The Kids

I have been horrible at updating our day to day lives lately. I think because we have settled into our routine and not much out of the ordinary happens. So here are some updates on the kiddos.

Jillise is really thriving in 2nd grade. She has a great teacher and some good friends. She has been a "self manager" since the second week of school. Self Managers are allowed to leave for lunch and PE early, they get to eat lunch with the teacher on Fridays, and they get other special privileges. She has been able to maintain this status and really enjoys the perks.

She continues to do well in spelling and math. Since first grade started, she has only missed one spelling word. I wish I had her brain. She has recently gotten back into writing and illustrating stories. Brian and I just crack up at what is swirling around in her head. She is currently working on a chapter book. I'll have to put it up here when she is done.

Her "meltdowns" have been few and far between lately, and none of them have happened at or about school. The few she has had have been in the evenings when she is tired and the last straw just makes her snap. She is also quite helpful here at home. She loves to practice her piano and most days doesn't even have to be reminded to do it. She really is a fun girl to be around.

Joelle seems to be enjoying kindergarten -- at least from what I can get out of her. She never seems to want to share much after school. She knows her letter sounds and has started to read some simple phonics books. She loves doing her "homework" and I think is really liking some independence from home and her big sister. She is not a morning person, so afternoon kindergarten was really a good move on our part. She has the morning to lounge around, eat lunch, do homework, fight with Jaren, and have some Mom time.

Joelle is our "spirited child" and I am trying to figure out how to best raise her so she has some self control, but maintain her energy and feistiness. She is very loving and I think she is just trying to find her place as the middle child. She makes friends easily and is very social. She also loves (LOVES) to talk. She has been blessed with a great Primary teacher who I know is helping her with that. I have yet to hear from her kindy teacher that she is a motor mouth, but teacher conferences are this weekend. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the news is good. I have heard that the class has some REALLY unruly boys, so maybe a chatterbox is the least of her worries.

Both girls are finishing up soccer. It has been fun to watch their personalities come out during practices and games. Jillise is a perfectionist and carries that onto the field, where she is thoughtful and a bit cautious. She has been hit in the face with the ball a few times, but each time has gotten back in there. They have goalies this year and she has come close to scoring a few times, but those goalies make it tough. :) Joelle, despite her feistiness, does not seem to have a competetive bone in her body. She is out there running NEAR the ball, but she seems more interested in managing what is going on. She rarely makes contact with the ball, but she is always shouting helpful instructions to those who do. She also loves to tell all of the female coaches and refs about her day. During the game. Whatever. This is a child who isn't very inclined to do physical exercise on her own, so she will be sticking with soccer to keep her moving.

Ballet has started up again, too. Keeps me busy.

Jaren is my buddy. I. love. this. kid. He is funny, charming, cuddly, and all boy. It cracks me up to watch how he plays with things. He is all about noise, destruction, and chaos. His speech and vocabulary are a constant source of entertainment for me. He is pretty good at getting his point across. Thanks to his older sisters he has mastered "I don't want," "I can't," "Stop," and "No, not that!" But he loves to say prayers (always in a whisper, except a loud AMEN with hands thrown up in the air at the end), and count and try to sing his ABCs. His current TV shows are Go Diego Go and Dora. He loves to call Brian at work and say, "Oh, Maaaaaaaan!!" like Swiper and "Yumyumyumyum... delicioso!" like backpack. His favorite drink is milk or water WITH ICE and he is back to loving cheese.

I like that Jaren still enjoys being rocked before bed and that he is snuggly when I get him up in the morning. He is surprisingly easy going and doesn't pitch a fit when he is awakened early to take Jillise to school in the cold. He seems to love being along for the ride and likes to try to make any situation fun.

Our weekends in October have been CRAZY BUSY and we hadn't been able to go to the pumpkin patch yet. This was one tradition we hadn't broken yet, and it was killing me that we might not be able to go. Yesterday was sunny and 72 degrees, so Brian took the afternoon off and we went to a really fun place. The kids had a great time, though Jaren couldn't seem to figure out what on earth we were doing. We climed the hay pyramid, rode the hay ride out to pick our pumpkins, took a ride on crazy cow train, and saw the animals. It was a fantastic fall day.

When we got home we were lucky enough to have the missionaries over to teach a lesson to a woman who is interested in learning more about our church. I was responsible for trying to keep the kids quiet (her six year old son was over and the kids were having quite a bit of very noisy fun upstairs) and so I wasn't able to be there for the whole discussion, but I really enjoyed being reminded of how I came to know for myself that the church was true. We are meeting again on Thursday and I hope that the same spirit will be here at this next lesson to help her know for herself that the gospel and Book of Mormon are true.

*sigh* That's it.