Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Three Things - School Photos Edition

It's been a while since I did a three things post so I thought I'd share three things about each of my favorite people and take the opportunity to share their school pictures as well.  You've gotta love a school photo, right?!?! :) 



- Slowing Down - 
They say that what goes around comes around and my parents chuckle often listening to Dave and I encourage Luke to "please slow down" :)  That same sentiment was reiterated at his parent-teacher conference and his speech progress report and he's making a concerted effort to slooooooooow down in both areas.  #theappledoesntfallfar

- Balancing Act -
Luke has a full schedule (despite our best efforts to simplify and not overschedule our kids!) and has been handling everything like a champ.  He's loving Honor Choir (which we weren't expecting!), is excelling in engineering, making strides in speech and has added Math Olympics practice to his list of after school activities.  We had one little "hiccup" week where he dropped the ball on a few academic things but other than that we don't check up on his homework and he's proving to be extremely independent and organized.  As a middle school teacher I'm PRAYING that we can help all of our kids become organized and academically independent before they get to 6th grade :)

- Secret Santa - 
Luke has been hinting around that he MIGHT not believe in Santa and so we're thinking this might be the year to bite the bullet and let him in on the secret.  Half of me is devastated that he's big enough for this and half of me is excited to let him in on some of the magic (can you even imagine how great he'd be helping with Elf on the Shelf?!?!)



- Sweetest Ever -
A couple of weeks ago as we pulled into school I said something to Luke about making sure to let the nurse know if he wasn't feeling well and that I'd come get him and take him home.  Mason got all teary eyed and when I asked him what was wrong he told me that he, "didn't like the idea of me not being at school with him - that even though he doesn't see me all day that knowing I'm there makes him feel good on the inside"  I mean... talk about MELTING me!

- Pen Pal -
During their "creativity center" and sometimes if they earn "extra time" passes during class, Mason and his friends will write each other notes and books and then "deliver" them to the other class.  He's been coming home with the BEST little notes and books from his friends and Dave and I crack up reading them in the evenings.

- Reading Progress -
Mason has been working HARD on his reading and has been making steady progress.  I've mentioned before that overcoming his own self doubt is his biggest academic obstacle and we're so grateful for teachers who have come alongside him to build him up and show him how smart and capable he is.  He's working through readers and is starting to get excited about being the mystery reader in Griffin's class in the Spring.



- Cat Lady -
Griffin LOVED cats before we got Jelly Bean, but now that we have a cat at home she is in FULL-ON cat lady mode :)  Cat pajamas, cat books, cat #allthethings  The first thing she asks for in the morning is to go check on the cat and we have to drag her inside in the afternoon .  She draws pictures for Jelly Bean, sings songs about Jelly Bean and is bound and determined to carry her like a baby as often as possible.

- All Business -
Aside from playing with the cat, her favorite current pastime is playing "office".  She sets up her desk complete with computer, phone, pens/pencils and framed photo on the ottomans in the living room, coffee table in the play room and little nook in her room.  She answers pretend calls, writes pretend emails and is #verybusy in general.

- What's Next -
I think I may have written about this before, but we joke often about needing to get Griffin a planner where she can keep track of what's happening that day and what's coming up.  She asks constantly "what are we doing today" or "where are we going next" or "what is on the next day"?  She definitely likes to know the plan!


- Jelly Bean & Jack Bauer -
Jelly Bean is  getting more and more comfortable at our house and we've been seeing more of her BIG personality come out.  She's officially using the litter box (yes, ma'am!), is a gecko-killing machine and pretty much loses her mind after 6 pm.  She and Jack Bauer are super skeptical of each other, but so far (aside from some hissing) they've tolerated each other fairly well.

- Gearing Up -
We're soaking up some quiet evenings at home as a family as we get ready for Dave to head into his CRAZY holiday time.  We've been playing lots of games, eating lots of ice cream and enjoying extra bedtime stories.

- This Is Us - 
We JUST caught up on This is Us and Y'ALL - I ugly cried on multiple occasions.  Why is that show so dang good?!?!!  Just when I think a certain character is my favorite (Toby in the coffee shop) another character swoops in and takes the lead (Randall with Deja's mom).  If you haven't been watching This Is Us you need to make some time this month to get started on it because OH MY WORD!!!

I hope you enjoyed our "three things" today and would love to know what three things are going on with y'all - leave a comment and let me know!

24 comments :

  1. I was taking a This is Us break but maybe I'll give it another try?!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, ma'am! Don't you dare not watch! It's sooooo good!

      Delete
  2. This is Us is my favorite!! Best show I have seen in a LONG time. I also started The Good Doctor. It's really good. As a teacher, you will enjoy it I think. Have a good day!

