Leprechaun Fun!

Last week, Jarrod, Riley, and I headed to school with Gavin to watch his Rise and Shine program because Gavin was getting recognized for reaching his Accelerated Reader goal.

Go Gavin!

Unfortunately, while he was waiting for the assembly to end, his St. Patrick's Day necklace somehow broke, so he was in tears when it was time to take his picture....this was the best I could get!

Afterwards, Jarrod headed to work and Riley and I stayed at school to have some St. Patrick's Day fun!  A leprechaun visited and left some gold behind so the kids got to search for it!

We headed inside and did some fun dancing to some Irish music in the cafeteria.  I love how Riley just wants to be with her brother when we're at the school and he doesn't mind one bit that she tags along.  Such a good big brother!


It was a fantastic morning spent in kindergarten with my favorite little boy.  Being at school with him makes me so happy - I'm such a lucky mommy that I get to stay home with these amazing kids.  Thank you, Jarrod, for making that possible!

Such a good student!

We are so proud of our little man!  It's doubly rewarding to see report cards and have conferences with Mrs. R - I can't help but smile with pride as both his mommy and a teacher.

It was back in August that Gavin picked up his very first book and read it to me cold....a brand new book we received in the mail that he'd never seen before and he mastered it.  Fast forward to the end of January when we were informed that he tested at a 3rd grade/3rd month reading level!  Seriously?!?!  And, on one of the standardized tests that he was given, he scored in the mid 800s; the scale goes up to 900 for the end of third grade.  So proud!

He's also coming out of his shell a lot at school and making great friends.  Pokemon is a new fascination for him.  He insists we get to school early every morning so he has time to swap cards with the boys.  It makes me laugh because I took away (and threw away!) so many Pokemon cards in the five years I taught.  Boys were always getting in trouble for playing with them instead of doing their work and I never did understand the appeal. Still don't.  But I do appreciate Jarrod trying to learn how to play so he can spend that time with Gavin in the evenings.  Right now, they just play their own version, but they'll start going to the library once a month for a 'Pokemon tutorial' soon.

He's also started Running Club. Every extra-curricular that has come home he has shown no interest in, but when Running Club was announced, he was eager to give it a try.  We got off to a rough start, though.  The very first day, which he was so looking forward to and counting down the days til, they wouldn't let him participate because I didn't complete the online registration for the race they'll be running in May.  I felt like the worst mom in the world when I pulled up to pick him up and he got in crying.  Day two we were all registered and I knew he'd be able to run.  I get there to pick him up to find him with his hand all wrapped up because he fell on his first lap and skinned the palm of his hand on the gravel.  But, since then, he's been doing great and even ran 1.5 miles last week!  On Friday, I picked him up and the lady doing the car line called his name as, 'Gavin Pate.  Our running star, Gavin Pate!' and then she turned her mic off and told me how much she loved running with him and said that from her time as a track coach, she really feels that Gavin has a natural gait and will be a really successful runner.  Our uncoordinated, clumsy kid that fell on his first time around the track???  :)  How exciting to hear!  I can't wait to go out on a run with him.

Of course, he's not the perfect child.  We need to work on his handwriting and get him to be more creative in his writing.  He has a lot more potential than the '...and...and....and' sentences he's been doing.  I'm trying to find ways to encourage him to do more creative thinking at home.

Overall, we're so excited with how his kindergarten year has gone and cannot believe we're only a few months away from it ending.  It's all downhill from here....I know each year is just going to feel like it goes faster and faster.

A Daughter's First Love

The tears are already starting to well up in my eyes as I start this post.  It's moments like this that make so feel so incredibly lucky and in love with my life.  

A month or so ago, I found out about a Father-Daughter Princess Ball at the local YMCA.  It said for ages 2+, but I just didn't know if Riley was too young for it.  Fast forward to just a few days before the Ball and I realized we hadn't decided if Riley was going to go.  Jarrod was really interested, so I headed out to buy her ticket and went on a search for the perfect dress.  Meanwhile, I get a text from Jarrod that said, 'Just ordered Riley a corsage.  I'll pick it up tomorrow.'  And my heart just melted.  It's no secret he is an amazing Daddy, but I never expected that!  After many stops, we found a great dress and Riley was all set for the Ball!

