1.26.2013

happy 4th birthday, sweet ellington


happy 4th birthday!
how can it be...4 years have past since you joined us and started us down this path of parenthood
we couldn't be more proud of you
day 1

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old


4 years old

we started the birthday celebration a day early with a fun "girly" friend party. sunday was your actual birthday so daddy and beckett went out early to get you a special breakfast treat...DONUTS!



beckett got you some new accessories for your dollhouse

party day!
HELLO KITTY ART PARTY


 
you woke up ready to start the party. a few little hello kitty presents to get you all set for the day
 
the art table...cupcake decorating & canvas painting
 
thank you treats: rice krispie paint brushes
 
 
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showing off your new spring/summer dress outfit from grammie
 

canvas painting with friends
 
 

game time

just 1 boy was allowed to come

cupcake decorating....lots and lots of frosting and sprinkles
 
 
 



dear "hedgie" ellington,
we love you more than you will know. each day you surprise us with your curiosity and questions about life. you make us think and keep us on our toes. it's hard to believe you're only 4 sometimes, but my dear enjoy being just 4 and a kid. 

God has gifted you with the compassion for others. we love your big heart and how you think of others. you are the best big sister, loving your lil brother and helping to teach him knew things. we often find you teaching him how to say new words and you get so excited when he does talk. 

this year you started school "at home". you love to learn and have really taken off with writing your letters and wanting to learn to read. you can write your name, mom, dad & b for beckett with out help. 

we continue to pray for your relationship with God, that you would come to know him as your personal savior. 



1.07.2013

preschool update

homeschool preschool

we have had a great fall with these kids. 7 kids started the year out, but after the new year we will only have 5, maybe 4. one moved to chicago, one is going back to the public schools and one is undecided. it's been fun to see ellington become engaged with other kids she doesn't really know or see outside of school. and for me, it's been nice to have 2 mornings a week with just beckett {unless i'm teaching}. we run errands together and get some quality time in just the 2 of us.

i've taught only a few weeks this fall, but will picking up all of january before the baby comes. 
lately i've been doing stations with the kids, instead of whole group activities and they seem to like that better and stay focused longer.
practicing counting, fine motor skills and sorting
ellington is doing much better at her one - one counting and recognizing most of her # 1-5. 

matching # 1-15

letter review: matching our ABC's: A-J
ellington can recognize only a few letters: A, B, E, O consistently, so we'll be pushing hard this winter and spring for her to know all of her ABCs. Although, I don't want her to be too bored next year in school... :)

Overall, ellington likes school. She wishes I was the teacher more often and has had a little bit of anxiety going to certain houses. It's a good life skill for her to learn early on and become okay with being independent. It's been hard since her good friend moved to Chicago and there's only 2 other girls, and they're not always there. She's not a huge fan of boys :)

a child's questions about God

usually i just share family updates, cute pictures of the kids and the events our of daily life...but i realized that i needed a place to write down {for my sake} all the funny, serious, surprising conversations and events that happen with our kids.

So here goes...
Ellington is a questioner, she's not quieted by quick answers that don't mean anything and contemplates everything you say or don't say. if you spend just 1 day with her you might be completely drained mentally and physically from her questions and her need to know "why". if she wasn't my sweet little girl, i might be completely annoyed by it, but i actually find it refreshing and it makes me stop to think of the "real" reason for many things in life. i'm not sure who she'll become as an adult, but i do know that her need for things to make sense and the right answer will always be apart of her. she's one smart cookie and can't easily be fooled {or she'll call you on it}.

so what has been some latest questions of our dear {almost} 4 year old...
this week on our way to a swim meet for our babysitter and then a morning of moving and unpacking our church she asked "Can God fall from Heaven?" an easy no didn't end the conversation...Why, can't He? Where is Heaven? Isn't it Up There? Couldn't He fall if he was close to the edge? How come I can't see Heaven? and many more followed.


Faith like a child? Well, this child is pushing the envelope to understand her faith and believing in God even though she can't see him. This isn't the first time she's asked about Heaven, where God is, or during Christmas why we don't celebrate Hanukah and why we're not Jewish...whew!
{side story: she's asked several times about a dear friend's little girl who died, "Doesn't she miss her mommy & daddy?, Isn't she alone in Heaven?, How did she get there, did she walk? Does Jesus walk up to Heaven?" and so on....}

How do you answer the theological questions of a 4 year old? As simple, yet as truthful as you can. We talk with Ellington alot about feeling God with us, talking to Him when we need help, are scared, or need patience. She says she feels him and often we find her "praying" talking to God on her own: when Beckett has hurt himself, when she's in a time out, and the best is when she's singing random worship songs all mixed together. Her prayers often mimic ours but are so sweet coming from her, even she is sinful and broken in need of God's forgiveness.

So our conversation on the way to church was filled with heavy theology talk that I'm sure could be debated by many, but in the end Ellington knows that Jesus came down from Heaven as a man, just like us, to save us. Save us from our own sinful nature and restore us and promises us a life with him eternally if we believe in Him. Yep, that's what we said and you know what, she understood it at least in her own way for now.


We are constantly amazed by her questions and her need to know more. Writing it down helps me remember who she is as 4 year old. Someday, I'll have the chance to reread this and compare it to who she is then. A prayer we have for each our children is that they will grow to know and love God as their own personal Savior. Yes, they'll grow up in a home where God is worshiped, talked about and served but they have to come to make that decision for themselves.


You hope as a parent who believes so strongly in something that your child will follow and accept the same faith & beliefs. It is through our {josh and i's} example, leadership, guidance and dependence on God that we find peace in knowing our children's future will someday rest with him. I am grateful more and more for the legacy both of our parents have left with Josh and I. A legacy that embraces others with love as Christ loved us, one that encourages us to step out boldly in our faith, and one that serves a  just God, a loving God, a God who came for ME.

So for now, we'll keep answering our children's questions of God and life the best we can. We're glad that they feel free to ask questions and we pray that it continues well into their teens and adult years, whether they're still at home or on their own. Asking the tough questions and seeking God's answers is how we become closer to the one who created us and sustains us.