise to the top.

Our little Reecey has been having issues lately with the crib. He gets his arms and his legs stuck often, he was waking quite a bit because he was bonking the sides of the crib in his sleep, AND on Friday morning I woke up to him perched on top of the dresser because he had climbed out of the crib. Although he wasn’t able to repeat the acrobatics later in the day during nap, he was TRYING, we knew that the days of him climbing out of the crib every night were coming. So, it was Toddler bed time in the Clingerman house, and BOY was this guy excited! He grabbed a wrench to help take apart the crib and then eagerly “helped” putting the toddler bed together. As soon as it was done he grabbed his blanket hopped into bed and gave it a little test run with the blanket-cuddle- thumb-suck.

For the rest of the day he kept yelling “BED” running back to his room, climbing in it, climbing out of it, taking his blanket in and out of it. And then he’d do it again. Up until sleep time everyone was very happy. Then at nap time, Reece didn’t nap, he spent the whole time tearing the room apart, emptying diaper wipe containers, “doinging” the little door stop and everything and anything else he could to do to keep awake. We didn’t stress about it, and figured that bed time would go better. But then that night once again he rampaged around the room, created destruction, YELLED just so that we were listening to him, and so on and so forth for over an hour. Until he finally passed out on the floor by the door.

Well we thought the worst was over, but wow, were we wrong! Reece woke up pretty much every fifteen minutes all night long, and the little nut was inconsolable. I was so lucky to have g’s help that night, and by the morning we were both exhausted!

Last night, night number two, we were pretty nervous about what could happen. But what do you know, Reece went to sleep, in his bed on his little pillow all on his own. Then he slept soundly until 6:30 am, when he came straight to my room and started screaming “APPLE JACKS!!!” in my face to wake me up (in Reece-speak, “Apple Jacks” means he wants to eat something). Oh the joys of a free little toddler.

The Journey continues I’m sure. But I’m proud and Reece is proud, and he is happily one step closer toward independence.

I snapped this picture of Reece today, and this page just totally took on a life of it’s own!