Sunday, March 29, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
grace students
tim just uploaded a promo video for our students at our church - we used it last weekend in our services. it is awesome! check it out on his blog below ...
www.timothyholman.com
www.timothyholman.com
Thursday, March 19, 2009
outdoors!
sweet girl
the boy can throw!
flying disc in the front yard
i don't think this kid knows how to make any other face!
mr. cool
a little cheerleader move
trying out a few action shots :)
the ultimate cheerleader
Sunday, March 15, 2009
criticism
oh, how a mama feels when someone criticizes their children! my kiddos spent about 2 hours w/ another family, last sunday night, while tim and i were at church, and when i picked them up, i asked how things went, and was assured they were fine. a week later, that mom calls me up and made it clear that if my kids, specifically cam, were to come to her house again, that there were some issues that needed to be dealt with, because his behavior wasn't tolerated at their house. apparently, he'd used someone's sticker machine without permission, and played with some toys without asking. she also said, quite emphatically, that caloway? well! he is VERY active ... but well, he was ok. (mind you - he is a 4 yr. old BOY.)
now, of course, as moms, we instantly want to stick up for our babies, and take their side, but i was cautious, and apologized if that had happened. i made the point, however, that i wish she had told me of this earlier, so it could have been dealt with appropriately. i talked with cameron about it, afterward, and of course he could barely remember who's house he'd been at, much less how many stickers he had used a week ago. i had him write an apology note to the girl who had a fit about her stickers, and we told them we would buy her some new ones, which cam has to pay for with his own money.
i'm pretty fried at the moment, because if i had said those kind of things about this woman's kids, of COURSE she would have been offended! the thing we, as moms, need to remember: these are KIDS. they are learning - and if you have someone else's kids in your care, you can take it upon yourself to 1. let them know your rules upfront, 2. deal with a situation right when it happens, and 3. if there IS a situation that you aren't able to deal properly with the child, let the parent know. seriously - STICKERS?! that's intolerable behavior?? cameron told me he used 6 stickers.
i have had many children at my home, in my care, who've done things that aren't allowed ... you know what i did? i knelt down, and talked personally with the child when it happened, and let him/her know that they need to respect our home, and follow our rules, and we'd all get along great - oh, and that they are GREAT kids, and we were so glad they were here playing with us. i have never had to tell another mom that their kids' behavior was 'intolerable' and that they'd need to take care of those things before they could ever come back to play.
i am proud of cameron, for writing those notes - he genuinely was sorry, and volunteered his own money to pay for the stickers. he came to me, about 20 min. later, and asked if i could forgive him, with tears in his eyes.
i'll take MY kids, with their hearts on their sleeves, and their rambunctious, creative spirits over that woman's kids who sit with their legs crossed, taking life so seriously, while they sit with their knitting needles and knit ... for fun.
now, of course, as moms, we instantly want to stick up for our babies, and take their side, but i was cautious, and apologized if that had happened. i made the point, however, that i wish she had told me of this earlier, so it could have been dealt with appropriately. i talked with cameron about it, afterward, and of course he could barely remember who's house he'd been at, much less how many stickers he had used a week ago. i had him write an apology note to the girl who had a fit about her stickers, and we told them we would buy her some new ones, which cam has to pay for with his own money.
i'm pretty fried at the moment, because if i had said those kind of things about this woman's kids, of COURSE she would have been offended! the thing we, as moms, need to remember: these are KIDS. they are learning - and if you have someone else's kids in your care, you can take it upon yourself to 1. let them know your rules upfront, 2. deal with a situation right when it happens, and 3. if there IS a situation that you aren't able to deal properly with the child, let the parent know. seriously - STICKERS?! that's intolerable behavior?? cameron told me he used 6 stickers.
