January is all about goals right? Well here is my blogging goal. I am going to try to do an update once a month. I have decided that I don't care if my pictures are adjusted to the best of my ability or if I even have pictures of the events. I am just going to give people an rundown of our month. So, with that said, here is the first post!
January 2012
Coralee is growing like a weed. She will smile at anyone who talks to her and has even started laughing. Her favorite laughing buddy is Da. Seriously laughed together for at least 10 minutes straight. SOOOO fun to watch! She does baby crunches all day long and is getting really strong. She would stand on your lap all day long if you are willing to help her balance. She is being trained to use a bottle, although she doesn't care for that at all.
David is my big boy. He has really progressed with his potty training. He still wears a pull-up at night(it is usually dry in the morning), but he has mastered daytime pottying. I do believe he is the most "regular" boy in the world(or is it that he is just my only boy?). I am completely fine with it as long as he uses the potty. Next step is standing to pee. His favorite toys are Batman, Woody(aka Buddy) and Buzz. He fights "bad guys" and monsters all day long, keeping the women-folk safe. He loves to be tickled and gives the best kisses around.
Jessica is our little sunshine. She can't help but smile when asked. She is figuring things out very well these days. She is extremely honest(even to the point of telling on herself), but is very sweet about it. She can't stand it when someone is upset or hurting. She wants to just fix it(and does most of the time) with a hug and a kiss. She is constantly singing. She sings songs she has been taught and makes them up, singing them at the top of her lungs. Occasionally I have to ask her to sing quieter or stop for a while. It's too cute.
Cailyn is our little achiever. She really likes to master things, and does really well most of the time. She started piano lessons in the fall, but with craziness happening with us and her piano teacher she hasn't been consistent until now. She doesn't necessarily enjoy having to sit to practice, but when she learns a song, she wants to play it for everyone she can. I LOVE to see that excitement in her eyes as she progresses. At her school each nine weeks they have an awards ceremony. At each ceremony the Principal chooses a boy and a girl from each grade to receive the Principal's Award. Cailyn was the girl chosen for the 1st grade. I couldn't have been more proud of her. We have received praises from her teacher all year and this is proof that they appreciate her behavior and hard work at school. Jason went in to work late that day so he could attend. It was a surprise to Cailyn and of course I was fighting tears the whole time. Her teacher wrote a beautiful letter to Cailyn and the Principal read it to the school with Cailyn by her side.
The letter reads:
I am very excited to honor you with the Principal's Award for the 2nd nine weeks of the 2011-2012 school year at Whitney Elementary School. I chose you for this award because of your hard work, dedication, and awesome attitude. When I think of your name, there are many words that come to mind that help describe you.
C is for Character. You have many wonderful character traits that make you the delightful student that you are.
A if for Awesome Attitude. You come to school every day with a great attitude!
I is for Incredibly Intelligent. The knowledge that you add to our classroom is exciting!
L is for Loyal. I love the loyalty that you show towards your teacher, classmates, and your family, especially your new baby sister!
Y is for Yearning to Learn. You come to school each day ready to learn all that you can!
N is for Never Giving Up. Our motto "Can Do" is what you believe. You always do your best. Setting goals for yourself is important to you.
I know that you will be very successful in your school career and also as an adult. I'm sure you will conquer anything you choose to do. Always keep your good character and high motivation. I am so glad to have you in my class this year and I look forward to watching you grow. Congratulations on receiving this award, you deserve it!
Love always,
Mrs. Elder
1st grade 2011-2012
We love you Cailyn and are very proud of the girl you are choosing to be. Congratulations!
Jason has continued to follow his running cult. Oh wait, I mean Hobby. Sorry! He keeps that up with the running blog he writes with his brothers. Go check it out hollowayrunning.blogspot.com. I am proud of him for the hard work he puts into it. He truly enjoys it and I am glad that he has found something that makes him happy.
I, Mindi, have been working on several goals already this year. I got some knitting needles from my sister for Christmas and have taught myself how to do it. I am obviously still learning, but I have completed a scarf for Cailyn and am almost done with Jessica's. I am probably going to learn to do washcloths next.
One of the most standard new year's goals for women is to lose weight and of course I fit that profile also. However, I started that before the new year began. I have lost 25 pounds since our sweet Coralee was born. I have already started to wear clothes from before that pregnancy. It is a constant struggle everyday to make healthy choices(including exercise) but it is worth it.
With that said, I have been doing a little running myself. Jason is my unofficial coach/motivator. He is really good at it. I have done 3 5Ks since Coralee's arrival and have made some progress with those. My most recent race was last Saturday and I set a personal record. I know that this is really nothing to be bragging about but I ran it in 27 min. 21 sec. That is 4 minutes faster than the last one I did. I was pushing myself to the point of throwing up afterwards. It made me think of my older brother, Kyle. He used to do that all the time in High School. GROSS! My next big race is in March. I will be running another half marathon. I am following a steady training plan this time. Wish me luck!
Here is Da finishing the race. I am blessed to have a father who will humor me and sign up to do races with me. Thanks Dad for your support. I love you!
