Teacher Gifts

Almost finished with the gifts!
(And I cannot get these photos to rotate... ugh.)

Beach Bundle: beach towel, water bottle, flip flops,
& sunscreen

Just need to add some flowers

Mason jar filled with M& M's

School Days

Concentration!

The boys only have 7 more days of school. Technically, there are 10 more days but they will miss the last 3 because we'll be in Nashville for our appointment week.

Last night we started work on a gift for Daniels' teacher. I recently joined Pinterest, and found some really cute gift ideas on there.

William's teacher is getting a 'beach bundle': beach towel, flip flops, & water bottle, all tied with a cute ribbon that has a mini sunscreen bottle threaded through it.


Daniel's para-pro is getting a mason jar (we're talking about Pinterest, so something HAD to involve a mason jar, right?) filled with M&M's. It has a little poem attached about all the different colors and how she's his M&M - his Marvelous & Magnificent teacher :)

This is the photo we're using as
inspiration for Daniel's teacher gift.

The project we started last night is for Daniel's teacher. I haven't taken another picture since the painting was completed, but it turned out really cute. He did a great job with the painting, and I finished drawing on the 'ruler' just before I went to bed. We just need to put some flowers in it & we'll be good to go!

I'll try to get pictures of all the finished projects before they give them next Friday.



Weekend Funnies

The boys really kept us laughing with some of their comments this weekend. I thought I'd share a couple of especially interesting and amusing ones here. After all, everyone needs a laugh on a Monday morning!

William said he wanted to build a cross in the back yard that says Jesus is risen. Daniel said he would build a robot next to it that says I heard that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were watching TV Sunday morning before church and there was a tampon commercial on. It was one of those that doesn't really say much about the product. It just talked about being active and all the awesome things you can do and how it improves your life. After it was over, William just sighed and said, man I need that!

 

 

Hope you have a great Monday!

First Week of School

Sorry I haven't posted sooner (and thanks to Marcie for the sweet reminder that I should do an update!). The first week of school has gone well. Daniel was a very nervous boy Sunday night. He had a very hard time going to sleep. But come Monday morning, he was excited.

We drove to the park near the school, and the four of us walked to the school from there (the traffic the first week of school is insane!). 

Daniel at Open House last week

Excited about Kindergarten

Our big Third Grader

  

We took Daniel to his class first. We walked in through the doors he'll be walking into every morning. We showed him to look for the monkeys on the wall (yes, his room is a monkey theme - how perfect is that?!?!). And then he went in the room. He said hi to his teacher, hung up his backpack and filled up his water bottle. He found a place to sit and do his morning activity (coloring a picture of yourself on the first day of school). He sat down with another boy and said hi, and quickly got to work. Zack and I gave him hugs and I told him I loved him. He smiled, and then quietly went back to his work.

We then walked down to William's class. He walks through the place like he owns it. Everyone seems to know him, and everyone seems to like him. No surprises there - I have sometimes referred to him as our future politician :) We got to the door of his room, and he said bye. I asked if he wanted us to go in with him or stay in the hall. We were told we could leave. Oh well, at least he let us walk him to the door. By next year, we probably won't even get to do that. My big third grader...



William with his teacher
(taken during open house)



As we left, we had to walk back by Daniel's class, so we looked in. He was now sitting with about 3 other boys, and they all seemed to be having fun, doing their work and chatting.

Zack and I went on to work, and I got home about 5 minutes after their bus. They were already in the living room with Zack, telling him about their days. Two very excited boys. One very happy jack russell terrier (Zack said she looked for them all afternoon). And one very relieved mommy.

Daniel was thrilled to ride the bus and to get to take a drink in his lunch (they only drank water at preschool). We looked through their backpacks and talked about their days. And they both seemed excited to go back.

By Tuesday afternoon, things were continuing to go well. William walks Daniel to his class before proceeding to the older kids' side of the building. William gets on the bus and immediately makes sure that Daniel has made it safely (kindergartners get to go to the bus first). I love how he takes his big brother role so seriously!

By Wednesday night, our Gremlin hit the wall. He'd had another really good day at school. But he was weepy at dinner, and couldn't hold his head up. School was obviously wearing him out.

