Wacky Olympics!

Wacky Olympics ~ Romig Middle School ~ 2014

You read correctly - Wacky Olympics.  I had no idea what I was in store for as this is my first year at Romig, but what an amazing even to kick off the winter break.  We had an abbreviated schedule and then the last hour and half was Wacky Olympics.

The gym is packed with 7th and 8th graders all dressed in their team colors.  Each team assigned students to compete in a variety of events.  The teachers even competed too!

This was one of my favorite events as students tried to get the soccer ball into their goal.

Our team of teachers trying to beat out the 8th graders in the turbo ski race.

My favorite event for the afternoon... Yummy Gummy

Yep - that's me and my sped department chair as the teacher team. We had to shove our face in a plate of whip cream and get the gummy bears out using only our mouths.  It was hilarious!  I still had whip cream in my nose when I got home.  We took first in this event! 

The gym was so loud - but in such a positive way.  Even the most challenging students where smiling and having a good time.  I'm so blessed to be a staff member at this school and what a great way to kick off our Winter Break!

Our winter break includes a visit from Grandma Julie! Grandpa had to stay home to take care of the cows, but Grandma flies in tomorrow and will spend a little over a week with us.  We are so excited! We are also dog sitting for a friend - it's so wonderful to have a four legged member in the house again. 

This sweet girl, Penny, sits on the stairs each night listening for the kids to fall asleep. She's such a sweet girl.

Merry Christmas from the Jacobsen's!
We wish you all a wonderful break and time with family and friends.

 (Maybe sneak a nap or two in too!)

Let the count down begin

4 more days of teaching students

1 teacher grading day

9 more sleeps and Grandma Julie will be here

12 more days until Christmas morning!

It's a busy time of year in the Jacobsen household.  Between Papa coaching wrestling and Momma trying to get all of her required paperwork completed for the end of the quarter - there hasn't been much time for photography.  We do have two very excited little monkeys that are counting down the days until Christmas!   They have leaving all the lights off except for the Christmas lights.  I love seeing the awe in their faces.  Such a special time for us all. 

Wishing you all a restful and productive weekend - if that is even possible?!? :o)

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving

Happy Belated Thanksgiving from two silly turkeys!

Yes, the darkness and lack of snow has our little turkeys being quiet silly these days.  We had a serious case of the giggles one night.  Sister just sat in this position laughing for no reason at all. It was infectious and before we knew it, we were all having deep belly laughs.   

Maybe Sister was just happy that we were going to be taking a trip soon.  Yes, we drove after work on Wednesday up to Fairbanks to spend Thanksgiving with Grammy and Pope.  The roads were dry and the kids traveled well, which was such a blessing because I was very ill.  I came down with laryngitis Tuesday afternoon, spent Wednesday writing on the SmartBoard so my students knew what to do for the day, and by Wednesday night the fever/chills set in as we drove north.  I spent the whole break being sick, however I was so thankful we made the trip so that Papa had some help with the kids.  Grammy and Pope were so kind to allow me to just rest and helped Papa entertain the kids.

While I was resting, a good friend recommend this book to me. WOW! I read the book in a day and half - I couldn't put it down. What an amazing book.  The story is told from the perspective of the family dog. I laughed, I cried, I highlighted some amazing quotes to live by and I can't stop recommending it to others.  It is available in digital copy if you prefer that version too!

By the end of the trip, I felt a little better and did venture out with the family for a night of bowling.  I sat and watched as I didn't have much energy but it was great to see how excited the kids were.  Sister is doing her dance after her turn.

 

Here's Brother doing his dance.  Even the other people bowling were entertained by the kids' enthusiasm.  Which was a wonderful way to come back home and get into the Christmas spirit.  We came home to some snow on the ground - hurray! It finally feels like winter around here and now time to get ready for Christmas.

We put our tree up after school this week. The kids had so much fun and yes most of the ornaments are about 3 feet high and in the front of the tree.  

I love it!

Sister asked if she could put the angel on this year. 

But, first she had to tell the angel that she loved her.

 So precious...

We were so thankful to spend Thanksgiving with Grammy and Pope and now this weekend a dear friend from Cordova is here to visit and in two weeks Grandma Julie is flying up to visit us! We are so excited and so thankful to be surrounded by family and friends (old and new) this holiday season.

