Good Times with the Ward

Well it has been a whirlwind of a week so far!  We’ve had a couple meetings with our Realtor, I had a Relief Society activity Thursday night, a primary activity to set-up for and help run yesterday and today we had an Easter party with some good neighbor friends.  Life has been busy!  I took the girls with me to the RS party on Thursday thinking Nate could use the study time and they had daycare provided.  Little did I know the activity would go until 9:30pm and we wouldn’t get the girls in bed till 10!  It was a wonderful activity, but a little stressful getting ready for (I had to bake enchiladas as well as a decorative cake for a centerpiece) and a little lengthy at the end.  But the spiritual boost I received while there was well worth it! 

Last night, we put on “Primary Idol” for all the kids in our ward.  It turned out SO fun!  We assigned each class a fun song, gave them an hour that night to put together a dance with props & costumes and then they each preformed their dances for all the parents and other kids.  We had popcorn for the audience and awards for each class (given by the judges, American Idol style) and finished off the night with ice cream cones.  It was a blast!  I was a little concerned that the kids would be shy or wouldn’t get into it, but every class danced away without reservations.  They loved every minute of it.  The primary presidency surprised the group with a little “dance” of our own – which we put together about 10 minutes before the show – but the kids just ate it up.  Everyone got a kick out of it and we had a really fun time.  Definitely an activity to repeat in the future!  It was also a fun family night for the Wolfley crew!  We all participated and had a lot more fun than we expected.  We were short on helpers for the classes, so Nate got dragged into being the “choreographer” for the 9-year olds.  They – Nate included – danced to “Be a Man” (from Mulan) and it turned out awesome!  Because Nate was helping a class & I was running around finishing up last minute details, Sage got to go to the Sunbeams class with Kenna and be a part of their dance.  It was so cute!  Makenna was great at doing her part and Sage just free-styled in the back pretty much the whole song.  Makes me smile just thinking about it!  What a fun night!

Then today we were able to kick off our Easter festivities with an Easter-egg hunt & pot-luck lunch with some of our great friends in our ward.  Of course Makenna and Sage were beside themselves with excitement.  It’s amazing how much more fun holidays are with kids around!  Now I just can’t wait for tomorrow to get here…

Our Outstanding Primary Idol Judges!

 Our equally entertaining and lovely M.C., Brooke (Ryan Seacrest couldn't make it)

Stay tuned!  Videos of the awesome dances coming soon...

The Easter Party

 We forgot to bring baskets for them, so they used paper bags instead...but what's the difference to a 2 & 3 year old?!

Our Spring (Not-Much-Of-A) Break

Last week was Nate’s last spring break.  We had grand plans of getting all the work on our house done, Nate getting a good start on his huge upcoming research paper and also going out of town to explore a few more places we’ve been dying to see in Oregon before we move.  But what did we actually do?  House work, house work & a little more house work.  It is AMAZING how much time it takes to get a house ready to sell.  Even one that didn’t have much to fix up in the first place.  We found ourselves doing yard work, Nate scrubbing AND painting all the baseboards as well as the trim on the outside of the house, me touching up paint around the inside of the house & repainting the front door (by accident…long story!), de-cluttering, washing windows, pressure washing the deck, etc. etc.  All while trying to keep two busy girls entertained and trying to feel like we were enjoying our time together!  We also had General Conference on Saturday and Sunday and Nate found himself finishing up the last of the painting between all the sessions Saturday, finishing the last bit just in time to shower & make the Priesthood session.  It was nuts!  Luckily we were able to have a very relaxing Sunday followed by dinner with our good friends, the Harris’ that night to finish off the week.  Nate and I were also able to go on an awesome date on Friday night which made the week feel much more bearable!  He took me to see the Hunger Games movie and then dinner at Red Lobster.  Now that’s what I call a date!  Now I can say we are officially exhausted and our house is officially sparkling clean. :)  Let’s just hope it all pays off!  

