All the Little Stuff of November...

This time of year in Texas is funny because one day it's 80 degrees and the next you are scrambling to find your coats and gloves.  Up until last week I still had their summer clothes out because I never knew when I'd need a short sleeve shirt or shorts.  I think we've finally fallen into winter though which is good because we are hosting a Christmas party at our house this weekend and I'm also in charge of the program at our ward Christmas party the day after.  So the cold weather just makes everything feel right.  I didn't take many pictures this month because I was focusing on a video project for Christmas but there is still plenty to say about the pictures I did take.

We have a little responsibility chart hanging on our wall with big cards you can move as you complete the responsibility.  Responsibilities include making bed, brushing teeth, reading scriptures, showing love, helping mom, and doing homework.  I usually make up the homework everyday but it can range from tracing lines, number sequencing, writing names, etc...  The kids always ask to do homework and I laugh because I know one day that will not be the case anymore.  Each child's abilities are different right now and they progress at different paces.  But Leah has mastered writing her name and Clark thinks it's the coolest thing ever.  This is one of MANY pictures he's taken of her name being written.  It's really funny.  Pretty good though I'd say!

The trio have been taking a couple classes through the recreation center these past six weeks.  Since my disappointing first class, I've decided to only put them in physical or sport classes from now on and worry about education stuff at home (or in upcoming preschool classes).  One class we've all enjoyed has been a kidokinetics class which covers different sports every week.  They did Lacrosse, Soccer, Frisbee, golf, and a couple others I can't remember.  It was a 45 minute class which I was originally bummed about because I thought that wasn't long enough but it turns out that they were EXHAUSTED after 45 minutes.  They ran, stretched, learned muscles, tried new body movements, practiced balancing, ab work, and so much more.  Add in some exercises with a ball, Frisbee, cones, hula hoops, etc... and I could barely get them out to the car.  The class was small and the day I took this picture we were the only ones there.  Good thing there are three of them so it still feels like a big class!  :)

 

The other class we took was a Tumble Tykes class. I wasn't nearly as impressed with that class as far as activity goes but I viewed it as more of a 'learning how to listen, sit quietly, take turns, and obey your teacher' kind of class. All the other moms sat with their kids and held their hands during the activities which was fine but I wanted to sit on the sidelines and let the kids do things by themselves and let the teacher take control when they were being disobedient. The only problem was that the teacher talked as loud as a butterfly and was not engaging at all so I couldn't always fault the kids for being bored or not listening. So by the end of the six week course I was able to sit on the bench the whole class while the kids did their thing and waved to me every so often. There was another boy in the class who was really unruly and my boys could never take their eyes off him when he was acting up. Often it really concerned them so they'd yell things to me like, "He's not obeying his mama! He's not being kind!" Although I felt bad for the other mom when my kids yelled those awkward comments, I was glad for them to see and recognize the behavior and be able to talk about it afterwards. The other funny thing of the class was that the teacher would ask them to do a skill, then they would try, and then we'd all clap and say good job. But several times Caleb was NOT attempting the skill she asked but she would still say good job and send him on his way. It bugged me because she wasn't showing him the correct way or correcting him if he was confused. So I started doing it! So one day he was supposed to be doing jumping jacks on the trampoline and he was doing some random clapping move so I stood up and showed him what he should do and the teacher said, "Oh I think he's doing a fine job. Good job Caleb, you did it!" I was like what??? So when he went back to his seat I went over to him and explained what he was supposed to try and then he did it right there on his spot. Seriously. Just a testament of how our society overpraises kids (and although this situation is silly and small) and fails to correct and guide them just so we don't hurt their feelings or damage their pride. 

As you can tell I wasn't as thrilled with that class although we did learn some valuable lessons it it. The kids got to play on apparatuses like the bars, balance beam, and tramp. 

