kid stuff

This year we have received a LARGE quantity of catalogs, maybe not more than other years but this year I have paid more attention to how many went in the garbage or recycling bin. I decided to do something useful with the catalogs and made Landon his own alphabet book. I wanted a book that would have pictures of things that were meaningful to him. Landon's interest in school is well quite minimal. He takes interest in projects I do with Morgan (some days) and reading books but other than that it is hit or miss. I was looking for something to help motivate him to learn his letters. I asked Landon to help me choose pictures (with LOTS and LOTS of guidance) for his special book. Once we found the pictures and attached them to card stock, my wonderful neighbor took them to her school and laminated them. Landon LOVES it! He carries that book with him around the house and I am amazed at how many letters he has picked up in a short period of time. Whew - now my stress level can decrease a bit with him. (I put way too much pressure on myself when it comes to homeschooling my kids)



We woke up to snow falling yesterday morning! What a wonderful surprise. It was a beautiful snowfall and the kids were thrilled. They bundled up and went outside to play in the snow. They really wanted to make a snowman but it just wasn't good snowman making snow. I had to laugh at them when they went outside - instead of wearing a hat Landon just sported his all time favorite ski helmet and Morgan was wearing her spring jacket over her fleece because she couldn't find (or rather didn't look) for her coat.


Morgan had her first gymnastics meet almost two weeks ago. I can't believe I didn't post about it (bad mommy!). For her first meet, it went really well. I am so proud of her! After the meet they receive a certificate where the judges write down a positive comment for each event and then they marked down anything that caused a deduction. As we went over Morgan's sheet it was great to see she has all the skills and most of her deductions were for little things like bent arms and legs - things she can keep refining in practice. What really stirred my heart that day was watching her coaches and how positive they were. You sometimes hear stories of coaches making mean comments or yelling at the gymnasts if they make mistakes. After each event the coaches were encouraging, giving hugs and high 5's - so much positive reinforcement and building of self esteem. Morgan's participation in gymnastics is about her following her passion for the sport. This is the first time in her 8 years where she has truly been "into" something. I am encouraged that her coaches are working on building self esteem, good work habits, and other lifelong skills. They understand that they are teaching these girls more than gymnastics.

This is a picture of Morgan at warm ups. We didn't get any good pictures because my camera is far too slow -AARGH~! Maybe by her next meet in January I will have a new camera. (Lance if you are reading this hint hint - anniversary and Christmas are coming up :P)


An update from my post the other day: The baby went home to be with our Lord yesterday. She passed away in the loving arms of her parents. After meeting with the doctors the family chose not to continue life saving measures as the baby was unable to breath on her own and her organs were failing. Thank you to everyone who was praying for them. Please keep this family in your prayers through this very difficult time.