Jennifer Woodbury

2012 Photos | Week 20 | May 13-20

Mother's Day.

It took me a few days of living in allergy hell before I realized, "Oh yeah, there's a pill for that." I'm not sure why, but I hardly ever take medication when I am sick, so it's not really surprising that it took me so long to consider allergy meds. But once I realized they were out there, I couldn't get to the drugstore fast enough. And it just figured that the lady in front of me in line at the pharmacy had decided it would be a good idea to purchase the equivalent of a week's worth of groceries along with her prescription. It took all of my willpower not to claw my way in front of her, jump over the counter, and take off running with the Zyrtec.

For when a face to face apology seems too daunting.

May showers bring June flowers? Claire is prepared for the rainy weather.

Well, it's been almost five and a half years, but I finally got a new camera this week (the Canon 5D Mark III). I was ready for an upgrade last year, but was waiting for Canon to release its Mark II upgrade, which didn't happen until this March of this year. Then I debated switching to the new Nikon D800, but in the end I decided to stay loyal to Canon. Of course by the time I made my decision, the Mark III was backordered for weeks. But on Tuesday my new baby finally made its way into my hands.

Afternoon reading.

"Mom, I'm going to sign my name so you know who the artist is. Because when you're a grandma, you'll forget."

Saturday was Matt's self-proclaimed "worst day of the year": the day he has to put in the window A/C units. This is the third year in a row he has declared it's the last year he'll have to perform this dreaded task. Hopefully the third time's the charm. His #1 priority when we eventually buy a new house? Central air. Exhibit A is this e-mail exchange between Matt, his sister Ashley, and her husband Anthony, who are moving to our area this summer. Matt forwarded them a real estate listing he thought they would be interested in:

Matt: Nice neighborhood, central air, and 4 bedrooms. Need I say more.

Anthony: Ashley and I considered this one, but it has one critical flaw that I am not sure I can live with. The front door is not centered on the front porch. Looks like they made a mistake building it. We'd have to either move the door 1 foot to the left, or leave the door and move the house right.

Matt: That's funny; I could see that bothering me too. Right up until I opened the door and cool central air smacked me in the face.

Ashley: I seem to be sensing a trend in your e-mails, Matt. Let me see if I get this straight: you would like central air?

Of course, swinging and eating frozen yogurt with Lucy makes everything better.

I Know You

A few weeks ago, Ella was sitting at the dining room table coloring in the Cars coloring book that my mom had sent her for Easter when she asked, "How does Grandma know I like cars?"

"Grandma knows you, and she knows what you like," I replied.

"Well, Miss N doesn't know I like cars. She thinks Jason is the car expert. And one of my friends said that all girls are supposed to like princesses. Don't people know that girls can like other things too?"

My heart broke a little when she said this. And I became frustrated. Because I realized in that moment that no matter how hard I encourage Ella to be herself, the world will still try to fit her into a neat little box.

So as Ella embarks on being seven years old and on the cusp of second grade, I feel like I need to let her know a few things.

Ella,

The world might not always understand you.

It will surely misjudge you at one point or another.

But I know you. I know that you like cars and karate. I know that your favorite color is orange. I know that you love school, but not more than you love riding the bus to get there. I know that you will not wear a dress or a skirt unless you absolutely have to. I know you love your little sisters with all your heart (you even asked once if you could adopt Lucy from me when you grow up). I know you try to be a friend to everyone. I know you have the best laugh in the whole world. I know you are always full of energy and life.

I also know that this list of things might all change tomorrow. Your favorite color might become green, you might decide riding the bus is no longer cool, and there will inevitably be a point in time where I stop knowing everything about you. But no matter how much all of that changes, there are some things that never will. You will always be my amazing, unique, spirited, lovely daughter. And you, my girl, can never be boxed up.

