August 8, 2013
Dear Kiera,
You my darling baby girl are such a delight each and every day! You have learned so many things this year and are constantly surprising us. Like today when you decided to color your legs completely blue :). You are such a little talker and we can understand most of what you say now. You've been speaking in sentences for months now and your vocabulary astounds me! I think my favorite is that you know the word iPad. You have mastered your colors and are working on counting. Somehow, you have learned letters even though I'm sure that I ever taught these to you directly. This week was your first week in a princess toddler bed. I wasn't sure that this was the right time for it, but once you saw it, you insisted on sleeping in it so down came the crib! I think we're also on the verge of potty training...that will be a big celebration! No more diapers in the house!
You have such a funny sense of humor. You recently mastered the distinction between boys and girls and then decided it was hilarious to call boys girls and girls boys! You just giggle and giggle about it. One of your favorite bedtime routines (that daddy made up) is to sing "rock a bye ____" and fill in the blank with family members. It's so cute to hear you list all the people in your family for the song.
You amaze me each day with your learning and growth. You have introduced this house to princesses, pink, and baby dolls. Thank you for that :). Don't get me wrong, you are not a complete girly girl. You still love play outside, use your brothers swords, build legos, and play dinosaurs. One of your favorite toys is actually our marble tower! I can't wait to see what age 2 will bring for you!
P.S. You called me mom for the first time today instead of mama. #growinguptoofast
Love,
Mommy
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Dear Luke (age 6)
August 8, 2013
Dear Luke,
Luke you turned 6 just a couple of weeks ago and began 1st grade yesterday. I can't believe how quickly you are growing up! You are such an amazing young man. I marvel at how kind, compassionate, and responsible you are at such a young age. You think about others and always want to help those who need food, clothing, or toys. You love playing with your friends in the neighborhood - Matthew and Asxel. Making friends has always come easily for you and I pray that this continues throughout your life. At school, your best friend Gabriel is in your class for the 2nd year in a row. You can read so many books now - such a long way from the small books we read at the beginning of kindergarten. I love that you read from your Bible and want to know and understand God's word. You've been asking about baptism so I'm guessing that milestone will be in the near future. I pray that you talk to God often and about everything.
Some of your favorite things as a 6 year old are Star Wars, Legos, your new remote control car, swimming, riding the red board at the lake, playing with friends or Macy, going to the lake, riding your bike, and playing hockey. You decided to try gymnastics and basketball this year so we will see how you like those. Your biggest accomplishments this year were learning to read and skate/play hockey.
My favorite things about you are that you are smart, funny, kind, a good brother to Kiera and Gabe, and super responsible. I can trust you to follow directions and make good choices and I really appreciate that. Before I know it, you will be grown and making all of your own decisions. You have such a bright future, I cannot wait to see how you grow this year.
Love,
Mom
Dear Luke,
Luke you turned 6 just a couple of weeks ago and began 1st grade yesterday. I can't believe how quickly you are growing up! You are such an amazing young man. I marvel at how kind, compassionate, and responsible you are at such a young age. You think about others and always want to help those who need food, clothing, or toys. You love playing with your friends in the neighborhood - Matthew and Asxel. Making friends has always come easily for you and I pray that this continues throughout your life. At school, your best friend Gabriel is in your class for the 2nd year in a row. You can read so many books now - such a long way from the small books we read at the beginning of kindergarten. I love that you read from your Bible and want to know and understand God's word. You've been asking about baptism so I'm guessing that milestone will be in the near future. I pray that you talk to God often and about everything.
Some of your favorite things as a 6 year old are Star Wars, Legos, your new remote control car, swimming, riding the red board at the lake, playing with friends or Macy, going to the lake, riding your bike, and playing hockey. You decided to try gymnastics and basketball this year so we will see how you like those. Your biggest accomplishments this year were learning to read and skate/play hockey.
My favorite things about you are that you are smart, funny, kind, a good brother to Kiera and Gabe, and super responsible. I can trust you to follow directions and make good choices and I really appreciate that. Before I know it, you will be grown and making all of your own decisions. You have such a bright future, I cannot wait to see how you grow this year.
