Little Sheridans

Happy Birthday Anna!

2008-10-28T16:27:00.005-05:00

My baby Anna turned 5 today! It's official. She's getting so grown up! She had her first "kid party" on Sunday at her gymnastics school. They did bounce houses and gymnastics, then had cupcakes that she made. Her and her friends had a blast.

I asked her where she wanted to go for dinner today, and she said the Chinese place that we went to for daddy's birthday by Great America. She confuses Chinese with Mexican, because I know exactly what she's talking about...Las Palmas Mexican. I asked her it was the place with the fake palm tree outside and she confirmed. SO that is where we are headed tonight!

I took some photos of her today, and here is my favorite. This girl is a natural in front of the camera...she loves it!

Quote of the Day

2008-09-26T11:23:00.002-05:00

"Not today, but we will be tomorrow."

Anna's reply when I asked her and her brother if they were hungry (it was lunchtime).

Impromptu Photoshoots

2008-09-24T23:38:00.008-05:00

A few of my recent favorites...

School Started!

2008-09-05T22:05:00.007-05:00

Anna and Ethan started pre-school last week. This is Anna's 3rd year at Montessori school, and Ethan's first! They are in the same class together since they group 3-6 year olds together. They go M-W-F, 12:30-3:30. I am loving my alone time. It's good to know Anna is there to take care of her little bro. Ethan seems to be doing well, even though he asks for me to come with him every time we're getting ready to go. He is still very much attached to mom, and I must say I got a little teary-eyed dropping him off the first day. The attachment is mutal I guess. And while we're on the topic of kids growing up...Anna has 3 loose teeth!! Two on bottom, and one top front tooth. The two bottom ones look like they be out within a month. I am shocked that this is happening already! One huge milestone I was NOT ready for. Here are some shots of the kids on Day 1 of school (remember to click to see larger if you want!):

Happy Birthday Ethan

2008-08-20T23:18:00.018-05:00

My little baby bird, as he calls himself, turned 3 yesterday August 19th. I wanted to post some newborn photos of him and then I found his "birth story" and thought I'd post it. It was just my memory of the morning he was born...I had jotted it all down shortly after he was born so I wouldn't forget some of the details. I certainly don't expect anyone to read this novel, except maybe Eddie. :wink:

