An update about GVE

We are LOVING Shelby's new school and teacher.
It's so different from where we were.  There are papers with long multiple sentences written by kindergartners all over the walls.  She doesn't come home starving because afternoon snacks are provided.  In the mornings, there is a 5th grader waiting to walk her from the car into the school. The teacher emails the parents and walks her to the car every day at pick-up and talks to me.  There is a newsletter sent home weekly about what they're doing and learning.  It's just so great.

One thing that they have going at the new school is that they use an interdisciplinary set of high-level language. My mom explained this to me, I don't really know all about it...but I know that they call the students "Scholars" at all times- not students.  Things like that.

Just an example, 2 days ago, Shelby was telling me what they did in class.  Mrs. Peña obviously likes to cook.  They have made tortillas, gingerbread, and more.  Shelby told me that they made gingerbread.
S:  "We made gingerbread playdough last week but this week we could eat it.  Last week it had glue in it so it was non-edible."  So cute!

Shelby can tie her own shoes, which she taught herself months ago.  She can now pick up a "Level One" book like this




and read most or all of it.  She wants to read, and she enjoys it.  She's so proud of herself.


Today they are doing an annual sing-along where the whole school is in the gym together.  Shelby's class has made reindeer hats and they will sing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  Jeff is going to try to stay to see it before work so I hope I get a picture or 2!  Yesterday I went to her class Christmas party and took my camera, but the battery was dead :(  No pictures.

Excuses

Daphne/Bailey

I realized I got so busy and never wrote about our decision to find Daphne a new home.

I was overwhelmed (surprise surprise!)  As much as we wanted to, we just couldn’t afford the time it takes to train a new puppy.  I knew going into it that we may be “fostering” her and finding her a new home…In the beginning, I knew getting her out of where she was was a good thing either way!

I put an ad on craigslist asking for a family to love her.  I got a BUNCH of replies very fast.  Which makes the fact at how well it worked out even more amazing. 

One responder in particular told me in her first email about their family (2 young boys) and their other young dog who they wanted a play mate for.  She told me right off that they wanted to spoil another puppy.  When I responded to her she took another hour to respond so I emailed back to see if they were serious because I really had a good feeling about them.  She answered saying that they had decided they wanted her, and we emailed back and forth about how hard it was for us to let her go and she was very understanding and encouraging.  :)

The next day, Shelby and I took Daphne to meet them (another bonus: they live 5 minutes from us!) and a match was made.  Her boys fell in love with her and she started playing with their Boxer Marki immediately.

Since then, the new owner has sent me 2 emails letting me know how well she is doing, and that her boys renamed her Bailey.  She even sends pictures!  Look how cute she is!

Hello there Megan and family!  I wanted to give you a quick update on Bailey and let you know just how spoiled she is!  She knows how to sit and lay down like a champ now!  We are working on stay and sitting pretty!  She is so smart!  Marki and her play nonstop all day!  The boys play tug of war with her all the time!   She is so sweet and so spoiled!  I am attaching some pictures of her and her best friends!!  Thanks again for this beautiful gift of love!! Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Jeff had the email open on the laptop one night and the next day I saw Shelby on the computer, being very quiet.  When I got her to look at me, she was just silently bawling with big tears running down her face…the email with pictures was up (which she had already looked at before) and she so sweetly and sadly said, “I miss her.”  OMG talk about a mommy’s heart BREAKING.  The only thing that helps is that we all know that she is so very loved by her new family, and that she was simply not getting enough time from us.  She’s in a better place, even though it is so hard for a little 5 year old animal-loving tender heart to understand all of that.

I hope we continue to get updates from Bailey’s new family and that some day we might even have a playdate at the dog park!  Wouldn’t Shelby love that?! :)

Nativities

Shelby’s

 

Daddy’s

Hand Spanish

In the car yesterday, Shelby and I were talking about how to say some things in Spanish.  A minute later...

Shelby holds her hand up like an L.
S: "Mommy, what does this mean in hand spanish?"
Me: "Hand Spanish?"
S: (large sigh) "Mommy, you know, like, how people can say words with their hands!!"
Me: "Oh, sign language! And that's an L."

Dirk, Yaaaaa

Lying in bed:
M: "Can I call you Cole?"
C: "No, you can call me Dirk."
M: "Dirk?!"
C: "Yeah and Jackson.  I am Dirk Jackson."  (Jackson is his best friend at school)

Dirk Nowitzki (from the Dallas Mavericks) pulls rank on EVERYTHING these days.
M: "Whoa Coleman, your muscles are getting so big!  You're gonna get as big as Daddy!"
C: "No I'm gonna get as big as Dirk!"

