Saturday, January 31, 2009

Jared's Birthday ROCKED!

I am soooo exhausted, but Jared and his friends had an awesome time! Jared invited four friends from school for a sleepover, pizza, and Wii tournament. His friend J.J. brought over his XBox 360 and Rockband 2. That's pretty much all the boys played until they left this morning! Damian and I played as well. I so want this game! I love that kids are loving music we all grew up listening to!!! Eye of the Tiger was the hit of the party. Jared, Nick and Daddy actually went out to try and find the game today. They went to six stores and it was no where to be found. Between Jared's Bday money, Nick's piggy bank, and Daddy's Bday in a few days, they all pooled their money together to cover most of the game...if only we could find it. Three very disappointed little boys walked through the door this evening. I guess I'll be searching the net tonight.
























I also made goody bags for the kids and whipped up a little hybrid notebook. I didn't expect the boys to like it as much as they did. I kept them plain since they are boys. I was going to add ribbon to the side but was informed ribbon is for girls.



Credits: Stripped paper by Britt-ish Designs High School Never Ends, Stars by Shabby Miss Jen, Font-You are Loved, Notebooks from Target

So this morning the boys asked "Mrs. Wolff, when can we do this again?". Reply: "Next year".

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Happy Birthday Jared!






















What a wonderful blessing it has been to have watched my sweet baby grow into a handsome tweener! This may sound cliche, but I can't believe how fast he has grown. I can't believe he is 11 years old! So tonight, we will treat him to his favorite place to eat out (Chinese) and a trip to Target to scope out a new Lego Star Wars kit. Friday night he is having a sleepover with a few friends, pizza, and a Wii Tournament. Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Twelve years and we haven't killed each other...yet.

Today, Damian and I have been married twelve years. If you had told me twelve years ago that I would be married with four kids and teaching Kindergarten full time, I'd probably laugh in your face! But I could not have asked for a better life, good times and bad times. I am so lucky to have married my best friend, confidant, and the man who lights my fire! I must have done something right in my life to deserve all this! Babe, I love you! In the words of Jerry Maguire "You complete me." Corny, I know.

Jack's First Haircut

So, with Jared and Nick, I had their hair cut on their 1st birhtday. When Jack turned one, he didn't have enough hair to warrant a cut. So we waited, a bit too long. I finally took my baby to get his big boy haircut yesterday. Sigh! Knowing Jack will be my last to experience all first moments of life is kind of bittersweet for me. I pleaded with him this morning to stop growing so I could enjoy him this way for just a bit longer. So here are some super cute pictures. He was a good boy. No tears like Nick. We went to Cool Cuts for Kids. He got to sit in a fire truck and watch Elmo while getting coiffed. You know, I think they are a bit over priced, but for yesterday, totally worth it!




Aren't they cute?

Did you know there is a market for photographers in formal night? I guess that it is cool to hire a photographer before the dance instead of having mom or dad act as photographer. Think of me for Prom guys;D. Head on over to jenwolff.blogspot.com and take a peek at what I did yesterday afternoon. I had so much fun! I shot Mariah and Casey before they headed off to their winter formal.


Saturday, January 17, 2009

I have been waiting for this moment...

I have been waiting for this moment since becoming a mother!!! Today I took my one and only daughter to dance class!! Humor me while I savor this moment and please continue to read on! Because I had visited my Granny at the nursing home last week, I missed Olivia's first lesson. You know that killed me. I had to hear about it from Damian and listen to Olivia talk about it all week. I had to put her dance clothes up to where she could not get them as she was constantly putting them on. She is in a 3 and 4 year old class, so you know watching these little girls is absolutely hysterical! The class takes place in a room that we can see in , but the girls can't see out of. Of course my child is the one smooshing her nose up to the glass trying to see me and waving instead of listening. Today, the teachers allowed us in the room so they could tell us what the girls needed to work on for the recital. So of course, I just happened to have my camera. I was able to catch a few shots.






















When it came time to leave, Olivia begins to cry as she did last week. She DID NOT want to go home. So we went to the snack bar for apple juice. That was probably a really bad idea because now she will expect it after every class. Remember, her moment is just as much mine.

Also...





















I came home and just had to make a layout.

