{my big kids}
It seems I share much more about my littles these days than I share about Grace and Luke. I was kind of aware of it on my own, but a coworker said something to me yesterday that made me pause. She said, "I sometimes forget that you have older kids too. I see Kate here at school and hear funny Drew stories, but I just keep forgetting that you also have an older daughter and older son."
There are a few reasons for this (that I share to ease some of the mama guilt that this realization has caused me). First and most simply, Gracie and Luke are older. There stories aren't as "cute" as some of the stories I share about my younger two. They are growing into these big, responsible, amazing kids and their personalities are sometimes harder to capture in a funny little quote or picture. They no longer mispronounce words or tell really funny- because- they- are- not jokes. They have these long conversations with me that just aren't very FB or blog appropriate. They blow me away sometimes with their thoughtfulness and maturity and helpful attitudes, but, again, these things are hard to share about older kids in the same way they are about preschoolers.
Second, if I am writing honestly, I find it hard to share what's going on with them sometimes without fearing that I am bragging. It is socially acceptable to share a picture of your three year old and gush about how cute/clever/sweet she is and not as acceptable to do the same of your tween-ager. If I share about how the assistant principal emailed me to let me know how impressed he is with Luke or if I write about how Gracie's science/homeroom teacher shared throughout our conference about what a bright and creative kid Gracie is, it feels boastful. Believe me when I say, though, that there is plenty to brag about.
Finally, as Gracie and Luke are getting older, some of the things going on with them feel like their stories to share, not mine. They are old enough to decide how much they want to broadcast to the world. I am thinking a little bit more of Facebook here than blogging, but it would just feel wrong to put something even remotely private about them on Facebook since I am friends with some of their friends' parents.
All of that being said, however, it does bother me a bit that so little is shared about these two. I would hate for anyone to think that I am not as over-the-top proud of them as I am of my two babies (who are inching farther and farther away from being able to be called "babies" by the day.....). It would make me so sad if they were to ever look at our blog and feel less special or loved because there was not as much written about them.
So today I will share a few things going on in their worlds....... It may come across as bragging....... You have been warned. :)
Gracie is having a wonderful sixth grade year. She loves her teachers and friends and the social scene at her school. She especially loves band and playing her flute. She is very proud when she can come home and share with me that her band teacher asked her to play a passage for the other kids or to sight read a new piece in front of others.
We have received lots of wonderful feedback from her teachers. Her grades are excellent and they say she consistently goes above and beyond expectations. She participated in an enrichment program called WINGS during the first half of the year that culminated in a presentation at Academic Night. I was so proud watching her presentation and a little taken aback with how poised and confident she seemed. Her teachers recommend that she be retested for the gifted program, so that will be happening sometime soon. (In fourth grade, she qualified for WINGS but not Project Plus. WINGS is great, but Project Plus means even more time pulled out of the classroom for enrichment activities. and would be extra beneficial as she enters middle and high school.)
I am proud of her achievements at school, but am more proud of her character and the responsibility and thoughtfulness that she consistently shows. She can be trusted to watch her siblings and does an outstanding job taking care of them. She loves to make meals for the family and does so (mostly) unassisted about twice a month. Sometimes she senses a hectic moment in the house and steps in to assist me without my having to ask. She displays a cheerful attitude almost all of the time and is friendly to everyone she meets. Her Sunday school teachers tell me on a weekly basis that she is the most "charming" young girl. Neighbors and family friends comment on her maturity and sweet attitude. My friend Jenn sent me a two line text the other day reading "I hope Maddie grows up to be just like Gracie. She is amazing."
Grace has a smile that melts my heart. She is quick to hug me or kiss me on the cheek. She loves our girl time together of getting a hot drink (the girl loves tea!) and walking through a craft or clothing store. Our nightly ritual of watching an episode of "Once Upon A Time" on Netflix together each night after the little are asleep is such a fun way to spend time with her. She has a thoughtful nature and is always gifting us handmade goodies. Last month, for example, she painted me a canvas containing the words to one of my favorite songs. Just the other day, she spent an hour sewing some play diapers for Katie's baby dolls with Velcro and scraps of fabric.
She is a great kid and I am proud of her on a daily basis. Eleven is really agreeing with her.
And onto my Luke.....
With four kids, I think it is natural to have unique relationships with each child. Gracie is my oldest girl and the one with interests most similar to mine. She enjoys spending time with me whenever she can. Kate is my baby and, at three, my constant shadow. No shortage of time spent with Katie, that is for sure. Drew has the kind of personality where he is never, ever going to be forgotten about and will demand of me the attention that he wants. Of the four, then, Luke tends to ask for/ need the least of my attention. This is NOT to be confused with the child that I am least close to. I adore Luke and could. not. be. crazier about him. He is just easy and low maintenance.