Love,
Mom
Dear Gabe (age 3)
August 8, 2013
Dear Gabe,
You are officially 3 now (actually you have been for a few months, but mommy's a little behind on writing this). You are so much fun to play with! You have mastered riding your Lightning McQueen bike up and down hills. You love to ride all the way to the stop sign and back. Exploring nature and learning about plants are some of your favorite activities. You love to help our neighbor, Abbie, in her garden and you have learned a lot of plant names and gardening tips. This summer you learned to swing yourself on the big swings. Your favorite color varies, but I think it is red at the moment. You have the brightest blue eyes that light up the room. Today we did puzzles together and you are a master puzzle worker. You easily complete the 24 piece puzzles with very little or no help from us. You also enjoy the big floor puzzles. Legos are like puzzles for you and you are very talented at manipulating such small pieces. This week, you also started your first gymnastics class. Your goal is to learn a cartwheel (I think that may be a few lessons away). You are an excellent helper when we cook or work on projects. You did a wonderful job listening to your teacher and doing all the activities so I know that you will flourish in preschool. Speaking of preschool, you begin in just over a week. You tell me that you are very excited so I hope that you have a wonderful experience. You have known all your letters for quite awhile and we are working on the sounds. You're good at counting to 10 (and sometimes to 20). I am amazed at what a smart little boy you are. I am so proud of you!
Love,
Mommy
Dear Gabe,
You are officially 3 now (actually you have been for a few months, but mommy's a little behind on writing this). You are so much fun to play with! You have mastered riding your Lightning McQueen bike up and down hills. You love to ride all the way to the stop sign and back. Exploring nature and learning about plants are some of your favorite activities. You love to help our neighbor, Abbie, in her garden and you have learned a lot of plant names and gardening tips. This summer you learned to swing yourself on the big swings. Your favorite color varies, but I think it is red at the moment. You have the brightest blue eyes that light up the room. Today we did puzzles together and you are a master puzzle worker. You easily complete the 24 piece puzzles with very little or no help from us. You also enjoy the big floor puzzles. Legos are like puzzles for you and you are very talented at manipulating such small pieces. This week, you also started your first gymnastics class. Your goal is to learn a cartwheel (I think that may be a few lessons away). You are an excellent helper when we cook or work on projects. You did a wonderful job listening to your teacher and doing all the activities so I know that you will flourish in preschool. Speaking of preschool, you begin in just over a week. You tell me that you are very excited so I hope that you have a wonderful experience. You have known all your letters for quite awhile and we are working on the sounds. You're good at counting to 10 (and sometimes to 20). I am amazed at what a smart little boy you are. I am so proud of you!
Love,
Mommy
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Is Spring Here Yet?
The end of winter can be rough. The kids are itching to get outside, but the weather just won't quite cooperate for more than a few days at a time. Luke's "spring break" is a week away and we're hopeful that it will at least be warm enough to play outside (even if we are bundled up).
The big news is that we added a cat to our family. Luke was thrilled to bring him home last week (especially since we made him endure allergy testing beforehand)! Luckily, his allergy testing revealed only one reaction - alternaria (a mold common in dead leaves and soil). I'm still not sure what this little kitty's name is. His name was Crook when we adopted him - that's not going to cut it. Luke has named him Jaguar, while Gabe has chosen Tiger. Kiera is sticking with her choice of a high pitched squeal every time she sees him. He is a pretty awesome cat though. He lets Gabe and Kiera carry him around without putting up a fight and he comes willingly to Luke. He does have a spot under the couch claimed for when he wants a break from the chaos.
Luke's hockey season ended and he was super proud of his trophy. He then had quite a decision to make between baseball and soccer. In the end soccer won out, which is nice because they play once a week and baseball was 3 times a week! He was so excited about soccer that we wound up at the store tonight to pick up shin guards, socks, and of course a soccer ball. Somehow, we wound up buying 3 soccer balls or the price of one since they were on clearance! Definitely a good choice since Gabe and Kiera were thrilled to have their own balls. Gabe was a little sad that he didn't get shin guards...might be making another trip to the store.
Gabe's rational thinking and rule following behavior are developing like crazy. He commented about how someone cut off the bottom of an E to make and F - very random. Unfortunately, his rule following concepts are mostly for other people and not for himself. He clearly informs his siblings or friends what they should or should not be doing, though he may very well be breaking the same rule. Gabe is super excited about preschool starting next fall and has started trying to spell words!