Credits:J.Wilson girls solid 1 & pinned ribbon recolored,K.Pertiet grungy cluster & stitched journal strip, Britt-ish Designs scalloped circle mat, LTWB flower 4 recolored, & Gretchen gem, Scrap Matters Friday Flea Market black paper, Golden Girls & M. Turnidge Tinsel Town transparent mat, Summer Driggs Limeaide black polka ribbon, Shabby Miss Jen ribbon wrap, Something Blue Studios frame, Janny Darling flower and button, Tangie Baxter Daydreamer alpha, K.Christensen pin and staple, font- Pea Jannda

Monday, January 12, 2009

Project 365

I wasn't going to do it! I just didn't think I could make the time, until I saw this fabulous template kit and goodies @ Weeds & Wildflowers. I just had to have it! I got it on sale! I called Kiahna and told her about it so she got it too. Like I said in the last post, she's my partner in crime. I fortunately had enough pictures and things going on these past two weeks to scrap a layout. I am home today with Nick as he was throwing up at 4 am this morning. What a perfect day to stay in jammies and scrap! So here is my week one layout. I think I will make these layouts into a Shutterfly book at the end of the year.











Credits: Weeds and Wildflowers Project 365 kit/Cherishing You kit,K.Pertiet staples, Fonts- various Pea fonts
I am hoping to have week 2 finished in the next few days so that I am all caught up and can stay on track.
**UPDATE- I had to totally redo the original layout. I think I was deliriously tired and thought I liked it. So here is the new layout.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Kreativ Blogger Award and Crazy Life Update










My cyber friend and fellow Spraground friend, Jen, has chosen me to receive the Kreative Blogger award. Jen, you are too kind, thanks so much! She is a talented scrapbooker and has a pretty cool blog as well. Check her out at jencropable.com. Digi-scrapping friends, she has templates! Go get'em!! They are awesome!

So, in turn, I must nominate five people to receive this award and post links to their blogs for you to check out. It seems as though the purpose of these awards is to bring attention and notoriety to some pretty great blogs from average Joe's like us. So, here are five blogs that I think rock:

Kiahna's blog Kiahna's Kreations-My cheeky BFF and partner in crime has two blogs, but I'll nominate her Scrap blog. Miss budding photographer and die hard digi-scrapper created a blog sharing all of her "Kreations". Pretty cool, check her out!

Joy's blog Just Organize Yourself-Joy is the organizational goddess, guru, and expert in our ward. She has tried and true tips to make all of our lives easier.

Kari's blog Running in Place - Kari is one of my Spraground friends/fellow church member who is SUPER-TALENTED and can do anything! She shares her digi and hybrid craft projects as well as her family life on her blog.

Heather's blog Joy Revisited- Heather is another amazing and talented Spraground friend and fellow educator. She does it all as well! She is homeschooling her brilliant daughter, is an amazing photographer, and has the most fantastic digital scrapbook layouts and hybrid projects. She is inspiring!

Carol's Blog Let's Have a Chat! - My international friend/Sprague-mate. Carol lives in Australia. I love her blog and reading about her many travels and life with her family. She takes some pretty amazing pictures and shares her fabulous digital layouts as well.

Okay fellow recipients, this is kind of like a tag. Post a link to my blog, choose five blogs you love to read and give them this award. Post a link to their blog as well. Don't forget to save the jpeg image above to post on your blog.

I hope you become regular readers of these blogs and enjoy them as much as I do!

And know for our crazy life update (yes, I meant to start a sentence with AND). I survived last week...barely! Getting back to our routine has been rough for all. We have had fog this weekend so I am hoping that we'll be getting a fog delay tomorrow. I'd love to sleep in!

I visited my grandma down South this last Saturday with my dad. She is not in good shape and was just diagnosed with congestive heart failure and stage 2 dementia.She is living in a nursing home these days. She recognized me today and it was hard to fight back the tears. Apparently it was the best day she has had in a long time and was smiling and laughing. I was glad to see her in good spirits!

I did the speed scrap last week at Scrap Matters. Kiahna and I are doing it again next week and Kari said she was going to do it as well. Join us if you can! Here is the layout I made:























Credits: J.Wilson Birthday Bash pprs., OScarps Moonrise circle frame by D. Young recolored, Tangie Baxter Daydreamer glitter alpha, Weeds and Wildflowers ribbon recolored, K. Pertiet buttons, Britt-ish designs staples, fonts- Pea Bailey, Underwood Champion

Jack finally was loosely diagnosed with an "allergy cough"??? He is now starting to use an inhaler and other allergy meds. I hope it helps him to sleep better and to get rid of the persistent cough he has had since October. He loves to sneak on top of the kitchen table and give any audience a table dance. I am tempted to rid the house of all chairs! He also says shi# a lot! I don't think he knows what he is saying, but he says it more frequently because the big boys laugh uncontrollably when they hear it. Keri, his daycare provider, even asked me "Is he saying shi*? That's what he sounds like he is saying.". We are now grounding the big boys for laughing from now on. Again, I am feeling like an awesome parent (not)!