We bought the 3 yr old boy a size TWELVE shoe last week.  I think that's pretty big, considering that Shelby just grew out of her 12's and is now in 13s.  
M: "Buddy your feet are growing so fast!  They're getting too big!  They're gonna be big like TyTy's!  Or like Grandpa's!" (Tyler wears like a 14 and Granpa a 15)
C: "No they're gonna be big like Dirk's feet!"  (yeah I doubt that!)

Coleman says, "I am going to play baseball, then basketball, then football!"  Mommy likes that order.  His goal is to eat all his veggies and get lots of sleep so he can be on the Rangers team. :)

Catching up with the SD Card

I stopped to take a picture of this particularly gorgeous sky one day.

 

The rest are from the hike we went on at Lake Ray Roberts.

Buddy always running and Mary always leading the pack

His Mean/Darth Vader face:

Throwing rocks in the lake!

A girl running with her dog

Coleman took breaks on Daddy’s shoulders.

 

Turkey Trot 5K

 

We woke up on Thanksgiving morning and it was a nice 65 degrees at 6 am.  Then a cold front blew in…like REALLY cold REALLY fast.  By the time we got into the car to go to the race, it was in the 30’s and sprinkling!

Still, the street in Fort Worth was PACKED.  It was exciting.

We watched as Millie, Luke and Anna took off in the 10k, then got in the corral and anxiously awaited (while jumping up and down to stay warm) our 5k race to start.  It was very difficult to get through the crowd for the first mile plus.  It seemed like most people were walking.  Tyler and I took off on the right of the road, on the sidewalk, and made our way through pretty quickly.  I quickly realized I wanted to run this whole thing and do my best.  The adrenaline was amazing!  The WORST thing for my asthma is cold air, but somehow I was able to breath ok and I never even wanted to stop.  I was wearing a neck gaiter to breath into to help me only breath warm air and I think it really helped.

I finished the race in 32:30, with Tyler coming right behind me and Jeff right behind him.  I can’t believe Jeff got through so fast with the big ol’ stroller he was pushing!  (Our bike trailer converts to a “jogging stroller” so that’s what the kids were bundled up in)

It felt like a great achievement and I can see how this could be addicting…  :)  It is definitely going to be a new Thanksgiving tradition for Team JuMP (Jones Matthews Peck)  :)

 

Tap & Ballet Queen

Since Shelby whined about going to dance a couple of times, I started questioning whether we should keep her in there.  At the end of the class, we owed $55 for the recital costume and $120 for the spring classes (Recital is in May!)  So I wasn’t going to drop a large chunk of change for something she wasn’t going to enjoy or be passionate about.
Well, on the last class day, the girls showed off what they have learned for the parents.  For 45 minutes, I watched Shelby follow every step perfectly and help lead the class in their routines.  She is probably the oldest one in the class…I think there are a couple other 5 year olds…the class is for ages 3-5.  I would say there are maybe 3 3-yr-olds (who pay NO attention to the teacher or the moves, haha!) and the rest are 4 yr olds.
Anyway, I was extremely impressed at my baby girl’s moves!  I have never ever had a dancing bone in my body (or cheering or anything of the like!) so I was shocked watching her smile and do the moves and ENJOY it! 
We didn’t plan ahead and Daddy had the camera that can take videos in his car at work that day, so I could only take still pictures.  And I took a lot!  Daddy was very sorry to miss it so I wanted to make sure he saw just how great she was!  I was clicking away, and every time I would put the camera down, Shelby would whisper/scream “MOMMY!” and put her hands up like they were clicking a camera shutter, and say, “TAKE PICTURES.”  It was hilarious but I tried not to laugh and tell her to watch the teacher and not pay attention to me.  The girl was 100% performing for me and my camera that day.  I’m not sure she noticed any of the other kids or parents!

The pictures have ugly backgrounds and as usual, I don’t have time to do any editing!  But this girl’s got the moves :)
This is for you, Daddy!

 

 


 


    
And then it was on to ballet…

 
As they fluttered across the room, Shelby stopped every time to pose for me…if I didn’t have the camera up, she whispered for me to get it. 
    
This dance class is at our city REC center, and it is taught by the same woman who taught me and my sisters, many years ago.  She is great with the kids!
So of course, $175 later, we will watch our girl in a Spring Recital! :)