Reflections on 2010......

I sit in a very quiet home right now with all my children sleeping and my husband trying not to fall asleep........it is very peaceful....it is nice!!!! As I sit here I am reflecting on the last 365 days.....we have had many, many changes this year.....we bought a new home, moved and didn't sell our 1st home for over 6 months, Jacob graduated from developmental preschool, Jacob started kindergarten, Maxwell started preschool, Carter turned 1, bought Paul got his first riding lawnmower, and many more amazing things. We learned a lot this year....we grew a lot this year! While there we times this year that were super tough to get through, we did it and looking back on it, we are stronger than ever.....And that is a good thing! We are excited about 2011 and what we have to look forward to....more changes and more fun!!!! See you in 2011......

A Christmas to Remember.....

What a wonderful Christmas 2010!!!! It has been quite a while since we have had such a nice, relaxing, fun filled Christmas full of laughter and cheer!!!! I was able to get some cute pictures.....don't have time to share a lot now, but have to share these from Christmas Eve.....we are in the middle of a blizzard right now.....so expect some snow pics soon! LOL

Mixed Reviews on Meeting with Santa Claus

We have had a very busy month!!!! In less than a week Christmas will be here! WOW! The boys are so excited!!!! Last week Carter, Max and I went to the mall to pick up a few last minute things and decided to swing by to see if we could meet Santa....there wasn't a line....we were very excited!!!! We walked right up......Max started chatting right away, it was pretty cute. I put Carter in Santa's lap and took a few steps back to snap a photo....it wasn't good!!! Carter was not happy to be sitting in the lap of Santa!!!! I did catch it on film! LOL.....Max had a great time!

A Crazy Week!!!!

It has been a crazy week in the Creedon home..... Jacob had his Endoscopy/Colonoscopy and Given's Capsule Study at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston this week. The Given's Capsule Study is a 9 hour test where a camera capsule is placed in his body and takes a photo every 2 seconds inside his body. Since we live so far away from Boston, we had to stay there for the entire day. The hospital was nice enough to give us tickets to the New England Aquarium. We had a great time. Jacob was such a good sport. We walked from the hospital all the way to the Aquarium......just a couple of hours after he had his colonoscopy and endoscopy....he is such a trooper!

The Decorating of the Christmas Tree

Decorating a Christmas tree when you have small children is a big event! It was no different in our home this year!!!!! We live in Maine.....but decided to get an artificial tree this year.....not because we don't want a real one, but because we wanted to put it up early and we have a wood stove.....a real tree wouldn't last long with a wood stove around.....it would be branches with pine needles on the floor.....so I went to Home Depot on Black Friday and bought a pre-lit 7 foot tall tree!!!! And it is beautiful! We had so much fun decorating our tree!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Wow! Where has the time gone.....it has been several weeks since I have blogged! I have been super busy! I got a new camera.....after the caramel topping incident at Disney World, my Nikon D40x just wasn't the same....so time for a new one....the brand new Nikon D7000.....she is awesome....it isn't as simple as my D40x, so it has taken some getting used to!

We have been very busy in the last couple of weeks preparing for Christmas..... I promise to keep up a little better!!!!

He's Getting Bigger Everyday!

WOW....it doesn't seem possible that Carter is 18 months old!!! Where has the time gone? He is having such a great time discovering his little world! He loves his big brothers more than anything and is always wanting to give Paul and me big kisses!!! He is such a love-bug! We are so lucky to have Carter in our family!!!

To create this page I used the "Just a Little Nutty" kit created by Steadfast and Immovable. Check out her kits at www.faithsisters.com and www.scrapitsassy.com

So much to be thankful for!

It is nice to be reminded that although none of us have the perfect life, we have so much to be thankful for!!!!

A Reminder of What I am Thankful for......

I love November....I love Thanksgiving.....I have really been reminded about what I am thankful this year because many of my facebook friends are posting things that they are thankful for everyday this month. It caused me to reflect on Thanksgivings past.....I couldn't remember what we did last year for Thanksgiving, so I went to my 2009 photo files to see.....the only pictures that I have of that day are of my family in my Mom's hot tub and 1 photo of Jacob with a turkey that he made at school. I was quickly reminded on how great a day Thankgiving was last year...it was Carter's first Thanksgiving...and even though I don't have any pictures of him on his first Thanksgiving, I can tell you that he did have a great day! LOL I am really thankful for my family this year...probably more than ever. I am thankful that we have such a great church. I am thankful that we have such awesome friends. I am thankful that we have a beautiful home and food to eat. I am thankful!

