My baby turns 13......

Sigh...'tis a bittersweet day for this Momma....13 years ago today I was in a hospital, bringin' my first baby into this world at age 18....I can remember so much of it like it happened only a week ago, yet so very much of the past 13 years seems like a blur!
March 13th, 1995 Mike and I welcomed Michael Aaron Lane into this scary big ol' world, and for a few moments the whole world rested on my chest in the form of a chubby, wrinkled, crying baby boy....
He came into this world several weeks early (I was not quite 35 weeks along), but was as big as most full term babies. Weighing in at 8lbs 1oz and around 21.5 inches long lol...they suspected that I was gestational diabetic and the glucose test early on didn't catch it....
He was the most gorgeous thing I think I had ever seen. Mike and I had no clue how to "be" parents....I was not yet out of high school and mike (20 yrs old at the time) worked his butt off at Arby's for not much more than minimum wage, yet none of that made any difference that day....
Lane was extremely jaundice and we spent our first week at the hospital. They kept sending us home, his eyes would darken to a gross yellow and back to the hospital we would trot to have him put back under the bili lights....a few months before Lane was born, a local family had lost their 9 yr old son and his 10 yr old friend, and her 2 other boys were in critical condition after being serious car wreck involving a train, his mom happened to be one of the nurses who attended to Lane during his hospital stay. I remember one night as she came to check on this little patient, she asked me how I was feeling (I had went to school with the oldest son, and my baby brother had played ball with the other 3 boys involved....the 2 that died were friends of my brother's). When she asked how I was, I broke down in tears, going on and on about how I didn't know HOW to be a mom and didn't understand why my baby couldn't just go home with me where we could start our life as a family (keep in mind I was a scared young mom who had not slept well in days). She sat down with me and we began talking. We talked about Ezra (her 9 yr old son), we talked about Beau (her son who was near my age), we talked about so much....but one thing she said I never forgot was "none of us go in to this KNOWING how to be a parent....but somehow God allows us, through trial and error and a lot of sleepless nights, to be the parents we are supposed to be...the parents we are meant to be....for however long He sees fit to loan our kids to us"
That has stuck with me for 13 yrs now, and even as I am blogging this, I love her for being so kind and brave. Even in the midst of what had to be unshakable grief and pain for the child she had lost and the 2 who were still not home with her, she reached out and comforted a silly 18 year old girl who was upset over too little sleep and something as common and treatable as jaundice.....
So, I want to publicly thank Mrs. Walters for her wisdom and compassion.
Even more than that I want to thank God for loaning this wonderful child to me for the last 13 years....I saw a quote the other day in a piece of word art (no name on the file I saved so do not know which blog I saw it on...i BELIEVE it was elegant word art by Bethany *smiles*) that said "It used to be that I could look at you and see traces of the baby you once were. Now I look at you and instead catch glimpses of the Man you will become..." Truer words were never spoke :)....so Happy Birthday Lane....My not-so-little boy....

(credits-all items from Peta Boardman aka Scrappin' Nut's Good Old Years kit)

Ok, now, just because I want to let everyone see some of the gorgeous stuff available at Treasures to Scrap.com and also some things I have gathered from the wonderful blogs of my fellow scrappers/designers, here are a ton of layouts! All credits can be found in my gallery at TTS ...


(credits- Rina Kroe's Liberty kit :) )


(credits- the February Treasure Chest kit from TTS)

I am NOT a journal-er.....I struggle with it every time! It is so funny b/c I am great at relating stories, events, and memories....but to put them on a layout just throws me for a loop! But this set of pictures just BEGGED to have a story go with them so here it is (so you don't have to squint to see what it says on the layout lol)
Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess named Chloe. She was kind and compassionate and adored by all her subjects.
Every day she would sit upon her throne, hoping
that she could take the next step in becoming a queen that her people could be proud of and look up to. Yet, every day as she sat there, nothing would happen.
Often she wondered if, perhaps, a witch had put a spell on her...But she had no evil step-mother, she owed no debt
to any horrid elf or troll, and she had not pricked her finger on any
spindle, nor eaten any poisoned apple, so surely bewitchment was not the problem...
So many times she simply wanted to just give up and admit
defeat, but she knew that if she just kept on trying that eventually she had to succeed!
Then, one day as she sat on her throne, it happened!!!
She had succeeded in fulfilling her royal duty!
She had used the potty like a big girl!
The entire kingdom rejoiced Her subjects clapped and sang
and rejoiced with their beloved princess...
~the end~

