Blake's turn for a quick update :)
Blake will soon be 6 ... soon to be a kindergarten graduate!! He is enjoying kindergarten and we are very impressed with how much he is learning and bringing home, especially since Christmas. It's really neat to hear him interacting with his teacher in French, every morning when we drop him off at school He and Mme. Emilie greet each other in French and have a short conversation! She speaks French to the class as much as possible. It is amazing how fast he has picked a second language. I took him to his Demonstration of Learning on the 14th. This was his second Demonstration of Learning. This time he took us through his morning routine, identifying his name and his classmates names on the Smart Board, putting the days of the week (in French) in order and saying them as he did so and singing their days of the week and months of the year song (in French). He told me about their recent religion discussions and the 'seeds of friendship', how they grow and what can help them grow. He showed me the numeracy station, sorting dinosaur eggs into the various colors, telling me the colors in French, and then I asked him to create a pattern (I used ABBAC, with each color corresponding with a different letter). We did a few of these patterns, he was way too fast and way to proficient ;) He read me a book in French, identified various shapes, numbers and letters in French and showed me a short video on the iPad's of his class singing some of their daily songs! His favorite centre was the fine motor centre, which during his last unit was a paleontology centre. He told me how the centre works, what the safety guide lines are (I had to wear plastic gloves and goggles to 'dig' up some dinosaur fossils!) and what they are doing at the centre. He has always been interested in dinosaurs, so this unit was right up his alley!! They've learned about the world during the time of the dinosaurs, herbivores vs carnivores, how to tell the difference between the two, etc, etc. He was very excited for his in school field trip on the 21st, a paleontologist came to the classroom!! Which is why we thought a trip to the museum in Drumheller was a good idea. The last time we were there, I was pregnant with Reese. Great timing with Blake recently learning about dinosaurs at school!!
Blake LOVES math! He will spend a lot of time doing addition in his head and on paper. He plays a game where he rolls two dice, writes the two numbers down on a piece of paper and then adds them up! Cal recently showed him how to do long addition (I think that is what it's called?) and he's been practicing that!
Blake was really excited to have Max over for a play date over Spring Break! He told me Max loves science and Lego, just like him :) Blake seems to be quite a 'popular' kid in school ... I keep hearing about all these girls who have a crush on him!! Honestly, makes me worry a little bit but I guess that is the nature of girls?! He has another school birthday party coming up on Friday and is excited! I asked him what Brooke would want for her birthday and right away he said, "Monster High stuff!" I told Cal and he said, "Isn't that like Goth Barbie Dolls?" Yup, I think so!!!! LOL!! He's making lots of great friends in Kindergarten ... for example, his "bacon twin!" Yup, that's right, his "bacon twin!" I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but he informed me that after a couple of weeks of school, he and Gavin figured out that they both really love bacon, so Blake started calling them the "bacon twins!!" Apparently Gavin also thinks it's funny ;)
Blake still LOVES Lego and we recently convinced him to put away his Thomas trains/tracks/accessories and turn his train table into a LEGO table! This has given him more room to build and spread out a little bit more!! I'd say LEGO is his #1 favorite activity, although he also really enjoys drawing and 'inventing'! He is always asking to do science experiments and I have to admit I'm not that good at coming up with experiments :( I've been looking on Pinterest though, so hopefully we'll put something together!
We had Blake's hockey wind-up party on Saturday afternoon. We had a great time! It was held on the military base, at the fitness centre. There were 2 party host's that led the kids through games of floor hockey, dodge ball and soccer and then we also had a party room for snacks and food and trophy and Coach gift presentations! He had such a great little team this year, I hope next year is just as great :) The kids were all pretty tuckered out from running for 3 hours straight, not to mention the had swimming lessons before the party! Good times :)
Blake's looking forward to playing ball hockey this Spring, it starts mid-April! He's also talking with Cal about training for his next ABC Kids Event at the Canadian Derby Marathon :) He likes to run, just like his Dad! Emerson is going to give it a shot this year, too!!
Blake has some fun field trips coming up - a visit to sing to Seniors at the Kipness Veteran's Centre, a field trip to Prairie Gardens and a field trip to the Valley Zoo! Hopefully we can get in on the volunteer list for at least one of those!!
