I will not. I won't. I'm not gonna do it. I can't

. . . become a digital "scrapbooker". I ca-aan't. I love the scrapbooks. My children love the scrapbooks.


But I have thought about it.

And was actually on my way to throwing in the towel on the concept of scrapbooking altogether because, I don't have any pictures in albums from 2008. None. Not. A. One.

I've got 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 all done. Completely documented and journaled and embellished with ribbons and brads and vellum and other random doo-dads. But for 2008, nada.


I took a lot of pictures. Somewhere in the realm of 8,982 if the counter on my camera is any indication. But I didn't print any of them. Well, I printed some just to have a photo or two of my baby, but really not much else. Just ask my MIL, who, bless her heart, has to practically beg for pictures of her grandchildren from her "photographer" daughter in law.

So where does this leave me? Wondering if I should just go digital altogether or just have the blog printed and let that count for 2008. Hmmm . . .

Then one day we drug a trunk up from the basement. It was empty, but I decided storing our current albums in there would be a better storage place than the cardboard box on my dining room floor. I know! I'm just full of crazy ideas, lately! And as I was transferring the heavy, photo laden books from their previous home in our dining room the kids saw me. Boy oh boy! You would've thought it was Christmas the way they were arguing over, I mean, leaping for the opportunity to look at those albums.

And then I knew. I can't go digital, and I can't print the blog as my lazy-girl's answer for memory collection. Because my children pored over those albums for hours. (And because I love excellent photo quality!)

So, I'm not going digital yet. But I have given myself a good kick in the pants, and I'm gonna start scrapping again. My rule of thumb has always been to start where you are and then go back. So I'm starting with 2009.

AND . . . to make the journey much easier, I've been going through my photo files for the past week. (Hence, no blogging). All my computer time has been spent deleting photos I'd like to forget I took. And also organizing my hard drives so printing all these pictures to put in albums is that much easier.

So, mommy4, this post is in response to your comment about "What am I doing with all my pictures? Do I still scrapbook?"

The answer is Yes!!! I still scrapbook! Just not 2008. And the pictures in this post are gonna be my very first two-page spread of the album.

What's in Your Wallet?

I rarely, as in never before, do these little tag things. But in an effort to humor two of my long distance friends, Vicki and Ginger, I shall participate with gladness.

And, I need you to know that I went down 31 stairs and back up 31 stairs just to get my wallet, to see what's inside. I'm feeling like a really good friend today.


Here goes in order from top to bottom:

1. Debit card
2. TJ Maxx gift card
3. Moments Business credit card
4. Health Savings Account card
5. HELOC card
6. GAP credit card
7. Driver's License
8. JC Penney gift card
9. Gymboree gift card
10. Best Buy gift card
11. Citgo gift card
12. Lakeview Museum Membership card
13. Discovery Depot Membership cards
14. Consignment store Consigner card
15.Health insurance card
16. Auto insurance card
17. Library card

Girls, I've got you both beat!

So, what does that say about me?

I need to shop more to use up all those gift cards. Unfortunately, only 1 of those stores is with 40 miles of my home. :(

And I choose not to tag anyone else, because who really needs that kind of pressure?! But if you'd like to be tagged and wonder why didn't I mention your name, then consider yourself tagged.

LifeSavers: Mark Had a Fight with a Tree

And boy should you see the tree!! It's knocked down and cut to pieces!!! Mark was surely the winner!

However, he did receive flesh wounds in the process from something of the likes of these:



He's got some puncture wounds that are REALLY sore. Pray for him today and over the next week. We've heard the poison from a Thorny Locust tree can be nasty. A trip to the doc showed no more thorn left in his arm, but some of us aren't convinced of that.

But really, you should see the tree. It's like obliterated!

Best Crummy Dreadfully Ill Vacation Ever

Well . . . that little vomiting incident Lydia had the two days before we left for Florida was nothing compared to what came later.

Here's the day by day run down of our lovely, once a year, looked-forward-to-for-358 days-vacation to Florida:

Monday: Lydia threw up

Tuesday: Lydia threw up

Wednesday: We head to the airport. Lydia feverish and big D, Caleb feverish and weak

Thursday and Friday: Me, the Mommy, very very desperately ill. We're talking all the kinds of pain and fever and bodily fluids you can imagine. Lydia sick. Caleb sick.