This layout is from the "Counting Our Blessings" kit by Steadfast and Immovable.

check it out at www.faithsisters.com and www.scrapitsassy.com

check out her blog at: http://steadfast-and-immovable.blogspot.com

A Halloween to Remember.....

This is the first Halloween that my children have really participated in the choosing of the costumes and all the fun things that go along with that. It was great!!!! They decided to be Jedi's, well.....Jacob decided he wanted to be a Jedi and since Max wants to be just like Jacob, he decided to be a Jedi too....except all we could find at the time was a Darth Vader costume...so he settled on that! I had the fun in picking out Carter's costume....I had the pleasure in choosing a Kermit the Frog Costume! We had a great Halloween.

I used the kit "Candy Corn" designed by Erika at Steadfast & Immovable. Check her super cute stuff out at http://www.faithsister.com/ and http://www.scrapitsassy.com/

Also, check out her blog at: http://steadfast-and-immovable.blogspot.com/

Preserving Memories the Easy Way!!!!

I have always loved photos....I love taking photos and I love looking at them! So, it seems like a no-brainer that I would love to preserve my photos in a way that is both fun to look at and pleasing to the eye. I found just that in the My Memories Suite program. I have always loved scrapbooking, but rarely had the time to complete an entire album. I have completed dozens of albums since I started with My Memories Suite just over a year ago. It is so fun to use.....and easy too!

My Little Bowler!

Today was an exciting day for Jacob. He had his first Special Olympics today! He had a great time bowling and was very good at it! Here are some pics to show you what a great day he had!!!!

Maxwell's 1st field trip

Maxwell LOVES nursery school! He is excited to go and can't wait to tell Carter and me all about his fun day! Tuesday they went on their 1st field trip to Doles Orchard. He had a great time.

Time Spent With Family.....

We have had such a great opportunity to spend some quality time with my Aunt Elaine and Uncle Jimmy in the last couple of months.... Uncle Jimmy is retired and Aunt Elaine is almost retired, so they spend the summer and a week at the end of September here in Maine. It has been a treat for us to get to spend so much time with them. My children love to do things with them....especially Max. He adores both of them just as much as I do. This page is from a recent trip we took to Doles Orchard.

A Great Day at the Orchard!!!

Today was an awesome day! It was a field-trip day for Jacob. His first field trip in kindergarten! The trip was to Doles Orchard. I was lucky enough to be able to chaperone this trip! We had a great time learning all about pests of the orchard, had a hay ride, picked a pumpkin out of the pumpkin patch and played in the straw maze! It was an awesome day!!!!

Smile, Happy Boy!

Carter is a very curious little boy, who can often entertain himself.....or should I say, get it trouble by himself! If I even take a minute to do something like: put a load of laundry in the washer or bring a basket of clean laundry upstairs, I can return to find him doing something that he shouldn't be doing. I must clarify this by saying that anything that could harm him is secured by child safety locks.....yet he still seems to find himself in the middle of disaster. I have a perfect example for you....yesterday, while I was bringing groceries downstairs to put in our freezer, I returned to find a kitchen drawer totally emptied and Carter was sitting in it. I really wasn't sure how to react except to have him sit still while I grabbed the camera!!!! Carter.....you are so much fun, little boy!

My Not So Little Maxwell

Yesterday was a pretty exciting day for the Creedon Family! Maxwell had his 1st day of Nursery School! For those that are lucky to know Max, know that he has spent virtually no time away from me in his 3 1/2 years! So.....this event promised to be a mixed bag of emotions. We put Jacob on the school bus and got ready for Nursery School. We got in the van and talked a little bit on the way about Carter and Me dropping him off and coming home to do laundry and less desirable chores and after that we would be back to get him. He seemed to be quiet and processing all of it....which to be honest, worried me a bit. As we walked into his Nursery School he looked at me and said, "Mom, it's a pretty exciting day, isn't it?" That boy just melts my heart! We were the last ones to get there and we went in and he was warmly welcomed and seemed to be very curious. It was exciting. He got really quiet and found a bin of Rescue Heroes....he looked at me and showed me one that he doesn't have. I asked him if I could have a hug and a kiss before Carter and I left...he gave a quick hug and kiss and didn't even seem bothered by the face that we were leaving. I walked out....knowing that he was about to start out on an adventure that would be so exciting and memorable for him! I love you, Max!!!!

