It's Jack's Party...

...he can eat cake if he wants to! :) I don't even have to write he can cry if he wants to, because he didn't cry one bit.

We filled our house with our closest friends and family and celebrated our little man turning one.

When I think back I remember:
A happy, wandering, playful little one-year-old who LOVED the attention
Finger foods (suitable for wee ones) in pretty displays
Primary colored sixlets
Perfectly coordinated presents -- which turned into toy after toy after toy
Books and cake
Good times with good friends!

My goal: simple and classic. He's one. He had no idea it was his birthday...so I didn't go crazy with decorations or anything. Simple and low stress...so we could just enjoy the friends and family we had with us! I'm SO, SO, SO glad I did this.

Thanks to all of our friends {who are definitely more like our family} for helping us celebrate our little man's big day.

Happy Birthday Jack! It's been the best year of our lives.

We love you!

Mom & Dad

Winter Break...

...is nearing. Here's my to-do list:

1. Become EVEN MORE addicted to Pinterest. I've learned new ways to take pictures, have become addicted to DIY projects, and laugh out loud multiple times a night at witty quotes. Darn you, Pinterest! Between you, this blog, and Facebook...I'm doomed.

2. Snuggle with my snuggle bug. I just LOVE watching Jack walk, run, play, babble, and eat at this stage. I haven't said this yet, but I think the one-year-old-I-can-be-independent-but-still-love-to-snuggle stage is my favorite BY FAR. He recognizes us, laughs, throws entire rolls of toilet paper in the toilet and then tries to get it out, piece by piece. I can't wait for all day pajamas and play time.

3. Shop?! As if that's never on my to-do list...I need {insert an unlimited list of a random assortment of things from sippy cups to Miss Me jeans}...

4. Date night with Eric. Since we've had Jack, we've officially hired TWO babysitters. One for a wedding, one for a teacher work day. Wow -- we're cool. I want to plan a date night and spend time talking about us and not diapers and hot wheels. I love Eric =)

5. Friends! A good girls' night out is in my near future. When I'm with my girls, I totally forget everything stressful about life and just laugh until my tummy hurts!

6. Clean. I know I'm weird. I'm a sucker for a clean house.

7. NOT think about class. I am VERY excited for this to-do.

8. Iron my dress pants. I have a whole closet dedicated to dress pants alone. How many do I wear? The same five pairs that do NOT require ironing. It's time to iron, people!

9. Learn cool features with my new camera lens. Sweet, photographer-like pictures, here I come! I will get good at it...

10. Continue on my "Random Acts of Kindness" ideas. Today, I donated our couch and loveseat to a family in need. Last week, I put money into a student's account so he could eat lunch. What can I think of next?

Being a teacher definitely has some perks -- including WINTER BREAK! And the sweet facebook message I received from an old student yesterday... =)

{after re-reading this post, I realize that I REALLY like to CAPITALIZE my thoughts. This is NEW?}

One Year Old!

Well, Jack...we made it! You, my little man, are one WHOLE year old. I can't believe how fast that year has flown by.

Yesterday, we had a birthday party for Jack. Our house was filled with our closest friends and family. It was SO much fun. Jack, as usual, hammed up and soaked in all of the attention from everyone. His favorite parts: cake and cars! He screamed when we finally took the cake away from him. For the rest of the night he had blue boogers...

Ten things I will never forget about you being ONE:
1. Now that you're walking (and darn good at it!) there are tons of random things all over the house. I went upstairs to put laundry away and tripped over a stuffed animal in the spare bedroom, a car in the hallway, a sock in our bedroom, and an empty sippy cup in the hallway. You ALWAYS walk with something in your hands. And then, subsequently, drop that something and pick up another toy.


2. You talk all the time! You say "aah puu" for apple, "caa" for car, "mamamama" and "dadada" all the time. "Duuug" for dog (Maggie), and more! You also know a few little sign laguage signs like "all done", "shake, shake, shake" and "arms up!" You love to mimic us (or anyone for that matter) and it's adorable.

3. S.n.u.g.g.l.e. big time! You are such a snuggler. You give "hugs on demand" to anyone who asks. You are totally content chillin' in Daddy or my arms always. It's the cutest thing, EVER!

4. The sippy cup CHUG. You love, and I mean LOVE your sippy cup. Whether it's water or milk, you chug, chug, chug. You make a {gasp} after every sip and do this cute little excited shake whenever you find one.


5. Cars. You absolutely love little hot wheels cars. It's a total fluke that we figured it out, since we found a random lost on in a cart while shopping at Target. You clutched onto that thing for dear life, we've added a few more into your collection (like 30!), and now you're totally addicted. You bang them together, walk around with them, and you even know how to drive them around while crawling! Yesterday, after you opened cars...you wanted nothing to do with any other toys or presents.

