Time really does fly when you’re having fun! Today I celebrate the one-year anniversary of becoming a Heritage Makers Independent Personal Publishing Consultant! Signing up as a consultant a year ago was my 30th birthday present to myself, and it has truly been a gift that keeps on giving. Prior to becoming a Consultant, I was one of those people who would have sworn that I’d never sell anything or do in-home “parties”. I’d been asked to do everything from Pampered Chef kitchen goods to Lia Sophia jewelry, but always declined. I was fine hosting parties and earning the free hostess goodies for the many different direct-sales companies, but none of the products or companies ever impressed me enough to sign on the dotted line. Then I found Heritage Makers.
Having made a couple of digital photo books with “other” companies (Creative Memories and My Publisher) in the past, I was familiar with the concept of “digital scrapbooking” and already keen on the idea as a whole. When I went to pick up an order of my scanned photos from a gal in my MOMS Club, she had a table full of Heritage Makers books sitting there and I was instantly in LOVE! I was immediately taken by the amazing quality, striking digital art and variety of sizes and designs. I asked her how I could create books like these… and more importantly, how I could help others make books like these, since I was not going to be able to help but tell everyone I knew about these amazing Heritage Makers products! I signed up to be a consultant the next morning. The rest, as they say, is Heritage Makers history!
The “gift” of Heritage Makers that I gave myself last year has continued to give… I’m building a successful, home-based business that has, at minimum, paid our truck payment every month for the past year and helps keep me at home being “mommy” to my two beautiful boys; I’ve met countless amazing people at the in-home Workshops that my hostesses hold, and I hear their amazing stories and see their beautiful family photos; I’ve seen how the power of story can bring families together and get them talking about happy times and memories that had long since been forgotten; I’ve developed and honed some useful personal skills such as public speaking, designing presentations and displays, marketing, time management and organization, and fostering ongoing client relationships; I’ve created some beautiful, heartfelt, meaningful books and projects for my family and friends; I’m learning things about my family and heritage that I would have never thought to ask if not for HM’s Story Maps and emphasis on getting the STORY behind the pictures of our lives; I’ve helped people preserve and archive their precious family photos by getting them scanned and uploaded to their HM accounts… and so much more.
Heritage Makers is one of the best choices I’ve ever made. I am so proud to be the Heritage Maker of my family and I’m honored to help my friends, family and clients become the Heritage Makers of theirs.
Here’s the Christmas card that we sent out this year. I designed the card using one of the many templates offered by Heritage Makers as my starting point. The photos were taken by Christy Andrea, a friend of mine from the local MOMS club. Enjoy!
Ayden was busying himself with a colorful pile of large Legos in the middle of the rug in the family room. He had used the square lid to the Lego storage tub as a foundation for his current work of art. He had carefully stacked Legos all around the perimeter of the lid and about three or four blocks high. On one “wall” he had placed three blocks perpendicular to the rest. This was the point at which I looked over to see what he was up to and asked as much:
Me:Hey Bud, whatcha building over there?
Ayden:Um, it’s a bathtub.
Me: Oh, a bathtub. That’s very clever! And what are those three blocks on that side?
Ayden:These are the faucets.
Me: How come there are three?
Ayden: [pointing to them one at a time] This is the “Hot”, this is the “Cold”, and this is the “Very Refreshing.”
Come on… you just can’t make this stuff up! Kids really do say the darnedest things! It doesn’t get much cuter than that!
Owen has finally managed to accomplish that which separates us from most of the other animals on the planet… he stands! At the end of last week he figured out how to crawl properly up on his hand and knees (rather than dragging himself across the rug with one arm). He’s gotten rather quick at that now and I’ve had to recommission the gate at the top of the stairs. So I’d say it was Friday that he had the crawling nailed, and on Saturday he experimented with pulling himself up onto his baby grand piano. He was feeling quite overconfident at that point and has several large knots on his head to prove it! Then the rest of the weekend was spent figuring out how to not trip over his own feet as he cruised along the ottoman, couch, bathtub, etc. I’m already having to move things up in the house that I haven’t had worry about in almost two years! The other unfortunate side effect to Owen being able to stand is that he can do so in his crib - though he can’t get back down. He therefore screams bloody murder until we come to lay him back down - or he ends up falling and adding another braille bump to his skull! Ah well, one step at a time I suppose! This too shall pass! Enjoy the newly added pictures from the weekend.
