Party Time!

Eli's birthday came and went and the pictures are finally here to prove it. We had a small party where family and friends got to enjoy the celebration of our big boy (heaven forbid you refer to him as a little boy, he will respond with "I am NOT yittle, I am a BIG BOY! I am three!").

Eli and Papa prior to lighting the candles.

Eli picked out his own cake this year, Thomas it was!

Having a little difficulty blowing out the candle.

Eli was very excited his friend Isabelle came to his party.

He hadn't seen her in a while - let's say they played long and hard that day!

A birthday kiss from a good friend.

Tuesday brought our good friends, the Maguires, for a visit. Jess, Brian, and Daryl decided they wanted to go to the LSU vs. WSU basketball game in Seattle, so off they went (BTW: Way to go Cougs!). Katharine, and all the boys stayed here and enjoyed the evening playing. They also brought Eli his birthday present, a fabulous Lightning McQueen art table. Eli LOVES it! He seems to think his snacks fit great in the supply slots and that Oliver won't get to them, somehow, I think he's a bit mistaken.

Coloring on the new art tray.

Brayton and his fabulous Mommy, Katharine!

Poor Brayton was so tuckered out. He had a busy day learning about ferries, he just couldn't stay awake a second longer. (I didn't want to wake him with the flash)

McColley and Eli sharing the art supplies.

What a Grand Birthday!

December 18 brought Eli's third birthday, and what a birthday it was! Sadly, his special day fell on a week day because he still had to spend the day at the babysitters, however, he loves her, got to take cupcakes, and spent the day playing with his friends. It really ended up being a wonderful birthday with more festivities and celebrations today.

His big day began by getting to open one present before going to Mary's house for the day. He was beyond ecstatic when he opened his new Mater! Somehow during the day, he and the other boys at Mary's hid them - a typical occurrence for said boys and their cars. Mater is either still at Mary's or got mixed in with another child's cars, somehow Eli ended up with two blue The King cars. I can guarantee he should only have one. So unless he has some magical powers that allow him to morph cars, this one isn't his.

I adore the excitement that he now has for his birthday. He kept repeating "I'm three now, Mommy!" and "Daddy, I'm three!" It is so cute. Watching his excitement when he saw his presents from us, talk about adorable! First is the intent focus of getting through the wrapping paper to the actual gift. Then once he realizes what it is, the smiling doesn't cease. He is giddy and thrilled and can't wait to get it out and really check it out.

Look at that focus and determination!

He calls this tent "Eli's clubhouse." And just to clarify, we asked who could go in it, his reply "E-eye's and boys and girls." (He says his own name "E-eye" still no ls, but cute none the less!)

Cars. Can you tell? These just happened to all be firetrucks and assorted related fire rescue vehicles. What are the odds he would be in his firetruck shirt the same day? LOL

In the evening we took him to Red Robin for dinner. We met Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Daryl there (he flew in to town for the holidays the night before). We had fun catching up and after dinner, a flock of waitresses came and sang to our wide-eyed, uncertain little boy. He wasn't too sure what was going on, but he was FOCUSED on them and their singing. I'm still not sure if he blinked at all while they were there. At any rate, he loved his ice cream sundae, at least the whipped cream on top, and the rest of us passed it around after he had his 5 bites. He's not a big ice cream fan, not really much of a dessert person in general.

Grandma took a picture of us Winkeys. It's not often that we get pictures that include all three of us. Another great treat to add to his birthday!

We were getting Eli ready for bed (late!) when one of our neighbors popped by to borrow some cookie cutters. When she was headed back home, she mentioned there was something going on over at the apartments and that we might want to take Eli over to see what was going on. I had heard about a fire engine that gets adorned with Christmas lights and slowly drives through the neighborhood passing out candy canes with Santa Claus on board. We decided to leave the front door open for a few minutes to see if it would be coming to our neighborhood. We saw another neighbor whose son works for the fire department and she said the would be in our neighborhood shortly.

