YELLOW!!

A few months ago, we signed the boys up for karate at a nearby rec center.  The program came highly recommended and, while much cheaper than a karate center, still offered pretty much everything a karate center does.  I thought it would be really good for Kenny for the focus and discipline it provides.  So many parents with kids who have ADHD as well as Kenny's doctor highly recommends programs like Karate.  Not to mention, with some of the bullies he has dealt with, I figure he could stand to learn a little self defense.    Jacob was interested too so we enrolled them both!

The program has been very good.  However, Kenny has not been thrilled with it and wants to quit.  Jacob loves it! Figures....  We have encouraged Kenny to stay in it for a little while- at least until he can qualify for a belt color.  That happened last Saturday!

The test was very intimidating-  where normally they are in a small class with 10 or fewer kids, there was probably about 50 kids grouped together in front of about 15 judges!

(Kenny is on the left, and Jacob you can just make out on the right of the picture)

They first showed their forms as a large group, but then were paired with same-size black belts to demonstrate their defensive moves.  Then, they had to break a board by kicking it!  They were really nervous about this!  But, being that this is the first step to move up, they got to try as long as they needed.  I captured it on video on my camera but the file seems to big for uploading. If I figure it out, I will it later.

Kenny broke the board in just under a minute!  Jacob broke it as well, in about 3 minutes.  One of the judges gave him a few ideas after he had tried for a couple of minutes and then he did it!

After they were done, they still had to stand in front of a judge- 1 on 1 to answer questions and demonstrate any moves they might not have gotten quite right before.  The whole process took about 2 hours!

Here they are showing off the boards they broke:

 
Tuesday night at their normal practice, they were awarded their belts!

Their teacher and the assistant called them up one at a time for a brief ceremony.

Kenny:
 
 
Jacob:
 
 
I am really so proud of them for accomplishing this huge first step.  I feel it has been good for them and am going to try to encourage Kenny to give it a try for a little longer. He really is very good with good focus and good form.  Maybe this accomplishment will inspire him to keep going!

This and That- Interesting Kid Updates!!

As usual- things have been busy around here!  Enjoy a glimpse into our world:

Ellen and Meghan:

Since they turned 5 last month, it was time for the dreaded 5 year check up.  I always look forward to check ups to see their growth and chat with the doctor but I was dreading this one for one reason- shots.  My boys left me good cause for anxiety- they both had to be held down to get their shots!  I was more nervous with two girls that would have to do this at the same time. It felt bigger than I could handle on my own so I talked Aaron into taking the afternoon off to come along and help. 

They did so good!  The nurse used something called a "shot blocker" that helps take the sting off- it is a sort of small rubber disk with little rubber points all over it- kind of like a soft rubber brush.  She holds it up to their skin and there is a hole in the middle for the shot.  The little points all over it make it difficult for the brain to determine where the shot actually goes making it not hurt quite so bad.   They got two shots- the DTap and the Polio (they will need to go back for the MMR and Varicella. The doctor suggested we only do 2 at a time but we were going to do them all and get it over with. But, they were short a shot so we decided to wait for the other two.  We ended up being thankful- keep reading to see why).  Ellie sat right up there and just said a sad "Owwww" with each shot but never even cried.  Meghan got right up there and she cried a little, but very mild.  I was so proud of them!!  I guess I didn't need Aaron after all!  And of course, we got ice cream after!

And of course, they are growing like weeds!!  Ellen is 57.6 lbs (98%) and 47.6 in tall (99%).  Ya- I knew she was tall!  Height and weight are very proportionate so she is perfectly healthy!  Meghan is 48.8 lbs (89%) and 46 in. tall (96%)- so also very tall and verrry skinny!

Meghan-

The night after their shots,  Meghan didn't seem to feel very well which is to be expected so I gave her some Ibuprofen and sent her to bed.  She woke up at 2:30am vomiting and continued to do so every half hour all night long.  I had gotten a total of 3 hours sleep. She threw up once more during the day and gradually got better and was able to keep food down by dinner time.  I assumed it was a standard stomach bug.  But then, no one else ever got it.  I started to research online about vaccine reactions.  The nurse had said that since this was the 5th DTaP dose in their life, the chance of a reaction was bigger.  I did learn that, after the 4th or 5th shot, 1 in 50 kids will have vomiting 1-3 days after the DTaP vaccine!  So, I am thinking it was a vaccine reaction! Poor thing!  But, she is all better now so all is well!

