Whoooeeeeeee this Robin is in the home stretch. It seems SO long ago that it was here in Fairbanks Alaska. I love the idea that someone is typing up the journal so we can each read what all the others wrote. I'd also love to be at Shannon's house when that Little Bird comes home. What a party that would be. I'm looking foreward to reading about what the Robin brings home from his trip. Amy bless your heart for all the patient waiting you have done. I know you must be excited to finally have the robin visit you. How nice, and appropriate that Shirley sent you some real special goodies. You deserve an extra star for waiting so long.

Yeah! I took down the Christmas tree and it's only January 8...my usual target date is Valentines Day but since I lost my job, I have no excuse. The tree is 9' so I have tons of decorations. It took me 2 days but I was very methodical trying to think ahead to next year: I bought smaller storage boxes (found them at Big Lots for cheap) so they are easier to retrieve from high shelves and when I decorate I just get one box out at a time (e.g. get box of lights down put lights up; get box of balls down put balls up, etc) I packed like things together, even getting anal (e.g. red balls together in one box, gold in another). I made large labels (5" X 7") listing the catagory and items in the box, used large font, and stuck them to the side of the box for easy reading next year (e.g. TREE LIGHTS: 15 strings of garland lights; 2 strings interior tree lights; 3 extension cords; 1 power strip) I included tips/lessons learned at the bottom of the label (e.g. put garland lights vertical instead of around the tree) I put the light weight boxes on high shelves and heavy boxes on the bottom. I know this is a "duh" but in the past I have used large storage boxes and they were all heavy by the time they were packed Here is a link that might be useful: Some of the smaller storage boxes

Thanks for the thoughts on the camera. We have decided to get our daughter the new Canon SD 630. With hubbies employee discounts we where able to purchase the camera on line at Crutchfield for $219.99, which includes free shipping, a free case and a free memory card. We agree that canon is a far better camera than the casio and the canon was not that much more than the casio. Cheapest on that one was $169. info specs on camera are as follows: Details: » 6-megapixel effective recording » 3" color LCD viewscreen » 3X optical/4X digital/12X total zoom » Touch Control Dial for convenient camera operation » DIGIC II image processor for true-to-life color reproduction and fast response » 35mm equivalent focal length: 35-105mm » top JPEG resolution: 2816 x 2112 » 16:9 widescreen photo mode (2816 x 1584) » Fast Frame Rate movie mode offers up to 60-frame-per-second video with sound » macro focus mode (minimum distance 1.2") » 9-point autofocus (with selectable 1-point autofocus mode) » My Colors in-camera custom color settings » 9 scene modes, including Fireworks, Kids & Pets, Snow, and Indoor » sensitivity (film speed equivalent) settings » extended ISO sensitivity range for low-light shooting without flash » built-in flash » PictBridge-compatible for direct photo printing » lighted Print/Share button » Exif 2.2-compliant » high-speed USB interface » NTSC/PAL mono audio/video output » 3-11/16"W x 2-5/16"H x 15/16"D » weight: 5.1 oz. without battery and media » warranty: 1 year » Want more peace of mind? Extended Service Plans Available Supplied Accessories: » 16MB SD memory card (holds about 4 photos at the highest picture quality setting) » rechargeable lithium ion battery (NB-4L) » AC battery charger » audio/video and USB cables » wrist strap » software CD-ROM (PC and Mac®)

I have a Winnie the Pooh "Baby's First Year" calendar that sounds like what you are trying to put together, only mine didn't have the scrapbook side to it. I loved this calendar and it was my baby "bible" for the first year. I often refer to it when my friends/family ask me " . . .when did she . . ." I have an easy reference. Anyhow, at the top of each monthly page it has the following: height, weight, baby's sleeping pattern, baby's eating pattern, and notes with spaces to write in a sentence or two about baby's advances that month. Also included were stickers: first bath first smile religious ceremony sleeps through night first tooth first word says mama says dada first solid food feeds self first Christmas doctor's visit (several of these) It would be cute if you could include some stickers that illustrated these events that she could stick on the days on which they occurred (doctor's bag or stethescope-doctor's visit, spoon or bowl-first solid food, smiley face-first smile, etc.) Sounds like a cute and very thoughtful gift! Let us know how it turns out!