Becca Reading

With Michael reading book after book and Jon now learning to read new words every day, Becca has been feeling a bit left out.  But the other day we found a book at the library that she can read all by herself.  Check it out:

Field Trips

Tis the season for field trips.

Jon's class went to a nature center near the school.  I was thrilled that it was on a day Becca was at school and so I got to go along.  I was actually surprised at how much he LOVED it.  I knew he would have a good time, but I didn't realize how much of an impression it would make on him.  He is talking about a lot and sharing a bunch of facts that he learned with his brother and sister.

They got to see a lot of animals, including turtles, snakes, rabbits, and an owl.  They also learned all about different bird calls.  Finally we took a short walk outside (short because it was rainy), and we saw different flowers and animal prints as well as some deer in the brush.





We (Jon, Becca, and I) also took a trip with my Moms group to Dutch Village.  We rode the rides and walked around.  A favorite is always stopping at the wooden shoe factory and trying on the samples, including these giant ones.

The Last Week +

We've been shut up in the house with sick kids for a while now. Here is the run down: Monday April 8: *We arrive home at about 1:30am after driving from the Chicago airport. *We sleep from 2-6 am and I get up to help Tim get out the door and let Michael's school and carpool know I'm letting him sleep in and bringing him late. *Jon wakes up wheezing so we do breathing treatments every 4 hours throughout the day. *Things go pretty well except that I'm exhausted. *Kids go to bed 1/2 hour early. *It rained most of the day. Tuesday April 9: *Jon wakes up in the middle of the night with a high fever. I need to give him a breathing treatment and tylenol throughout the night. *By morning I figure I've gotten 8-9 hours of sleep in the last two nights. *Jon is feverish all day and can't get off the couch. *Jon and Becca watch a lot of cartoons and I actually get a morning nap on the couch! *It rained most of the day. Wednesday April 10: *I was up with Jon every 4 hours through the night for more medication. *Jon is again feverish and has no energy. He will try to play, but after 2-3 minutes lays back down on the couch. He barely eats anything. *Jon and Becca again watch a lot of cartoons. *Becca is getting restless. She wants to play but can't go outside and Jon is not making for a good playmate. *Michael's 1st baseball practice is canceled and he is bummed. *It rained most of the day. Thursday April 11: *Exact repeat of Wednesday! Friday April 12: *No kids wake up at night so I get to sleep through! *Jon and Becca both have runny noses and a cough. *I get a sore throat. *Jon is getting back to his usual self and his fever is gone. *In an attempt to get out of the house I take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner where everyone else thought it would be fun to go to get out of the house. Super busy but they do fabulous! *It rained most of the day. *11:00 pm, Michael wakes up screaming - he has just thrown up. Saturday April 13: *From 11:00 until 3:00 am, Michael throws up about every 20 minutes. I sit on the couch with him and watch you guessed it - more cartoons. *After making sure Michael fell asleep and was done throwing up, I finally sleep from 4-7am. *7:00am I kick Tim out of bed to be with the kids and I sleep for another 3 hours. *Michael is sick all day. *Becca is about ready to bounce through the walls. *It snowed. Sunday April 14: *Becca couldn't sleep and woke me up saying that her lips hurt. *An hour later Becca woke me up to tell me that she'd wet her bed. *Tim went into church for rehearsal and both services. *I stayed home with the kids. *I did as many loads of laundry as I could full of sheets and blankets from the bedrooms and the living room. *We sanitized every square inch of the house. *Michael had a mild fever, no energy, and no appetite. *We had our Bible study group over with the kids quarantined upstairs. *It snowed. Monday April 15: *I got a full night's sleep! *Michael woke up still feverish and lethargic. He stayed home and took a nap. *Jon is feeling great and Michael's energy returns by evening. *The kids play/fight/play/fight all day. *It rained, but not until the evening. So, if you have made it through that post (it overwhelmed me a bit to type it all) here are some patterns: *I did not get much sleep and I don't function well on lack of sleep. *My boys were each sick for 3 days with NO energy. *We had a few germs floating around the house, but now I feel like I have the best disinfected house and the cleanest blankets. *I don't function well on lack of sleep. *Did you notice that it rained a bit? *We "enjoyed" some mid April snow flakes. *I'm a bit nervous to take my kids out of the house, but I think we are on the mend. *Did I mention that I didn't get much sleep? Good night!

Valentine's Day

It was a day with three Valentine's Partys.

