Andy's Pre-school Christmas Party

Today was Andy's party and he was pretty excited. I am the room mom, so I got to coordinate the party (which I love to do!). It was alot of fun and I started planning weeks in advance. I wanted to make this as special as I could for the kids. Didn't want to forget anything.

Here's their stockings (made by their teachers). I brought a tree for them that was totally cute and a big hit. It is cardboard, and it's like 5 feet tall, from Oriental trading. It was so cute and the kids loved it. I will put it in my attic and save for years to come : )

Party decorations before the kids came back from Stretch n Grow.

Chick-fil-a chiken nuggets, fruit and a Capri Sun ... Yum! 

Andy wearing his reindeer hat we made and enjoying his lunch : )

Andy w/some of his friends : )

Me and my sweet boy : )

Andy, you are supposed to stand in front of the tree - not behind it.

There we go......

Me and Andy again : )

Andy and his class. If you notice, Andy is behind the tree. He would not stand in the front of it. I almost excluded him b/c I couldn't get him to pose for me. Luckily - I snapped as he poked his head out.

 Decorating his cookie. Fun! And not as messy as I had thought : )

 We have so many involved parents - which is awesome. I love that!

"Can I eat this?"



The party was great fun and a great way to end the year at his school. His teachers, the kids and the parents are all so awesome. We can't wait for next year :) See you January 6!

Teachers Gifts for Christmas!

Every year for Christmas and the End of the Year I do teacher gifts. They work so hard, that I feel a small token to show them how much we appreciate them is due them.

For Ben, Will & Andy's immediate teachers I did bookmarks from Brighton. Great, great gift and a great price. I was really pleased with them. And then for their other teachers (music, art, library, gym, etc.) - I did special chocolates or baking goods. Very Yummy and Fun!

I had fun making labels w/their picture on them and decorating the bags really pretty : )

The boys are so excited to give their teachers their special gifts and play "Santa's Elf."

We'll hand out our special gifts at the Christmas Parties tomorrow.

I also made their class friends suckers w/these suckers covers on them (Santa, Reindeer, Elf). The kids always love them. They are from Oriental Trading and SOOOOO cute!

Ben and Will's Christmas Parties

Ben and Will's parties were at the same time so I had to go back and forth between them. Which worked out pretty good, actually. Will wanted me to stay w/him and Ben didn't really care one way or the other. But I managed to spend time with both of them at their parties.

The PTA generally handles all the food and crafts. They had a Krispy Kreme donut and juice. Very yummy!

WILL'S PARTY

Our room mom already had the food on the table when I got there. Yea Jennifer! : )

Kids came in .... here's Will trying very hard not too look at the camera : )

Come on ... one picture, please!

Me and Will ... or an attempt : )

Will and his bestfriend, Conner : )

Will being silly : )

more silly : )

Will eating : )

A little Christmas Bingo. Big Fun!

This is a bulletin board outside Will's classroom. Thought it was cute : )

BEN'S PARTY

I got to Ben's classroom after he had already finished his donut and juice. He ate it all so I guess it was Yummy!

Ben's class played Wheel of Fortune. See Ben towards the back on the left. They had lots of fun.

We brought gifts for the teachers, principal, etc. So I took Ben and Will out of their parties for a few minutes separately to hand out their gifts. Here's Ben handing out his : )

Will's bestfriend is Conner and Ben's bestfriend is Caleb and Conner and Caleb are brothers. It works out pretty great, especially when we do playdates. B/c Conner and Caleb have a younger sister that is Andy's age and they like playing together.

Will, Conner, Ben, Caleb

Me, Ben and Will

I thought both of their parties were fun. They are a little more restricted than Andy's parties, but the kids still have a good time. I actually brought suckers that I had made for the kids and I was able to hand them out - which traditionally is against school rules. But they let me - so that was great! The kids really liked them.

