tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2793973986941011902024-03-13T07:16:00.012-05:00The Hoy HouseDTHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10139409392636879858noreply@blogger.comBlogger995125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-54656831164738421982018-11-20T16:09:00.000-06:002018-11-20T16:09:17.140-06:00Intense Parental Micromanaging<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This school year has been tough at the Hoy House. All three Hoy kids are requiring an intense amount of parental micromanaging. In related news, these are my 3 most frequently used bitmojis right now.</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXQDO3v1nbTizHQIRb6AGnE4_FmWOscqPf0CIyoMjbE6riVflu98IxvGTVry8_ztntWFfWJfNHkn-Q005EKl4hvfRH4RSa8T7Y8BZWw0Mli2TJvpwEci9h6MFWUO2p35yborgSXq35rw/s1600/Bitmoji.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="1080" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXQDO3v1nbTizHQIRb6AGnE4_FmWOscqPf0CIyoMjbE6riVflu98IxvGTVry8_ztntWFfWJfNHkn-Q005EKl4hvfRH4RSa8T7Y8BZWw0Mli2TJvpwEci9h6MFWUO2p35yborgSXq35rw/s320/Bitmoji.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Seriously?!?" is quite often mumbled under my breath too</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alyssa has become a full out teenager, albeit not quite yet 13, who is struggling to manage her responsibilities of school, her extracurriculars (swim, piano, and saxophone), and her blooming social life. My most frequent (& greatest) piece of parental wisdom to her of late- "The best way to get me out of your business is to take care of it."</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5DsOLPEvlnDsAieagzt4Y_VzrkzqqC0XjWJbO9wODMR1zrGlh6wbqmXpWv_udWlCgelqfnKFN3gIxU3PnMwC8pkxuO31t7Q8kZMRvQ5bVvZfNX-DA9ijlIdcZfzCFJ8GLEvgAlgL148/s1600/Phone+Lockdown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="608" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5DsOLPEvlnDsAieagzt4Y_VzrkzqqC0XjWJbO9wODMR1zrGlh6wbqmXpWv_udWlCgelqfnKFN3gIxU3PnMwC8pkxuO31t7Q8kZMRvQ5bVvZfNX-DA9ijlIdcZfzCFJ8GLEvgAlgL148/s200/Phone+Lockdown.jpg" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her phone now has parent controlled screen time limits,<br />which seem to help</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jackson's bare minimal effort on school work has finally caught up with him in 5th grade. At the parent/teacher conference, requested by the teachers-because he "needs improvement on effort", confirmed our greatest scholastic concern for him-- "bright but unmotivated". My most frequent piece of parental wisdom to him of late- "The learning will happen. Before the grade, I am not involved. After the grade, I am." I have been involved much too much this school year.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6lk0EEynunbFcaBYHTpN1ciQi9807nxrIqsyOPbe9SsVQO6ACpkUM7yTBFkxYrtOSvQjOMmiDo8RsQD1vo0dCuMdjoTEd1c1TPOXoOF9EniZWEbaC5_5ArgqzlH7SCf9o86ZLxN35qU/s1600/Jax+Managing+time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1336" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6lk0EEynunbFcaBYHTpN1ciQi9807nxrIqsyOPbe9SsVQO6ACpkUM7yTBFkxYrtOSvQjOMmiDo8RsQD1vo0dCuMdjoTEd1c1TPOXoOF9EniZWEbaC5_5ArgqzlH7SCf9o86ZLxN35qU/s200/Jax+Managing+time.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are all more productive with a list</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, there is Matthew. The school work coming home in the first 9 weeks was abysmal. After several meetings with his teachers and (at home) identifying the best learning practices that work for Matthew, he is making progress again- on his SPED goals and the 2nd grade curriculum. It requires a high level of accommodation and intervention. At home, </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He has 2 sessions of tutoring with a reading specialist weekly. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every morning, he listens to the weekly story that I record on his tablet.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He completes his weekly math word problem(s) with the help of manipulatives (100s chart or base 10 magnets) and a parent supporting him to break down the steps (e.g. "what is in the ones column?").</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He reads his weekly reading book, retyped in huge font without pictures so he can concentrate to read it.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He verbally responds to his reading homework questions while a parent transcribes his responses. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is after his 7 hours at school and 2 hours at the YMCA after school, and without the benefit of his ADHD meds. It is intense. I think I now know the 2nd grade standards almost as well as I know the objectives for the classes I teach at the high school.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHeDH83uc0fQ1IM5iZ3fEsgIhXFXTA8ajrh93PtZMZStdpwZ04uk43ThkXe180Uib7VRLBuRkbBgNY52TOmaBiGalpWHYuW-PDQTQ6v82DFovXat6tcTEzxkC-0iXo_R4fCwrfUAm86g/s1600/Matt+Math.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="608" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHeDH83uc0fQ1IM5iZ3fEsgIhXFXTA8ajrh93PtZMZStdpwZ04uk43ThkXe180Uib7VRLBuRkbBgNY52TOmaBiGalpWHYuW-PDQTQ6v82DFovXat6tcTEzxkC-0iXo_R4fCwrfUAm86g/s320/Matt+Math.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The turkey ran 25 feet, 35 feet, and 46 feet</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week, I felt like we had a breakthrough. Though I am glad we have a holiday break this week, I would have liked to have seen the upward trajectory continue before we took a week off. I am hopeful we will get in a (positive) groove after the Thanksgiving break, for a few weeks (before the Xmas craziness kicks in) anyway.</span></div>