We threw Eli's jacket and shoes and ran out to meet the fire truck and Santa. He really didn't want a lot to do with anyone in particular, but he enjoyed watching. Afterall, it was over an hour past his normal bedtime!

Here comes Santa Claus!

It's not very often that I take pictures in the dark. I'm not quite sure how to take them to still give the nighttime aura and have pictures turn out right. I still like these pictures. Someone from the Maple Valley Reporter was there and said there would be more pictures on their website shortly! We'll keep watching for that! :)

Today brings his actual birthday party, so there will be more pictures coming soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELI!!!!

Freak Out Moment

I am having a minor freak out moment.
I am participating in a 5-day GLAD training at school and am absolutely loving it. Every piece of it is relevant to my teaching, and it is absolutely amazing the level of understanding and investments my students have in the content that is being presented.

Let me back up for a moment. This training is for teachers, however, it is presented with a class of real students. My students. Let me tell you, I am speechless when it comes to my students so far this week. The discussions that they are having amongst themselves about erosion, the cooperation, and high level of thinking amazes me every minute of the training (and this is only DAY TWO! I am excited to see what is to come over the next three days).

This brings me to my freak out moment. Because this is a new things for my district, the focus has been on SIOP until this year, but I lucked out and got to participate in this training. I know these strategies will help my students. I've seen it. I've heard it from them. I am sold. Because my students are the "test class," the district wants to interview me for a better perspective on things because I do know my students and the impact these strategies are having on their learning. They are so much more invested. They have been interested in their learning thus far in fourth grade, but let me tell you, the EXCITEMENT they have about their learning is immeasurable. One of my teammates was talking to one of my students and asked him what he thought about what they've learned so far and, with an ear-to-ear grin, he replied, "it's so much fun! Who knew we could have so much fun AND learn." It is really exciting. Which brings me back to the interview. This interview is really important. It could change the perspective on things in my district and teaching and learning. When I'm put on the spot, as in an interview situation, I get really nervous and feel like I sound like a 14 year-old with very little eloquence or knowledge. I have no problem talking in front of 20-30 kids, but adults?! Let's just start tripping over my tongue now.

I keep thinking about things I need to remember to say, but we'll see what happens! I'll let you know how it goes....


My kids are so excited about this, they're going to be bored to tears when we go back to class next week! I know I can't be the level that the trainers are, but you can bet I've all ready started putting things together and planning to incorporate GLAD strategies into my teaching.

Thanksgiving Weekend

We had a quiet but wonderful Thanksgiving. My parents and cousin came over for our traditional early dinner. Oddly enough, I didn't take a single Thanksgiving picture. I had every intention beforehand to do so, but never quite got around to it.

After everyone departed for the evening and Eli was in his jammies, we finally thought to get out the camera. We set the timer and had fun doing silly poses and making funny faces at the camera. When we were done taking silly pictures, Eli started dancing to the music. I love how two-year-olds dance. Dance like no one is watching! HAHA

We also had our wonderful friends stay with us this weekend. Brandon, Lindsay, and Jayden were over and chose to stay with us. We had so much fun catching up and letting the kids "play." Jayden is almost 6 months old now, but Eli adored her. On Sunday before they left, we asked if Jayden could sit next to him so we could take some pictures, he immediately smiled and said yes. The entire time she was sitting next to him, he had his little arm wrapped around her so she wouldn't fall over. I don't think the smile was off his face either. It was so stinkin' cute! We will have to get those two together again very soon!

We even ended with a good-bye kiss.

Brownie Time

Eli and I decided it was time to make brownies today while Daddy was taking a nap. Eli was quite the helper. He poured the mix into the bowl, cracked an egg (then even tried to help pull all the eggshell pieces OUT of the mix), added the oil, and even helped mix. Talk about a little helper. I tried to capture the moment, but because Daddy was napping, I wasn't really able to take pictures and make sure we didn't end up with brownie mix all over the floor. You know where my focus really was.

