Just call me seasonaly challenged...

I guess this post lets that cat out of the bag that despite my OCD tendencies somethings still fall through the cracks. I am not on top of everything all the time!
I still hadn't scrapped a single thing from Halloween last year so I bought all these adorable papers, stickers and chipboard elements on clearance from Delovely Scrapbooks it was so much fun to put together!

To make this "book" I cut the 12 x 12 pages down to 8 x 12 and folded them in half sealing all but one side leaving an "envelope" to stash more pics and journaling.

Both photo's for my first page were vertical and didn't fit how I wanted them too so I journaled on the layout and...
tucked both photo's in the pocket to be pulled out. These refer to Mike's holiday decorating obsession and the adorable (tacky) holiday pj's we (I) force the boys into!

Family fun-pumpkin picking at Brookdale Farm

Additional pumpkin picking shots tucked inside

Pumpkin "carving" those two did not want to touch that yucky stuff at all!

A copy of the Halloween card the boys sent to our immediate family members tucked inside

Our play group's Halloween party

More pics inside (there are two to three additional photo's in each pocket)

They could not go trick or treating with out stopping to see their favorite person "Fire Fighter Girl"

Halloween night (excuse the bad pics-it is pouring buckets out!)

Pics of the boys trick or treating with their pal Dylan inside

More Easter crafting...

The boys love making collages. They love getting to tear up all the pretty scrapbooking paper scraps I leave in a stash for them and pasting (and pasting and pasting) them onto a sheet of paper. This time we cut out an egg shape from their collage and Connor yellow "washed" his and Braden "blue" washed his.
We also made little baby chicks. The first grade class at their school just had some hatch and the boys got a kick out of seeing them. They painted one large and one small paper plate yellow.

I didn't get pics but you simply cut a third paper plate in half (with jagged cuts) to resemble a broken or hatched egg and glue that on the bottom of your large paper plate. We cut the small one in half and added both pieces to the sides for wings.

They then glued on wiggly eyes, an orange pom pom for a nose and some feather hair. Braden's chick amazingly has blue hair!

Hippity, hoppity Easter is on it's way...

Tissue paper egg and salt dough egg magnets...

The boys made these cute tissue paper Easter eggs last Easter. All we did was cut out an egg shape, rip up and crinkle several pastel shades of tissue paper that I had on hand and glued them onto the egg card stock. We punched a hole at the top and tied a ribbon through and tah-dah...
Remember our salt dough dino fossils from January? Remember that we still had half a batch in the refrigerator? We cut out some thin Easter egg shapes using an egg shaped cookie cutter to make some cute festive magnets.
*Recipe:
4 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
1 1/2 cups of water
extra flour for kneading
After cutting out and etching some designs onto our eggs we baked them in the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes.
All set up to paint-don't you just love those tootsie roll containers-we're scrapping the boys each their own today to hold all their brushes in!

Braden working on his egg-sterpeice...

Connor deep in concentration

The finished project looks so much cuter in person-we put a coat of sparkle glaze on top and boy do they shimmer!

A treat, some tricks & a party (a final St. Patrick post)

I had to post one final entry on St. Patrick's Day before moving onto to Easter. So here it is: a treat, some tricks & a party...

On St. Patrick's eve (we'll call it) Connor & Braden made sweet shamrock pretzels. St. Patty day may be all about being green but Braden had to stay true to blue and sprinkle his favorite color over his treat before we put them in the oven.

We bought Pillsbury bread stick dough and rolled it in cinnamon and sugar crystals before twisting it into a shamrock shape-a final coating of color went on top before they were baked.

While they were at school a leprechaun was up to some tricks at home. They returned to fins this tell tale trail of green leading into the house!

They expressions on their faces were priceless. This photo really captured how shocked they were-I think they thought he was still going to be inside!

Following the trail inside they found that the naughty little leprechaun had stolen one of our cupcakes!

In his haste to get away he'd dropped a pile of gold out of his pocket in front of the fridge-they quickly scooped it up!

My little leprechauns all decked out in St. Patrick Day gear at their playgroup party

Chowing down on all the green treats

The adorable bowler hat they decorated as a craft at their party

Go Team Crimson

We had our first soccer practice of the season last night. We have a new coach and new teammates and we are very excited about the season! The kids all seemed to play really well together and the new coach was very engaging! A few shots of team Crimson's first spring practice:

NBG

Normally when we visit the Norfolk Botanical Gardens it's summer and we kind of "one stop shop" it-head directly to WOW-World of Wonder the children's area and let the kids play for hours on the splash pads.
I really liked going pre-spring, pre-heat, pre-splash pad and pre-bloom. That is kind of funny to say but I just found something really beautiful, almost breath taking about the color free gardens. I am the type of person who would rather hang a painting of a storm tossed sea on her wall than a bright beach scape so I guess that explains why I found it so gorgeous!

Connor & Braden at the fountain by the entrance

My favorite three...
Mommy & her boys...

The site just grabs me

Heading out on the tram

Going for a tram ride

The must have crossed the "moat" on the "raft" a dozen times...

They found this area very Alice in Wonderland-it did have that feel to me too

He's fake...

We had our first "fake" issue while visiting with and getting the twins photo taken with the Easter Bunny:
Braden: He was fake. He didn't talk to us.
Daddy: Bunnies don't talk they hop.
Mommy: The Easter Bunny is a bunny he can't talk to you like Santa can.
Braden: He didn't talk because he was fake! He had string between his teeth. I sawed it.
Uh oh...
So it's floss we tell him. The Easter Bunny was just practices good oral hygiene. I don't think he bought it!

Braden, "Fake" Easter Bunny & Connor

Happy Fourth Birthday

I am now the mother of twin four year olds! We recently celebrated Connor & Braden's 4th birthday! Where has all the time gone?

Connor & Braden with their birthday cake...

We had a lot of "cake" this year! We had Chuck E. Cheese cake at CEC with their pals, they brought Transformer cupcakes to school to share with their school friends and finally the M & M Transformer cake...

They were insistent for months that they get to have their birthday party with their pals at Chuck E. Cheese.

Posing in their birthday crowns with Chuck E. Cheese himself!

Posing with Chuck E. Cheese and some of their pals...