Holiday's In Hand

I am taking a 6 or so week online course called Holiday's In Hand. Over the next month or so I will be creating a holiday themed album full of tradition, memories and more. Our first assignment is to think about our values and set a few goals for this holiday season.

I would like to start teaching Adam about our holiday traditions. Sure, he's experienced them in the past and will in the future - but where did they come from, why do we do them and why are they important to me/daddy/our family.

I hope that our family can spend more time together this season instead of co-existing. This means some mommy/daddy time in addition to family time and one-on-one time with Adam.

I need to make more time for my friends this season. Handwritten notes in Christmas cards will be a good first step.

Regardless of what happens this season, I want it to be memorable. Each year Adam starts remembering more and more and I want him to have positive and fun holiday memories.

No stress. I get so bogged down in the shopping, wrapping, planning, visiting, sneaking, hunting etc of the season, that I often look back and realize I've missed it all. I want to take time to enjoy the events and activities that are a part of this time of the year.

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I ended up with a "sick day" today, home with my son who is out of daycare for the week because of a fever. So, I spent the day scrapping! It felt so good to sit and scrap, it's honestly been months since I've just scrapped - I wanted to most of the NINE layouts I got done today. At this rate, I should reach my goal and have 2007 scrapped by Christmas! Click LOs for credits

Mystery Student

Adam had his first homework assignment for pre-school. To fill out his Mystery Student Worksheet. It was too cute not to share! So here it is! (Click to see bigger)

Birthday Trip to the Zoo

I'll try and remember to come back and post some pictures, we all know how bad I am at remembering to post here though....but I did want to share this video I got of the big old tortoise eating some dinner. Near the end is where it's really neat - watch him gooo!

Happy Anniversary!

I can't believe it's been a year! A wonderful, wonderful year of marriage! I'm still not used to the new last name, and have to think twice before responding to the "Mrs. Krueger's" I hear around but I'm sure eventually, I won't even remember being a Miss....

A few weeks ago, I joked with Mike that we should make each other gifts, since the first anniversary is known as the "paper" anniversary. Of course, I made him something - and he surprised me and made me something too (despite his bad attitude about it back then!)

I thought I'd share his gift first, then mine!

Mike scrapbooked a page of wedding pictures for me! It's just the right size for the computer desktop screen too! Not only did he make a gift for me, but he took the time to explore my #1 hobby and created something I will always cherish! I love what he wrote on it too - "The first of many happy years together... ...as husband and wife... ...and soulmates..."

I took a slightly different direction with my gift. Over the last year I have been jotting down reasons that I love Mike. From his wonderful eyes, to the days he packs my lunch for me and everything in between. I had my handwriting made into a font, and typed them all up, cut them into pieces and stuck them in a cookie jar! I found this adorable monkey and decorated him to make him a love monkey - now, every day Mike can pull out a reason I love him and hopefully it will put a big smile on his face! Here's Mr. Love Monkey, the reasons inside are between Mike and I!

Happy First Anniversary to us!

(PS: We've headed out for the weekend - enjoying a mini-getaway to Stillwater. We will be touring a winery, enjoying the view and a yummy dinner. Then off to Afton for a night at the historic Afton House Inn and a Sunday morning champagne brunch cruise on the Saint Croix River!

Our Little Rockstar

Poor Adam!

We had quite an eventful week. It started last Saturday - a week ago - with Adam playing with some rocks on the patio and he ended up banging his pinky with a rock. It wasn't pretty, but seemed to me like a typically little boy injury. I didn't think about it at all, until Thursday.

Thursday morning Adam woke up and told me "My mouth hurts mommy." He felt a little warm, but I chalked it up to the slightly infected cut on his pinky and the sore mouth, well he probably slept with his mouth open. We got ready, dropped Adam off at Daycare and I headed off to work. I made it about a 1/2 mile before "mom instinct" kicked in and I pulled a U-ie and picked Adam up and headed to Urgent Care.

Turns out, Adam has strep throat (poor kid) and, since we were there, I had the doc take a peek at the finger....BROKEN! Who woulda thought! So Adam's on 10 days of antibiotics for the strep and to help avoid a bone infection in his finger - and he gets to wear a Bobafett (aka: Splint) on his finger for a week too to help it heal.

Where have I been?

