Just wanted to share a couple of photos from today.

If you’ve been following my blog, you would know that I LOVE spirit week at school!

Mr. Fredricksen in da house!  I thought it was brilliant … and the kids loved it!  My kids were blown away. One boy said, “Ms. Nguyen, you are the weirdest [with a whole lot of emphasis] and most passionate science teacher I’ve ever met.  I mean that in a good way.”

Showed up at my boy’s school with walker + balloons and revved up 16+ two year olds.  They were a riot — and my boy loved it all.

Rough week.  Jim and Samuel were sick and then I got what they got — we seem to be passing the germs back and forth around here.  Can’t wait for us all to get better.

Love Ali’s idea of documenting a day in the life each month. Decided not to spend any more money on templates and such until I master the art of using templates. I dug up an old template purchased sometime last year for Week in the Life and tweaked it to make it work here.

Love the 8.5×11 size for documenting Week in the Life so I stuck with it here (left side).  Less to think about — and with being sick, I wanted to do what was easy.

The 6×12 insert was a last minute decision.  Learned some good tips for taking iPhone photos via Grumbles and Grunts so I wanted to include some of the images captured.

We are a Lego lovin’ family.  Every two weeks, we break down our construction, reorganize and rebuild. It’s a family affair.

Prepping lunch.  Having a quick breakfast with my boy.

Coffee.

Jim gets Samuel ready while I prep lunch and get ready for the day.

Family brushing session.

The drive to school.

Dropped him off in the Beginners (2 year old+) classroom.  On the way there, he insisted that he’s a big boy … until it was time for us to go.  Then he said, “no big boy.”   We ended up leaving him in the infant room with all the babies.

Restroom stop before heading off to my classroom.  The restroom in my building is always locked!

Getting ready to start the day.

Buried under piles and piles of papers.  Help, please.

Lunch with my math peeps.

Grading.  Grading.  And more grading.

Once papers are graded, I punch holes and stick them in the out box.  Next week, papers will be returned and students will be given their current grade.

Sixth period.  24 students.  My smallest class.  They are a nice bunch.  Very eager to learn.

Picking up my boy.  I say, “great tower, Samuel.”  He says, “no mama, castle.”  He corrects me all the time.

“Bunny, mama?”

“Muffin man.”  One of his favorite songs right now.

Enjoying the sunshine and a little water color painting.  He heard an airplane and pointed it out to me.  “Airplane, mama!” 

And some bubbles.

Too tired to cook.  Olive Garden it is.

A quick stop at Costo.  He only sits in the cart if we push him fast.  Shopping is really challenging these days.

Jim does the night-time routine.  And yes, he’s still in the infant tub. 

Overdosing on vitamin C.

He is picky about which books he wants read.  Tonight, we read Go, Dogs, Go!, The Bears’ Picnic and The Bears’ Vacation.

Hot showers are my favorite way to end the day.

Hello Monday.

I am at home today.  I have been sick all weekend — lost my voice and coughing a ton.  The boys had it last week/weekend so I guess it is now my turn.  I hate it.

I was up early this morning for some snuggle time with the little one. Today, he will begin the transition from the Toddler classroom to the Beginners classroom. He is extremely excited to be with his buddies again. I can’t wait to hear the report from his teachers.

I returned to bed and did not see day light until a little sometime after nine.

I must admit — it is wonderful to be home alone.  I paused momentarily this morning when I woke up to soak in the morning light.  I savored the peace and quiet.  I looked out into our kitchen and saw the sea of clutter on our counter top and it did not bother me.  It usually does — but this morning, I felt something different.  The combination of morning light and stillness made me appreciate that we really live in our home.  It is evident that a little toddling toddler lives here.

Here’s a look at Project Life Week 04.

Yesterday, I tried out my Canon EF 24-70 mm f/2.8L lens with the 5D Mark III for the fist time.  I love the results — the wider angle allowed me to better capture my Project Life album.

Week 04 :: The spread with inserts.  Samuel is becoming quite the artist.  His scribbles actually have a story to them — this one is about a horse eating grapes and grass in a meadow with the sun shining down on him.

Close-up of the left page.  The quote came from Elise’s blog.

Received some happy mail from my friend this week.

Another look at the spread with the inserts.

Since my little fella is turning two soon, thought I’d do a little Right Now page about him before the big day.  Thinking I’d like incorporate more Right Now inserts this year.

Went out with girlfriends on Friday night but didn’t snap a picture.  Instead, I inserted a business card and called it good.

Four hours of solitude left in my day.  Going to nap and enjoy it.