Good-bye Summer......

As a part of me coming to terms with the reality that Summer is Maine is GONE! I scrapped a page that I think, just may be one of my favorites! It is of the boys eating their popsicles at Epcot on a VERY hot day of our vacation. I have been trying to do some different things in my scrappin' to add some variety to my pages. I like this one! I am so glad that I have the good memories of that wonderful vacation with my family!

A Vacation to Remember!

Just two short weeks ago we were just coming home from a very magical family vacation at Walt Disney World. I haven't had a chace to scrap any pages yet because things have been so busy with Jacob starting kindergarten and everything that goes along with that! But today, I was inspired to start my Walt Disney World August 2010 scrapbook. I am so pleased with my first page that I am pretty sure this album is going to take me a LLLLOOOONNNNNGGGG time to complete! We had such a wonderful time and I got over 1,200 pictures....I have a feeling this is going to be a big album!!!! Make it a great week!

Always remember....I love you!

Lots of changes and new experiences lately have got me thinking about what is really important in my life. I made this page for my 5 year old, Jacob. He will probably never see it or understand why I created it, but it is for him.....it will serve as a reminder to me as to why I get up everyday! I love you, Jacob!

A Taste of Fall....while Summer is Still Here!

What a beautiful Summer we have had in Maine.....one of the best I can recall! It was topped off this week by some apple picking! My boys and I were checking on our 2nd home a couple of towns over and on our way home we passed by our very favorite apple orchard, Doles Orchard. When we were listing what we would miss most about not living in Waterboro anymore the 2nd thing on our list was the fact that we would miss Doles Orchard terribly (the number one thing was missing the Arsenault family). I saw the sign....."Now picking: Apples".....I couldn't drive in the driveway fast enough.....I looked in my rear view mirror and both Jacob and Max's faces lit right up! "Are we picking apples, Mom" Jacob screamed!!! "You bet we are." I replied! They were so excited! The early macs weren't available, but it didn't stop us! We picked 2 pecks of apples in record time!!!! We had a great time at the orchard!!!

Jacob's First Day of School

WOW! What a great couple of days! Jacob started kindergarten yesterday. In the town that we live in a parent gets to go to school with the child on the first day.....so yesterday I got to go to school with him. It was pretty neat, I started by getting on the bus with him! This was a real treat....he has always wanted to go on a real schoolbus. Jacob met his teacher and we went to his classroom to see what his day would be like. He loved it! I put Jacob on the bus alone today.....so I guess today was his "first real day"........ I hope he has a great day!

Love My Boys!

Wow! What a summer it has been! I have been trying to enjoy all this beautiful weather that God is providing for us while at the same time catch up on my scrappin'.......Today I got a new kit and decided to use a picture with all 3 boys in it! I titled it, "Love My Boys" I had a great time creating it!

Girls' Weekend 2010

It isn't very often that busy Moms are able to get away to relax and enjoy themselves with their best friends......I had the opportunity to do just that this past weekend. We packed up our camping gear and headed to Sebago Lake State Park Campground for a weekend of food, laughs, fun, campfires....and did I mention food????? We all have such busy lives that it is just what we need to slow down a bit and enjoy each others company. We did just that! Thank you girls for reminding me just how important friends are!!!!

The Beautiful Weather Continues........

We have been blessed with some awesome weather. Some people might say that it has been too hot.....we have had some record breaking heat here in Portland, Maine (yesterday a record of 95 degrees was reached).....I have a hard time complaining about this heat when I recall the record breaking RAIN we had last summer. The only complaint that I do have about this heat is my electric bill.......in order to help keep my air conditioner off we have been hitting the beach! What fun! We are so happy that Jacob has been on vacation all week to enjoy it with us. Today we went to Lake Arrowhead Beach. It will probably be one of the last times that we are able to go there......as it is for Lake Arrowhead residents only and we will close any week on our home in Lake Arrowhead. We had a great time. We had the beach ALL to ourselves for about 3 hours.....it was awesome! What a great day!

A Weekend to Remember.......

