Four Year Check-up

Last year we got off on our dates for Eli's well child check-ups, which means for the sake of immunizations we have to continue to be a month late.  Last Monday (yes, I am late on posting again), Eli and I made our venture in to the pediatrician's office for his four year check-up.

We need to back-track a bit, however.  One of Eli's good buddies was born in September.  When he went to his four year appointment, to get him over his fear of shots, his mom told him that shots make you run faster.  Well, we thought this was absolutely brilliant.  Sooooo....being the genius's WE are, we have grasped on to this and every time Eli's appointment had come up in conversation, we would say how his shots will make him run fast and grow big and tall.  (Seriously, how can that be bad parenting?  It is true...well, except for maybe the running fast thing.  But if you think about it, if you're sick, you're not running at all...so in a way you are fast!  And the more you grow, the faster you run!  See, we're right!)

So here it is.  The day of his appointment.  Eli and I are in the car and are headed to the office.  I ask how he's doing and how he's feeling about his appointment.  His response?  "GREAT!  I'm going to be FAAAAST!"  I thought I better let him know that they are still shots and they might sting a little when they give them to him.  Again, his response was something to the effect of, "Eh!  I'm going to be fast!"

The doctor visit was great, Eli is of course growing like a weed (isn't that what I've been saying?).  He's 41 pounds and 41 1/2  inches tall.  He ranks in the 67th percentile in height and in the 83rd percentile for weight. I was a little shocked at the weight part because he is not a big (fat) kid.  He's just built SOLID.  I do remember the doctors quote word for word though.  "Don't change a thing, he's doing great!"  Ahhhh.  The words any mother loves to hear.

Fast-forward to the nurses visit with said shots.  She pulled out the four that he was going to receive (and of course the cool crayon band-aids).  He was to get two in each arm - one of which was his flu shot - and he was ready.  He actually smiled when she came in.  He sat so nicely in my lap and she did her work.  There was one that he flinched on, however she did say that particular one stings a little.  Yep it did.  But let me tell you there were NO tears.  Not one.  His little eyes didn't even well up.  What a little stud!  He got his band-aids, got dressed, chose a sticker and a sucker and we were off.

As we were headed home, I asked how he was doing.  He said "Good."  If you know Eli, everything turns out to be "goooood" in a funny little voice.  What a crack up.  The funniest part was then he said, "Mom, she poked holes in me!"  I about died laughing.  Yes, my dear Eli, she poked holes in you.


The best, and funniest part, was Friday.  He and I were on our way to Mary's house when he piped up with, "Hey Mom, on Tuesday can we go back to the doctor's?"  (First of all, who knows where the Tuesday part came from, but it added to the humor.) Of course I asked why and his reply was simply, "I need more shots to run even FASTER!"

Can I tell you how much we just love our little boy? He has got to be the funniest kid around!  HAHA

These Are the Moments

...the moments I live for my job.

Yesterday at the end of ...something...I can't even remember what it was we were doing exactly, but I asked if anyone had anything they wanted to add to the conversation.  One of my more challenging boys asked if he could say something.  He proceeded to stand up, turn to face the rest of the class and started a little narrative, it went something like this:

"This is for you Mrs. Winkey, but for everyone else in here.  I wanted to say thank you."

We all looked at each other a little awkwardly, wondering what in the world he was talking about.  Maybe he really enjoyed the activity we just did, maybe he had a helpful partner, or maybe he's losing his marbles.  Finally a voice in the back of the room said, "For what exactly?"

It was at this point that he continued in a partially nervous (?) quieter voice.  He said, "For everything.  This has been the best year so far for me.  Last year I was in a lot of trouble.  I got detention a lot and was suspended a lot, too.  I was in a LOT of fights.  I just couldn't avoid them.  But here I am doing better.  I want to do good and I am really trying to do better."

After a round of applause from my class as a whole, completely initiated on their own, one of my more perceptive girls asked him, "Do you think it's because of the charts?" [Referring to our T-Graph for Social Skills]

Without a beat, he said, "I know it is.  I know what I am supposed to do.  I don't have to guess.  But I have you, and Mrs. Winkey, and Mrs. Hansen, and I am getting better."  

With this realization from a TEN YEAR-OLD, I know I am making a difference.  I don't care that I am a month behind in our frameworks.  I don't care what my test scores will "say" about my students or myself as a teacher.  I care that my students can work together.  I care that my students are learning how to work collaboratively and make positive decisions.  I care that they are learning that they have the power to take control. I care that my students and I are having a positive impact on a child who came to us with a not-so-great past. I care that I am helping mold students who could go down the path not desired realize that he has control over his choices.  I know that I am having a positive impact on my students' lives and THAT is what being a teacher is all about.    

(OK, come May I might have another perspective on the whole test scores thing, but as of right now, this is where I stand.)

A Quick Weekend

Wow, what a weekend!  Fun really is what sums it up.  On Saturday, Melissa, Leigh-Ann and I had our first monthly craft day.  We decided that we're going to do a year-long project where we keep a calendar, pictures, and memorabilia throughout  at the end of the year, we'll scrapbook them.  Thankfully, they are both really good at scrapbooking because this is NOT my forte.  After we got our calendars stamped and ready, we each worked on our own projects for a little bit.  I decided that we would decorate our downstairs bathroom based on the coming holiday, so I made blocks to decorate for Valentine's Day.  Thanks to Melissa's stamping expertise, I embossed the letters on paper and mod podged them to the blocks.  I think they turned out pretty cute!  Now for a towel that matches the season (you can't see that it's still a Christmas towel!)....

