Project Life Weeks 18 and 19

Project Life, Week 18. This week I was working on the Cocoa Daisy online crop, so I decided to use the 6x6 inch slots and make four mini layouts. It was fun, but not sure I will do it again (I have to next week, though, since it is the other side of next week). Too much work. I love playing and everything but sometimes the simplest pages have turned out the nicest. I have gotten a little a way from writing down the little stories throughout the day (probably because of Week in the Life, then the Cocoa Daisy crop, then the Big Picture Creative Crop, now working on 31 Things - so lots of creating going on here).

The right side of Week 18. A little bag that came in the mail with my washi tape. Last week of swimming - Agustín perfecting his form on the backstroke. So cool that he can do this. I tried the crawl stroke last weekend at the beach and almost drowned!

Some play time with the kids, a Skype video call with the cousins and Aunts, soccer, soccer and more soccer.

 We spent Friday night with some friends. María Emilia is Agustín's age and even though they don't see each other much, these kids pick right up where they last left.

Week 19: reading on the stoop (actual conversation between Agustín and I: 

Agustín: "Mommy, do you like to read?" 

Me: "Yes, I do."

Agustín: "Me, too." He was reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid. A little over his head culture wise but he LOVES it and won't let me read it to him or explain anything. As we read he kept looking up and telling me parts of the story.

A Mother's Day event at the kids' school (they were very secretive about it all - the highlight was the mariachis. Agustín, after lots of coaxing, finally took me out to dance. Nico didn't even think of me and danced with his little friends on the side of the dance floor. :) )

Another weekend at the beach. Love.

Lots of little love notes coming in from Nico as he gets better and more confident at his writing. He loves to try to write in English, but refuses to get help from anyone. Here his note says, "Mommy, can I play on the computer?" If you turn it over, it says, "Yes or no?"  Lots of those little notes this month. Many of them actually say, "Mommy, do you love me? Yes or no" and I am instructed to please circle my answer.

:)

I'll post more of Nico's "funnies" from the last couple of weeks tomorrow.

Lunch at Grandma's today (Kids had early release). Nice that we can walk there.

Project Life: Weeks 11-17

Week Eleven

A quieter week. Some laundry, some crochet, a cute book came home with nico this week (seen in the insert).

This is the only insert I've done so far, but I'm ok with that. So far the album is so much fun to go through, not sure each week needs more. Just going to go with the flow I guess. A lot of excitement below as the kids were given permission to ride from Grandma's house to home in the front seat. How cool was that!?

Week Twelve

The kids went to the stadium on Sunday and got Liga shirts (it was Nico's first time at a game) and so soccer fever has started!

Some shots of "Mommy School" as well!

Week Thirteen

It's been a rough rainy season, and although we had planned a beach trip every weekend in March and April, the landslides on the highways have prevented it. Things opened up for Easter break, though, and the kids were dropped off to spend a week there with their grandparents alone (well, we stayed on the weekends, just not during the week). Bati and Gaby came but can you believe I didn't get one picture of them? Crazy.

Week Fourteen

Andres turns 40, we spend some days in the city alone (catch a movie and go out for drinks a couple of times!), then back to the beach to pick up the kids.

Week Fifteen

Easter egg hunting and dying, bowling night, and some very cold weather makes up this week.

Week Sixteen

As I said, the soccer bug has bit. Back to the stadium. Some crochet for me. Some cleaning for Nico (he wasn't even asked! He loves to sweep with that little broom - great purchase!) More ephemera this week - I love that and want to do more. I feel like I'm filling things up with too many photos and not enough words and stuff. Will be more mindful to do so...

Here I did get some journaling in from the kids' teacher conferences and also a little about our "wild" Saturday (started with books form the library and ended with Shushu being rushed to the hospital. It turned out to be a pinched-nerve-like thing in her shoulder, but very painful. Thought it might be her heart so didn't want to take chances.)

Week Seventeen

And here we are - all up to date. Again with super bad, blurry pics. Sorry!

This Sunday we saw Pirates in the theater. Nico won first place in a drawing contest (Tin won third!), we had an ice cream break on Monday, the kids got soccer gloves from Grandpa for their outstanding report cards, Mommy and Daddy went downtown to a super fancy restaurant, and Nico shadowed me all day Saturday, then ended the day doing some nifty acrobats for me!

Wow. Just when you think your life is a bit on the boring side, you go back and see how absolutely blessed and lucky you are.