Jacob-

In his 3rd grade class, he has been working on a "wax museum" project for black history month. He had to choose a famous black Ohioan and research them and then dress as them to give a brief presentation (as if they were a wax statue in a museum).  Jacob chose to do Jerry Revish who is a news anchor here.  He did a great job!


Here is his desk set up!  The poster board tells about him and on his desk is an old football trophy that he has disguised as an Emmy award and then also a piece of paper that he might read the news from. There was a paper "button" that visitors could push to hear him give his speech as if he was Jerry Revish.
 
 And here is a closer shot of him in his suit.  Jerry Revish always wears a suit coat and tie.  The only dilemma was we didn't have a suit coat for Jacob. I was lucky to score this one from the thrift store for $4!  And it fits well and is nice so he can wear it to church!

Jacob- In other news.....

Jacob is in the gifted program at school.  I received a letter in the mail that he is eligible for a special gifted level 4th grade class for next year.  It sounds really great- only 20 kids in a class with all other kids just like him and a teacher specialized in gifted teaching with a special curriculum.  The only problem is it is not offered at their current school.  Jacob would have to change elementary schools.  I am honestly not sure what is best- to put him in the other curriculum at a different school (the nearest one is not far from where he attends now) or to keep him with his siblings- where he could still work part time with a gifted teacher. (The other kids changing schools to be with him is not an option for a few reasons).  Ugh. I don't know. There is a meeting about the program coming up which I will attend and also visit one of these classrooms so I can make an educated choice.

Kenny-

After a rough start, Kenny is doing very well in 5th grade.  It was a huge adjustment for him with a lot more expected of him.  Add that to some troubles with rotten kids and he has had a rough way to go.  Over the last few months, things have stabilized.   As we all adjusted to what was expected, we settled into a routine and his grades has been good.  He has to work for it but he is very smart and does work very hard and does well. All in all, I think this is good- he will be very successful in life knowing how to work hard.  His ADHD does create problems for him though that make things extra challenging.  Based on his doctor's advice, we did meet with the school and set up a 504 plan to help address some of those challenges.  It includes things like extra time on tests when needed and his teachers help to ensure he has his homework in his back pack before going home- and other things as well. I am thankful to have this in place so he can get the extra help he needs to succeed while moving toward independence (hence one day no longer needing the plan).

**Irony-  I couldn't help but chuckle a little when we received Kenny's 504 plan copy and the letter about the gifted class for Jacob in the mail ON THE SAME DAY!

Kenny and Ellen-

For anyone still hanging on, I will close with a funny story.  Something else about Kenny is he is truly one of the most compassionate, thoughtful and kind kids I know.  Back in January he told the girls he was working on some art projects that would be their birthday presents. A few weeks later, he comes home with this yarn woven project that he gave to Meghan and told Ellie that hers was coming but he had to finish it.  Ever since then she has been asking everyday if her present is done yet and he kept assuring her it was almost done. I couldn't help but think I hope he really does have a present because she was NOT going to let him forget!  Finally, yesterday he came home with a small clay pot he had made.  He hadn't been able to paint it so he decorated it with marker, put it in a large box and lovingly wrapped it.
 


Ellen was so excited and opened it with much anticipation.  She took the pot out of the box and held it in her hand and said, "What?! What am I supposed to do with this?!"  Wanting to please everyone and spare Kenny's feelings, I said, "Wow, Ellie! Isn't it beautiful!  And you can put all kinds of things in there, like some of your money or beads or it can hold whatever you want!"  She smiled and was instantly thrilled with it. She found some change to put in there and has been carrying it with her wherever she goes in the house.


I love these guys!!  They certainly keep me from getting bored!

Where They Get It From...

