Project 52 {45}

My favorite thing about you:

Your persistence  

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We have high expectations for our kids.  Really high.  I've (kind of) joked that in having Jeff and I for parents, did anyone really expect our kids to be dumb?  I mean, I first met him in our series of honors courses in 8th grade.  We took many honors and AP classes together throughout our educational career.  I can't imagine my kids not being honor students as well.  In fact, if given the choice between best kid on the (insert sport here) team, or in honors/AP courses, I'd pick the academics every time.  Life is just easier if you're not dumb.  So I work with the kids.  A lot.  My goal was to have Haley reading before she started kindergarten, and she was.  We'll do this with Kale as well.  I try my best to have intelligent conversations with them, even if we're just driving around in the car.  When they were babies we'd talk about what color something was on a walk.  I strive to use adult words with them.  They're not afraid to ask if they don't know what a word means.  I've never had to tell them what a word means more than once.  Sometimes I have to explain things a bit more simply, but they'll grasp it and down the road we can get more complex.  We don't avoid topics, and if I don't know, we ask Siri, or look it up on the computer.  I want them to understand that curiosity makes you smarter, and it's okay not to know something as long as you seek the answer to it.  

So, persistence.  Yes, I have high expectations, Haley's teacher's are higher (LOVE).  Especially when it comes to handwriting.  I'd sent Haley off knowing that she knew how to write upper and lowercase everything.  Her teacher expects perfection.  Not kindergarten perfection, real life perfection (on one of my room mom days she needed to see my handwriting before she would let me write out sentences).  Part of her phonograms is knowing all of the sounds that correspond with the letter, the other part is being able to write the letter.  She can tell you rote what each letter sound is, in the order of common use for the first 26 letters of the alphabet.  She can write each letter such that you know what letter she's shooting for.  Perfection?  We're not quite there yet.  She had a test this week on her most recent phonograms and needed to write the letters, so we drilled.  And drilled.  AND DRILLED.  She knew the sounds so I didn't focus so much on that, but we printed out many a writing sheet, and I wrote out the letters, made her copy them, gave her the dots then she had to do it all by herself.  You could see the improvement right there on the page.  She's getting there.  And she wants to do it.  She knows what's expected of her and really tries her hardest to meet those expectations.  

How will you know what you kids are able to accomplish if you don't place those high expectations on them?  And not just academically, but physically, and behaviorally.  In our house we expect academic success (even in preschool and kindergarten).  We expect them to treat their body in a healthy way, eating the right kinds of foods to help them grow, and to exercise to be strong and capable.  We expect good manners at all times.  My job (like I've said a million times on here) is to equip them to go into the world and be successful adults.  With the persistence to meet the expectations we put on them now, they'll be ready to meet them in the future as well.  

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful . Truly Dedicated Mommy 

Can I link you too?  Leave me a comment.  

Project 52 {21}

My favorite thing about you:

How proud you make us

This week you both finished preschool. This is pretty monumental in your short, but amazing lives...  

Haley, you finished your last year of preschool, and to say that you loved it wouldn't even come close to how you feel about school.  Your enthusiasm for learning is one of my favorite things about you.  At just 5 years old, I know you're going to love learning for your entire lifetime.  You absorb every piece of information you can get your hands on and store it away for when you can shock me with your knowledge later.  If I had a dollar for every time I've asked you "where did you learn that?!"  On the one hand I'm sad that you're no longer a preschooler, I'm beyond excited for what the future holds for you - Kindergarten!! If it wouldn't be entirely inappropriate, I would put HUGE expletives in front of that, because that's how excited you're going to be when you figure out that you get to go to school every. single. day.  Your hard work and determination to learn makes your dad and I so proud.  Often, we go to bed at night talking about you guys and marvel at the things you've told us, what you've learned, things you've done.  

Kale, you finished your first of three years of preschool.  Dad and I debated back and forth about whether to put you in this year or just wait and let you have two years like your sister.  But I'm so thankful you got this first year under your (very favorite baseball) belt.  You've learned to write your name, and a whole lot about the social expectations of school.  You're pretty great at sitting on your shape and listening to the teacher during circle time, and you never give a hard time when you have to stop playing blocks or cars to do the art activities.  You're a pretty laid back guy in class and are happy to roll with the routine.  Then there's gym.  If you tell me anything about your day at school it will be whether you went to gym or not and what you did there.  Never what book the teacher read you.  We're proud that you're figuring things out, and that you're a class leader.  The other kids in class love to follow you and see what you're up to, you do the coolest things.  You've made new friends of your own and play pretty well with them (most of the time, but hey, you're three!).  I'm so excited to watch you continue to grow in school and see how far you come by the time you're done with preschool. 