Enjoy the rest of your Monday.

Started the day out with a pomegranate pick-me-up smoothie.

People watching as we waited for the light rail.  Samuel is thrilled — he can’t wait for our adventure on the train.

The Light Rail, our regional public transit, arrived exactly as schedule — 10:06 am.

Samuel — super excited to be riding the train.

Rode the train to downtown Sacramento.  Made a stop at Downtown Plaza where he did some driving at the kids play area.

He loves escalators too.  So we rode up.  And then down.

A trip to downtown Sacramento wouldn’t be complete without a visit with the horses.

Lunch at Johnny Rockets.

Waiting for the ride back home.

Riding home.  What an exciting day for my boy.

Because he was so wound up, it took him 45 minutes to calm down.

He even sang ring around the rosie with this horse.  He is now down for a nap.  Finally.

I am so thankful for afternoon naps. I hope they never go away.

My little guy will be two in two weeks.

I love the bounce in his step.

First carousel ride.  He’s been checking it out for months.

He loves to bounce and throw himself on the ground — it’s good that he only does it on the carpet or in this case, at a padded indoor playhouse.

He loves to read before bedtime.

Jessie just took a hard fall.  He’s checking to see if his stuffed horse is okay.

Sometimes, little boys just want their daddies.

It rained here today. And he was thrilled to jump in puddles with his dad (who is wearing my rain boots). Some days, it’s all about dada.

When I had Samuel, I debated between creating traditional layouts for his baby book or doing it Project Life style.  After mulling over it for quite some time, I decided to do it Project Life style — mainly because it was absolutely doable for me as a new mom.

Here’s a glimpse of Samuel’s first year baby book …

I used the Rocket Age collection from October Afternoon to make the month cards.  For each month, I used Becky Higgins Design A and We R Memory Keepers 4×6 & 6×12 page protector.

I saved the documents from his check-ups and inserted them when appropriate.

Each month, I made a 6×12 card for footprints and handprints.  I found that handprints were challenging — especially for an infant because they always want to clasp their hands.  I found that I could not do it by myself — Jim was always willing to help me get a (somewhat) good print each month.

This page concludes the first month of Samuel’s life.  I took some time at the end of each month to document his progress, milestones, firsts, etc.  I printed the journaling on a 6×12 sheet of cardstock and slid it right in the sheet protector.

Five months.  I love his rolls.

Foot and handprints at five months were so much better than the first few months.

A few notes about Samuel’s first year book …

1. So glad I incorporated the handprint/footprint cards.  So cool to compare the size of his prints then and now.
2. I did not do a whole lot of journaling — most of it is on a 6×12 sheet of cardstock that I printed at the end of each month.
3. I made a bunch of journaling cards with prompts but never got around to filling them out.
4. I ordered Project Life Baby (neutral edition) and incorporated them into this book.
5. Even though I did not finish this book (just never got around to printing photos from 7 & 8 months) I am so glad I got most of it done.  I am motivated to go back and finish.

Samuel will be two in about two weeks.  I am trying to get year two done before his birthday (ha!).  Here’s a peek into his second book …

Year two title page.  For this book, I used A Boy’s Life from Echo Park. I’m looking for a new collection for year three.  I’d love recommendations if you have any.

Month twenty-two.  Using bits and pieces from A Boy’s Life and Project Life Baby (neutral) to document year two.  Loving the look of it so far.  I’ve been writing to Samuel for the last 20+ months (only missed a couple of months when life was super crazy) and am playing with placement of the letters/notes in this book.

For each month, I’m using Becky Higgin’s design A and G page protectors.  I’m using pattern papers and journal cards to break up the photos a bit — and document the stories behind some of my favorite photos.

This concludes month twenty-two.  The brown card (left page) is from the Project Life Baby Edition and is meant for documenting milestones, etc.  Since most of the milestones and funny stories are written in the form of a letter (shown above on white cardstock), I’m using the brown journaling card to document stories that come to mind as I’m going back through the photos.

Month twenty-three.  I love the oranges, blues and yellows in the Boy’s Life collection.  And the yellows/greys/browns from the neutral Project Life Baby Edition complements it so well.

Changed up the letter I wrote to Samuel by printing it on 4×6 cardstock and attaching it with washi tape.  It folds up nicely and fits perfectly into a 4×6 pocket.

Incorporating more of my own handwriting into book two.  Will need to go back and do the same to book one.  Using the Design G page protectors gives me the option for some vertical images.

I am loving the process.  And am so happy to be documenting his story.