 My boys, like most boys, LOVE Legos.  They have a pretty large collection and play with them just about every day.  All sorts of creations can be found from houses to monsters to garbage trucks to race cars, all complete with moving and functioning parts.  It doesn't matter how often they clean their room, within a few hours- their floor again looks something like this as they dive once again into their Lego world:

 (and this is mild- they just cleaned their room yesterday).  There never has been any doubt where they get this from.  Just this evening, this is how our living room looked:



Aaron has never outgrown his love for Lego's and he recently started his own Lego project.  A clock.  A fully functioning, gears and all clock.  He is not yet finished, but here is his work in progress:

It is hard to see details but the inside is filled with different gears- all Lego- that will work the clock when it is done.  The pendulum is of course, all Lego.  It will also have a chain with weights and more bits and pieces as well as the hands of course.  It really is pretty cool and he is enjoying the project. You would think that since it is Lego and we have so much of it that it would be a cheap project to do, but not so much.  He has already had to order many specialty parts from the internet to be able to do it!  It is amazing the number of sites (not just Lego) to order specific pieces! 

I often joke that I have 5 children- including Aaron who hasn't outgrown his love for toys- especially Legos. But, ultimately, I love it.  I love the he can be a kid and get down on the floor to play with the boys and have a way of relating and bonding with them.    I think I'm pretty lucky.   That is as long as they get them all picked up and I don't step on any of those pieces tomorrow.....

Spelling Bee Champ? Well.... At Least To Me!

A couple of weeks ago, the boys brought home notices of the upcoming spelling bee for 3-5 grades.  Jacob is in 3rd and Kenny in 5th so it involved them both.  They had to have permission to participate and they would first have a written test.  The top 9 from each grade would go on to the school spelling bee and the winner there would then go on to the district spelling bee.

Both boys grumbled but I signed the paper for both insisting they try.  Jacob is an above average speller and I knew he was very likely to get into the school spelling bee. I think he has missed maybe ONE spelling word on a test all year.  Kenny....well, the poor kid tries hard.  He, unfortunately, got my dad's spelling ability (er...lack thereof).  It is naturally hard for him, but he works really hard. Kenny definitely has talents that Jacob doesn't have.  I thought it important for both to give it a try.

Jacob was in the top 9 of his grade so he was entered in the spelling bee which was held today! :)  We practiced the list they sent home and he did well with it. Some words were on the list and some not.  The poor kid was so nervous!  He didn't want to get out of bed this morning because he didn't want to do the spelling bee.  I encouraged him as best I could- reminding him that winning or losing didn't matter- it was getting up there and trying that was important.

Waiting for the spelling bee, he- and all the kids- were so nervous!  You could see all of their legs shaking and moving.

Jacob stood up there and bravely spelled his first word- h a r s h  "harsh"- correct!  (sorry for the poor picture- I was a ways back and just had my crappy cell of course. I have GOT to get a new camera...) He sat down and went onto round two.  He was given the word "doze".  Unfortunately he heard (and repeated) the word "dose" but they sound so close that the judges didn't notice the mispronunciation.  So he spelled   d  o  s  e.  And he was out. (Despite it being only the second round, we was not the first eliminated, either!)  I could tell as he walked back to sit with his teacher he was broken-hearted and started crying.  His teacher comforted him and it was all I could do not to cry- not because I was disappointed in him but because I felt his pain so strongly.  I had to hold it in because I didn't want him to think I was upset with him- it is just my heart broke with him because he was so sad.  I hugged him tight and told him how proud I was that he got up there and was brave and did it.  So many words after that- even much harder ones- he could spell and he knew it so he was sad, but that is life.  You win and you lose and that is how it goes.

Just a few minutes later, another girl from Jacob's class, Savannah, was eliminated- she went to sit with the teacher as well so Jacob scooted down and Savannah sat down- also crying due to her elimination.  So Mrs. J comforted her. It broke my heart.  She ended up with this row of sad kids.  It is so hard to be brave and get up there in front of all of those kids and parents and so disappointing when you are out.  A few minutes later, another kid joined Mrs. J in her "consolation row".  I tried to capture Mrs J with those 3 but Savannah was trying all she could to stay out of the picture.  (Mrs J mentioned that most of the 3rd graders in the spelling bee came from HER class!)



