How Kids Respond to "Can We Take a Nice Picture?"

So we are at my home parish that I attended growing up. The scenery is quite lovely. Why don't we take a nice picture of you two? We need one for the frame at home! Can everyone smile nicely?

Take 1

Take 2

Take 3

Take 11

This is not working

Look how much they love this.

Take 14 and Ms. 4 going on 14

Take 22 

They are holding their ground. Is it Christmas card worthy yet?

Great. Just great. 

This is what you wanted, right Mom?

A Caring Boy

Scott and I are pretty excited about Zachary's award.  This will be his 3rd year in a row to receive the pillar paw caring award.  He has his ups and downs and he's not perfect but he does have a caring heart. At school he tries extra hard to be nice and kind to others and he also wants to make sure he does a good job on his work (sometimes a little too perfect) and in class. I think most kids do. I guess he's figured out how to make it happen. Great job sweet Zachary. So proud of you.

Yes, I know. I've posted a picture of my old phone. Yes, unfortunately, this iphone 4 became "old."  I had it for 2 1/2 wonderful years, all the while refusing to download ios 7 b/c I had heard of how much slower it made a 4.  You may think, I just don't like change. I think it's more that I don't like un-necessary change!  And ios 6 was so beautiful! I loved the way it looked. Sure there's a few perks to upgrading to 7 or 8, but...sigh....I just loved it. I do like my new iphone 5. It's faster definitely.  It has some new cool features. I'm not in love with the new colors.  Bright neon texts with white writing are not my thing. So here is one last tribute to English's iPhone.  

Beginning of 2nd Grade!

Zachary has begun 2nd Grade! It's so amazing that we have a 7 yr old already.  It's even stranger because my mother has taught 2nd grade for years and to think that my son has reached the grade she taught is unbelievable! Trying to enjoy every moment! I love my little, growing buddy!

First day of 2nd grade

Walking to school

Met some friends along the way!

It's always fun to start the first day of school with friends. 

This is where we wait in the mornings. We get to read or practice math.

Pillar Paw Award: Caring!

Me and my principal!

Check Ups

Check Ups, from an Adelyn Perspective

Check Ups are not the most fun thing in the world to do.  When I was 3, I was NOT happy about getting check ups. I definitely did not like the dentist that year. That big chair thing looked very big and scary.  This year, however, I'm 4 and I was very brave.  I went to the doctor for my check up and got my shots and the next day I went to the dentist and was very compliant! Her office is cool because for our x-rays we get to sit in a horse saddle, while we wait for our turn we get to play with toys in the check up room, and THEN we get to watch TV ON THE CEILING!! Since I was so brave, I got ice cream after on BOTH days. 

Mommy also found some cool books called "Elf Help" books. It's stories about elves who have to handle many situations.  I have one called Feeling Bad, Getting Better and it helped me understand more about going to the doctor, getting checkups, and why it's important to go. We also love Berenstain Bears. 

This is me getting my hearing test! I hear VERY well.  

Zachary is having his turn at the dentist watching the Lego Movie

I'm waiting my turn here in the check up room!

My turn now. Zachary gets to play. This is not my favorite movie but it's still cool!

Cute Stories

Funny event while I was at work.
Today I observed a pre-school class and during their lunch, I witnessed a pre-school girl ask the boy she was sitting next to if he would marry her. Without even looking up at her he said, "I would have to stay in my room all day!" I'm pretty sure they are still friends...she was mad at first but 30 seconds later was singing happy tunes with him.


Funny Story on FB from my friend Erika.
So tonight during our nightly bedtime conversation Jaxson let me know that he and Adelyn are going to get married when they're 28, she's going to drive most of the time because he's scared too, but he will when she gets tired, and they're going to live in our house. Sweet, right?? I said, "Oh? So, we're all going to live together?" To which he replied, "No mom, you'll be dead." Well, alrighty then!

Both of the kids loved the Llama Llama books.  Adelyn still really enjoys them. They are sweet books with good lessons and a little bit of rhyming and rhythm. Not to mention, cute stories. The Magik Theatre here in San Antonio put on the play this spring.  Adelyn was really excited to go see it!! 

