This past Thursday Kaitlin turned eight, and being that she's my youngest child, I first had to take a deep breath, swallow down the shock that in ten years she'll be a grown up, and begin celebrating! Is it just me, or can you never really do all your birthday celebrating in one day when you're a kid? The real celebration took place this weekend when we went out to dinner at Red Robin with her bff who also spent the night. I believe the highlight of the evening was either watching Barbie Fashion Fairytale, or playing with every Build-a-Bear in the house. Either way, she enjoyed her birthday, and I enjoyed seeing her have fun.
You know, it's really amazing being a mom. It's such a delighful journey - a complete blessing to be a caretaker of God's children. Sometimes I worry I might screw up, but most of the time I am in awe of how God uses them to bless me, teach me, and comfort me. I would never in a million years trade in the blessings I've been given, especially my three girls!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Spring Breakin' It
Although it feels like summer today in Murphy, TX with highs in the 80s, it has been Spring Break for us this week. After school Friday, we hurried home to finish packing and get the house in order for our departure. We left fairly early Saturday and made it to Denver just in time for lunch. We are always so fortunate to be able to visit my parents, but this time we had an extra special opportunity to visit with my Aunt Chelsea. Sunday morning we woke up to winter, which was not what I had expected at all! I did not pack winter clothes, so thankfully it didn't stick around. The girls did get the opportunity to sled down the hill, but to my relief the snow was gone by the afternoon.
I won't bore you with all the details of our trip, but here are the highlights:
Sunday - ARGO Gold Mine. We toured the mine, wandered through the mill (I'd never done that before, and it was really interesting), then panned for gold.
Monday - Air and Space Museum at Buckley AF Base. This is a gem of a museum! The girls got to fly a Wright Flyer Simulator, sat in different training pods for United Airlines, and got up close to many airplanes. They also had the weapons (including nuclear) with the planes, which is not something I've seen before. The girls got the flying bug for sure!
Tuesday - Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. This zoo was incredible! We were so close to the giraffes that we could pet and feed them right out of our hands. An orangutan kissed us through the glass, we were close enough to pet the mountain lions, the turtles, and many other animals. The added plus - it was in the mountains, and they took advantage of it in all their landscaping. Pretty cool.
Wednesday - The movies. What is spring break without heading to the movies? We saw "Gnomeo and Juliet." It was really cute, and the girls enjoyed it. They'd been begging to see it, so I'm glad we did!
Sadly, our trip ended Thursday. I'd love for it to last forever, but then it wouldn't be vacation!
I won't bore you with all the details of our trip, but here are the highlights:
Sunday - ARGO Gold Mine. We toured the mine, wandered through the mill (I'd never done that before, and it was really interesting), then panned for gold.
Monday - Air and Space Museum at Buckley AF Base. This is a gem of a museum! The girls got to fly a Wright Flyer Simulator, sat in different training pods for United Airlines, and got up close to many airplanes. They also had the weapons (including nuclear) with the planes, which is not something I've seen before. The girls got the flying bug for sure!
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| Yes, that is R2D2 in the background! |
Tuesday - Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. This zoo was incredible! We were so close to the giraffes that we could pet and feed them right out of our hands. An orangutan kissed us through the glass, we were close enough to pet the mountain lions, the turtles, and many other animals. The added plus - it was in the mountains, and they took advantage of it in all their landscaping. Pretty cool.
Wednesday - The movies. What is spring break without heading to the movies? We saw "Gnomeo and Juliet." It was really cute, and the girls enjoyed it. They'd been begging to see it, so I'm glad we did!
Sadly, our trip ended Thursday. I'd love for it to last forever, but then it wouldn't be vacation!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Springtime in Texas
Well, spring has arrived in Texas, and you know what that means. Seventy degrees one day, followed by forty the next. Having lived here for twenty years, you'd think I'd be used to it. But I'm not! Today is one of the chillier days, but being a Texan, I know that summer comes all too quick and now is the time to get out doors and enjoy it! So, that's what we've been doing the last few weekends. Last weekend we took a trip to Bonham state park. I took about 100 pictures, but I thought I'd share just a few.
This week has been really busy at school as well. I admit, I could have worked until 6pm every day and still not get finished. But, that would not be fair to the girls! On Thursday Elissa went to the symphony for a program. Here are a few pics of her in a dress - I know, rare!
Kaitlin had a program Thursday night in conjunction with Multi-cultural night at her school. She marched in the parade of nations and represented Scotland. So cute! I made the skirt from our family's tartan.
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| Three beautiful girls on the trails. |
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| Enjoying the day together. |
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| A sleepy girl being carried by her daddy. |
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| Isn't she a beautiful girl? |
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| I'm so excited to go to the symphony! |
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| I mean, really excited! |
Kaitlin had a program Thursday night in conjunction with Multi-cultural night at her school. She marched in the parade of nations and represented Scotland. So cute! I made the skirt from our family's tartan.
Grace, my super busy teenager, has found time to create a blog for her small group. Check it out! http://www.christfollowingteens.blogspot.com/
Do you feel caught up yet?
Just looking at the pictures (as well as all the ones I did not post), I am reminded of my blessings. What an amazing family I have!