Man! I can't believe I've let this blog go for so long! I'll try to get better! No promises....


Things in our workd have been busy &, hectic but good. Summer brings out a very tired little boy most days, and mom and dad are feeling the same. We've had a lot of excitement going on around us. At the end of June one of Mike's good friends had a baby, so we squeezed in a few visits with the little guy. What a cutie!


Jeff came into town for Father's Day and again for the 4th. We enjoyed our visit with him, and even had a chance for the four of us (Jeff, Mike, Joelle and I) to all go bowling together! (Thanks Grandma Carol for watching Adam!)


The week before the 4th Mike got an abcessed tooth and the poor guy was so miserable! I have never seen him in so much pain. The infection decided to make itself comfy in the roof of his mouth, I won't go into details but it's still there and not pretty! Mike ended up missing all of the July 4th Fun - but I still made sure Adam had a good time doing fireworks with his uncles and spending the night at Grandma Wendy's.


Adam is having a blast at the summer program at Daycare. They do so many great activities with the kids! Last week, they had the Zoomobile and my brave little man touched a trantula (Ewwww!) , armadillo, parrot and chinchilla. I can't believe in a few short weeks (7) he'll be FOUR! Where has the time gone?


As for me, I've been busy with my scrapbooking. I recently opened up my own store and have been selling my designs to make a little money for having fun with! I am almost caught up with our 2007 scrapbook, my goal is to have it ready to share at Christmas time! I am learning more each day and wish I could do this full time instead of my day-job. Mike puts up with a lot from me with the scrap stuff, it does take a lot of time, but in the end it's worth it as I make a name for myself and continue to grow my business :) Maybe someday I will be able to do it full time!



Alright, I'll leave you with a couple of recent photos - but you know where to find them all, right?

Mike and I at our Game of Love this year (Twins vs. Yankees) it was our 5th Game of Love

We got Adam a T-Ball set and he LOVES it! Our little All Star!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!

a little bigger:

Fun at Grandma Wendy's

Adam spent last Sunday with Grandma Wendy. Grandma took Adam to an Easter Party complete with a visit by the Easter Bunny (and his little twin!)

The spot on his chin are his "Teeth" he wanted bunny teeth. Silly boy!

This is as close as he would get to the Easter Bunny - but it's still a cute photo!

Just a few sprinkles on his cookie!

At the playground at the Community Center!

All in all, I think Adam had a lot of fun with Grandma Wendy!

Great Weekend at the Krueger House!

We had a great weekend! Let's start at the beginning. On Friday, I picked Adam up at daycare, like usual, and in the care he explained to me how much he loves getting a jelly bean when he pees on the potty at school. A "ding" went off in my head as I pulled into Walgreen's - explaining to Adam that I will get him jelly beans for at home - if he goes on the potty.

I'm. A. Genius.

Starting Friday night, Adam peed on the potty. He pulled his pants down, climbed up onto his stool and did it. No questions asked.

A fluke? A desire for a couple of jelly beans? At this point, I wasn't sure.

Then Saturday - same thing - he would run into the bathroom and do his thing into the potty.

It started becoming a reality, my son is going to be potty trained!!!!

The true test was Sunday, he spent the day at Grandma Wendy's house - and went to an egg hunt (more on that later!) which meant an unfamiliar potty and time running around.

When I went to pick him up, I got the good news - not only did Adam have no problem using Grandma's potty but he also announced he had to pee in the middle of Walmart, was rushed to the bathroom and did it just fine!!!!

This is huge - I'm thrilled that he is finally getting the whole potty thing down, but even more thrilled that I won't be spending nearly as much on diapers! (Perhaps we can invest the money we'll save in Mike's other love.)

Grrargh!

If it's not one thing it's another, right? Like last week, my car started making this horrible siren-like noise when I was in reverse - I finally got a chance to take it in yesterday for repairs. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but still.

Then there's the sick. Between Adam's ever running nose, allergies for both Mike and Manda and tons of doctors appointments for my chronic sinutis...

But what's getting to me the most these days is work. It's challenging to be more experienced then your boss. I have to cut her some slack, she's new to our organization and doesn't know what's going on most of the time - but it's getting to an overwhelming point. She is so indecisive. She refuses to make any decision outside of our weekly team meetings - which doesn't really work.