So there's a little update on our favorite little guy :) Love him to death!
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
All about Emerson :)
Also known as Em, Emmy (Reese started this nickname), Em the gem and Sweetie!!!
Emerson is LOVING preschool. She flourishes in this environment! She is outgoing, friendly, helpful and such a pleasure according to Mrs. York and Mrs. Chong ;) They have told us they can not believe she is not 5 yet and thought for sure she'd be going to kindergarten next year. She could go to KG but she would be the youngest in her class, being only two weeks away from the March 1st cut-off. And we've decided she could benefit from one more year of preschool! We feel that most especially, emotionally she will mature more next year and be better equipped for longer days at school. She knows all the letters of the alphabet but is still getting the hang of writing them and working on writing her name (I feel bad for giving her such a long name!!). Anytime I've volunteered in her classroom, I have been very surprised at how many questions she can/does answer!! She's a wealth of knowledge ;) And so polite and follows all the classroom rules! I think this is definitely one of the reasons she is such a nice student to have! We've registered her for the three morning's a week program (M/W/F), beginning September 2013.
Em had her 1st play date at a preschool friends house a few weekends ago! She was very excited but a little unsure too. But once we got to Samantha's she ran off and did not want to leave when I came to pick her up ;) In fact, she wanted to sleepover!!!
Emerson continues to enjoy dance class but even more so, dancing around the house and putting on 'performances' for Cal, Blake, Reese and I! She is quite the performer and very precise with her dance moves and foot placement, etc!! She came home from dance last week with a sheet that had her year end recital performance on it, so she can practice at home :) She's very excited for her year end recital, especially to dance on the BIG stage!!! And big stage it will be, her recital is at the Jubilee!! I don't think she has any idea of just how big that stage will be, hopefully there will be no stage fright ;)
Em loves playing soccer at home and is really excited to start soccer at the beginning of May! She kicks the ball around at home and is always saying, "I'm really good at soccer!" She told us the other day that she wants to play goalie so that she can use her hands!
Emerson continues to enjoy swimming lessons! She is very proud of her bobs and how many bobs she can do ;) Blake and Em also recently started going to Mighty Munchkins again! They enjoy the sports, games, crafts and free time at Mighty Munchkins! I love how Blake watches over Em, always by her side and making sure she is not left behind :)
It is adorable to see Em and Reese playing together. I really enjoy listening to their interactions. Their play time often includes building forts, going to the swimming pool (the bath tub - without water in it), going to the spray park (Reese's bedroom), playing in Blake and Em's room, going camping, dancing and putting on performances and taking care of their babies and husbands (seriously, Em named one of her dolls "Husband" and Reese followed suite! It's quite hilarious - especially when they put their husbands for a nap ;) LOL!!). They rarely argue, Emerson often gives in to Reese ;) And Reese knows that and plays it up, in my opinion!!!!! She'll start the tears and Em will be all, "It's okay Baby. It's okay Reesey!" Hmmmmm ... something about the 'baby' in the family, maybe?! JK!! I'm glad they play so well together and very happy they have each other - a sister is one of the greatest gifts :) Add to that a kick a$* brother and they are both very lucky girls!!!