Blessings to you all,
Wendy
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Balanced Learning
A friend and I went to see "Race to Nowhere" last night. If you haven't heard of it, it's a documentary about burned out students and concerned parents. What an eye opener! I tried to watch it both from a parent perspective and that of an educator. It was the end of a professional development day where the focus was on the student's learning, not the teacher.
As a parent, I was a little distraught. I watched the students in the movie talk about the hours of homework they have every night, and the pressure they are under, beginning at a young age and accelerating as they speed through high school. I kept thinking about my daughters, and how I don't want them to be focused on college and their careers at a young age. However, the reality is not my desire. Grace is already thinking about college, her career, and her choices in school with regards to that. Her enrollment in courses for this year in seventh grade and next year in eighth grade are directly related to her career aspirations. Now, if you know Grace, you know she is driven to succeed. This is her drive, not my drive or Aaron's drive. We want her to be successful, and we try to advise her the best we can, but we do not push her. After all, she pushes herself enough that we don't need to. We suggest that she choose electives that she wants to take because she finds them interesting, not because they will look good on a college application. After all, she's only in seventh grade, and her college application is a long way away.
As an educator, one thing really stuck out in my mind. Are the children learning? And by learning, I don't mean applying a formula to solve math problems, but are they learning to be problem solvers? Are they learning how to live life? Are they learning to develop a project, implement it, and analyze the results? I can imagine that spending hours doing homework might make a student cram information into their brains, rather than actually figure out how to use it in real life.
Now, in life, we aim for balance. A balanced diet. A balanced check book. A balance of academics and extra-curricular activities. Balance between work and family. With my kids, I'm aiming for that too. I'll continue to do what I do - encouraging my girls to make great choices at school, but still play on the weekends and enjoy their childhood! After all, they are only children once. As an educator, I'll continue to keep student learning at the forefront, and make my lessons real and relevant for them.
As a parent, I was a little distraught. I watched the students in the movie talk about the hours of homework they have every night, and the pressure they are under, beginning at a young age and accelerating as they speed through high school. I kept thinking about my daughters, and how I don't want them to be focused on college and their careers at a young age. However, the reality is not my desire. Grace is already thinking about college, her career, and her choices in school with regards to that. Her enrollment in courses for this year in seventh grade and next year in eighth grade are directly related to her career aspirations. Now, if you know Grace, you know she is driven to succeed. This is her drive, not my drive or Aaron's drive. We want her to be successful, and we try to advise her the best we can, but we do not push her. After all, she pushes herself enough that we don't need to. We suggest that she choose electives that she wants to take because she finds them interesting, not because they will look good on a college application. After all, she's only in seventh grade, and her college application is a long way away.
As an educator, one thing really stuck out in my mind. Are the children learning? And by learning, I don't mean applying a formula to solve math problems, but are they learning to be problem solvers? Are they learning how to live life? Are they learning to develop a project, implement it, and analyze the results? I can imagine that spending hours doing homework might make a student cram information into their brains, rather than actually figure out how to use it in real life.
Now, in life, we aim for balance. A balanced diet. A balanced check book. A balance of academics and extra-curricular activities. Balance between work and family. With my kids, I'm aiming for that too. I'll continue to do what I do - encouraging my girls to make great choices at school, but still play on the weekends and enjoy their childhood! After all, they are only children once. As an educator, I'll continue to keep student learning at the forefront, and make my lessons real and relevant for them.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Playing catch up here!
So, I have been a bad poster lately. My apologies. We have just been so busy with ice storms and sickness in our house! But, we're finally on the mend. In the last month, Kaitlin has had two rounds of strep, we've had five days with no school (on school days!), and I've had a really nasty cold. Despite all this, life has still managed to go on.
We spent our snow days in the company of our neighbors - traipsing back and forth to each other's houses and keeping each other company. I already mentioned this in my last post, but I'll share pics now of some of the crafts we worked on.....
As you can see, I got a little desperate on day three and had to bust out the sewing machine. The girls had a great time crafting!
For Valentine's Day, the girls made crafts for their teachers - fleece scarves! This was a fun craft. I cut two pieces of fleece, ten inches wide, and sewed a straight stitch down the middle. Then the girls cut fringe and tied it. They turned out "sew" cute! The girls enjoyed making them, my pocketbook enjoyed the price, and the teachers enjoyed the gift. All good!
So, enough of crafting! The girls are great - getting back into the swing of things at school. I think they are really glad to be back and into our normal routine. Last weekend was filled with Girl Scouts, birthday parties, and for Kaitlin and I, a special treat to the Justin Beiber Movie. It was a special treat for her. I went for the company, not the content!
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| Quickly cooling cupcakes on a snow day in Texas! |
We spent our snow days in the company of our neighbors - traipsing back and forth to each other's houses and keeping each other company. I already mentioned this in my last post, but I'll share pics now of some of the crafts we worked on.....
As you can see, I got a little desperate on day three and had to bust out the sewing machine. The girls had a great time crafting!
