Thursday, November 12, 2009

Singing 3-yr old. and a Blast from the Past

The other day, Mallory started singing to me, so I grabbed my camera. She has just recently started insisting that she get to sing "all by herself." Take a look....I almost cried when I watched them back. I love her soooo much! :)





"Popcorn Popping"






"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" turns into the ABC's





Check out this blast from the past...........Lite Brite!! Do y'all remember those? Oh, I spent hours upon hours playing with my Lite Brite....creating masterpieces, if I do say so myself. :) I must say, though, that ours back in the day were nicer because you could make much bigger picture creations. But, the new $10 version has a handy-dandy rolling compartment for the colored pegs. Bethany bought hers the other day with her own money, and came straight home (after the H1N1 vaccination clinic) to work on this first picture. She was quite proud of it.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Bethany's PT Conference

Brad and I went to the elementary school for Parent Teacher Conferences last night. We always try to meet with the PE and Music teachers as well as the classroom teacher. I know that the resource teachers get pretty bored during conferences, and I want to know how Bethany's doing in all of her classes. It's always great to hear that she is doing very well. The PE teacher said she's really come out of her shell this year and is really performing at a level above her age group physically and coordination-wise, and then the music teacher told me she is talented. She is recommending her to a piano/music teacher at the local college which she doesn't usually do for children as young as her. A mother's heart swells with pride....aaaahhh. :) Now, I need to find a piano....oh, boy. When we went into her classroom, the teacher closed the door and said, "what can I say about Bethany? I wish I had 20 of her!" I know - it sounds like I'm bragging, but, really, I'm just pleased to hear she's doing so well. A LOT of 1st grade parents have been complaining at our school about the strict teachers, the higher expectations for behavior, and the struggles their kids are having, so I'm relieved to know that our child is doing alright. Whew. The teacher pulled out a "squiggle" that Bethany had done for us to see. (a squiggle is a paper that starts with one small shape or drawing already on it and the kids add to the drawing while creating a character and writing 3 sentences about it.) This is the one she showed us:



This "squiggle" started with a bow tie. In case you can't read the words, it says, "My character is my mom. My mom likes to cook. My mom even likes to play with me." At first, I thought -- oh, how sweet! She made me her character. And, then I read the part about liking to cook, and I had to try not to laugh. (Brad was trying not to laugh, too...it's a good thing he knows better ;) You all know that this is not one of my strong suits, but I have been cooking more often lately. I can definitely say that although I don't always "like" to cook, it's great to know that she thinks I do. :)

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

HALLOWEEN 2009

TRUNK-OR-TREAT


The Youth had games for the kids which Bethany really enjoyed. Mallory played a few games, and then she took a break........

to eat her winnings. I don't know how many candies she'd eaten before I noticed her hiding next to a chair in the foyer.


Brad walked the kids around because he would have to work on Halloween night. The girls got way more candy this night than on Halloween.


Afterwards, Brad went on a visit with the missionaries and the girls and I went home to sort the loot. Bethany is a "Butterfly Fairy" and Mallory is, of course, a "monkey".


My cutie-patooties!
Halloween night, colder and rainy.

I love this picture of them waiting for the people to answer the door and give them treats.

Bethany has become very comfortable with "Trick - or - Treat" and "Thank you", but Mallory was very shy this year. Except at one house where the man said, "you're the cutest monkey out here tonight!" and she cracked up laughing all the way back down his sidewalk. (??)

More Mallory...

I feel guilty that I don't have more pictures of Bethany, but Mal and I spend a lot of time together and so I have to take pictures of just her sometimes. She actually posed a
bit for me, which is rare for my girls. There are a few Halloween costume pics from a
few days before Halloween when she just HAD to be a "montey" at home
while she watched WordWorld on PBS.
I COULDN'T RESIST A SHOT OF THOSE CURLS!