Saturday, February 27, 2010
Jace start your engines!
Sorry this is posted sideways, unfortunately it took me too many tries to upload in the first place so this is how is stays! :) Thank you for looking!
Ellie & Sydney's Dance Recital
Ellie and Sydney had their Dance Recital last night, they have been taking dance since September and have been working hard. Sydney danced to "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Rock A-Bye Baby", Ellie danced to "Jack and Jill" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". Their recital is just precious to watch!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Why Big Families Might Be Easier
by Matthew Archbold
A woman said to me recently that my five children were very well behaved. It’s one of the best things I can hear so I thanked her. Then she asked me “how do you do it with so many?”
I told her that I don’t think I’d be a very good parent of one child or two. She didn’t believe my answer but honest to goodness, I sometimes think that having many children is easier than just one.
Why big families are easier:
Patience. I never have to teach patience. My children know that I can’t drop everything for them if I have a baby in my arms.
Work Ethic. My children have learned to work because there are always chores to do in a small house packed with little messy lunatics. And they all learn quickly that sometimes they have to clean up a mess even though they didn’t make it.
Humility. My children have learned it’s not always their turn. They’ve accepted they can’t always get their way because other people have to get their way sometimes. They’ve learned that some children are better at certain things than they are.
Foreign language skills. You can learn a lot of Spanish by watching ten years of Dora the Explorer that you just can’t pick up in two. And now with the Diego spin off I’m practically fluent.
Laughter. The children have learned to laugh at the insane non sequiturs of younger siblings. They’ve learned that laughing just feels better when seven people are doing it along with you
Competition. Do I really need to go into this? Everything is a competition in big families. The children compete over who reads faster, who drinks their milk faster, who gets to the bathroom first…etc. Everything is a competition and they’re all keeping score.
Balance. The floor of the front room of my home is a minefield of toys and childhood paraphernalia. Just walking through the room requires great skill and balance. I’m absolutely convinced my two year old will be a favorite for Gold on the balance beam in the 2016 Olympics. (She might have to lay off the cookies a little but I’ll deal with that later.)
Life isn’t fair. Sometimes you just give it to the baby because you want a little quiet. Not all the time. But sometimes.
Just say “No.” Being able to say “no” may be the most undervalued skill in this world. The need to be liked is pervasive. The need to be cool even more so. Having brothers and sisters teaches children to say “no” about 143 times a day. It’s a good skill.
Praying. They learn that nothing beats praying together as a family.
Nature/Nurture. Having many children has taught me that nature has a lot more to do with who my kids are than nurture. This is helpful, especially when your children misbehave you don’t have to feel bad about it. Just say “Stupid nature!!!” and blame your spouse’s genes.
Namecalling. You can occasionally call your child by the wrong name and still not be considered a terrible parent. They know who you mean just from your tone. Sometimes if you need something done you can call the wrong name and someone will still show up. That helps.
Spying. My children have learned that they can’t get away with anything. I have spies who look a lot like them who are willing to drop the dime on them for anything. Even at school I’ve got a child in just about every grade. If they do something I’ll hear. That keeps them nervous. And I like keeping my kids a little nervous.
Friendship. The children have many friends. They’ve got girly friends, crying friends, fun loving friends, consoling friends, and crazy friends. And they all have the same last name. And they’ll be there forever for each other. No matter what.
Love. I think my children have learned to love because there are others around them to love and who love them. I honestly can think of no better way to teach children to love than siblings.
by Matthew Archbold
A woman said to me recently that my five children were very well behaved. It’s one of the best things I can hear so I thanked her. Then she asked me “how do you do it with so many?”
I told her that I don’t think I’d be a very good parent of one child or two. She didn’t believe my answer but honest to goodness, I sometimes think that having many children is easier than just one.
Why big families are easier:
Patience. I never have to teach patience. My children know that I can’t drop everything for them if I have a baby in my arms.
Work Ethic. My children have learned to work because there are always chores to do in a small house packed with little messy lunatics. And they all learn quickly that sometimes they have to clean up a mess even though they didn’t make it.
Humility. My children have learned it’s not always their turn. They’ve accepted they can’t always get their way because other people have to get their way sometimes. They’ve learned that some children are better at certain things than they are.
Foreign language skills. You can learn a lot of Spanish by watching ten years of Dora the Explorer that you just can’t pick up in two. And now with the Diego spin off I’m practically fluent.
Laughter. The children have learned to laugh at the insane non sequiturs of younger siblings. They’ve learned that laughing just feels better when seven people are doing it along with you
Competition. Do I really need to go into this? Everything is a competition in big families. The children compete over who reads faster, who drinks their milk faster, who gets to the bathroom first…etc. Everything is a competition and they’re all keeping score.
