George's Preschool Report Card

Okay...well...not the report card...but the report that was attached that will tell you the same things. :)

Social and Emotional Skills: This is developed throughout the morning through play indoors and out, small and large group activities (Examples: circle time, snack time, and engaging in all center activities).

George plays parallel to other children as well as interacting with adults and children playing simple child developed and adult initiated games such as "Peek-a-boo" and "follow the leader". George understands the give and take of sharing and taking turns and is working to perfect this skill as sharing can still be difficult. George uses his words to have his needs met and sets limits with others. He is working on making smoother transitions between activities. He enjoys being silly with his friends, laughing and playing with others.

Language: This is developed during circle time, conversations and interaction with teachers, as well as peers, throughout the morning.

George initiates conversations with children and adults, using his words to get his needs met, and asking questions about his friends and school. George has an extensive vocabulary and uses words to understand his experiences. George repeats and responds to words and phrases in English and Spanish. George is usually easily understood but when asked to repeat or explain himself, he does so with patience.

Reading/Writing: This is developed through our reading centers, writing centers, story time, and descriptions of their own drawings.

George loves books! He understands that the words and pictures work together to tell a story. George enjoys watching his teacher say the letters as she writes his name on his art projects, repeating the names of some of the letters and responding "that's me...George". George loves the classroom library, sitting and looking through books as relaxation time when he is tired or desires quiet time.

Math and Science: This is developed through large and small group activities (Examples: calendar, graphing, estimating, counting, sorting, math, science, and texture centers).

George enjoys exploring math and science manipulatives and is using words to explain science such as "magnets stick". He is making scientific observations such as that the boats float in the water table but the toy ocean animals sink. George likes to count as he jumps on the trampoline or runs across the playground bridge although he is not necessarily making a one to one correlation between the number word and how many. He enjoys exploring textures and is very aware of all sensory activities using language such as "smooth, rough stinky, cold".

Small Motor Skills: This is developed through cutting, handwriting, playing with play-doh, drawing, and painting.

George enjoys manipulating play-doh, cutting it with the play-doh knife, using cookie cutters to make animal shapes. His fine motor skills are developed enough to create a snake and ball with play-doh. George can tear paper, use markers and crayons to make lines and designs on paper, control glue using the glue bottle or craft stick, paint with bing markers, a large paint brush, or finger paints. George understands how to hold scissor properly and is learning to use scissors to cut paper.

Large Motor Skills: This is developed through outdoor play (Examples: running, climbing, riding tricycles, throwing, kicking, and bouncing a ball). It is also developed during music and circle time, through large movements and dance.

George has highly developed large motor skills as demonstrated in his ability to ride a ride-on toy pushing himself with his legs, throwing, kicking, catching, and bouncing a ball. His running and climbing are very fluid movements as he performs them with great confidence. He can shovel, sweep, and build a sand sculpture. George is reluctant to take part in music and movement activities such as playing instruments, dancing with scarves or using sign-language to sing a song but enjoys watching others and choosing favorite songs.


In other words...George is doing VERY well. His teacher said he's very advanced and there were only a few checks on the report card that he was working on before the end of May!

And what's this guy up to?



Well, he's already sewn a pillow at school and today he made a pumpkin pie. Yeah...Montessori Rocks!

No Fear

My boys



like to swing



REALLY



high!

To Know Liam is to Love Him...

and living with this child is an experience. Let me share with you some examples from this past week that make you scratch your head and laugh at the same time.

The babysitter caught on to Liam's office supplies obsession and gave him a whole sheet of file folder labels. He decided to label a light switch for us:



(as a side note, he is really beginning to read well and his teacher told me Friday that he is very advanced!)

I found this set up the other morning before school. They were either checking out library books or waiting for shots:



And I have NO IDEA what this is. But, I do know that when it fell down one night and he saw that the next day he fixed it right back to exactly this set up:



And as for his little brother...well, we'll just let his shirt speak for him:



Yep, to know these boys is to love them. And love them I do!

When All Else Fails....

take



them



to



the



water



park!

Figuring It All Out

That's what we've been all about this summer. Trying to figure it all out. New House. New Camp. New Schools. New Babysitters. New Yard. New Playground. New Weather Patterns. New Everything. And most importantly...what brought us all here to all this "new"...Daddy's new job.

Since Taylor hasn't been doing the traditional Army thing since the last time we were stationed here 4 years ago, we've noticed the boys are very confused on what exactly Taylor does all week when they don't see him. He is gone before they get up and back after they're going to bed.

