Julia has surprised us all by how quickly her reading has progressed. In November at the 1st quarter conference, she was reading at a 2nd grade level. In January at the 2nd quarter conference she was reading at a 3rd grade level! She can sound out almost anything, as long it makes sense phonetically. Here are some words she has shocked us by figuring out with no help recently:
-figure
-country
-tentacles
-investment
-cardinal
-nervous
-several
-hopeful
-surprised
-graph
-compared
We are so proud of our Super Reader!! Not only is she an excellent reader, she is also excelling in all other areas. She got a great report card, which earned her $5 from us (double her weekly allowance) PLUS a pair of Heely's from Bubby and Moshie! What a lucky girl!
February 8, 2009
February 1, 2009
Life
It seems like we're moving even faster than usual lately. The days have been passing pretty quickly. We've had lots going on, with me working now, the kids getting over their cold and finally back to normal, Wally taking on a little more by dropping the kids off at school each morning, and Julia's changes at school.
I guess I will start with that since it's the biggest and most immediate news. Netzaberg Elementary is a school for military kids, so the kids are constantly coming and going. People are PCS-ing and relocating here all the time. However, there's been some overcrowding in the 1st grade, so a couple of weeks ago we got a letter saying that they were opening a new 1st grade class and that a few kids from each of the existing classes would be taken to create the new class. To make a long story short, due to some issues in Julia's class, we asked that she be moved to the new class. She helped us make the decision and is very excited about the class. One of her good friends in our neighborhood, a little girl she walks to school with every morning, is also moving to the class, as well as another friend who is moving with her from her old room. I'm excited for her too, I think this is going to be a positive change. The class starts tomorrow so please wish Julia luck!
Lexie is doing really well now. For about a week, she had a really bad cold and was just not herself. Two weeks ago, between Wally and me, we had the kids out of school almost a week. It was a horrible cold and made them all have fevers and just generally feel terrible, with coughs, runny noses, and lots of congestion. Aiden even vomited. It was no fun for any of us. But, Lexie is finally back. She's back to her happy, smiley, friendly self. She's very interested in hats lately. She calls them "hat-hat" and she pats the top of her head when she says it. So cute. We finally turned her carseat to forward facing (at 17 months, we kept her rear-facing the longest, she just seemed happy that way and since it's safer, we saw no reason to change until we had to) and she's starting to enjoy being able to see more, chatting with Aiden in the car, and of course, being able to see the screen when we show a movie in the van. :) She's not into TV at all at home, but will watch it a little while riding. One funny thing she did lately was when I went in the wake her up one morning. She sat up in bed, looked at me, and said "Hi" and gave me this sweet smile. She's such a nice girl. She's very helpful, always bringing things to us and wanting to sit with me or Wally and just snuggle. She loves to play with her daddy and laughs so hard when he tickles her. It's the best sound in the world!
I could write a 2 page post on Aiden. He is the funniest kid. He moves from one obsession to another on a monthly basis. Sometimes one will last 2 months and merge with another obsession before it fades away. Past obsessions have been Finding Nemo, Little Bear, Elmo, The Backyardigans, Cars (specifically "Yite Keen" Lightening McQueen), and lately he's been into....Wally will kill me for writing this....Strawberry Shortcake. He wants to watch it day and night. I don't care, I know he'll be onto something else before the end of February. I'm thinking it might be Monsters Inc next because right now he's watching it for the 2nd time since yesterday. And even when the obsession fades, he still really likes that movie or toy, and watches them, just not as often. He's been watching Little Bear again lately too.
Other funny things, hmmm.... he took some of the money from Julia's Monopoly Jr. game and put it in an empty Elmo dr kit case and has been carrying it around. For some reason yesterday morning he told us "My money cryin'" I have no idea why the money was crying, but it's ok now apparently!
