Sunday, September 12, 2010

The Lord is my Shepard

Kylie can now recite almost the entire 23rd Psalm and has learned the Star Spangled Banner in only 3 weeks of school! Every time I hear her recite the Psalm, it just melts my heart. I ask her to do it for me a few times a day. She's not sick of me asking just yet! I guess I never realized how quickly kids as young as 5 can learn new things, and not simple things! To learn an entire Psalm is amazing. I am so proud of her!

She did ger her "clip moved" in class this week, which is another way of saying she got a warning. Her sweet teacher emailed me and said her eyes filled with tears when it happened. It sounds like she was being a chatty kathy during a math lesson with her classmate. I am hopeful this will be a one-time thing for this year, although I was disappointed that it happened only three weeks into school. But, like I told her teacher, sometimes we all need a little humbling reminder to be respectful and do what is expected.

To make things better, Jackson tried to bite a little girl in his class! They were playing in the indoor play room and he just decided he'd take a bite at a little girl. He just got the back of her shirt, thank goodness. I really hope it doesn't become a consistent thing. Yikes, I will be really worried if it does. I am hopeful for now that he just had a lapse of judgement! He has many of those lately it seems. I am definitely finding it difficult to discipline the little guy. He doesn't respond to "no" very well and almost acts like it's a game. It's the "as long as I'm getting attention, even if it's bad attention" deal. He can be pretty exhausting as we try to keep him in line. I try to remain patient with him, but stern at the same time. Mainly, I know I need to keep praying for wisdom, strength, and patience to lead him in the right direction.

I have a fun, busy week planned this week! Aside from meetings and getting ready to train a new hire, I get to be the parent helper in Kylie's class on Tuesday and assist with their art project. Then, I have taken Friday off to get things done, go to a get-to-know-you coffee for the class moms, and prepare for my best buddies from Baylor coming into town! I can't wait to see them. There are nine of us who have stayed very close. We all became friends through Tri Delt and have continued to remain friends for over 10 years. They are all amazing friends and I cherish each fun weekend we have together!

Here's to a fun, busy week!

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Getting into the swing of things

Kylie waiting for Big Pa and Grandma to take her to Keller. We made a sign!


Big Boy Jackson's First Day of School!Back-to-School Festival at Regents


Kylie and Mrs. Crowell

Jackson having a blast at Central Market


It's always hard getting into a new routine once school starts and now Kylie and Jackson are both in school!

Kylie has a pretty busy schedule, even though she gets out of school at noon. On Mondays she is taking voice lessons right after school with her little friend Aubry. Tuesdays and Thursdays she is doing a Fine Arts class after school until 2:35 where they do all kinds of art and nature activities. She seems to really enjoy this so far! She also has cheer practice for her Cheer Station team on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesdays she is taking piano lessons and dance after school! I am so excited to see her learn to play the piano. I still can't believe I don't know how to play when my mom has played nearly all her life. I missed the boat there!

Kylie is loving school and seems to really love her teacher. In fact, when I asked her what her favorite thing about school is, she said her teacher. Not recess, centers, or music... nope, her teacher! Her teacher is absolutely amazing and such a blessing to these kiddos. I am excited to get to joing the class on some fun activities. Throughout the year, there are lots of parent-involvement activities in the classroom and on field trips. I am excited to join in the fun and grateful I can do so. At Back-to-School night, I fell in love with her school even more. I am so grateful to have her in a school where the teachers pray with the children and teach them about Jesus and God's word. It is such a safe and loving environment. Oh, and she's already found herself a "boyfriend." His name is Hondo and he is just adorable. Not sure how I feel about calling him her boyfriend, but she said he has 7 girlfriends, so I think I won't be too worried yet. Geez loueeeeze.


Jackson is loving school too. Phew... what a relief! He has never cried when I drop him off and his teachers say he has a blast while he's there. He's quite a bit younger than Kylie was when she started school, so I was anxious about how he'd do, and he's doing great! He goes on Mondays and Wednesdays and when he comes home he takes a loooooooong nap. I love the little art projects they bring home. I try to envision what it is like to do art with 8 13-15 month old kids. Must be interesting.

It is really fun to see our kids growing up in different stages. Kylie is really maturing as that sweet little baby voice keeps sounding a little older every day. Her taste in clothing is changing and her overall mannerisms are changing. Oh, we still have crybaby fits now and then, she wouldn't want me to miss out on those. But, she is becoming more independent. I am really proud of how self-confident she is. She seems like she can just fit right in anywhere she goes and makes friends with everybody. Her one biggest weakness continues to be sleep. She still, at age 5 1/2 wakes up at night. We've resorted to serious bribing to keep her in her bed or at least not climbing in ours. If she sleeps for 30 nights in her bed she gets a surprise. She decides before hand what it will be. Last time it was a new razor scooter. This time it's a new Build-a-Bear. So far so good. Almost halfway there!

Jackson is still quite the handful! He's a big boy, weighing in at about 27 lbs, he's a stout little guy. He has big feet and hands too! He's very agile and can really walk, climb, and maneuver things well. Oh man, that kiddo keeps us on our toes. I've never seen a kid ransack a house as quickly as he can. It is quite a sight. He might be the busiest kid I have ever known in my life. He has developed some fun new things within the past few months that we are really enjoying...
  1. He gives kisses now. At night when he's in his bed if you ask for a kiss, he'll take out his suckie and give you a kiss. He likes to blow kisses too.
  2. If he hears the word "GO", he heads straight for the door. He loves to go anywhere! He does not want to be stuck in the house! Sometimes he'll go get our shoes for us and drop them by our feet as if he's telling us to hurry up.
  3. He can say "bye bye" and "dog" and "hot" pretty well.
  4. At school the teachers said he saw a picture of a lion and roared (wish I had seen it!)
  5. He's very interested in using a fork and spoon and demands that you give it to him when you are trying to put food on his tray.
  6. If I ask him where my nose is, he can point and touch my nose.
  7. He loves to put his diapers in the diaper pail. He is so proud of himself when he puts things in the trash. Do I find things that shouldn't be in there? Absolutely! But, I can't fault him for trying.
  8. He is a super swimmer! He is such a good little swimmer and loves to go under water. I think he'll be flying solo by summer next year for sure. He already understands to hold his breath and really tries to move his legs and feet when he's under water. He also loves to jump off the edge. I'm so proud of him!
  9. He still uses a newborn soothie pacifier. I could never get him to switch from it, so we've still got it. I tried all kinds of different pacifiers and he would just spit them out. I've given up and we'll just have the soothie for as long as we have the suckies.

Adam and I continue to make every effort to successfully balance home and work life. I think we do a pretty good job of it and make it a team effort. He continues to be very helpful once he gets home from work with cooking, bathing, and picking up. I am grateful to have a husband who does what he can to help me out. Here's to another great school year!!!