1st Day of Preschool

September 1st, 2011

Ainsley was so excited to start at Wee Lambs Preschool this fall!  It is where Liam went for two years, so she knows the building and teachers well.  Although at one point last spring she was determined that she was not going to go to preschool.  After we got through the tears, and I calmed her fears that someone would always be there to pick her up, she was fine and ready to roll!

The night before school, we picked out what outfit she would wear (a big decision for this girl) and got her backpack ready.  Since she had done a week of "practice preschool" at the school during August there was way more excitement than fears on this first day!  

Her teachers are Mrs. Knihal and Mrs. Theall, and we couldn't be more excited to have them as Ainsley's first preschool teachers.  Creative, fun, structured, great with kids, and love Jesus... we couldn't ask for more!  Ainsley "signed in" by taking her name off the wall and then walked right in!  I think we were both smiling!  

When I went to pick her up, she ran out of the room with all smiles!  They had played outside, and she got to be the snack helper that day, and she was able to draw some pictures!  Ainsley has had a great start to her preschool year!  She has met some new friends, completed some fun art projects, and learned about Jesus!  What a great year this will be for her!  

Preschool Thoughts
by: Ainsley

What do you like doing at preschool?  Playing on the monkey bars.

What have you learned about at preschool?
(chant)
Cris Cross Apple Sauce
Pepperoni Pizza
Tootsie Roll, Lolly Pop
Now let's stop!

What are the names of some of your friends?
Carter, Ruby, Addison, Sawyer

What do you like to play with at school?
I like to play with the Barbie castle and the doll house.  I also like the kitchen in their too!  

Tell me about Mrs. Knihal...
She reads the same Bible as me... I love her!

Tell me about Mrs. Theall...
She helps with snack and she helps me play play dough.

How do you feel about going to preschool?
I'm happy all the days of school!

19 Months...

Yesterday Kallan turned 19 months. 19 months! What happens to time when your baby is growing up? I had intended to write a post about him turning 18 months back in August… and obviously that has been on my to-do list now for a month!  (Story of my life!!!)  But… if I was to write a post about my 18 month old little boy, it would go something like this…


My sweet Kallan,

You are 18 months today…. And for some reason that sounds old to my ears. It is as if the word “eighteen months” rolling off my tongue makes you an official toddler… a little boy... and oh, so "old"! Gone is the little baby I held in my arms 18 months ago… and in his place I see a smiley, lovable little guy who holds my heart.

I love you at this age! You are funny and sweet. You are snuggly and goofy. You are beginning to express yourself and let your personality really shine though. You have a very happy and sweet personality. You love your older siblings and “Dada” is your favorite person in the world! You are content and very easy going. It is very rare that I would call you fussy or crabby. You are affectionate and love to give kisses and snuggle whenever you can. Your favorite all time possession is your blankie (aka: “Dit-dee”), and holding it in your arms and stuffing it in your mouth will make you the happiest baby around!

You love anything that comes out of the kitchen! Spoons, bowls, spatulas, whisks, pans… You love to “stir, stir, stir” as well as sit in any pan big enough to hold you. I would say that kitchen utensils are your favorite toys. You also love to watch me cook and will stand on a chair for a very long time and watch me.

Your other two favorite activities are wearing other people's shoes, and playing with all of mommy's cans of food in the cupboard.  It just delights your heart when someone leaves their shoes laying around, and you find them and put them on.  You trounce around the house with the biggest grin on your face.  You also love to rearrange all of my cans, build towers with them, or just haul them around in any container you can find.  It isn't unusual for me to find a can of pork 'n beans under the couch or in a basket of toys. 

I think if I let you, you could be outside all day long. You love being outdoors! You enjoy throwing balls and trying to ride the big kid toys. You love to sit in your little, red car and you enjoy making marks with sidewalk chalk. You have fun exploring the garage and walking in the grass. And you only really have a fit stopping these activities if I haven’t given you enough time to get your outside fix.

You HAVE to have a fork before you begin to eat any food I’ve put on your tray. You love spoons and forks. You are a fairly good eater and not very picky at all. Your favorite foods: Broccoli, Corn, Noodles, Bananas, Cantaloupe, Pears, and Raisins.

You love books! You love being read to, and you love sitting and looking at books by yourself. Lately, I catch you doing that more and more. You have your favorite books like the animal book, and the books we have with big, bold pictures in them. You love to say, “all done” after you (or we) finish each book.

You are my climber, my artist on furniture, my dirt digger in plants… and just slightly more mischievous than Liam or Ainsley. Yet I would say you are more obedient than them and listen to the word “no” better than they did at this age. You always bring me any small object or thing you know you shouldn’t have, and I’m really never concerned about you putting things into your mouth.

You make my heart melt over and over each day with your amazing smile, your beautiful eyes, and your wispy blond hair. You have this cuteness and charm about you that has won me over from the moment I met you. I feel beyond blessed that God chose me to be your mama. How lucky I am! Kallan, you are a blessing in my life, and I love you SO much!