After school he told me in the car that he was "purple"- because he was "red"(mad) and "blue"(sad) which makes purple.  I again stressed that he did such a great job- because he really did, it was just a mistake and misunderstanding. But, that is how spelling bees work!   

In honor of his big day and being so brave, we had his favorite dinner- Spaghetti.  Then we had our weekly Family Home Evening and I made these special Valentine's day treats (because tomorrow we have all our normal Tuesday craziness so celebrating tomorrow is out of the question....)

I saw these on the noon news in their Wed food section. They are Raspberry Puff Pies- very easy and very yummy!  They were a hit!   Now, I won't pretend that this was our best evening ever- because it wasn't.  Oh my, we had some grumpy tired kids- but we got through it and enjoyed the good parts of the evening and the yummy treats!  All in all, a good day!

The Best of Times

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." or so says the opening line of A Tale of Two Cities.  I have not read this book before, but started reading it a few weeks ago when my neighbor suggested we start a book club of the classics.  Considering I have not read many classics, I thought it was a great idea.  However, 3 weeks later and 60 pages in...I am not sure I can do it.  I am finding it very difficult to read- maybe I have read "fluff" for so long, that I was just not prepared for the language. It is a challenge for sure.

However, I love this opening line and it got me thinking.  So many times, twin parents (singleton parents also) will talk about how tough a certain stage is.  Inevitably, another parent will say, "Oh, just wait till such-and-such age and it will definitely be better/worse."  If a parent should complain about the cost of diapers, another parent will inevitably say "Oh, that is nothing compared to the cost of extra-curriculars."  If a parent complains about a screaming toddler, someone will say, "Oh, just wait till they are teenagers and you will want to scream."  And so on. 

Well, I think I have figured out when is the best time to be a parent of twins.  I believe my girls have reached that stage- age 5!  Here is why having 5 year old twins is awesome:

--Two words- no diapers.

--they sleep all night, unless they are sick.  If they have to go potty during the night, they get up and go!

--they can buckle themselves into their seat belts.

--they are each other's best friend and entertain each other very well.  This right here is definitely a benefit to having twins. 

--they can sit and feed themselves. 

--when we go somewhere, there is no need to struggle with a double stroller and remembering to pack a diaper bag.  They walk everywhere now.  It makes it so nice on days like today when I can decide on a whim to go to the zoo (on a rare 60 degree day in January).  We just went! No need to pack anything!




(these pictures include Ellen and Meghan, and also their friend Annie who came with us!)

--Along with that, they are young enough to still lay down for an afternoon rest time if they (or I) need it, but old enough that I am not chained to my house in the afternoon. If we need or want to do something in the afternoon, we can!

--when walking across a parking lot, I will hold their hands but otherwise don't have to worry to much about them staying close.  It is not like they are toddlers and will dart across the road unexpected causing extra stress, as it did this day.

--They are old enough for lots of dramatic play, sophisticated lego building and are learning how to read, yet they are still young and innocent enough to play like young children.  They are a joy to watch play.

--Similar to this, they are old enough to have a conversation with but young enough to have that childhood innocence in their words.

--they are old enough to tell me what is wrong and where it hurts,  but young enough to cuddle into my arms and let me hold them.

Here are some more thoughts as to why now is the perfect age- as opposed to the future.

--this time next year, they will be in school.  I will then have 4 children in school.  4 kid with homework to complete and the added chaos.

--with them being in school, they will no longer be home with me.  While I am sure I will come to enjoy the peace, I can't imagine what it will be like to not have them here with me.  I didn't imagine the time would come this fast that all of my children would be in school. 

--as they get older, they will have more extra-curricular activities.  It is already hard to manage the boys and their activities.  I can't imagine doubling it. 

--Teenage drama will be sure to kill me.  Especially with two girls the same age, in the same grade at school.  Boyfriend drama will surely be interesting.  We already had a preview of that when Ellie's "boyfriend" Hayden (from our home preschool group) declared he liked Meghan instead, Ellie was broken-hearted.

