Something a Little Lighter

After posts like that last one I always feel a little bit like I'm dumping on people.  In all honesty I don't think that that many people read every blog entry that I made but still, I feel that way.  And then Chopper will tell me that this is a blog about our family and needs to reflect more than just me.  I agree 100% about that although I am the writer so it's going to happen.  So maybe I only agree 90%.

On that note, I thought I'd do an update on "a day in the life".  Every day is relatively the same with our school routines, etc. but this week both girls have brought home papers from school that made me realize that I need to document who they are and what they're doing at this stage in their lives and perhaps too some of the issues that we face on a regular basis.  Or at least more regular than it used to be!!  Because our family is getting older and changing and encountering different issues.

So all of these are pictures from my phone.  More and more I'm doing that and I have a feeling that it's not going to be good for the blog book.  We had just a few of Aaron on our phones and in order to get the resolution to be good, they had to print pretty small.  So I keep telling myself I need to be better about toting our regular camera around.  Since it's just a point and shoot it doesn't take up any more room but I also like posting pictures on Facebook and Instagram for my family and friends so I'll probably keep doing it to a certain extent.  

That was a really random side note.

Ok so Abby and Megan.  Abby was so excited this week to tell me that she wrote her own name for the very first time.  And here it is!!

I'm looking forward to parent-teacher conferences for her to ask specifically about her writing.  She is left-handed (yay!) and has a horrible pencil grip.  I've tried a few times to teach her how to change it and then kind've gave up.  People tell me I have a weird pencil grip too and my handwriting is very nice thank you very much.  However, hers seems to cause a lack of control.  

Megan on the other hand has taken off in reading and writing.  I don't know what her teacher has done in the first few weeks but she's writing and sounding out words and doing really well with it.  It's fun to read the papers she brings home and try to figure out what she's writing (because spelling of course is still atrocious) and this morning she wrote "I love you" notes for Chopper and I.  So sweet -- especially since she's pretty much mad at me about half the time.  This paper in particular cracks me up though.  Apparently doing their math problems they are supposed to show their work.  For single digit adding!!  I kind've think it's dumb although showing your work is valuable once you get into more complicated math.  I also have an aversion to story problems.  Anyway, I love this because it appears to me that she wrote her answer (11 at the top) and THEN drew out the "pencils" (probably because she was told she had to) and then she says, "I counted.  Pencils is 11 because 5+6=11.  I know it."  Chopper and I both about died laughing because it's TRUE!  And also because I can hear her voice when I read that.

I always told my high school kids that I knew when they plagiarized papers because I could hear their voices in their writing and if it didn't come through, there was an issue.  I'm sure there's some that I missed but I caught quite a few that way.  But I love it!

Megan told me that the past 2 days she has stayed inside for recess because she's afraid of the dragonflies.  She also has friends who flush the toilet for her at school believe it or not.  She is still struggling but gets greens on her behavior chart every day (that's good!!) and has had 100% on all her work and spelling tests so far.  So she's doing great.

Abby gave up naps over the summer right?  Which was ok when we were getting up around 7:30.  But now we're up and going between 6 and 6:30 and she is a crank monster if she doesn't have a nap -- super emotional.  But she doesn't take them anymore.  So pretty much every day after I put William down, I tell her I'm going to go lay on my bed and read my scriptures and she should come join me.  It doesn't take long for her to look like this: 

And some days I'm pretty sure I look like that too!

And William.

His vocabulary is growing!!  It needs translation pretty bad though.  Abby and Megan both spoke a lot more clearly from the get go I think.  Also, he continues to yell everything -- apparently he thinks I'm hard of hearing.  So some of his most common words (aside from mommy and daddy -- mommy being said ALL THE TIME and especially when he needs comforting -- apparently daddy is not capable of comforting because the screaming gets worse when he tries!) include "ar" (car) "bye" (which also is bike so you have to be watching -- is he pointing at one or waving), "hi" (which he yells at everyone and everyone always smiles), "mau" (milk), "nigh nigh" (night night), "ewww" (which is either ewww or I love you although for that he draws it out more kind've like e-u) and then a smattering of other things that we can kind've ask him to say.  But on a day to day basis, that's the vocabulary he gets by with.

 These are the ladies I went to Time Out For Women with!!!  Very good friends of mine -- Erin, me (yes I think I'm growing my bangs out for the first time in my LIFE), Sarah, and Maria.  Sweet sweet ladies.  We had a great time.

And this is everyone who went from our ward!!  So fun to sit with them all and laugh and cry (yes we did a lot of both).  I keep thinking I need to post about that and then I don't  -- but I'll tell you if you ask me!

 We had a ward picnic at the park and beach and even though it was not that hot out (like 60 degrees in Texas in September!  Just wrong!) the kids got in the water anyway.  Of course.

And that's it!!  Well of course not really but that works for now.  Oh I mentioned struggles.  Language.  I'm pretty sure that Abby said "damn you" the other day but she hadn't repeated it.  Megan has picked up a few unsavory things from school of course.  It just worries me.  They're getting older and I'm not the only influence in their life!!  And there is so much negative.  We have been really happy with Megan's school (and Abby's too!) but I'm seriously thinking about homeschooling when we get to middle school because friends of mine with kids there have STORIES!  And I don't know if I can handle that.  We'll see.  But by then they'll already have basic reading, writing, and math which is great because I don't think I could teach them those things anyway! I just don't have the patience for basics I think.  Anyway.  Happy Saturday!!