XOXO,
Mom

An interview with Ella at age 7:

My favorite food is: corn on the cob.
The toy I love to play with most is: cars.
Something that makes me scared is: the dark.
My best subject in school is: gym.
The thing I do the most awesomely is: homework.
If I could go anywhere in the world, I’d go to: Disneyland.
My favorite color is: orange (and blue).
When I grow up, I’m going to become a: teacher.
My favorite thing to do on the weekend is: eat lunch and dinner with my family.
My current favorite movie is: all the Toy Story movies, Annie, and Cars.
Three words that describe me are: silly, creative, and smart.
When I was little, I used to: play cars.
My favorite season of the year is: spring, because my birthday is in spring.
The snack I could live on is: goldfish and gummy fruit snacks.
The food that makes me want to puke is: broccoli.
My best friend is: Payson and everybody in my class.
If I had one wish it would be: that my birthday could be every day.
My best memory is: when we went to Disneyworld with my cousins.
My favorite fruit is: apples and mangoes.
My favorite thing to eat for lunch is: bagel or Bosco sticks (hot lunch at school).
My favorite outfit is: my orange Seaside t-shirt and cargo pants.
My favorite animal is: a monkey.
My favorite song is: Dyno-mite (Dynamite by Taio Cruz).
My favorite books are: Henry Huggins, Winnie the Pooh, and the Ramona books.
My favorite cereal is: Cheerios.
My favorite holiday is: Christmas.
The things I like to take to bed with me at night are: Boy Doll and my monkeys.

2012 Photos | Week 19 | May 6-12

Claire creates her own art gallery.

Ella relaxes in the bathtub.

On Thursday afternoon Claire had a dress rehearsal for her ballet recital, and there was no way Lucy was going to leave the house without wearing a Cinderella dress too. When she saw Claire's costume, she started crying and demanding a "Cin-rella dess" of her own. At the rehearsal itself, Lucy was absolutely mesmerized by the dancers on stage. I think somebody is ready for a ballet class of her own.

Claire before her recital on Saturday.

I was so stressed about getting this bun into Claire's hair. It took forever (thankfully Claire is amazingly patient) but I think it actually turned out okay. Never mind the fact that it started falling out halfway through her performance... I guess I'll start practicing now for next year.

Waiting for the show to start.

Claire was so excited to perform - she told me she loved being on stage - and she did an amazing job. Ella even leaned over to me during her performance and said, "Wow, Claire is actually really good!"

A bit of real life to end the week. Ella woke up sick Saturday night (I can't even remember the last time that happened). After I threw her sheets in the wash, this is what she had to sleep on for the rest of the night: a beach towel and her sleeping bag, with a bowl tucked into the corner of her bed just in case. Of course in true Ella fashion she was as good as new by morning, full of energy and annoyed that I wouldn't let her eat whatever she wanted. I'm just glad it was short-lived and didn't get passed on to anybody else!

Project Life: Making the Most of your Space

One of the things I am liking most about my approach to Project Life this year as opposed to last is that by pre-planning my pages, I am able to fit a lot more into my layouts. Last year I just printed out all my photos as 4x6s and found a way to fit them all in. Oftentimes that meant adding in a lot of extra inserts. There was nothing wrong with that - it was what I had time to do last year and I'm just happy to have those photos in an album - but because of this my albums from last year are probably bulkier than they need to be, and I also don't feel like my stories were necessarily told in the most cohesive or organized way.

This year I am taking a few extra minutes to plan out my layouts ahead of time using a template similar to this one that I created for myself, and I am really loving using multiple photos in one 4x6 slot, or even fitting a picture + some journaling in a smaller 3x4 slot.

Here is my Project Life for Week 11. This was the week we had Claire's little birthday parry at home. Since I did end up with so many pictures from that event, I included an extra insert for this week using an American Crafts page protector.

Here you can see how I used one of Cathy Zielske's Tiny Templates (I absolutely love these) to fit two photos + journaling in one 4x6 slot in my insert:

The back of the insert + the right side of my layout:

In the bottom right slot, I fit four photos in a series (Claire blowing out candles and eating cake) onto one 4x6 print using a free(!) photo template from Paislee Press.

