Random pix of Brookelyn

These are from my cousin's farewell party (he's going away to college).

So glad Aleisha convinced Brady not to tear down the swing set!  Brooke LOVED it and played on it as much or more than all the big kids!

I love how she sticks her tongue out when she's concentrating!

Gave sister some graham crackers and frosting for a snack the other day.  Needless to say, she loved every bite!  I had Sam addicted to these when I was pregnant with Nash.  Best. Mom. Ever.

Brookelyn got in on some guitar practice while her dad was home.  She kept dancing but I couldn't catch it on video for the life of me!  She'd see me with the camera out and just walk toward me grinning from ear to ear.

 This profile lets you see just how chubby she really is!

First day of school 2012

I officially feel old (again).  Nash is starting 2nd grade this year.  If the teacher he had been assigned hadn't done a last minute switch to fifth grade, he'd have the same teacher Samantha had in 2nd grade. Instead, he has Miss Hokanson this year.  She's a new teacher at the school this year and I believe she's a first year teacher as well.  I really should have more apathy toward first year teachers as a parent...but, I digress.

Nash isn't particularly excited about school - never has been really.  Toward the end of the school year last year I started talking to his teacher about the possibility of him being dyslexic.  After much reading and consideration, we decided that dyslexia wasn't a good fit.  Rather, it seems my boy is ADHD.  I know, not particularly uncommon for boys this age.  However, it's affecting his attitude about school because he's really struggled with reading and writing.  Nash was still writing letters backwards at the end of first grade, regularly, but not the same letters regularly.  If you point it out to him, he recognizes it's backward and will fix it.  He struggles to pay attention and if he isn't kept close to the teacher he struggles paying attention even more.  I've wondered if maybe he is in fact a bit advanced and just bored with what's going on.  His strength is numbers - he really likes them and is very good with them.  I anticipate he will be tutoring his sister in math before too long.  I'm hoping that this year will be a fresh start for my boy and he will find the joy in school that I always have.  I'm hoping he will make some new friends easily and that he will see that perhaps school isn't quite so bad after all.  Who knows, maybe he'll even learn to enjoy being there!   

This year marks the beginning of fourth grade for my baby girl!  Where did that time go?!  Samantha is very excited about going back to school - she's more like her mother every year. :)  She's excited about her teacher and is so ready to be back in the middle of learning.  She might deny it when it comes to math, but the girl really does love school and learning new things.  Samantha's strength is reading and writing.  Numbers do not come easily for her (again, more like her mama).  It looks like Samantha will be one of my SEM students again this year.  This year she will get to do Images of Greatness (research a person who has made a significant contribution to society, dress up as them and give a presentation). She'll also get to do the research project of choice and learn about productive thinking with the program called Talent's Unlimited.  I am excited for my girl because she is excited.  I am anxious about her teacher - had an awkward situation with him at the end of the year last year with my SEM students.  I told Travis I worry that her teacher, Mr. Torrey, will learn she is one of my SEM kids and become a huge proponent of SEM or learn she is one of my SEM kids and direct his distaste for the program towards her.  I'm hoping it's the first scenario and not the second.  This year also marks the year that Samantha gets to learn how to play the recorder.  She told me today she's not excited about that because she thinks it will be hard.  Little does she know I have 2 recorders in my teaching stash as well as a book - looks like she could get a head start if she wanted to!  Fourth grade is also the first year she gets to run the Wellsville Mile in May.  Travis has no experience with this whatsoever because he grew up on the north end of the district.  I, however, understand the importance of this event and will be there to cheer her on the entire mile.  I'm just hoping she doesn't want to train all year and beg me to run with her!  I don't think my knees could handle that!  I could walk though!  Perhaps there is a possibility in that one.  We shall see.

Caleb will get to start his second year of preschool after Labor Day.  He's so excited to go back to preschool.  He LOVES Miss Shannon (so do the rest of us actually).  I don't think it's dawned on Caleb (even though I've said it more than once) that he gets to go to preschool three days a week this year.  That will bring a big smile for sure!  We are anxiously awaiting Friday when we get to go to his preschool open house.  I'm sure he will be disappointed that I'm not leaving him there for school that day!  At back to school night with the big kids last week it dawned on me that next year I will be sending this baby boy to Kindergarten!  He's so ready but I am so not!  Where has the last ten years gone and how did it go by so quickly?  Time never went this fast when I was a kid!

I have started back to work as well.  I spent the better part of the entire school day today traveling to three of my four schools trying to figure out which students I will be working with.  I'm a bit frustrated as many people have not done their job which makes it nearly impossible for me to do mine. I am hoping this is not a sign of what's to come this school year!  The curriculum I'm using is the same as last year but they've thrown in Talent's Unlimited as well.  So, even though we've done the curriculum before, there's still something new to learn.  I am anxiously planning a big (and by big I mean four school event) parent night for my students.  I am hoping to have a good turn out and a lot of positive parents.  I guess only time will tell!  Happy School Year!