As Agustin would say, "This family rocks."

He also likes to say "thingamadoodle."

Project Life: Weeks 7-10

More from my Project Life binder. Again, horrible photos. I know. They make me want to cry. Oh well. 

Week Seven

Valentine's Day, with some of the cards I gave the boys. An insert from the chocolate heart Tin received. Pictures from Family Game night, and some pics of A wrestling with the boys.

Week Eight

Carnaval weekend, lots of soccer as you can see.

Week Nine

This week saw us back at the beach, as well as starting swimming lessons again. A few samples of the kids school work (studying for tests) as well.

Week Ten

Back at the beach again, after a big storm. Birthday week as well - Nico turned 6 and Shushu 66! Some pictures from our secret mission that led to the birthday gifts. That was so much fun to put together.

The photo of the balloons on the left hand side where the balloons I put up the night before Nico's birthday. I laughed so hard when he came out. He just looked at them, looked at me, and then in his voice that says you-must-be-crazy said "What'd ya put up all the balloons for?" Still cracks me up!

Playing Project Life Posting Catch Up: Weeks 3-6

I have been really good about keeping up with Project Life. In fact, I look forward to it all week, and some weeks it goes by too fast. I did run out of photo paper one week and had a hard time finding some in the stores, so I got a little behind, then proceeded to run out of ink the next week, but I am finally all caught up and things are working just fine. I am using the DayOne app to jot down little things - I haven't used it every day but two or three times a week, which helps record some of those little moments that are hard to remember at the end of a week.

I am going to go ahead and post each of my weeks, because I like to get a general feel for the album this way. I am doing it in terrible light, however, because during the day when the sun's out the kids are following me around and it's harder to get it done. So excuse the horrible horrible quality of the pics. Maybe someday when I've got tons of extra time to spare I'll re-photograph them.

Week Three

A pretty normal week around here. Not much going on out of the ordinary.

Week Four

The kids had an event going on at school. Andres and I took some time off and went to watch it. Had a lot of fun, although it was so cold outside!  And wet.

Week Five

A birthday party for a girl in Nico's class, another event at Tin's school to celebrate the Tarqui Battle. Some of the kids art work...

Week Six

A trip to Ibarra this weekend, an event at work (nice and fancy, haha), a meeting with an old student of mine, some family time.

Project Life has started!

Last week I started Project Life, and yesterday completed my second week. I am such a fan of December Daily, that I knew I would love the idea of Project Life. So I bought a core kit (Turquoise) and a variety pack of paper protectors (currently unavailable) and figured I'd start with the new year. The new year started on a Sunday, which was just very super convenient, also!

My title page

I absolutely LOVE this project. The days you want to, you can play, but the other days you can just grab your photos, jot down a few words and stick them in the pockets on the protectors and you're done. No messing around, worrying where things should go or how they should be, just words and stories on my perspective of my family at this moment in time - 2012.

Week one

Already I can't stop going back and looking at my pages, already I am reminiscing about the things we did and the things the kids said, already I am anticipating next Sunday when I can sit down and put together this week... Honestly, that is the biggest problem and only complaint I have about this project - I already feel like I'm wishing my life away, and it goes together so quick that I am craving more the next day!

I guess that's not a bad thing.

Other thoughts as I embark on this amazing (creative) journey through 2012:

• I wish everyone were doing this.
• I am embarrassed to keep saying it's so easy, it's so fabulous (but it is).
• I can't think as to why I haven't ever done this before.
• I love my life.

Week two

I was really worried about spending $50 (plus the cost of the album, which I got on sale at Michael's but which has already come apart at one end...) but now I am thinking that that is very cheap for a year full of memories.

I hope I am not eating my words by the end of this year. I really think I can keep this up. And, well, if I can't, I will still have product for 2013. :)

Oh! And I just have to mention that my sister Amy let me take her compact HP photo printer back with me to Ecuador and I. love. it. Makes for a super easy scrapping experience. :) (happy dance!)

Happy Dance

Thank you again for your order from the Scrapbook.com Superstore. We wanted to let you know that your order was shipped today.

Oh happy happy happy!!!!!

I cannot wait to look at (and play with) my goodies.

Project Life will be starting soon and SO super excited.

December Daily is all caught up and I have found a bit of a groove. Going all out this year and printing the photos at home, regardless of price and quality of photo paper. Getting the stories down as they happen is invigorating and makes the project that much more fun.

Love.