SCROLL PAST STORY TO SEE NEWBORN PICS

August 19, 2005

Shortly after midnight I was just getting ready to go to sleep and I suddenly started contracting like crazy. Very painful, every 4 minutes. This went on consistently for 2 hours and decided I should probably call the doctor. I still wasn't sure it was real - I was used to regular contractions and had been having bouts of them for weeks and weeks - but since I was so close to my due date now, I didn't want to risk it. I was due in 3 days. I reluctantly called the doc and she said to come in to get checked, especially since I was so far away, and I had a pretty fast delivery with Anna. So we called Grandpa Rob to come over and stay with Anna. I apologized to him in advance for waking him up, in case it was just false labor! After a 35 minute trip to the hospital, it was 3:15 am when we arrived. By then contractions were 3 minutes apart. I was wishing I had gone to bed earlier that night! I still hadn't gotten ANY sleep. As they were getting me situated, I still wasn't sure if I was going to get sent home babyless or not. When they checked me, I was 4 cm, completely thinned out, with a bulging bag. The nurse announced, "we're having a baby today!" YES! What a relief! I was no longer in doubt. Got checked again at 5 am and I was 5 cm. Things were moving along nicely. My water had started leaking slowly. The nurse suggested I get the epidural, because she thought my water would break any minute and then things would go really fast. I agreed and she ordered the epi for me. I think it was about 6 am when they checked me again and I was almost 7 cm, still anxiously awaiting the drugs. The nurses and my OB came in and everything got real chaotic and things are sort of blur for me here, but they were telling me the anesthesiologist could not do the epidural for me. There was another woman in labor that needed an emergency c-section, and he had to be there. I was so not prepared for that news. I remember looking at the nurse and saying, "does that mean I'm screwed?" She looked back at me with a look of pity on her face and nodded her head. Then she said she couldn't even give me anything in my IV because it was too late and would make the baby groggy. I almost started crying. I was so not prepared for natural birth. I knew nothing about all those breathing and coping techniques woman practice in preparation for natural birth. I laid there terrified for about 15 minutes. That’s right when my parents got to the hospital. They walked in right after I got the news of no epi, and I was having major labor pains. Then all of a sudden, the anesthesiologist showed up! The other woman's baby was doing better and didn't need the c-sec right away anymore, but he had to hurry up and do mine in case he was called back to her. GREAT. A rushed epidural. Um yikes. Once that was taken care, I was sooooo much more relaxed. My parents were back in the room with us, and around 7 the doctor checked me. My parents left the room and the decided to go get donuts downstairs in the cafe. When the nurse checked me, she was surprised that I was already complete and ready to push! Doctor Coll rushed in and got everything ready with the nurse. It was a surreal moment right there, watching the regular room transform into a delivery/OR room in a matter of a minute or two. Lights coming out of the ceiling. Surgical looking supplies all around. Doctor and nurse in scrubs. The little warming bassinet wheeled in ready for a baby! Such a HUGE moment about to happen, what an amazing feeling!! I pushed for about 5-10 minutes and out came Ethan! It was so easy! He came out screaming like a maniac! He had lots of blond hair that looked all kinky from being wet and he was absolutely gorgeous. I got to hold him right away as soon as he came out. He just kept screaming and screaming. I remember him smelling like heaven! It must be one of those mom things. I kept saying to everyone...oh my god..smell him...he smells so good! (he probably smelled awful to everyone else.) As I was holding him, Eddie cut the umbilical cord. I think I videotaped that part myself while holding the baby. His delivery happened so fast, that my unsuspecting parents were just coming back from grabbing their donuts and coffee when they heard Ethan's screams from down the hall. They couldn’t believe I had the baby while they were gone for such a short time. I spent a few minutes with Ethan, then Eddie went with him and the nurse to the nursery for a bath and whatever else they do there. They transferred me to another room where I’d stay overnight. A few hours later, Eddie’s dad brought Anna to meet Ethan. I let her hop into my bed with me and then had Eddie bring Ethan to us so she could see him. She wasn’t quite sure about him and seemed more interested in pressing the buttons on my bed to make it move. A little while later, we sat her down in a chair and let her hold him. She look a little timid about it. She would look at his face real intently, look at his fingers, then look at Eddie like what the heck is this? She was so quiet and serious. Little did she know how much our world was about to change.

And now some photos from his first few moments and first day:

I'm Officially Selling Designs

2008-08-13T00:29:00.003-05:00

You may notice something different on my blog! I have some of my designs for sale in the sidebar to the right. Introducing "Nature Kid" - a set of digital papers and elements for digital scrapbookers - each pack for only $1.00!

Click on the previews so you can get a good look at the textures and details. These designs are only available here - I have not committed to designing at a store quite yet! We'll see how things go!

Who likes purses?

2008-08-12T20:41:00.001-05:00

I do! I have to share this site...It's called Ellu. The owner, Leslie, designs and hand sews unique and colorful handbags - in all different shapes and sizes. I was lucky enough to get to design the website, and my colleages at Belniak Media did a wonderful job programming it. The site turned out beautifully, and her purses look fabulous! Now off you go...start shopping...you deserve it! =)

Free Paper Pack

2008-07-20T23:43:00.001-05:00

I designed some scrapbooking stuff to apply for a designer call at Catscrap.com as a designer. I was not picked, but received very encouraging words from the women there. They loved my work, but they wanted a larger portfolio of work to see, and I just don't have it yet. Maybe when life slows down I will have time to pursue this some more. I am still freelancing with a web design firm called Belniak Media, selling and designing custom birth announcements online at Reliable Photo, and of course taking care of my family! Next month, and September and October I will be the proud mom of a 3 year old and a 4 year old! Then Anna turns 5 the end of October. I still can't believe I'm about to have a 3 and 5 year old. Two and 4 just sounds so much younger to me.

I'm going to offer this paper pack for free. It's called "Juicy" because it reminds me of watermelon.

(Sorry, no longer available!)