I also used three of my 3x4 slots to include both photos and journaling. Sometimes (as seen on the left and right), I just print out small photos and attach them right onto a journaling card. Other times (as seen in the middle), I use a Tiny Template.

Here is my Project Life for Week 12. This was the week of Claire's actual birthday. I included a 6x12 insert (I talk more about those here) to incorporate this blog post I wrote about Claire turning 4.

The back of the insert + the right side of my layout:

You can see in the top left that I used another Paislee Press 4x6 photo template. I especially love this one... something about the white space on the top and bottom really appeals to me.

The latest product I'm excited to try out in my Project Life album to fit more photos in a small space? These new Layered Photo Sets. Do you have any great tips for making the most of your space in Project Life? I'd love to hear them!

Products used:

InLinkz.com

2012 Photos | Week 18 | Apr 29-May 5

I ran my first race this week. It was a 5K/10K and I had originally signed up for the 10K, but I hurt my hamstring a few weeks ago and it has been very slow to heal. I wasn't going to run at all, but I started physical therapy and my leg was beginning to feel better so I decided to run but switched to the 5K. My leg felt great for the entire race but hurt worse than ever the next day. Back to the physical therapist I go...

My favorite part of the race was having my very own cheering section. Seriously, these kids are the best. They almost made me cry on the race course.

Fun in the backyard.

Mama Robin finished building her nest and laid some eggs. She dutifully sat like this in her nest day and night all week long. I got quite attached to her, checking on her every time I passed a window and saying hello whenever I got into or out of my car. She must have gotten used to me because she didn't even mind when I opened up the girls' bedroom window, lowered the screen, and hung my head and giant camera out the window in order to take this picture of her. As I mentioned last week, things did not end well, but I still see her and Papa Bird hanging out in the backyard so I am hopeful that they are rebuilding somewhere nearby.

Claire received this pink crown and wand at a birthday party on Friday, and as you can imagine she wore it religiously all weekend long. Matt called her "Princess Ceebs" at one point (Ceebs is one of his nicknames for her; it's short for C.B. aka Claire Bear) and Claire decided that everybody should be required to call her by that name. I almost died when she came downstairs to wake us up early Saturday morning already decked out in her royal attire.

We had some house guests this week in the form of Matt's sister Ashley, her husband Anthony, and their new baby girl Lily. They were here from London looking for a house (we are so excited that they will be moving here this summer!). We loved seeing Ashley and Anthony, but of course Lily was the main attraction. Ella especially loves babies and she just couldn't get enough of her newest cousin. After they left, Ella saw this picture on my computer screen and shouted, "LILY! I wish I could feel her head right now." She really has a bit of an obsession with petting babies on the head (Exhibit B: Ella petting Lily's big brother Will - then only 10 months old - on the head back in 2010).

Lucy isn't really a baby anymore - she'll be 2 at the end of the month! - but Ella still pets her on the head as well. I have to admit that I do it too. I just can't get enough of those blonde curls.

I may have given in to modern technology this year and sent out only an Evite for Ella's birthday party (after I swore I wouldn't last year), but thank you notes are still done the old-fashioned way. I had these thank you cards printed at Shutterfly with a picture of everyone at the party on the front. We hand delivered these along with each party guest's finished pottery piece a week after the party.

2012 Photos | Week 17 | Apr 22-28

Back to regular life this week, with one tame (compared to last year) birthday party to cap it off.

It was so fun to watch this robin building her nest literally right outside the window in Ella and Claire's room. Although it's a little depressing writing about it now after finding a smashed egg on the ground yesterday (almost two weeks later) and no Mama Bird in sight.

Lucy is not quite the clingy mama's girl she was as a baby, but she still insists on being held often... especially around dinner time. I have learned to do many things one handed. She reminds me of a baby koala bear clinging to a tree trunk the way she holds on to me (I can't even attempt to put her down).

