Dreaming Big

I stumbled on this image I did from a photo shoot with a good friend of mine from work.

She has grown up so much...she is almost Cam's age in this picture!

It warms my heart to see her in her dance classes now and watch the wonder that she still has with anything related to dancing.

She reminds me that even I can still dream big.

Countdown to Summer

Kenny will be conducting his last official concert of the year with his full choir. I am so proud of him!!!

This is my Prince conducting his choir in the Palace of Fine Arts in San Fransisco.

And just for fun...I stumbled on this pic of my little man...he is such a character!!

April 2012

New Resolve and New Books

I am reminded today why I love good books. Reading can transport you to imaginary places of your dreams or to different eras of time that you have always longed to see. Reading educates, inspires, and transforms. I read to my children every day in hopes that they will discover the magic in books like I have.

What reminded me today of my love of good books and reading? Was it the crushed cheerios under Cam's high chair? Was it the screaming "I WANT JUICE!!" from my normally sweet NoraBug? Believe it or not, the answer is no :o) It was the moment of quiet as Nora was half awake and I decided to fore go my daily activities  and just cuddle with her in bed as she woke. It was a whispered, "I love you so much mom" from sleepy crystal blue eyes. It was a warm little body curling into the crescent that my body made behind hers on her bed. I have a good book to thank for the lesson I was reminded of to take the opportunities I have with my kids.

I have started reading the book of one of my inspirations, Stephanie Nielsen of NieNieDialogues.com, titled Heaven Is Here. The retelling of her courting her sweet Mr. Nielsen reminds me of my Prince Kenny. And her expressions on Motherhood and Children remind me of how precious every moment is with my babies; life can change in a moment. Stephanie is a gifted writer. Her book will reside on my shelf beside the likes of Emerson, Dickinson, and Bronte because of the ability her book has to educate, inspire, and transform me.

I have a new resolve to remember how short my time is with my babies. As I tell Kenny on those nights where I am curled next to Nora or holding my quickly growing Cam, "They will never be this way again. Today is over."

Thank you NieNie for reminding me of how precious life is and of the loves in my life: Kenny, Nora, Cam, and reading :o)

Motherhood Is...

One of my inspirations, Stephanie Nielsen of nieniedialogues.com, had an essay contest entitled Motherhood Is...Since I am about 90% sure I did not win :o) here is my submission:

Dancing Through Life…Like My Mommy Taught Me

“Dancing on a stage in LA or NY.” That’s what I would have replied just 3 years ago if I had been asked where I saw myself in ten years.

Where am I today? I am cleaning up the cheerios that my little man has thrown from his high chair in an act of letting me know he is done with breakfast. I am gathering the crayons that used to be neatly in their box before my beautiful blonde needed to find the right shade of purple for her zebra drawing. I am fixing lunch for my Prince as he heads out the door to another day of teaching at the local high school.

I used to think being a Mother meant sacrificing all of the dreams you once had for yourself. It has always seemed that I could not have the career I dreamed of and the family I dreamed of at the same time; the two were constantly battling for my attention. Days after making the decision to stay home with my little ones so that they could be taught by their mommy instead of a sitter, I am in fetal position on my bed, sobbing as my babies finally lay down for their naps after a hectic lunch.

“Heavenly Father, please let me dance again,” I plead.

“Look around you,” a reassuring voice in my heart speaks.

I remember my baby girl before she was born, dancing in my round belly to any music that was playing around me. I remember my little man falling asleep in my arms after I begin waltzing with him after a pretty rough night of fevers. I remember the excitement in the eyes of my baby girl as she runs for her tutu to dance with the ballerinas on the television. I remember chasing after my little man as he darts for the dance floor, eager to join the big kids.

“Thank you,” I tearfully reply to a Heavenly Father who knew where I needed to be to have my dreams truly come to life.

I may not be dancing in NY or LA, but I do dance. I dance center stage, each day in my toy-filled living room with my sweet little red head in my arms and my beautiful blue-eyed blonde copying my every move. The bright lights of NY or LA dim in comparison to these precious moments.

Motherhood is the blessing of seeing your dreams come true in a much grander form than you ever could have imagined. So, where do I see myself in 10 years, you ask? Tying my daughters ballet shoes for the up-teenth time as she makes her way to dance practice, her self-done blonde ballet bun neatly pinned as her mommy taught her. Adjusting the tie of my little red head as he heads off to church walking in his Daddy’s footsteps just like his mommy taught him. Remembering to slow down and really enjoy each moment with my “babies” just like my mommy taught me.

Love Grows

Today I am reminded that:

June 21, 2009

1. Cameron will not always let me kiss his sweet little neck.

2. Today, I am Nora's best friend.

3. I love My Prince more today than I thought I did 3 years ago.

World's Longest Update

NEWS...WE ARE ALIVE!