It's Worth It!

Here is a FB post from back in March.  

About 2 seconds prior, this guy was continuing on about how it was so late, he was so exhausted, and it was so past his bedtime. I guess this payoff was worth it! 

Sharing Hats

Scott before going to work one day in February: "I can't find my hat. And it's cold outside."

Adelyn: "Oh no problem Daddy, you can wear my doggie hat." 

Adelyn's First T-Ball

Adelyn is really loving t-ball!  She asked several times during the fall and winter to play and she was able to play this spring. There is so much sequencing required in t-ball/baseball but the kids have really come a long way in learning the routine and developing their muscle coordination.  Here's another friend on her team and also a video of her batting!

New Phrases...End of May 2014

I have done a terrible job updating in the past few months!!  The kids have continued to grow as well as say and do new things.

I'll just begin with a few cute things Adelyn has said. I really should remember to write more of them down...I would have had much longer page!

Every morning when I ask Adelyn to get dressed she says, "Okay Mom. Is it hot, cold, in the middle or soggy?"
Never mind that winter is over and there is not much chance that it's cold...although San Antonio does have a lot of cloud cover in the morning making it cooler which validates "in the middle."  Now soggy......she must either mean that it's wet, or she's intelligently combined rainy and foggy into one and is saving herself time by choosing one word. :)

Adelyn learned a few knock knock jokes such as the one with "boo who?  don't cry!"  She tried to make up a few of her own. She started making up a whole bunch. I guess by the last one she was actually getting tired of me saying my part of the joke...."Such n such who?"...even though she was the one asking.....So this time she said "Knock Knock", I said "Who's there?", she said, "Adelyn" and I said "Adelyn who?"  Realizing she was ready to move on to something else she just said, "Adelyn MYSELF!"  Okay....I'm more than happy to be done with knock knock jokes.  Let's move on.

Commonly used phrases by Adelyn:

That was terrific!  (one time specifically was while watching the pinewood derby)
This is fascinating me! (usually when riding her bike really fast)
Dad, I am officially done! (at the dinner table)

Finally Learned to French Braid

I finally learned a skill that I wore on my head as a kid several times a week and that I've watched everyone else around me do. Enter French Braid.  In some ways as a kid I was "girly" but when it came to fashion, I just had to be comfortable enough to run around on the field at recess.  My mother often enjoyed making French braids in my hair several times a week to my detriment because then I had to sit there with my tender head for the 5-10 minutes it took her to make it.  They always looked beautiful but when I hit about age 11 I said "no more".  It was too much effort in the morning and it was too "girly" for me at that time.  

As a mom, however, I do think it looks cool on my daughter's head and it helps her hair to not come undone which we do have problems with after making pony tails. After my neighbor made a simple one for her one day I decided maybe it was time I figured out how to make it. I could have opened up Youtube but I was too lazy to pull out my computer while doing her hair.  Instead I tried to remember back to childhood and what in the world Mom was doing back there while I sat on the stool reading.  She never started with much hair at all so I tried to add as I went on Adelyn.  Finished product is above. 

I Love Music and Art!

My name is Adelyn. I love a lot of things and music and art are two of them. 

 I found a song that is fun to dance to!  

I love to paint! I am always excited when Mommy makes that suggestion. 

My leaf project! I have been asking to do this for a long time!

I want to play guitar like Mommy!  

Adelyn's Gymnastics Beginnings

I love gymnastics!! Every Monday Mommy takes me to gymnastics play time.  I look forward to it all week long. We get to climb and tumble along an obstacle course, jump down the long trampoline, jump on the regular sized trampolines, hang on the rings, walk across the balance beam, play on the bars, hula-hoop, and launch ourselves into the pit!  After we are finished we get stamps on our feet.  Sometimes my friends Isabella and Vanna come too. There I am up on the bar!  Can you do this too?? Warning: This activity is A LOT of fun.