As much as I'd we'd like to take full responsibility for their achievements, I feel that I need to be especially thankful to their school, Holy Apostles Preschool.  Of all the things I'll miss most when we move, this school is the one thing I really wish we could pack up and take with us.  Over the two years we've been a Holy Apostles family, we've been lucky enough to have teachers that are exactly right for our kids and what they most need.  I'm especially grateful to Haley's teachers this year, I'm confident that next year in Kindergarten Haley will excel based completely upon the expectations that were set forth this year.  Their skilled preparation will absolutely benefit her and allow her to continue to be academically successful.  As a mother, I don't think I could ask for more.  I'm going to miss the school (almost) as much as the kids!

We are so beyond proud that both kids had such successful school years.  They're good kids and they really seem to excel in an educational environment.  Nothing makes this teacher over qualified room mother happier.  To celebrate (and because Jeff is also on a one week break from his Master's classes), we're off to Bolder for the weekend so that Jeff can run a race.  We'll be making a stop at the Lego Store for Kale and the American Girl Store for Haley.  We feel that hard work deserves a reward.

And as an idea of how far they've come since the beginning of the school year:

My Goodness!!  Slow down!!

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful .  

Can I link you too?  Leave me a comment.

On her way to running the world

It's not that I would call my daughter bossy... well... yeah maybe that's the best explanation for her. But a more "parent" term would be to call her a leader, one who takes her responsibilities seriously, or (and this might be my favorite), she's sure of herself and her abilities. This is something that I really try to instill in her. Independence, and self esteem, it's something I sure never lacked at her age and I feel it's served me well. All of this to say that she has found her environment. Haley started Preschool this fall at a really great Co-Op school. Up front Co-Op means that every 6-8 weeks the parents get to go into the classroom to help out the teacher, we provide snacks, and help with clean-up, but I also get a great insight into how my child behaves in an educational environment, one with her peers, not just her brother.

To say that she loves school wouldn't quite let you fully understand what a part of her life this has become. She lives to go to school. When we tell her it's a school night, we might as well tell her Santa's coming too. It's a big deal. We set her clothes out the night before and she always seems to wake up a few minutes earlier on school days. She doesn't complain as much about me doing her hair because it's "for school" and on those occasions when her behavior lacks a little lustre, it's great to be able to hold it over her head. I sure hope that still works when she's in high school.

So I mentioned that we set her clothes out the night before. I'm just going to fess to this before someone rats me out... her dress is on backwards for all of these pictures. For the record, she dressed herself the first morning of school and the only thing that denotes the back of the dress from the front (aside from a tag) is a little button that should be on her collarbone, instead it's on her back shoulder. Whatever. We all made it out the door on time, and she made it to school, what can you do. I guess she and Kale are now even - in his first pictures I put his little Nike's on backwards. Whatever. Go ahead, take away my Mom of the Year prize, I'm sure I've lost it from lots of other infractions, but we just won't go there.

So her backpack is an adorable preschool size pack from the North Face. I thought it was the greatest thing ever. Turns out they send a lot of stuff home in preschool... giant works of art, normal size pieces of paper... lots of things... and a preschool size backpack is actually not anywhere near an appropriate size. Have I replaced it yet? No. I refuse to buy into Dora, and all the other commercial characters until I absolutely have to.

Haley and her good friend Yanni, who also started school the same day, but a different class.

Probably one of my most favorite pictures ever. Ever. EVER.

Dropping her off at the door, this is Mrs. Cooper, Haley's head teacher (there's also Mrs. Rose who's her classroom helper everyday). She was fine, not one tear, or even hint of sadness or nerves, she was ready. Me? Yup, I was fine too, I knew how excited she was and was excited for her, this was the beginning of what Jeff and I can only hope is a long and successful educational career. Kale? He yelled "Sissy!" "Sissy NOW!" all the way down the hall in tears. What would he do with out her? Just so you know... Mom is not nearly as fun to hang out with as Sissy is. But he's figuring it out which is turning out to be a learning process for him too.