We did go through a troubling time with Em last month :( It started with night terrors, which sometimes lead to middle of the day tantrums. I used to think Blake had night terrors but no, I now know what night terrors are!! At her 4 yr check up she had, had a few of these episodes and from what I could describe to Dr. Radisic, he also thought they were night terrors. She starts whimpering, kind of crying in her bed, her eyes are closed, and then it turns into all out screaming, kicking, hitting, etc. If she gets out of bed or we move her, she opens her eyes but the 'episode' can last anywhere up to 20 minutes. It's terrible. Absolutely terrible. And stressful. We would bring her downstairs because we didn't want her to wake up Blake and Reese, sit her on the couch and try to calm her down by turning off the lights and the t.v. and staying near but not interfering too much. She'd all of a sudden snap out of it and want Cal to put her back to bed. And she'd fall asleep in an instant and in the morning when we ask about it, she had no idea. Of course she makes up stories! We'd ask, "What happened last night Emerson? Why did you wake up so upset?" Some of the answers we received included, "My lips were chapped and bugging me. I had to go pee. I didn't like my covers." Did I mention how terrible and stressful it was?! It was hard because Cal and I both got instantly angry but we learned to just let it play out for the most part. For a week it was almost every night. Thankfully she seems to have grown out of it!! Not only was it hard on us but we noticed it was also quite hard on her :( The morning after she looked quite tired, I'm sure it took a lot out of her. We've been making a special effort to spend a bit more one-on-one time with Em and Cal and I both read 1-2-3 Magic, a great book on discipline. I think sometimes Em might feel a bit left out, I totally get the whole middle child thing. Blake is older and more involved in extra curricular activities, which equals more one-on-one time with 1 parent and Reese is alone with us quite a bit too (parented swimming lessons with Cal and every Tuesday morning with me) but Em is often with us and at least one other sibling! Not that this should constitute throwing a MAJOR tantrum but I do think some special time with just her has helped, as well as us keeping our cool and using a specific discipline technique!! Ahhhh the challenging side of being a parent ;)
I had a great time accompanying Emerson and her class on a behind the scenes field trip to Sea Live Caverns! We had never been to the cavern's! We fed the sea turtles, learned all about the penguins and had a private seal lion show. It was great, Em loved every minute! The preschool does so many great field trips, a few weeks ago they visited Rutherford House. Rutherford House was Em's first field trip without Cal or I. She enjoyed it and had some stories to tell about the infamous Rutherford mouse!!!
Emerson is super excited for camping season!! She regularly wants to start packing and often refers to time lines as, "Is that when camping season is?" :)
~ Tracy
Emerson is LOVING preschool. She flourishes in this environment! She is outgoing, friendly, helpful and such a pleasure according to Mrs. York and Mrs. Chong ;) They have told us they can not believe she is not 5 yet and thought for sure she'd be going to kindergarten next year. She could go to KG but she would be the youngest in her class, being only two weeks away from the March 1st cut-off. And we've decided she could benefit from one more year of preschool! We feel that most especially, emotionally she will mature more next year and be better equipped for longer days at school. She knows all the letters of the alphabet but is still getting the hang of writing them and working on writing her name (I feel bad for giving her such a long name!!). Anytime I've volunteered in her classroom, I have been very surprised at how many questions she can/does answer!! She's a wealth of knowledge ;) And so polite and follows all the classroom rules! I think this is definitely one of the reasons she is such a nice student to have! We've registered her for the three morning's a week program (M/W/F), beginning September 2013.
Em had her 1st play date at a preschool friends house a few weekends ago! She was very excited but a little unsure too. But once we got to Samantha's she ran off and did not want to leave when I came to pick her up ;) In fact, she wanted to sleepover!!!
Emerson continues to enjoy dance class but even more so, dancing around the house and putting on 'performances' for Cal, Blake, Reese and I! She is quite the performer and very precise with her dance moves and foot placement, etc!! She came home from dance last week with a sheet that had her year end recital performance on it, so she can practice at home :) She's very excited for her year end recital, especially to dance on the BIG stage!!! And big stage it will be, her recital is at the Jubilee!! I don't think she has any idea of just how big that stage will be, hopefully there will be no stage fright ;)
Em loves playing soccer at home and is really excited to start soccer at the beginning of May! She kicks the ball around at home and is always saying, "I'm really good at soccer!" She told us the other day that she wants to play goalie so that she can use her hands!
Emerson continues to enjoy swimming lessons! She is very proud of her bobs and how many bobs she can do ;) Blake and Em also recently started going to Mighty Munchkins again! They enjoy the sports, games, crafts and free time at Mighty Munchkins! I love how Blake watches over Em, always by her side and making sure she is not left behind :)
It is adorable to see Em and Reese playing together. I really enjoy listening to their interactions. Their play time often includes building forts, going to the swimming pool (the bath tub - without water in it), going to the spray park (Reese's bedroom), playing in Blake and Em's room, going camping, dancing and putting on performances and taking care of their babies and husbands (seriously, Em named one of her dolls "Husband" and Reese followed suite! It's quite hilarious - especially when they put their husbands for a nap ;) LOL!!). They rarely argue, Emerson often gives in to Reese ;) And Reese knows that and plays it up, in my opinion!!!!! She'll start the tears and Em will be all, "It's okay Baby. It's okay Reesey!" Hmmmmm ... something about the 'baby' in the family, maybe?! JK!! I'm glad they play so well together and very happy they have each other - a sister is one of the greatest gifts :) Add to that a kick a$* brother and they are both very lucky girls!!!
