What was lost, now is found.

Gabrielle had been playing with my purse on Sunday. I took it away from her. On Monday, I went shopping and realized my license and a few other items were not in my purse. Fortunately, the stores I went to were very kind and still let me buy things...it helps that I know my license number and expiration date. Anyway, yesterday was a crazy day. Michelle was very sick. Vomiting and so tired. Plus, I HAD to find my license. The girls and I are flying to Arizona tomorrow. I cleaned nine or ten drawers, 4 closets, and searched everywhere I could think of for my license. This morning, I decided there were about 4 more spots to look. I cleaned out my car (on the off chance that it had fallen out of my purse into my car) and searched a few more places. The last place I could think of to look was to search the diaper bag. If it wasn't there, I figured I had to go to the DMV (and then I was trying to decide...do I take 3 kids, one of whom is still a little sick? Do I find someone to watch them? Who? What to do....). I had just about given up hope, when I searched the last pocket, and there it was along with everything else that Gabby had absconded with... Thank goodness! What an answer to prayer!!! Now I can worry about packing our suitcases and not about spending who knows how long at the DMV.

friends

It is so nice to have friends. I have done several posts on how grateful I am for friends...friends at work, friends in my neighborhood, my college roommates that I am still close to (not geographically, but emotionally). It is especially nice to have friends that both you and your spouse like, and your kids like their kids and play well together. Harder to find, but an added bonus if you do. Alfredo has been at his "new" job for a little over a year now. Alfredo learned about the job from an "old" friend named Leo. We have become good friends with his boss Jeremy and Jeremy's family. Recently, we have been spending about every other weekend with Jeremy's family and Leo's family. We do dinner at one of our homes (added bonus: so far the men have cooked! barbecues, Indian take out one time, Argentinian food, Alfredo's yummy tacos, etc.) and then talk and laugh and visit while the kids run wild and play. It is so nice to have friends and to have such fun together. We are so blessed.

random photos of our week

My girls love to play with each other. Yesterday they were giving each other "horsie" rides. The crazy thing is that even though Michelle and Ella are 2 years apart, they weigh almost the same amount. So I'm surprised that either one of them can give the other a horsie ride. The rides didn't last long, but had them both giggling.





I know I have said it before, but Gabrielle is growing up way too fast. She is starting to really play. In this picture, she is pretending to drink a doll's bottle. Yesterday, she was playing chase with her big sisters. They would run to my bedroom and hide and she would run as fast as her little legs would carry her after them. Then when she found them, they would say boo and she would laugh and laugh. Then they would run to the living room and hide behind the couch. She would toddle right after them and laugh and laugh when she found them. I can't believe that she is already playing chase with her sisters!

She also loves to play hide n seek. She hides in the same two places, but she is absolutely delighted when you find her!!! And she likes for you to hide (in easy to find places) and she laughs so hard when she finds you. What happened to my tiny baby? Who took her away and put a toddler in her place?


On Saturday night, the girls were having trouble falling asleep. I had lots of laundry to fold and put away and wanted them to sleep, so I finally said they could go to my bed to sleep. They climbed in and were asleep quickly. When I came in a little later to carry them to their beds, this is what I found:

Good thing they had bathed so Michelle's feet were clean!

Ella wants to be like her big sister. She loves doing homework and writing. This was her attempt to write sister. Look closely. The letters are all out of order, but she has a backward s, a forward s, an i, a t, an e, and her attempt at an r. Not bad for 4 years old. (I spelled sister for her.) She can write her name and is learning to write the other letters. (Although I should mention that when she writes a capital E, she puts about 5 lines going across instead of 3.)

