Already 2 weeks in...

Yes, I'm back & longer than EVER!!! well maybe not longer...I won't know till I'm done. LOL

Gabby came home yesterday & told me that her new AR reading score is 3.1-4.1. I was like wow you've improved over the summer. I think her last score was 3.2 and that was the high end of the rage. Then last night I had the opportunity to meet Gabby's teacher. She's very nice & she told me that she's probably going to take Gabby & a few of the other kids that read really well & let them get through their stuff very quickly. I was thinking...hmm that's kinda cool. (Guess I didn't realize she was at such a high level.) Especially since last year she struggled to have time to take her AR tests but as Adam reminded me, her teacher last year said that had to do with her age (she was the youngest kid in her class & some kids were almost 2 yrs older than her) & that we shouldn't worry about it.
Fast forward to this afternoon when she gave me all her papers from school. She had her STAR test results and as I read the results my eyes teared up. Yup, call me an emotional sap if you must...I won't deny it. (And doesn't that make you feel sorry for Adam when I was pregnant & had more emotional stuff to deal with. LOL) Back to the present, as I read the results I was totally impressed & proud of my little girl (whom isn't so little anymore. Well she's still really tiny compared to other kids her age but she's growing up fast.) Apparently her results stated

"Gabby reads at a grade level equivalent to that of a typical 4th grader after the 3rd month of the school year. She reads at a level greater than 97% of other students nationally in the same grade. This score is above -average. She is at least 80% proficient at recognizing words and comprehending reading material. And she is at least 80% proficient at reading 3rd grade words & books. And her Zone of Proximal Development is 3.1-4.8."

It may seem like I'm bragging a bit because....well, I am. But not because I think she is more brilliant than any one else's kid. This is more of a relief to me that we made the right decision to push her into the class that we did when she started elementary school. This is me being extremely happy for her that she excelled in something when I think she has always felt like she was lagging behind & would sometimes get frustrated with her school work. I am so proud of her & feel as though all the time we've invested in her is finally showing. She still struggles with adding & subtracting & it was getting to the point that I was nervous that she just wouldn't get it but tonight she was telling me ways I could figure out that 7+7=14 if I didn't know it. If I knew 6+6=12 then I know that I just have to add 2 more to get to my answer. This isn't how she was thinking just a few days ago. And she still struggles with being quick to get things done but as she's maturing I see her speed quicken too...she may just blow us COMPLETELY out of the water & I'd LOVE to see that happen. She's just exceeding my expectations & I'm lovin' it!

Though I haven't talked to Braly's teacher yet to see how she gauges his abilities; I have no doubt that he's doing well. He has been reading for quite a long time & is getting better at sounding very large words out. He's been able to count well over 100 for a long time too so he's doing great there but he struggles with the fine motor skills of writing his name and coloring in the lines neatly. I think that has to do a lot with his personality so I'm not overly concerned. I was hoping that he wouldn't get bored in his class since he knows all the letters & the sounds & that is something they are working on as they learn to read. The great thing for Braly is that they changed the way they are teaching the kids the letters & the sounds by incorporating sign language. It's fabulous & he's really enjoying it. He's been coming home & showing me the letters that he's learned & signing them. I'm glad that I learned them when I was little so I can help him out. It's pretty cool to be able to relate to what he's working on. I find it funny that he thinks I'm a cool mom since I know the stuff that he's learning. Kinda like this summer when I started playing Super Mario Brothers 3 on the Game Boy Advance with him. He told me I was pretty cool since I can beat so many of the levels. I dare say that I'm even better than dad. LOL. Braly talks about several kids in his class & tells us of things that he's been playing with some of his new friends & some old friends (from previous classes at Headstart) while they are out at recess. He is quite the social butterfly.

One of the best things about this year (I am unbelievably thankful for) is that Gabby & Braly get on the same bus at the same time in the morning. They are A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!!! No, I really mean it! They hold hands as they cross the street to get on their bus & then sit together & wave, make faces, blow kisses, etc to Morgie & me as the bus drives away. This is the BEST thing in my book. I no longer have to struggle to get Gabby on the bus & Braly too. He gave me a hard time a few times last year. oh.... Gabby has been difficult for the last 4 years that she's been attending school. NOT this year & I think it makes a HUGE difference in her demeanor and in her school work as well. It has been wonderful for me to be able to wave "see ya later" to them and walk in the house with a smile on my face & not have to collapse on the couch from emotional exhaustion that I had to force my child to get on the bus because I knew it was the best thing for her to do, that she likes school, and would be fine by the time she reached the end of our block.

Today was a great day and I thank God & my family for this wonderful glorious day that I have been privileged to have enjoyed. All praise to Him! Now it's time for me to get some sleep. At least its Sat & we get to sleep in. horray!!!

Our 10th Anniversary!

