These newsletters have slowed down, haven't they? I hate that we are so busy. I hate having two jobs that keep me away from you all. These newsletters are important to me and I need to do better. I want these newsletters to be a connection for you to your childhoods. When you're older I want you to be able to look back and read about my feelings and what we were going through.
Riley,
This school year we started at Brownsboro and you adjusted beautifully. I was worried about you moving schools but you're doing great. You love your teacher and have enjoyed the school work. I am proudest of your reading! You are a wonderful reader! You even like to read to your brother and sister sometimes. I love to talk with you about books. You really like it when I order you new books off of Amazon.
You are really just growing up. You're getting taller and taller every week. Lately I've had a hard time keeping you in clothing because you grow out of stuff so quickly. I don't even pretend to try and remember what size shoe you wear. Your independence is growing too. You don't need me to wash your hair, brush your teeth, or lay your clothes out. Sometimes I don't even have to run your bath water. You like to help me cook and do laundry, and you can actually do things that help out. Hey, if you want to make muffins I'll let you. You are old enough to following the simple directions and you enjoy doing it. Yay for independence!
I love how you play with your brother and sister. It's crazy how much you occupy them. I love how serious you take homework or something like that. It's very important to you to turn things in to your teacher correctly and on time. You're definitely a perfectionist.
Ella,
Hello sister. You are probably the "craziest" kid I have. You love to have fun, laugh, and play. If you're sad, you're really sad. If you're happy, then you're really happy. You are very dramatic too. You use facial expressions all the time, and those expressions match your stories and pleas. If something's not right, you're gonna let me know.
You are the first to say "yes ma'am" when you and your brother and sister are in trouble. You somehow know that a "yes ma'am" is the best thing to say when you're in trouble. If I get on to y'all for too long though, you'll start crying. I've learned it's best to tell you when you mess up and then move on. Harping on you doesn't do anything but make you cry.
It's hard disciplining you and Nolan especially. Most of the time I tell you to quit or stop 10 times before either of you let up. And then it's usually because I yell. You and Nolan are together 24/7 and I try to remember that most people would not be able to get along with someone else for that length of time without having a disagreement. I try to let you and Nolan work your problems out, but that usually always ends in you hitting each other.
Dressing up is by far your favorite activity. All the time. Multiple outfits. Clothes everywhere. Turn some music on and you are good to go.
Nolan,
Hey Mr. You are Mama's boy and you know when to turn it on. You love to be petted on and it reminds me of your daddy. Treat you like the baby and you are the sweetest thing ever.
Your favorite thing to do is chase your sisters or mess up their toys. You're always right in the middle of them whether it's coloring or playing Barbies. I bought you a whole bunch of boy toys for your birthday. When we got home with all your new toys, it had been about 5 minutes when Captain America started marrying Barbie. I haven't seen that Captain America since! You don't seem to mind too much.
Three is supposed to be the stage when kids start wanting to please and I am ready for that to begin. You still get in a lot of trouble and have to be constantly reminded to do or not to do things. Nolan! That's what I say all the time. You are definitely a button-pusher. You know just exactly what to do to make your sisters mad. All bats and sticks have been confiscated because you only want to chase and hit your sisters with them.
I want you to know how good you potty-trained. Hallelujah! No more diapers for this lady. Nolan, you were by far the easiest to potty-train. You did not want to sit on the potty the first day, but by day two, you had it down. You started standing up to tee-tee pretty quickly. I had you sitting and for obvious reasons that wasn't working out very well. But you got it down and rarely have accidents. It's crazy, but we have been to the park several times and you and Ella both have had poo-poo accidents. That's a joy to clean up, let me tell you.
It's funny sometimes when I'm in the shower I can hear you all tromping through the house. It sounds like a bunch of elephants. Usually when I get out it's to find that Nolan is chasing somebody with something.
We are working on behavior out in public. I give lots of warnings before we get out of the car. "You better behave." I try to be quick to nip bad behavior before it starts. It's hard! I just want y'all to be sweet! When you're older, I think I'm going to come over to your houses and knock holes in the wall, chip paint, put dents in your kitchen tables, jump on your couches, jump on your beds, constantly be hungry and thirsty, and any other destructive thing I can think of... all in the nude. This is what it's like at our house.
