Smarty Pants

If it drives you nuts to hear parents brag about their kids, turn away.  Just turn away now.  Don't say I didn't warn you!

Mike and I went to Laney and Chloe's school last night to meet with their teachers for parent/teacher conference.  Chloe's was first, and right when we walked in, her teacher immediately told us how much she enjoys having Chloe in her class and how she just loves her fun personality.  Chloe is doing very well in reading, writing, science, socializing, listening, and obeying. There are just a couple things in math that she needs to work on, but they're no big deal...she needs to work on memorizing addition facts (I'm getting her some flash cards this weekend) and she needs to improve in how she writes 3-4 digit numbers.  I asked the teacher if Chloe was ever loud in class.  There are times when we're at home, or at the store even, and I have to ask Chloe to lower her normal speaking voice, because she's too loud.  She has this voice that carries!  oh my goodness...the girl can be noisy!  Anyway, the teacher said that she was never loud in class, and was actually surprised when we told her how loud Chloe normally can be!  She said that she's pretty quiet most of the time, and sometimes has to be asked to speak up.   
When we came home, and I asked Chloe why she was so quiet at school, she told me it was because she didn't want to be too loud, so she could hear her teacher and not miss anything she says!  :)  That's my sweet girl!  Her teacher also mentioned how her class this year was very mild-tempered, and very compatible, so it's easy for her to do more fun experiments and things like that with them.  She told us none of them had really strong personalities. (which I thought was a nice way of saying "none of them are brats")  haha!

Laney's teacher honestly went on and on about how smart and sweet Laney is!  I know all of this stuff, but I'm her mom, so of course I think that!  She has absolutely no concerns with how Laney is progressing, and told us that she is a very solid student!  She said she usually gets all of her work done quickly, so she'll assign her harder work to do with her friends who also get through their work quickly.  The teacher had her computer sitting out with a little picture slide show of Laney while she was working at her desk and working with her friends on the stuff I mentioned earlier. When the school evaluates their reading levels, Laney's score should fall somewhere between 500 and 800.  Laney's was 920!!  Yay!  She loves to read!  We mentioned to her teacher that Laney has always been a quick learner, and that she was singing all kinds of songs like "You Are So Beautiful" before she was even 2.  Her teacher got a little teary eyed and said "Stop!  You're making me cry!"  I can tell that she really likes Laney! :)  It's so nice to have a teacher that fits well with your child.  Last year, Laney's teacher was really young, and made mistakes on Laney's papers when she would grade them, and just didn't really act like she put much effort into her work.  She was nice, but I didn't care for her as my child's teacher.  Her teacher this year is older, and seems like she really loves what she does...same goes for Chloe's teacher.  We really love both of their teachers this year!

I enjoy seeing how they're doing, and how they interact with the other kids in their class.  Who knows if I'll feel the same way when Elijah starts next year!  yikes

A few funny moments from Isaac

Th child totally knows his way around Netflix, and can find The Wonder Pets or Veggie Tales without my help at all.  Mike and I usually watch movies after the kids go to bed and when they ask if they can watch too, we tell them no, because it's not a movie for kids.  Well, the other day, I was in the kitchen and Isaac comes to me and tells me,  "Mommy, I turned on a bad movie for you."  Apparently, he thinks the movies we watch are "bad" movies. :)  haha.  For the record, the movie he turned on was The Sixth Sense. 

I asked him if he had a fun 3rd birthday at Chuck E. Cheese, and if I could have my birthday there too.  I said "Is mommy too big to have her birthday there?"  From the look on his face, I could tell that the wheels in his head were turning.  Finally after thinking about it for a few seconds, his reply was "No, you can fit in there."  Gee, thanks.  At least I know I'm not too fat to fit into a Chuck E. Cheese establishment.  :) 

He woke up the other night and came to my side of the bed (of course) crying.  I asked him what was wrong, and he said, "Mommy, don't say 'spooky' to me anymore.  It makes me cry."  wha???  Me:  "Um, honey, I don't understand.  I didn't say that to you...what are you talking about?"  Isaac:  "Don't say 'spooky' to me anymore!!!"  Me (still totally confused):  "Okay, I won't say 'spooky' to you."  At which point he starts crying even harder...because I actually said the word "spooky".  I still can't say it to him, or he breaks out in this weird half cry/half laughing thing.  It's so bizarre, and I'm still completely confused. 

Fall is upon us...still

I don't actually like Fall.  I know, I know...it's probably 95% of the population's favorite season.  Not me.  It might actually be my worst.  Okay...I liked Fall last year, because Jett was due, and 2 years before that, Isaac was due in the Fall, so I probably liked it then too, but every other year?  nope.  I'll tell you why.

1. Summer is my favorite time of year.  When does Fall come?  Right when Summer is over. the end of summer. dead. done.  me=sad

2.  There are no fun holidays in Fall (and don't say Thanksgiving...that's just work work work and then gain weight)  And Halloween isn't really all that fun for me anymore.  I have 5 kids to dress up and walk up and down the street with and feel the aftermath of 15 tons of candy in my house getting eaten by said children...get my drift?

3. I hate cold weather, and Fall just ushers it right on in.  It's like the time I start dreading cold weather.

4. The weather is all wonky.  Hot. cold. hot. medium. cold. medium. hot... Aagggghhh....make up your mind already!!!  Do I leave the kids' summer clothes out for the days it decides to be like, oh, 85ish degrees?  Or should I pack them up and just let my kids smother in their winter clothes on those days?  Which is it?