i have had many children at my home, in my care, who've done things that aren't allowed ... you know what i did? i knelt down, and talked personally with the child when it happened, and let him/her know that they need to respect our home, and follow our rules, and we'd all get along great - oh, and that they are GREAT kids, and we were so glad they were here playing with us. i have never had to tell another mom that their kids' behavior was 'intolerable' and that they'd need to take care of those things before they could ever come back to play.
i am proud of cameron, for writing those notes - he genuinely was sorry, and volunteered his own money to pay for the stickers. he came to me, about 20 min. later, and asked if i could forgive him, with tears in his eyes.
i'll take MY kids, with their hearts on their sleeves, and their rambunctious, creative spirits over that woman's kids who sit with their legs crossed, taking life so seriously, while they sit with their knitting needles and knit ... for fun.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
grammy and grampy visit!
we were so glad to have grammy and grampy here last week! they came in eaaarrrly thurs. morning, around 3 am, after about 6 hrs. of driving. the kids let them 'sleep in' until 730, haha. we had such a great time with them - mom and dad went to visit the church with tim for a few hrs, and then we all headed out to see the area, and do some shopping. of course, we went to mcdonald's and each kid got their own happy meal! (definitely a big deal, since we never get them happy meals! :) it's a tradition with grammy and grampy. we had beautiful weather on friday, and the kids had 2 days off from school, since we crammed in some extra work earlier in the week. that's definitely a perk of homeschooling!
the kids were outside practically all day, drawing with chalk on the big driveway, riding their bikes, taking a walk with grampy and naughty milo (he ran away many, many times b/fore we found his harness and leash!), and chasing each other around the yard.
SO much fun! love you mom and dad!
What Cam and Claire Say About Me
Cameron
1. What is something mom always says to you?
I love you.
2. What makes mom happy?
When I spend time with you.
3. What makes mom sad?
when you're left alone
4. How does your mom make you laugh?
you never make me laugh
5. What was your mom like as a child?
you liked playing super mario bros. and zelda!
6. How old is your mom?
31
7. How tall is your mom?
17 ft.
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
bake
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
play the piano
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
be a lead singer in a band
11. What is your mom really good at?
the piano
12. What is your mom not very good at?
playing video games
13. What does your mom do for a job?
give people piano lessons
14.What is your mom's favorite food?
ranch pizza
15.What makes you proud of your mom?
when you make the best food I love!
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Sandy Cheeks
17. What do you and your mom do together?
Read
18. How are you and your mom the same?
eyebrows
19. How are you and your mom different?
our eyeballs
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
because you keep saying it
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
because he's funny
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
nani and poppi's
23. What does your mom say too much?
that i need to stop asking questions
CLAIRE
1. What is something mom always says to you?
no
2. What makes mom happy?
when i do my chores
3. What makes mom sad?
i don't know
4. How does your mom make you laugh?
when you tickle me
5. What was your mom like as a child?
like me
6. How old is your mom?
30
7. How tall is your mom?
29 ft tall
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
play with her hair
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
read
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
be a movie star
11. What is your mom really good at?
baking
12. What is your mom not very good at?
the guitar
13. What does your mom do for a job?
teaching
14.What is your mom's favorite food?
at panera
15.What makes you proud of your mom?
when you take me out, just me and you
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
ariel's momma
17. What do you and your mom do together?
eat out
18. How are you and your mom the same?
you were like me when you were little
19. How are you and your mom different?
you have brown hair, and i have blonde
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
cuz' i'm your kid!