Now, don't take this wrong.  I love watching my children grow and I know I will enjoy something about each stage.  I love to see them grow and develop and mature.  As I have told other parents, I believe that there are positives and negatives to every age and stage.   Sure, when they were up crying and needing fed all....night...long, it was hard.  But I LOVED being a mother to those sweet newborns and holding them.   And, just as they will surely have difficult times as teenagers, I will be PROUD to be their mother and will love seeing them grow.  I have just been reflecting recently about how easy of a stage this is so far- for us anyway, the easiest stage so far.  So, to all of you multiples parents out there who's babies are still little- take heart and know that it REALLY does get better.  For all of you with older children than me, I would love to hear from you about what you have learned!!!

More Birthday Fun!!

Ellen and Meghan have certainly been very spoiled as they crossed over into big kid world!  After our own little family celebration on their birthday Wednesday, we had a party with their friends on Saturday (the 7th) and with our whole family on Sunday (the 8th)!    But you only turn 5 once- it's a big one for sure so why not celebrate it big! :)  These girls are so special and sweet and good and they deserved every minute of it!

I had not planned on having a party with their friends.  I had parties for the boys when they were that age but stopped having them for a couple of reasons and so it never really occurred to me to throw the girls a party- but then they kept talking about all the friends they wanted to invite to their party and so I knew we needed to!  I threw it together in one weeks time- from deciding to do it, to sending invites, to planning and throwing it!  All in all, it was a big success.  I lost my camera, as mentioned before so my amazing friend Annie offered to take pictures for me.  She is very talented and took a lot of great pictures- and manipulated many of them to make them cooler. I wish I could post them all, but I will only post a few that are my favorites and that tell the story of the party best.  This is a very long post- but with the exception of these first paragraphs, the words are kept short.  The pictures are fun to look at!

We had a great turn out!  Including Ellen and Meghan, we had 12 kids ages 3-5 in our tiny house! I was excited they could all come (the group included their sunday school class, preschool group, neighbors they play with often and a few other best friends) but nervous how it would go.  Thankfully, it went very well- I kept it short- 1 1/2 hours- and kept them busy.

  We started with balloon play.  At first, they just tossed it in the air to keep it from touching the ground. When they bored with that, we did a follow the leader type game with them.
 
 
 
This shot shows most of the kids.  It is only missing Joy (who you can see in the balloon pic above and others- she was working the radio) and Sophia and Amelia- who were feeling to shy to play.  They played pass the crown- kind of like hot potato, but with a crown (the party had a mild princess theme, since the girls love princesses! )  Whoever was holding the crown when the music stopped got to control the music for the next round! Starting at the top of the picture and going around is the girls friend, Ellie- in the orange shirt then Annie, Meghan, Addie, Emma (Addie's cousin), Grayden, Zachary, Ellie and Clark.

We then did a fun- but easy and quick- art project!  They decorated princess wands (girls) or swords (boys)- that had been cut out of card board and wrapped in foil.  They loved it and did great!  I just bought the puffy glittery stickers for them to stick all over them.


Sophia working hard! Love this one of Amy (Sohpia's mom and my so very dear friend) helping her!


And here is her sister, Amelia- who will NOT smile for pictures.... Annie is lucky she got a picture of her!

Grayden is focused on making a great sword!

And here are some finished products:


Friend Ellie with her wand!

And Zachary with his sword!
 
Joy with her wand!

I love how unique they all were!

It was a mild day for January so we went outside for the next game.  It was a simple relay- scoop beans out of the bowl- run down and dump beans in a bag and run back.  They loved it!   Annie (the friend taking pictures) caught this picture before the game got organized:




Love how she made Annie E (yes, two Annie's in attendance- one adult, one kid!  And two Ellie's for that matter!)  stand out by making the rest black and white.  It makes her look like the leader of the pack- but really, she just happened to be standing there with the group watching her before we started!


Soon, we got the game organized....  I think it is obvious which of my girls is more competitive!  Ellie is focused and ready!

And here we find we were correct!  Ellie is off and running- Meghan just watching! ha!


I love this one of Grayden- I think he is excited it is his turn!

Yet as he plays, he is cool and confident!