 

Black and White Photo Challenge

A dear friend of mine challenged me to the five day black and white photo challenge on Instagram. I enjoyed thinking about what I would post each day and thought I would share here too.

My first picture (above) was titled, "Siblings At Play". Sister dressed in her Elsa costume and Brother using the reclined chair as a cave - their imaginations never cease to amaze me.

Day Two ~ "Remembering Grandma" and "Family Treasures"

I loved how the contrast in the teacups and plates showed up in this picture.  Sister asked to color a picture for Great Grandma the other day and I teared up trying to explain to her that she was in heaven now.  Sister connected the death with the loss of our two dogs, Koda and Bailey.  Then she said, "I know - I can send my picture in the mail by praying."  Yes, Sister - you can.  I love this little girl's heart!

Day Three ~ "My Morning Routine" and "Resetting My Heart and Mind Daily"

I make it a point each morning, to wake before anyone else is up and have some quiet time. I read my devotionals, scripture and then write in my prayer journal.  The peace during this time is a perfect way to set my day - especially with teaching 7th and 8th graders and then coming home to a 4 and 2 year old.  Life is busy right now and if I don't take time to take care of myself, I'm no good to anyone else in my family.

Day Four ~ "Dinner Can Wait" and "Siblings Reading"

I went to use the restroom and came back to find the kids laying in the kitchen 'discussing' a book together. They were finding the matches and talking about what letters they saw. While I miss the infant stage at times, I sure am loving this toddler/preschool age and watching them learn something new each and every day.

Day Five ~ "Because Some Days Just Need to End this Way" 

Oh yes, a challenging meeting at work that left me emotionally drained, picked up kiddos to find out that they didn't have a very good day, Papa was going to be late because he was stuck in traffic, Brother decided to sit and scream at the bottom of the stairs for an hour because I asked him to put his coat away... need I say more - it was a beer and popcorn kind of night! 

It's been fun thinking about my world in black and white this week. 

We hope you all are doing well - love and miss you all!

Painted Sky

Oh my how the skies were amazing this week. This sunrise view is from my classroom. It was so amazing that we turned the lights off in the class and just admired the view.  Yes, we may not have completed our math lesson, but I'm hoping I shared a lesson in appreciating mother nature and created a moment to just stop and take in the view.  I did notice the next day - several of the students had the picture of the sunrise as their wallpaper on their devices.  

This week was a bit crazy with Papa preparing to be gone for his first wrestling meet as a coach and some unexpected doctor appointments for me.  We are happy to say that everything is good and we are so thankful for good health and for the opportunity for Papa to get back into coaching.  I didn't realize how much he missed coaching and how truly happy he is being involved that way.

Even though we had a busy week - we did make time to do some baking.  We had some bananas at the perfect time for making some bread! 

I love that both the kids are at an age were they can help with baking. Before, we would wait until Brother was napping so that Sister and I could bake.  It's a bit crazy and Papa thinks I'm nuts to try and cook with them, but I love it.  Our bread turned out delicious!!

Another beautiful sunrise - our sunsets have been amazing also, but I've been driving home - and well, just not safe to try and snap a photo while driving.  By the time I got home, the sunset was over.  If only I could download the images from my mind.  We Alaskans are patiently waiting for the snow to fly and I love how Mother Nature is painting our skies while we wait for some snow. 

Our Sister is becoming a little girl

Okay - this obviously isn't Sister, but I just had to post Brother's recent injury - the day after he ran into the TV stand and gave himself the goose egg and scrape on his forehead, he smacked himself in the eye with a toy giving himself a black eye.  I tell you - it must seem that I don't pay attention to my child - when really I pay extra close attention to him because he really has no fear.  Ugh... I'm sure there will be many more injuries in the future...

On to our little girl...

This week I've just been in awe of her.  She is suddenly a little girl and no longer a toddler.  My heart is a little sad, because she's growing up too fast, but I'm also excited to see the person she will become.

She's really into drawing and trying to write the word for her drawing.  No help here- she drew a polar bear and wrote the word zoo by herself.  (Yes, non-Alaska folks - we have polar bears at the zoo!)  You can frequently hear her making letter sounds as she attempts to write the word.

She also enjoys reading to her brother.  We've been encouraging her that even if she doesn't know the words, she can use the pictures to tell the story.  Brother loves when Sister will read to him.

