Jacob would crouch down like this to get ready to run super fast
Jacob has to entertain us & himself :)
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Kickball
Jacob chose to do kickball this summer (instead of getting 2 months worth of allowances). Before the first practice, he informed the coach he already knew how to play. I think that he thought playing Baseball on the wii made him an expert with anything with bases. Anyways, he had a lot of fun! I know I am biased, but he really was the best player on the team! He caught on really quickly to running to get the ball and tagging the other kids, even though there were no outs they still practice how to get someone out. He was a really fast runner and would watch the game and run when he was supposed to. Most of the other kids would just stand where the coach told them to and stare at the ball roll past them and they would have to be told when to run.
I'm glad Jacob got to play kickball. He had so much fun! He was always making me laugh. He would stand and crack his neck, crouch down and sprint off the base, and fix the bases if they weren't straight.
Swim Lessons
We enrolled all 3 kids in swim lessons. I nearly died at the cost... But, the kids had fun and actually learned a lot this summer! When we've done swim lessons in the past, it seems like the kids don't really learn anything. I think that we just enrolled them a little too early. I was impressed with all of them this year. Jayden was placed in level 4, Ashlyn was in level 3, and Jacob was in level 1. They all passed their levels and can move up now. One thing we learned is that Jacob is a little fish! He can actually swim! I was so impressed with him and the progress he made.
We put the kids in semi-private so they only have a maximum of 3 kids in their group. I would say that about half the time Ashlyn & Jacob had a teacher to themselves because the other kids were gone, but the other half they both had just 2 kids in their group. I think this really helped them make progress too.
Pics of Jayden:
Jayden really learned how to kick better. He learned to do freestyle more naturally, the backstroke, the breaststroke, and the butterfly (sort of...)
Pics of Ashlyn:
Ashlyn's best stroke is the backstroke. They barely spent one lesson learning it because she picked it up so quickly. They spent about half the lessons on the breaststroke. She really struggled to get the timing of it. But, she is able to jump in the pool and swim now and doesn't need a life jacket.
Pics of Jacob:
Raccoon eyes
Jacob has always used a lifejacket when swimming. Curse of being a 3rd child I guess. I just felt like I had too many kids to watch, so this was a comfort to me. I think that's why I was so surprised by the progress he made. He can actually swim! It looks like a little child floundering around, but he swam by himself a few times! One time his teacher had him out in the deep water and he was hanging on the wall. Without the teacher watching, Jacob pushed off backwards about 4 feet and then swam back to the wall. John and I were shocked! We have a fish! Jacob can also float really well. His teacher had him floating on his back and I think Jacob could have stayed floating for a couple minutes. (I guess this is exciting for us because Johnathan CANT float, and Jayden and Ashlyn only sort of float.)
Fishing
This post was written a few weeks ago, and apparently got forgotten about. I need to learn how to adjust the dates when it's posted. Or just get on the ball and not get behind on posting :)
Summer has begun! This summer, we are trying something new. I've made up a bunch of cards for the kids, we call them 'punch passes', with a fun activity on each one. The kids take turns choosing an activity they want to do as a family that week and they work toward earning it. Last week was our first one. Jayden chose to go fishing. Every time they got all their jobs done, practiced piano, did a little bit of homework (reading & some review worksheets- Yes, I am one of THOSE moms), and had excellent behavior they earned a punch for each one on their card. When all the pictures were punched, they had earned a fishing trip. All kids did super good and I heard NO complaining all week long about jobs. We have enough punch passes to do one fun thing every week of summer. I'm pretty excited.
So, Friday evening we headed up to Payson Lakes and went fishing. The kids had such a fun time. So did the grown-ups. I felt bad for Johnathan because he loves fishing so much, but he spends most of his time helping the kids with tangled lines, teaching them how to cast better, and changing their hooks that he doesn't get much fishing done. But, he says he still has fun.
All the fish we caught were pretty small, but the kids didn't care. Jayden caught 2 fish, Johnathan caught 2 fish, Johnathan & Jacob caught 2 fish together, and Jacob caught the last fish by himself. We were packing up to leave and Jacob started crying because he hadn't caught a fish by himself yet. I told him we would try for a couple minutes longer and then it was time to leave. Meanwhile I was just praying he would catch something. I cast it out for him and he would reel it in (we used spinners that you just keep casting out and reeling back in). I announced that this was the last cast, and he got a fish! He was so excited!