We did go through a troubling time with Em last month :( It started with night terrors, which sometimes lead to middle of the day tantrums. I used to think Blake had night terrors but no, I now know what night terrors are!! At her 4 yr check up she had, had a few of these episodes and from what I could describe to Dr. Radisic, he also thought they were night terrors. She starts whimpering, kind of crying in her bed, her eyes are closed, and then it turns into all out screaming, kicking, hitting, etc. If she gets out of bed or we move her, she opens her eyes but the 'episode' can last anywhere up to 20 minutes. It's terrible. Absolutely terrible. And stressful. We would bring her downstairs because we didn't want her to wake up Blake and Reese, sit her on the couch and try to calm her down by turning off the lights and the t.v. and staying near but not interfering too much. She'd all of a sudden snap out of it and want Cal to put her back to bed. And she'd fall asleep in an instant and in the morning when we ask about it, she had no idea. Of course she makes up stories! We'd ask, "What happened last night Emerson? Why did you wake up so upset?" Some of the answers we received included, "My lips were chapped and bugging me. I had to go pee. I didn't like my covers." Did I mention how terrible and stressful it was?! It was hard because Cal and I both got instantly angry but we learned to just let it play out for the most part. For a week it was almost every night. Thankfully she seems to have grown out of it!! Not only was it hard on us but we noticed it was also quite hard on her :( The morning after she looked quite tired, I'm sure it took a lot out of her. We've been making a special effort to spend a bit more one-on-one time with Em and Cal and I both read 1-2-3 Magic, a great book on discipline. I think sometimes Em might feel a bit left out, I totally get the whole middle child thing. Blake is older and more involved in extra curricular activities, which equals more one-on-one time with 1 parent and Reese is alone with us quite a bit too (parented swimming lessons with Cal and every Tuesday morning with me) but Em is often with us and at least one other sibling! Not that this should constitute throwing a MAJOR tantrum but I do think some special time with just her has helped, as well as us keeping our cool and using a specific discipline technique!! Ahhhh the challenging side of being a parent ;)
I had a great time accompanying Emerson and her class on a behind the scenes field trip to Sea Live Caverns! We had never been to the cavern's! We fed the sea turtles, learned all about the penguins and had a private seal lion show. It was great, Em loved every minute! The preschool does so many great field trips, a few weeks ago they visited Rutherford House. Rutherford House was Em's first field trip without Cal or I. She enjoyed it and had some stories to tell about the infamous Rutherford mouse!!!
Emerson is super excited for camping season!! She regularly wants to start packing and often refers to time lines as, "Is that when camping season is?" :)
~ Tracy
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Spring Break/Easter 2013
Highlights:
~ Em and I had a blast at an Easter party, hosted by her preschool classmate
~ a family day trip to Drumheller and the Royal Tyrrell Museum
~ fun at Kidz Quarterz
~ Blake was very excited to have a kindergarten friend over for a play date!
~ a visit with Connor and Lindsay
~ tons of fun at 2 Chapter's 'Spring Break' events!
~ puddle splashing, trips to the park
~ many games of Go Fish :)
~ lots of 'slow' mornings, cuddled up in Mom and Dad's bed, watching cartoons!
~ waking up to treats from the Edmonton and Stony Plain Easter Bunnies on Easter Sunday!
~ a nice Easter service at Church
~ and best of all, a 10 day 'staycation' with the entire family :) :)
~ lots of 'slow' mornings, cuddled up in Mom and Dad's bed, watching cartoons!
~ waking up to treats from the Edmonton and Stony Plain Easter Bunnies on Easter Sunday!
~ a nice Easter service at Church
~ and best of all, a 10 day 'staycation' with the entire family :) :)
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