 

 

Our Thanksgiving holiday was really enjoyable.  Clark had the week off so we got all our 'productive' stuff done on Monday and Tuesday so we could just play and relax the rest of the time.  We went to the temple, did some shopping, repaired the garbage disposal, got some doctor visits out of the way, etc...  The kids were busy too.  They spent time exploring the back yard and investigating bugs and grass.  They each had their investigator vests on equipped with glasses, a 'treasure' map, bugs, binoculars, and a bug guide.

We raked the leaves in our front yard and the kids had a blast with those.  Jumping on, hiding in, throwing around, and raking up all over again.  The fun never ended.  Clark and I even let the kids bury us and they thought that was the best thing ever.

Of course, like many other people, we did a gratitude tree this year.  The whole process was fun and educational for the kids as we talked about the word gratitude and what it means.  We read scriptures and stories from The Friend magazine to illustrate things we can be grateful for.  Every day I filled out a leaf for the kids of something they said they were grateful for and they taped it on the tree.  The first few days were mostly toy related but then I said they couldn't say toys anymore and had to think of something else.  Although now I know they are incredibly grateful for their toys.  By the end of the month, they could literally think of nothing else so I had to give ideas but for the most part they did pretty good with coming up with things.  I kept their leaves and want to list some of what they said:

Leah:  Jesus loves me, books, bubble baths, Mom and Dad, Samuel talked about Jesus, blankets and sheets, cousins, prayer, nursery, bed, food, whales, tea set, Christmas tree, toys, Grandmas and Grandpas, Michael and Marisol

Zachary:  Samuel's bravery, Jesus Christ gave me a house, Gram to make cookies, Uncle Bobby, dolphins, gratitude tree, Joseph Smith said a prayer, Grandmas and Grandpas, bed, tramp, Spiderman blanket, Mom, food, Christmas tree, friends, Michael and Marisol

Caleb:  Costumes, giraffes, Grandmas and Grandpas, scriptures, Samuel, Mom and Dad, sharing, body, Jesus shows love, food, music, toys, birthday parties, superman blanket, medicine to make me feel better, Michael and Marisol

I'm incredibly grateful this year for so many things.  Employment, health, working cars, family, forgiveness, the gospel, the list goes on and on.  I'm grateful for all the things we are blessed with that make living everyday possible and enjoyable.  I'm especially grateful for Clark.  I know it's hard for him to walk out that door everyday when really he just wants to stay and wrestle with the kids.  I have a hard time switching from mom mode to wife mode so I'm grateful he's patient with me as I improve on that each day.  I'm so grateful when I hear that garage door open knowing my team mate is back and safe.   We loved having him around for so long over the holidays.  We spent Thanksgiving day at Michael and Marisol's house and had such an enjoyable afternoon.  Mainly because there are buckets of toys there and the kids didn't hardly bother us for five hours!  We had a smoked turkey which was the MOST delicious turkey I have ever had.  Combined with wassail, pumpkin roll, rolls, stuffing, and salad, we were full to the brim.  Unfortunately I didn't catch any pictures of the Thanksgiving crew but I caught one of the kids playing after dinner was over.

The kids actually spent the night at Michael and Marisol's the weekend before Thanksgiving.  I don't think I could've prepped the kids any more for all the possible scenarios that could've happened because I didn't want them to freak out if they hurt themselves, or couldn't find their underwear, or were scared to go to the bathroom, or hungry for a snack.  They had a delicious dinner, visited the store, watched Planes, stayed up late, made ornaments, played with Play Doh, played with toys, and had a big pancake breakfast.  Unfortunately they were all coming off a stomach virus so their appetites weren't great but apparently they were very well behaved and had no problems going to bed or wanting mom and dad.  Clark and I went to Hunger Games that night and slept in clear to 8:30am!!  It was a miracle.  We'll definitely have to do it again soon.  :)

We are enjoying all the spoils of the Christmas season at our house right now which includes teaching the kids all about the North Pole.  They seem to like the idea although I'm not sure Santa is welcome down our chimney yet.  We still have a couple weeks to convince them.