Sorry it has been such a long time since our Wiser family has given an update on how things are going. I will keep things brief and just give you a highlight reel of the last year:

January 2011 - 

• I got to stay home for a little while with my new little Cameron and my Nora Bug.
• My Prince started his student teaching semester at Herriman High School in Herriman, UT.
• I turned 24 :o)

February 2011 - 

• Maternity Leave is over...I had to head back to work at Ancestry.com.
• I was promoted to Manager of the International Customer Service Team.

March 2011 - My Prince interviewed with Provo High School for a possible teaching position in 2011-2012...and got a call back within hours offering him the job!!!

April 2011 - My Prince graduated from BYU with a BA in Music Education.

May 2011 - We were able to go to Uncle Paul's graduation from Bradshaw Mountain High School.

June 2011 - My Prince turned 25 :o)

July 2011 - My Prince and his new quartet, The Elements, competed at the International Barbershop Contest in Kansas City, MO. Nana and Grandpa were able to come too!

August 2011 - We moved our little family to Provo, UT to be closer to work.

September 2011 - 

• My Prince started his first year teaching at Provo High School.
• Nora is potty trained!!!!!!!!!!

October 2011 -

• Cam started walking!!
• Nora started Ballet class.

November 2011 - Spent Thanksgiving with all the Christiansen siblings and cousins at Grandma's house!

December 2011 - 

• I decided that Cam and Nora deserved a full-time Mommy and quit work to be home.
• Nora turned 3 :o)
• We spent Christmas in Arizona with Nana, Grandpa, Great Grandma, Great Grandpa, Becks, Paul and Jenna.
• My Prince and I celebrated our 4th Wedding Anniversary.
• Cam turned 1 :o)
• Cam got his first tooth!

January 2012 - I turned 25 :o)

February 2012 - Apparently February was completely uneventful :o)

March 2012 -

• We went to the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point to see the dinosaurs.
• One of My Prince's choirs earned straight Superior ratings the Region Festival.

April 2012 - My Prince and I took his auditioned choirs on a tour of San Francisco...which means I got to walk Pier 39, take in a great sundae at Ghiradelli Square, have lunch near the Cliff House with Grandma and Grandpa Rudd, and play at Great America with the Odells :o) Thank you to Nana and Aunt B for watching the little ones!

Whew! That was a lot of remembering :o)

Our Prince in Training is Here!

Cameron Jay Wiser
December 30, 2010, 3:15 AM
7 lbs 15 oz ~ 20 in.

Our little family is doing great and loving the new spirit in our home.
Oh, and Nora is coming around...she is pretty protective of his stuff now :o)

Crazy Fall

Life is back in full swing...actually I am pretty sure it hasn't slowed down since we got back from Mexico in April.

Kenny is back in classes...Senior year! Woo-hoo! He is trying to balance school, work, family, and barbershop (He is doing a pretty good job too!) His quartet, The Elements, is gearing up to compete in the District competition in Layton this upcoming weekend. I know he is going to great. It has always been a dream of his to be in a gold medal quartet, so I will be his cheerleader with the video recorder this weekend :o)

Nora Bug is growing so fast...as I am sure all moms can attest too. She is learning so many new words: rock, quiet, stop it, kitty, hi-ya, bite, walk, park, go, book, puppy, please, movie, binky, Hop on Pop, food, milk, eat, meow, piggy, hippo, panda, bock-bock (for chicken), horsey... just to name a few. Oh...on the note of "hi-ya" and "panda," one of her favorite movies is Kung Fu Panda, so her vocab is a bit iffy including attempts at "Dragon Scroll." Nora loves a lot of things but her number one is movies and books are a close second; even doing both at times :o) She is getting the potty training down and gets so excited when she doesn't "poo-poo" in her panties!

I am just working, drawing, wife-ing, incubating...the usual :o) Turns out making a baby makes you either really tired or really emotional when customers get upset at you! Work is going great though. I am still at Ancestry.com and have worked my way up to Supervisor. I have finally hit my year mark, which means I get a paid-day saved up every month! As for Cameron, he is growing and starting to play with my rib cage. Just like Nora did, he thinks it's funny to use my ribs as guitar strings. He strums away and taps his foot...ALL DAY LONG.

Ta-Da...here are some pictures for fun :o)

Graduation in April




Nora being Nora in Mommy's socks

Soaking up the sun and enjoying relaxation time in Mazatlan, Mexico

Guess what? We're alive!

Believe it or not, the Wisers are still alive and well! The blur that has occurred since the last posting:

Christmas

Promotion for me

Moving

Kenny's new job at Red Robin

My birthday

Valentine's Day- and all the barbershop that goes with it

Easter and conference- Kenny sang in Priesthood session

Finals

Graduation

Cruise for graduation and belated honeymoon

Jenni visited with Ky-Ky and Brodman

Pregnant with number 2

Rudd Family Reunion

Kenny started spring semester

Deanna visited with Lexi and Hayley

Josh and Deanna visited with the girls

Fourth of July

Wiser family visits on their way to and from Washington

Sprinkle in Concert Choir concerts

and

a few pairs of shoes that I drew

and

you've got yourself a full menu!

