Friday, May 25, 2012

Project 52 {21}

My favorite thing about you:
How proud you make us

This week you both finished preschool. This is pretty monumental in your short, but amazing lives...  

Haley, you finished your last year of preschool, and to say that you loved it wouldn't even come close to how you feel about school.  Your enthusiasm for learning is one of my favorite things about you.  At just 5 years old, I know you're going to love learning for your entire lifetime.  You absorb every piece of information you can get your hands on and store it away for when you can shock me with your knowledge later.  If I had a dollar for every time I've asked you "where did you learn that?!"  On the one hand I'm sad that you're no longer a preschooler, I'm beyond excited for what the future holds for you - Kindergarten!! If it wouldn't be entirely inappropriate, I would put HUGE expletives in front of that, because that's how excited you're going to be when you figure out that you get to go to school every. single. day.  Your hard work and determination to learn makes your dad and I so proud.  Often, we go to bed at night talking about you guys and marvel at the things you've told us, what you've learned, things you've done.  

Kale, you finished your first of three years of preschool.  Dad and I debated back and forth about whether to put you in this year or just wait and let you have two years like your sister.  But I'm so thankful you got this first year under your (very favorite baseball) belt.  You've learned to write your name, and a whole lot about the social expectations of school.  You're pretty great at sitting on your shape and listening to the teacher during circle time, and you never give a hard time when you have to stop playing blocks or cars to do the art activities.  You're a pretty laid back guy in class and are happy to roll with the routine.  Then there's gym.  If you tell me anything about your day at school it will be whether you went to gym or not and what you did there.  Never what book the teacher read you.  We're proud that you're figuring things out, and that you're a class leader.  The other kids in class love to follow you and see what you're up to, you do the coolest things.  You've made new friends of your own and play pretty well with them (most of the time, but hey, you're three!).  I'm so excited to watch you continue to grow in school and see how far you come by the time you're done with preschool. 

As much as I'd we'd like to take full responsibility for their achievements, I feel that I need to be especially thankful to their school, Holy Apostles Preschool.  Of all the things I'll miss most when we move, this school is the one thing I really wish we could pack up and take with us.  Over the two years we've been a Holy Apostles family, we've been lucky enough to have teachers that are exactly right for our kids and what they most need.  I'm especially grateful to Haley's teachers this year, I'm confident that next year in Kindergarten Haley will excel based completely upon the expectations that were set forth this year.  Their skilled preparation will absolutely benefit her and allow her to continue to be academically successful.  As a mother, I don't think I could ask for more.  I'm going to miss the school (almost) as much as the kids!

We are so beyond proud that both kids had such successful school years.  They're good kids and they really seem to excel in an educational environment.  Nothing makes this teacher over qualified room mother happier.  To celebrate (and because Jeff is also on a one week break from his Master's classes), we're off to Bolder for the weekend so that Jeff can run a race.  We'll be making a stop at the Lego Store for Kale and the American Girl Store for Haley.  We feel that hard work deserves a reward.

And as an idea of how far they've come since the beginning of the school year:



My Goodness!!  Slow down!!

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Friday, May 18, 2012

Project 52 {20}

My favorite thing about you:
How much you crack me up!
Oh, lots of stuff... 

Yeah, seriously?  My kids are hilarious!  When they're not driving me nuts, they're cracking me up.  The things that come out of their mouths, the way they react to things... they're funny.  

Last night we were riding in the car and Kale has truly figured out every last one of Haley's buttons to push, and he was pushing each one with such adept little brother-ness over her it was all Jeff and I could do to keep a straight face.  I wish I could tell you exactly what the words were coming out of his mouth, but you kind of had to be there.  Suffice, it was awesome to witness.  His favorite one recently is "I AM?!"  you could tell him he was going to the moon or just that he's great and that's his reaction coupled with one of the faces above.  Or, we get "HU-WHAT?!" as his incredulous response, also with a face above, chosen at his discretion.  They're just fun (most days) and if you can't use your kids as portable entertainment, then why have them?!  

We took all of these pictures in a matter of maybe 3 minutes (since that's how long a session lasts with them these days).  And I even edited a bunch out.  I've been thinking that I need to cut back on my shooting, maybe not hold the shutter quite as long, but these faces, all of them, totally negate that idea.  I would have missed out on so much. Also, yes I realized there's a duplicate above (JEFF!), but I was editing at 12:00 at night.  I just can't think clearly.  My bad.  

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Friday, May 11, 2012

Project 52 {19}

My Favorite thing about you:
Your need for exploration.

f/2.8 1/4000 ISO-100

You love to be an explorer, we've equipped you with much independence and a (very) healthy sense of curiosity.  Or at least I like to believe it's us, though it's probably more a combination of your age and the fact that you're a boy.  It's hard not to compare you to your sister, but at her age, and still, her hovering radius was and is, much smaller, she likes to be close.  Yours is HUGE.  Like, give-me-a-heart-attack-if-I-turn-for-one-second, huge.  Wide open spaces and holding your hand are my BFFs right now.  Crowds and parking lots are not (especially because you listen like a 3 year old <>).    

This day we took a exploratory trip to the park (to get mail).  Your sister convinced you You needed to have your backpack, a ruler and a yard stick.  Now, I'd like to tell you that I'd planned an educational experience where we measured things, and made observations, learned things, but in reality (if that's what you want to call it), they were your swords to fend off the bad guys.  You know the boundaries at the park, yet push them every chance you get.  You go down the hill, just out of my line of sight, you try to go in front of the mail boxes, and off to each far corner.  You know there's a climbing toy there right?  Just checking.

Kale loves to figure things out.  I get it, again, it's like I'm raising him or something, he's like me.  It won't be learned or absorbed if we don't do/find/observe/figure it out ourselves.  We question things.  A lot.  Right now he's exploring his world in a very physical sense.  It's a very age appropriate thing.  That doesn't make it easy.  Why can't they wait till they're like 25 and can at least fend for themselves before they go out and start pushing the limits of my safety bubble?  What?  It might drive me bonkers to have a 20 year old all up in my business?  All.  The.  Time.  Fine.  Fifteen.  I'm sure he'll be ready by then.  For now, I'm stretching myself to give him the (safe) room to explore his little world.  Before I know it, it'll be a great big world for him, and I hope he keeps exploring it.  I also hope he drags his mom with every once in a while.  

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Friday, May 4, 2012

Project 52 {18}

My favorite thing about you:
Is that you're a girl.

f/1.8 1/250 ISO-200

When we first found out we were having a girl, the first thing I asked the ultrasound tech was "Like what percentage are you talking?"  I was certain that I was pregnant with a boy.  He told me "Like 97%."  "Okay."  I was over the moon excited.  I can be a girly girl - I love getting my hair done, my nails, shopping, all things chalked into the "girl" category.

But I love how Haley is a girl.  She's a running, swimming, tumbling, artistic, holds nothing back against her brother, dress loving, girl.  She's defining how she wants to be a girl, and some days that means making a mess in the sand in the back yard and other days it means going to the nail salon for mani/pedi's.  I'll admit that when I found out I was having a girl, I was excited about doing those things with her, picking out prom dresses, and planning a wedding someday.  But my job as the mom of a girl is to show her how to be strong, healthy, intelligent, able, and sure of herself.  The same things I'm responsible for with my son.  

Yes, the blog has been a little girl heavy lately, but that's just because she's the one more willing to sit still for the camera.  It ebbs and flows around here.  

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