Friday, January 21, 2011
Highlights from the beginning of 2011
Life has been crazy to say the least these last couple of months but changes are in the works and we are excited at the route our lives have been taking.
Eris was recently accepted to a charter school in Ivins which specializes in academic programs individualized to meet each child's needs and an amazing performing arts program consisting of dance, art, music, theater... Although the commute is sometimes a bit rough, she is loving her new school and is now presented with more challenging work than ever before. She is reading at a high 4th grade level and learning her times tables, fractions, double-digit addition and subtraction as well as advanced science and history. I know that despite the challenges of leaving at 5:45 in the morning, she seems happier overall. I have already started to notice a change in her attitude and I sense an even greater passion for learning than before. Eris is still participating in dance, music and gymnastics lessons at home and loving each and every activity. She loves to play with her siblings and friends outside and has started building her dirt hut again. She has a love for building things and figuring out how they work. She is a very smart and talented girl!
Shayla is also excelling in her preschool and loves to learn new things. She has recently learned all of the letter sounds, to count to 20, the pledge of allegience, and the words to many songs. She is still a little ball of energy and recently climbed to the very top of the rope at gymnastics (approx 25 ft high). Her coach said that in the past 8 years she is been coaching she has never seen a preschool student do that! She is still a little tomboy only she has to be wearing pink, preferably a skirt, and jewelry and headband to match. She loves to play pretend and is very creative. She has started attending sunbeams at church and is doing very well with the transition. We are very proud of her!
Gavin is growing like a weed and is currently wearing a size 7 shoe. He has graduated his crib (mostly because he keeps climbing out of it) and sleeps in a toddler bed now. He is only 19 months old but can communicate very well and understands most of what is being said. He can copy many words that you ask him to say and he loves to try to sing and dance. He has a passion for balls and cars and has to have one or the other in hand at all times. He and Shayla play in the backyard a lot and love to go to the park and for walks. I think he's the cutest boy on the planet and even though he's growing up, he's still my baby!
Our house is still up for sale and will be until May but we have come to grips with the fact that we may just have to rent it out come summertime. We love this area, neighborhood, ward, home but since Spencer commutes to St. George quite frequently for his second job and Eris attends school there, we believe it would be in our best interest to move closer. We'll see what the next few months bring in that regard and re-evaluate then.
We had a great Christmas season. The girls performed in a gymnastics show and Eris performed with her dance group at a benefit concert at the highschool. We attended many parties and activities with friends and family and were even able to spend a few days with our immediate families. It was so nice to spend time with them playing games, eating, chatting, eating, opening presents and did I mention eating? We all got very spoiled and in addition to all of the wonderful individual gifts, (especially some much needed comfort items for Shayla and Gavin which have worked like charms in helping them sleep at night,) we were also able to bring home an amazing piano, and a spacious tent for our family! We feel so blessed to have such wonderful family members who love and support us and who cherish the moments we are able to spend together. There was some leftover snow on the car when we got home so the kids were even able to build a mini-snowman in Mesquite!
The kids and I attended our annual New Year's Eve family party in St. George with our extended family and had a wonderful time. It's so fun to see my kids playing with their little cousins the same way I remember playing with mine when I was young. We were all able to play some games, eat, visit and participate in our traditional ringing in the New Year by toasting our plastic cups filled with soda pop.
The weather has been warming up and we find ourselves outside more often than not. We love to take hikes in the hills, walks on the trails, play at the park and ride bikes together. We try to make the most of the time that Spencer is home and the kids and I have better adjusted to the times he's not. We look forward to taking our new tent out for some camping trips and Spencer and I am trying to gear myself up for a backpacking trip with Spencer that some couples from the stake are taking in July. We are also looking forward to a wedding, graduations, reunions and other family trips coming up in the next few months.