drumming

On Wednesday, we had a good citizenship reward at school. This one was so, incredibly cool. We had a drum circle. They brought African drums into our auditorium and each of our students got to sit next to one and play. The leader taught us a little about the drums and about drumming and then would show us a pattern and have the kids copy it. After awhile, he also called on kids to do their own pattern and everyone else would copy it. It was a lot of fun (the teachers got to do it right along with the kids). It was so neat to see the children working together, following directions and having fun. But it was also fascinating. Most of the kids were able to repeat the patterns, but for some it was very difficult. And what was so interesting about it was that there was an incredibly high correlation between the kids that struggled with drumming and those that struggle with reading. (And it wasn't just in 3rd grade that we noticed this. Our counselor, who arranged the activity, noticed this across the grade levels.) One of our first grade teachers has said for several years that she does a lot of singing and clapping in first grade. She has noticed that the kids that can learn the songs and clap in rhythm are usually the ones that learn to read most quickly. What does that mean? I don't know for sure. But perhaps having opportunities to sing, dance, listen to music while young helps children develop rhythm and rhythm is related to reading, particularly reading fluently. Perhaps the push to focus entirely on reading and writing and math in elementary school is really doing a huge disservice to our children (Okay not perhaps... it IS!) Our district music teacher (who works at several schools) does music therapy. She has taught kids with severe learning disabities and mental disabilities to read music, and some of them have learned to read afterward. Very interesting.

Saying I Love You

One way I try to be a good mother is to tell my kids often that I love them. I want them to know that, no matter what, they are special and unique and loved. So, I try to say I love you multiple times each day and in different ways.

Here are a few of the ways we say I love you:
*Say, "I love you!" (Okay, that is the standard way, but it is still important!)

*Say, "Who is my favorite (6,4, or 1) year old girl?" To which they answer, "ME!" Well, except Gabby. :)

*Sometimes we'll say how much we love each other. I love you to the moon and the stars and back. I love you more than a dog loves bones. I love you to heaven and back. and so on...

*We cuddle each night to read stories. I often read stories that talk about families and love. Right now, we have a book called, "Did I tell you I love you today?"

*I give thanks for them in prayers.

*I take them places that are fun for them, and I tell them that I'm doing it because I love them.

*When I get angry and lose my temper (which I try hard not to do, but it does happen!), I apologize and hug them and tell them I'm sorry and that I love them.

There are probably other things that I do, but these are just a few things I do to let my kids know that I love them. So, my kids know that they are loved and that I think they are beautiful, smart, kind and special. That is my Proud Mommy Moment. If you would like to share something you are doing well or any things you do to help your kids that are working, we would all love to read them. Head on over to Shannon's(now monthly meme) to participate!<

Oh, that's cold!

On Saturday, in between sessions of conference, we drove up into the canyons for a picnic and to see the fall leaves. They hadn't totally changed yet, but it was still beautiful. And wonderful to smell the fresh air. Michelle and Gabrielle absolutely loved it. Ella was just getting over being sick and was still feeling tired and a little lethargic. But it was especially fun to watch Gabrielle stick her hands and then feet into the river. It was COLD! But she giggled and did it again...and then again.





I absolutely LOVE this photo of Gabby! And the one below with Michelle's grin.

Wild and Wonderful

Today, we headed to Hunter Library for one of their fun, free programs. Today's program was Wild and Wonderful. The presenter told a story about a bearded dragon who was 3 years old. He decided to go on an adventure, so he climbed in a boat and sailed on the ocean. He met many friends along his way, as he searched to find his way back home. Among his friends were Coco, the Cockatoo, a marmot, a skunk, a boa, a tortoise, and a hedgehog.

 

The kids were enthralled with both the story and the animals. Well, all except Gabrielle, who spent most of the hour emptying my purse over and over.



After the program was over, the children were allowed to come and touch the bearded dragons, the hedgehog and the tortoise. Michelle bravely touched everything but the poky little hedgehog. She wanted to touch the boa, but the presenter didn't take him out. Ella, on the other hand, enjoyed the show, but was tired and wanted to go home and take a nap (after checking out more books, of course, she insisted we needed more...not true, but I'm glad she loves books!).



I liked the program, because it weaved in lots of facts about the animals into the story. For example, it taught the kids that marmots are herbivores and they live underground and they have one who watches and lets the others know when there is danger. Skunks and bearded dragons are both insectivores, and boas are carnivores that only need to eat about once a month.

I asked the girls what their favorite animals were.
Gabrielle said the bird. (Okay, so she didn't actually tell me she liked the bird. But it was the only one that really caught her attention. She said, "Wow!" several times while the bird was out.)

Ella said she liked the cockatoo, because it pooped and because it could talk. It was pretty funny. It also played "hide n seek" by hiding its head under its feathers.

Michelle liked the snake. Why? Because it goes "Ssss" with its tongue. And she said to add, "And I liked the turtle because it pooped." (Not sure what kids' fascination with poop is but okay.....)

A fun, interesting, learning experience for all of us.