Diaper Bag Love

Last April a group of friends from church gave me a surprise baby shower and part of their gift was the diaper bag we'd registered for. Trent & I picked out the bag on a whim while registering at Babies 'R Us because he said he'd carry it. If the husband will carry the diaper bag, that's a winner. ;)


"The bag" was the System bag by JJ Cole Collections. I have loved using this bag - it has a great organizer pocket on the front and comes with stroller attachments, a pacifier pod (easy to keep our beloved Soothie nearby when out & about), and a changing pad tote. That said, you can imagine my disappointment last month when I noticed that the fabric was beginning to pull apart around the zipper to the main compartment. Since I'm still not working, purchasing a new bag would be an extra expense we don't need right now. So I decided to take my chances and call the company directly to see if there was any way to get it repaired or replaced.

Any time I call a company, I expect to hear an automated system. Listen to a dozen options. Press a button. Maybe listen to a few more options. Maybe listen to music or a commercial while waiting as patiently as possible for a real human being to answer the phone and talk to me. Well, I nearly fell out of my chair when a real person answered immediately! And she was polite and helpful. Took all of my information and promised I would get a call back.

Sure enough, the next day I received a call. Explained the problem. Emailed a few photos. And last Friday the replacement bag arrived at my door:

Even Cali likes the new bag. :)

They were kind enough to replace my bag with the newer design - the System 180 bag. I definitely loved my old bag, but, oh my, am I madly in love with this new one! Along with all the great features of the original, this bag is a bit larger and has an extra pocket.

I can't say enough positive words about JJ Cole & their wonderful employees. It's nice to find a company that stands behind their product and people who obviously enjoy their job & assisting the customer. Many thanks!

swimming

What a crazy week! We've gone from snowsuits...

to swimsuits...

Dylan & I joined some of our friends for a swim yesterday - six mommies & six babies in all. It was Dylan's first time in a pool and he loved it! Such fun to splash around and kick. I even caught him singing at one point while lounging in my arms watching his friends play. :) It was so cute. Hopefully we'll get an opportunity to go again soon.

Snow baby

Photos from our snow day this past weekend. I was inspired by the weekly digital challenge at Two Peas to lift a member of the Digital Creative Team. I chose cayla73's love bird for my inspiration.


Supplies: Shimelle Laine's Remember Page template; Jen Allyson's Winter Wonderland kit; Miss Mint's Winter Sparkle kit; 2paws Designs Scallop Edge Strips; Anne Langpap's Citrus Freeze kit; Antique Type, Brush Script Std, 2Peas Flower Pot fonts.

this is how I roll

I'm digging through photos from Dylan's first couple of months and found this one when he was 5 weeks old that I just had to scrap. Isn't he too cute in those cool shades? :D My mom bought them for him and we weren't sure he'd wear them. When we tried them on in the house, he didn't want any part of them. Once outside in the bright light, his mind changed and he wore them without complaint. This was the first walk where he kept his eyes open almost the entire time.


Supplies: Archiver's cardstock; KI Memories, My Mind's Eye & Sandylion patterned papers; adhesive backed foam; black stamp ink; Amienne & QuigleyWiggly fonts.

Friday Freebie - 12x12 First Foods template

Inspired by the 1st Foods hybrid layout I created last week, here's a free 12x12 template of the design. It features 8 layers including a scalloped edge paper and photo mask layers.

Click here to download the First Foods template

Enjoy!

Have you missed one of my previous digital freebies? Click HERE to find them. And, don't forget to subscribe to my feeds so you won't miss future freebies!

photo shoot

In August my mother, stepfather & brother came to visit. My brother is majoring in photography and I asked if he would take some photos of Dylan. My intent for the layout was to capture the story of the photo shoot. I used a template by Erica Hernandez to arrange the pictures. The center photo is one I took of my brother at work. The smaller framed shots surrounding it were by him.


I placed a photo page across from this layout in the album to hold additional shots he took:


Supplies: Autumn Leaves patterned paper; Erica Hernandez's Letter Template #7; Anne Langpap's Citrus Freeze kit; Rhonna Farrer's Celebration kit; Miss Mint's Kindergarten Crafts and Twinkle Toes kits.

Afternoon Tea

In November, Dylan & I joined some friends for Afternoon Tea at the Washington Duke Inn. We had such a good time.


Supplies: Archiver's cardstock; Making Memories paint & foam stamp; Amienne font; October Afternoon patterned paper.

1st foods

Dylan is loving his veggies! My mom worked on getting him to eat them 3 meals a day while I was in the hospital and recovering. He now happily gobbles them up. And, of course, gets a messy face in the process:


Supplies: October Afternoon patterned paper; Archiver's (red) and Bazzill (white) cardstock; EK Success corner rounder (scalloped edge); 2Peas Squish & 2Peas Old Type fonts; Rhonna Farrer Type Set.

Half Birthday

Dylan had his six month checkup this morning and is now 28 inches long (95th percentile - definitely has his dad's height!) and weighs 17 pounds 2 ounces.

* Eating 3 meals a day of veggies and loves all he has tried so far ... peas, carrots, potatoes, green beans and even spinach!

* Rolls over easily.

* Sleeps best on side or tummy and snuggling a burp cloth.

* Riding in his stroller & shopping carts like a "big boy" - no longer in the car seat.

* Loves to sing away in baby babble while riding in his stroller or the car.

* Can sit unassisted for longer stretches of time. Tries to sit up - does little crunches. :)

* Stands with support from Mom or Dad or in his exersaucer. And still gets very excited to see the cats.

* Creeps. Mostly backwards, but will manage to wiggle forward into his crib during the night and get stuck in corners.

* Squeals in delight when he gets excited.

Pretend Cry

Dylan had my mom and I cracking up on Friday morning when he began a "pretend cry" near the end of breakfast. He kept dropping his face and "crying" then would glance up to make sure we were still watching the show. LOL