Wilson's Christmas Card

Typically every year I do Eric's family's Christmas photo and then their card. Always great to see them and be able to do this for them. Love, love them!

I think their card turned out cute. Eli's gotten so big and adorable : )

Ben's letter to Santa

His letter reads:

"Dear Santa,
I want a basketball goal, longshot CS6, Evo w/service.
Sincerely your friend, Ben"

How cute is this? I think it's extremely cute - since he's on the fence on whether or not he believes in Santa. Although he does believe in Frosty (our Elf).

So ..... he wants a basketball goal - check; A longshot CS6 - check (it's a BIG nerf gun); and a Sprint EVO w/service .... uh - uncheck. A EVO w/service is a cell phone. Ha - funny funny boy! He's 8, really? 8 year olds don't need phones ... at least mine doesn't. We'll talk about that when you are 12  ... maybe! Maybe 15... we'll see.

2010-2011 School Year

I can't believe how big my boys are getting. They are growing so fast and so quickly. I think the older I get, the faster time goes by.

Ben & Will's photos were taken by Lifetouch. I'm not a fan of the blue background. I think I will have to see if there's a way we can vote on a change for next year.

I think Ben did pretty good in his photo.

My big boy is so handsome! He looks like his daddy : )



Ben, 8 years old
3rd Grade

Will actually had two pictures taken b/c I asked for re-takes. The first one was terrible. Although Will liked it, which was odd. He thought he looked really good. His eyes are closed. I was actually there helping when this was taken and I know they took about 10. Really? This was the best one?

William, 6 years old
1st take
Kindergarten

I convinced Will to let them do a re-take, so he agreed. This one came out better. I definitely should of cut his hair. And of course, I hate the blue background.


William, 6 years old
2nd take
Kindergarten

Andy's photos were taken by Teddy Bear Portraits. Love, love them! They really spent a lot of time w/each kid in hopes of getting a great shot. I love the gray background and I think Andy's pictures came out super cute.

Added bonus - they give each kid a little brush. Which Andy adored! He was so excited about that brush!


Andy, 3 years old
Preschool

Even though I am a photographer, I still buy their school pictures. I think it's part of their life and I think it's important. And let's be honest - there's no way, I can get them to sit still and smile too.

David

I am thankful for a man who gets me - who really gets me. He loves me the way I need to be loved, and he protects me the way I need to feel safe, and he cherishes me so I feel honored. But mostly - he knows when I am at the point where I need to be rescued. He doesn't question - he just steps in and helps. And for that I am grateful. I don't say it enough - but I am truly thankful to have the greatest man I know, as my husband!

I love you, David! Thank you for all the things you do w/o knowing you are doing them.

It's Christmas Time in the Wilke House......

We try and do traditions with the kids b/c we want holidays to be fun for them - and their childhood for that matter. There's a few that we do during Christmastime.

Every year - their Oma gives them an advent calendar filled w/chocolate. Which they LOVE! They could not wait to start it up. Although, they weren't real excited about this picture : )


Thank you OMA!

The second one is our "Elf on the Shelf." Every year our Elf returns during Christmas. If you don't know the story - you should check it out. It's really fun for the kids. http://www.elfontheshelf.com./ Our Elf's name is Frosty. And the kids LOVE him! Will talks to him, apologizes when he's been bad and asks for forgiveness. Ben races to find him first. And Andy .... well he looks for him - but he wants the chocolate from the Advent Calendar - so that's the priority with him. : ) You know, I am beginning to think I should have a cupid for Valentines, a bunny for Easter, a surfer for summer .... you know - if it makes these kids mind - I am all for it.

Hi, Frosty!

And the third one - is to decorate the tree and the house. We dragged our tubs of decorations out of the attic and decorated the house first. We actually didn't have a tree. Ours broke last year and we had to throw it away. So - I found this one on sale at Target - score! I got a slim tree this year, pre-lit. Which I really like. It doesn't take up much run, which is fantastic.

