Things I love #4

This one is WAY past due!

I wish I had a picture to post to show proof of this thing I love.

I LOVE that both my babies LOVE their Momma! Recently, both Braelyn and Donny have been "fighting" for lap time. The other night, instead of fighting, Braelyn asked me to make room so Donny could fit with her in my lap. It was one of the sweetest moments I've experienced with my two kiddos so far! We were all on the floor, and Braelyn and Donny were laying in my lap covered up with one of their favorite blankets. Braelyn was focused in on the television (go figure), and Donny was happy just drinking out of his sippy.

During that time, I have no idea what was going on around me. I just spent those sweet (few) moments staring at my two babies enjoying some cuddle time. Before too long, they won't be able to fit in my lap, so I'm going to enjoy it while I can!

Finally!

This year marks my 7th year of teaching, and I FINALLY feel like I've found my calling. No, I didn't change jobs or schools or anything. There is just something about this year that has made it special.

I kept telling myself all summer that my 7th year was going to be great. It HAD to be! Seven is such a great number, and this year had to hold good things for me. Without going into specifics, I'm not sure I could remain in teaching if I had many more years like the last two.

Today, I made a student cry -- not on purpose -- and I almost cried with her. I was trying to help make her assignment easier, but instead it just frustrated her to tears. I found out later that she broke down because in the past year she hadn't been treated so well when she didn't understand what was being asked of her. This BROKE my heart, and I just had to go hug on this sweet child and explain that I really was trying to help. Why would any teacher make a student feel bad for not understanding? Isn't it our job to teach them, and do what we can to help them understand?

I've been trying to think back to my first few years of teaching and trying to figure out how many times I was THAT teacher??? How many times did I unintentionally put down a student because he/she didn't understand what I was teaching? How many times did I get frustrated because a student didn't understand my way of doing things?

Being a mother of two has changed my whole being! God has granted me with patience that I never knew was possible. He has made me realize that these sweet babies sitting in my classroom all need me for different reasons. Some can learn 4th grade stuff without me, but there is a reason they are in my class. Being a mom of 2 has made me realize that my students are going to learn at different rates and will, more often than not, need to learn things in different ways. (Yes, I know we've been taught that; but until you can LIVE it, I don't think can you truly understand what it means.)

I cannot wait to find out what this year holds for me!

God bless!

***Just a side note -- I believe in differentiation and have used it for quite some time. I just wanted all the teachers out there to know that this isn't something new to me this year. Ha! It's more that I finally have a full appreciation for it.

Learning to talk?

How many words can he say? Have you ever heard this question and wanted to cringe?

Donny doesn't say much, and as a friend reminded me the other day, "It's hard to get a word in when you have a big sister who's always talking."

He may be a little behind in the talking world, but that's okay with me. I'm not sure I could handle 2 kids constantly talking at this point. :o) I get enough of that in the classroom. Ha!!!

He does say a few words, though:

Mama
Dada
Buh-Bye
Night Night (just learned this one yesterday - August 13, 2010)
*I swear the kid knows how to say "football", too, but he won't say it for anyone else.
**He doesn't know how to say "doggy" or "dog", but anytime he sees a dog he pants! Hopefully, he'll get past this one day and not pant everytime a dog comes near. For now, it's cute!

Braelyn is FOUR!

My baby girl is FOUR years old. This means that by this time next year, we'll be getting school supplies ready for kindergarten. Where has the time gone!?

Four year stats:

Height - 39 1/2 inches - 50th percentile
Weight - 36 pounds - 60th percentile

Our pediatrician said she fell under the same percentiles when she was 3, so she's growing perfectly. My guess is Donny will be towering over here in just a couple of years. Sweet Braelyn may be average in size, but she's got a brain and imagination that may be way too big for that little body. :o)

Things I Love #3

I love that moment you have as a mother when you realize that you finally know what your baby needs. You know by his actions that he's thirsty, tired, just needs to be cuddled, etc. I love that when Donny gets tired, he will rest his head on my shoulder, put his arms at his side, and just lean into me with all he's got. I know at that exact moment that my little guy will be OUT within minutes.
I love that Braelyn LOVES to be silly. You can't be upset with this little girl for too long before she's putting on some kind of show for you because she wants you to be proud of her. (I also love that she loves chocolate and sharing with Mommy.)

Yearly Photos

How did this happen? Donny is a year old already, and Braelyn will be 4 years old in just 3 short days. I took them for their yearly photos this morning. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Vroom! Vroooom!

Aren't they cute? :o)