I was able to get a few shots of him baking today though. Enjoy!

A little unsure of the broken egg thing.

Getting ready to add the oil

And it's in!

A Little R & R

Of course, it's that time of the year. Tress are glowing with shades of yellow, red, and brown. The wind is howling while the rain tries to pelt us from above. Of course, that also means you have to deal with the dreaded colds and various illnesses.

I've had a horrible cough for 4 weeks now, and finally decided to actually make an appointment and go to the doctor. The last time I was in to a regular doctor was April 2006. It wasn't much after that when we found out Eli was on the way. As it turns out I have a case of bronchitis and am on some good meds to help knock it down. Today is day 3 of antibiotics and I can honestly say I am noticing a difference. I also have a steroid that I'm taking to help calm the lung - I sure hope so. I love what one of my co-workers said though, "I wonder what performance enhanced

teaching looks like?" I guess we'll find out on Monday! In addition to me having this, both Jess and Eli have colds. Eli primarily has the sniffles, Jess has a cough that I'm hoping stays a mild cough and that he doesn't end up where I am! It's been the pits.

Anyway, because none of us really feel up to a whole lot, we spent the day doing a lot of nothing. We all did a lot of lounging, reading, and of course there was a little car playing. Later in the afternoon Eli wanted to watch Chicken Little, so I put it on in our room and he lounged on the bed. I laid with him for a bit then was doing a little South Carolina research. When I went up to check in on him, he had rearranged the pillows on our bed so it was more conducive for his lounging expectations. This is what I came up to find:

our bedspread happened to be in the wash - gotta get all the germies out of everything now. Ahhh, the joys.

Just because he's a cutie:

The other day, I was vacuuming when Eli decided he wanted to help out. I was doing the corners so let him take the....what do you call that? The little stick thing so you can get in those tight little spaces....anyway....he was absolutely fascinated with it! Not only did he walk around the whole downstairs looking for pine needles, dog hair, anything that could be vacuumed, he then became interested in the engineering and science that surrounds a vacuum. In both of these pictures the vacuum was on. Several times he sucked his shirt into the hose (which then prompted fingers), and finally the little blue bouncy ball. He is such an inquisitive little boy!

Gorgeous Fall Colors

I love fall because of the beautiful fall leaves and the colors in the blanket that covers the ground.

When I got home this afternoon, Eli and Jess were outside playing in the leaves, so we decided to hang out for a few minutes and play in them before they got all wet (probably tonight) and become mush. Eli really had a great time playing in the leaves. We even brought Oliver out to run and play. Both "kids" had a blast in the leaves!

Protecting his bundle of leaves as Oliver comes plowing through the yard.

Laughing as Oliver goes tromping through - he actually had just come zipping past Eli, up through the leaves in the yard, finishing as wild as a kid in a candy store.

Yes, I know this is a fuzzy, fuzzy picture, but I just love his expression so much that I just had to post it. Pretend to be a little cross-eyed, squint, and see past the blur!

Here he comes! I know Oliver is quite far away, but look at those ears! You've got to love the beagle ears flopping back and forth as he runs through the leaves like a mad man. Speaking of Oliver and running like a mad man, I can't wait for that first snow when we get to take him out. He LOVES burrowing his nose in the snow, rolling, and just going nuts! It'll be here before we know it!

Speaking of things that will be here before we know it, do you realize Eli will be turning THREE in a month and a half?! That's it! Wow! (On a side note, that also means Christmas will be arriving in a month and a half + 7 days! Holy heck batman!)

Halloween Festivities

On Halloween, we started the festivities by celebrating Liam's second birthday. His birthday was actually two weeks ago, but what better than to celebrate on Halloween with a costume party and Trick-or-Treating? It was brilliant. Eli, Liam, and all the other kids had a fun time playing together during the party, afterward running through the graveyard themed yard, then venturing through the neighborhood on their quest for candy treats.