I'm putting a preview up of my very first, real kit, called Nature Kid. It's a great kit for girls or boys, and the papers have a ton of texture. I'm thinking about offering it for sale here on my blog, for very cheap, like a buck or so......just as soon as I figure out how to do that! HA! I had a lot of fun designing this, especially the papers. Elements are real challenge for me. It's unreal how time consuming it is!

The Big Camping Trip - South Dakota

2008-07-20T22:47:00.001-05:00

We spent 4 days tent camping in South Dakota and had a great time. We camped just 5 minutes away from Mt. Rushmore. Some highlights and the kids' favorites were the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Devil's Tower in Wyoming, and Wall Drug! Here's some pictures from the adventure (remember you can click on these to make them bigger):

Buffalo Crossing the street in Custer State Park

A pronghorn on the side of the road in Custer State Park.

The three of us at the top of a cliff in the state park.

Sylvan Lake

Getting ready for Fireworks in Custer.

The kids petting a giant turtle at Reptile Gardens, near our campground.

Getting ready to catch a football at the campsite.

Sitting and waiting for fireworks (that we ended up not being able to see) with some friends they met at the campground.

We visited Mt. Rushmore on the 4th of July!

More buffalo in the state park.

Pretending to drive a covered wagon at Wall Drug.

Using super powers to lift a boulder, at Devils Tower.

Anna is the best poser!

Posing on a rock

Climbing rocks was a blast.

Devils Tower in Wyoming

The biggest "winchy poof" ever!

The fam in the Badlands.

I should send this in to Jeep! I love my new truck, I just wish it didn't guzzle gas.

Badlands landscape.

Checking out the mighty mississippi.

Another one of them looking out at the mississippi, a pitstop on the way.

This was taken before we left, but I had to throw it in here cuz I love it! His new garbage truck is his favorite...he picked it out after he went 5 days of pooping on the potty! YAY Ethan! He's completely potty trained now and he's not even 3 yet. I'm so proud!

Dance Recital Costume

2008-06-09T12:07:00.000-05:00

I have some pictures of Anna in her recital costume right before the show. I don't have any performance pictures yet because I was backstage and couldn't get any good shots. Hopefully grandma and grandpa got some good ones! I will update soon! Maybe I'll even figure out how to add some video.

Scrapbook Pages

2008-03-26T01:48:00.000-05:00

Finally!

2008-03-26T01:31:00.000-05:00

I pretty much suck at keeping up with this blog and posting photos! I haven't even really been taking a lot of photos lately which is not like me. I think it's because I've been stuck indoors with the cruddy weather. I vow to take more photos once spring comes around! Here are just a few snapshots, and some Easter egg coloring shots! Both kids pretty much ignore the camera and don't really pose for me, especially Ethan. Anna will occasionally, but whenever she poses, she usually has this crazed look on her face.

Ethan actually really likes to help vaccuum.

Just waking up from a nap...

Anna decided to cut her own hair, now she has some "chunky layers." It will be another 8 months before her hair will be nice again...*sigh*
Here he is building a fort out of couch cushions - his favorite thing to do lately.
Anna the punk rocker, working on my computer...doing designy things.
Can you feel the love?

Anna...can you ever just smile nice for the camera?

Happy New Year!

2008-01-04T16:12:00.000-06:00

Christmas Day and Christmas Eve pictures!

2008-01-04T16:07:00.000-06:00

2008-01-04T16:06:00.000-06:00

2008-01-04T16:04:00.000-06:00

Down Candy Cane Lane - 1st Dance Recital

2007-12-17T18:00:00.000-06:00

Anna had her very first dance recital on December 9th. She's been taking ballet, tap and tumbling once a week for a while finally made her debut. She did a tap dance to "Teddy Bear for Christmas." She did pretty well on stage, although not as well as she does during class. I think the whole experience was pretty shocking and nerve-wracking for all of them! I have to say she did better than I expected, and even smiled a little while dancing. I had visions of her just standing there and freaking out. My favorite part was when the dance was finished, she skipped off stage waving! (Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of that part, we were on the wrong side of the stage!)

(Anna is the third from the right)

Let It Snow!