    ReplyDelete
  3. We are loving This is Us and The Good Doctor around here too...both so good! Have you seen the Melissa and Doug magnetic calendar for Griffin? We got our Griffin a smaller version of this magnetic calendar and it's one of his FAVORITE THINGS! The M&D one has activity squares too so she could fill it in with all of her comings and goings ; )


    http://www.melissaanddoug.com/magnetic-calendar/3788.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=PLA_B_Playspaces_Desk&utm_term=Playspaces_Room_Decor&utm_content=a4&product_id=642f7f0e4a3f282e2eb9bdb5b9f46050&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvIOo6NPA1wIVC9tkCh1PJAmaEAQYASABEgJwL_D_BwE

    And that story about Mason wanting Luke to be at school made me teary...as we were driving to school on the last day of our oldest's 5th grade year our middle quietly said "I'm going to miss having you in school with me next year." Bless it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm not sure if you have a post on kids and school (homework, projects, yada yada...) tips already but I would LOVE to read one. Academically independent by 6th grade?!?! YES PLEASE! Lets do this!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes please!! Mine hasn't even started Kindergarten yet but it wouldn't hurt to read tips in advance! :)

      Delete
  5. LOL - I imagine Griffin with the same hairstyle as in her adorable school photo in 50 years with 15 cats sitting on her lap. ;) And what is it with cats killing all the geckos? Our cats do the same thing!

    www.FOURPOINTSMOM.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh my goodness! We are in the same boat with Stephen, our 10-year old, & Santa, & my heart is just broken. We are planning to sit him down after Christmas (because Mama needs one last one) and letting him start enjoying elf duties!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your kids are precious and I love these sweet little posts about them :) PS This Is Us...so good! And the last 2 minutes of every episode have me saying what? xoxo ERIN

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is Us kills me every. single. time. I am not usually an ugly crier at movies or TV but I am right there with you. And I have a nine year old who just two nights ago we had the Santa talk with. I am with you....it broke my heart a little bit but I am also excited to get some creative help from her with the elf! Nothing like the imagination of a child to spark some creative new ideas. Also if you are at a loss of how to "gently" explain the no Santa issue I found some great ideas of letters on Pinterest that you can write to your kids. I used a few different ones to create my own!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Adorable school pics! LOVE This is Us - SO GOOD!

    ReplyDelete
  10. This Is Us. The best show out there, IMO!! Lets see: 1. getting my Christmas house lights hung today by my sweet nephew. 2. Ready to head to our beach house for thanksgiving. 3. shopping for christmas !!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I will never say the words Santa isn't real. My 11 year old knows he's not a real person but we go on with business as usual. To me "Santa" is the spirit of Christmas and as long as I'm alive that spirit will be too.

    This is Us is so good. I love them all. The acting is truly amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Millie Jo & Griffin are two peas in a pod!! Millie
    Jo wants to know ALL the plans & counts down the days until the day she wants comes! LOL I took her to my dr appt yesterday & before I knew it she had a pair of the gloves on, my doctors Doppler, all her "paperwork" in front of the computer & was sitting at it playing doctor. Love their imaginations at this age!! Cooper was never like that! All your kiddos school pictures turned out so sweet!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I LOVE This is Us!!!! #uglycry all the way.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I was TOTALLY exactly like GG as a kid - the ultimate planner! My parents love to tell the story that, after they put in a pool when I was 3, I would ask EVERY weekend "who are we having over? what food will we serve them? what games will we play?" -- I just interviewed for an Event Planning position so I'd say it's coming pretty full circle :) Get that #girlboss a calendar!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Love the school pics. This is Us is absolutely my fave, too! Best show on t.v.

    ReplyDelete
  16. YES!! Didn't you just BAWL (happy tears) during the Toby in the coffee shop. I mean..SO STINKIN SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is Us = all the feels!!! QQ- Are you going to do a Christmas Wishlist for Mason? I loved the ideas for Luke and Griffin but have been stalking the blog for Mason's so I can get some awesome ideas for my almost 5 year old boys :) (Please? and Thanks!)

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love these posts! Griffin sounds exactly like my little Henley! She is constantly asking "where we going?" and wants to know the plan for our days!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I have a child that this will be the first Christmas she doesn't believe in Santa. At first I was devastated but it has actually been super fun and less stressful!! I'm actually enjoying it more than I thought I would. And that same child is a total cat lady! We have 3, one inside and 2 outside. She is 11 and has been cat crazy since she was 18 months old. I don't see it stopping anytime soon!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I am 41 years old and my parents never sat me down to explain that Santa wasn't real. Even as adults, before having our own kids, my parents would still put out Santa for my brother and me. If you don't believe in Santa in our family, he doesn't come. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'm such a crazy cat lady at heart so I LOVE that Griffin is too! She is so cute with Jelly Bean! My mom saved our old Christmas letters and every year from ages 3-11 my "paragraph" always had something along the lines of 'Laure's favorite things in life are still cats'! It runs deep! :)

    ReplyDelete

Blog design by Get Polished | Copyright 2016