(Oh and April Fools was yesterday and I didn’t even short-sheet a single bed.  Lame!  That shows how busy we truly were.  Better make up for it next year!)  :)

Make-up Fun

Not that kind of make-up…although Sage has had her share of that lately, too.  Why are cover-up & mascara SOO appealing?  Anyway, I’m getting a little sidetracked!  As the girls missed their last day of daycare at Moss Street on Wednesday due to the previously mentioned snow day, we decided to make-up the party so they could say their final goodbyes. (Not to mention, we had WAY too many cookies, cupcakes and popsicles to get rid of!)  I called both of the girls’ teachers and they set aside some time in their classes for us to come in today.  When we got there, both classes were ready and waiting for us!  The girls handed out treats to all of their classmates and got to tell everyone about where they were moving to.  Sage of course ate up the attention & at the end gave every single kid in the class a big hug while saying goodbye.  Kenna on the other hand, was super shy.  She’s so funny how she’ll talk to any random person at the store, but doesn’t want to say a word in front of a group of friends.  That’s our sweet Kenna & we love her for it…I just don’t know what to do about it, I was never shy!  Of course afterward she talked about it like it was the most fun thing she had ever done. :)  Both girls had a ball and I’m glad it was a special experience for them.  I think they’re going to miss school terribly.  

I am so grateful for such a wonderful program for my girls.  I’ve always been one that’s kind of against working & sending your children to daycare, but we had such a great experience with Moss Street that I can understand while people do it.  Of course, I wouldn’t want to work and send them there full-time, but the 10 hours a week on average that they were there for the past 9 months was perfect.  They got to get out and have a “preschool” experience socializing with other kids and I was able to work to help support our family.  Each of their classes always had fun things going on and the girls looked forward to school days with enthusiasm.  We rarely had a day that either of them were sad to be dropped off.  Nate was also such a trooper through the whole experience. Because I had to be to work every day by 7am and Moss Street didn’t open till 7:30, he had to get them off to school any time they went.  That meant waking up with them, getting them both dressed AND doing their hair!  How many fathers do you know that do their daughters’ hair twice a week?  It was pretty impressive. :) Overall, I’m very thankful for the experience and would do it again in a heartbeat.  Moss Street, you will be missed!

Sage with her lead teacher, Lori

 Makenna with her lead teacher, Jen

Snow Day!

Today Eugene gave us a little taste of home…a snow day!  In the few years we’ve been here, we’ve experienced Oregon “snow” (which truly was nothing more than a dusting), but today we got the real thing!  I woke up and got all ready for work and just as I was heading out the door, Nate said, “What does the weather look like outside?  I just got an email from the school saying the University has a delayed start by 2 hours”.  I opened the blinds and was amazed to see no less than 6 inches of snow piled everywhere!  (We don’t watch the weather much!)  I figured I had still better go to work, so Nate trekked out with me in his PJ’s and helped clear off my car.  Of course every radio station was reporting which schools were closed for the day (every single one for miles), what accidents were on the road (literally hundreds) and encouraging everyone who did not HAVE to go anywhere to stay home.  This is what happens when snow hits a city that does not own snow plows. :)  Thankfully I did make it in safe to work (lots of practice with snow driving!), but on the way I saw many on the roads less fortunate than I.   The funny thing was that all the nurses and every patient made it in, but only one doctor and none of the office staff.  Shows who cares most about the appointments. :)  It was an interesting day!