She's not all academic - and definitely enjoys play time.  Such an imagination these days...

She was so proud of how she decorated her house. 

 Of course dressing up is one of her favorite things to do. Here she is using her Mr.  Potato Head 's microphone to sing a made up song.

She certainly growing up too fast!  And not to mention physically tall too - I was amazed that a counter that she once couldn't see on top of she now just needs her tippy-toes to see what she wants.  

Love this little girl to pieces!!

Sister really enjoys pink things since Papa rarely allows pink - so when she saw the pink clouds this morning on our way to the grocery store, she said, "Mom- YOU HAVE TO take a picture of those beautiful clouds!"  I couldn't agree more...

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween 2014

The kids are at such a fun age right now when it comes to pumpkin carving.

Last year Brother wouldn't even touch his pumpkin 'guts' - this year

  he was all about it - once he saw Grammy do it!

Papa and I were pretty proud of how the pumpkins turned out...

And for the costumes this year...

We had Elsa of course!

And A Triceratops 

 No actual Trick-or-Treating for us this year.  Brother came down with a nasty cold so we decided to stay in.  The kids have just as much fun handing out the candy anyways- plus that means less candy in the house for us! 

The kids love to wait quietly by the door so they can hear when Trick-or-Treaters walk up to the door. They were content for over an hour to play in this little area and hand out the candy when the people came. 

Notice Brother is not in costume - since he wasn't feeling very well, he didn't want to wear his.  Glad I took pictures earlier this week!  I was anticipating a busy day of work Friday and kids tired from their party at daycare, so we did our pictures earlier. Anyways... Brother decided he wanted a second costume this year and gave himself this...

Poor kid- ran straight into the solid wood TV/Entertainment center that Papa built.  Ouch! 

Hoping the little guy can rest tonight and feel better from both his goose egg and the cold (which causes asthmatic symptoms- no fun).  

Sister- she's just so beyond happy to be able to dress up like a Elsa, stomp her foot on the ground as she pretends to build her ice castle! 

 

 Happy Halloween 2014 ~ 

We love and miss you all!!

 

October Fun at the Reindeer Farm

It's been a crazy two weeks in the Jacobsen household with the end of the 1st quarter last week and then student-led conferences this week.  With such a busy couple of weeks, I realized I never posted the pictures from our fun day last weekend.   I had to work several late nights to get all of my requirements done for the end of the 1st quarter, so I took the kids on Saturday to the Reindeer Farm to give Papa some time to watch football without any interruptions!

The Reindeer Farm is located just North of us - about a 30 minute drive to Palmer.  For the month of October, they have tractor rides, hay maze, horse rides, pumpkin patch and other fun activities.  We had a blast!!  Above- the kids were running on top of some smaller hay bales. 

Probably the favorite activity of the day was riding a horse.

We truly had a wonderful day playing at the Reindeer Farm.

Friendships

As the snow makes it way down the mountains (not in our yards, yet), we are thankful for friendship.  We've been in Eagle River now for a year and are developing friendships with our neighbors, church friends and through school.    I especially enjoy seeing my children develop friendships.  While Sister still asks about her friends from Cordova (When can I see Briggy-Boo or Ms. Ammella again?) or when we can move back to our red house - I love seeing her enjoying her new friends.

We were invited to a birthday party for one of Sister's friends from daycare.  

We had a lot of fun playing at the Alaska Fitness Center - what a great idea to rent out the play room for the party.

We also had fun watching our friend open up his presence.  Brother figured if he couldn't open them, he was going to go play instead.

 

We really had a great time and it feels good to have "local" friendships in our lives. 

Brother was all party out when we got home - just wanted to lay on the floor in the blanket. He never fell asleep, but for him to lay that still for so long - we knew he was tired!

We also enjoyed our weekend by getting outside for a beautiful fall/winter afternoon walk.  The kids shook the fireweed and it looked like it was snowing in the air.  This picture doesn't do how magical it looked on our walk - so much fun to be had with the simple things in life.

Between the party and fresh air, the kids were ready for a much needed nap on Sunday - I just love how they showed us they were ready for quiet time...

This weekend is kicking off with the theme of friendships as well.  From dinner with friends from Cordova to dinner with new 'local' friends.   We hope you make time this weekend to spend time in your friendships - both near and distant!

We love and miss you all!!