I love summer.....especially when the weather is as perfect as it has been this summer. We were blessed to have a picture perfect 4th of July weekend! The weather could not have been any better! We started our weekend out by camping in my Mom's backyard. The boys loved it! We stayed up very late sitting around a campfire just laughing and enjoying each others company. We spent the entire day on Sunday at Range Pond State Park. It is one of my favorite places and it was so nice to have great weather.......like most awesome beach days the day came to an end waaaayyyy to soon......but don't fear.....we got up the next day and decided to do it again. What a fabulous weekend. I took lots of great pictures. I can't wait to find the time to scrap lots of pages. We have had record breaking heat here in Maine..........so off I am to enjoy this great weather.......

It's Playtime!

Summer is officially here! I love summer....I always have! Most of my fond memories as a child happened in the summer.....Camp Mechuwana, fireflies, latenight kickball games, cookouts at my Grammy Lill's house, and swimming at the river. Those are some good memories! The funny thing is the only photos I have are a few from Camp Mechuwana. I don't hold these memories any less dear because I don't have them photographed.....it's just a bit more difficult to share them since they are just memories etched in my mind......it is because of this that I try to document the lives of my children by taking as many photos as I can. I love photography and someday....when I grow up, I would love to be a photographer! This week we got a tire swing and searched for the perfect tree to hang it from. We found a great tree in our front yard! The swing has already provided hours of enjoyment for all of us! It has been great.....we are making some great memories in our new home and are excited for this summer to make lots more!!!

Happy Birthday My Sweet Baby Carter.....

Wow...where has the time gone?!?!?!? It doesn't seem possible that just a year ago we were welcoming another child into our family. We have had a wonderful year getting to see Carter grow and develop into a wonderful, sweet little boy. I can't wait to see the person that he will become.

Riding for Relaxation........

Jacob has been going to therapeutic riding for almost a year now. Although he often does not want to go....he needs it. Some people might question how horseback riding could be therapeutic.....I did myself at one point. Let me assure you....it is very therapeutic! Jacob does not like going, but once he gets there and gets working with Donna, his occupational therapist, and the horse he is a calm, relaxed and focused. I was so happy that Becky took some pictures of Jacob while he was at riding......thanks Becky!

Life is Better at the Beach!

We have been very lucky to have some great weather lately! Maine can be known for its harsh winters....but is equally famous for its beautiful summers! Last year we didn't have a summer to speak of, so we are taking complete advantage of any good weather we have this summer! I am loving every photo opportunity that I have!

Today I choose to scrap a page of just Carter.....This is his first mobile summer. Boy, does he love the fact that he can move around! He loves being outside and loves playing! It seems strange that just 1 year ago I was pregnant with him, awaiting his arrival and wondering what type of child he would be. It has been an awesome year watching his unique personality unfold! I am excited to see what the next year brings.

Lots of Fun!

What a beautiful day it was yesterday! We just couldn't waste the evening sitting home when it was 82 degrees in Maine in May! So, an early dinner was in order to head to the beach. We now live less than 10 miles from the ocean, so a quick evening trip wasn't out of the question. We headed to Bayview Beach in Saco to play in the waves and check out the ocean temps! I will tell you that the water was bone chilling cold....my feet were aching it was so cold, but that didn't stop the boys from getting really wet! We had a great time! This was Carter's first time playing in the sand at the ocean and he loved it! I try never to forget my camera for outings such as this and had lots of opportunities to take some great pictures. One thing that is very difficult with 3 small children is to get photos of them together. Today was no exception! I did manage to snap one picture.....at first I was a bit disappointed that none of them were looking at the camera......but I looked at the picture and noticed that all of them look very happy and had their attention on something that made them all smile! How could I ask for more than that in a picture! We had a wonderful time at Bayview Beach and are looking forward to lots more last minute trips to the ocean this summer!

Our New Home

WOW! What a super long week! It seems like we have had weeks to prepare for this move, however, those weeks didn't seem to prepare me for just how difficult both mentally and physically the move would be. The good news is......we did it! The bad news is.....I now have a garage full of boxes! LOL.....We are working through unpacking them but are trying to do it in the orderly fashion that the boxes were packed in. So far, we have found only 1 item that was broken. I am still exhausted from the move. I have yet to appropriately thank those who took time out to help us make the move happen in a timely fashion. To my brothers: thanks for your strength: without your help I think that I would have left my piano in Waterboro. To my Mom, thanks for organizing my kitchen! I am still waiting for blueprints of where you put everything! To my Dad, thanks for keeping Nolan and Barrett working! LOL and last but not least....Becky....we could not have done it without you! Words can't express our appreciation to your countless hours of help....You sure know how to make a miserable job like moving fun! I love how you keep me smiling!

