Monday, March 30, 2009

9 months.

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Nine months seemed like FOREVER when I was pregnant with Danica (with each of the kids, for that matter) but it sure has flown by now that she is here! Dani turned 9 months old on Saturday and had her well-baby doctor's check-up today. Doing great ... 17 lbs 12 oz, 26 1/2 inches tall ... in the 25th percentile for both height and weight. No health problems and scoring really well on her fine motor and social skills. Always nice to hear...I hate that she's growing up so fast, but it sure is fun to watch her learn new things!
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It's been a bit crazy around here the last week or so because we have two extra little house guests during the day while their mom is at work. It's a temporary situation because the family is moving soon, but it's been kind of fun, especially for Skylar. The kids are all real close in age (38 months, 35 months, 21 months, and 9 months) so they have lots of fun (and practice sharing) playing together. We'll miss them when they move!!
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Friday, March 27, 2009

Another tooth. She's growing so fast...

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Just a quick post to share a scrapbook page and our latest development ... Danica just popped out tooth #2 last night. It was a long night because she was pretty fussy, but now she seems to be happier and is currently snoring on my shoulder. Guess that's my cue to get some zzzz's of my own...


Thursday, March 26, 2009

Front page-worthy.

Have to brag for a moment ... check out who was on the front page of the News-Argus yesterday ... way to go, Karstin!! You might think with family in the newspaper business that this happens all the time, but actually the opposite is true. So that makes this extra exciting! Be sure to drop him a note at karstinneill@yahoo.com. :)


Great day to stay cozy inside.

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It's snowing once again... sometimes it seems like this winter will never end. But today it's kind of pretty and feels nice to be able to stay inside with nowhere I need to go, a cup of coffee in hand and kids playing underfoot. Also a good day to scrapbook, if I can squeeze in a page or two.
Here's a couple I did last night with photos I took while I was at mom and dad's ...
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I spent some time searching for photos of myself with my own grandparents while I was at home. Didn't find a whole lot, but I did scan a handful so I can do some pages later. I'm so glad technology has made it easier to take photos ... I have TONS of pics of my kids with their extended family.


Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Home again.

We made it home yesterday, which is fortunate because Rogers Pass is a blustery mess today, judging from the MDT webcam view here. Everyone seems to have survived our absence, which is no big surprise. They're all pretty self-sufficient when they need to be! Now we're just trying to get back into our routine and catch up on the things we missed.
Here's a scrapbook page I put together last night before calling it a day.
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Isn't she sweet?? They're so adorable when they're sleeping. Speaking of which, have both of mine - plus the neighbor's two kids - all napping right now, so better get busy with some grantwriting while I have the chance!
Until next time, have a great day!


Sunday, March 22, 2009

Photogenic.

My niece is so amazingly photogenic - it was easy for my sister & I to get some great photos of her today. Here are just a few of my favorites...
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Saturday, March 21, 2009

Family time.

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Well, I made it to Polson on Wednesday and have spent the last couple of days letting the girls play with their cousins. Skylar has lots of fun with all of them - she and Tias even hammed it up for me so I could take lots of photos, such as the ones in the layout above. Sara has some fun with my camera, too, taking a bunch of photos from her living room window. She has the most amazing view - you could literally sit and stare for hours and always see something new.
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We stayed at her house the first couple of nights and then moved up to mom and dad's last night, where we'll camp out until we leave - probably Tuesday morning, weather-permitting. While here, we've mostly been trying to corral all of the cousins, but I have had a little time to scrapbook, catch up on email, etc. this afternoon.
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Not sure what's on tap for tomorrow ... probably more of the same, though we're hoping to squeeze in a photo shoot with Sara & her kids. If we get that accomplished, you can expect to see lots of photos!! Until then... have a great weekend!


Wednesday, March 18, 2009

How to be (almost) 3 ... Skylar-style.