Saturday and Sunday: Mark, the Daddy, ditto the above description. Lydia's fever broke, Caleb hacking cough, vomit and big D. Caleb broke the capillaries around his eyes from all the coughing. Looks like he's got racoon mask.

Monday: Claire fever, coughing big D. Luke hanging in there but doesn't look good.

Tuesday: Lydia green nose junk, Caleb queasy, Luke withering, Claire trying to convince me she can go swimming even though she's still sick. We fill all the kids with Tylenol, Ibuprofen and Children's Nyquil and go to the beach anyway.

Wednesday: Caleb well. Lydia well. Claire fever gone, lots of congestion. Luke, looking green. Head to the airport for our return flights. Luke threw up on me in the last hour of the last flight on our way home.

People, that was not the vacation I was expecting.

We did have a few fun things along the way. Probably the highlight was our hour and a half at the beach as a family.

Our baby girl was not feeling well. This picture was the first of the day so she's still kind of pleasant. Please avert your eyes from the dried snot in various places on her face.


This was about 30 minutes later.

(Hint, hint) For all you budding photographers out there, use this picture as of sample of incorrect emotion in a photo. In my opinion, subjects in a photo look best when emotion is matched. I'm super cheezy and Lydia is ill. It sort of hurts me to look at the gross contrast for very long.

But lest I spend this whole post griping, there were blessings on our vacation.

First off, my Aunt and Uncle love us dearly and were as accommodating and helpful as possible. Secondly, not everybody was sick at the same time so we did get to do some fun stuff in small groups.

The boys loved riding bikes around the island.
It was chillier than normal on the island, hence the jackets. But we're not complaining about the weather! The 60 degrees there, sure beat the 14 degrees in Illinois!

We went to a couple great restaurants the last two days.

Caleb overcame his fear of the water and actually wore Swimmies for the first time.

As far as vacations go, it wasn't the best one we've ever had. However, we do have some decent photos from our beach excursion to fill the space in the family scrapbook! And if there's no picture of vomit or snotty noses, we'll all forget about the yucky parts and just remember the fun. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway.

Don't you love Claire's new short haircut?


Who TOOK THIS PICTURE?! That's borderline indecent, if you ask me.

Love the water splashing out of the bucket!

Win a Double Date with the Robinsons!!

I've got two extra tickets for tomorrow night so see the comedian, Tim Hawkins! If you leave a comment on this post giving me one reason why you need a date tomorrow night, you'll be entered to win this little contest. (Mom and Dad Robinson, you cannot play because we really need you to watch the kids. :) Thanks!)

Here's a sample of Tim's humor.







He's also guy who did an unknowing tribute to my brothers, Cletus Take the Reel.

If you need a date, and you think you could stand to hang out with us tomorrow night . . Here's your chance!

Blast from the past: Here We Go Again!

I have come to cherish every last drop out of our trips to Florida!

And as I'm wading through laundry and searching for suitcases in preparation for THIS year's trip (IN TWO DAYS), just wanted to let you have a little peek into last year's trip!

I actually have about 372 photos, but I narrowed it down to these just for space sake. I'm trying to be really considerate.


I'm convinced that those mansions God is making in heaven, are all beach-front properties.

He made something like 70% of the world's surface water. So why can't there be more ocean front property with MY name on it?! Huh?



In the mean time, I'm so incredibly blessed to enjoy the generosity and love of a fantastic, wonderful, fun, energetic Aunt and Uncle who share their little part of heaven with me.

And who provide opportunities for our kiddos to talk to God at the ocean.


That's one thing I do every year. And I write poetry there. I don't know why. I just do. I see the waves, and poetry just starts rolling through my brain.



But this is the one part of the trip, I'm not 100%, totally, completely, unarguably, excited about.
The airport. I'm convinced nobody ever intended for families with small children to fly. But let's think happy thoughts . . .
I probably won't blog until we get home. I like to vacation and pretend the whole rest of the world doesn't exist. But come NEXT Thursday, when the re-entry into the real world starts to happen, I'm sure I'm gonna need someone to talk to! :)