Hard Working Ladies!

The girls work very hard in school and awana.  I love when they have the opportunity to be recognized for that.  Last week, we received letters that each of the girls were receiving awards.  We were invited to attend, but it would be a surprise.

 

Here is Sidney looking back at the parents.  All of the kids were wondering what was going on.

 

Sidney received the first grade "Leadership" award and an attendance award.  The leadership award goes to the student that consistently demonstrates the core values:  Be respectful, Be Responsible, Be Cooperative, Be Safe.  Here she is shaking the principals hand. 

Sidney with the other award recipients.

Now it was Kendall's turn to wonder what was going on.

Kendall received the "Academic" award for always doing her VERY BEST in everything, along with an attendance award.

Here is Kendall with the rest of the award recipients.

We are so proud of the girls for their hard work!

Birthday Times Three.

Kevin received the triple birthday threat this year, with three celebrations.  The first party came just after Thanksgiving while my parents were visiting.  My mom helped the girls make a fleece blanket for Kevin.  She took them to Joann's to pick out material.  They landed on Cal Poly colors for the blanket.

 

Lisa got Kevin this warm hat.  Sidney spent her own money on this cute snow globe for Dad.  She had tricked him into picking out his own present the week earlier, by asking him which one she should get.  He told her that he would get this one.  She was so proud.

The girls and I were growing tired of looking at his ratty old slippers.  He kept insisting that they were in great shape.

 

 These new ones are SO much better!

Grandma Terrell made him a pineapple upside down cake. 

Terrell, Lisa and Kevin.

Roy and Sherry sent these very MANLY flowers to the house.  They are gorgeous!  The white ones are still opening up.

On his actual birthday, Terrell made him another cake.  This was the best tasting cake ever.  It had a whipped cream cheese frosting.  The emblem on the front is a Christmas ornament that we hung from the tree.

Here we are with the birthday boy.

One of his gifts was a box of "80's" candy.  It had razzles in it.  I thought this was awesome, since I love the movie 13 Going on 30.  They refer to razzles in that movie, but I had never actually tried them.  Another fond memory of that movie, is taking my sister to see it.  She laughed so hard, I think she almost peed her pants.  I am not sure what was funnier, the movie or hearing her laugh so hard.

The third celebration...dinner at Burger King and a movie night out to see Minions (his choice, hmmm).

Thankful.

This morning, I asked each of the girls and Kevin to tell me five things they are thankful for. 

Sidney
-I am thankful for my family, because they love me and take care of me.
-I am thankful for my teacher, because she teaches me new things.
-I am thankful for my friends, because they play with me.
-I am thankful for my dogs, because they lick me.
-I am thankful for God and Jesus.

Kendall
-I am thankful for my home; that it keeps me dry and warm.
-I am thankful for my family; that they are loving and sweet.
-I am thankful for my playful pets.
-I am thankful for my friends.  They are very kind.
-I am thankful for the healthy food I get to eat.

Heather
-I am thankful that I get to spend another holiday with my husband.
-I am thankful that my parents are here.  I have been needing them a lot lately.
-I am thankful for my two beautiful daughters.  They are a gift from heaven.
-I am thankful for how blessed we are.
-I am thankful for my sister.  Her strength and wisdom are incredible.

Kevin
-I am thankful for my family with the journey that we have been through this last year.
-I am thankful for my friends and all of their support.
-I am thankful for my doctors and nurses and all of their wisdom.
-I am thankful for my career, and the opportunity to make a difference to others.
-I am thankful for the outdoors, and the pleasure I have hunting, fishing, camping, etc.

Montana Hunting Trip 2015.

Kevin made it back to Montana this year to go hunting with Roy and Cody.  He had a surprise waiting there.  It was none other than Uncle Bill.  The boys had a great time together.  I suspect there was some hunting, a lot of eating, a lot of sleeping and some major story telling.

It looks a bit too cold for my taste.

 As I suspected, Billy was asleep by 7pm.

Apparently Kevin was asleep right along with him.

Kevin did get a nice little buck.  Sidney is anxiously awaiting some cheddar sausage and pepperoni sticks.

Love Languages.

There is a very popular book by Gary Chapman titled The 5 Love Languages.  They also have a book for children titled The 5 Love Languages of Children.  I have always assumed that I know the primary love languages for each of the girls, but it is always great when something magical comes along and affirms it. 

Kendall's class has been working on a dojo point system.  Kids are rewarded for being responsible, being a hard worker, showing respect, etc.  The dojo points show up electronically on an app that Kevin and I each have.They appear to be rather hard to earn.  Last week Kendall hit a milestone.  She earned 30 points.  Once a student has earned 30 points, they get to choose a special reward.  Kendall had a number of choices including:  15 minutes extra free time, 5 minutes extra white board time, writing with a pen all day, a toy, etc.  She chose something entirely different.  She came home with a sealed pink envelope.

Inside the envelop was a note to Kevin and I from her teacher.  Kendall was beaming ear to ear as we read the note.

She had chosen 'a positive note to parents' for her dojo reward.  Yes, her love language is Words of Affirmation.  Nailed it!

As for the rest of us...Sidney's love language is undoubtedly Physical Touch.  Kevin's love language is Quality Time.  As for me, my love language is Acts of Service.  Now, if I can just remember this.

An Update.

Kevin had another scan a week or so ago.  The scan showed that the tumors are still stable.  None of them have shrunk, but they have not grown measurably larger.  Considering where we were a year ago, this is incredible news. 

The side effects from the chemotherapy are compounding.  In particular, Kevin has experienced extreme neuropathy.  The oncologist is very concerned about this.  He has talked with Kevin about the possibility of taking a break since the cancer is not being aggressive.  The thought of taking a break is very scary to Kevin.  They decided to schedule another round of chemo in four weeks and talk more then.

We continue to take one day at a time, and spend time together as a family doing the things we enjoy.

The Chore Chart

A few months back, we combined ideas from a number of different places to come up with a system that works fantastically.  Below is a picture of Kendall's chore chart.  Each of the girls has a chart that is laminated.  The black writing is sharpie that stays there week after week.  The girls each have a dry erase marker that they use to check off the items once they are done.  We tried to keep it pretty basic.

How does it work?  Each girl starts the week off with 20 marbles (equivalent to $2).  The center jar is full of extras that they can do.  Each extra has a pre-determined marble value ranging from 2 to 5 marbles.  If they do an extra, Kevin or I have to make sure it was done correctly.  If so, they can place the stick in their marble jar.

What happens if they do not do what they are supposed to?  On the right of their chore charts, we all agreed on a few basic rules and consequences.  If they break a rule, they suffer the consequence.  Parent trick:  The last rule pretty much covers them all and then some "be respectful". 

We also agreed to pay them once a month.  This way, they can actually earn a decent amount of money.  They have come to realize that if they spend it all right away, they have awhile to wait before the next payday comes along.  This month has been a pretty rough one.  The first month, I believe they each had earned just over $10.

 We are three months into this now.  It has been simple and effective.