Okay, so those are all stupid reasons...but Fall really is probably my worst season. 
It goes -
1. Summer = swimming, 4th of July, summer break, barbecues, watermelon, bare feet.
2. Spring = Easter, it starts to get warmer, it's almost Summer :), flowers
3. Winter = Christmas.  that's about it.
4. Fall = meh. 

So okay,  I don't have seasonal depression or anything.  I know, it may sound that way, but I don't. ;)  Honestly, I'm happy to be in any season, as long as I've got my family here with me. =)

Anywhoo, I guess I'm obliged to say it even though it's over a month late: Happy Fall Y'all! 
oy.

Happy 1st Birthday Jett!!!

Wow, what a difference a year makes!

One year ago today, I was meeting my 5th precious baby...my 3rd little boy.  My sweet little 7 pound 9 ounce bundle of love. 

{aren't they precious when they're sleeping? ;D}

He has stolen my heart!

I love you precious boy!  You are everything I ever dreamed you would be, and so much more!

Jett's one year pictures:

Happy Birthday Jett!  Mommy loves you!

Isaac is 3!

3 years ago, we welcomed our precious 2nd son into our family!  His birth was so exciting, not knowing if he was a boy or a girl.  I had a feeling he was a girl, so I was in shock when he came out and I saw for myself that, indeed, he wasn't. :)  I remember feeling so happy that I had 2 boys that would have each other to wrestle with and build forts with! 

I always call Isaac my Sour Patch Kid, because he looooves to be a stinker (like pinching your arm or squeezing your face) and then cuddle right afterwards.  First he's sour, then he's sweet. :)  He's so smart!  He talks so well, and every day he surprises me with the things he says.  He loves Super Why, Mickey Mouse, playing the Nintendo DS (he's actually really good at Mario Bros. and Mario Kart) and playing games on the computer.  His favorite foods are cereal, carrot sticks, yogurt, and pizza!  He always has to have either apple juice or chocolate milk in his cup, and he drinks it straight down, without putting it down once.  That drives me a little batty, honestly.

He's such a snuggle bug, always crawling up on my lap and taking my face in his hands to give me a kiss.  Oh, how I love his smooches.   When we're in the store, he always feels it necessary to tell me he loves me every 2 minutes.  I'm not exaggerating.  He sits in the front of the cart and either says, "I love you, mommy." or in a sing-song voice he'll say "I love my mommy."  When I say that he is a sweet boy, I'm not kidding.  BUT... he's either hot or cold.   Either he's lovey and snuggly and happy or he's boiling mad, and losing his temper.  Of all my kids, he throws the biggest temper tantrums.  Thankfully, he's never done it in public, mainly because it's usually when he's fighting with Elijah over a toy or something.  But he's more sweet that he is sour. :)

I love my precious angel Isaac.  My little Ikey bear.  Happy Birthday little man!

Sometimes the apple falls FAR from the tree

I'll admit, I am not smart.  I mean, I'm not dumb...I know my way around a camera and photoshop and lightroom.  But book smart?  no. Not even close.  I struggled with school, and got decent to not-so-decent grades all through high school.  I didn't try as hard as I could have, I didn't study as much as I should have and I hated, I mean HATED going to school.  Why?  (I'm going off on a little tangent for a second, hold on) Oh, because I went to a private school, which, first of all is much more difficult than public schools.  We had to wear dresses past our knees...that got a little old.  I always felt looked down upon, and alot of it was because my mom was a single mom.  I got tired of having a large chest and being scolded for wearing the same shirts other girls could wear because they just had tiny ant hills for boobs, like I could help it.  Like my mother went out and got me breast implants at the age of 12.  Sorry, but my mom was barely making it...she couldn't exactly run out and buy me a whole new wardrobe, as most of these other parents could do for their kids. I was made to feel ashamed of my body, honestly.  I will never send my kids to a school that treats them the way I was treated.  I assume my teachers and probably my classmates most likely thought I would do nothing with my life, but here I am.  I love the Lord with all my heart, I'm married to my best friend, we have the 5 most gorgeous babies in the world, I go to an awesome church (where I've learned more and grown closer to God in the past 7 years than I ever had in the 15+ years I was at my previous church), I get to stay at home with my kids and watch them grow.  All the glory goes to God.  I deserve zero credit for any good thing in my life.  It's never me. It's all HIM!  Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm anything special, but I'm special to my Jesus.  I'm His and I'll always be His, and that makes me complete.  I'm not anywhere close to where I'd like to be in my relationship with Christ, but I get closer every day.  I feel very accomplished in my life, and that's something they can never look down on me for.  Okay. Off my soapbox.

I've never been the one who easily gets A's.  It was always hard work to just get a B.  But my kids?  They are smart!  SO smart.  I don't know how it happened!  My 2 year old knows all of his letters and all of their sounds...he's even sounding out words.  My 4 year old is starting to actually read 7-8 letter words.  Laney always always gets 100's on her spelling tests and math tests...I always have good reports from her teachers, about how she understands everything, and how she excels at everything.  Chloe does very well in school too, but she struggles a little bit, like I did.  I know she'll be fine.  She's not dumb.  It just takes her a little longer to get it, but she works hard for what she gets. I praise God for giving them this gift of knowledge.  I hope school and learning will always come easily for them. 

I'm already watching their homework get more and more difficult...Laney is starting to learn about liquids, solids, and gas.  oy.  I hope they don't ever need help with it when they get older.  They'll have to go to their dad. 

If it's pictures they want, I'm their woman.

My {biggest} girl

My precious Laney.  What can I say?  She's the sweetest girl you'll ever want to meet.

She has such a tender heart, and she's so compassionate.  I hope she never loses that way about her.

My {littlest} girl

How can one little girl hold so much personality? 

I don't know the answer to that, but I do know that I love every bit of it!