Conclusion of twenty-three months.  Twenty-four months is in the works.  And so are months twenty-five to thirty-six.

Spending the time to document his story is absolutely worth it — especially when I see the twinkle in his eye as he’s going through the books.

I am really enjoying the Seafoam kit by Elise Blaha Cripe.  Love the colors, clean lines and the ever so faint lines to journal on.

Week 03 — the entire spread.  Used the self-timer setting on the camera a bit more this week to include myself in some of the photos.

A closer look at the left page — Samuel and I went to Southside Park for our Wednesday mama-Samuel date and he went on the merry-go-round for the first time.  I usually follow his lead and on that day, he led me to the empty merry-go-round.  I can still hear his laughter and giggles as I slowly spun it around.

I received one of four golden horseshoe awards at our faculty meeting.  I hate public recognition for stuff I do.  Just hate it.

We bought a Burley Solo bike trailer on Saturday and I pulled my little guy around the neighborhood. It feels so good to be on a bike.  I am not comfortable riding with Samuel in one of those seats that mount to either the front or back of my bike so this trailer was the best option for me.  He calls it a horse trailer and loves riding in it.  I hardly noticed the extra weight behind me.

My friend Allyn and I got together on Saturday to work on Project Life.  We had a very productive and creative session — so we are doing it again in February.  And in March.  And every month in 2013.  If you want to join us, give me a holler.

Thanks for visiting.  Have a good week.

A bit of awesomeness arrived in the mail today.

And I was not the only one excited.I asked him to hold the box for a photo and he willingly obliged.  I asked him to show his excitement for the Seafoam Edition of Project Life  and he giggled and said awesome.

Here’s a look at the Seafoam Edition.At first glance.

Front and back of a card – not all of the cards have lines on the back for more journaling.  I’m not sure if I like that.  I often  find myself writing a lot.More journaling cards.

I do like that some of the cards have vertical lines on one side and horizontal lines on the back (did not take any pictures of those cards).

Love the colors here.

Project Life has been one of the best projects around here since I had Samuel.  It gives me the opportunity to get the stories told.  And it been a great way for Samuel to learn the names of his family and friends (and provides a great review when we have family gatherings and play dates) and  recall the things that we did.  It is refreshing to hear stories of each photo through the eyes of a 23 month old.  So amazing.  So awesome.  

I love that my son gets to grow up with an abundance of photos and stories of his childhood.

With that said, here’s a look at week 2 of our life in 2013.

Week 2 title card — did this before the Seafoam Edition arrived.  I won’t have time for this each week, but would love to periodically incorporate a few more images that I love from the week on the title card.

Samuel turned 23 months this week.  We also returned to work and I am back to planning and grading papers.

The story of running is a cute one.  One of my goals this year is to feel lighter (it would be awesome to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight but that’s quite a stretch) so I decided to run everyday in the month of January.  Depending on the weather, sometimes Samuel strolls in the stroller.  Lately, I’ve been running in the evenings and Samuel has made running part of his evening routine.  Because he’s at the stage where he mimics everything we do, he now runs laps up and down the hallway before bedtime.  Because “mama runs”, “Samuel runs too.”

Samuel had his 2 year appointment.  He’s on the small side — weighing in at 24 lbs — but is growing according to his growth curve.

Samuel talks so much now, I can’t keep up with the stuff he says.  I do my best to record the statements that he says frequently.

Around here, we are experiencing a really cold winter.  Our low today was 27 degrees!

Around here, he sleeps with his eyes slightly open — just like me.

Around here, I am printing photos.  Organizing.  Getting stuff done.

Project Life 2013 happening around here.  Also working on Samuel’s second year — I just started.  He turns two in less than a month.  My goal is to have it completed before his birthday.  Ha!

Around here, this Raskog trolley has found itself a home in my living room.  And my little guy has been really good about not touching/messing with anything on it.

Around here, he is enjoying his special treat (fruit snacks) while we read Hop on Pop.

Around here, he is making my breakfast as I am making his.

Around here, he’s jammin’ to Frosty the Snowman.  The guitar actually plays Old McDonald but he’s singing Frosty the Snowman.  

Around here, he is learning to spit.  Yes, we are working on using fluoride toothpaste.

Around here, I love peeking into his room.

Around here, I am going through his closet and getting rid of stuff that no longer fits.  Most of it gets put into a box in our attic for a future quilt for his big boy bed but stuff like shoes and certain toys are donated or given to mamas with younger babies or if I’m lucky, get sold on Craigslist.

Around here, we are playing with Crayola Model Magic.  And we are loving it.