We can't keep enough food in the kid. Wally says he's going to have to stay in the Army longer to be able to feed the boy. His standard phrase is "My hun-gie" He's always "hun-gie" For example, right now it's 11:15 on Sunday morning. He came up to our room at 7am. Wally came downstairs and got him a banana, cheerios, and juice. He ate that in our bed and watched Little Bear so Wally and I could get some more sleep. A little while later we came downstairs and he had his usual morning breakfast of sliced grapes and strawberries. This is something he eats 7 days a week. As he shoves the last of the fruit into his mouth, he says (while still chewing) "My want more!" I tell him he can't have more fruit (because that's all he'll eat and his tummy gets upset when he eats too much fruit) but he can have yogurt or a Pop Tart. I never ate Pop Tarts growing up, but Aiden loves the strawberry and apple ones. He says he wants both. So Wally tells him if he finishes his yogurt, he can have a Pop Tart. He finishes the yogurt, which is a full size low fat Yoplait, not a kiddie-size yogurt. He then proceeds to eat a strawberry Pop Tart (one out of the 2 in the package). A half hour later he tells me "My fir-tee" (thirsty) so he drank some water. We seem to have quieted the beast for now, but at lunch and dinner it will be the same.
He's also becoming very much a Mommy's boy, which is funny since he has gravitated toward Wally since birth. He'll come up to me and say "My want you, Mama" or "Hold me, Mama" and who can complain about that?! He wants to sit with me, be held by me, for me to take him to bed at night.....right now he is sitting right up next to me on the couch with his arm resting on my leg while he watches this movie. I'm just in love with him at this age, and hate the fact that he's growing up so fast. I want to savor every moment with all of them.
Julia and Wally are at the PX right now, selling cookies at her Brownie Troop's booth. I'm sure they're having a blast, that's totally Wally's type of thing: talking to people and selling cookies...COOKIES of all things! He LOVES Girl Scout cookies. He'll come home with no less than a case (12 boxes) of peanut butter patties or whatever they're called. 2 boxes of Thin Mints and 2 Samoas and I'm a happy girl. I can't tell you how many times the Girl Scout Troops would ring my door in Melbourne and say "Here are the cookies your husband ordered, you owe us..." Now that it's HIS little girl selling the cookies, there will be no stopping him! Julia is really enjoying Brownies; she has earned her colors & shapes Try-it and a caroling badge and is now working on her Smart Cookie badge. We are really proud of her!
Well this post is full of nothing but bragging on my kids, but that's ok. Hope everyone is doing well.
I guess I will start with that since it's the biggest and most immediate news. Netzaberg Elementary is a school for military kids, so the kids are constantly coming and going. People are PCS-ing and relocating here all the time. However, there's been some overcrowding in the 1st grade, so a couple of weeks ago we got a letter saying that they were opening a new 1st grade class and that a few kids from each of the existing classes would be taken to create the new class. To make a long story short, due to some issues in Julia's class, we asked that she be moved to the new class. She helped us make the decision and is very excited about the class. One of her good friends in our neighborhood, a little girl she walks to school with every morning, is also moving to the class, as well as another friend who is moving with her from her old room. I'm excited for her too, I think this is going to be a positive change. The class starts tomorrow so please wish Julia luck!
Lexie is doing really well now. For about a week, she had a really bad cold and was just not herself. Two weeks ago, between Wally and me, we had the kids out of school almost a week. It was a horrible cold and made them all have fevers and just generally feel terrible, with coughs, runny noses, and lots of congestion. Aiden even vomited. It was no fun for any of us. But, Lexie is finally back. She's back to her happy, smiley, friendly self. She's very interested in hats lately. She calls them "hat-hat" and she pats the top of her head when she says it. So cute. We finally turned her carseat to forward facing (at 17 months, we kept her rear-facing the longest, she just seemed happy that way and since it's safer, we saw no reason to change until we had to) and she's starting to enjoy being able to see more, chatting with Aiden in the car, and of course, being able to see the screen when we show a movie in the van. :) She's not into TV at all at home, but will watch it a little while riding. One funny thing she did lately was when I went in the wake her up one morning. She sat up in bed, looked at me, and said "Hi" and gave me this sweet smile. She's such a nice girl. She's very helpful, always bringing things to us and wanting to sit with me or Wally and just snuggle. She loves to play with her daddy and laughs so hard when he tickles her. It's the best sound in the world!
