Yay Afton!!!!

I cried again today, but for a completely different reason...when I picked Afton up after preschool this morning there was a note in her cubby that said "Caught "bee-ing" good!" It was a little certificate that said that Afton was being recognized for the best coloring and manners!! MY CHILD?!?!?! I knew she had mad coloring skills, but manners too? Who knew? She also got a sticker that said "Wow!" I was elated and couldn't stop the waterworks. I didn't blubber in front of everybody and make a fool out of myself, but there were some tears. It would seem as if the brain-washing worked! It probably doesn't hurt that she went to bed on time and her teacher is uber-patient! It was such an exciting moment so I took her out for an ice cream cone. I am so proud of our little girl, and I can't wait Joe to get home so that he can congratulate her, too! Super Nanny may be good, but she's got nothin' on me!!

PS - Don't buy packing tape at The Dollar Store...just a tip.

Not off to a great start.

So, I have been struggling with something for the last day or so, and to some it may seem like a small thing, but to me it feels like the weight of the world. Yesterday was Afton's first day back to preschool. She has been with me all summer in our Preschool Summer Camp program, and I wondered if the transition would be hard for her - turns out it was. Miss Candy (her teacher) sent a note home with Afton that said she needs to work on not screaming when she doesn't get her way, as well as hitting and throwing toys. Well - not exactly what every mom wants to hear on the very first day of school. I think it goes without saying that I cried. I want Afton to have friends, I want her to be a joy in the classroom. As a preschool teacher I can tell you that when parents tell us their child will be absent for a day or two, sometimes we do a little happy dance. I don't want Afton to be that child! I toyed with calling in Super Nanny (no, I'm not kidding - I downloaded the application yesterday). In all fairness to her teacher, Afton is a strong-willed child, she knows her own mind and she knows what she wants. These things will serve her well if channeled in the right direction. But she is also a happy little girl who is a social butterfly and just a joy to be around, except at school apparently. In her defense, Afton's life has been pretty crazy lately. Her home has been turned upside down because of all the packing; her daddy's been out of town on business a lot the past few weeks; we spent quite a bit of time at the Preschool Center this weekend trying to finish the renovations and she hasn't been to bed on time in probably 4 days. This does not make for a happy Afton. However, we have been working really hard at home for the last 24 hours explaining how big girls act (no hitting or screaming, we don't throw our toys - that kind of thing). We have been talking about it in the car, during dinner, when we say our prayers - I even came up with a "Big Girls Don't Hit" song and dance routine (American's Got Talent - look out!) Some might call it brainwashing...but hey, whatever works; right?! She is also going to bed 30 minutes early tonight to ensure that we don't have a cranky girl in the morning. Between that and my fervent prayers that I will have the inspiration I need to teach her the things she needs to know - including how to be a good friend, how to be a good listener, and how to express her feelings appropriately - I hope we will not have to resort to the Super Nanny. But I'm keeping the application on file, just in case.

Caution: This post contains pictures of half-naked babies at their cutest!

I must be the world's worst mommy. I've been slowly (very slowly) sorting through and organizing the tons of pictures and photo cds that we have, and I came across a cd of pictures that I had completely forgotten about! These were pictures taken at Portrait Innovations (I love them!!) in October of 2005 of Afton and her cousins from the Brunjes side. I've spent the last couple days scrapping some of them, and wanted to share them with you...

This is Will, Colby and Afton - aren't they adorable! I love half-naked babies!

Colby and Afton; this is one of my favorite pictures of the two of them.

And of course this is Afton.

I've got tons left to scrap! I'll be posting more pages as I get them done.

Afton's First Haircut

Well, we did it! After 3 years Afton got her first haircut! Joe's mom (MeMe Sharon) cut it for us. She took off 4 inches of Afton's baby hair, but we think she is just as adorable as ever! It's been cut for a couple months, but I just got around to scrapping it - here's the page...

Whaddya' think...pretty darn cute, huh?!

What a mess!!

Our apartment is such a disaster! I'm not talking "there are a few dishes that need to be done" or "the laundry needs to be folded"; I mean "the Health Department is going to come in and shut us down because we live in filth and squallor like a bunch of dirty pigs" dirty! We're in the middle of packing what we want to keep and purging what we don't (we had an entire Rubbermaid tote full of empty cd cases - no cds, just the cases?!) while still trying to do everyday cleaning, cooking, laundry, taking care of Afton, grocery shopping, working, our church callings, plus with the start of another preschool year I have a bunch of parent meetings and inservices I have to attend...have I mention that our house is dirty? It just makes me want to scream! Well, now that I got that off my chest...I recieved this in an email and it looked like fun - but it truly was a challenge, being that I am not a girl of few words (in case you hadn't noticed). So here are the rules: you have to answer each question completely with ONLY one word. No equivications or explanations...just one word. So here's mine...