Summer has begun! This summer, we are trying something new. I've made up a bunch of cards for the kids, we call them 'punch passes', with a fun activity on each one. The kids take turns choosing an activity they want to do as a family that week and they work toward earning it. Last week was our first one. Jayden chose to go fishing. Every time they got all their jobs done, practiced piano, did a little bit of homework (reading & some review worksheets- Yes, I am one of THOSE moms), and had excellent behavior they earned a punch for each one on their card. When all the pictures were punched, they had earned a fishing trip. All kids did super good and I heard NO complaining all week long about jobs. We have enough punch passes to do one fun thing every week of summer. I'm pretty excited.
So, Friday evening we headed up to Payson Lakes and went fishing. The kids had such a fun time. So did the grown-ups. I felt bad for Johnathan because he loves fishing so much, but he spends most of his time helping the kids with tangled lines, teaching them how to cast better, and changing their hooks that he doesn't get much fishing done. But, he says he still has fun.
All the fish we caught were pretty small, but the kids didn't care. Jayden caught 2 fish, Johnathan caught 2 fish, Johnathan & Jacob caught 2 fish together, and Jacob caught the last fish by himself. We were packing up to leave and Jacob started crying because he hadn't caught a fish by himself yet. I told him we would try for a couple minutes longer and then it was time to leave. Meanwhile I was just praying he would catch something. I cast it out for him and he would reel it in (we used spinners that you just keep casting out and reeling back in). I announced that this was the last cast, and he got a fish! He was so excited!
John in his element :)
Jayden's first fish
The second fish
John's turn!
Helping dad pull in a fish
Another fish with dad's help
All by himself!
Now he's happy and we can go home
Doctor Visits
I took the boys to their well-child check-ups today. Good news is they are both healthy and developmentally on track. Whenever the Doctor checks their weight & height on their growth curve, I always cringe. This time was no exception. Our kids all measure small. For the most part, they always have. Except for their head size. They all have large heads, like at least 75%, usually in the 90th%. That means they're smart, right? Thank you Dutson genes for the large heads...
Jayden weighs 58 lbs. which is 10% and he is 4' 6.5" for height, which is 40%. The Doctor didn't say too much about Jayden's weight this time. I think he's had so many lower percentile numbers for a while that they just figure he'll always be small and it's nothing to worry about.
Jacob weighs 33 lbs, which is 3% and he is 3' 5", which is 13%. This time, compared to a year ago, he dropped down off his normal curve, which was 25%. The Doctor said that he should be up 2 lbs from where he is and I should try to have him eat more protein. Ummm... I am cursed with picky kids. I have no idea what I am doing to encourage this. I make dinner and tell the kids they can eat what I make or go hungry. Everyone tells me they will eat if they are hungry, but mine don't! They just go hungry! I don't make weird foods, I try to give variety and make it kid friendly. I swear it's just something in their genes. But, I am finally learning to accept a couple facts in the Allen household. We have picky eaters. We have small kids. Thank heavens for adjustable waist bands AND slim sizes! And, fyi, we do both as in I buy slim sizes and cinch up the waist band so they'll fit. We do what we have to do :)
Just an update on Ashlyn too. I took her a few weeks ago to her ear doctor for a 6 week check-up on her ears to see how they are healing from the surgery. We were both (probably more Ashlyn) hoping she wouldn't have to wear ear plugs anymore for baths & swimming. We got some bad news... For her surgery, he patched the hole in her right ear. Then he was going to do a temporary patch on the hole in her left ear and hope it would work. During surgery, he found that the hole in the left ear healed itself so we didn't do anything with that one. Well at the visit, he checked her left ear first and she has a new hole. Then he checked her right one and found a new hole also. He was completely shocked! He said he had no idea what happened and was basically speechless. Poor Ashlyn was sad because it's such a pain for her to have holes in her ears and the surgery was traumatic for her. I was upset because the surgery cost a LOT of money and it didn't work! So, we have to wait another month and go back and then decide what to do next...
Jayden weighs 58 lbs. which is 10% and he is 4' 6.5" for height, which is 40%. The Doctor didn't say too much about Jayden's weight this time. I think he's had so many lower percentile numbers for a while that they just figure he'll always be small and it's nothing to worry about.