So, life truly has been absolutely crazy in the Wiser house for the past 6 months...and seriously lacking in picture posting. No, I will not make up for all 6 months in a mass posting of pictures (o: I will be posting pictures from random events of the past 6 months every few days...so be sure to check back often. Giggle.

Getting used to the Change Game

Well, we have officially moved to Riverton.

Things are fairly organized, except for the basement (o:

Nora is loving being around Grandma and her aunts,

Which is such a joy to see

After being away from them for so long.

... other great news ...

My diploma is set to arrive on Wednesday!

I am done with school, a graduate of BYU,

Almost,

And I am loving my job

But also itching to dance!

Hopefully now that we are in Riverton

I can check out the dance studio down the street.

I am missing it so bad!

Nora loves to dance with her mommy though,

So that makes things a whole lot sweeter.

Life is starting to slow down...

Now that life is slowing down...
I am almost done with school, which is probably what I should be doing.
I don't want to stress some more today.
So, here I am.
That butterfly feeling you get,
Just before something big happens
...
That is what is making me nervous today.
...
Life is about to completely change.
I will be working all day.
Kenny will be in school.
We will be moving from our new comfort spot.
...
It takes me awhile before I can really feel like I am home.
This is the first apartment that has been Home.
I am sad to be leaving the friends that I have made.
I am sad to be leaving the wonderful bishop in our ward.
...
I will cry when this place is empty and no longer mine.
I know the change ahead will be helpful and good,
Maybe tomorrow my heart will agree too.

i love you.

Halloween Festivities!

 

New Pics of Nora!

Our friends took these pictures when Nora was at their house one day...thanks Heather.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Nora and her Blankie

This is Nora and her Blankie at about 7 months. This blanket was in the
dirty clothes basket all day before this happened... (o:

Long Time Coming

Update for the Little Bug!

Her Big Ol Teddy Bear

Midnight Swim Party at Seven Peaks

Nike outfit from Aunt Jordy and Carla

The Ball Pit!

Nora and the Cousins

Random...Missing My Prince

Anaheim is ringing for the next four days. The Barbershop Internationals are in Cali this year. Hangtime went as a part of the Salt Lake Chorus, The Saltaires. I don't know if they will place since they have decreased in size so much...but my Prince is stoked to meet up with old friends from his Washington Barbershop days. He is loving it. As bummed as I am that Nora and I didn't get to tag along but I am so glad that my Prince gets to experience the love that I have for Cali. One day we will get there...together.

Now...on to my other love...DANCE! So You Think You Can Dance? is amazing this season. The first week had me in tears. All of the dancers this season are phenomenal. I can't wait till cousin Rob gets to look them up on YouTube or audition when he gets home from the mish! (o; Since Nora I haven't gotten to dance much. First I was sad and throwing a little pity party that I was not up there with other BYU kids who auditioned in Salt Lake. That's when I realized that Nora was laying in my lap watching every second of it! Then I remembered how much holding Nora and swaying to music calms her down. My baby is a dancer...it is through her that I get to dance and she lets me dance with her all of the time. She is one of my favorite dance partners (o:

UPDATE!!!!!

It has been way too long since I have put up pictures so...here goes a ton of them (o: Enjoy!

Watching Music and the Spoken Word.

This is her friend Trisha that watched her during Choir and work.

This is Jordyn and Brody when I came home to visit.

Mom and Nora at Carolina's.

Nora at Grandma's learning how to roll over without letting go of the blankie(o:

Back at home...rolling machine. She started out on the striped blanket!!

She falls asleep funny in her swing.

Sleeping in her diaper...she rolled to her belly before she fell asleep.

These are the cute friends we found while at the Duck Pond on Campus.
The beginning of the adventure...

the end...she finally woke up to see the ducks.

Swinging at the park.

Sitting in the grass...Nora loves grass (o:

Swinging away.

Playing with Daddy.

Longboarding with Dad.

This is us half way back down Y Mountain. We have decided to get out and take in some of Utah's finest while we are still here. I can't graduate and not have climbed the Y!!

Diaper change at the top of the Y.

Getting some hydration on the way up (o:
Nora playing in her music chair by herself!

This is what happens to important papers when Nora sees them (o:

Get a Pair and Live. -Live.by J-

I'm at it again. My Live. shoes are ready to be drawn and worn! I am done drawing out design ideas and ready to start designing for real. Lots of people have approached me about selling my work and I decided to take them up on that. Here is a pair that I did for Kenny.



If you haven't seen my work in person before, I design white Vans that are unique to the wearer- no two pairs are the same. I find out about the wearer and create designs that fit their personalities and tastes. I tend to do shoes that are unique in a pair but can do them matching too...or a design that spreads across both shoes like a puzzle when put together...your choice.

If you would like a pair, shoot me an email at JKWiser@gmail.com and we can get things moving.

I will charge an additional $25 dollars, on top of the $42 Vans, for the work. If you would like another brand let me know and we will recalculate the cost.