Claire's favorite lunch: a cheese sandwich cut into tiny hearts.

Ella celebrated her birthday in school on Friday and she had a very specific request for the treat she wanted brought in to her class: red and blue Italian Ice. I was so relieved to find these at the grocery store.

She also had a very specific cupcake request for her party on Saturday: chocolate with orange and blue frosting. When she saw these she said, "Well, I didn't ask for sprinkles but I guess it still looks good that way." Phew.

Party favors.

Ella had her party at our local paint-your-own pottery studio. I almost convinced her to skip having a birthday party this year (I am still recovering from last year's bowling party... and heaven help me because Claire has already decided that she wants a Hello Kitty Princess Bowling Party - with rainbow cupcakes - for her 5th birthday next year), but this girl couldn't pass up an opportunity to be the center of attention... or to get all those gifts. We compromised on an all girl party just to make the size more manageable. It turned out to be a great party. The girls all seemed to love it and I told Matt and I could throw a birthday party like this every day of the week.

2012 Photos | Week 16 | Apr 15-21

This week was all about vacation, with Ella's 7th birthday thrown in the mix as well.

The kids never quite adjusted to Central time, so they were up extra early every morning. Claire loved all the sundresses I packed for her and so she would waltz into our room every morning at 6am fully dressed, even though she would inevitably just be changing into a swimsuit a few hours later. We started calling them her "morning dresses."

One day at the beach we caught a bunch of these tiny clams.

The best time to find them would be right as the water receded... you could see them trying to dig themselves back under the sand.

Ella and Claire observe the clams in the little habitat they created for them. Ella was disappointed that we couldn't bring them home with us to keep as pets.

Ella is very adventurous at the beach. She loves getting in the ocean as far as she can go and riding the waves. She spent a lot of time with Matt in the water.

Claire kept busy at the beach, but didn't really like to get very close to the water. That's why she was always absolutely covered in sand by the end of the day.

Claire spent a lot of time making various sand pastries, like this cake.

Due to her continued sand phobia, Lucy spent most of her beach time sitting in a chair and eating snacks. The first thing she said every day when we got to the beach was: "Want sit down. Want snacky!"

She did have a few brave moments when she ventured out onto the sand, with her shoes on of course.

Lunch break.

Sandcastles.

In the afternoons, we headed to the pool. Lucy insisted on carrying this thing with her to the pool every single day, but never actually used it. By the end of the trip it was completely mangled and deflated from being dragged on the cement.

Matt and Lucy took turns blowing bubbles in the pool.

A little bubble blowing video. My favorite part is when Lucy pats Matt on the head and says "Good job Daddy!" You can also hear Ella giving Claire a swimming lesson in the background.

We didn't see many seashells at the beach except on the last day when it seemed like they all decided to wash up on shore at the same time. Matt, Ella and I had a great time seashell hunting...

... while Claire was in charge of carefully cleaning and organizing them.

I also managed to catch this crab on our last beach day. He was not pleased at all about being trapped in here. I let him go after just a few minutes when I was pretty sure he was going to jump right out of the bucket and claw my eyes out. The sea star that a fellow beachgoer found and gave to my girls was more our style.

A great way to end our final day at the beach.

Of course, our vacation would not have been complete for Ella without a trip to the go karts.

And here is the girls' favorite vacation restaurant. Apparently, they make the best spaghetti with butter around.

An evening walk on the beach... Lucy has to be carried the entire time.

Some family shots on our last night.

The day we flew home also happened to be Ella's birthday. The same thing happened last year and I was starting to feel a little bad that her birthday was being overshadowed by traveling for a second year in a row (even though she did have a birthday party planned for the following weekend), so I did my best to still make her day special. The night before, Matt and I blew up a bunch of balloons and put them in her room to surprise her when she woke up.