2007-12-17T17:30:00.000-06:00

Well with all this snow we've been getting, the kids are certainly enjoying it, and taking advantage of it! We ventured out in the middle of the snowstorm Saturday evening and hit the slopes! The bunny slope to be precise. The kids got an early Christmas present...new skiis! (Well, we bought them used, but they are new to them!)
Anna skied once or twice last year while we were in California for Christmas. Ethan obviously has never skied. (am I spelling that right??) Both of them did fabulously, especially for how cold and snowy it was! I think we have a couple of daredevil athletes on our hands. My photos turned out horribly. It was too dark, the snow was coming down hard, I didn't want my camera getting wet, and my hands were full with kids on skiis.
The second we let go of them, they started taking off down the slope. We just ran along beside them and caught them at the bottom. Anna managed to even stop herself once or twice! When Ethan started picking up speed, he started to panic, but then just laughed as he went faster and faster! Niether of them fell once!

2007-12-05T22:37:00.000-06:00

We took a ride to see our friend's new baby girl, Lilly. (Congratulations Tom and Cathy, she's a beauty!!) Tom is a firefighter for the Arlington Heights fire department. He was on duty that day and was nice enough to let us bring the kids to the firehouse for a tour! ETHAN WAS IN HEAVEN! Trucks are the love of his life right now, and to sit in a real live fire truck must have been the highlight of his life. Can you tell by the big smile?? He was SO excited. Thanks Tom for letting us visit!

2007-12-05T22:28:00.000-06:00

The kids enjoying the first snowfall of the year. We just got a dusting last week and they loved. Then yesterday we got hammered with about 8 inches....pictures of that coming soon!

2007-12-05T22:27:00.001-06:00

Yummy snow!

2007-12-05T22:27:00.000-06:00

Anna and Ethan playing after our first snowfall last week!

Merry Christmas - a gift for you!

2007-11-26T16:30:00.000-06:00

I decided to put together a little Christmas kit to share! I've been designing my own papers and elements here and there for a while, but never packaged anything up to share or sell. I am a professional graphic designer so I've been designing for years, but never for the scrapbooking industry, it's a little different! And pretty fun! I don't really intend to try to become a digi-designer at this point, I just don't have the time, but I think it will be fun to do freebies every now and then! I really do wish I had the time for this, but I am already working freelance graphic design 2 hours away from home once a week, and working at night on custom invitations and announcements. Oh, and a "spirited" 2 year old and a 4 year old at home with me adds to the chaos! I even had to step down from my spot as a contributing artist at Digital Artist Magazine because I just couldn't find the time to commit! I wish there were more hours in the day!

Click here to download.

Definitely share a link to any layouts made with this! And if you download, I'd definitely appreciate a comment, but of course it's not neccessary. And if there are any problems with it please let me know!! Thanks and I hope you like it! ~ Amy

The kit contains:

- 6 - 12x12 300 dpi papers
- brush set
- 2 paper Christmas trees
- 3 paper snowflakes
- 3 frames
- 1 ornament
- 2 rub on flakes
- 1 journaling spot
- 1 word art
- 1 12x12 border overlay

Scrapbook Page

2007-11-12T10:12:00.000-06:00

A page I did using a photo from our weekend downtown.

Five Years!

2007-11-09T10:18:00.000-06:00

It's our wedding anniversary today! Happy Anniversary to us! It's been a wonderful 5 years and I look forward to many, many more! Thank you Eddie for being such a loyal, loving, and hard-working husband and daddy! XOXOXO

I'm looking forward to our weekend away in NYC to celebrate next weekend!!!

2007-11-05T09:55:00.000-06:00

Nice shot of the kids from Grant Park.

2007-11-04T19:37:00.000-06:00

We had a great weekend downtown spoiling Anna and Ethan, and ourselves a little bit! This is the view we had from our hotel room at The Drake on Michigan Ave. As you can see, we had some nice weather...60 and sunny all weekend, perfect for walking around all day!

Friday afternoon we had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. The restaurant is inside the John Hancock Building. It was fun to watch them straining their necks to look at the top! Ethan kept saying "cliiiiiiimb building!" They couldn't wait to go to the top!

2007-11-04T19:35:00.000-06:00

The first day we just walked around Michigan Ave. by our hotel. Spent some time at the water tower, checked out the Hershey Store, and the American Girl Store.