Whew! We’re pleasantly exhausted after a fun-filled weekend up at Bill’s Northwoods cabin in Washington. Grandma Gail and the Boisvert clan joined us for some good quality family fun and togetherness! It was Owen’s first time up there - well, since he’s been “on the outside”. Our last trip up to the cabin was back in January! The forecast was wet and cold, but the weather turned out to be warm and pleasant. On Saturday we took a nice easy one-mile stroll through a beautiful old growth forest, followed by some treasure hunting with Grandee’s hand-me-down metal detector on the Swift Reservoir beach. Today we stopped by the Tale of Two Forests which is a walk through a 2,000 year old lava flow that encased a forest and created tree casts in stone. Amazing! At the cabin, we ate more than we needed to all weekend and the kids played their brains out! It was good wholesome fun all around and we can’t wait to do it again! You can enjoy the photos in the newly uploaded gallery, in addition to a few photos of the end of Nanna and Grandee’s visit last week and a few pics from around the house. This coming week looks a little more tame than the past two weeks have been (a welcome change of pace!), though we have Patrick’s 29th birthday to look forward to on the 31st! Until then… be well!
Whew! My first opportunity to sit down at the computer in days and days! It feels like we’ve been going nonstop for the past 10 days or so! The weekend of the 11th, the family headed to Seaside to visit with Grandma Kelly and company - and it gave Patrick and I the chance to sneak away for a nice quiet lunch together in celebration of our 6th wedding anniversary! Time flies when you’re having fun! On Sunday the 12th, we gathered at the Boisvert house to celebrate Emery’s 2nd birthday! Yippee! Now we have two little nightmares in their second year AT THE SAME TIME! God help us!
Early last week we headed to Gramma’s Place near Sherwood for their beautiful U-Pick flowers. Emery and Lindsay were really into the flower picking and carried around their bounty in a cute little basket. Ayden on the other hand caught sight of a large John Deere tractor. Heather had managed to get him to hold ONE flower which he used as his pointer for naming the various parts of the tractor. Needless to say, Mommy didn’t get to walk away with a boquet of flowers as intended. I spent the whole time trying to keep Ayden from climbing up on the darn tractor! Oy vey!
This past Wednesday saw the arrival of Grandma Gail, Nanna and Grandee up from California for a visit. Over the past several days we’ve dragged everyone to Pump It Up (a bouncy castle activity center designed for kids under 6 years old), Safari Sam’s (largest indoor jungle gym in the West), the local parks and recreation district’s Big Truck Day (a large exhibit of trucks, tractors, emergency and construction vehicles, school and city buses, etc, etc, etc), and the Clackamas County Fair and Rodeo! Wow! We really have been busy! The rain has slowed us down for today and we’re finally laying low at home. You can see photos from all of these recent events in the two new galleries (one and two). Enjoy!
Boys, boys, boys! This is my life! We spent a second weekend at the tractor show. Was it fun the second time around? Of course! But was Mommy tempted to turn left off the freeway exit instead, following the signs to the Oregon Garden? YOU BET! Oh well, I have come to grips with the fact that I now live in a world of boys and I better get used to tractors, trucks, dirt, noise, etc. You know, in reality, I wouldn’t change it for the world!
Owen is 2 months old today! So the question I pose is in regard to my own reaction to this development. Already? Because it seems as though time is soaring by and I haven’t even had a chance to catch my breath since my crazy labor and delivery with him. That’s It? Because it feels like Owen has been a part of our family forever. I can’t remember life without him at this point! Owen is truckin’ right along in terms of baby development. At his 2-month checkup today, he weighed in at 15lbs 10oz (100+ percentile), 42.5cm head (90th percentile) and 24″ length (95th percentile). He’s smiling fully - and fully melting my heart in the process! He’s starting to experiment with his oh-so-adorable baby coos and squeaks. He’s getting so alert and curious and watches anything and everything he can manage to lock his eyes on. I can imagine nothing more amazing and fulfilling than watching this beautiful, healthy little boy growing and learning. It’s my greatest pleasure and honor to be the proud Mommy of my two boys! Life is good!
It is SO hard for me to swallow that my baby is two years old now!!! And boy is he two in every way! His language and vocabulary are really flourishing, his sense of independence and testing of boundaries is in full force, he has definite ideas and opinions about his world, he’s learning to manipulate his world and the people in it (in the nicest sense of the word), he’s perfected the art of “No!”, he’s sweet and affectionate, he’s aware of people and his surroundings, he’s becoming quite physically capable and wants to test those limits constantly, he’s fascinated with trucks, tractors, and tools, yet will stop and literally smell the flowers and help me water the garden. He’s absolutely amazing and I can’t even remember life without his little pitter pattering feet in our home. So here’s to two trips around the sun and many MANY more to come!
We had a small family birthday party on Saturday, June 30th to celebrate. Thanks to all who attended and spoiled him rotten! He’s having a blast with all the toys and goodies! Enjoy the pics of the event!
Happy Birthday my sweet boy!!! We love you more than you will ever know!
Kids really do say the darnedest things! It doesn’t get much cuter than that!