Friday comes and of course, Riley didn't nap well.  Of course, she was just too excited for her first date with her first love!  And didn't she look amazing???

 As I was snapping a few pictures, suddenly 'Let It Go' started playing on the TV....can you tell she got a little excited?

 When Daddy was ready, we grabbed a few shots of the two of them together before heading out on their date.

Of course, she fell asleep on the way to the Ball.  It took some work to wake her up, but it didn't take long for her to be in party mode.  They had Chickfila catered and gave them cupcakes, but Riley just wanted to spend all her time dancing!  He sent me a video and it was pretty darn cute.  Harper and her daddy also went and they had so much fun together!

Here's a little video I took the next morning of her talking about it.  I doubt she will remember this day when she's older, but I will never forget it.  It was a day that made me fall even more in love with Jarrod, and a day that I remember feeling even more thankful that Riley is in our lives.  I thought for sure we were having another boy when I was pregnant with her; I am so so glad I was wrong {even though she drives me bonkers!}.

Upcoming posts

I have a running list in my head of what I need to blog about.  Maybe if I write the list down, I will check them off and actually publish the posts!

1. Riley and Daddy's first date
2. St. Patrick's Day in kindergarten
3. Gavin's school progress
4. A friend named Amy
5. My thoughts on 'the ache'
   
   Gavin is on spring break soon so I'm hoping for some low-key days to get caught up around here and on this blog....
    

Goal Update

What good are goals if you don't monitor how you're doing, right?  I decided to check out my goals for 2014 and see how things are looking...

1. Become a healthier person and role model for my kids - I think this one is going well!  The 30 Day Health/Fitness Challenge was very motivating and Jarrod and I are both making better choices and working out a lot more.  

2. Spend less on our grocery budget - I'm not so sure on this one....I have been bad about keeping our numbers so I could look at them.  I need to do better...

3. Be a gentler mom and raise my voice less. -  I think this one is a good one....but I guess I should ask Gavin to see his thoughts, huh?  :)  I feel really good about it though.  There are times when he says, 'You're not supposed to raise your voice!' and I have to remind him that I'm not yelling, I'm being stern with him when he needs it.

4. Call/text/FaceTime the people I love the most more often - Still need to do better on this one!

 
On top of some resolutions, I love to make a 'bucket list' if you will.  I started with my 30 Things to Do While I'm 30 list and there's something really rewarding about crossing things off the list.  So, here's my list this year...14 things to do in 2014!

 

1. Road trip to Kansas City

2. Read 6+ books - two books down!

3. Earn the consistency bonus every quarter with my business

4. Learn yoga - two weeks away from finishing my first yoga session!  I am loving it!

5. Run a 5K

6. Make DVDs of my Flip/iPhone videos
7. Overhaul my craft closet

8. Sew something for myself to wear

9. Promote to Team Mentor by the end of 2014
10. Redecorate the playroom

11. Paint something on canvas 
12. Create and implement an allowance system for Gavin
13. Have family photos taken
14. Surprise the kids with a trip somewhere

 

Eeek....need to do better on my list!

#26inMarch

Want to join me in being active this month?  One thing I never expected to take away from that 30 day challenge I participated in was how much I'd like motivating others and keeping them accountable.  The coach I worked with actually asked me if I wanted to be a coach with her and run my own challenges, but that involved getting involved with her direct sales team and I'm not interested in committing to another business.  But still, it was flattering!

I've had 'goal buddies' for many things before in my Tastefully Simple business and it really is helpful.  So, why not have goal buddies in my health/fitness goals?  The more the better, right!  I made a goal in February to do 25 workouts during the month, and I hit that goal (even if I did have to do a double workout day the last week....Jillian Michaels in the morning and evening is a lot, but necessary when you are trying to hit your goal!)  So, I added another workout in March.  Want to do 26 with me this month?  If you're on Instagram (or even Facebook...though I rarely hashtag there) use the hashtag #26inMarch and let's work together this month to stay active!  It will be fun...share your progress with us.