Love @ Last

Here's the truth...my kids fight with each other...a lot...and this past weekend was no exception.  I blame it on lots of different factors such as age difference, three being an "odd" number (someone's always feeling left out), lack of attention? (maybe), myself, and just good ol' fashioned sibling rivalry.

Lately, I feel like no matter what I do, it's not right and it's not enough.  I'll get over it and I'm gonna hang in there, but it's been a rough couple of weeks and I'm hoping that I am doing the right things.  Being a mom is TOUGH.  But, I wouldn't trade it for anything...and here's why...

Sometimes I get little glimpses of them actually caring for each other and enjoying each other.  Sometimes I find them playing really well together or sticking up for each other, cheering each other on for small accomplishments in school or at home...sometimes I see how much they really do love each other, even if it's not been the norm around here lately :)

Here's a layout I created for this week's Sunday Sketch at Studio Calico...it kind of goes along with my above rant :)

I spent a big portion of yesterday backing up my photos to an external hard drive and removing them from my laptop to free up some space when I came across this great shot of my oldest son, Garrison and my little girl, Avery.  It was taken on Father's Day this past June when we were eating out at a local restaurant with my side of the family.  They were cuddling up on a couch after we finished dinner smiling, giggling, and really enjoying each other's company...ahhh...I do treasure moments like this, especially after a long week of constant fighting and arguing.  The little journaling tag I tucked away on the left side reads..."Sometimes you two actually get along and love each other, lol!"

I veered off from the sketch a bit by layering a lot of papers and embellishments close together.  I also switched up the spots for the photo and the circle shapes and adjusted the title placement a bit, too.  I've been wanting to use those adorable tags for weeks now and this seemed like the perfect opportunity!  And check out that NEW washi I used to cover a few wood veneer banner pieces!  Freckled Fawn had a huge shop update last Friday and a sale, so you should definitely go check it out!  And there's a new color challenge up on their blog :)

I used my Cameo to cut out all of the turquoise card stock pieces.  I found all of the cut files at www.silhouetteonlinestore.com.  The rest is from this month's Studio Calico Main Kit +Add-ons and my Pop Off The Page class kit.

I hope you're having a smooth Monday!  Thanks for looking!