We did get to see Sesame Street Live on post one day, so George has decided that Daddy must "play games with Elmo" at work. Liam has can't figure out why Taylor wears the same thing all the time and still thinks that Taylor is going to school. These boys are confused and we can't have our good little Army boys not knowing what it's all about. So, today we thought we'd give them a clue.



We headed out to see exactly what a Battalion XO does.

Liam asked TONS and TONS of questions...like...do you have highlighters?!



While George decided that he just wanted to stick with Daddy...



Liam was overcome with excitement about all the desks and office supplies



While George was more concerned with taking charge and keeping Liam out



The boys got to eat lunch at the DFAC with Taylor. George managed to bring silence to the room with his commanding voice (probably the quietest it's been ever) and introduced himself to the Brigade Commander by showing him his "milk belly".

Overall, I'm not so much sure that they can now tell you what exactly an XO does, but I know that they LOVED being able to see Daddy in the middle of the day. George, particularly had a tough time letting go as we walked to the car (notice his death grip on Taylor):



He did not want to say goodbye at all, because Daddy makes him feel like this:

All Moved In

Well, we're still unpacking boxes. But we're here and doing our best to get settled.

The past couple of weeks have been BUSY! First, we celebrated one of CGSC's latest graduates...



and then baptized Mr. G...







Most of our families came in for the big events. It was nice to have the baptism quiet and low-key.

The next week was spent with packers and movers. The boys and cats drove with me and Lily rode with Taylor. It was a long two days, but we got here and are loving the house. We rented sight unseen (we had photos) and it's an older house, so we took a huge gamble, but it seems it's going to work out great. Our favorite things (and the reason we took it) are: it's a single story house, it's unique, it's close to Liam's school (7 minute drive), in about the nicest are of El Paso, and it's HUGE (3900 sq. ft). It's nice to have some space for a bit while we take a couple of years to sort everything out. Easier to do when you can actually see everything.

We are still unpacking and getting set up. The biggest challenge has been trying to keep two little boys happy while we unpack. George, in particular, seems more uncertain about everything going on and not dealing as well with change in routine. We just keep reminding ourselves that things will settle down eventually and, overall, this will be a great experience.

The boys and I also decided to take some time off from packing and enjoy our new bubble machine on the back porch.







Ignore some of the mess as we are still working on everything here. We are trying hard to finish up some bigger things this weekend so we can get some pictures posted.

Change Is Hard

I haven't written. A big reason for that is soon after my last post we traveled to visit what will be our new home in El Paso. To write about everything going on in the past few months would mean that I'd have to accept that these changes are happening. I'd have to acknowledge them when all I really want to do is just stay still for one minute.

But, as an Army wife, I know more than many that change happens and there is nothing we can do to stop it. So move we must.

Really, though, as I sit back and ponder on the past few months, I can recognize that change has been happening all around us while I thought we were staying still.

Crazy boy here outgrew most of his cloth diapers. My not wanting to even attempt potty training with a long drive and big move coming up has us back in sposies for a few final months.



Mr. L has begin writing. He writes us notes all. the. time.



The snow has (finally) melted and we've switched over to the glory that is Spring in Kansas. I'll never get tired of the amazing clouds and storms they have here. It is truly God's work and the skies here can take your breath away.



Mr. G here has increased his vocabulary ten-fold and begun to sing, sing, sing with me.



With the final day tomorrow, my baby has finished his preschooling and will be a Kindergartener.



And with all these changes I find that the most important thing stays the same....our family of four and the strength that we gain from the love we do have for one another and the simple fact that we are not alone when going through these changes. We go through them together, this Army family of ours. And so, whether we are in VA, TX, or KS, we can enjoy the simplest of experiences together and appreciate that life is awesome when you make it so.

So, yes...change is hard.

But some things stay the same...

the love I have for these boys...





the love they have for each other...



and the love for where it all began...with a knock on the door of my dorm room from a cross country runner who thought he might join the Army.



So, on my 9th anniversary, the changes seem okay. I feel like I can handle whatever God sends our way. For the simple fact that I have these three on my side...



and a lifetime ahead with the best father, husband, friend that I could have asked for. And knowing that marrying that runner would bring move after move, house after house, deployments, new jobs, leaving friends, meeting friends....I would marry him all over again if he asked.

So bring it on. We're gonna be okay!