I Have a Picture Problem . . . .

I have a picture problem. I admit that. Dave was the one to bring it to my attention. To his credit, he lovingly indulged me. That's how we ended up with these two pictures. Here's the story . . . 

On every cruise Dave and I had been on, we've always had our picture taken as we boarded. I often used that picture for the first page of the vacation album. I was planning on that picture for the boys' first cruise album. Because Caleb was using a stroller in place of a wheelchair, they had us bypass the picture line. 

Later I was in our cabin letting Zach have some "down time" hoping he'd fall asleep for a cat nap. Dave took Caleb out and about to explore the ship. While they were taking in the Lido Deck they encountered a ship's photographer. They posed for the picture and went on their way. When Dave got back and told me about it, I dragged them out for a family picture because that would make the perfect "title page" for an album! I promised Dave I would only purchase the family picture.

When we got to the photo gallery I "just had" to get both pictures - and they didn't end up being the title page. Once again, Dave indulged my picture addiction. I'm so glad he did!

June 2009

Stingray City

Without a doubt, this was one of the highlights of our Western Caribbean Cruise. It certainly was the highlight for Caleb. Daddy and Caleb had no fear when it came to the getting near or kissing the stingrays. I was a little more cautious, and Zach had just woken up from a nap so he was a little dazed and confused, and he didn't know what to make of the big gray things.

This is just one of the many layouts to remind me Dave liked adventures. He wanted his boys to swim with the stingrays and I know it made an impression on Caleb. Before we headed back to the ship we bought Caleb a tiny stuffed stingray. That night he had to sleep with it, and before he even opened his eyes the next morning he was mumbling, "I want to swim with the stingrays." Dave loved that! 

Dave was never afraid to try new things. I know that was one of the reasons he liked cruising so much. So many new ports of call, adventures, sights and sounds - not to mention all the new foods he tried! He also liked to "wing it". We didn't make too many plans before boarding a cruise ship. Once on board Dave liked to talk to people we'd meet and find out if they had ever been to the ports where we were headed. He'd ask them what they had seen, what they would recommend, and then in his own way, Dave would figure out if the activities were accessible for Caleb. Dave loved life - and always was looking for family friendly adventures!

Scrapbooking Tip:

I wanted to use so many full size photos so I had to keep the layout simple. I decided on punching a border along the top and bottom of the pages and then adhered shiny blue paper behind the punches rather then have white show through.

Close Ups:

Daddy & Zach (10 months old)

Caleb remembers this well - we were supposed to be saying, "Cheese," and just at the perfect moment the stingray spit water and it landed on Caleb!

Stingray Kisses

My Three Amigos

Another layout from our Western Caribbean cruise . . . . pictures from Cozumel, Mexico! When we docked there was a long pier, but way off in the distance we could clearly see The Three Amigos Cantina. That was our first stop.

When Dave and I were dating, I suggested we watch the movie The Three Amigos. I had already seen it, and thought he might enjoy it because he liked Steve Martin. Dave loved it!! I can not count how many times we watched it together, but it was enough for both of us to quote it. Lines from The Three Amigos would creep into conversations, and when would try to make me laugh, he would sing, "My Little Buttercup" and mimic the dance Steve Martin and Martin Short performed in the movie.

My boys still have not seen this movie (and I don't plan on showing it to them for a LONG time) but I HAD to take the picture of the three of them. Nana & Papa held up the boys on either side of Dave so I could the perfect shot of my three amigos. 

We made some great memories in Cozumel, but this is one of my favorite.

Scrapbooking Tip:
I used two of my favorite techniques on this page. I tore dotted paper for the base of this border strip. I like the texture torn paper can give to a layout. Then when I added the ribbon I tied a knot. Sometimes I think a bow looks too "girly" for my "manly" pages. A simple knot lets me use ribbon without it being too feminine.

A Pirate's Life for Me

This is the first of many pirate scrapbooking layouts I would do. Zachary is quite the pirate lover . . . .maybe because we exposed him to all things pirate at an early age.

These first and third pictures were taken on the first night of the cruise outside the dining room and the middle picture was on our first port of call. Dave was the type of guy who would play to the cameras whenever he could. When we got to Grand Cayman we were met by more pirates and Dave gave his best "Arrrgh" for the camera. Dave had fun no matter where we were or what we were doing.

 Scrapbooking Tip:
To make the pictures flow across both pages I glued half of the picture on the left hand page. I placed it so I wouldn't cut through Dave's or the pirate's face. Then I put the whole page in my paper trimmer and carefully lined it up and cut the picture. I then placed the pages next to each other and glued the right hand side of the picture to the page. It was a little nerve wracking the first time I did this - but it's a great way to include more than one enlargement on your layouts.

I just love both Dave and Zach's expressions!!

Sun Fun with Daddy

I have so many favorite pictures - and this is one of my favorites of Dave and Caleb. We were at Paradise Beach in Cozumel, Mexico. My mom actually took this picture - she waded into the water and captured this great moment between father and son. I can honestly say that Dave enjoyed this moment just as much as Caleb did. A daddy and his boy enjoying the surf and sand.

Scrapbooking Tip: 

This picture was so precious to me I had to keep it the focal point of the page. I kept the sun embellishment and journaling close to the picture to draw the eye to Caleb's sweet expression.

Formal Night - After Kids

This is a layout from the boys' very first Formal Night. Their first cruise was to the Western Caribbean. Caleb was two and Zach was 10 months old. Caleb had recently been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and we decided that we needed a break from doctors, therapists, and stress. We had always wanted to travel with our kids and after listening to the neurologist and the reality of SMA, we were concerned that it might not always be possible. So we decided to get started. . . . 

The boys loved it!! They turned out to be natural travelers. I was in my glory snapping pictures of every new adventure they had. And of course, they were adorable on formal night. 

This is one of my favorite family pictures because despite the direction our lives had taken, we were still smiling. 

Formal Night - Before Kids

We love to cruise! Shortly after our honeymoon, Dave and I began saving to take a trip for our fifth anniversary. Like most newlyweds, we had to pinch our pennies so we started saving right away. 

Our honeymoon was memorable in the sense we go chased out of St. Thomas by a hurricane. The island was beautiful and we wanted to go back, but the most economical way was to cruise there. Our fifth anniversary was October 16, 2004. In February of that year it looked very possible that Dave would be selected to start training at the NYSP Academy that summer, which meant that we wouldn't be able to travel in the fall. So rather than not take the trip, Dave booked our first cruise for March 2004, and we celebrated early. It was a wonderful trip and only made us want to travel and cruise more.

This layout shows a picture from our Southern Caribbean Cruise. That was one of our favorites - five beautiful ports of call and seven days to soak up the sun and enjoy some turquoise water and white sand beaches - and enjoy being with one another. We had some awesome adventures which included a trip to an ostrich farm.

This was the second formal night and once again, Dave looked like a lobster. We tried to be so careful with the sunscreen, and on every cruise we were a little less burnt, but still Dave ended up with a red face. Sun burnt or not, Dave enjoyed Formal Night - even if I made him pose for pictures. His favorite pictures were the candid ones. I was just happy to have pictures of the two of us on vacation that weren't "selfies".

Scrapbooking Tip:

I don't usually do a layout with just one picture, but Formal Night pictures are an exception. Because we were dressed up I wanted to keep the layout simple. I picked a mono-chromatic color scheme for a couple of reasons. First it complimented the color of my dress and Dave's tie. Also, I wanted to keep the focus on the picture not on the scrapbook page itself.