Eli and Liam were really inspecting this light-up pumpkin. Something about it, and the other colored ones, drew them in. I loved watching their expressions as they played.

One of the many shots of Eli in the graveyard. We thought it was a little ironic having Scooby-Doo running around a graveyard. Oh, and running they did!

He is very inquisitive nowadays. He is constantly asking questions, not just to ask, but because he is truly interested. I think this question was something more along the lines of, "Mom, why must you ALWAYS stick that thing in my face and take my picture?" My response, "because we don't want to forget anything! This is the first year you've been excited about Halloween and we want to remember everything. That and I'm camera happy." (Yes, I'm THAT mother, just in case you couldn't figure it out already.)

As the boys were running and chasing each other around the yard, Liam ran up to this tree and started trying to push it over. I thought it was absolutely adorable and started clicking. I got a few really good shots of him. None of the pictures from their yard was staged, I only took pictures of what they were already doing. Apparently, they're naturals.

This would be Scooby-Doo in action. I tell you, they were so incredibly active. Must have been the chocolate cake and M&Ms. Good thing they had the graveyard to run around, literally!

And he's off!

Jess dressed up as a priest for Halloween. We really wanted to go as Shaggy and Daphne since Eli was Scooby-Doo, but we couldn't come up with quite the right pieces, so we had some last minute changes in the costume department.

I went as Nefertiti. It was a great costume, but rather skimpy for the cold, windy weather. I adapted my costume with a long-sleeved shirt and warm-up pants. And since I'm always cold, yeah, it totally worked for me!

Eli was so excited about the whole "Trick-or-Treak" thing. Here, he's at a neighbor's house, clearly ready to move on to the next sucker, I mean house giving out candy. I love his expression. Last year, he really didn't get the idea of going house to house, but this year he had a blast!

Halloween Preview

We celebrated Liam's birthday today then went out to "Trick-or-Treak" with the kids. We had a great time and got some great pictures! I'll post more later! I'm pooped!

Playing in the "graveyard" at Dusti and Gordons.

Here's Mr. Liam, apparently the party was a little much for him and he needed a rest.

Cold, Wind, and GLAD

I finally decided to upload some pictures from our weekend in Spokane two weeks ago and just hanging out this past weekend. Monday I took my class to Shadow Lake Bog for a field trip, so I prepared by taking Eli and Jess through on Sunday. It was a beautiful day and Eli enjoyed walking the boardwalk and Jess was a good sport and let me share my wealth of knowledge with him.

Here we are at the bog. It wasn't very easy to get the picture, but this is what we have! Something with the three of us at least - that's a rare occurrence.

Unfortunately, due to bus constraints, when I took my students, we were on limited time and I had 20 minutes to take each of my two groups through the bog. It still worked out as it was pretty cold and windy (thank goodness there wasn't any rain though!). I didn't get to share anything close to my collection of facts, but the kids seemed to have gotten a lot out of it and enjoyed their visit.

Today I was out of the classroom while I participated in a GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition D.....something) training, basically better techniques to teach for ELL students, although it's totally how I am as a learner, and it is designed to push all students, not just English language learners. I am lucky and will get to see more of these techniques first hand come the end of Nov., when there will be a 5 day demo in a classroom - in MY classroom! I'm really excited for this opportunity.

Here are some pictures from the past two weeks:

Our sweet niece, Kendra, waiting patiently for her turn to go back into the game.

Our fabulous nephew, Cameron. He is a great QB!

(What are the odds that they would both be #7 on their respective teams?! They did not get the choice in numbers!)

King of the tumbleweed at Cam's football game. Who knew tumbleweed was so much fun!

Eli had so much fun playing in the weeds!

Patiently riding in the car.

This is what happens when you aren't paying attention to your quiet toddler in the backseat. He puts fruit snacks in his toes.

We had so much fun watching Eli and Cam play together.

Three totally cute cousins.

Here he is playing on the toys at a local elementary school - not mine.