I will close by saying that I am looking forward to many happy years in our new home. We spent 12 wonderful years on Crescent Drive in North Waterboro and are hoping for more of the same on Tapley Road.........

A Day in the Park

Today I participated in my first "speed scrap"......it was lots of fun! The basic idea: you get an instruction every 10 minutes or so for an hour and after that you get an hour to complete your page and subit it. This speed scrap was hosted by Ziggle Scraps and it was lots of fun!!!!

Just a Day on the Farm.....

Today was a field trip day for Jacob. Since I am the crazy camera lady I had to find a way to get some photos of his field trip! I handed my Nikon to his teacher this morning and asked her if she would mind taking some photos for me......she looked at me like I had 3 heads and said, "I couldn't take this camera...." I said, "Sure you can, it is super easy to use." I gave her a quick lesson on using it and ended it by saying, "If you can't figure it out, feel free to let Jacob use it....he knows how." Once again, she looked at me like I was crazy and said, "He knows how to use this big thing?" I just laughed and said, "Of course he does!" I was anxiously waiting to pick Jacob up from school to see how the pictures came out! He had a great time at the farm and his teacher was able to get a few cute photos! It was worth the risk of leaving my Nikon with her! LOL I can't wait until their field trip to the ocean next week!!!!

Sentimental Journey.......

What a crazy week it has been for me! My family is moving to our new home next week, so the packing and preparations for moving have been crazy! My 35th birthday is on the same day that we will close on our new house. Because of the craziness that moving brings my friends decided to surprise me with a birthday party at the Weathervane Restaurant. What a fabulous time! In the short time that we were able to spend together laughing and reminiscing, I was reminded just how important friends are....this was while I was eating a cake that looked exactly like a Coach purse...I will scrap that page later!!! Spending time with all of them just laughing and sharing what we have been up to was so much fun. It has caused me to reflect on the fun times that I have had with each of them and the fun times that we have had with each other. I am a lucky girl to have the best friends that anyone could ever ask for!

Capture the Magic

Most people know my passionate love for all things Disney! I love Walt Disney World, Disney movies, Disney memorabilia and Disney trivia. I love Disney! As far back as I can remember I was a fan of Disney (for those of you who aren't aware, my license plate is DSNYFAN). My first drive-in movie was "The Fox and the Hound". I love to share the magic of Walt Disney World with my children. My love for Disney grew even more (if that was even possible) when we realized that it is the only vacation spot that we are aware of that caters to my son, Jacob's extreme food allergies and autism. Jacob eats better at Walt Disney World than he does at home!!!! LOL They have a way of making our family feel like we are royalty. I hope they know just how appreciative my family is for making Walt Disney World the happiest place on earth for us!

Captured Moments....

I love photography and I love capturing moments that are special. Because of this, I am rarely in photos when my family goes on an adventure or has a gathering. This really makes me treasure family photos even more!

Make Something Beautiful!

Make Something Beautiful......when you hear those words I bet your mind immediately drifts to art class. I am not much of an artist, but I do enjoy creating things! My favorite creation medium is digital scrapbooking (with quilting a close second!)......I love the digital feature because of the cleanliness factor! I am a busy mom of 3 young boys and I don't have time to get out, organize and create traditional scrapbooks! I do want to document the fun times and experiences that my family has and digital scrapbooking with Polaroid's My Memories Suite program allows me to do just that!!!! I chose the title of my blog "Make Something Beautiful" because I love to make beautiful albums for my family, but also because I really believe that God is trying to "Make Something Beautiful" of my life! Here are the lyrics to Laura Story's song with that same name!

When I'm at the point of breaking at the place where I resign,

And I'm at the stage of shaking my head as I look back on my life.

When I'm halfway through the grieving, but not quite through the ache,
When I cannot see the ending, or which road I'm supposed to take,

All I know to do is lift my hands to you....

Take all of my life, all of my life, And make something beautiful.

I open my hand, trusting Your plan. Make something beautiful so all will see

Your work in me, as You make something beautiful.

When I'm tired of pretending, and I can't recall my lines,

Do I say, I'm barely breathing, or just say, I'm dong fine.

I admit there is a yearning for the hurting to subside,

But not at the risk of missing what Your doing with my life.

All I know to do is lift my hands to You....

Take all of my life, all of my life, and make something beautiful!

Take all of my life, all of my life, and make something beautiful!

Go "make something beautiful" today!!!