New Toy!

I was very spoiled and got a new camera for my Birthday! I got to pick it out last week amongst the hurried last minute shoppers.  I haven't been this excited about anything I've bought in a long time.  It just may be my new best friend and I may have spent more time with it than my husband...but I think he understands :) 

I decided to try it out on my sisters...they let me try anything and everything! 

It's easy though because they are both SO beautiful! 

Christmas 2010

We were just missing Colorado's perfectly sparkling white snow...in fact we hardly needed our jackets at all.  But we were all finally together again! 

We enjoyed our Christmas morning breakfast of fried dough, homemade Lasagna for dinner and Tiramisu and Pizzelle cookies.

We enjoyed watching movies (The Incredible Mr. Fox is pretty adorable) and playing games...snuggling on the couch next to the fire place. 

Our family Christmas traditions are slowly changing every year...I think my parents need some grandchildren to bring the traditions into full swing again ;)

I have a few more days of uninterrupted bliss and I get to spend it with my sister until she heads back to paradise at the end of the week.  Maybe she'll help me finish my packing? 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

It's Monday and I'm on Vacation!

This morning as I was rushing to get out of the house...on my first day of Christmas Vacation none the less, my husband says, "Jess, don't freak out but Wilson barfed on one of the Christmas presents..." 

super Wilson. thanks.

(I won't tell you whose it was so they don't feel bad that they're getting the barfed on gift. Don't worry I cleaned it off :)

Then I was off to the stinky Vehicle Registration office. I've been dreading or rather avoiding it for weeks...I tend to drag things out and make them worse than they are. 

Luckily I only had to wait for about a minute before the same grumpy man from last year helped me.  I was going to wish him happy holidays and then didn't because he made me feel stupid for asking what the date was. 

I proceeded with my errands. Target (which I'm pretty sure I was there yesterday too) and the grocery store which is crammed full of people literally running down the isles.

I felt very grown up today.

Getting the shopping done for my husband :)

--------

On another note, this is what our apartment looks like right now  

which is making me sad. It is however making my cats exited because they now have a built in jungle gym. 

We only have a couple weeks left until the big day. This will be my fifth apartment in five years. 

sigh* I can't wait until we can buy a house someday. 

I hope your Monday is off to a good start...only 5 more days until Christmas (come on snow...do your magic) and only 2 more days until my sister comes home!

I Can't Resist

I know you probably don't like staring at pictures of my sweet cats...but I had to share this picture I took of little Princess Margo.   She was just a little puff ball laying on our white sheets (hmm black cats and white sheets....) and it was the perfect photo op.

She is so cute I can barely stand it :)

Things you get to do if you're a Kindergarten teacher

Make reindeer faces using an AB pattern

Watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (this is much creepier than I remember it being...)

Read favorite holiday stories

Give boxes of crayons as Christmas gifts...I love the smell of new crayons (admit it, you probably love smelling crayons too)

My students were so excited! So many of our students don't have supplies at home so this was the perfect gift. 

Report Cards are done,
test scores turned in,
planning complete.


Now I'm just counting down the days until Kate and Bobby get here!

No Sleep

and here's why....

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me

A husband sneezing very loudly!

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me

Two cats hacking hairballs

and a Husband sneezing very loudly!

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me

Three neighbors yelling

Two cats hacking hairballs

and a husband sneezing very loudly! 

I would keep going but I overslept and am now running significantly late... 

How many days left of school you ask?

3

I think I can I think I can I think I can...

proud

I came home this evening and this was on the fridge :)

Songs From Yesteryear

My mom found this great piano song book in her box of old teaching things. It was published in 1951...made especially for Kindergarten teachers.  

I love looking at the pictures! (I secretly wish I was a Kindergarten teacher in 1951)

When I got my piano this summer for my classroom (remember how excited I was?!) I searched and searched for "Kindergarten" piano music and kept coming to dead ends. It's just no where to be found.  The majority of Kindergarten teachers no longer have pianos in their classrooms like they used to long ago.  

My students love when I play for them. 

"Are you going to play that on the piano today?"

I found a cute little number to play from the old song book and made it our clean up song.  

It's been so great being able to share my love of music with my students.  

Stop by sometime and we'll sing you some songs!

Must Be Friday

Today was your typical Friday in elementary school...times NINE MILLION!

Every few minutes someone broke out into song..."Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells!..."

"Mrs. Wolfe, I LOVE Santa Clause!"

The good news is I got my testing all done a week early! Now next week can return back to normal.

I told my students my good news this morning.