1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your significant other? Chair
3. Your hair is...? Ugh
4. Your mother is...? Wonderful
5. Your father is...? Fantastic
6. What is your favorite thing? Nutella
7. Your dream last night was...? Bizarre
8. What is your favorite drink? Water
9. What is your dream/goal? Motherhood
10. What is your greatest fear? Failure
11. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Teacher
12. Where were you last night? Home
13. What you’re not? Socialite
14. Muffins or Cupcakes? Cupcakes
15. One of your wish list items? Vacation
16. Where did you grow up? Globally
17. What is the last thing you did? Bedtime
18. What are you wearing? PJ's
19. What's on your TV? Documentary
20. Your pets are...? Needy
21. Your computer is...? Full
22. Your life is...? Full
23. Your mood is...? Stressed
24. Are you missing someone? Nope
25. Your car is...? Dirty
26. Something you’re not wearing? Heels
27. Your favorite store is...? Walmart
28. Your summer is...? Over
29. The last time you laughed? Tonight
30. The last time you cried? Monday

Well, that's all for me - the dishes will not clean themselves! Neither will the laundry, or the bathrooms, or the living room......

A mouse, a man & their monkey

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Tag! You're it!

I've been tagged! Thanks to my sweet sister-in-law, Jill; you will get to know some great random tidbits about me. I have to list 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current collections or obsessions and 3 random or surprising facts, and then I have to tag 5 people (I don't even think I know 5 people with blogs - so that should be interesting). Well, without further ado...here goes:

Joys
1) My daughter and my husband, without a doubt!
2) My faith in and testimony of Jesus Christ. Although I am not great at sharing it with others, it is there, and I feel it so deeply.
3) Massage - they are too few and far between, but when I get that one hour to myself - it is pure bliss!

Fears
1) That I will not teach Afton everything she needs to know to be a strong, level-headed, brave young woman.
2) Cockroaches - waterbugs, palmetto bugs - whatever you call them...ugh! I am DEATHLY afraid of them! My stomach turns and my skin crawls at the mere thought of one!
3) I have a pathological fear of clowns. Even worse than with the roaches. There is something really creepy about a grown man putting on makeup and cramming into a Volkswagen Beetle with 5 other grown men in makeup and a poodle.

Goals
1) I desperately want more children!
2) To get back into the shape I was in during my twenties...that would probably be considered a "long term goal".
3) To scuba dive off the coast of Greece, the Turks & Caicos, and the Florida Keys.

Obsessions
1) Photography - My adorable husband bought me a sweet new camera for Christmas, and I can't seem to put it down! I tried reading the manuel, but it just confused me so I bought "Photography for Dummies" and that's right up my alley.
2) Digital Scrapbooking - Ask Joe - I'm truly addicted.
3) Nutella - yeah, it's that good!

Random or Surprising Facts
1) I was reading by the time I was 3 years old
2) I have two rows of eyelashes on top and bottom of each eye (yup - that's 4 rows of eyelashes per eye)
3) I desperately want to go skydiving, but Joe says there is no good reason to jump out of a perfectly safe airplane. Maybe for my birthday?

Okay - so if nothing else, I hope you were at least entertained.

Tag - you're it: Amber Brunjes, Laura Brunjes, Toni Walker, yep, that's pretty much the entire list of people that I know with blogs (other than Jill, but since she already tagged me that would be a bit redundant, wouldn't it?) I can't wait to read yours!

Good-bye Apartment Living!

We are putting the security deposit down on our new house this week...well, I guess technically it's not ours since we're renting - but you know what I mean. It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath with a laundry room, cathedral ceilings and a one car garage.It's in a really great neighborhood with a GREAT pool (very important), a large playground (also important) and a FANTASTIC backyard (the most important!). It has a 6 foot wood privacy fence, the lot is probably 1/2 acre and it's so beautifully landscaped with plants that are kid and dog friendly. It's amazing that the current owners (who happen to be members of our ward) picked all the same plants that I would have chosen - hydrangeas, black-eyed susans, cone flowers, lantana, hibiscus...I can't wait to see how many butterflies and hummingbirds we get! Afton and Wookie are going to love it! I'm already planning on getting Afton tons of outdoor toys for Christmas and her birthday . The owners are asking us to sign a one-year lease, and maybe renew with the option to buy if we're happy. Joe and I have been talking about it, and we can definitely see ourselves there for a while. It's in a part of town that is growing pretty rapidly - and although we'll only be a few minutes from everything, we won't be right in the thick of it. There is a soccer field and playground just a few minutes away, the church is a couple minutes up the road, and I think we'll be zoned for the new elementary school they'll start building next year. All in all, pretty good stuff. We move in Sept 1st, so I'll post some pictures then.