My loves

Amelia Jayne

We went through a really tough time with Amelia Jayne at the beginning of the school year. She was having a very difficult time at drop-off, crying and screaming for me to stay with her. It wouldn't take her long to settle down and she loves her school, so I know it wasn't anything there that was a problem. Plus, she was doing it everywhere - school, church, the Y. She just didn't want me to leave her and she was making sure I knew it. BUT, we've turned a corner! I developed a sticker chart so that every time she had a good drop-off she earned a sticker. After 10 stickers she got a prize. It worked! She did so well for 10 whole days and after she earned her prize she hasn't needed the sticker chart again!

She is completely potty trained. No more diapers, no more pull-ups. She had been waking up dry so much that I finally decided to just cut out the nighttime pull-ups, too. We did that about two months ago and haven't gone back. Since my last update on the kiddos she's really gotten the hang of all things potty.

We just finished up her dance class which she loved. I think she loved spending time with me in class more than anything, but I'll take that. I'm looking forward to putting her in a class that is a little more structured and organized so that she may actually learn some tap and ballet skills. I'm putting her in a trial class soon, so we'll see. I'll be finding something else to do with her, though, since quality time is an obvious love language of hers. Mine, too, so that works out well for both of us. :)

I am seeing so much independence from her now that she's at Joyland. She's the "big girl" of the group with 2 - 18-month olds and 2 babies completing the group. She's a great helper for Mrs. Joy, and those 18-month old girls look up to her so much! They constantly have this look of adoration and awe when they watch Amelia Jayne. It is so good for her, seeing as she is the baby everywhere else we go. She's super-sweet with the girls and the babies; she's helpful, while also learning compassion, care and love with children younger than her.

She has such a fun imagination. She pretends so many things - through dress-up, her dolls, books and TV shows. She also laughs out loud at the best moments. She doesn't hold back when she thinks something is funny, which is incredibly cute...and infectious! I often find myself laughing along with her because she's so animated and excitable. She also has this little Sheldon laugh that makes me crack up every time.

She is incredibly excited about her birthday and wakes up most mornings asking if today is the day. Basically anytime anyone says October, she says, "Today's my birthday??" I'm pretty sure she's afraid we'll forget. :)

Xander

That boy was made for school. He loves everything about it. He comes home eager to do his homework and talks non-stop about what they do each day. Since he's a rule kind of guy it's been a bit difficult to help him understand that there are some rules we don't have to keep at home that he must keep at school - like writing with a pen. He's not allowed to write with a pen at school, but I told him it's okay for him to use one at home when he's practicing. Oh no. Not acceptable.
Ooo-kay. We'll just stick with school rules from now on.

The end of his first quarter is Friday (Amelia Jayne's birthday). David and I will be attending his parent/teacher conference next week. I'm looking forward to hearing all about what he's been doing.

That kid amazes me every single day. He still loves flags, countries, and soccer. The other day David was telling him about a soccer game between Estonia and Spain. I didn't know where Estonia was, so Xander was explaining it to me. (near Finland and beside Russia, he said).
We were having another conversation about Turkey one day - he insisted that Turkey is in Europe AND Asia...when we looked it up, he was right.
I now just default to him. He knows his geography, folks.

I've heard him "announcing" soccer games while he plays. He sounds so authentic! It's pretty funny to hear. He also plays soccer games and pretends they're between different companies or schools.
Costco vs. Walmart
ImaginOn vs. Shook Kelley (David's old work)
Cox Mill Elementary (his school) often plays ImaginOn (my work)...Cox Mill always wins. :)

He loves Sophia the First about as much as Amelia Jayne. He sings the whole intro so often that it gets stuck in my head and we start singing it as a family...it's pretty ridiculous, really.

There are a few similarities between my kids, but overall they are incredibly different. It's fun to see their unique personalities, strengths, weaknesses, abilities, and desires. And one of the things I love the most is how much they compliment one another. If one struggles with something, the other steps in and helps out. Xander is so literal and Amelia Jayne helps him see things with a bit more imagination. Amelia Jayne tends to get right in there and often throws caution to the wind...in which Xander immediately grabs it and tucks it away for both himself and his sister. He's one of the most cautious kids I've ever met. But she helps him loosen up a little bit and he helps keep her grounded. They're a great team!