Student 1: "What's normal mean?"

Student 2: "It means the same 'ole same 'ole"

Student 3: "Mrs. Wolfe, my dad's not around anymore 'cause he's lazy"

{?} 

This afternoon I was adventurous and got out the white glue...which any teacher knows is risky business. We were working on gluing our reindeer patterns. 

We talked about how "a little dot is a lot!"

I showed them.

I said it a few hundred more times.

Then I watched as one student used every ounce of strength to squeeze the glue in a continuous flow    

all     over     the     table.

lovely 

Just then a student was called to the office to go home.  As I walked him to the door he turned and said, "Bye Mrs. Wolfe! I'll miss you!"

No amount of glue on the tables or singing at an annoying pitch can make me forget why I do what I do :)

happy friday 

Don't Bother me Tuesdays at 7

I'm obsessed people!

I can't get enough of Glee (if you don't watch it I can't be your friend...juuussst kidding, but seriously you really should).

My entire life I have secretly wanted to be a great music sensation.  I can hold a tune, but it's geared more towards a five year old audience.  I stand up everyday and sing in front of a crowd, you know, the typical Kindergarten song..."Five little ducks went out one day, over the hill and far away..." And my attentive audience is usually picking their nose or putting their shoe lace in their mouth or doing both at the same time. Glee is so much cooler than that.  

Tonight as I was watching my show, Martin turned to me and said, "Wow, your favorite show singing your favorite music" (it was their Christmas episode)

I know right?!!

And tomorrow morning I'll pop in my Glee CD and sing at the top of my lungs on my way to school...that is until I'm totally embarrassed because the person in the car next to me is judging me :)

It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas!

I added a little holiday cheer to my classroom this week!

Today I pulled out the Christmas tree along with a few eight-legged friends...they were not saved by my holiday cheer.

I love this time of year! 
I love being inside watching my favorite Christmas movies...
White Christmas, Meet Me In St. Louis, and Miracle on 34th Street. 
I love snuggling with my little family in piles and piles of blankets. 
I love the smell of my Mistletoe candle.
I love the glow of our tiny Christmas tree.


We were driving home from my sisters house last week and apparently these fine folk love Christmas too...

Nothing says Christmas like eight bajillion twinkly lights

Worldless Wednesday: Colorado Sunrise

First Day Jitters

Yesterday was Martin's first day of culinary school.

He laid out his clothes.

Packed his backpack with his new notebook, pens and of course the Wine Bible.

He has nothing to worry about (he may be a big nerd and already read his text book for 'fun' last summer)

He's going to do great!

I wonder where life will take us in 6 months...

I know there is a greater plan for our lives

I know it will be great...especially when my husband perfects chocolate souffles. 

13 Days You Say?!

Dear School,

I'm not sure if you learned your lesson from last year that most people don't work well in 55 degree classrooms.  Just sayin'.  Maybe you shouldn't blast all the heat in the hallway next to the door that leads to the playground. You're causing me to dress way more frumpy than I prefer...going as far as wearing my heavy winter jacket for the first part of the morning and literally crying when I have to take it off when the bell rings.  My hands don't thaw out until I'm home and put them dangerously close to the stove turned on high. I'm glad I only have to suffer for thirteen more days. Thirteen more days of children bouncing off the walls because Santa Clause is coming, thirteen more days of endless testing, thirteen more days until I'm in teacher heaven.  

Maybe as an early Christmas present you could crank it up to at least a balmy 60 degrees.  I would be much obliged. 

Sincerely,

Mrs. Wolfe

I'm Thankful!

I'm thankful for so much today...especially for the on-call maintenance man who fixed our furnace early this morning :)  Martin and I are on our way home to enjoy Thanksgiving Ravioli with my family!  Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thankful Turkeys

We traced our hands and added colorful turkey feathers

and we had a very special helper! 

We are thankful for many things in Kindergarten!

Family

Friends

Shirts

Hair Cuts

Candy

T.V.

Toys

Food

Haha I love the hair cuts and shirts...I guess if I think about it I am pretty thankful for those things too, especially having a shirt to wear...yikes! 


In our one family video I was telling you about yesterday, my sisters and I are coloring on Thanksgiving morning...all dressed up in our pioneer outfits.  My mom asks us each what we are thankful for.
Kate: "God"
Jessica: "My family"
Elizabeth: "THE T.V.!!!!!!!!!"


:)

We had a great two day week, but I'm ready for three days off!

26

Do I look the same?

I've been thinking a lot lately about what I had hoped to accomplish by 26...for some reason it always seemed like a landmark age for me.  I'd be past my mid twenties and almost to thirty. 