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-87503746364617396092018-09-16T11:54:00.003-05:002018-09-16T12:08:17.642-05:00Rhythm of the School Year<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don't do summer well. I used to blame it on the kids-- that they needed the routine of the school year-- but really, it is me. Though I love our summer experiences, seeing family and friends, I need the routine. I love what I do and miss it during the summer. I long for the rhythm of our school days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So when the first day of school comes, I hum "Its the most wonderful time of the year" to myself all day. For me, it really is. New beginnings & freshly sharpened pencils. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Though, every year, I forget how long it takes to get into the rhythm. We are 4 weeks in, and we still haven't found the beat. New classes, new expectations, new routines. We are still figuring it out here at the Hoy House. I know it will come, that we will one day find ourselves in the rhythm of the school year. Today is not that day. Tomorrow isn't looking good either. Hopefully soon.</span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-19764083642127953152018-07-25T15:55:00.000-05:002018-07-25T15:55:31.417-05:00Oh, that face<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I recently read an article that asserts that facial expressions are inherited, not learned. I found <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-410726/Facial-expressions-inherited-learned.html" target="_blank">this research</a> fascinating, and giggled when I saw these facial expressions on Alyssa. I guess she comes by it honestly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-89658677846745912852018-07-17T15:51:00.001-05:002018-07-17T15:51:29.800-05:00Progress<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My students are well aware of my affinity for progress. As are the Hoy kids. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reflecting on the progress of the Hoy kids this school year, I am mostly content. Alyssa was a mess the weekend before she started middle school, but from the first day on, she relished the opportunities it held. Jackson matured as a student throughout the forth grade, taking my threat seriously. ("The learning will happen. Before the grade, I am not involved. If after the grade, I will be involved.") Matthew, too, made progress this year. His final report card had a few first grade standards met. Not all of them, not linear, not easy, but it is progress. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love progress!</span></div>
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-81891157901534889192018-05-13T19:27:00.000-05:002018-05-13T19:27:26.466-05:00The Youngest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though I would like to pretend this isn't true, it totally is. Matthew gets away with far more than we ever let the bigs. Part of it is that Matthew has unique challenges that necessitate us doing things a bit differently with him, but the other part has to be us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few examples of how he gets special consideration--</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The book series Junie B. Jones was banned in our house starting when Alyssa was a kindergartner. The main character, Junie B., is a bit naughty, and the grammar in the book makes me batty. We held that rule steady from 2011 until Valentine's Day 2018, when Junie B. came home in Matthew's backpack. I've read Junie B. to him every night since. To allay my reservations, I correct the grammar when he isn't looking, which is most of the time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the week, screens are banned in the Hoy House. Very few exceptions. Until... Matthew lost 5 pounds in 3 months while on his ADHD medicine. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sweet paradox is that when he's on the meds, he's not hungry, and when he's not on the meds, he won't sit still long enough to eat. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He needs those meds AND needs to gain weight, quickly. We need this boy to eat. To mindlessly eat. So, he gets to watch his screen in the morning, while we put as much food in front of him as we can before he catches on, or runs off. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These are mild compared to our overall parenting style changes. We were 100% common sense parenting converts when the bigs were little. Following the approach outlined by Boys Town worked wonders for Aly and Jax. But, very little about parenting Matthew is common sense, and we have found that the tools we used with the bigs have been rendered useless when dealing with Matthew. So, he seems to get special privilege (or consequences as it may be), but really we are just searching for the right tools- ones </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">that work for Matthew.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This parenting gig is hard, and humbling. Happy Mother's Day!</span></div>