Luke is sweet to the core. He likes to make me happy. He is quick to help out. He is quick to apologize, whether it was his fault or not. He loves to cuddle with his Katie Bear. He loves to joke around with Ben. He is idolized by his younger brother. He and Gracie are still as close as they always have been.
He is the sweetest boy to his mama. Every day after school he greets me with a handsome smile and says- always- "So, mom, how was your day?" If he sees me carrying something, he says, "Would you like me to carry that for you?" He frequently runs ahead to open a door for me. If he sees me lose my patience, he says, "Would you like me to help somehow?" He is my most appreciative child, thanking me profusely sometimes. He does not like conflict (though conflict with his little brother seems to be an entirely different story....) and is a peacemaker.
As a fourth grader, Luke is a boy of many interests. He enjoys basketball and baseball and soccer and piano and Boy Scouts and Chess Club and Bravos (choir). He is currently working on a project for the school Science Fair in a couple of weeks. He spends each Tuesday pulled out of his classroom to participate in Project Plus, which he loves. He loves to read and is happiest when he can be left alone with a good book.
His school year is going well. His teachers always have positive things to say about Luke. He is an energetic and enthusiastic learner and soaks up new information like a very dry sponge. He is working on staying focused and keeping himself calm even when he is excited or kids around him are being silly. He is- as he always has been- a deep thinker full of things to say. I never know what is going to come out of his mouth.
Last week the assistant principal walked Luke and a friend over to the district's Early Childhood Center for a learning field trip set up by our school's lovely music teacher. The ECC had an old piano they no longer want and they offered that a couple of Bristol kids could come deconstruct it to see how it works. Luke and his friend got to take a camera and some tools and spend thirty minutes exploring it. Later that afternoon, the assistant principal sent us an email reading, "I had an amazing time with Luke today. I took Luke and Riley over to Walter Ambrose today so they could deconstruct a piano. Luke lit up! His curiosity was firing on all levels. It was so cool to stand back and watch them work and talk and explore. You guys are doing a great job with your kids. Keep it up!"
This long and rambling post must come to an end at some point. I realize that I have probably lost all readers except for four doting grandparents that I know, but that is okay. I am glad to have taken a long moment to share some thoughts on my two favorite big kids.
There are a few reasons for this (that I share to ease some of the mama guilt that this realization has caused me). First and most simply, Gracie and Luke are older. There stories aren't as "cute" as some of the stories I share about my younger two. They are growing into these big, responsible, amazing kids and their personalities are sometimes harder to capture in a funny little quote or picture. They no longer mispronounce words or tell really funny- because- they- are- not jokes. They have these long conversations with me that just aren't very FB or blog appropriate. They blow me away sometimes with their thoughtfulness and maturity and helpful attitudes, but, again, these things are hard to share about older kids in the same way they are about preschoolers.
Second, if I am writing honestly, I find it hard to share what's going on with them sometimes without fearing that I am bragging. It is socially acceptable to share a picture of your three year old and gush about how cute/clever/sweet she is and not as acceptable to do the same of your tween-ager. If I share about how the assistant principal emailed me to let me know how impressed he is with Luke or if I write about how Gracie's science/homeroom teacher shared throughout our conference about what a bright and creative kid Gracie is, it feels boastful. Believe me when I say, though, that there is plenty to brag about.
Finally, as Gracie and Luke are getting older, some of the things going on with them feel like their stories to share, not mine. They are old enough to decide how much they want to broadcast to the world. I am thinking a little bit more of Facebook here than blogging, but it would just feel wrong to put something even remotely private about them on Facebook since I am friends with some of their friends' parents.
All of that being said, however, it does bother me a bit that so little is shared about these two. I would hate for anyone to think that I am not as over-the-top proud of them as I am of my two babies (who are inching farther and farther away from being able to be called "babies" by the day.....). It would make me so sad if they were to ever look at our blog and feel less special or loved because there was not as much written about them.
So today I will share a few things going on in their worlds....... It may come across as bragging....... You have been warned. :)
Gracie is having a wonderful sixth grade year. She loves her teachers and friends and the social scene at her school. She especially loves band and playing her flute. She is very proud when she can come home and share with me that her band teacher asked her to play a passage for the other kids or to sight read a new piece in front of others.
