my sweet scholar

It is now January and we've had to begin thinking of schooling options for Ella coming up in the fall. Living in the city, it's quite a predicament for most given that the public schools are atrocious and private schools are a major financial commitment. The saving grace for the public schools is the magnet programs that have an academic focus or gifted curriculum. There is a school called Kennard Classical Jr. Academy [www.kennardcja.org] just a mile from us that is the most highly praised magnet in the city and has fantastic test scores. The only trouble is, there is only one pre-k class at Kennard with 20 slots and the amount of applicants is crazy. Plus, the testing just to get into the drawing for these 20 slots is intense. I have always felt that Ella was bright but when I found out that she would have to test into the top 95th percentile just to make it into the drawing, I was slightly intimidated. Her testing was a couple of weeks ago and we went into it with very little information on what it involved. I had no idea that it would be two hours alone with a tester and that we would not be allowed in the room! It was very strange to hand her over to someone like that without any time to warm up or get the low down on what was about to take place! But Ella was such a tropper! She was relaxed and comfortable with this woman and simply waved goodbye to us and commenced in playing "games" with the lady. An hour and a half later, they emerged for a short break and Ella walked by us gleefully holding the woman's hand. She had a wonderful time having one on one time with an adult playing all these smarty games without a little brother to interrupt! After finishing the testing, we were so amazed to discover she tested in the 96th percentile and had an IQ of 126. Wow. I was so proud of my girl! So as it stands, she will be entered into the lottery and we will find out in a few weeks if her name is drawn. Whether she makes it or not, I feel confident that God knows the best place for her and that she will do well because she loves to learn! I feel God has blessed the whole process as I missed the original deadline to enter her application in November and was told she would go on a waiting list. But somehow, that was bypassed and they tested her anyway. I can only believe that that was God's hand at work and that He is in control of this situation. I am excited to see what the end result will be!

these are a few of my favorite things

I made some pumpkin custard tonight. We served the kids some warm from the oven with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top. Ooo it was yummy with the hot and cold mixed together. Both kids gobbled up the ice cream in no time flat but neither one gave the pumpkin much interest. As I was putting Ella to bed tonight, she had this to say:

Mommy, I don't want to eat pumpkin pie anymore. I like chocolate. And jewelry and chocolate and rings.

Chocolate and jewelry. Yeah. She's a girl alright.

cast call & a fly on the wall

The other day, Ella was leading me in one of her make believe games. I forget which characters we were meant to be but it required four parts and we were only playing with three (me, Ella and Simon.) Her only solution to this dilemma was this:

"Mom, I think you need to grow another baby."

I love how little minds work!

In other news, I overheard Ella playing with an educational toy in her room today. It's a toy that asks a question and then you push a button when you're ready to answer and the toy records you and plays back your answer. So the question came, "What would you say if you were a mommy?" I was expecting Ella to answer something like "I looove you!" or maybe "be careful". I was a little bummed out to hear her answer:

"OBEY."

I must sound like such a broken record to this girl. Bah.

best friends

Ella: Mommy, you're my best, best friend. I said that two times because I love you soooooooo much!

Isn't she the best?

the big switcheroo

Bryan's sister Michele is expecting twins so we've been sorting through all sorts of toys, clothes, books, etc. trying to pare things down to pass off to our new cousins. We got a big boy bed handed down to us from our good friend Ewan and we moved it to our place over the weekend. Since we're too lazy to store the bed in the basement and knew we'd be handing Simon's crib off to Michele, we decided to take the plunge and do the switch. Big milestones like this one usually take some planning in our house. I get the idea in my mind and then set a time frame in which I want to accomplish the goal. But this was more of a spontaneous decision. We didn't have Ella in her twin size bed till she was almost three! The only bad thing was, Simon has been really sick and our timing couldn't have been worse. The first three times we laid him down for bed, he snuck out over and over and over! And then, when he'd hear Bryan making his way up the stairs, he'd scurry back and snuggle down in the covers as if he hadn't been found out. But today, Simon is beginning to feel better and I'm so proud! He laid right down for his nap and didn't budge. I'm excited about the big boy bed. Even though it means he's not a baby any longer. *sniff* Gets me thinking...another baby soon? Hmmmmm....

catching up with Si-Mo

So, I haven't really kept up on my blog in the last few months. Life has been a sort of roller coaster as of late. But I just had to write a little something about my boy. Simon is nearing two (his birthday is in less than a month now) and he's been changing in the most wonderful ways. Not only does he look like a little boy now with his strong little physique and confidant swagger, he's really growing intellectually and emotionally. I love the way his blond hair is filling in and has a bit of a swoopy curl at the nape of his neck and I love his giggles! He loves to be tossed around and roughed up and tickled and teased (unless it's his sister of course!) He's quite a snuggler too and is still quick with a kiss. He is a bit of a loner sometimes...loves being with others and is the life of the party, but is content to wander off and play alone in his room. He's becoming good with puzzles and loves to pretend to write his name with a pen. He has favorite movies that he's constantly pulling out of the drawer and requests that they be played immediately although he never seems to sit through more than 15-20 minutes. His favorites right now are Peter Pan, Jungle Book, and Ella's Dora Adventures. He's saying a few more words now...At the park a couple of weeks ago, I had sat the kids by a tree to take their photo. I prompted them with the typical "Say Cheeeese!" And he said it! Clear as a bell! He also says "please", "yes" and "no" very clearly.

This is the moment where he said "CHEEEESE!"
Unfortunately, he didn't get that he was supposed
to be looking at me when he said it!

Simon has always been pretty coordinated and more physically adept. He loves jumping and will go from one end of the house to the other, hopping like a kangaroo. He goes up and down the stairs unassisted, still not using the handrail as he's been doing for several months now. Up until today, that was working out ok. But he feel head over feet down the stairs this morning! Scared the pudding out of me, but he dusted himself off and went right back to his old ways. That boy is a daredevil. Oh, but he's sweet one. Sweetest smile in town.

the key to her heart

Ella is four now. And she's all about communication. And emotion. Sometimes, the emotion cancels out the communication or skews the communication in such a way that I completely misunderstand my little girl and what motivates her. There have been points in the last several weeks where I've stopped short in the midst of an exchange with her feeling completely at a loss, thinking, "I seriously have no clue where to go from here." So over the last few days, I have been chewing on this thought: What is the key to opening Ella's heart? In the midst of anger or hurt, how do I get through to her? What breaks down the wall? I know what the key ISN'T...that's an easy one. What doesn't work is hugs or kisses. Sometimes she's just not in the mood for that. I know it's not spankings or stern words. That works for a second, but it doesn't really stick and we're back in the same predicament within ten minutes. What I am discovering about my dear Ella is that she is a quality time, connecting kind of person. When I spend lots of time engaged in her sweet games, reading books together, giggling and telling silly stories, she thrives. So with Ella, I'm thinking that its not about getting the key out once the lock is locked, it's about keeping the lock from closing. I'm doing my best dear one. Don't give up on me!