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1. Treat the world as your sketchbook ... draw pretty pictures on the walls, put stickers on the wood floors and furniture (and on mommy), and scribble designs on your baby sister or her clothing at least once every day.
2. Choose a favorite movie and watch it at least four or five times every single day, beginning from the moment you wake up and continuing until bedtime. Current recommendations: Monsters, Inc., followed by Finding Nemo, Elmocize and the Fisher Price Little People video.
3. Subsist on pop tarts, orange juice, "chocolate-chocolate milk," and candy treats earned for using the potty.
4. Insist on jumping up the stairs and getting an airplane ride as a pre-condition to a peaceful naptime.
5. Talk ... a lot. Talk about what's happening on the movie, talk about what you see on the computer screen, talk about what your brothers and daddy might be doing and when they'll be home, talk on the play telephone and talk about what you just did, want to do and are about to try. Most of all, though, just make sure you keep talking.
6. Dance around the living room at least once a day and insist that mommy and baby Dani dance with you. The kitchen works fine, too.
7. Ride your bike in the house. Better yet, have another riding toy on stand-by (in the living room) in case you need a change of pace.
8. Inform mommy with a really loud announcement whenever the microwave beeps, phone rings or toaster pops. Repeat, if necessary.
9. Play in the water as often as possible. Find every toy that could possibly need to be washed and insist on doing so, preferably at 5-minute intervals so mommy has to repeatedly turn the water on for you.
10. Insist on wearing pink tights, a red dress, purple shirt and pink shoes on the wrong feet - on St. Patrick's Day.
11. Help mommy put on her shoes. Do not let her attempt to do this herself. Insist that she wear the black "comfy" ones, even if she thinks she would prefer a different pair.
12. Change your own shoes at least 5 or 6 times a day. Be sure to put them on the wrong feet at least half of the time.
13. Make sure that you always put a hood on right after mommy fixes your hair.
14. Always bring mommy a cup of (pretend) coffee or tea if she's at the computer. Don't forget to ask her if her hands are cold and tell her to blow on the coffee, "cuz it's hot!"
15. The most effective time to throw a tantrum is right after your baby sister goes to sleep. Right outside her door is a great place to do this.
16. Be sure you help mommy finish her Diet Coke. Start by asking for a drink and when she lets you have one, say "keep it?" Sometimes she actually says okay!
17. Keep an eye on mommy and daddy at dinner. If they start to look bored, insist that they feed you.
18. Make sure you put ketchup on everything - meat, eggs, potatoes, even rice, veggies and potato chips. Ranch dressing is an acceptable alternative.
19. As soon as you hear mommy get her vitamins for the day, holler "I need a via-min, mommy!"  Then insist on a purple one (red if they're all gone).
20. Look absolutely adorable all of the time and talk really cute to make it nearly impossible for mommy to get mad at you!
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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Good to be (related to the) Irish...

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Since I couldn't get on the road today, I decided to put together a double-pager in honor of the holiday. Happy St. Patrick's Day!!


It's our lucky day ... I hope.

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Are you wearing green?? Thanks to Pop, our kids always have something festive (and usually a bit crazy) to wear for St. Patrick's Day.
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This year was no exception ... Kody spotted the package from Pop - addressed "to the kids at O'Ruttens" - on the table as soon as he got home from school yesterday. They managed to wait until after dinner before tearing in and were delighted to discover an assortment of green headbands, stickers, fake mustaches and beaded necklaces. Thanks, Pop!!

As for me, I'm hoping the luck o' the Irish comes my way today as I attempt to make the trip home to Polson to spend the week with my family. The girls and I had planned to leave Monday, but Old Man Winter had other plans for us. Here's crossing my fingers that the weather report is more favorable today or we'll be postponing again until tomorrow.
In the meantime, here are a few pages I put together yesterday while stuck at home ...
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UPDATE - 8:55 a.m. Tuesday: Well, it's gorgeous outside here in Lewistown but the picture isn't so pretty over Rogers Pass. So, we'll give it one more day ... but we ARE going tomorrow!! Guess I'll have to do some more scrapbooking ... :)


Saturday, March 14, 2009

To be 11.