Always,
Mama

First Day of School 2011

OK - so actually we've been doing school for about four weeks now... but you know... better late than never! 

August 24, 2011

Liam - 1st Grade

Ainsley - Preschool

My whole crew...

So, what did we do on our first day?

We did a little spelling...

And mapped out the continents of the world on the floor...

We started a new read-a-loud book (which has become one of our favorites!)

We revisited our math...

And giggled at how we had forgotten the proper formation of some of our letters over the summer...

We created some masterpieces....

And worked on our scissor skills...

We had fun building structures out of the "distraction toys" meant for Kallan...



And talked about "What is a biography" by collecting 5 items that would help describe us and then reported to each other about it... can you guess what Liam chose?

Lego Star Wars book - because he loves Lego Star Wars

Volcano he made - because he enjoys science

A LEGO - because that is his favorite activity of all time

His medal from soccer last season- because he likes sports and he liked playing soccer

A Walkie Talkie - because he enjoys playing spy with his friends

Overall, it was a pretty good first day!  Of course there was some frustration and tears mixed in with the smiles and laughs... but I think that's just how it goes sometimes until you find your groove!  And I'm happy to say we have found ours and we have had a great start to our new school year!

The Best Day Ever

In August, Gallup had a "Bring your Child to Work" day.  Liam was beyond thrilled that he was going to be able to go with daddy for a day and "work".  The whole week before he was to go, he planned out everything he would like take to work on, and he packed his back pack to the brim.

The morning of his special day, Liam insisted on dressing just like Tim... and I can't even tell you how much my heart was bursting as they walked out the door and headed off to the office! 

Liam received a special welcome from Gallup when they got to the office...  :)

And then he got right to work!  The morning was spent in a group session with the other children learning about Gallup's "Drop in the Bucket" philosophy.  Basically they talked about how when you  encourage someone, it is like filling up their bucket with drops of water.  The more you fill them up, the more "water" they will have to give away.  But if you are being discouraging and being a "bucket dipper" then you are taking water out of their bucket and that doesn't feel very good at all.  Gallup employees use these paper drops daily to write notes of thanks and encouragement to each other too. 

The kids were able to make "Drops" for others at Gallup and at home.  Liam worked hard at making some drops for the people he interacted with at Gallup and then for each person in our family.

 After his morning session and lunch, Tim and Liam headed up to 3rd floor where Tim's office is.  There they worked together on setting up Tim's office (Tim had just moved to a different office).  Tim also gave Liam his own little office in a small telephone closet in the hall.  Liam was thrilled! 

He set it all up and worked hard on the things he had brought with him for the rest of the afternoon.  What a special day for this boy and his dad!  I'm so glad Liam was able to have this experience!  And his words when he got home from a hard day of work... "It was the BEST day ever!"

Rescued

Been thinking alot these past weeks about all the children whose lives are wrapped up in the foster care system.  I've met some of them through doing camp, and a handful of them I know more of their story.  It can be a hard world to walk into.  The weight on my heart can sometimes feel heavy and hopeless for them.  It is in these moments, that I have to turn to God and give it all to Him.  To TRUST Him when things seem messy, and wrong, and not right, and hopeless... 

And I just pray...

Giving these children all over to God, who loves them and who is SO much BIGGER than anything that stands in their life.  It gives me hope, and courage, and peace. 

Come with great power, O God, and RESCUE me!

DEFEND me with Your might.

LISTEN to my prayer, O God.

Pay attention to my plea....

God IS my helper.

The Lord keeps me alive!

I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is GOOD!

For You have RESCUED me from my troubles

You have helped me to TRIUMPH over my enemies.

From Psalm 54...

Praying today for all my sweet friends from camp.... May He rescue you from your troubles... May He help you triumph...

A funny moment...

So yesterday we were outside enjoying the beautiful day, and Liam and Ainsley were playing house together.  I kept hearing them singing this chorus over and over, but couldn't really pick up the words.  I'd got "homework" at some point and then caught on to "soul".  I was thinking, "where in the world did they pick up this song???" 

When we went inside for lunch, I heard bits of the song again, and I asked them to sing me the song.  In unison and on pitch they sang this chorus....

"I don't want to do my homework and lose my soul...."

(if you know the song “Lose My Soul” by TobyMac, Kirk Franklin, and Mandisa you are laughing right now...)

The real words are "I don't want to gain the whole world and lose my soul..."  It's from Mark 8:35-37

³⁵ If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. ³⁶ And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? ³⁷ Is anything worth more than your soul?

It made me giggle all day yesterday!  Thank you to My Bridge Radio for this wonderful lesson we were able to have!  "Mommy... what is a soul???"  

I love my kids!  I love that they pick up what is playing on the radio in our house during the day... I love Christian radio... I love that they love Jesus... I love how I am able to guide and teach them...  I love how they make me smile and laugh!