Last night he almost fell asleep at the dinner table (at 6:00!). We told him that today was the last day for the week. He cheered "the last day of school!" and we quickly reminded him that he gets to go again next week, too! Didn't want him thinking it was over that fast! Thankfully, he seemed okay with that, as long as he could have a couple of family days (that's what he calls the weekend) in between.

I got to talk to his teacher this morning. She was calling to discuss something totally unrelated, but I asked how he's doing. She said he's doing really well, just sometimes has a hard time controlling his body. I almost laughed out loud, because I knew if there was anything she'd say, that would be it. Nothing inappropriate, he just tends to swing his arms around in line and things like that. I appreciate the feedback because it gives us something to work on.

William has had a great week. He's had homework every night, but nothing too extensive. They are doing projects this year about their family's country of origin. He's going to do his on Ukraine. I sent an email to his teacher and briefly explained our situation and how it relates to the project, including the fact that we told him he didn't have to share anything he didn't want to. She sent an amazingly supportive reply, and even shared the fact that she herself is adopted :) I love how God works things out like this. William is so excited to get to do a report on Ukraine, and I'm excited to see his enthusiasm.

So one week down, and a lot more to go. But both boys seem to be excited about the new school year. And with a Gremlin on the loose, that elementary school will likely never be the same again!



Countdown to Kindergarten

Our little Gremlin starts kindergarten Monday.

And this Mommy is struggling. Why?

1. The school is huge, and Daniel is small.
2. The school has tons of kids, and Daniel sometimes wanders aimlessly.
3. The school day is long, and Daniel's four-hour preschool class was a lot for him.
4. This Mommy is just nervous for her little guy.

But I'm also thankful. Why?

1. For the first time, both boys will be at the same school. (less running around, and no more tuition!)
2. William's teacher volunteered to let him go each afternoon and get Daniel before going to the bus. Daniel's teacher thought that was a great idea.
3. William has told us he's going to watch out for his little brother.
4. Daniel is super excited about kindergarten.
5. Daniel's teacher seems incredible. She'd already talked with Ms. Moore (William's former speech therapist, who will do Daniel's speech therapy) and gotten all the info on Daniel.
6. Ms. Moore - she's fantastic, and has been working so hard behind the scenes to get Daniel into the right class. I love that we already have some at the school advocating for our little guy! Plus, I know she'll help him make even more progress with his speech.
7. Daniel's teacher is known to be super fair and strict, with structure and clear expetations, and won't put up with things that some teachers might. Perfect for Daniel!
8. His kindergarten room is decorated in a monkey theme. I can't think of a better theme - Daniel was thrilled.
9. His para-pro also seems to be really great. She knew William and was also totally on board with him helping Daniel.
10. William got in a super third grade class, too. His teacher seems really nice - and she's a Christian!!

The Boys

Here are some of the pictures of the boys from the orphan care Sunday photo shoot. I honestly don't think the photographer could have captured their personalities much better. You know, it's a shame they don't like the camera...

William's birthday

William turned 9 on Tuesday. I'm not even

 sure how that is possible.

I get teary-eyed every time I open the pantry and look at his growth marks on the door. His physical growth is unbelievable.

I smile everytime I see him making his brother laugh, wrestling with his daddy, or coming to me for a hug. His emotional growth is incredible.

I praise God everytime I hear him singing a worship song, talking about God, or bringing his overly-worn New Testament out of his back pack. Yeah, he takes it to school EVERY DAY and gives it to his friends to read. His spiritual growth is inspiring.

In just 3 1/2 years, the tiny little 5-year-old who was once known as Little Guy or LG has grown and matured in amazing ways. (He comes up past my shoulder now and will likely pass me in height very soon.)


Daniel, Cole & William
(Cole is one of William's best friends)

I am so thankful for William. He is kind and caring, a wonderful son and a super big brother. He's taught me what it means to be a mom - and thankfully, looks over my faults for the most part. He even tried to show love and compassion when he said to me Monday night (as I was icing the cake that he requested),  "It's okay mommy - not all cakes have to look nice!" :)


Happy Birthday William!
(Thanks for joining us on Tuesday, Meghan & Jon -
sorry I didn't do better taking pics!)