After posting yesterday and sharing several more layouts featuring the girls,  I was feeling guilty for having done so few for the boys. Then I came across these photos that Jacques and Kody took a few days ago... the rest speaks for itself!
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Friday, March 13, 2009

Ready for spring.

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I don't know about you, but doesn't it seem like it's been a really long winter?? The sun is shining today, which gives us hope that spring is getting nearer. With the time change, it just FEELS like the weather should be warming up as the days get longer.
Anyway, all this cold weather has meant more time indoors to scrapbook. Here are a few of my pages from the past couple of days...
A few for Skylar:
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And a couple for Danica:
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Eventually, I will go back and do a bunch of pages for the boys from their baby days. It's just such a huge task right now - I have to sort a ton of photos first and then scan the ones I want to use (pre-digital age, you know) - that I just haven't had the drive to get started.
Speaking of the boys ... Karstin's MathCounts team took SECOND place at State on Tuesday, so of course he was very excited and we were very proud.  You can read all about it on his blog here.  If you can't get in, email him at karstinneill@yahoo.com and request an invitation. We have it password-protected in an attempt to keep him safe on the web... He would LOVE to hear your positive feedback!!! :)


Monday, March 9, 2009

a Day in MY Life...

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So, I finished up my first "Day in the Life" album this weekend. It is a rather detailed look at a somewhat typical day in my life, including more than 130 photos and 30 pages!! I'm glad to have it finished so I can move on to other projects, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out ... You can view it at Shutterfly by clicking here.
Let me know what you think!! :)


Sunday, March 8, 2009

Even though I don't speak "ski hill" ...

... I'm pretty sure "shredding the mountain" means they had fun!! The guys returned last night full of stories plus a video clip of Kody "doing the bull dance, feeling the flow, working it" (apparently a line from Happy Gilmore... I don't speak movie clips, either!!)
You can view the video on my uTube site or via our family Shutterfly Share Site.
Here's the layout I put together for Kody's scrapbook.
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You can also check out Karstin's recap on his blog. If you can't get in, email him at karstinneill@yahoo.com for an invitation and I'm sure he'll happily send one.


Wednesday, March 4, 2009

March: in like a ... tornado!

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Wow... the days are just flying by. I didn't realize I haven't even posted yet this month! What have I been up to??  Hmm... trying to keep up with all of Dani's new tricks. She is soooo close to crawling, I don't want to turn my back for a second or I'll miss that first time! Skylar is keeping pretty close tabs on her, so we should be ready.  Can you believe Danica is 8 months old already???
Karstin is cramming for the state Math Counts competition next Tuesday in Bozeman. Let's just say he's VERY excited - and a bit nervous, I think.  And Kody is wrapping up basketball and itching to play outside now that the weather is getting a bit warmer. Jacques is busy at work and now is tackling a project that's been in the back of his mind for a while ... putting a shower in the basement. Not a bathroom, mind you, but a shower. And now he's adding a utility sink. ALMOST a bathroom!! But it's for the guys, so I guess I don't really care. He also bought a used pop-up camper last weekend, so I think everyone's kinda getting the bug for spring & summer to arrive.
As for me, I'm just trying to keep up with everyone and at the same time, remember appointments (note to self: dentist this afternoon), complete a layout every now and then (see below) and work on the latest business idea that inspired me, though I'm not quite ready to share... :) Also went to the community concert with my neighbor friend, Stef, last night - Dale Gonyea - which was very entertaining and a nice break for me, although I also found out last night Stefanie's family is moving to Billings in the next month or two. Not the best news, but I guess we'll make the best of it. Maybe some shopping playdates?? ;)
Anyway, here's some of my most recent pages ... and stay tuned for more info on my biz plans, coming soon!!
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