Summer bucket list

Tatums summer bucket list included shopping for school supplies and a special 'date' with me to Chick-fil-A. I am more than happy to oblige.

We survived Wal-Mart on tax free weekend, and the school supply list for a 2nd and 6th grader complete.

Tatum pointed out that next year I will be school shopping for three kids.  Three.  I think I need an entire year to prepare myself for that reality.

Tatum is officially in kinder!

My sweet and precious Tatum-tot is officially in kinder.  And, true to fashion, her daddy walked her to school today and got her settled into her class, just as he did her big brother on his first day of kinder.

And he sent me a picture of her sitting behind her desk.  All smiles.

Not even a hint of a tear.

She was a little nervous, though, until she sat down at her desk and realized there was PINK PLAY DOH!  Then she was just fine. 

The school is bigger than her daycare, but she has such a super-duper BIG personality that I'm not the least bit very worried about her.

A Summer to Remember

So as summer was wrapping up, we decided to do one more blow-out night at Incredible Pizza in Conroe with the kids and Maw Maw and Paw Paw.  Apparently the kids and the grandparents had been there a time before and tried to take some group pictures to no avail, and Kellen had decided he wanted a group shot to commemorate the summer and to take with him to school to look at, 'in case he got sad.'

So getting that group shot was a must.

But much to our dismay, on our last night attempt, the booth was, once again, not functioning.

We improvised.

I stuck my camera in front of them and did a 'normal' shot. [As much of a normal shot as you can get with this crew]

Then we did a 'silly' shot.

And I uploaded them and wallet sheets will be printed out for the kids to take to school for the first day.

These kids had an absolute BLAST during the time they spent with their grandparents this summer....but I'm honestly not sure who is going to have the worst time with the separation - the kids or the adults.

Kinder is coming

I have been trying to register Tatum for kinder for a while.

Yeah, I know...I can hear you mocking me now.  Things like, "For a while? Registering for kinder can't be that hard, can it?"

Ah, but yes, yes it can.

Allow me to explain.

During the beginning of the summer, Kellen took a session of Kids Klub at the school where he and Tatum will be attending elementary in the fall.  So I stopped by the office for the registration paperwork (yeah me...score 1 for efficiency!).

The paperwork sat untouched for a l-o-n-g time.  I wasn't ready to deal with it, quite honestly, until the week prior to the registration for Kids Klub afterschool care (um, yeah...late July) when I felt the need to register Tatum for kinder before actually registering her for after school care.

Call me crazy.  I just felt like they should be done in the correct order.

Apparently no one else cared, because when I went to do so, her elementary was closed that particular week.  And I tried to register her at the main administration building for the school district.

But you can't register a kid for kinder at the main adminstration building, which I quickly learned.

*sigh*

So I was all psyched to get her registered for kinder -finally- all mentally prepared, and it would have to wait until the following week when the elementary reopened.  So into the office I went the following week with all of the forms completed and with the shot records in hand......Only to realize that I had neglected to bring the proof of residency, birth certificate and the social security card.

Doh!

Considering my schedule last week, I knew there was no way that I was going to be able to make it to the safety deposit box, where I hoped beyond hope that two of those three required items were located.  The time delay allowed me to do one thing, though....have repeated nightmares that I would enter the safety deposit box to find zero birth certificates there and have to scramble to acquire the necessary documentation needed to get Tatum registered for school.

Fast forward to today, when I go to the bank, check the box, and sure enough....there are no birth certificates there.  Now, I am confident that I have them, but the question is simply, "Where?"  I didn't have the time or the energy to figure out the answer to that question and since hubby thought they were there as well, my recurring nightmare was fast coming true.

The county clerks office was my next stop, and I decided that while I was there, I was going to do a clean sweep for all kids, so I picked up copies of all three birth certificates.  I managed to get back to the school in enough time to provide them all of the remaining documentation they needed to officially register Tatum for school, so I'll consider that a success for today!

Maybe there was so much stress and chaos surrounding the actual registration of Tatum for kinder to distract me from the fact that she's actually starting kinder in a few short weeks.  She is so excited for 'big school' but right now, I just want to freeze time!!

And in case you're wondering, I did make it back to the bank and all of the certificates are back in safe keeping (so I won't have a repeat of this in three years for Jacey)!!

Spell-a-thon winner!

When I picked Kellen up on Monday, I noticed a flash of brightness in his hands, and then he quickly hid whatever it was behind his back.  It looked remarkably similar to a trophy, but I couldn't figure out what it would have been for.  I knew they were going to announce the class, grade level and overall awards for those had fundraised for the Spell-a-Thon, but hadn't seen anything come through on the PTO listserv all day, but it never entered my mind to put the two together.

With a mischievous grin, Kellen walks over to me.  "Close your eyes, Mommy."

I obliged.

Then he proceeds to show me this.

