A Typical Saturday Morning

He's such a good pup and definitely deserved a treat afterwards. 

First Grade Recycling Program

The first graders did a unt on recycling. They finished it off with a performance about recycling (thus the green shirts!). They learned about the importance of recycling and reusing and how to incorporate it in our daily lives. Karis was bummed she didn't get a speaking part but she did great in the performance!

 

And when I asked her if she had fun she said she did because the best part was playing in the gym afterwards. 

 

Makena Loses Her Teeth

 Ever since Karis lost her tooth, Makena has been wanting hers to come out too. She kept asking us and her teacher to check if it was ready. Her teacher told her when she could wiggle it with her tongue, then it would be ready. Finally, one day she could ever so slightly wiggle it with her tongue. She wiggled it and wiggled it and was convinced it was ready. 

She went to school and her teacher pulled her first tooth out. At noon I received these photos. 

And then two hours later, I got these photos!!

As her teacher said, "She is one determined girl!"

When I picked her up from school, I had to take a picture of my toothless twins!

We had to take a couple pictures as Karis helped little sis learn how to smile and show her missing teeth. 

A Special Date with Ms. Carlton

Makena invited her kindergarten teacher to her birthday party. She was planning on going, but right before the party, her daughter had car troubles so she was not able to come. Ms. Carlton called to let me know and told me that she would make it up to Makena. Well, Makena definitely didn't forget about that! Ms. Carlton told her she could pick a friend and they would all go to get frozen yogurt after school. I helped Makena decide who that friend would be. =)  Here are some pictures from her teacher. They loved the special treat!

Sweet Babies - Kyle

My sweet babies are growing up so fast. I want to remember all these sweet and fun days with them.

Kyle is one happy kid! He is a sweet boy who loves to hug and cuddle. He loves all things cars, trucks and trains, yet he loves to play with his sisters whether it be with Shopkins or Lego Friends. His favorite show is Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol. His teachers at school love him and he can count to 20 in Spanish -- quite impressive for a little guy! He is shy like his sisters, but he just needs time to warm up to people. 

I would call him a Daddy's boy. He loves to be with Daddy and only Daddy can get him to do certain things like take a nap or change his clothes in the morning to get ready for school. Sometimes Kyle takes over Daddy's office after school. He wants to be just like him. 

The girls used to say, "I love you to the moon and back [insert a large sounding, made up number]." Kyle was tired of all the back-and-forth and trying to say a number bigger than the last person, so he made up the saying. "I love you everything God made!" He loves us to everything God made (not just the moon and back). He says it all the time and now he has started to say, "I love you everything God made and more!" His love for us is growing! 

His newest saying is "I love you diamond" and then he flashes us this:

He also made that one up by himself. 

I love it when I try to get him and he gets scared and just puts his arms out and says, "Hug!"

The only time he's difficult is when he's tired because he didn't sleep well or enough the night before. He constantly tells me, "I'm bored" and asks "What should I do?" He's too tired to do anything and that's why he asks. Anything I say or suggest is an immediate grumpy, "No!" 

Ever since I've been teaching at the preschool, Kyle comes with me early to school. All the teachers' kids get to play in the Ark while the moms prepare and attend a staff meeting. Kyle and Sophia have been little buddies. They hold hands and play and ask about each other when the other one is missing.     Just today at church, my friend told me that Sophia was trying to kiss Kyle at snack time. When her mom asked her about it, she didn't deny it! Could anything be sweeter than love between two 3-year olds?!

One last story! We have taught the girls the correct anatomy parts of a boy's and girl's private areas. We didn't necessarily teach Kyle, but he's been around when we've talked about it with the girls. Awhile back, I was strolling through the grocery store with Kyle sitting in the cart. Just as I was about to pick out some fruit, out of no where, he says, "So Mommy, girls have lasagnas and boys have pizzas?" in a not-so-soft voice. At first, I was like "What?" He repeated his statement. I then got what he was saying. I know we are supposed to be teaching our kids the correct terms, but I couldn't get myself to talk about it in the middle of a busy grocery store with my 3-year old. So I just rolled with it. "Yep! Girls have lasagnas and boys have pizzas!" 

Sweet Babies - Makena

My sweet babies are growing up so fast. I want to remember all these sweet and fun days with them.

Makena has a great heart and cares for others. She loves to help her brother and come alongside him. She'll help explain things and encourage him along. They are great play buddies.

There is a girl in Makena's class who can be described as, well, an EGR -- extra grace required. Makena is always kind and patient with her even though she's hard to be around. Her teacher has commended her on the way she treats this girl. 

Makena loves individual attention from Mommy and Daddy. She can't get enough quality time with us. She's always drawing us pictures and writing us love notes. She will run errands with me just to spend time with me. She always comes back for a second hug good-bye and tells me she's going to miss me when she leaves for school (and sometimes before she goes to bed!). She is our happy homebody. 

Recently, she has become one funny kid. Sometimes she's just being herself and other times she is trying to be funny. Either way, she cracks me up! We went to a birthday party yesterday and they took a silly picture. Check out Makena's face! 

She loves school. The only bad days she has is when there is a substitute teacher (she loves her teacher!). She is doing great academically. She is still shy but she can be feisty too. She doesn't like when Daddy walks to pick her up from school on Fridays (she wants a ride home in the car). She gets upset, and RUNS all the way home. 

 Makena is the one who thanks me the most for the things I do for them. She thanks me for the special things I do for them (like an extra egg hunt or a craft project) to even the regular things I do for them daily like making dinner or putting something away for her. 

Sweet Babies - Karis

My sweet babies are growing up so fast. I want to remember all these sweet and fun days with them.

Recently I started writing notes for the girls' lunch boxes (now that they can both read!). Most of my notes just say some version of "I love you" or sometimes things like "Be Kind" or "Have a great day!" Earlier this week, we had a friend come over to our house after dinner. I baked off some cookies I had already made from the freezer. Karis really wanted one but I told her it was too close to bedtime. I told her she could have one the next day in her lunch box. She wasn't happy with that answer, but she accepted it. 

The next day I put a cookie in her lunch box along with a note that said "Make someone smile today!" Instead of enjoying the cookie she had wanted so badly, she gave it to a teacher in the cafeteria. When she told me that, I asked her why and she said, "Because your note said to make someone smile." I loved how she did that and it challenged me to immediate obedience as well with God. Many times, I feel God nudging me to do something or say something and I'll reason myself out of it. When I read the Bible, I want to find a way to apply it that day, just like Karis did.  

The other day, Karis decided to argue with me about whether it was a shower night. For background, they typically shower every other day and they always shower on Saturday nights because of church the next day. Karis was trying to convince me that evening that she had showered the night before. During our "discussion" she said, "We shower on Sunday nights." I corrected her by saying, "No, we have small group on Sunday nights. We shower on Saturday nights." She sternly said, "You interrupted me and you don't let me interrupt you when you're talking!" She was right! We finished our discussion and she went to take a shower. After her shower, she came to me and said, "I'm sorry Mommy for arguing with you earlier." That was so mature of her! 

At our school, each year the kids do a learning program/show for the parents. The kindergarteners do a zoo program where they sing fun facts about zoo animals. The first graders do a recycling program. Last year, Karis did not like being in the zoo program because of all the people looking at her. This year, Karis came home super excited holding a piece of paper. It was a small script for the program. She wanted to try out for a part! She memorized the lines and practiced it. I don't know if she'll get the part, but just the fact that she wanted to try out was huge! Her teacher mentioned in her last report card that she has been participating more in the class discussions. We are so proud of the way she's gaining confidence and working through her shyness.