Kiera continues to real add words to her jibber jabber language. She still confuses up and down and gets really mad if you don't guess the right one! She is all about going "bye bye" anytime to anyplace (except home). She had a blast today visiting the WonderLab, Kohls, and MC Sports. She had a friend about her age over the other day so she had to practicing sharing her toys. It went better than a few weeks ago, but she definitely gives them a look if they have what she wants!
The end of winter can be rough. The kids are itching to get outside, but the weather just won't quite cooperate for more than a few days at a time. Luke's "spring break" is a week away and we're hopeful that it will at least be warm enough to play outside (even if we are bundled up).
The big news is that we added a cat to our family. Luke was thrilled to bring him home last week (especially since we made him endure allergy testing beforehand)! Luckily, his allergy testing revealed only one reaction - alternaria (a mold common in dead leaves and soil). I'm still not sure what this little kitty's name is. His name was Crook when we adopted him - that's not going to cut it. Luke has named him Jaguar, while Gabe has chosen Tiger. Kiera is sticking with her choice of a high pitched squeal every time she sees him. He is a pretty awesome cat though. He lets Gabe and Kiera carry him around without putting up a fight and he comes willingly to Luke. He does have a spot under the couch claimed for when he wants a break from the chaos.
Luke's hockey season ended and he was super proud of his trophy. He then had quite a decision to make between baseball and soccer. In the end soccer won out, which is nice because they play once a week and baseball was 3 times a week! He was so excited about soccer that we wound up at the store tonight to pick up shin guards, socks, and of course a soccer ball. Somehow, we wound up buying 3 soccer balls or the price of one since they were on clearance! Definitely a good choice since Gabe and Kiera were thrilled to have their own balls. Gabe was a little sad that he didn't get shin guards...might be making another trip to the store.
Gabe's rational thinking and rule following behavior are developing like crazy. He commented about how someone cut off the bottom of an E to make and F - very random. Unfortunately, his rule following concepts are mostly for other people and not for himself. He clearly informs his siblings or friends what they should or should not be doing, though he may very well be breaking the same rule. Gabe is super excited about preschool starting next fall and has started trying to spell words!
Kiera continues to real add words to her jibber jabber language. She still confuses up and down and gets really mad if you don't guess the right one! She is all about going "bye bye" anytime to anyplace (except home). She had a blast today visiting the WonderLab, Kohls, and MC Sports. She had a friend about her age over the other day so she had to practicing sharing her toys. It went better than a few weeks ago, but she definitely gives them a look if they have what she wants!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Winter 2013
Winter break flew by way too quickly and we are still trying to get back into a normal routine around here! Everyone's been busy and growing. Here are a few highlights:
Luke has joined the local hockey league and now plays in full gear twice a week. He is so excited about it that he invited his teacher and several classmates to watch him play last night! He was thrilled when Mrs. B and one of his classmates actually came to cheer him on! Luke is also learning to read harder books and impresses us with his new skills daily. His goal is to read chapter books by summer. Last weekend, he earned a trip to Jumpin' Joeys for an outstanding report card and for being named Star Student for the 3rd time this year! Luke's newest interest is science. He decided to spend his Christmas money on a chemistry set and has enjoyed mixing up some unique concoctions.
Gabe is busy mastering puzzles, his alphabet, and his counting skills. His vocabulary is amazing for his age and he seems to be taking after Luke in many areas. He still loves dressing up in his costumes and playing games with Luke. He is excited about turning 3 in April and starting preschool next year. The picture below pretty much sums up how he spends his time: Dressed as a ninja turtle, wearing a Band-aid (no injury though), and playing in the bean table.
Kiera keeps growing taller, but is only in the 10th percentile for weight (though I assured her doctor that she eats plenty). She is learning to stand her own ground with the boys and puts up quite a fight if they try to take her toys. Unfortunately, this also transferred over to friends who came to play... She's a people pleaser who loves to help though so we're trying to convince the boys to simply ask for the toys because she will willingly hand them over 90% of the time! Kiera is also on the verge of talking a lot! She repeats new words every time we read books so it's only a matter of time before the squeals, grunts, and cries are replaced by nonstop chatter :). Ah, yes and she spends her time sitting on top of the train table just because she can.
I have been playing with our new camera which turned out to be a late Christmas gift since our other one quit working over break.
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