I knew I would be teaching, married to Martin, maybe have a few kids.

Two out of three ain't bad eh?

(Kate and I in 2004)


My sister and I are 26.
Our family has one family movie.
My mom rented a video camera and filmed our fourth birthday and Thanksgiving in 1988. Kate and I haven't changed really, truly in twenty-two years.  She's outgoing and LOUD, making a mess and I'm so quiet you have to turn the volume up as loud as it will go...and you still can't hear me.  I love watching how we interact...we've never known life without each other.  Even at four, we had created this bond that is unbreakable.  


I miss her today.  Of course we'll Skype and probably talk three times.  I want to be four again when I knew we would celebrate birthday after birthday together and the thought of moving away from each other wasn't even comprehendible. 

Happy Birthday Kate!

I hope you have a great day.  I'll celebrate with some five year olds and you can celebrate with some ancient mammoth bones and when we're together in a few weeks we'll celebrate together! Love you!

Love,

me

Older Than Dirt

Looks like it's finally wintertime in Kinderland...

Tomorrow is my birthday!

My students are very excited.  We've been anticipating this day for 22 days now...everyday when we do calendar they say, "...and there's your birthday!"  

It's marked with a big birthday cake so we don't forget :)

Someone raised their hand this afternoon and asked me how old I was going to be.

"I'm going to be 100"

"Wow, you're as old as my mom."

haha

Tomorrow is our last day before Thanksgiving break and we get to have a special visitor in the afternoon.  I told my students that my sister was going to be visiting us.  

"The one who lives far away?"

"No, she can't make it tomorrow.  But my older sister will be here!"

"The curly haired sister?"

"Yup, that's her!"

I love how they know my family by their hair style :)

Can't wait for tomorrow!

Christmas Cards Galore!

Last year I looked forward to being able to send out my first official Christmas card as a newlywed! I love this time of year and growing up I loved looking through the basket of cards my parents received. 

This year Shutterfly is offering 50 free Christmas Cards to bloggers! 

Here

As well as lots of great deals on holiday cards!

This is what we sent out last year from Shutterfly! I was excited to show off my new family :)

They have hundreds of cards to choose from this year.

These are my favorites

I think this one is my favorite! I love the bird!

Check it out!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! 

Amazingly Talented

I've been keeping something from you...unfortunately not the good news you want to hear.

My amazingly talented husband recently lost his job...and that day felt like one of the worst days of my life. All I could think about was how will we pay our rent, our bills, pay for our groceries? And how could they let him go? Of all the employees, why him?  We've been struggling with trying to wrap our heads around everything that's happened...but you know what?  My mom is right, when one door closes another one opens. So instead of being upset and throwing ourselves a pity party (well we did at first)we've decided that now is as good of time as any for Martin to pursue his true passion.

Cooking!

I know I complain a lot about being a picky eater, but I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have a husband who cooks amazing meals prepared with the finest ingredients. He's taught himself everything he knows.  He's literally read EVERY cook book he could get his hands on and studied everything he could about wine and beer.  He's so passionate about creating a masterpiece with each meal, even if it's only scrambled eggs for breakfast. 

I remember in college I had gone over to his little apartment for lunch.  He asked what I wanted and I of course said, "Spaghetti." I flipped on the t.v. and after about twenty minutes of wondering where our lunch was I wandered into the kitchen.   There he was.

 Using the hand cranking pasta machine running the pasta dough through until it was perfect :)  

That says it all.

He is amazingly talented and he's all mine!

I'm so excited for him to start this new adventure...to see him excited again about learning and working! 

I like where life is taking us and I'm so glad I get go through this life with Martin by my side. 

Wordless Wednesday

Moving

We are on the search again.

I know what you're saying, "But you just moved to your new apartment!"

Annnd you're right. 

Due to unfortunate circumstances...aHeM certain people raising our rent by 26% and calling it a "DEAL!"...we are forced to vacate and find somewhere else to call home. 

I feel like I was just getting our apartment to feel like home.

Now we have to repaint and pack everything up and try again somewhere else. 

This time we'll undoubtedly be moving farther than across the street. I really love this area we are living in now...I've been here for four years.  Now I'm going to have to figure out how to get to a new grocery store and my school and what will I do without a Target just down the street?

We're off to look for apartments today...just the way I wanted to spend my Saturday (I hope you can sense my sarcasm)

Family Photo Shoot!

Here's a peak at the photos I did for the Berkheim family! 

Those kids are so cute!!