Jacob weighs 33 lbs, which is 3% and he is 3' 5", which is 13%. This time, compared to a year ago, he dropped down off his normal curve, which was 25%. The Doctor said that he should be up 2 lbs from where he is and I should try to have him eat more protein. Ummm... I am cursed with picky kids. I have no idea what I am doing to encourage this. I make dinner and tell the kids they can eat what I make or go hungry. Everyone tells me they will eat if they are hungry, but mine don't! They just go hungry! I don't make weird foods, I try to give variety and make it kid friendly. I swear it's just something in their genes. But, I am finally learning to accept a couple facts in the Allen household. We have picky eaters. We have small kids. Thank heavens for adjustable waist bands AND slim sizes! And, fyi, we do both as in I buy slim sizes and cinch up the waist band so they'll fit. We do what we have to do :)
Just an update on Ashlyn too. I took her a few weeks ago to her ear doctor for a 6 week check-up on her ears to see how they are healing from the surgery. We were both (probably more Ashlyn) hoping she wouldn't have to wear ear plugs anymore for baths & swimming. We got some bad news... For her surgery, he patched the hole in her right ear. Then he was going to do a temporary patch on the hole in her left ear and hope it would work. During surgery, he found that the hole in the left ear healed itself so we didn't do anything with that one. Well at the visit, he checked her left ear first and she has a new hole. Then he checked her right one and found a new hole also. He was completely shocked! He said he had no idea what happened and was basically speechless. Poor Ashlyn was sad because it's such a pain for her to have holes in her ears and the surgery was traumatic for her. I was upset because the surgery cost a LOT of money and it didn't work! So, we have to wait another month and go back and then decide what to do next...
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Happy Birthday Jacob!
Jacob celebrated his 5th birthday while we were in Eden. I can't believe he's 5! This year we celebrated his birthday a day early because we were packing up to head home on his actual birthday. At first he was confused and didn't think you could celebrate it early. Then he was excited and just asked if we would save him a piece of cake to eat on the big day :)
This is the cake he picked. I like these kind of cakes because the kids can help and they are easy.
He could hardly wait to open presents!
A little about Jacob... He is such a fun boy. He loves to laugh (and he has the most contagious laugh!) and isn't usually grumpy, unless he's really tired. He is definitely a mommas boy. He loves his dad too, but seems partial to me :) Our first child that way, so I'll take it! Jacob loves to help out. One of his favorite things is to help in the kitchen. When I have enough patience, I enjoy having him help make meals with me. Jacob is such a curious child. He is CONSTANTLY asking questions and trying to figure things out. It surprises me what he asks too. Sometimes it's pretty deep things that I wouldn't expect a 4 or now 5 year old to ask. Some of my favorite questions/statements he's said are; "Mom, why did Heavenly Father make spiders? They just make webs on our scriptures." "I know some things that can't break. Sand, water and the sky." "How can Heavenly Father hear us when we are in our house?" "Mom, do you wish you could fly?" He loves to know when we are going to do fun things and will count down for us. He's really good at keeping track by himself. When he's counting down to something he says 5 more sleeps, then the next day, usually first thing in the morning he'll say 4 more sleeps! It's really cute.
His favorite colors are black, brown and orange. His favorite foods are scones, oatmeal, and hot cereal. His favorite tv show is currently Jake & the Neverland Pirates. His favorite activity is playing games and playing the wii. He is super excited for Kindergarten to start and is starting to read. He can read most 3 letter words and can also spell them for you.
Here are some pics of Jacob from past years:
Happy Birthday Jacob! Thanks for always making us smile!
This is the cake he picked. I like these kind of cakes because the kids can help and they are easy.
Do they come much cuter than this? LOVE this boy!!
A new kickball
When he opened his new razor, he did a cute little gasp. I guess he likes it! I think he likes that he can now ride scooters like the "big kids".
Trying out the new wheels
A little about Jacob... He is such a fun boy. He loves to laugh (and he has the most contagious laugh!) and isn't usually grumpy, unless he's really tired. He is definitely a mommas boy. He loves his dad too, but seems partial to me :) Our first child that way, so I'll take it! Jacob loves to help out. One of his favorite things is to help in the kitchen. When I have enough patience, I enjoy having him help make meals with me. Jacob is such a curious child. He is CONSTANTLY asking questions and trying to figure things out. It surprises me what he asks too. Sometimes it's pretty deep things that I wouldn't expect a 4 or now 5 year old to ask. Some of my favorite questions/statements he's said are; "Mom, why did Heavenly Father make spiders? They just make webs on our scriptures." "I know some things that can't break. Sand, water and the sky." "How can Heavenly Father hear us when we are in our house?" "Mom, do you wish you could fly?" He loves to know when we are going to do fun things and will count down for us. He's really good at keeping track by himself. When he's counting down to something he says 5 more sleeps, then the next day, usually first thing in the morning he'll say 4 more sleeps! It's really cute.
His favorite colors are black, brown and orange. His favorite foods are scones, oatmeal, and hot cereal. His favorite tv show is currently Jake & the Neverland Pirates. His favorite activity is playing games and playing the wii. He is super excited for Kindergarten to start and is starting to read. He can read most 3 letter words and can also spell them for you.
Here are some pics of Jacob from past years:
Day he was born
1 year old
2 years old
3 years old
4 years old
5 years old!
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