Here's William putting on the ornaments : )

We put up the tree and decided it would look better by the fireplace, so we moved it : )

And here's my sweet husband getting in the Christmas spirit : )

I hope your holiday is fantastic.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

GOD is GOOD!

Today, my Nanny was released for the nursing home. She went into the nursing home, on her death bed. And now, my 95 yr old grandmother has been released. She still has pancreatic cancer and they aren't treating it (b/c of her age), but she's living w/it. The hospice nurse will come Monday - Friday to take care of her, and family will fill in the rest. The infection she had in her lungs is cleared. She is alert, sitting up, and doing well.

I got this photo from my cousin, Hollie. Doesn't she look cute?

I am truly in amazement at how much of a fighter this woman is. The nursing home nurse told me "your grandmother is a fighter and she has a will to live." That .... she does.

Who knows - maybe we'll be celebrating her 100th birthday!

I love you Nanny - so very much!

Thanks GIVING

This Thanksgiving I have so much to be thankful for and I know I am truly blessed. I have an incredible man who loves me, provides for me and our boys, 3 healthy (although a bit crazy) boys, my parents are still in love with each other after 51 years - and for that I am thankful. My life is just as it should be and I couldn't ask for anything more.

We had a Thanksgiving meal last Saturday with David's family. So tomorrow - it will be just me, David and the boys. We won't eat another Thanksgiving meal - we'll probably do something simple. My mom and dad are with my Nanny - as they should be. I am sad not to be with them - but I do understand. My dad hasn't left my Nanny's side - he needs to be with her.

Although I am truly thankful, I am sad today. My Nanny is still in the nursing home on hospice. I want to be thankful and happy today, but my heart is heavy and my mind is weary. I feel bad for being thankful and happy when my grandmother is dying. I pray for Peace and Comfort for her in these last days/weeks (hopefully years) of her life.

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!
From the Wilke's

"We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing; He chastens and hastens His will to make known; The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing, Sing praises to His Name: He forgets not His own."

While Daddy (HALO's) in Charge....

Tonight I went to see my grandmother in the nursing home. I was really not wanting to go b/c I feel so sad for her and for me - for that matter. But I finally convinced myself to go, and I am glad I did. She is an incredible woman and even on her death bed, still smiles and laughs.

I was gone for a couple of hours and came home and all the boys were still awake and had been very busy(not in a good way). Apparently, while I was gone - Daddy was playing lots of Halo Reach on the xbox, and even kicked Ben and Will off, which meant that Andy was unsupervised. If you have a 3 yr old or have been around one - you know that's never a good idea.

Here's what I came home too....

The paint on the wall "Ben Rocks" is my doing. I need to paint his room (since we recently closed it in) - so I wrote Ben some notes, but the writing and the drawings on the wall .... all ANDY! Thankfully, I hadn't painted this room - or I would be a little more unhappy.

And that's not all .....

I had just bought Will and Ben a new down comforter from Ikea. And Andy had fun w/the markers on Ben's..... Oh joy!

He also got into one of my drawers in the kitchen and got a small thing of car paint out and painted his hands, and my bedroom wall. Lovely, right?

And what was David's response "Andy was so bad, he wouldn't listen." Yeah .... I could imagine since he had no supervision and he was bored and trying to find ways to entertain himself..... he was bad! Yeah - hard to get on to Andy, when he's just doing what comes natural to a curious 3 year old.

What's the lesson here: Always supervise Andy, and next time I go somewhere - take the xbox controllers w/me.

Andy's Thanksgiving Feast

We had a Thanksgiving party today before school was out for the holidays. We were asked to do a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Since I am room mom - it was my responsibility to collect money, arrange party, get the food, etc. Which I don't mind at all - b/c I like making it fun for the kids.