Eris was recently accepted to a charter school in Ivins which specializes in academic programs individualized to meet each child's needs and an amazing performing arts program consisting of dance, art, music, theater... Although the commute is sometimes a bit rough, she is loving her new school and is now presented with more challenging work than ever before. She is reading at a high 4th grade level and learning her times tables, fractions, double-digit addition and subtraction as well as advanced science and history. I know that despite the challenges of leaving at 5:45 in the morning, she seems happier overall. I have already started to notice a change in her attitude and I sense an even greater passion for learning than before. Eris is still participating in dance, music and gymnastics lessons at home and loving each and every activity. She loves to play with her siblings and friends outside and has started building her dirt hut again. She has a love for building things and figuring out how they work. She is a very smart and talented girl!
Shayla is also excelling in her preschool and loves to learn new things. She has recently learned all of the letter sounds, to count to 20, the pledge of allegience, and the words to many songs. She is still a little ball of energy and recently climbed to the very top of the rope at gymnastics (approx 25 ft high). Her coach said that in the past 8 years she is been coaching she has never seen a preschool student do that! She is still a little tomboy only she has to be wearing pink, preferably a skirt, and jewelry and headband to match. She loves to play pretend and is very creative. She has started attending sunbeams at church and is doing very well with the transition. We are very proud of her!
Gavin is growing like a weed and is currently wearing a size 7 shoe. He has graduated his crib (mostly because he keeps climbing out of it) and sleeps in a toddler bed now. He is only 19 months old but can communicate very well and understands most of what is being said. He can copy many words that you ask him to say and he loves to try to sing and dance. He has a passion for balls and cars and has to have one or the other in hand at all times. He and Shayla play in the backyard a lot and love to go to the park and for walks. I think he's the cutest boy on the planet and even though he's growing up, he's still my baby!
Our house is still up for sale and will be until May but we have come to grips with the fact that we may just have to rent it out come summertime. We love this area, neighborhood, ward, home but since Spencer commutes to St. George quite frequently for his second job and Eris attends school there, we believe it would be in our best interest to move closer. We'll see what the next few months bring in that regard and re-evaluate then.
We had a great Christmas season. The girls performed in a gymnastics show and Eris performed with her dance group at a benefit concert at the highschool. We attended many parties and activities with friends and family and were even able to spend a few days with our immediate families. It was so nice to spend time with them playing games, eating, chatting, eating, opening presents and did I mention eating? We all got very spoiled and in addition to all of the wonderful individual gifts, (especially some much needed comfort items for Shayla and Gavin which have worked like charms in helping them sleep at night,) we were also able to bring home an amazing piano, and a spacious tent for our family! We feel so blessed to have such wonderful family members who love and support us and who cherish the moments we are able to spend together. There was some leftover snow on the car when we got home so the kids were even able to build a mini-snowman in Mesquite!
The kids and I attended our annual New Year's Eve family party in St. George with our extended family and had a wonderful time. It's so fun to see my kids playing with their little cousins the same way I remember playing with mine when I was young. We were all able to play some games, eat, visit and participate in our traditional ringing in the New Year by toasting our plastic cups filled with soda pop.
The weather has been warming up and we find ourselves outside more often than not. We love to take hikes in the hills, walks on the trails, play at the park and ride bikes together. We try to make the most of the time that Spencer is home and the kids and I have better adjusted to the times he's not. We look forward to taking our new tent out for some camping trips and Spencer and I am trying to gear myself up for a backpacking trip with Spencer that some couples from the stake are taking in July. We are also looking forward to a wedding, graduations, reunions and other family trips coming up in the next few months.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Visit with Santa
The kids were able to see Santa several times this holiday season and we were able to get pictures taken a couple of times as well. It was so nice to have all 3 kids enjoy time with Santa with no screaming or tantrums, just pure joy and excitement! They were all really excited on Christmas Eve as we did a lesson and activity on the birth of Jesus and then left milk and cookies with a letter to Santa. They were especially thrilled to be woken up Christmas morning to find that Santa had visited once again and brought lots of toys and candy. We then had a yummy breakfast of daddy's famous muffins and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus before we all blew out a candle lit just for him. Although Spencer had to go to work shortly after, the kids and I enjoyed spending the rest of the day lounging around and playing with all of the new toys.
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