Makenna and Sage were scheduled to go to their LAST day at Moss Street today.  They even went shopping with Nate last night & picked out treats to share with all the friends in their classes, as well as colored pictures for their teachers.  Both teachers also had plans for “farewell parties” for the girls.  But of course, school got cancelled.  Bummer!  Luckily Nate’s classes were also cancelled so he was able to stay home with them while I was at work.  How could the girls be disappointed about not going to school when they get a day home with dad instead?  He did not disappoint!  They started out the morning building a snowman, followed by hot chocolate (yes…before breakfast!) and then warming up by the fire while watching a movie.  It just doesn’t get better than that for a 2 & 3 year old!  One funny story: Nate was out talking to our neighbors Melinda & Virginia just after I left for work when the girls woke up.  They came running out the garage door yelling “SNOW!”  (You’d think it was Christmas or something!)  Nate told them before they could come outside they needed to run up & grab their coats and boots.  A few minutes later, Sage came waltzing outside…in ONLY her coat and boots.  Pajamas and underwear had been removed and she was ready for some snowman action in her birthday suit.  :)  Guess he couldn’t argue, she HAD done what he asked!  The neighbors got a pretty good kick out of that one!  Unfortunately the camera was in my purse so Nate’s phone had to capture the excitement of the morning.  They sure had a great time.  I got home just after noon & Nate headed off to school so the girls and I got to enjoy a little more of the snow day together.  I’m sure it’ll all be melted in a day or two, but we sure had fun while it lasted! 

On a side note, today was also my last day of work (hence the girls’ last day in daycare).  It felt strange saying goodbye to my sweet coworkers and thinking that most likely I’ll never see them again.  I have been so blessed to have such a great job that has been so perfect with hours so I could be home most of the time with my girls, but also allow them some fun times at preschool.  Not to mention the financial benefit of being able to avoid significantly higher debt from law school.  I had the privilege of working with some fabulous people and I will miss it a lot.  That being said, I am very grateful for the time ahead that I’ll be able to focus solely on getting our house ready to sell and spending as much time as possible with my two children…before that number becomes three!  

Since I was lame enough to accidentally take the camera with me, I thought I'd better share my view on my way in to work.  Crazy weather!

From Nate's Phone:

Our awesome snowman!

 Warmin' up by the fire!

 This is what you get to do when Dad's home...Spoiled!!

Showered with Love

This week I was spoiled with TWO baby showers!  I have the most amazing friends.  The first one was with my law wife friends & was thrown by my Oregon sisters, Chelsea & Christie.  They did a sailor theme and it was absolutely adorable.  The second was with my ward friends and was thrown by my close & wonderful friends Stacia & Teresa.  It was equally amazing with a cute jungle theme.  Both were so perfect down to the very last detail.  We had great food, fun games and wonderful company.  I feel so spoiled and blessed to have such supportive and thoughtful friends.  And of course I am very grateful to be MUCH more prepared for the coming of this sweet little boy!  We finally have some blue around here!   

I know this is so sad, but I only got pictures from the first shower.  Just picture this cuteness doubled!

 Christie, Me & Chelsea - LOVE these girls!

Hairdresser in training

Remember how I said Makenna loves to do her own hair?  This is why she only gets that opportunity when we're not leaving the house...  :)

So stylin'!

My Awesomely Domestic Husband

I have to say Nate surprised me and showed me up in the domestic category today. :)  Makenna has been complaining about her jammies for a while because she's worn the feet of them out pretty badly and her toes stick out.  As Sage's are mostly hand-me-downs from Makenna, you can guess that hers are just as bad. This morning Kenna told Nate that TWO of her toes were sticking out of the same hole now and asked if he could fix them.  He told her he had an idea, asked me where the hot glue gun was and they headed up together to work on their project while I cleaned up our waffle breakfast.  To be honest I was thinking, "hot glue? This 'otta be good!"  However, I went up a little later and was surprised by his ingenuity.   He had taken an old pair of his jeans, cut "feet" out of them and glued them to the inside of 2 pairs each of Makenna & Sage's pj's.  Then he turned them inside out and, walla!  No more holes for the girls!  I'll admit I admired his work...until he told me he was going to start a craft blog. :)  Just kidding, I WAS truly impressed and thankful for his work.  Craft away Nate!

The new "inside" of the P.J. feet...

 The source of new feet...

 And the finished product.  Pretty cool!