"

In case you can't read it, "Most Money Raised, Top in Class - 3rd Grade"

As we walk out he also tells me, "And I got a green today!" (That means he had a really good day at school without misbehaving)

It was a good day!  We decided that we're going to write thank-you notes to all of those who contributed to him and his participation in the Spell-a-Thon, so if you're one of those individuals, get ready!

40 MILES!!!

And no, it isn't me!!

Kellen ran 120 laps = the equivalent of 40 miles = 

during PE at school during Road Runners in 30 weeks during this past school year.

They had the PE awards and ceremony on Friday and he was awarded his certificate then.  

(And apparently, his missed the 'bronze' level by 5 laps!)

I am so super proud of him!!

When a door closes....

I frequently ask the Lord to give me direction not in the form of quiet whispers, but in flashing billboards and signs.

I don't do well with subtle. The Lord made me. He knows this. It's not a shocker to Him.

But I ask anyway, because I know myself. Typically He answers that particular prayers and gives my flashing billboards and large signs.

I appreciate this very much.

Last fall, I applied for a PhD program in the College of Education and Human Development, within the Department of Educational Administration & Human Resource Development here at Texas A&M University. The program itself was human resource development. It would have taken me a while, as my plan was to take a class, possibly two, at a time.

I have been talking about applying for my PhD for...oh...about 11 years now. Yup. Since I finished my Masters. But a little thing called the real world managed to get in the way. You know...the first 'real' job, a couple-three-kids, just life in general. And despite the fact that I'm surrounded by people continuing their education (with my advice and assistance) and by professors, I hadn't taken the plunge.

Until last fall. My co-worker was applying for the very same program, and that was the motivation I needed. Matt and I prayed about it, and we decided that things seemed like they were lining up for me to apply for the program. If God didn't want me in the program at that time, I simply wouldn't get accepted.

The individuals I asked to write my letters of recommendation were thrilled to do so, one of them even submitted the recommendation letter before I had a chance to submit the application or any supporting materials. All three of these professors felt incredibly confident that I would be admitted, and to tell you the truth, so did I. And so did my co-worker. And so did most of the other people that I told I was applying.

The decision was supposed to be made (I thought) by the end of February. The end of February came and went and I didn't hear anything. I did; however, get a text from another friend who had applied to the same program the evening of March 1st. She basically told me to check my email. I had been busy that afternoon in meetings and hadn't had a chance to check it.  So I did.


But God said, "No." Or at least, "Not right now."
 
I didn't get accepted into the program.

I certainly won't lie and say that I'm not disappointed, because I am. But I'm trusting that this is God's very large, flashing billboard directing me away from this path at this particular moment.  Those who I have informed of this have been shocked for me, which I appreciate. But I'm trusting that this was/is God's will for me right now. Perhaps He is saving me from myself, since I do have a tendency to take on more than I need to at any given time.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path. - Proverbs 3:5-6

Valentine Sweetie

In trying to figure out what the kids were going to take for their Valentine's this year (you know, instead of my normal, last minute, Dollar Store cards), I have been pinning numerous cute items on Pinterest.

Apparently it got my creative juices flowing.

I came across some SweeTarts that we had at the house, and luckily for me, we had just enough for a class set for Jacey.

So, I designed a card, printed it out on regular printer paper (if you wanted to get fancier, you could always use card stock).

I glued the card to construction paper, then simply added the SweeTart with some tape in the space I had designed.

Easy as that and oh-so-cute (if I do say so myself).  And here is the whole stack of them, ready to go (in advance, I might add...go me - for once).

And I think it took me less time than signing names, folding, and sticking red hearts onto the Dollar Store valentines....and the best part....this project cost me nothing out of pocket...everything to do this was already in the house.

Whoop!

Happy visit for Kellen

Since our move (less than a mile down the road), which resulted in a change in elementary schools, Kellen's back-to-school adjustment has been, well, an adjustment.

It's been a challenge this year.

Not that the things that he's been working on have been bad......just challenging.

It's been little things.  Spending over his 'allotted' time in the library looking for a particular book.  Not listening to directions.  Talking.  Going too fast on his math homework or papers and thinking he knew what he was supposed to be doing - but not really and getting grades below what he's capable of earning.  Lining up with his hands next to his side rather than together behind his back (ok, ok...even I have to question that one, but whatever)....

So after almost two weeks straight of 'pulling tags' and getting yellow warning marks, he really turned it around.

And he got a Happy Visit as a result.

He was thrilled.  Over the moon.  And apparently when you get a Happy Visit, your picture goes up on a wall and stays there.  For the entire.year.

He was so proud.

And so were are we.

Progress Report

We've made it through the first six weeks for Kellen, and Daddy and I had the parent-teacher conference today. Considering that he had come home with a few "Needs Improvement" on his weekly progress charts, we weren't surprised that he had some of those on his report card for behavior-related issues. Shocked, we were not.