Next was cake and ice cream.  I kept it simple- just cupcakes and ice cream.  I love it how Annie (with help from my friend Amy) made my simple cupcakes look so grand by arranging the wands and swords around them (which had not yet been decorated at this point....)!!

 

I love how Meghan is so serious about her ice cream!  She made sure to scrape every last bit out and was fully focused- totally like her!

This is Addie- a new friend who just moved into our ward (church) boundaries- the girls love her!  So fun to make new friends (and for me too- her mom is pretty awesome too!)

 

And these were my FAVORITE pictures..... no explanation needed....

 

(I seriously wish I had Annie's eyes for pictures!)

And of course.... presents!  I think present time got a little overwhelming- there were so many kids who were so excited to see what they got and crowding them and I think the attention got to them a bit and they acted up some here, but I think they did okay being two 5 year olds.   I love the expressions on their faces in this one:

 

Katie (Grayden's mom) made awesome tutus for both girls- pink for Meghan and purple for Ellie. Very impressive for a mom of 3 boys!  The girls just LOVED them.  Meghan didn't understand why I wouldn't let her wear hers to church the next day.

So, they were happy and tired at the end of their party!  I am so thankful that they are surrounded by so many sweet little friends!

Sunday was more fun!  Only a few pictures for this one, but it was a great day!  They got to spend some time with 4 out of their 6 grandparents,  a few Aunts and Uncles and cousins!! My mom snapped this one of the sweet girls:

 

This picture was actually not hard to get- they didn't make it easy on her!

And of course, more presents!! The big thing this year for their birthday was the girl legos!

 (Meghan kept hiding under the table to open her presents- I think she was a little shy from all the attention!

 Ignore the dirty face in this one!  Pretty cute/ classic kid though.  My sister Julie got them these adorable head bands with clips.  She is always good about that sort of thing.  Good thing because I am not that good at it.  I love for them to have these cute sort of things, but rarely think about it. I don't know why- probably just one more thing to think about....

So, we have celebrated this milestone more than enough and I think my girls are very happy!  After all this- and of course all of this happening right after the Christmas rush- I think they might go through withdrawal now that they haven't opened any presents in a week!  Ha!  And now that their birthday  is over, they don't get more presents until Christmas!  They got all their fun all over with at the same time every year. 

I love these girls so much.  I could not imagine our family or my life without them.  What an incredible blessing they are.  Usually in the course of one day they will make me laugh, frustrate me, teach me, perplex me and make my heart grow more.  I thank God every day for all 4 of my babies!!!  Life is good!

Through the Eyes of a Young Child

Today we were at my sister's (Julie) house.  She watched my girls for me for a couple hours while I ran an errand and we were visiting for a bit when I returned.  As usual, we were marveling over her sweet little baby girl, now two months old!

It made Julie want to look at the baby pictures of her other nieces and nephews and compare them to baby Claire.

While looking through the book, we also saw her wedding pictures when she married Jorge in November 2000.   As many may remember, in November of 2009, her world came crumbling down and the rest of us felt our world strongly shaken when Jorge announced he was having an affair and was leaving the marriage.  What a horrible time that was for everyone, but so very dark for Julie.    The girls adored Jorge- he was truly a favorite for them.  They were just about 3 at the time and asked for him often, wondering where he had gone. I did my best to explain in simple terms, but they really missed him.

Of course, the story has a happy ending-  Julie found true love again and married Shawn, a very welcome addition to our family.  November 2011, they welcomed sweet Baby Claire.  Jorge may have shattered her world, but she has since built a much better, much happier world.  We have all said good riddance to him.  I have not talked to him since before the split and I hope I never run into him.

So, back to today.  When Ellen and Meghan saw the wedding pictures, they kept asking why Shawn wasn't in the pictures.  Julie explained that these pictures were when she married Jorge.  Julie said, "You remember Jorge don't you?"  The girls both said no, they did not.  They had no idea who he was.  It then occurred to me that- being not quite 3 when he left, that enough time had passed in their little lives that he had disappeared from it completely. 

Jorge really seemed to love my girls and they adored him.  But, that is another loss from him! Too bad, so sad- Good-bye and Good-riddance!  Even the girls no longer remember you, you are through!