Speech With Ms. Lori

I wanted to do a post about Christian's speech class and his teacher, Ms. Lori. Christian LOVES going to speech and he LOVES Ms. Lori. (And so does Kari for that matter! She thinks we go there for her and always wants Ms. Lori to hold her and play with her--it's very cute.) To say Ms. Lori is a "good" teacher would be an understatement. She is excellent. Christian's speech has come such a long way since he began going to the S.T.A.R Center back in September. Lori's patience and consistency, along with Christian's hard work, have really paid off. Christian loves speech because he gets to play games, do puzzles, and play with cool toys--like dinosaurs and trains. He's very focused and Lori is always amazed at how quickly he can put puzzles together. His favorite games include Hopping Frogs, dinosaur bowling, and, the classic card game of "War". Lori tailors each game so that he repeats certain words/phrases that he's working on that week before he takes his turn. Christian hardly knows he's working b/c he's so interested in the fun games! I am so grateful that our school district has such a wonderful speech program and employs such wonderful teachers. Christian's confidence in his speech has grown in leaps and bounds and as a mother, my worries that he would not be understood by his peers has decreased dramatically. We've still got a ways to go, but I just can't believe how much this program, and teacher, have helped my big boy.

Last Day of Skating Class

This past Saturday was Emily's last day of ice skating lessons. (Well, not for forever, but just until summer.) Now, it's only been 9 weeks, but her progress has been AMAZING. She has moved up a level and her confidence out on the ice has dramatically increased. And, she LOVES it. They have the kids out on the ice for an entire hour, practicing their skills, and you can tell that she takes it very seriously, but that she's having a great time. Way to go, Em!

Emily is working on her "swizzles" in this picture to the right. Here is Emily's cheering section! Christian says he wants to learn to skate this fall ("Me want to play hockey, Mommy!"--Oh boy, a SUPER CHEAP SPORT!). He enjoyed watching her...but may have enjoyed eating the popcorn even more!

Field Trip Fun

This week I had the wonderful opportunity to go on a field trip with Christian and his preschool. It was seriously such a special treat! (Great-Grandma came to the house and babysat Kari so she could take a nap and didn't have to come out in the cold!) And, by the look on his face, Christian was sure excited to be there too!

The big yellow school bus took us to the zoo! Yes, we've been there a million times, but not on a bus! (It seemed to be all of the kids' highlight. Christian thought we were in a race car--ha!) Once there, we made good use of our time and hit up the Aquarium, the Cat Complex, the Bear Canyon, the Gorilla Valley and the Desert Dome. And it wasn't like we sprinted through there either--I was just amazed at how much quicker you can make it through places without a stroller!

Here, a Lionfish is coming over to check out what Christian is all about--and maybe even give him alittle sugar!

This is Christian's little class. Ms. Sandi was a huge champ and I was able to see how much the kids love her.

This goofy pair always makes me smile. Christian and his friend, Jacob, sure enjoy seeing one another at both preschool and at speech class.

Here I am with my boy! Again, it was such a treat to be able to spend this time with Christian. I love his sweetness, his "all-boy, wrestle you with my spatulas-for-sharp-claws" attitude, and, of course, when he tells me "my wove you, Mommy."

We've Got Ourselves a 'Nodder!

Do they have them run laps during Primary?? Honestly, every Sunday our kids end up completely ZONKED. Emily had not one, but THREE melt downs today and, as you can see, Christian fell asleep during dinner! (I was able to wash his face, change him into his p.j.s and put him to bed...at 6:00!) Busy days, tired kiddos. So cute!

ps. He's holding his arm like that b/c he fell down on a walk outside this afternoon and scraped his arm. He fell asleep making sure his band-aid stayed on!

Spring Into St. Patty's Day!

Aside from it being my oh-so-glorious birthday today, today was great because Daddy put up the trampoline!! Along with the worms being back and the daffodils coming up, the putting-up-of-the-trampoline is another indicator that Spring is upon us!



The children all love our trampoline! Check out their cool moves...I'm convinced that they are fairly coordinated all thanks to the tramp.

Oh, and Emily did have her obligatory green on earlier in the day, but changed it out for BYU-blue in support of their game today--go Cougs!

They also got in some good wrestling time--Kari wastes no time (and has no fear, apparently) at getting in on the action! I also liked this little picture. Kari was enthralled at how she could see Emily and Christian through the trampoline. Fun times.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Mommy-Daughter Date Night

Friday night was date night...with my big girl, Emily! Now that Emily is in school all day, we really don't get as much one-on-one time together as we used to. So, I started up a special date night with her. Last month we had a blast just shopping at Target and then getting a milk shake over at Summer Kitchen. It was so wonderful just to be able to focus on the two of us; she really loved the attention and it really has strengthened our relationship.

This month, our first stop was PetSmart. Emily loves to look at all of the animals there.

Next up, we went over to Borders...a dangerous place to be for book lovers! We browsed the shelves, ate a cookie, and, yes, we each picked out a book to bring home. (Alan Bradley's new Flavia de Luce book came out in January and I caved in and bought it!)

Finally, we stopped over at Old Navy for a picture with the puppy dog. (And, we were looking for a green shirt she could wear on St. Patrick's Day; we didn't find one.)

Next up, Emily wants to break out the bowling shoes! I sure love spending time with this girl!

How Do You Know Spring Is Here?

Because the worms are out! Christian and his friend, Spencer, had such a good time Friday afternoon, digging for worms. Spencer even went home with his very own "Worm Family."

Welcome Spring!