It was; however, nice to know that when tested, he was at a 2nd grade reading level. And he is performing at an Excellent (Note: 95-100) level for mathematics for what is expected right now. And for the remainder of his Academics, he scored nothing below a "S" on his report card. In addition, he's getting some additional challenge practice for reading because he's reading at such a high level (teacher's aide pulling him and one other kid from his class and another from one other class out and working with them in a small group at their level) three times a week for about 45 minutes each time. In addition, he's getting "Enrichment" activities, which was explained to us as activities for students early-identified as those who most likely would be testing into GT.

All-in-all, I'm thrilled with how he's doing academically! Now, if we can simply try and pinpoint and improve on some of his behavioral issues, we'll be in better shape. Which is not to say we aren't in good shape now, it's simply to say that there is room for improvement.

So, our action plan is that for the next couple of weeks is that we'll be receiving a daily email letting us know if Kellen started the day with a positive or negative attitude. We're going to try and see if we can identify the "why" on his beginning-of-the-day attitude to see if 1) I need to change the morning routine; 2) he needs to get more sleep; 3) Daddy needs to commute more; 4) we need to scale back on some of the extracurricular activities; or 5) some combination of all of the above. If we can make progress in one area, that will be good enough for me!

Moving on....
Sparks.
Kellen is doing wonderfully at Sparks. He is FABULOUS at memorizing scripture. We went through a lesson tonight and the scripture was the first part of one, and he already knew the entire thing. It's amazing what he's learning from listening to the Sparks CD at night! So, just to see what he knew, I asked him the scriptures through the remainder of the book, and he knew all of them with the exception of 2, but knew those 2 with the one or two word reminder to start things off. His goal is to finish the book out this week - I suggested that we shoot for the end of the month.

I have gone through the book and made index cards with all of the scriptures on them in flash card style so that we can continue to go over them even after he finishes the book. Plus, it's helpful for me, even though I have no problem saying that Kellen has these verses down much better than I do!

Great ending

I picked Tatum up from school on Friday and headed home. As I pulled into the driveway and hit the garage door opener, Kellen ran out to inform me that I had to stay in the car. After persuading he and Daddy to let Tatum and I come inside to put an end to her screaming to get OUT of the car, and after promising to stay away from whatever surprise they were working on, they acquiesced and let us come inside.

A few moments later, I was shown the surprise.....a print out of a picture Daddy had taken on his phone, indicating that...

Kellen was chosen as the Junior Klub Kid of the Week!!!!

So, we scrapped any ideas we had about making dinner (it was going to be a somewhat 'fend-for-yourself night anyway), and decided to use some coupons we had and treat Kellen to CiCi's as a reward - but as a surprise!

He was thrilled, and even moreso when he was able to 'pay' for the entire family himself!

I'm so over-the-moon proud of him!!!

Scheduled

Kellen is sufficiently scheduled for the semester.

He's participating in Awana's again through the church, and has been reading his Spark's book and listening to the CD every night. We had the family night Sunday before last and it officially starts up this coming week. He's SO EXCITED!! I'm just amazed at how well he can memorize scripture. It blows my mind and melts my heart.

He'll also be continuing with Tae Kwon Do once a week during Kids Club. He's already moved up two belts, and really enjoys that...it's a little later than it was in previous years, if I remember correctly, finishing up at 5:30 this year. I just have to be sure and not arrive earlier than 5:30 to pick him up on those days.

We'll do Flag Football again this season, and we requested a different night from Tae Kwon Do. We did the same last year, but apparently there weren't enough folks to run those nights, so we got bumped to different days last year. I'm hoping that doesn't happen again this year, because going from Tae Kwon Do to football made for one VERY tired Kellen. We should hear about that sometime next week, I believe...there is a coach's meeting next week.

He wanted to play soccer, but apparently the soccer league runs year-round here, so we'll look at getting him into soccer once football is over and before T-Ball begins. I asked him why he wanted to play soccer this year and he replied something to the effect of, 'I've never played it and I want to try it out.' I couldn't have asked for a better answer than that, now could I?

He's of the age for Cub Scouts now, and we went to the introductory meeting tonight. We're all signed up for that as well, but I'm not sure what the time commitment is on that one...Pack meetings once a month, and there is another meeting next week where they're going to split up the den's and go over that stuff.

Whew. Quite honestly, I'm tired just thinking about all of the stuff that he's into! But he's excited, and we talked about making sure that he got enough rest so that he would be able to make good choices at school and Kids Club and listen to his teachers and counselors, etc...

As for Tatum, we're also looking at Kindertots, a dance and gym program through her daycare. She's already taught herself a front somersault and dances to ANY music that she hears - either for real or in her own mind. I need to call and find out which day it is held, because I don't want it to interfere with her being able to visit Maw Maw and Paw Paw during the week for story time at the library. Considering that she sings when she runs out of things to actually say, it might not be a bad idea to consider some musical things as well, but let's start small, shall we?