A random assortment of activities

Well, we certainly aren't wasting our last few days of summer vacation! 

The other day Brookelyn was asleep and the other kids were downstairs.  After it getting quiet for a bit they all came upstairs to show me this:

Apparently 1 sister is not enough for Samantha these days!  Good thing I know she did this to Nash too and he turned out fine!

Brookelyn is still following her big brother around everywhere!  He has been so good to help her find things to play with, to play with her and to just let her follow him around.

Little sister has loved this little dirt pile on the driveway.  She was so filthy after I pulled her away!  I should have taken a photo of the dirt ring that was left in my bathtub!

Last week I took Caleb and Samantha to the ENT.  Samantha had a follow up appointment because she finished her first vile of her allergy shot medicine.  Caleb I took in because the week prior he had a double ear infection.  I wanted to find out if he still had tubes in or not and what exactly we needed to do.  Turns out his ears still had a bunch of fluid behind them and his nose was pretty yucky still too.  They have put him on a nasal spray and a chewable Singular tablet for the next month.  We need to go back in a month to see if his ears and nose look better.  If they do, we're good and don't need to do anything else.  If they still look yucky then the ENT said that he would recommend possibly doing allergy testing.  The reason behind doing allergy testing rather than jump to another set of tubes is that he hasn't had a set of tubes since he was 10 months old.  He's done quite well with his ears so it's possible that he's got a case of allergic rhineitis which could be fixed with allergy shots.  While we were sitting around during the 20 minute wait period after Sam's allergy shot, we ventured over to the pharmacy and got each of the kids a prize for being so good for the dr.  Sam choose a sticker book where you put the stickers on different faces to create silly faces.  When we got home she detoured from putting them only on the paper to putting the stickers on her brothers' faces and then the faces in the book!

The other day I peeked outside to check on the kids and Nash and Brookelyn had sticks and were sword fighting!  It was too cute.

Friday was my dad's birthday but we had his party on Saturday.  My brother recently got 3 new ferrets.  I took Brookelyn down to check them out and she absolutely loved them!  I wish I could have gotten a shot of her face because she was in absolute heaven!

After dad's party on Saturday night I had Nash remind me he had a loose tooth he was wanting me to pull.  Well, we were able to yank it out fairly easily.  I'm so glad I have at least one kid that isn't a total drama queen about losing a tooth!  The tooth fairy brought him a whole $2 for it too!

And in other news, we had Back to School night tonight.  It's so weird for me to think I have a FOURTH grader this year!  Holy cow!  Wasn't she just born like yesterday?  Nash is going into SECOND grade this year.  What?!  When did this happen?  I did not give permission for my children to grow up so quickly!  Before I know it we're going to be entering middle school and then high school.  And yes, I'm already freaking out about the maturation program I will have to endure next year with Samantha!  I am SO not ready for that!  She's still too young for that!  Right?

Samantha is excited about who her teacher is, my opinion remains to be seen.  That, however, is because of how I was treated as a teacher at the school by him last year.  I told Travis this is likely going to go one of two ways.  Either #1 he's going to find out Sam's an SEM (gifted & talented) student and become a HUGE proponent of my program or #2 he's going to find out Sam's an SEM student and hate me and direct it towards her!  We shall see.

Nash is fairly indifferent towards school.  I wish I could get him to love school the way Sam & I do.  He does not like it at all though.  I know it's because he has struggled with reading and because he is becoming more and more ADHD with every school year.  I am hoping we can find a solution that makes a happy compromise for all.  This year his teacher is new to the school.  My understanding is that this is her first year teaching.  I know I should be more tolerant of first year teachers (considering I've been one too).  As a parent though, I just have a really hard time with it.  She seemed to have it together tonight so we'll see, maybe it won't be too bad.

I

I had my first training of the year on Monday.  It wasn't even too torturous for me!  Turns out that our curriculum will stay the same this year with the exception of one program we're adding in.  That's a relief!  I was wondering if I was going to have to do everything new again this year or if I'd have the advantage of having done it all once!  I don't start working with students until after Labor Day, but apparently I'm going to have to start visiting schools sooner than that because none of my principals are returning my emails!  So.  FRUSTRATING!  I just have to remember "Goose-fra-ba!"

One more day of summer vacation until it's back to reality! 

Tree House Museum

Laura & I took all seven kids to Tree House Museum on Saturday (it was their free day).  The kids had tons of fun and were sad to go.  The kids were really good for the most part (didn't run off too far ahead of us).