Learning to say Yes

Often you hear people that say "you just need to learn how to say no."

Silly faces before bed
(notice William's pj's - all I say is WOW)





Well, I'm realizing something. I say No. A Lot. And not so much to other people, but to 2 certain little ones. (Of course, they are also the ones that ask the most of me, so I guess percentage wise it's probably not that different.)

So tonight, despite my hesitations, I said yes. To something silly. Because honestly, sometimes they need to hear the word Yes, and not just No.

Tonight, both of the boys are sleeping with their heads at the foot of their beds. They think it's hilarious. I think it's crazy, and am hopeful they will settle down enough to fall asleep sometime soon.

I want them to recognize that they have to obey & not pout when I say No. But I also want them to know that it's not the only word in my vocabulary.

By the way, if you have a minute or two, I encourage you to read THIS BLOG entry by my friend Sharon. And I pray that you'll become uncomfortable, too.

Just pics

Sunday morning, before church

Zonked out in the car (I've since bought travel neck pillows!)



We're down to NO glasses. 3 pairs on order - hope they come soon!



Enjoying the warmer weather, playing some golf

Girl Scout cookies! (Daniel's first)

Dr. Dove

Their Valentine from us was a trip to the Gwinnett Gladiators hockey game

Dr. MLK Jr's gravesite

Daniel came to visit me at work a couple of weeks ago

These boys LOVE sushi!

Family Rules

If you ask William what the #1 Dove family rule is, he will quickly reply, "No whining, no pouting." Daniel knows this as well. While he might not be able to give you that exact response, he has quickly learned that whining and pouting don't cut it at the Dove Dom*!

Well, we introduced our second family rule last night, in the form of a Bible verse...

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

This is one that all four of us need to consistently work on. But it really came into play yesterday with some unkind speech by both boys, directed towards each other. At bedtime, as I was explaining to them that this would be their memory verse, William suggested we write it on the chalkboard paint so they could learn it together. Great idea!

Visiting the Powell's, Nov 2007

Anytime I think of that verse, I think back to when we were in Ukraine in 2007. We were spending the night with our missionary friends the Powell's. Their 2 little girls were in bed and were supposed to be going to sleep. One daughter was speaking unkindly, so the other daughter proceeded to rebuke her in the name of the Lord by quoting this verse. The only problem? She was yelling it angrily :) (We were actually with the Powell's in Ukraine 3 years ago today - you can read about that HERE).

Aside from our "real" family rules, sometimes it can be quite amusing to hear the things we find ourselves saying to the boys.

Don't lick the dishwasher.

Don't eat things out of the trash.

Don't let the dog lick your mouth.

Don't pick up the dog poop.

Hey, I'm just keepin' it real here!

We haven't done anything requesting reader responses in a while. So please leave a comment and share...



What are some of the funny, odd or embarrassing things you've caught yourself saying to your children?

*dom, pronounced kind of like dome, is the Russian word for house



Halloween fun

I was a bit nervous about Halloween this year. Daniel got scared at the grocery store when he saw scarecrows. You know the ones: they're cute and colorful, made to sit on your front porch as a nice fall decoration. Yeah, THOSE scared him. So while we'd originally made plans to go trick-or-treating with some good friends, we had to re-vamp and stick close to home in case he couldn't handle the events of the evening.

Overall, everything turned out okay. We started well before dark and I think that helped a lot.

Most memorable moments of the night:
~ Daniel encountered a grown man in a (slightly creepy) monkey suit, and loudly exclaimed "I no like you!"
~ We repeatedly reminded Daniel everything was pretend. One man handing out candy had a VERY scary alien costume on and his voice was super creepy. Daniel told him "You pretend", then came back and said "I no like that house"
~ A kid said to Zack, "I didn't know Luigi was that much taller than Mario." Zack's response: "I ate the mushroom."
~ Daniel repeatedly fussing at William for walking too fast (his little legs couldn't keep up with big brother)
~ William gently taking Daniel's hand to walk him across the street