Kiddo Update

Aaron

• At Aaron's parent-teacher conference, his teacher told me that he is reading at a 2d grade reading level!  He's been placed in a special reading group with a few other advanced readers and we are excited for him to keep cultivating a love of books.  Our next goal is to get him to read more independently...
• He seems to have a pretty good head for numbers too.  He has started adding numbers in his head when I tried to explain the concept of division to him, he didn't take long to understand it.
• Aaron's obsession with Pokemon continues.  The other day he drew a picture of me as a "Pokemon master" and even though I have no idea what that is, I know that means he loves me a whole lot.

Jill

• Jill has made a lot of progress on her reading too.  She definitely doesn't make it as easy for me as Aaron did -- mostly because she thinks it's funny to say the wrong answer and watch my reaction -- but she can't hide the fact that she's a smart cookie.  The biggest improvement has come in her fine motor skills.  When we started our lessons, her written letters were unrecognizable.  Now, they are neat(er) and legible(r?) and I can tell she is proud of how far she has come, even if she won't admit it.
• She is doing great in preschool.  Her teacher told me that she is a good friend, knows all her letters and sounds, and loves to play make-believe and make art projects.  No wonder she was student of the month!
• Jill continues to be a magnetic social presence.  She is the life of the party and just loves to have a good time, which makes everyone want to hang out with her...including us!

Danny

• The older Danny gets, the more of his goofy side comes out.  He loves to take my face in his hands and shove his face up close so that our noses are touching and then make silly sounds until we both laugh into each other's mouths.  
• He is still very much a mama's boy.  Sometimes it's tough when he will only accept Mommy's help and no one else's.  But there's nothing better than feeling those little arms go around my neck and burying my face in that warm, soft cheek.  I'll enjoy it while it lasts!
• Danny is potty trained!  We finally decided to bite the bullet and put him in undies and he has been doing great.  He is even sleeping dry through the night, although he is waking up several times a night to go potty, which makes for a tired mommy.

10/9: Enjoying the nice weather during our walk on the North Park nature trail.

10/11: Pouring water on Danny's belly is one of my favorite bathtime activities

10/12: That looks comfortable

10/12: Buddies for life

10/13: Aaron's school had a walk-a-thon fundraiser.  It was a fun day and a fun way to raise money for his school!

10/13: Aaron displaying some of his creative artwork.  On the left, is an airplane he made for me out of a paper plate, popsicle sticks, and construction paper (notice that it has a banner that flies out behind it that says "Mommy").  On the right is the boat that he made for Chris, complete with oars made out of straws, and portholes showing various fish peeping in.

10/15: Good thing we have a king-size bed!

10/16: Comfy commode

10/20: Hanging out with friends

10/21: Taking their Halloween costumes out for a spin

10/21: Just truckin' along


10/21: Some serious cuddling going on here

10/26: Aack!

10/27: Workout buddies.

10/28: Jesus loves him alright

10/28: Nighty night with Oma.

10/31: Pucker up!

11/1: Baby beluga!

11/4: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

11/4: Sib snuggles

11/5: Our first time bowling.  Thankfully, no fingers were smashed!

11/11: Catching the 4D show at the Shedd

11/11: High climber!

11/18: The law school crew

11/18: I love that they are getting to the age where they play games together.

11/20: Down and dirty at the Paintbrush.

11/21: Showing me her picture of me.

11/22: Making their own pizzas with Oma

11/25: Feeding the trout at Bass Pro Shops.

11/25: Riding the Bass Pro Shops carousel.

11/25: Hanging out with the Iranis and Saylors.

11/26: Hurry up!

12/1: Popcorn Fridays at school

12/2: Wisconsin Dells!

12/3: They work for tips

12/3: World's coolest jungle gym

12/6: Snow bunny

12/9: Movie night

12/11: His penguin sounds a lot like a cat.  Sometimes he pretends to be a jaguar and his roar frightens other children.

12/14: Jojo hugs

12/18: Not a care in the world

12/23:  That face

12/26: Christmas is exhausting.

12/27: The domino effect

12/27: Natural builder

12/27: Heavenly

12/31: La-Z kids

Quote Wall

-Aaron: "Mom, you're embarrassing me!"

-Me: "What?  Why?"

-Aaron: "What does 'embarrassing' mean?"

-Jill: "Mommy, Danny's almost my age.  He's up to my chin!"

-Aaron: "I've been in bed for like 10 minutes."
-Jill: "And I've been here for a block."

-Me: "I think I need to take you guys to the ear doctor to get your hearing checked.  No matter how many times I say something, no one seems to hear me!"
-Jill: "Mom, we heard you.  We just didn't do it!"

-Jill: "I love you more than God loves you.  I know how to love more than God."
-Chris: "How?"
-Jill: "You think about it...then you say it."

-Jill: "Daddy, I don't just feel like I have a cold.  I feel like I'm dying!"

-Danny: "My fingers are sticky!"
-Me: "That's why we use our fork to eat.  Using a fork helps your hands not be sticky."
-Danny: "Oh!" (picks up his fork and starts using it to scrape syrup off his fingers)

-Aaron: "Mommy, I'm not sure, but I think I love you even a little bit more than I love blankie."

-Aaron (pointing to sign on city bus): "Mom, what does 'expectant mothers' mean?"
-Me: "Well, let's think about that.  What kind of thing might a mommy be expecting?" (making a rounded motion toward my belly)
-Aaron (thoughtfully): "For everyone to sit down and be quiet?"