Balance. The floor of the front room of my home is a minefield of toys and childhood paraphernalia. Just walking through the room requires great skill and balance. I’m absolutely convinced my two year old will be a favorite for Gold on the balance beam in the 2016 Olympics. (She might have to lay off the cookies a little but I’ll deal with that later.)
Life isn’t fair. Sometimes you just give it to the baby because you want a little quiet. Not all the time. But sometimes.
Just say “No.” Being able to say “no” may be the most undervalued skill in this world. The need to be liked is pervasive. The need to be cool even more so. Having brothers and sisters teaches children to say “no” about 143 times a day. It’s a good skill.
Praying. They learn that nothing beats praying together as a family.
Nature/Nurture. Having many children has taught me that nature has a lot more to do with who my kids are than nurture. This is helpful, especially when your children misbehave you don’t have to feel bad about it. Just say “Stupid nature!!!” and blame your spouse’s genes.
Namecalling. You can occasionally call your child by the wrong name and still not be considered a terrible parent. They know who you mean just from your tone. Sometimes if you need something done you can call the wrong name and someone will still show up. That helps.
Spying. My children have learned that they can’t get away with anything. I have spies who look a lot like them who are willing to drop the dime on them for anything. Even at school I’ve got a child in just about every grade. If they do something I’ll hear. That keeps them nervous. And I like keeping my kids a little nervous.
Friendship. The children have many friends. They’ve got girly friends, crying friends, fun loving friends, consoling friends, and crazy friends. And they all have the same last name. And they’ll be there forever for each other. No matter what.
Love. I think my children have learned to love because there are others around them to love and who love them. I honestly can think of no better way to teach children to love than siblings.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Ok, so I am a proud Mom.
Today we had teacher conferences with Ellie's Teacher. She says she is doing wonderful, excelling in Math, Reading and Writing, she is doing so well her teacher has started her on 1st grade lessons. Her reading level is at E and to complete Kindergarten they must be at a C level. Her teacher said her reading skills also include comprehension, she can identify characters, beginning, middle, end and punctuation. She also said she exceeds expectations in self discipline and working in a timely manner. Her writing also exceeds expectations and very much enjoys its.
Her teacher has no worries or concerns and said she really enjoys having her as a student.
Her teacher has no worries or concerns and said she really enjoys having her as a student.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Jace's first haircut!
Today we decided it was time to trim up Jace's "old man hair", some of the strands were very long and he looked as though he was sporting a "come over". He did a good job sitting (Daddy was helping) but didn't quite understand what his mama was doing to him. His facial expressions = priceless. :)
Monday, February 15, 2010
Happy Heart Day!
We had a nice Valentine's weekend, Daddy gave his favorite cupcakes cute aprons.
Jace was sick with his first cold so we stayed around home and lounged in our jammies most of the day. We had yummy pancakes for breakfast and the girls helped me make cookies putting their aprons to good use.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Disney on Ice
Last night I took the girls to Disney on Ice and they loved it. Sydney was so AWED by it, she didn't want to blink, her favorite was The Little Mermaid. Ellie loved watching the "fancy ice skating" and her favorite was Cinderella. I also enjoyed the show and sharing it with my girls.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Jacer Speed Racer!
Jace loves doing laps around the coffee table, he goes pretty fast unless of course you're trying to video him doing it, the little stinker!
Jace is 9 Months Old!
Our little man is now 9 months old, weighs in at 21 lb and 10 oz and about 30 inches long. He has learned a lot in the past month. He loves clapping his hands, crawling everywhere (he now lives in a gated-community), and walking around the coffee table, transferring to the couch and back. He pulls himself to a standing position and loves that he can sit from a crawl position. Last week a tooth started to poke through and his favorite food right now is Cheerios (he can't seem to get enough of them). Today he started going for the stairs and likes the echo his already very loud voice creates. He is doing so great but makes his mama sad that her baby is no longer a baby but "our little man"
Ellie's Ice Skating Lesson for Girl Scouts
Ellie attended the Girl Scouts Ice Skating Lesson a couple of weeks ago. She did so well on the skates for it being her first time. She had a lot of fun and looks forward to more ice skating to come.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Ellie's 2nd Quarter of Kindergarten
Ellie's Quarter 2 Comments:
Well done! You have completed another very successful quarter in kindergarten. There are many things that you can be proud of; I look forward to sharing them with you at conferences.
Ellie is a talented musician. She is advanced vocally and kinesthetically. Please keep up the great work encouraging her as she may find an outlet in the fine arts. (She doesn't get that from me- that's for sure)
Well done! You have completed another very successful quarter in kindergarten. There are many things that you can be proud of; I look forward to sharing them with you at conferences.
Ellie is a talented musician. She is advanced vocally and kinesthetically. Please keep up the great work encouraging her as she may find an outlet in the fine arts. (She doesn't get that from me- that's for sure)
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