Jared made Honor Roll again and has an awards assembly next week. He doesn't know it yet, but he was also chosen as student of the month and we have to attend a school board meeting for him to receive his award. We are so proud of our boy!

Olivia started dance lessons last Saturday. Daddy took her to her first lesson on Saturday as I was with my grandma. She threw a tantrum when it was time to leave as she was having so much fun. She has been doing the Penguin Cha-Cha at home. She will be preforming this at her first recital in about 9 weeks. I can't wait!!!! She is now a Sunbeam at church and announced to me after class that she is a child of God. Too cute!

Nick is top A.R. student... again. He also go all A's and one B+. He is pretty miffed as he missed the A by 8/10's of a point. We are so proud of Mr. Smarty Pants! Apparently he called his Primary teacher to repentance today for texting in class. We also have to have a little talk with him about sharing stories of getting hit in the "balls" in Primary. Still, this child seems to be everyone's favorite kid at church, and he knows it. Nick makes us feel like we questionable parents. It takes every ounce of strength to not laugh at his antics in his presence. He needs a big bite of humble pie!

Damian is still on the job hunt for the post Bachelor's degree job so anyone reading knows of any leads, we'd love to hear about them! His vision is still 20/20 and has little scarring on his eyes. Yay! He is still under the Dr.'s care and has to take a few days off of work every so often as his eyes can become strained from looking at a computer screen all day. The Dr. assures us that this is normal and that he is still healing. I keep on him to make sure those days he is off is FMLA protected.

Until next post,
Jen

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Do I gotta go back?

We'll I know the answer to that question if my family wants to eat. Oh, the dreaded "w" word (you know, work)! So today marks the final day of vacation, not that it really felt like a vacation. Nick woke up in the middle of the night throwing up. That makes three weeks of not going to church because of a sickie. I was a bit bummed as today would have been Olivia's first day in Primary.

So, I'll be crawling back to work tomorrow. The first day back isn't too terrible as my class is typically tired. It's usually the second and third days that are most painful. Most of you know how much I want to be home with the little ones. I wanted to prepare Olivia for Monday morning by talking with her about how she'll be going back to Keri's while Mommy, Jared, and Nick go to school. I really thought she would be excited. No, my darling daughter starts sobbing as if I had wounded her in the most terrible way. Our dialogue went something like this:

"Baby girl, why are you crying?"
"I don't want to go to Kawi's house?"
"Why not?"
"I want to tay home wif you. I luf you wif my hawrt."
-Insert sounds of mother and father beginning to cry-
"Baby I love you with all my heart too!"
"Mommy, I will miss you, You tay home wif me."
"No my love, I am sorry. Keri needs you to help her with Jack."
"Paweese tay home wif me. I will miss you!"
"Olivia, do you want to say a prayer? Will that help you feel better?" (suggestion made knowing it will help me to feel better)
"Yes."

When we pray, Olivia ALWAYS wants to say it. Her idea of saying the prayer is someone else saying the words, and she repeats them. It is rather cute. So Mommy, Daddy, and Olivia knelt to pray. My daughter really knew how to rip my heart out last night! It was gut wrenching! It doesn't make it any easier for me to return to work.

So this will be the end of blogging almost daily, scrapbooking, and a semi-clean house. At least for now. Hello to exhaustion, homework, and early mornings. Here is a final layout I made today because I had spare time. Oh, how I'll miss having spare time!























Credits: GG & M. Turnidge Tinsel Town paper and elements, GG High School Never Ends glitter swirl recolored, A. Kay ribbon wrap recolored, Miss Mints curled frame, K. Pertiet Messy Stamp Alpha, fonts-Pea Sarah quick & Pea Baily

Friday, January 2, 2009

Speed Scrap

I thought I'd post a layout from the speed scrap Kiahna and I did over at Scrap Matters. We were given instructions every few minutes over a period of an hour in creating a new layout. Tons of fun!!!! You should check it out if you are into digi. Kiahna and I are hooked and we plan on doing the next one. TTFN!