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-33978059195807566102018-03-28T19:47:00.000-05:002018-03-28T19:50:27.291-05:00Four Favorites<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These are my four favorite things this week:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. I finally feel like writing again. It has been a long time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Spring has sprung-- yippee for baseball and bluebonnets! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQ5JbZoJPgK0P8F-_7CTLDEqH0lZOsTNX1gqebM9uXFtPkhkQrZY3zEfbSI9dEfdA7S3Rb2XxE4L04r_ebh-piHkRKrF-gUpbq7uy4iQG_yCufyOYxul4TU-Xc9WXw7IIfPKBQbJ3teM/s1600/20180328_191331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQ5JbZoJPgK0P8F-_7CTLDEqH0lZOsTNX1gqebM9uXFtPkhkQrZY3zEfbSI9dEfdA7S3Rb2XxE4L04r_ebh-piHkRKrF-gUpbq7uy4iQG_yCufyOYxul4TU-Xc9WXw7IIfPKBQbJ3teM/s320/20180328_191331.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Though our kids are older, they still can't be left alone with my phone.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRB-LsOdQCZvdki4mBlL12au663oZY91VAbUs1eTba3ZKVnGT-4sOjrgnKWf_nYfdLVUpnKfaZ_7bAUpSIaAvguRGN7T-3XZ5pozJzCu8wHF4vp_65GWn4_3eIKJuOeBJrR4jPnHxJ70/s1600/Screenshot_20180328-191340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="891" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRB-LsOdQCZvdki4mBlL12au663oZY91VAbUs1eTba3ZKVnGT-4sOjrgnKWf_nYfdLVUpnKfaZ_7bAUpSIaAvguRGN7T-3XZ5pozJzCu8wHF4vp_65GWn4_3eIKJuOeBJrR4jPnHxJ70/s320/Screenshot_20180328-191340.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. Connecting with family and friends, near and far, reminds me that, in addition to being unbelievably blessed, technology is an amazing thing. </span><br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-90930236511828372922018-02-27T19:59:00.000-06:002018-03-04T20:02:46.534-06:008 Years<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't believe it has been 8 years! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIBtBzZNn66yLqIMLzOIurIF1uSm5XweTyRa0fhwpdr_499ONC7maR1LKatvEQ0GJNDOjpGy5odnwCIi79ESe-DmLpT9H6ER1OtQg5MX1pY5VVdc-SXCQp-acGB0BH6-Lo_Rq_jVgB5M/s1600/Matthew+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIBtBzZNn66yLqIMLzOIurIF1uSm5XweTyRa0fhwpdr_499ONC7maR1LKatvEQ0GJNDOjpGy5odnwCIi79ESe-DmLpT9H6ER1OtQg5MX1pY5VVdc-SXCQp-acGB0BH6-Lo_Rq_jVgB5M/s320/Matthew+8.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This boy loves-</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">baseball, both playing and watching</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">french fries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dogs, especially Rey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">being read to at bedtime, right now he loves the Junie B. Jones series</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">time spent with family</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pizza with friends on Friday nights</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and school, especially his friends and p.e.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And we love him! </span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-72336054918869432022017-02-28T08:00:00.000-06:002017-02-28T08:00:20.328-06:00Care About Rare<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today is World Rare Disease Day-- and though Matthew is alone in his diagnosis, he is far from alone being rare. We are thankful for those that have paved the way before Matthew and we stand beside those that are walking the rare journey. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErOZMSWZy0vBFqWYixKVoWIXtkEhVcfhyphenhypheneoph7LzIAlirylAbyqHs4pQNqk1ujICHFGgUr-GjFhNOla6ZBs7IWujATsUl_ZWEUG-Lzv-SPcHSCRW_XAj83ML0omPxOSPFoRQUk-Fm1sA/s1600/Rare2017.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErOZMSWZy0vBFqWYixKVoWIXtkEhVcfhyphenhypheneoph7LzIAlirylAbyqHs4pQNqk1ujICHFGgUr-GjFhNOla6ZBs7IWujATsUl_ZWEUG-Lzv-SPcHSCRW_XAj83ML0omPxOSPFoRQUk-Fm1sA/s320/Rare2017.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-34815431024086592562017-02-27T08:00:00.000-06:002017-02-27T08:00:08.150-06:00Lucky Number 7<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seven. Today, Matthew is his favorite number- 7. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6egbVspjK7Yg7EP4P0cwr-8yL93YMiSIgJHrkHbL5cu-owIRUMylTnglICvLKBinfjDm2ih5xRQkXqWLsC18htU2eqjb2bPWB1IXWbwKNDwE6-Mzwk2sGuCU6QZxKk1wVICwlrhx8gQ/s1600/IMG_8265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6egbVspjK7Yg7EP4P0cwr-8yL93YMiSIgJHrkHbL5cu-owIRUMylTnglICvLKBinfjDm2ih5xRQkXqWLsC18htU2eqjb2bPWB1IXWbwKNDwE6-Mzwk2sGuCU6QZxKk1wVICwlrhx8gQ/s320/IMG_8265.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This boy is non-stop from sun up to sun down. He is happy most of every day. He thrives best in routine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He loves...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">school</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">his scooter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">puppies</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">throwing ball</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">his friends</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">our neighbors</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Phineas & Ferb</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">french fries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">bananas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and the color yellow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every day is still a good day for Matthew! Happy birthday!</span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-67985940547556978502016-11-19T08:58:00.000-06:002016-11-19T15:56:07.856-06:00Celebrating<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With the laundry list of the areas that Matthew needs to work on, we sometimes forget how far he has come. Reminding me to celebrate, last Saturday, I hollered "Where are you?". Matthew replied, in clear voice, "in my room". Walking into his room, I found he had taken off his pjs and put on his undies, his shorts and his shirt. Oh, planned obsolescence- my lifelong parenting goal! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I need to take a minute and celebrate all the things this boy can do today, many of which we weren't sure he would.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He can...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">tell me a joke.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">put the cap on a marker.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">write letters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">count.