6. You love Maggie, and she loves you. Daily, you and Maggie chase each other around in circles, share toys, and even share food. You NEVER finish eating without tossing her a few bites. You let out the biggest giggle when you see her and do this little wiggle run to get over to her. When I get home, she wags her tail at me and looks for you!

7. Books, books, books! I should have put this first. You absolutely love books. You call them "gak, gak, gaks" and shout it out every time you see a book. You are totally content turning each page all by yourself for long stretches at a time. We read you 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?' at least five times a day. I hope this continues!
8. No more bottles...no more pacifiers! Good job big man :)

9. Sleeper! You sleep from 7-7 no questions asked :) We put you down wide awake and happy, and we don't hear from you until your chatting to yourself in your crib in the morning. You have always been such a good sleeper.

10. Eater! You eat everything in sight. And, you eat like a big boy. Yesterday we out to eat and a lady stopped and asked how old you were. She couldn't believe how good you would just pick up your food and eat it! You take forever to eat, though. You're perfectly happy sitting in your high chair grazing for half-an-hour at a time. You still like peas, except now you like a little salt on them. You totally mow down on butternut squash cubes with cinnamon, and your very favorite meal is a cheeseburger happy meal from McDonald's. We've quickly realized we can no longer share a meal with you -- you'll eat it all!

I love our adventures, Jack.

Keep growing big and strong.
Keep snuggling.
Keep reading.
Keep wowing us with your flirty little personality.

I love you, Jack...more than words can ever say.

Love,
Mommy

Happy FIRST Birthday, Jack!

We're celebrating 365 days of you, little man.

Last year on this day:

We rushed around the house making sure we had everything we could imagine needing for your arrival. We trudged through a snowy drive, I pushed for over two hours, and I snuggled you for the very first time in my arms. I'll never forget that day.

Your birthday.

Our room filled up with baby blue, family and friends, and most importantly you, Jackson Charles Krieger.

We figured out the hustle-and-bustle of having a newborn. From nursing to diapers, and bottles to sleepers, we were determined to be the best mom and dad around. We lost sleep, only to find happiness in the most precious of packages.

It's funny how a mom never forgets those little moments. Seems like just yesterday...


Today, on your first birthday:
We will now call you our "one-year-old". No more counting your age in months! No longer can we call you "baby Jack", although I'll always be fond of the days when we could...

We put away all of your bottles and pacifiers -- sippy cups and regular milk, here we come! You've gone from crawling to walking, and crying to talking...

Dear Jack,

I love being your Mommy. You've given us a life with more meaning than words can describe. When you snuggle, kiss, cry, or walk around I light up with pride. Your big brown eyes can light up the darkest of rooms, and your babbles make me laugh and smile. Keep being you, boogie dude, for that's the best present of all.

I look forward to the many birthdays and celebrations we'll share as a family together.

I'll never forget the day I became a mom. You're mom.

I love you to the moon and back...and even farther than that.

Love, Mom

"How amazing, you're already one... what a precious little person you've already become."

iPhone!

I am so addicted to my new phone!

Last week, Jack and I cruised down the aisles of Jordan Creek, while Daddy signed us up for new phones. We had a blast! We climbed through tunnels, snacked on a very messy M&M cookie, and played the 'don't walk over to that lady, she doesn't know who you are!' game about a hundred times. We also rented one o the little push around cars. Holy cow Jack loved it! He rested his arms and chilled!

Hours later I was the proud new owner of a cute, white, smart iPhone!

I typed in my iTunes account info, and in seconds all of my songs and info was already there! So amazing :)

In fact, I'm writing this post from it! Who knew Blogger had an app?

"Theres an app for that!"

I love you, new phone, and all the cute pictures you take of my three-days-shy of a one-year-old! :)

Three Tree Family!

I'll be the first to admit it... I'm obsessed with Christmas.

As soon as I flip the calendar to October, my brain starts racing towards Christmas trees, sparkling lights, and the smell of cinnamon Yankee candles filling the air.

Last year, we spend the holidays snuggling our newest addition to our family from the comfort of our little apartment. My focus was definitely NOT on Christmas decor. In fact, it probably was the only year I didn't add something to my collection of snowmen, Santas, and garland.

This year is the first Christmas in our new house. All kinds of nooks-and-crannies I've never decorated before. Score! I knew we'd do it up big this year...but I didn't realize we'd end up with three, count them, three trees. Whew!

The first tree...
A tall, skinny tree to accent our living room. It's tucked right in the corner of our living room, right next to the fireplace and window facing the backyard. Small, petite, and subtle.

Tree number two...
I wanted to start a family tradition of picking out a real Christmas tree to decorate. And, we have a big window in the front of our house that is screaming for a Christmas tree to be in front of it.

Off we went...to Howell Tree Farm in Cumming, Iowa. Rows and rows of perfect little Christmas pine trees. It was simple: pick a tree, take the tag, write your name on it, and they cut it down for you! It wasn't long before we found the one. A tall, fat, green pine tree soon to become our family Christmas tree...the very first real one we've ever had.