For Valentine's Day, the girls made crafts for their teachers - fleece scarves! This was a fun craft. I cut two pieces of fleece, ten inches wide, and sewed a straight stitch down the middle. Then the girls cut fringe and tied it. They turned out "sew" cute! The girls enjoyed making them, my pocketbook enjoyed the price, and the teachers enjoyed the gift. All good!
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| Tying the fleece |
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| All finished! |
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| Getting ready to tie the fleece |
So, enough of crafting! The girls are great - getting back into the swing of things at school. I think they are really glad to be back and into our normal routine. Last weekend was filled with Girl Scouts, birthday parties, and for Kaitlin and I, a special treat to the Justin Beiber Movie. It was a special treat for her. I went for the company, not the content!
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| Oh Baby, we're ready for the movie! |
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Iceapalooza in Texas
We were iced in four days this past week when a horrible winter storm hit North Texas. A few were williing to brave the roads and get out, but this mommy was not willing to brave her driveway! While the street in front of the house was mostly dry on day three, our driveway remained covered in over an inch of ice. To back the van out of the garage, I have to make a pretty drastic turn and hope I don't run off the edge of the driveway and into the ditch, or perhaps even my neighbors' house. I decided it wasn't worth it. After all, my neighbors like us and I wanted to keep it that way! So, the ice began at about 4:00am Tuesday morning, and we did not leave our neighborhood until around lunch time on Saturday. How did we survive, you ask?
It was what I call "Neighborfest." That's right folks. "Neighborfest." We played at eachother's houses, we crafted together, we let the kids entertain eachother while we played Scrabble Slam or just talked. We shopped at the grocery store for eachother, cooked for eachother, and tried to pass the time when it was too cold to play outside, and too icky to go anywhere fun. Thank goodness for neighbors! I imagine that early settlers in the new frontier did this same sort of thing. It's hard going it alone, but when you go it together, as a team, it really lightens the load for everyone.
I'm not going to get all philisophical on you, but I will tell you that you need good neighbors. If you don't know yours, get to know them. Whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and walk them over and introduce yourselves. You'll be glad you did!
It was what I call "Neighborfest." That's right folks. "Neighborfest." We played at eachother's houses, we crafted together, we let the kids entertain eachother while we played Scrabble Slam or just talked. We shopped at the grocery store for eachother, cooked for eachother, and tried to pass the time when it was too cold to play outside, and too icky to go anywhere fun. Thank goodness for neighbors! I imagine that early settlers in the new frontier did this same sort of thing. It's hard going it alone, but when you go it together, as a team, it really lightens the load for everyone.
I'm not going to get all philisophical on you, but I will tell you that you need good neighbors. If you don't know yours, get to know them. Whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and walk them over and introduce yourselves. You'll be glad you did!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Double digits
Well, I now have two daughters in double digits. Yep, Elissa turned ten! She is growing into such an amazing young lady, and it's truly a pleasure to be her mom. In honor of this momentous birthday, I've created the Top 10 Reasons I Love To Be Elissa's Mom:
10. She's a cuddler. Whenever I need a cuddle, she's conent to sit and cuddle, but not climb all over me.
9. She's a listener. Elissa listens to what people have to say, and always respects their opinion, even if she doesn't agree.
8. She's a comedian. Yesterday she ran around the back yard like a rooster. Need I say more?
7. She's clever. Elissa plays with words and ideas and puts them together in new ways.
6. She's intelligent. Wow, this kid is smart! I love to watch her solve problems and come up with unique solutions to different situations.
5. Elissa is patient. She will work for hours on Legos, sewing, and crafts to get them just right.
4. Elissa is artistic. The things she can draw make my drawings look very childish. She has an eye for things that I just don't see.
3. She's a peacemaker. Elissa is the perfect middle child, always helping her sisters make up, or smoothing over situations between sisters and friends.
2. She's a lover. Elissa loves people, animals, the Earth with passion and sincerity.
1. She's devoted. Elissa is devoted to God, her family, and her friends. You can always count on Elissa to stand by you, no matter what!
10. She's a cuddler. Whenever I need a cuddle, she's conent to sit and cuddle, but not climb all over me.
9. She's a listener. Elissa listens to what people have to say, and always respects their opinion, even if she doesn't agree.
8. She's a comedian. Yesterday she ran around the back yard like a rooster. Need I say more?
7. She's clever. Elissa plays with words and ideas and puts them together in new ways.
6. She's intelligent. Wow, this kid is smart! I love to watch her solve problems and come up with unique solutions to different situations.
5. Elissa is patient. She will work for hours on Legos, sewing, and crafts to get them just right.
4. Elissa is artistic. The things she can draw make my drawings look very childish. She has an eye for things that I just don't see.
3. She's a peacemaker. Elissa is the perfect middle child, always helping her sisters make up, or smoothing over situations between sisters and friends.
2. She's a lover. Elissa loves people, animals, the Earth with passion and sincerity.
1. She's devoted. Elissa is devoted to God, her family, and her friends. You can always count on Elissa to stand by you, no matter what!
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| Waiting in line for the pinata. Yes, that is my daughter wearing a sombrero! |
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| My beautiful daughter |
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| World cake - her birthday theme was "Around the World" |
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| Chopstick challenge |
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| Pattern landscape |
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