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">dress himself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">run.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">walk.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ride a bike with training wheels.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">answer questions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">feed the dog.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">brush his teeth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">get his snack.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">decide on his clothes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">show me his favorite color.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sing a song.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">dance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">wave hello.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">whistle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">throw a ball.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">climb on the counters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">help unload the dishwasher.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">wipe down the table.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">go potty by himself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">fall asleep on his own.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">walk up and down stairs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">turn on the shower.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">wash his body.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">communicate his wants and needs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">make friends.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">show joy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">eat with a fork or a spoon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">jump on one foot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">drink from a straw.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and so much more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For this moment, I won't concentrate on the 100s of things he still needs to work on, but instead celebrate the 100s of things he can do. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My little helper</td></tr>
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-47273011628381116362016-11-06T14:46:00.002-06:002016-11-06T14:46:51.501-06:00What I Imagined<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking around at the kids doing their thing-- reading, working on homework, playing school-- I can finally say that this is what I imagined life with kids to be like. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Until this year, I often thought to myself "this is not at all what I expected". Maybe it is because I don't remember when I was really little, and therefore my own memories (or lack thereof) clouded my expectations. I do remember playing school, and doing homework, and reading. Now feels familiar. This is what I expected when I imagined my life with kids. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It only took 10, almost 11, years to see it. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsteb-GqE7SaVkJ1tOIPU_6k-e5Hl_tr5HltCR54Ko1hXwcWw1Nou8bKr6uhH2StDuRYDXXLiNJsUq1QEdzWp3xIG9201Cr-KWV-TgyKJSGhXWCj6-lhsLBJp9Xe4gk2fhGqY99rFzk9s/s1600/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsteb-GqE7SaVkJ1tOIPU_6k-e5Hl_tr5HltCR54Ko1hXwcWw1Nou8bKr6uhH2StDuRYDXXLiNJsUq1QEdzWp3xIG9201Cr-KWV-TgyKJSGhXWCj6-lhsLBJp9Xe4gk2fhGqY99rFzk9s/s320/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoy Homework Hour</td></tr>
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-69001406924449467762016-11-03T07:20:00.000-05:002016-11-03T07:20:12.997-05:00Bright Spot<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We often worry if Alyssa and Jackson are getting the raw end of the deal because we spend so much time and energy on Matthew. This becomes particularly worrisome when we hear or see either struggling. This last week, it was "would we have noticed Jackson is struggling in writing if we weren't paying so much attention to Matthew's struggles?" Oh, parent guilt is real. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What has always grounded me (and alleviated a little of my parent guilt) is the knowledge that we--Alyssa, Jackson, Darren, and I-- are better people for having Matthew in our lives and for seeing and helping him grow. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A bright spot in the parent/teacher conference about Jackson was his homeroom teacher sharing how Jackson helped a classmate. Without divulging too much information, a classmate had a situation and Jackson saw it and helped him. I tear up thinking about the story, because this is the way that Jackson helps Matthew all the time. He may treat him like any little brother (as the almost daily arguing and pushing can attest), but Jackson is so helpful and kind when Matthew is in need. It does my heart good (and lessens my parenting guilt) that he does this out in the world too. What we sow at home is reaped in the world. </span><br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-91813442652468755552016-10-31T20:18:00.001-05:002016-10-31T20:18:50.341-05:00Happy Halloween<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we begin planning for Halloween, every year I wonder if this will be the end of the Hoy kids dressing in theme. I am happy to report that the tradition continued this year. Happy Halloween! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halloween 2016- Batman, Robin, and the Joker</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Halloween themes of our past--</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaw6PgKkoIw_33o_FYKmAmg31fFVKYae3Mn4iD4Mi4xk1b3EUGqLLseZSPYK4t6YWgCOZBO0u_q1as0Xck7388akoDb_KI1ZHiRj3QytLXgNoH_638uz5iKpppUJhFWhCrVR8Q5lNoaO8/s1600/Halloween+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaw6PgKkoIw_33o_FYKmAmg31fFVKYae3Mn4iD4Mi4xk1b3EUGqLLseZSPYK4t6YWgCOZBO0u_q1as0Xck7388akoDb_KI1ZHiRj3QytLXgNoH_638uz5iKpppUJhFWhCrVR8Q5lNoaO8/s320/Halloween+2015.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2015- Harry Potter</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2014- Harry Potter</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2013- Jake and the Neverland Pirates</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FhyphenhyphenaX_meKJiA7irhEmlHsKx4I29gxvxESZ7Ly-ROZ-Cv4JsPctzVGfFQniKVv4xpCk7GzKZL1UBwz6Ehj1GPaD1zx6Ea8xBWZeK0xUwGbpg9-BTc4L-Ky8oOl_nj7_rw9u7UGKj3zNE/s1600/Halloween+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FhyphenhyphenaX_meKJiA7irhEmlHsKx4I29gxvxESZ7Ly-ROZ-Cv4JsPctzVGfFQniKVv4xpCk7GzKZL1UBwz6Ehj1GPaD1zx6Ea8xBWZeK0xUwGbpg9-BTc4L-Ky8oOl_nj7_rw9u7UGKj3zNE/s320/Halloween+2012.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2012- Star Wars</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2011- Star Wars</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISfd8fRjWRg4N_pWksD6ggyuIH7LoXe2sI4TfKv8aLhg886Zl6rpRCqKiIPEnM4x63hF4QarAvvbZANkz7ulSW2hekFBiaiwQdFREB4Poa6H-_iFNjLl5cW0bV7_qBkv75PS8FiWtHM8/s1600/Halloween+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISfd8fRjWRg4N_pWksD6ggyuIH7LoXe2sI4TfKv8aLhg886Zl6rpRCqKiIPEnM4x63hF4QarAvvbZANkz7ulSW2hekFBiaiwQdFREB4Poa6H-_iFNjLl5cW0bV7_qBkv75PS8FiWtHM8/s320/Halloween+2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2010- Super Heroes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWzGDkuSAZAcE6vCptzoLgyqDNU2i1NWkzyzweDHN-x5fTdAhZME2iDuiZWypRf5eaEkBxCjCAs7zZZGWwmIKipbg63sSlDhb1iAUw66H2EWfV4yYvrpElu4Zzgvaui9AnakfqofDoc4/s1600/Halloween+2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWzGDkuSAZAcE6vCptzoLgyqDNU2i1NWkzyzweDHN-x5fTdAhZME2iDuiZWypRf5eaEkBxCjCAs7zZZGWwmIKipbg63sSlDhb1iAUw66H2EWfV4yYvrpElu4Zzgvaui9AnakfqofDoc4/s320/Halloween+2009.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2009- Sesame Street (1st year to theme)</td></tr>
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-59667305709460913722016-10-30T08:01:00.000-05:002016-10-30T08:03:37.302-05:00Compliment Sandwich<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh how I love the feedback sandwich- compliment, 2-3 most important areas for improvement, followed by compliment. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week I felt beat down as a parent because of imbalanced sandwiches. Some were missing the bread all together. Others had way too much meat. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We all have areas of improvement and to hear an unprioritized</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> laundry list is just too much. Beat down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My first reaction was wanting to crawl in a hole (adulting is hard!), then anger (come on!), then action (let's try to fix it all), and now (hopefully) calmer rational planning. Of this laundry list of my kids' faults (ranging from Jackson's poorly written book summaries to Matthew's unwillingness to walk quietly in a line because he wants to say hi to everyone), we have to prioritize what is most important and what we need to do to improve. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I guess a positive about this experience is that it is making me more sensitive to giving feedback in my classroom, to students and parents. Only hearing the negative and/or too much negative beats us down. I am recommitted to the compliment sandwich!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-77965516566480379842016-10-29T07:20:00.000-05:002016-10-29T07:20:40.339-05:00Upswing<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have to say that there were a few weeks that I contemplated blogging, but I just couldn't because I didn't want to be that reflective about what was going on around us. Matthew's behavior was the worst it has ever been. Usually he lets all the nastiness out at home, but this last stretch, we were getting negative reports from school and the Y as well. He was disagreeable about everything and he would hit/kick/bite when he didn't get his way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The saying that your household is only as happy as your most unhappy kid was true in our home-- the energy around the Hoy House was UGLY. And the worst part for Darren and I, we had no idea why. Just like many things with Matthew, it was a mystery. We tried everything we could think of-- more sleep, more food, the common sense parenting tricks-- and nothing seemed to make a difference. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then, as mysteriously as it began, Matthew's mood turned. He became his happy-go-lucky self. Pleasant, fun to be around, and though not always agreeable, he could be persuaded. Those at school saw the same switch. But just when we sighed in relief, he had a horrific weekend 2 weekends ago. Then, the last two weeks at school, he was in an upswing, then mixed-- really good and really not. We shake our heads because we have no idea why it was bad or why it is good. No rhyme or reason, and we seemingly have no control or influence. That is hard to accept!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Until we find the magic variable(s), we have to just be thankful for the good and try to mitigate the bad. I am hoping for a long stretch in the upswing! </span></div>