What? It's seriously been 10 years already? Time sure does fly by and yet at the same time it doesn't seem that 10 years has already gone by. I sure do love Adam & I know that he loves me. I am thankful that he is so patient, kind, loving, a great role model, awesome father, a hard worker, intelligent, family oriented, godly man, handsome, man of great integrity, leader, talented, etc... I feel completely blessed to have said "I do!" 10 years ago on the most beautiful summer day in front of God & many of our family & friends. Truly Blessed!!!! Thanks Babe for 10 years...we've got a lot more ahead of us. :)

Everyday Life 2009

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School 2008 to 2009

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Morgie Alpha

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Happy July!

Can't believe it is already July 1st. Time just keeps slipping away from me. And our summer is filling up quickly with places to go & things to do. It's so nice having the kids home with me. I really do like it. And I especially love watching them play together.

Today I am getting my hair trimmed & dropping the kids off to my friend Tiffany's while I get a mini pampering session. Then off to the gas station to spend too much money & get some milk and then home again, home again, jiggidy, jig, jig.

Really need to make a grocery list to do some shopping probably tomorrow. I'm so thankful for wonderful children that are willing to help me (sometimes with a little coaxing) to put all their laundry away & haul it to the basement 3 times a week. So helpful to the family & such a blessing.

Must head out soon. I really need to put a slide show of pictures on here if I can get it to work. I always seem to have trouble getting them to upload. It takes so long & I really have to concentrate on getting my last photo book done & ordered by Saturday. I sure am feeling the pressure lately & yet still enjoying the summer.

Where does the time go?

I can't believe it has been nearly 2 months since I updated this blog. So many little things have happened in that time & yet things still seem quite the same. Funny how time goes by so quickly.

We're still in the middle of redoing the dining room & I have run out of ambition to wash the wallpaper paste from the walls at the moment. I think getting the wiring half done yesterday will help rev up my ambition to get it finished so we can have things moved back into their places & be 'more normal'. At the moment the 2 bookshelves that belong in the dining room are in the living room crowding it a bit. But at least I don't have ugly wires hanging from my walls & ceiling now which is an improvement.

Gabby & Braly have had gymnastics all this week. Today is their last day & I know they are going to miss it but at the same time I think they will enjoy not having to get ready to leave somewhere every day. Will seem more like summer vacation next week. Adam was going to have next week off but due to some scheduling errors he's taking a partial week & will take another partial week at a different time when it fits into our schedule so we can do some fun day trips.

Gabby had to have a filling that she had a few months ago fixed yesterday. Part of it must have been a tad too high & it chipped off. She's turning 7 on Sunday & I have yet to figure out what to buy this girl for a gift. Normally she's got all sorts of ideas of what she wants but not this time. Kinda nice in a way because maybe that means she's content with the things she has. I don't think one can say that about most children. Since her birthday is on Father's Day this year I have to find a way to celebrate both events, making them special & I seem to have run out of ideas at the moment. We are heading to Marquette Childrens Museum on Monday but I feel that there has to be some celebrating happening on the actual day.

Morgan has been having breathing trouble, stuffed up nose, especially at night for the last few weeks & it is getting OLD! That means that after having a breathing treatement, a few hours later she wakes up totally freaked out & is hard to calm down. I don't think it is nightmares but rather trouble breathing because sometimes she's finally calm & then she starts crying again. I've gotten out of her a few times now that her nose hurts & it causes her to cry. Seems that another doctor visit will be in store for us next week. I may try to get Braly & Gabby's checkups done at the same time since we go to Iron Mountain & its just better to make the trip there really count.

Braly is so excited that he'll be going to the same school as Gabby in the fall. He'll be in the regular Kindergarten class which means he'll go straight to 1st grade the following year. He counts to 100, reads quite a bit & knows so much. Yesterday he told me that he knows everything. LOL how funny is that? I told him he does know a lot but he's got a lot more to learn.

Gabby & Braly are signed up for the summer reading program & now we have at least 6 hours of reading ahead of us. Good thing I enjoy reading to the kids so much & that we do it quite frequently (and that we can get it done at the same time so it isn't 12 hours of reading b4 they turn their slips in). The kids enjoy our devotional reading every night. Although Morgan is a little hard to get to sit down sometimes. But she's only 2 1/2 so she'll come around. We've got such an awesome daily devotional book for the entire year. It's simple for them to understand & to read themselves if they choose & it has the cutest art work. I really enjoy it myself & really like the things that it teaches us to do.

I've got TONS of pictures to post. Especially of our visit with Carol, Travis, Darien, Alexis, & Nathan. All I have to say is it was a lot of fun to meet them & start to get to know them. And Gabby, Braly, & Morgan had so much fun with them that they cried when they left. In fact, Braly cried for the next few days each time he thought about playing with the boys. Really makes me realize how much he misses having boys to play with. Playing with his sisters just isn't the same. Wish all the cousins were closer so they'd have each other to play with but since they aren't, I'm going to have to do better at getting some friends to play with him & do boy things.

Time to wrap this one up. Sorry it is so long...oh wait...not really. Just trying to keep everyone in the loop as best I can & obviously I haven't been doing very good so I'll try to do better. It's time for me to eat & get the kids ready for our last day of gymnastics. I've got videos & pics of them doing the balance beam, vault, uneven bars, & floor exercises. They are so cute & so full of energy & minimal fear. Oh to be a child again.