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
your anniversary
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
mall
23. What does your mom say too much?
no
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
only claire ...
olivia is now a cartoon on nick, I think ... claire has been a fan of the olivia books for quite awhile, and now she loves being able to watch her on tv! in the first book, it talks about how olivia likes to try things on, before deciding what she wants to wear ... hmm, does that sound like anyone else we know?? there's a picture of olivia trying on pantyhose, and claire calls them "panty-legs". hahaha! here are some funny things they've said:
claire - look, mom! there's the panty-legs!
caloway - (after saying something weird that he thinks is funny) - good one! *with thumbs up*
caloway - open sesame sandwich! (his version of 'open sesame')
tim gave clairely an old cellphone that quit working, so she has been toting it around for the last week. she carries on imaginary conversations with "Jason", which is what she's named caloway. caloway is usually jason or jackson in her little plays, to which he usually goes along willingly, calling her "alexa" or "stacey", as per her request. sometimes they are orphans, scrounging for food, and peeking into the front door (ours!) to see if anyone's home. other times, they are college kids, calling home from "school", and getting ready to go to work. other times, claire is the mother, and she loves getting caloway dressed - his underwear usually ends up inside out, and he's always in a button-down shirt! she likes him to be fancy, too!
it is absolutely hilarious - cameron usually doesn't have time for such nonsense - he's a little more grounded in reality - his own kind of reality. hehe.
claire - look, mom! there's the panty-legs!
caloway - (after saying something weird that he thinks is funny) - good one! *with thumbs up*
caloway - open sesame sandwich! (his version of 'open sesame')
tim gave clairely an old cellphone that quit working, so she has been toting it around for the last week. she carries on imaginary conversations with "Jason", which is what she's named caloway. caloway is usually jason or jackson in her little plays, to which he usually goes along willingly, calling her "alexa" or "stacey", as per her request. sometimes they are orphans, scrounging for food, and peeking into the front door (ours!) to see if anyone's home. other times, they are college kids, calling home from "school", and getting ready to go to work. other times, claire is the mother, and she loves getting caloway dressed - his underwear usually ends up inside out, and he's always in a button-down shirt! she likes him to be fancy, too!
it is absolutely hilarious - cameron usually doesn't have time for such nonsense - he's a little more grounded in reality - his own kind of reality. hehe.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
new books
we took the kids to barnes and noble yesterday, to pick out a new book for each of them. claire and caloway are so easy to buy books for! as long as it's princess/fancy related, claire will dive right in. for caloway, if we stick to nickelodeon or dinosaurs, he's a happy camper. cameron? he heads straight to pokemon, sonic, pokemon, sonic ... now, i'm all about reading, and helping kids find what they love to read, but i refuse to allow cammy to get sucked into that ridiculous pokemon stuff. trading cards, movies, video games, books, stickers - all with weirdo names, and even more strange superpowers.
SO. herein begins my dilemma. what WILL he read? he likes magic tree house books, but gets bored with them easily. geronimo stilton books are entertaining, but the chapters are sooo loooong!! he ends up flipping through the pictures instead.
i've heard about the 'diary of a wimpy kid' books, so i browsed through a few of them - they look very funny, but are geared more towards a middle-schooler, and i have no desire to rush that stage of life! haha. i finally found THIS:
cameron loved it! it's part-journal, part-fill-in-the-blank, answer funny "boy" questions, read a few comics, and cam has been eating it up! he hasn't put the book down since we got it, and it goes everywhere with him, with his little pen lodged in the middle. some boys just need a little interaction with their reading ... ok, maybe a LOT of boys! :) it's a very fun little book, so if you have boys around cam's age, check it out.
SO. herein begins my dilemma. what WILL he read? he likes magic tree house books, but gets bored with them easily. geronimo stilton books are entertaining, but the chapters are sooo loooong!! he ends up flipping through the pictures instead.
i've heard about the 'diary of a wimpy kid' books, so i browsed through a few of them - they look very funny, but are geared more towards a middle-schooler, and i have no desire to rush that stage of life! haha. i finally found THIS:
cameron loved it! it's part-journal, part-fill-in-the-blank, answer funny "boy" questions, read a few comics, and cam has been eating it up! he hasn't put the book down since we got it, and it goes everywhere with him, with his little pen lodged in the middle. some boys just need a little interaction with their reading ... ok, maybe a LOT of boys! :) it's a very fun little book, so if you have boys around cam's age, check it out.
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