Oh, we ran into Santa, too!

It was a great little family adventure.

Until...

We got the tree home.

First, the tree stand holder was too small. Uh-oh. It was the BIGGEST tree stand at Menard's. I finally found a bigger tree stand...

...we untied the string holding the tree together...

...and...

IT WAS HUGE! Massive. Gigantic. Literally, the tree takes up half of our little den/office room. Oh man.

Two hours later, a vacuum bag filled, and thousands of dead pine needles picked up, we had our tree!

I'd like to call it big and beautiful :)

The third tree:
A cute little whimsical tree on my new table for the entryway. Simple and cute!


PS - As I type this blog, my little man is wandering all over our house with a shiny, gold, glittery ornament singing "la ba ba mama na la ba". I'm sure he's going to share my love for Christmas...and I think his babbling is his version of jingle bells? =)

Good People

The world really is filled with good people.

I am attempting to finish last-minute plans for our big project in science this week and next.

I should be writing my grad paper since I have conferences tomorrow night and it's due Wednesday.

What am I doing instead? Stalling. Blogging about good people. I don't know why, but I'm inspired.

Today, I was watching Ellen. A cute little family of four -- a son in high school and a special needs daughter; two teachers as parents. All kinds of things they could complain about -- but did they? No. They started up a pantry for kids who don't have dinner when they get home from school. They adopted a teenager who wouldn't have anywhere to go otherwise.

Adorable.

Absolutely, utterly, unexplanably adorable. Is that a word? I'm making it one.

I am now watching Hoarders. Clearly, I watch too much tv. This is definitely not the usual...

While moving out hundreds, count that thousands of boxes, one of the 1-800-got-junk guys that helps clean out houses broke this poor little lady's vase. She was so upset. They made her move on and forced her to keep cleaning through the tears. The got junk guy came back after leaving to surprise her with a new vase filled with dozens of flowers.

Again, adorable.

Thank goodness for our world filled with good people...

{My students joke about my positivity. Today, one student said "Mrs. Krieger, of course you'd say your glass is half full, but even if you had an empty glass, you'd probably say it's soon to have something in it!" He made my day.}

Do something good.

Inspire someone.

Be the next guest on Ellen's "do something nice for someone" segment.

Walking...

Everyone with kids told us "wait until he's walking"...and I thought how can it be any different? Oh, it's different alright!

Go, Jack, Go!

Here's to finding cupboard locking devices -- recommendations, anyone?!
Here's to Jack actually getting use out of his cute, stylish shoes.
Here's to less wear spots in Jack's baby Gap jeans.
Here's to more bruises on his little cheeks when he catches his fall on his face.
And, here's to our baby growing into a toddler more and more each day.

I love you, Jack, and all of our little adventures together!

Accomplished...

A walking 11-month-old.
Freshly cleaned carpets.

Sweatpants, movies, and wine with friends.
Sparkling windows cleaned inside and out.
Dinner and two pitchers of margaritas with friends.

This weekend was about feeling accomplished.

It's been a crazy busy couple of weeks, and this weekend I was hoping for some time to catch up on my supermom duties --- tasks that even the best Mr. Mom wouldn't think of, nonetheless accomplish. So, I scrubbed every. single. window. of our house on the inside and the outside -- making sure to get every ounce of dirt off. I finished every load of laundry. And, I shampooed the carpet. It was nice to have time to take care of some of these not-so-often done tasks.

Spur-of-the-moment plans filled our weekend with friends -- my ideal way to make plans. Last minute. If we plan it in advance, you better believe I'll find a way out of it :). Plan it last minute, and I'm there! I don't know why...and I know that's weird. But, it's me!

As I was running around our house dusting off air vents and vacuuming out bugs out of light fixtures, I glanced down and saw Jack walking around the living room! No Eric, no walker, and no Mommy holding his hands -- just an 11-month-old on a mini-mission. It was adorable. Crazy adorable.

Today it hit me -- we're parents. I glanced down while getting ready for the day and saw the wipes case I bought before Jack was even here. {The best $2 we spent on him, since we still use it today!} I realized that for almost a year I've been in charge of this little guy...he's all ours. We're parents. And, not new parents, but veteran parents with an almost-toddler walking around our house.

Isn't it crazy how much can change in a year?

I'm thankful for weekends of accomplishment.

I am loving watching my little walk around for the first time.

I am needing ideas for downsizing a not-so-much-needed diaper bag?!?!?!

I love our cozy, perfect house.

I love having my new camera to snap the cutest little pictures of Jack.

I'm glad it's almost Christmas...early, I know.

A one-sock, no pants, happy little Jack

Cupboards? Yes, please. And, I'll take out all of mom's stuff one by one.

Here he comes...

Hi-ya! Kung fu baby

There he goes!