First up was a party with my mom's group in the morning.  The kids ate a bunch of goodies, did crafts, and decorated bags for passing out Valentine's.  We had a lot of fun.





Then I was the helper for Jon's class that afternoon.  We made heart cookies and decorated them with fruit dip and small pieces of fruit to make fruit pizzas.  Yum.



Since I was at their school I was able to stop by Michael's class and see the end of their party too.  Michael was so excited about all the Valentines he received.

Hat Day

On Wednesday this week Jon and Michael had hat day at school.  And Becca wasn't going to be left out.



Michael wore a Steelers hat and so he wanted to pose for a picture as a football player.  Jon wore his new Red Sox hat and said he needed a red shirt to match it.  Here is him posing to swing a bat.  And Becca, well her favorite sport right now is cheering so that is what she is doing.  :)


Boy do I love these kids!


I found time yesterday to scrap a fun layout with the pictures!

Credits: Love You Dearly Feb Mix a Kit by Juno Designs, Give Me Layers v11 Template by Cluster Queen Creations, font is WendyTeeny by WM[squared]

Scarecrow Day

Michael's first grade class had scarecrow day.  They were to come dressed like a scarecrow and do scarecrow activities.  Unfortunately we just don't have clothes for him that look scarecrowish, but we made do.

At school, the kids have access to an ipad and do some work on them throughout the day.  One of the cool things about this is about once a week I get an e-mail directly from Michael's ipad sharing something he did that day.

Today I got this story that he had written:

Just made me laugh!

Wonderful Great-Grandmas

Jon and Michael had grandparent's day last week at their school.  Unfortunately their grandparents were working or just flying into Boston from South Africa and unable to attend.  So we asked the local great-grandmothers if they were free.  And they were thrilled to come!

They all had so much fun.  They started in Michael's room where he showed off his many skills.  Then they stopped by Jon's class for a music program and finished in the gym with a program Michael was in to hear music and Bible verse memory.

Then we all came home for some fun play time, great chatting, and a delicious meal.

Thanks for coming Great-Grandma Pearl and Grandma Great.  We love you!

Back to School

We had a back to school ice cream social this week.  And while it freaks me out a bit, I now have two children who will be going to school.  We got to go and visit their classrooms and talk to their teachers.  Jon will be in 4s preschool 3 afternoons a week and Michael will be all day everyday (sob) in 1st grade.  Here are my big boys showing off their lockers.

What are you doing?

So the last few months have been a bit crazy and wild for me as my plans for this semester have been shifting weekly for me. So a few of you have asked for details about how things have all settled out.

First, I'm taking two classes at Calvin this semester in an effort to complete my masters this spring and not continue to drag things out. First, I'm completing my research project that is the last class towards receiving my masters. Second, I'm doing a student teaching practicum placement that will complete what I need in order to get my endorsement in learning disabilities on my state of MI teaching certificate. The good news is that I can combine the projects a bit. The bad news is that it is still a lot of work and I need to be away from my kids a lot to get it all completed.

I am working with a teacher in 4th-6th grade special education. Right now I'm putting in practicum hours and within a couple of weeks I will be taking over for her maternity leave. This placement was such a blessing from God. First it is in an amazing school and second I will be paid during the maternity leave so it will help cover the cost of the baby sitter pay.

For my research I'm doing a project with some of the students I'm working with. I'm looking at the importance of seeing the whole student, not just the disability. I'm so happy that I can combine this with my student teaching, however, it means starting from scratch and abandoning the project I had started last summer.

Another blessing this semester is that we have found a wonderful person to do child care for us. She graduated from college a few years ago and is without a job right now, and she is great with our kids. She is able to come to our house which means I don't have to ship the kids around and pack things up for them every day. And the kids are all having a good time with her although they do fuss a little over me having to leave so many days.

I am loving being in the schools again, but I'm struggling a bit with how to balance everything. The last time I taught was before kids and even then I had trouble balancing homework in the mix of life. So now I just need to figure out how to juggle even more and of course I miss being home with my kids each day.

So I thought I would leave you with pictures of the family from last Saturday. I was able to find some quiet time to do homework and then it occurred to me that I should check on the "quiet" and make sure it wasn't "trouble." Turns out all was good.

Tim was playing some drums to a music loop.


And Michael was lounging a chair listening to Tim's music.


Jon was building roads for his cars.


Becca had herself surrounded by her stuffed animals.


And I was reading research articles on my computer. It is like a "which of these things just doesn't belong" games. :)