I could write a 2 page post on Aiden. He is the funniest kid. He moves from one obsession to another on a monthly basis. Sometimes one will last 2 months and merge with another obsession before it fades away. Past obsessions have been Finding Nemo, Little Bear, Elmo, The Backyardigans, Cars (specifically "Yite Keen" Lightening McQueen), and lately he's been into....Wally will kill me for writing this....Strawberry Shortcake. He wants to watch it day and night. I don't care, I know he'll be onto something else before the end of February. I'm thinking it might be Monsters Inc next because right now he's watching it for the 2nd time since yesterday. And even when the obsession fades, he still really likes that movie or toy, and watches them, just not as often. He's been watching Little Bear again lately too.
Other funny things, hmmm.... he took some of the money from Julia's Monopoly Jr. game and put it in an empty Elmo dr kit case and has been carrying it around. For some reason yesterday morning he told us "My money cryin'" I have no idea why the money was crying, but it's ok now apparently!
We can't keep enough food in the kid. Wally says he's going to have to stay in the Army longer to be able to feed the boy. His standard phrase is "My hun-gie" He's always "hun-gie" For example, right now it's 11:15 on Sunday morning. He came up to our room at 7am. Wally came downstairs and got him a banana, cheerios, and juice. He ate that in our bed and watched Little Bear so Wally and I could get some more sleep. A little while later we came downstairs and he had his usual morning breakfast of sliced grapes and strawberries. This is something he eats 7 days a week. As he shoves the last of the fruit into his mouth, he says (while still chewing) "My want more!" I tell him he can't have more fruit (because that's all he'll eat and his tummy gets upset when he eats too much fruit) but he can have yogurt or a Pop Tart. I never ate Pop Tarts growing up, but Aiden loves the strawberry and apple ones. He says he wants both. So Wally tells him if he finishes his yogurt, he can have a Pop Tart. He finishes the yogurt, which is a full size low fat Yoplait, not a kiddie-size yogurt. He then proceeds to eat a strawberry Pop Tart (one out of the 2 in the package). A half hour later he tells me "My fir-tee" (thirsty) so he drank some water. We seem to have quieted the beast for now, but at lunch and dinner it will be the same.
He's also becoming very much a Mommy's boy, which is funny since he has gravitated toward Wally since birth. He'll come up to me and say "My want you, Mama" or "Hold me, Mama" and who can complain about that?! He wants to sit with me, be held by me, for me to take him to bed at night.....right now he is sitting right up next to me on the couch with his arm resting on my leg while he watches this movie. I'm just in love with him at this age, and hate the fact that he's growing up so fast. I want to savor every moment with all of them.
Julia and Wally are at the PX right now, selling cookies at her Brownie Troop's booth. I'm sure they're having a blast, that's totally Wally's type of thing: talking to people and selling cookies...COOKIES of all things! He LOVES Girl Scout cookies. He'll come home with no less than a case (12 boxes) of peanut butter patties or whatever they're called. 2 boxes of Thin Mints and 2 Samoas and I'm a happy girl. I can't tell you how many times the Girl Scout Troops would ring my door in Melbourne and say "Here are the cookies your husband ordered, you owe us..." Now that it's HIS little girl selling the cookies, there will be no stopping him! Julia is really enjoying Brownies; she has earned her colors & shapes Try-it and a caroling badge and is now working on her Smart Cookie badge. We are really proud of her!
Well this post is full of nothing but bragging on my kids, but that's ok. Hope everyone is doing well.
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