We also got birthday doughnuts from our favorite local bakery, The Donut Hole. We sang Happy Birthday (adding "cha cha chicken" after each line, as requested by the birthday girl) before she blew out her "7" candle. Then to top it off, we stopped off for one last go kart ride on our way to the airport. We got there right as the place was opening and we had the entire track to ourselves.

Then we got on a plane and reluctantly headed home (I was truly not ready to leave). Matt and I were really nervous about flying with Lucy after our experience flying to and from Disney last September. Matt will freely tell you that it was one of the most stressful experiences of his life - Lucy can put the fear of God into you when she decides to scream. But I have to give Lucy credit; she was a great little traveler this time around. Maybe we will attempt that West Coast trip this summer after all.

2012 Photos | Week 15 | Apr 8-14

This week started with Easter and ended with the start of our spring break trip to Florida.

For the third year in a row, we spent Easter with Matt's brother and his family in New Jersey.The Easter Bunny didn't deliver the baskets first thing in the morning since he (she?) knew the kids, ranging in age from 1 to 13, wouldn't all wake up at the same time, but he did leave a note. When everyone was awake the girls - all seven of them - went down to the basement to try to encourage the bunny to return more quickly with the baskets. While they were down there they worked hard on creating an Easter cheer. Their efforts paid off and the Easter Bunny did in fact return with baskets full of goodies.

Next it was time to head to the backyard to hunt for eggs.

After Easter the focus turned to preparations for spring break.

Packing for four people takes a great deal of planning and organization. Thankfully Matt knows how to fend for himself in that department.

Saturday was our first day at the beach.

I think this was the only time during our trip that Lucy voluntarily sat on the bare sand. It looks like she is playing in the sand but she actually never touched the sand with her hands; she is splashing in a giant bucket of ocean water here.

She asked Matt to stand at the ocean's edge while holding her, then promptly fell fast asleep.

A late lunch break back at the condo before heading down to the pool.

Claire and I during dinner in Seaside.

For better or worse, plenty more vacation photos are coming up in week 16...

Sunburns, Shaved Ice, and Other Vacation Mishaps

We couldn't totally escape real life on our spring break vacation last week.

There was that first day, after we had already spent four carefree hours at the beach, when Matt mentioned that my back looked a little red and then asked "Wait, did I ever put sunscreen on your back this morning?" Um, that would be a no. Too bad I don't have a picture of my face when that realization sunk in. I'm sure it would have been priceless. If you talk to Ella, she'll be happy to tell you all about Matt putting cool paper towels on my back that night as penance.

There was the one morning when it rained.

On the last night, after we had promised Ella a special shaved ice treat after dinner (it was her birthday the next day), it turned out the shaved ice place was closed. You better believe there were tears. It didn't help that Matt and I had talked this place up to her all. day. long.

My stomach didn't enjoy eating out every day quite as much as I did.

Oh, and it turns out Lucy still hates sand.

No, those moments weren't perfect, but all the moments in between came pretty close.

There were lazy mornings spent playing card games (Old Maid was the family favorite) until it was time to head to the beach.

I was able to finish reading two great books in one week.

The hardest decision we had to make every day was where to eat dinner. Pizza Bar won out most nights because the girls loved their pasta with butter and cheese. (Apparently one of the charms of vacation is paying eight dollars for something I can make at home for one.)

We built sandcastles, hunted for seashells, caught a crab (and let it go), and spotted dolphins out at sea. Lucy even ventured out into the sand a time or two (with shoes on), and let the ocean waves lull her to sleep four out of five days.

At the pool, Matt and Lucy took turns blowing bubbles while Ella played "swimming teacher" with Claire.

And it turns out that homemade birthday cake ice cream on a cone from Blue Mountain Beach Creamery can make you forget all about shaved ice.

Project Life: Giveaway Winner

I wish I was Oprah so I could surprise all 1,034 of you with a Project Life kit, but unfortunately I'm not. The randomly selected winner of the giveaway is:

Congratulations Sandra! I'll be in touch to let you know how to claim your prize. Thanks to Becky Higgins for sponsoring this giveaway!