Jacob and fun!

My next door neighbors asked me to take some photos of their son for Christmas. We went to a local park and I brought the boys along. I got some great shots of Jacob and some of my boys too - which is always great.

All 4 boys (Ben, Jacob, Will, & Andy)

I love this! This is something you see on an advertisement. Nice mom, right? Ha!
We didn't see any snakes .... thankfully : )

A few of Ben...

A few of Will ....

A few of Andy ......

CHEEEEEZZZZZZZZZZ!

Will and Jacob : )

Christmas Card 2010

This year I had a great idea of what I wanted to do for our card. Well - Actually it was David's idea and then I tweaked it to what I wanted. I have to give him some credit : )

We (and when I say we, I mean David....) set up the lights to do a "practice" run. We soon realized that this wasn't going to work and threw in the towel.

So - one day after school I picked the boys up from school and we drove around until I landed at Woodbridge golf course. I got the kids out and tried to get them to sit still so I can get a few photos. Let me tell you .... it was NOT fun! They complained and whined the entire time. I threatened that Santa may not come if I couldn't get my photos. Mean? Yes! But I was desperate. After all - it's only a week from Christmas and I haven't got my Christmas card done. You think, after ALL the things I do for them, they could give me this one thing.... 5 minutes to sit still and smile, but NOOOOOOOOOO!

Ben ...... "I hate wearing jeans. Why can't I wear sweats?"

Andy .... "This sweater is itchy."

Will ..... "It's cold, I'm tired."

Next year - maybe I'll do something different. I'll publish the outtakes of my photos b/c I have to work way less hard for those. I get those pretty easy. Or maybe I'll start in January working on my card and do something of the whole year. I love sending out cards (as I love getting them) .... but this last minute stuff is not fun - for them or me.

I finally got some photos of them, made my card and sent it off. Stay tuned .... it's coming!

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!