After crafting, we headed up to Scott and Leigh-Ann's for games.  We played games on the Wii (we wii'ed, hehe) and had a blast!  The boys, Eli and Eric, even got in on the fun and played with us.  Eli's favorite was Hide the Remote, he got to help search for the hidden remotes and really got into the fun.

Sunday morning we went back up to their house to watch the Seahawks play the Colts, what a miserable football game. Jeanne and Ryan were there with their little one Mikaela - she's a cutie.

Eli playing with Eric's GeoTrax.

Mikaela hanging out with me.

Eli found Megan's "leash" and thought it was greatest thing ever.  He played with this for quite a while.  What nut.

Little Miss Megan

After we came home, we played more game.  This time we played Super Hero Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land.  Eli really enjoys playing both of these games.  He gets so excited while he plays, it's very cute.

Daddy and Eli play Chutes and Ladders.  Notice Eli's focus and precision while spinning.

Laughing with Daddy.

It wasn't too much after this that Gordon, Dusti, and Liam came over for what started out as a game night but instead of playing games, we watched the Golden Globes and chatted.  This was well overdue, we haven't spent much time with our wonderful neighbors in such a long time.  I didn't take any pictures though - shocker huh!  I take pictures of EVERYTHING!  And here Eli and I sit watching Phineas and Ferb on our extra day off!

***Nothing to do with this weekend but cute***
Earlier this week, Eli got a new Cougar jersey and hat that we found on an incredible clearance.  He loves them and wouldn't stop goofing around.  Here's our great (silly) little Coug!

Mr. Brown Eyes

Lately I have been completely taken aback by Eli's big, gleaming, brown eyes.  I absolutely adore them, and every ounce of him of course.  Not too long ago I found my flash and have been trying to get it to work *effectively* with the digital camera.  Mind you, this was the flash that I bought with my original Minolta X-700 when I was in 7th or 8th grade.  I bought it used at the time, so I couldn't accurately tell you how old it is, but it still works so I am trying my hardest to make it work how I'd like it to with the digital.  Because of the advancements in technology, I think this is why I continue to struggle with getting the settings just right.  Every once in a while I get a shot "right" but as of yet, they aren't there.  Someday, I'd like to move up and get a new flash, but with the cost of that, for now I am bound and determined to figure this out!

...back to the point of this post....

While I've been playing with this external flash, Eli's amazingly brown eyes have captured my heart.  Not that I hadn't noticed them before, but with how the flash pulls them out and makes them so vibrantly brown, they are absolutely impossible to miss.  If you were to inspect a family picture you might wonder how in the world Eli is ours.  I have a more greenish of hazel eyes, Jess, blue, and Eli with his stunningly brown!  He definitely has his Papa's eyes, and I love it!  I have my Grandma's eyes, he has his Papa's.

I know these are not really "quality" pictures, but there they are!  Those handsome brown eyes!

Happy New Years

We had such a fun and exciting New Years Eve!  Grandma, Papa, Uncle Daryl, Vikki and her friend Pam, and Melissa all came over to ring in the new year.  We had the usual snackies, but decided to have a taco bar as well to curb the rest of the rumbling bellies.  It was fun! We laughed, A LOT.  We played Mexican Train Dominoes and Fact or Crap - Daryl is really good at this game!  You just can't forget about the astronaut from NASA who likes to play bath cricket...what was his name?  Oh yeah....Sir Lanka!

A few pictures from the evening:

Eli squishy face.....

 The fam:
Jess, me, Papa, Eli, Maya, Marco, Oliver, Grandma, Uncle Daryl

Papa, Eli, and Grandma

Eli wishes you a very happy New Year!

Yes, it's us!

Handsome boy

One of my favorite Eli pictures yet

Us

The Winking Winkeys

What are we up to?

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve at our house with my parents, brother, and friend Vikki.  What a great evening we had!  Deano's Skettie.  Margaritas from the new Margaritaville.  Playing Kinect.  Presents.  And of course, getting ready for Santa Claus!

 Getting ready for conquer the tree.

Eli has turned into a Lego maniac.  He loves them and plays with them all the time!

Leaving treats for Santa.

Why lookie there!  Santa came.  Jess only got one small bag of coal in his stocking.  Apparently he wasn't ALL bad, just a touch.  HAHA

Eli clearly is excited about his air craft carrier that Santa brought him.

Christmas Day 

We went to mom and dad's house and Eli had to play outside.  He loves their backyard and could spend all day back there.  

A Santa Search

Today we went and found Santa. Yes, we actually had to find him.  The last two years we've gotten our Santa pictures taken at a coffee shop in Four Corners.  Today, we ventured to the same place, yet there was no sign of anyone even remotely resembling Santa.  We did find out however that he's just moved from the little coffee shop to the Do It Center, so off we went.

In case you don't remember our Santa history, pictures with Santa have NOT gone well for Eli.  His first year seeing Santa he was almost 2, I don't think we  did anything his first year, yep - let that one slide.  He ended up getting a picture with Scaredy Bear and having Santa sneak in behind while he was upset and crying.  Last year we ended up getting a family picture because he was crying so hard.  This year...WOAH!  Boy have things changed.  He has been talking about Santa Claus for weeks now.  Maybe even months.  He traipsed right on over to him, turned around and waited to be hoisted on his lap.  He smiled for pictures (of course it was his cheeseball grin...but hopefully the photographer was able to get one of his real smile) and even TALKED to him.  Yes.  He talked to Santa!  Jess and I were both a little shocked, but in a good way.

We don't have our pictures yet, this time next weekend we'll get our Eli birthday present by picking up his pictures!  Maybe on our way home from his birthday party!

Just before starting our Santa Quest, we were playing with the camera and got a couple fun ones.  Only Blogger isn't playing fun and is having issues loading the photo uploader....so again, that will have to wait.