Friday night we met up with Auntie Megan, Uncle Jacie, Vish and Amanda for dinner and fun at Dave and Busters. The kids of course LOOOOVED the place. Ethan napped through dinner and then was ready to go for some games. He got a kick out of the virtual snowmobile race. Anna rocked at all the games she did and won enough tickets to pick out some cool prizes...the girly girl that she is picked out some lovely Hello Kitty jewelry and some glittery nail polish.

2007-11-04T19:34:00.000-06:00

On Saturday we decided to hoof it all the way to the Shedd Aquarium. I never would have agreed to this but I was too freaked out to drive in a cab without carseats for the kids, so we did it. We walked ALL the way there and back! It wasn't too bad though, we got to see some cool stuff. We liked seeing the "bean" at Millenium Park. It's pretty cool how you can see the entire city skyline reflected in it. And the thing is SO shiny!

2007-11-04T19:33:00.000-06:00

Here's the Shedd that we hiked to. I thought it looked so pretty with the bright blue water and the changing leaves. The kids were happy that there was a 4D show going on there featuring their favorite character...Sponge Bob! Anna said she was "a little freaked out" by it, and surprisingly Ethan enjoyed. He tends to be a scarity cat, but he liked it! He even kept his 4D glasses on more than Anna did. After that show we tried seeing the dolphin show, but it was packed and standing room only by the time we got to it...and quite honestly, it was b-o-r-i-n-g. They talk way too much, not enough dolphin action! We were bored out of our gourds so we moved on after a few mins of seeing nothing. We checked out a few of their regular fish exhibits and then hit the sidewalk for our walk back!

Saturday night we had a quick dinner at Water Tower Place, then headed up to the Observatory at the Hancock after dark. The view from up there at night is beautiful! Darkness of Lake Michigan to the east, and bright lights in every other direction. Anna was super excited to be up there and kept running around like a maniac.

Notice the little stinker is not wearing shoes or socks at both the Hancock and Shedd Aquarium! The kid won't keep them on no matter where we are! I must have put them back on him a thousand times over the weekend.

We were all sad to go home on Sunday, but we were all super tired and ready to get back to normal life! And THANK YOU Auntie Meggie for dropping us off Friday and taking the vomit comet (our car) home, AND for coming to get us Sunday! And THANK YOU Jacie for cleaning our vomit comet. And here is a fun picture of Uncle Jacie dressed as a bear. A fun way to end our weekend in the city!

2007-11-01T16:41:00.000-05:00

Anna turned 4 on October 28th. I can't believe my baby is FOUR! It feels like yesterday that I was pregnant with her. Now she is this beautiful little girl! Happy Birthday Anna and you'll always be my baby!

These photos are from her birthday over the weekend. We decided instead of having a party, that we'd take her downtown for the weekend. She loves going to the city! That will be this upcoming weekend starting the 2nd of November! I already gave her her present from us, that big dollhouse you see in the second picture. Grandma gave her a Disney Princess karaoke machine. She is quite the little performer...there she is singing in the last picture.

Scrapbooking

2007-11-01T13:13:00.000-05:00

As some of you know, I like to scrapbook "digitally" when I have time. It's like regular scrapbooking, but everything is done digitally on the computer, instead of with real paper. Right up my alley! Here are a few recent layouts I've done!

2007-11-01T11:19:00.001-05:00

Hi there! It was only a matter of time before I broke down and created a blog! This will be our new space on the web where you can see photos of the kids, and whatever random things I decide to post. I will try my hardest to keep this updated, but we all know how that goes don't we?? The other BabyJellyBeans website will be cancelled soon, so update your bookmarks!

This blog looks pretty BLAH right now, but I will start making it pretty as soon as I can! For now, enjoy some Halloween pictures of the kids! Anna was a "mean witch" in her own words, and Ethan picked out a Woody costume since he loves the movie Toy Story. The thumbnails are a decent size, but if you want to see them larger, just click on the photo! Thanks for visiting and don't forget to leave a comment!

The Not So Wicked Witch

2007-11-01T11:09:00.000-05:00

The tutu Anna is wearing was hand made and is from this wonderful shop: http://www.sweetbellagrace.com/

2007-11-01T11:08:00.000-05:00

Woody wouldn't stand still for a picture, so I don't have many of him!!