(credits- Dawn Inskip's Land of Make Believe kit)


(credits- Fabella's Country Love kit)

The next 2 are what my 2 youngest took to school for Valentines Day)
Chloe's cute little card :) I was so happy to find a fitting Bible verse for her card...1 Cor. 13:13 (it is in the bottom corner of her card) says "...and the greatest of these is love"....so we were able to use her card as a witnessing experience also :)
the credits are very long and can be viewed at my TTS gallery


and Elijah's not-so-cute-but-oh-so-Eli card...it reads "For Valentine's Day this year, I picked up some nice fresh "tootsie rolls" for you (just don't ask where I picked them up from)...Happy Valentine's Day from Elijah (& his dog)"..... (credits-Dawn Inskips Pets element kit)



(credits- fotosusu's Christmas Dreams kit & Robin Blankenship aka MadScrapper's Letter Maps)

ok the story behind this one is that I commented on a very darling designer's thread at DST and WON this kit :)...then we had a challenge for the Amazing Digi Scrap Race 3 to scrap about part of our daily routine...well part of our routine (mine and Tink's...um Chloe's lol) is to sing while I fix her hair...and we sing before bed....and this is one of our favorite songs...
It is "Pretty Irish Girl" from the movie Darby O'Gill and the Little People...sigh a young Sean Connery sings it more than once in the movie...sigh...sigh....siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh

(credits- Dale Ann Cubbage aka dc designs' Bonnie Lass kit)


(credits- Robin Blankenship aka Mad Scrapper Designs' Wendi's World kit)


Below is a layered ribbon tag that Dawn McDowell taught us how to make during a chat at TTS...I was SO intimidated b/c I was one of the only digi girls at the chat...but Dawn had already thought of us and made a nice little template for us to use and walked us through the steps :)...so while it is not quite as gorgeous as pics of the paper scrapped versions, I REALLY loved the technique and the outcome!

(credits- Deanna Patterson's Playful kit....template by Dawn McDowell)


This one was for another ADSR3 challenge (number 4 to be exact) where we were instructed to "spill it"...we had to use a LARGE pic and journal at least 1/4 of the page...what is up with this journaling stuff?! and isn't my hubby the cutest?! anyway here was mine and it reads:
Ok, here it is, I am spillin’ the beans on something that I am only going to admit
one time and one time only....This man drives me absolutely bat crap crazy!
His name is Mike, yep cute irresistable, adorable, plain ol’ Mike..
After being together for over 14 years, married 13 of those, and having 3 kids & our fair share of flat out hard times, you would think I’d be able to resist his goofy grin & big brown eyes (which are that way because he really is just full of it),
but I can’t! Sometimes just seeing him walk in the room sets my heart a flutter & my mind racing along with my pulse! What is this spell he has over me?! How does he do it?! It is maddening! Will I ever “outgrow” this twitterpation?! ...sigh...
Do I ever really want to?

(credits can be found at my TTS gallery)

This is another ADSR3 layout...we each had to create 1/2 of a layout...it could be side to side, top and bottom, checkered...as long as each person did 1/2 of it....Miranda and I (goobs that we are) decided to do it like those "flip over" books....each of us posted it with our side upright...but of course mine is the RIGHT way ;)....isn't Miranda just a doll?! she looks that good only a year after giving birth to one of the cutest little boys EVER (yes I could just eat Nathan up lol)
the journaling and the credits can be found in my TTS gallery.....it basically explains how we became known as the Scrapbrats.....



Another of Tink's favorite songs is "Little Bunny FooFoo" and I had these pics of her in her bunny costume last Easter that were begging to be scrapped....

(credits- template by Fabella and kit used is Playful by Deanna Patterson)

rarely do I get a great pic of Elijah that I just melt over....he doesn't like to sincerely smile...he is always on the move....but I finally got THAT ONE PIC I wanted so I scrapped it....
journaling can be read in my TTS gallery....

(credits- March Treasure Chest kit)

Seriously girls (and guys) you should check out the treasure chest kits at www.treasurestoscrap.com they are made by some of the fabulous designers there....

Anyway, sometime in the next day or two I will be posting a wonderful Easter project to do with your kids....so be sure to check back :)