We have received lots of wonderful feedback from her teachers. Her grades are excellent and they say she consistently goes above and beyond expectations. She participated in an enrichment program called WINGS during the first half of the year that culminated in a presentation at Academic Night. I was so proud watching her presentation and a little taken aback with how poised and confident she seemed. Her teachers recommend that she be retested for the gifted program, so that will be happening sometime soon. (In fourth grade, she qualified for WINGS but not Project Plus. WINGS is great, but Project Plus means even more time pulled out of the classroom for enrichment activities. and would be extra beneficial as she enters middle and high school.)
I am proud of her achievements at school, but am more proud of her character and the responsibility and thoughtfulness that she consistently shows. She can be trusted to watch her siblings and does an outstanding job taking care of them. She loves to make meals for the family and does so (mostly) unassisted about twice a month. Sometimes she senses a hectic moment in the house and steps in to assist me without my having to ask. She displays a cheerful attitude almost all of the time and is friendly to everyone she meets. Her Sunday school teachers tell me on a weekly basis that she is the most "charming" young girl. Neighbors and family friends comment on her maturity and sweet attitude. My friend Jenn sent me a two line text the other day reading "I hope Maddie grows up to be just like Gracie. She is amazing."
Grace has a smile that melts my heart. She is quick to hug me or kiss me on the cheek. She loves our girl time together of getting a hot drink (the girl loves tea!) and walking through a craft or clothing store. Our nightly ritual of watching an episode of "Once Upon A Time" on Netflix together each night after the little are asleep is such a fun way to spend time with her. She has a thoughtful nature and is always gifting us handmade goodies. Last month, for example, she painted me a canvas containing the words to one of my favorite songs. Just the other day, she spent an hour sewing some play diapers for Katie's baby dolls with Velcro and scraps of fabric.
She is a great kid and I am proud of her on a daily basis. Eleven is really agreeing with her.
And onto my Luke.....
With four kids, I think it is natural to have unique relationships with each child. Gracie is my oldest girl and the one with interests most similar to mine. She enjoys spending time with me whenever she can. Kate is my baby and, at three, my constant shadow. No shortage of time spent with Katie, that is for sure. Drew has the kind of personality where he is never, ever going to be forgotten about and will demand of me the attention that he wants. Of the four, then, Luke tends to ask for/ need the least of my attention. This is NOT to be confused with the child that I am least close to. I adore Luke and could. not. be. crazier about him. He is just easy and low maintenance.
Luke is sweet to the core. He likes to make me happy. He is quick to help out. He is quick to apologize, whether it was his fault or not. He loves to cuddle with his Katie Bear. He loves to joke around with Ben. He is idolized by his younger brother. He and Gracie are still as close as they always have been.
He is the sweetest boy to his mama. Every day after school he greets me with a handsome smile and says- always- "So, mom, how was your day?" If he sees me carrying something, he says, "Would you like me to carry that for you?" He frequently runs ahead to open a door for me. If he sees me lose my patience, he says, "Would you like me to help somehow?" He is my most appreciative child, thanking me profusely sometimes. He does not like conflict (though conflict with his little brother seems to be an entirely different story....) and is a peacemaker.
As a fourth grader, Luke is a boy of many interests. He enjoys basketball and baseball and soccer and piano and Boy Scouts and Chess Club and Bravos (choir). He is currently working on a project for the school Science Fair in a couple of weeks. He spends each Tuesday pulled out of his classroom to participate in Project Plus, which he loves. He loves to read and is happiest when he can be left alone with a good book.
His school year is going well. His teachers always have positive things to say about Luke. He is an energetic and enthusiastic learner and soaks up new information like a very dry sponge. He is working on staying focused and keeping himself calm even when he is excited or kids around him are being silly. He is- as he always has been- a deep thinker full of things to say. I never know what is going to come out of his mouth.
Last week the assistant principal walked Luke and a friend over to the district's Early Childhood Center for a learning field trip set up by our school's lovely music teacher. The ECC had an old piano they no longer want and they offered that a couple of Bristol kids could come deconstruct it to see how it works. Luke and his friend got to take a camera and some tools and spend thirty minutes exploring it. Later that afternoon, the assistant principal sent us an email reading, "I had an amazing time with Luke today. I took Luke and Riley over to Walter Ambrose today so they could deconstruct a piano. Luke lit up! His curiosity was firing on all levels. It was so cool to stand back and watch them work and talk and explore. You guys are doing a great job with your kids. Keep it up!"
This long and rambling post must come to an end at some point. I realize that I have probably lost all readers except for four doting grandparents that I know, but that is okay. I am glad to have taken a long moment to share some thoughts on my two favorite big kids.
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