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-63627555791398495912016-09-04T10:42:00.000-05:002016-09-04T10:42:32.793-05:00Looking Close<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Don't look directly at the boy." --a phrase often uttered in our house. When Matthew doesn't want to do something, he sometimes becomes defiant, but then often acquiesces. He will often do what we had asked of him in time-- only if we don't look at him or say anything to him. If we take notice, he goes back to being defiant. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This pretty much sums up how I am reacting to his development (or lack thereof) these days. I don't want to look too closely, or (a) it may stop OR (b) I may see something that might concern me. I don't want to be too reflective. Maybe that is why the blog has been quiet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This summer, we did take a closer look at a couple of areas--</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Matthew's gnat-like attention span. To this point, I had chalked it up to him being developmentally delayed. After taking a good look, and reviewing teacher and therapist notes, I suspected that it is more than that. The neurologist agrees. We put him on a supplement that is supposed to help, but so far, no luck. We have a follow up appointment later this month to determine next steps. The good part of this 'diagnosis', if there is a 'good', is that the neurologist believes that all academic based developmental testing to this point has most likely been inaccurate since Matthew won't sit and concentrate for any test (verbally or non-verbally measured). My gut was telling me the same, but it is nice to get a corresponding medical opinion. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Matthew's articulation issues. Matthew talks -- a lot. But he's not always understood. We took him for a palatal motion study (x-rays shot when he was speaking) to see if the articulation issues were physiological or not. I don't even know all of what the study revealed at this point, but it appears that Matthew's tongue and palate have the capability of making the sounds necessary for articulation--which means it is not a structural issue. Movement of the throat in and out, the secondary (or back up way) of producing articulation, is not something he is capable of doing. It just means he must do it right with tongue, palate, and lips. Recommendation was more time and therapy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Matthew's ear. We have noticed discharge from Matthew's ear for several months, but upon inspection by the pediatrician, we were told it was ear wax. During the follow up appointment with the entire clef palate team (though Matthew does not have a clef palate, these are the experts that deal with the facial structures and they were in charge of the palatal motion study), the ENT diagnosed Matthew with a persistent, chronic ear infection. We have a follow up here in Austin to ensure the infection has gone away, and to investigate whether there is cyst behind Matthew's ear drum. Again, not sure what this might mean.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Facial structure. Our awesome dentist and our fabulous craniofacial surgeon both agreed that though Matthew's jaw is still very recessed, it is not something to address for many years. It is likely not the cause of his speech issues.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Urology. Through ultrasound investigation, Matthew's solitary, horse-shoe kidney is in good shape and growing and Matthew's urachal</span><span style="color: #29303b; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fff3db; font-size: 13px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cyst is still present, but hasn't grown. We may have a follow up with urology this fall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Academic skills. Matthew had a tutor for 12 sessions this summer, and we saw great academic progress. We are hopeful, that in repeating kinder and the fact that </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">he is now more developmentally</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> on par with his kindergarten peers, this year he blossoms. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-P4ejwD3m6XGdLq5wTYFkCOM7HuVEyWYLYTZuzRZNMyitZ4hn50xu9j4Zd0Jvgdmdcl84W-kT1SAPBylnUmSzXA-Kag3HHTUxsd1V0X38PtwJCLO0nHg86Ol8RCdIUKDSt4t7gQbHM3A/s1600/photo+2+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-P4ejwD3m6XGdLq5wTYFkCOM7HuVEyWYLYTZuzRZNMyitZ4hn50xu9j4Zd0Jvgdmdcl84W-kT1SAPBylnUmSzXA-Kag3HHTUxsd1V0X38PtwJCLO0nHg86Ol8RCdIUKDSt4t7gQbHM3A/s320/photo+2+%25283%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working hard at tutoring</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In related medical news, we are on a search for a new pediatrician because ours moved. I will forever miss our pediatrician from Houston, and will likely head to the practice he recommended here in Austin. We also saw the optometrist this summer, and no glasses are necessary for any of the kids. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was hopeful that by stacking the appointments this summer, we could avoid most of them during the school year, but I didn't think about follow ups. Hopefully the upcoming appointments are uneventful and Matthew has a long, healthy stretch. </span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-87877357673330324792016-08-31T18:34:00.000-05:002016-08-31T18:34:04.584-05:00Workout<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though I wish he'd sleep until 6:00a, I do enjoy spending my early mornings working out with my little man. He 'works out' and then spends the rest of time watching <i>Gilmore Girls</i> with me, where he thinks it is interactive tv. If they have an umbrella on the show, he has to get his. If the main character puts on her backpack, so does Matthew. Though I am sometimes exasperated by the mess this creates, I love spending my morning with the boy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-14111769400169370132016-08-28T18:24:00.001-05:002016-08-28T18:24:37.241-05:00Just Like That<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Summer ended and school began. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kinder, 3rd, and 5th</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The week was a struggle as we transitioned, but I think it was successful as (for the first time in 3 years) none of the Hoy children cried on Friday evening! Maybe it was because we were smarter than in years past and hung out at home eating frozen pizza and watching Phineas and Ferb, but I'd like to think it is because they are getting older and able to hold themselves together better. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I celebrated the end of the first week of school (which was awesome) by going to bed about 20 seconds after the kids did. We all need to work on our school stamina. It is a 38 week marathon, not a one week sprint. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, here's to 38 great weeks to come! </span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-73862760261037110902016-07-13T16:04:00.001-05:002016-07-13T16:04:51.184-05:00Summer Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought for sure that life would slow down over the summer, but since summer is already more than half over, I guess not. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alyssa and Jackson enjoyed their time at camp, while Matthew relished being an only child.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the first day we were back together-- 24 days in to summer!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, we enjoyed spending time with family in Chicago and Michigan. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A highlight of year-- a week with family in Michigan.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOeKwlsZt3yC_RZjhVgrowItFKfNkooYZW4zLUaVx3UAuCnwDFHEv77GmvWMXmXs11skGITLXDkvpi3gPD3_8ZZq0coK64sakftkWvX8hyjRhJeZ-oYKR9oO4wiHYwUPwOPhyphenhyphenpR199cY/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOeKwlsZt3yC_RZjhVgrowItFKfNkooYZW4zLUaVx3UAuCnwDFHEv77GmvWMXmXs11skGITLXDkvpi3gPD3_8ZZq0coK64sakftkWvX8hyjRhJeZ-oYKR9oO4wiHYwUPwOPhyphenhyphenpR199cY/s320/photo+5.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids are road trip rock stars-- most of the time!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We celebrated Jackson's 9th birthday when we returned. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;">t<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZfirsdeSyFdwioCATkBeeUjaw-gdpm0utEQ6mZz19wWEElEDCNI1rXt1BNqzWdcOu3GRALjyke1ztKcJpiTlkhQ4E3c1Jj4OE9133rNmqkzZUCTgCLfq3e7nAAjqHna4KuKGjRnZLQg/s1600/photo_5%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZfirsdeSyFdwioCATkBeeUjaw-gdpm0utEQ6mZz19wWEElEDCNI1rXt1BNqzWdcOu3GRALjyke1ztKcJpiTlkhQ4E3c1Jj4OE9133rNmqkzZUCTgCLfq3e7nAAjqHna4KuKGjRnZLQg/s320/photo_5%255B1%255D.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't believe he's 9. This year, he's become much more mature, but he still loves Legos, pranks, Star Wars, and Harry Potter.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In between, we have been fitting in as many appointments as possible...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn22pMwC-37SkIOiCaJN8OwVcPMVXApIHEvlR-VnoP8_n1Fwi80WoAwNDx7FZMjxi3sOam388TzeFzCcPyUmSO_x1VHo-yRQtZuGmQ2bGuQObWZXwr_MztiNofvp9sI0YemCjfnibibe8/s1600/photo_1%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn22pMwC-37SkIOiCaJN8OwVcPMVXApIHEvlR-VnoP8_n1Fwi80WoAwNDx7FZMjxi3sOam388TzeFzCcPyUmSO_x1VHo-yRQtZuGmQ2bGuQObWZXwr_MztiNofvp9sI0YemCjfnibibe8/s320/photo_1%255B1%255D.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew has had appointments with urology to check on his solitary kidney (all is well) and with the neurologist (details tbd).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoNttFAL_SvJx-tiYNWki7Y8dYFEV_vweb3HravKyp0RVEcEtz1m6Oqrhdn0ieqfY6AL6Q8-pq6O66Es3F_xf32iGAcrk-n0DG_XiPPHssbbfvYsrQPCr1cCJHWjotHEZxtzvrLYZa_M/s1600/photo+2+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoNttFAL_SvJx-tiYNWki7Y8dYFEV_vweb3HravKyp0RVEcEtz1m6Oqrhdn0ieqfY6AL6Q8-pq6O66Es3F_xf32iGAcrk-n0DG_XiPPHssbbfvYsrQPCr1cCJHWjotHEZxtzvrLYZa_M/s320/photo+2+%25281%2529.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dentist, orthodontist, dermatologist, oh my!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2qquuT6DxKUqyKIinVDQ2sXxvVBDWgGvv5Q0txh4hagOeXOQcfvw4hJwQdDQMWUTvj-u9t_sGnUIdx6YXm6Fhm3uA9cLU7Kr5J-TFGYJkq9FvMhQy83gcb1Ly_9l1Vjl8jXHlg6S81o/s1600/photo_3%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2qquuT6DxKUqyKIinVDQ2sXxvVBDWgGvv5Q0txh4hagOeXOQcfvw4hJwQdDQMWUTvj-u9t_sGnUIdx6YXm6Fhm3uA9cLU7Kr5J-TFGYJkq9FvMhQy83gcb1Ly_9l1Vjl8jXHlg6S81o/s320/photo_3%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids have become extremely proficient at waiting.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">with a little fun thrown in here and there. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZ30yfdafEUrFzs914Yna6VrOhCWgBDrKdgQr4MuXNgJmP77UBzO16ENNqtzHZUXeDq20plW9_lobLYM1UWmwJItnN-kSh6-UIh2PsHSw_p5eebAorK9fTukr1AyJjGQB_W6bvGX4DjA/s1600/photo+3+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZ30yfdafEUrFzs914Yna6VrOhCWgBDrKdgQr4MuXNgJmP77UBzO16ENNqtzHZUXeDq20plW9_lobLYM1UWmwJItnN-kSh6-UIh2PsHSw_p5eebAorK9fTukr1AyJjGQB_W6bvGX4DjA/s320/photo+3+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice cream</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">S'moreos (S'mores made of Oreos- Yum!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And lots of reading and library books</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thinking about the 5+ weeks left of summer, I am hoping for a little more downtime, maybe even to hear "I'm bored". We could use a little boredom</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> -- it helps us get excited about going back to school. </span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-56838098761056022016-06-15T14:15:00.000-05:002016-06-15T14:15:16.684-05:00Start of SummerWe ran to the finish line at the end of the school year, and we kept running the first week of summer.<div>
