Friday, October 22, 2010

Three T*E*R*R*I*F*I*C Kids


I’m trying to figure out where exactly the month of October has gone. I know that our household was busy battling the flu bug, strep throat, and those pesky allergies, but how exactly did a whole month almost pass us by?

The kids just finished up their first 9 week grading period. Report cards came home last week. Let me just say that we are extremely proud parents!! Report cards are a little different for us this year. This is the first year that Bryanna is receiving actual letter grades. I didn’t know how big of deal it was going to be for her until we got the invitation for the honors assembly. This is the first year that Kalyssa is able to understand the full meaning of a report card. As a big first grader, she gets to learn to appreciate what it means for her when she works hard in school.

The girls were so excited when they got off the bus the other day because they already knew exactly what they got on their report cards. Bryanna was extremely excited because “Daddy can’t tease me about my report card anymore. Remember how he would always say we need to talk about your grades? Well, he can’t do that anymore because I get to look at it first” Let me just add that she was laughing the whole time she was saying this. She is getting very good at keeping up with her daddy’s sense of humor. Kalyssa was so excited that she couldn’t stop jumping up and down.

Jason and I were invited to attend the honors assembly at the school for both Bryanna and Kalyssa. The girls both made all A’s in their first 9 weeks at Stockwell Place. I can’t put into words how it feels to watch your children receive recognition for something that they worked so hard to achieve. The girls were beaming with pride as they stood on the stage. Of course our pride was shining right alongside with theirs.

Bryanna and one of her really good friends were the only two in their class to receive the all A honor roll award. Fifth grade hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park. There have been many nights where Bry has been up until 9 or 9:30 at night studying for a test or finishing up homework. She usually has homework in each of her subjects and every class has its own specific goal they are trying to meet. She is one of the few kids that I know that loves to work on extra credit assignments just because “they are fun.” She works very hard every day to keep her grades up so, yes I do get a little emotional when I watch her stand up on stage with an award in her hand and a smile on her face.


















The assembly was a first for Kalyssa. She has never participated in an awards assembly before so for her, this event was extra special. As I mentioned before, Kalyssa also received an all A honor roll award. I don’t think she knew what to expect when she walked up on stage. She thought it was pretty neat that she got to shake the principal’s hand. Kalyssa has reached a few extra goals during these past 9 weeks. She has been working very hard in and out of the classroom to meet weekly goals. She was one of nine students in her class to meet the first Accelerated Reader (AR) goal. She has found a passion for reading on her own. It is absolutely amazing!!! She was also surprised by her teacher with the Terrific Kid award for demonstrating a positive attitude, good character, and responsible citizenship.


Travin is graded a little differently than his sisters. As a kindergartner, he doesn’t receive actual letter grades. His report card is broken down into seven different standards that he is supposed to master by the end of kindergarten. His progress is measured by a performance scale. Right now it’s not as exciting for him as it is for the girls. He doesn’t understand what he is looking at or what any of it means. We have had so many ups and downs with the start of kindergarten. Things are slowly getting better in his class but we still have a long way to go. We are taking things one day at a time. My son is teaching me a lot. One of those things is to think outside of the box. There are many things that I feel he isn’t getting in class therefore, it is my job to make sure he gets those things at home. I am doing what I can to help him reach his weekly goals by adapting to his learning style and needs. I can say that in the past month he has come a very long way and for that, he to deserves a little recognition.


We are extremely proud of all three of our kids! All we have ever asked for from each of them is that they always try their best. They each have their own way of doing things and they always go above and beyond. They all have been working really hard and their efforts have shined beyond a doubt.



Until Next time......
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Thursday, October 21, 2010

Embrace the Camera: October 21



One of my favorite FALL activities, visiting a pumpkin patch and enjoying a hay ride out to a field full of pumpkins 






Happy Thursday!!

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Sunday, October 17, 2010

Down On Papa's Farm

Last Friday, Jason and I were able to join Kalyssa on her first field trip of the year. The first graders from Stockwell Place had the opportunity to experience life on a real farm. We took a trip to Papa Simpson’s farm in Arcadia. The farm provided the kids with a real hands-on learning experience. It was really neat to be able to watch the kids. They were all so excited and eager to learn about the animals.


We spent the day walking around the farm and learning about several different animals. Kalyssa got to hold a baby chick and a piglet. She was a little scared to hold the baby goat (or rather kid, she would correct me if she read this). The goat was a little frightened and a bit more vocal than the other two animals. Although she decided not to milk the mama cow, she did get the chance to bottle feed one of the baby cows.



Kalyssa got the chance to plant her very own corn kernel. The farmer explained to the kids how corn is planted and how it is picked. She also got to take daddy on a journey in search of the perfect little pumpkin.


This was Jason’s first official field trip. It was nice to be able to share the day together. I know that it meant a lot for him to be able to be there for Kalyssa. We had a lot of fun with Kalyssa and her class. I know that I’m a little biased, but I happen to think that Mrs. Everage has the BEST set of first graders around :-)



This isn’t the last of Papa Simpson, Jason and I will be heading back down to the farm in a couple of weeks to join Travin and his class on their farm field trip. More pictures to come very soon!

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My Kind of Fall


I am still learning a thing or two from living in the south. One of my favorite things so far is FALL!! I absolutely love the fall season here in Louisiana. And yes I can call it a season because things actually change. It might not be freezing cold outside but it is a bit of a change from the steady 68 degree year around temperatures we were all too familiar with.

Here are a few of my favorite things about the fall. Please feel free to share some of your fall favorites with me :-)

~Pumpkin Spice Lattes
~Caramel Apples
~Apple cider
~Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins...pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cream cheese, pumpkin muffins (I'm sure there are a few I'm missing)
~Fall Scented Candles...pumpkin spice, apple orchard........
~Fall Decorations
~Fall Fashions...especially cute sweaters and boots
~Fall Festivals
~Leaves Changing Colors
~Pumpkin Patches and Hayrides
~Halloween Costumes
~Trick-or-treaters
~Soup!! Soup in a bread bowl...even better!!!
~Crisp Morning Runs
~It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

~Cooler Weather (as in not in the 90's/100's and NO humidity)
~Thanksgiving Dinner
~Planning for Christmas



Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.
~Elizabeth Lawrence

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Thursday, October 14, 2010

Embrace the Camera: October 14



This week has been a bit of rough one for us. The cold season hit our house pretty hard and doesn’t seem to want to let go. We have all been feeling a little under the weather so needless to say, posing for pictures was the last thing on everyone’s mind :)

I thought it would be fun to share some pictures that were taken last year during Halloween.





We definitely try our best to capture the “spooktacular” spirit of trick or treating.

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