I decided to do Black Eyed Pea. They actually do a kids version of a Thanksgiving Dinner for $3.99 - which is amazing and was a ton of food for them. Unfortunately, the kids really didn't dig it. I don't think any of them ate the turkey or the stuffing. SO ..... definitely remember for next year - no Thanksgiving Dinner.

We played a game of pin the hat on the turkey. The kids really like that. Big fun!

I missed Andy's turn. He went first. He's sitting down in the brown shirt w/yellow lion on it.

Actually, the little girl taking her turn, he says - is his girlfriend : )

Andy doing his 'party pose' : )

Andy's classmates and his two awesome teachers

Mrs. Lisa & Mrs. Tammi. Love them! Such great teachers!

Andy eating his HUGE Thanksgiving Meal.

I think all he ate was the mac-n-cheese.

The whole class enjoying their meal together, our teachers and a few parents. We have got a great group of parents in our class this year.

The party was alot of fun and the kids enjoyed themselves. It was a great way to start our Holiday w/our friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cousin, Nena's, Family ....

Nena asked me to come over and take photos of her family and her kids. I was happy to do it. I haven't seen most of them in awhile - so it was nice to see them again : )

I took several pictures - but only this one came out. Sadly, my camera is having a focusing problem and needs repair! Time to send it off - a total pain!

But anyways - here's a group shot of her family : )

My Nanny ...

I've recently found out that my Nanny (my dad's mother) is very sick. She has pancreatic cancer and a collapsed lung. There are still tests out to determine what caused the collapsed lung (cancer or the fluid they drained from her lung).

I am so overwhelming sad. She is 95 years old and I know that we can't live forever. But I am just so sad b/c I haven't been the greatest granddaughter to her. In the last 10 years (since I got my own famiy) - I haven't visited her much and I am really sad about that. Everytime I saw her I would tell her how much I missed her and would always say "I will come visit more." She would hug and kiss me and tell me to come back soon. I knew she meant it, but I was giving promises I wanted to keep - but never did.

My heart breaks now - that the end is near for her and I haven't been as great to her as I feel I should be and as she was to me. Several years ago, she had a stroke and has been unable to talk clearly. It's very difficult to understand her and then she gets frustrated and it breaks my heart. That's the reason I have stayed away in the last few years. I feel so guilty for not being able to understand her. When really, I just should of gone and just sat w/her.

She has always been the greatest Nanny. I have the greatest memories of her and all she did for me. She was so kind and loving. I wish I would of given that to her in return.

I pray she lives longer - that this isn't the end for her. I pray peace and comfort for her and for her to know how much I truly love her.

This photo was taken at my wedding, January 11, 2003.

Playtime outside = Camera Time

Sometimes - I like to take the camera outside and try and shoot a moving target. Why, you ask? Well - I'm hoping to get one great shot that I can actually hang on my wall or put on my blog.

Did I get anything this time, you ask?

Andy - sat still for half a second. This is the only one almost in focus of him : )

And my neighbors daughter - she smiles for me typically. She likes for me to take photos of her. Or ... at least I hope she does : )

And my sweet girl ....... KUMA!

Not a real successful photographic day - but there usually aren't many when it comes to my kids. However - I will keep trying : )

Happy Day Everyone!

In honor of Veteran's Day and our OPA!

I was going through Ben's papers from school and came across this. Ben never had the honor to meet his OPA (Lt. Col. Robert G. Wilke), but he loves him so much and respects him for what he sacrificed for his family and his country! I think this is a great tribute to him!



My Big Boy ...

I have been sick all weekend with the flu or a virus like the flu and have been in bed most of the weekend. We are out of a few essentials (diapers, eggs, etc) and so I asked David to go to the store and I told him I would get up and take care of the boys. Ben came in my room and said "You can stay in bed mom - I will take care of my brothers." I said "Really? In exchange for what?" He said "Nothing. I know you are sick." I told him thank you and how proud I was of him. So - David left and Will and Andy came into my room. Ben came and got them and said "Boys, Mommuy is off-limits to you. If you need something - ask me. And if you are good - you get a ring pop when daddy comes home."

