So let it begin.  Activities and homework and activities…wait I already said that.  Gone are the lazy days of summer.  Gosh.  School starts early around here.  Sigh.  I sure miss ‘em!  Yes even when they fight!  Even then.

The other evening Corey and the kids went outside to play catch in the front yard.  We have a window seat in the formal living room that the dogs like to perch in and watch the goings-on in the front yard.  I found the dogs perched there watching.  I grabbed my camera to capture it.  As soon as I returned Baxter ran away.  Skits turned and literally “posed”.  Here he is…

Because they both wanted to scrapbook and when I asked them what they wanted to scrap about they both said, “Skits!”

It could be because he is on our minds a lot because on Friday he got “fixed” and he was gone all day.  We sure did miss him and realized just how much he “entertains” us.  Even Baxter was depressed.  We all piled in the car late Friday afternoon to go get him…yes, even Baxter!

I’m writing this on Saturday and he is doing well but he is sore and stiff.  Poor dogger!  We love him so muchly!  We have to help him go up and down the stairs to get outside to the yard to go potty.  He is not so keen on doing stairs yet.  He is lying low and we are trying to get the kiddos to back off and let him be.  It’s hard cause we just want to smother him with love.  He is such an awesome dog! ;D

Here are the girls’ layouts…again, I helped Laney a little more than Ava.  I did both their extractions.  They chose all their elements and put them where they wanted.  The photos are their own.  All elements (except that moon) and paper are mine! ;D

Anyway…on to the layouts! Laney’s…

And Ava’s…

Having fun playing with long exposure time.  I told the girls to not move…but move the sparklers.  So much fun to do this!!!!

I’m so thankful I have Corey who will light these things.  Cause even tho I will participate…I hate lighting them.  I especially hate the loud ones and I hate those freakin popper ones…the little white ones that you just throw at the ground and they snap really loudly.  The girls just LOVE THEM…even tho they are the most simple things on earth and Corey will do all those nice loud ones with them.  When they come out…I disappear inside.  Thank goodness for a fun Dad! ;D

So we drove my little suv over to Roxborough State Park today and went hiking.  So when I say back to normal I mean we are starting to do more and more outdoor adventures like we used to…before I got sick.  And it feels so good…AFTERWARD.  During we have to listen to the girls complain how horrible their lives are and they can’t take one more step.  Then when we get home they are like, “That was the best day ever!”  They make me laugh!  They were saying how much they have to write about over summer break when they go back to school.  In an hour they will be saying how bored they are.  Oh, to be a kid!

We avoided crowds, parking problems, noisy people, mosquitoes and enjoyed comfy office chairs, air conditioning and hot chocolate!  Oh yeah…and we could see the fireworks just perfectly!  The 15th floor offers some advantages…and so does a private parking lot and a badge to get in the building.  What a neat way to watch them! ;D

My only issue…I still can’t exactly figure out my new camera when taking photos at night.  So these aren’t the greatest photos…at least not how I like them! ;D

Skits is total outdoors dog.  I mean he is anyway…he loves going outside all the time…even in the snow and rain.  But he was like all over the woods and hiking and climbing rocks and doing crazy stuff.  Following the kids everywhere…even up big rocks!  He is a wild man! ;D  And very entertaining!

Oh yeah.  In other “Skits news”…he caught a bird the other night.  He came up to the back door and “presented” it to us (like cats do).  He was like, “LOOK what I got!”  He’s moved on from snakes cause he has killed all of them in our yard.  He is crazy! ;D

And here’s a layout I did of some photos of Ava on our hike…

These are photos they took the other night of the sunset from our back porch.  They both have their own cameras and their own folders on the computer with all their stuff in them.  I told Corey if the girls are going to get into digi scrapping like me…we are going to need lots more hard drive space.  We are already out with my designing. ;D

Ava’s layout…

Laney’s layout…

My layout…

Materials for all three layouts Jen Maddocks Designs