Right now, I am frantically trying to finish all of our materials, get quotes and get them to print. BUT I can't. She won't proof anything and takes every single suggestion she gets from other people (locally and nationally) as a rule/requirement which means I am constantly re-doing my work.

There's nothing I can do about it either, I just have to suck it up and do what she wants as frustrating as she can be. I just don't think she understands that my job revolves around her approving. I can't move forward with any projects until she approves. Oh! And she has to have the last word/say in everything. Something can be perfect and she'll make me make a change for no reason. Like the shade of the pink font I used.

I know this makes no sense, and I'm just grumbling. But at least you'll know why I'm a giant crank the next time I see you!

Travel Back in Time!

I am working very hard to get caught up with Adam's scrapbook. I have a few pages I ened to do with scissors and glue to finish up his first two years (2005 and 2006) but have been creating his 2007 album digitally. I have a list of all of the events I want to scrap and am slowly working my way through it. My goal is to stay caught up with 2009 and get 2007 scrapped this year. 2008 will come when 2007 is done!

This weekend I scrapped like crazy and had fun reliving some of our memories - wanna see? I know you do!

When I'm ___ I can ___

Lately Adam has taken to making decisions about his life. He understands that he is too little/young to do some things - so he makes a decision as to what age he will be able to do said thing.

For example "When I'm sixteen I will go on an airplane." or "When I'm twenty-five I will drink beer like daddy."

It's quite humorous to hear his desires as well as the age he thinks it's appropriate to do so.

Yesterday, his statement make me sad and happy at the same time.

"Mommy, when I'm 5 I can have a sister."

What? I asked, hearing the word sister and not really understanding.

"When I'm 5 I can have a sister."

"You want a sister?"

"Henry said sisters are fun. When I'm 10 I can pull her hair."

Great Mommy Moments

Here's one I never want to forget and one I want to remember to tell all of Adam's future (waaay future) girlfriends.

Yesterday at 4:45 p.m. I strolled into the daycare, as usual, to pick up my little munchkin (so we could race home and finish prepping for Mike's birthday).

I walked into Adam's classroom to find my little guy with his pants around his ankles. "I peed in the potty mommy, see!" He proudly told me. I looked in the potty, and sure enough, filled with pee-pee. Assuming that he had just finished going potty, I did my proud mommy happy dance for him as the teacher explained to me -

"Right now I'm changing his dirty butt, he actually went on the potty during naptime and wanted to save it for his mommy."

I laughed. Hard. My little guy was so proud of his pee that he had to save it for mom. I felt pretty lucky, getting to see my son's 4 hour old pee sitting in the potty just waiting for me to look at it.

We've been busy!

Hello! Happy March everyone! Hope life is treating all of you well. Things have been quite hectic in our world the last few weeks - let me fill you in!

First, both Mike and Manda have had to have some dental work done, not very much fun at all! We figured while we were spending so much time there we should bring Adam in for his first dentist appointment! He refused to open his mouth, so we'll try again in 6 months.

Additionally, Manda has had a sinus infection for a long time now and we're finally getting some help. A lot of testing has been done and it seems the problem is partly allergies, partly a funky tissue issue in her nose. Nothing to get worked up about, lots of medications to treat the problems though, so that's been an adventure!

Onto some fun news, as you know from previous posts, digital scrapbooking has become a big part of Manda's world - so big in fact that she has opened a digi-scrap shop and is selling some of her templates there. Isn't that fun? Not a lot of extra money and most if it goes right back into the hobby but it has been fun setting up shop! Check it out at www.onesingleseed.com (Click Digi-Shoppe, Designs by MandaK)

Finally, we just got Adam's spring school photos back. Not as adorable as usual, but still cute! Enjoy!

A few LO's of our honeymoon...

I will slowly make my way through our honeymoon photos as well. These are harder for me, since there are a lot of landscapes and waterfalls and food. There are also a lot of stories to go with them as well as a very important order to put them in...But I do have a few pages done, so enjoy!

Another batch of Scrapbook Pages

Happy Valentines Day! We hope you are celebrating the love in your lives today, we sure are! Here's another batch of pages for you to look at!

















And this might be my most favorite ever so far:

More Scrapping Fun...

Alright, here are some more pages - this time the theme is Adam...more to come!







This is one of my favorites!