Sweet boy!

William .....

I always dread this time of year because of the viruses and germs that are going around.  William's got a bad cough and some congestion that isn't getting better. He almost had an attack a week ago on the way to school. And because of that - we are a week into breathing treatments 3x a week for him. He has to take one before school, one during school, and the last before bed.

It's always so tough when we have to give him treatments like this. I don't sleep because I worry about him constantly. He worries because he's now aware of why he needs the treatments and he freaks out when he starts coughing really hard or is having a hard time. If I am busy - he will give himself his treatment.

And on top of that - he's been having stomach issues for probably the past 6 months. We've done every test there is to try and figure it out, but the doctors haven't found an answer. Although - today, I think I found it. I think (and of course, I'm not a doctor), it's anxiety induced? Is that possible? Of course - I'll do a ton of research to see if I can find anything to back up my motherly intuition. The reason I think this, is because Ben missed school today. He's not feeling well. And with that, means Will had to go to school "alone". He was so upset, so worried, so scared about going "alone" that his stomach started hurting him pretty bad. I got him to calm down and he started feeling somewhat better.

I really just disklike this time of year for sickness. I spend most of my time worrying about Will because I'm so scared he's going to have an attack and I won't be able to control it with the medication. The doctors have said he's getting better - he's hopefully growing out of it. And last winter, was actually not too bad - but it's barely November and he's already had an attack (almost). I hope that's not what's in store for us to come.

I pray for my sweet boy that his lungs will get stronger and that he will outgrow this forever. In the meantime - we will start washing hands alot more than we already do and be more cautious about staying healthy.

Load of CANDY!

We did the trick-or-treating and boy was that fun. The boys LOVED it! Now ..... we are left w/buckets and buckets of candy. What to do with it? Our school is having a carnival this weekend and they are taking candy donations. So - we'll give it to them. But how do we get the boys to relinguish all that candy? It's simple .... well - at least I hope it is.

I told the boys they could each pick 20 pieces of candy to keep. What's magic about 20? I don't know. Maybe b/c I, myself, can eat 5 in one sitting. Ha! Anyways ... so - they pick 20 pieces of candy they want to keep and then they give the rest of it in trade for a treat. This treat can be anything w/a $20 limit.

I told the boys about my deal. Ben was totally into it. After trick-or-treating - he went straight to his room, counted out 20 pieces and gave me the rest. Now - that's my boy! Luckily for him he isn't a candy junkie. What does he want as his treat? Dragon Ball-Z DS Game. The best $20 I ever spent.

Will was reluctant to agree at first. Candy is definitely is drug of choice (sorry for the comparison - couldn't think of anything else). He finally agreed though. He counted out 20, gave me the rest and asked if I would keep it around if he wanted some later. I explained to him that wasn't how the deal worked. He agreed - finally : ) His treat: A Spiderman DS Game. 2 down .... 1 more to go!

Andy isn't quite on board. Although these days he's obsessed with Buzz Lightyear. So - my plan is to take him to the toy section at Target and show him all the cool Buzz Lightyear toys. Dirty trick, I know. But whatever works, right? And I bet soon he will be on board......

So .... hopefully in a few days - I will have all this extra candy out of my house. I love candy too much to have it here.

I am proud of myself for such a great idea to get rid of the candy (patting myself on the back now). Even David (who isn't much into spending money) .... thought it was a good idea - to get rid of the candy. It's either a $20 treat, or a $200 trip to the dentist. Take your pick!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Today, if my grandmother, Loretta "Charlotte" Degloria Hays, was with us - she would be celebrating her birthday. Sadly, she died a few months ago. I know she is in Heaven celebrating with her daughters (my wonderful aunts): Bonnie, Judy, and Eldred.  She and my Aunts will be forever missed!

Happy Birthday Grandma! I love you!