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Alyssa has had a great time at camp.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_I1Ve9c-Q8ixm9gjfvSMzCFUimGzPfEEDU0tevlSkXTZ7pOumzrfqRDsQmO3xIy7SRsM-DaPnR03hk0Sw-waaiOqVfF3e_1wTp2SlS83tEBzSU0G8zKglAr6e9-guutra3mZ6YNgkhRU/s1600/IMG_2140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_I1Ve9c-Q8ixm9gjfvSMzCFUimGzPfEEDU0tevlSkXTZ7pOumzrfqRDsQmO3xIy7SRsM-DaPnR03hk0Sw-waaiOqVfF3e_1wTp2SlS83tEBzSU0G8zKglAr6e9-guutra3mZ6YNgkhRU/s320/IMG_2140.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This girl loves camp!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQAbXeBrnYjvhp3kzjAM99dbgj3pdpLg0sTKYP0ohNVXVRnEErhi4h5hpOCvLyI07YMUqpJhoCWotwwwhq595vUaxM1UKGqDFiimf8XTYkQjBjxrkeg4qGIV5aAnF-yvIoVUMSR5dkYg/s1600/IMG_2139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQAbXeBrnYjvhp3kzjAM99dbgj3pdpLg0sTKYP0ohNVXVRnEErhi4h5hpOCvLyI07YMUqpJhoCWotwwwhq595vUaxM1UKGqDFiimf8XTYkQjBjxrkeg4qGIV5aAnF-yvIoVUMSR5dkYg/s320/IMG_2139.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darren and Matthew went for a visit on Sunday.</td></tr>
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Matthew has transitioned back to daycare. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He loves being back at "old school".</td></tr>
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I watched my seniors graduate with tears in my eyes, took a deep breath and then spent 3 days closing up my classroom and planning for next school year.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love pomp and circumstance!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackson scraped gum from the underneath of the desks and proclaimed that he would never chew gum at school.</td></tr>
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Then, Jackson and I went to Space Camp. I have dreamed of Space Camp since I was in 6th grade and it was everything I hoped it would be! </div>
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Happy summer!</div>
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-26016108508265276472016-06-14T14:02:00.000-05:002016-06-14T14:32:31.513-05:00We Made It!<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>We made it to summer!</b></div>
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We finished up our scouting year.<br />
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The kids had their piano recital, with celebratory shake after.</div>
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The kids finished up their sports seasons.</div>
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The kids had their year end, student led conferences at school where they reviewed their school work with us.<br />
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We prepared to send Alyssa to camp.<br />
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And the kids posed for their requisite end of year photos.<br />
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Yippee!</div>
Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-42666405348685234792016-05-19T20:25:00.000-05:002016-05-19T20:27:31.767-05:00This Too Shall Pass<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am particularly beat down at the moment. The end of the school year has me clinging to the sides of our apple cart with all of my might, in hopes that I can keep it balanced and upright for just two and a half more weeks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In addition to the usual end of school year insanity (parties, gifts, projects, grading, and so on), Matthew has been having a particularly rough go at life lately. He's REALLY cranky a great deal of the day. He's obsessing about random items (like the Mexico flag a little boy was waving at Alyssa's soccer game-- for 45 minutes straight!) He's crying on the way to school. He has zero coping mechanism, so if you tell him no, it is a monumental meltdown. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We've gone the last few weeks hoping to find the magic bullet. He's not eating enough, so let's figure out how to get him more food. He's seemingly tired (and waking up TOO early), so let's put him to bed earlier, with a fan, without a fan, with the top bunk removed, on the top bunk. Maybe he's sick, so let's take him to the doctor (who says he looks great). We are running out of tools in our toolbox, and not sure what else to try. I feel like we have tried it all, and he's still struggling. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I keep telling myself that this too shall pass, but I don't know if I really believe it. With Matthew, maybe this is our new 'normal'. Ugh, that idea is so horrible I can't...just can't. This too shall pass. This too shall pass.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Matthew falling asleep sitting up while we waited for the doctor. He's obviously tired, but the 6:30 bedtime doesn't seem to be helping!</span></div>
Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-36444798559038573242016-04-27T15:09:00.000-05:002016-10-30T08:08:20.882-05:00Some Rules Are Broken<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To varying degrees of success, we have always tried to hold Matthew to the same standard that we held Alyssa and Jackson (at that age). That mostly works, but sometimes, what worked for the big kids just doesn't work for Matthew. My parenting tool box sometimes feels light when dealing with Matthew. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Example 1: Time outs have lost effectiveness with the big kids, but taking away privileges still does the trick. For Matthew, it is the exact opposite. Sometimes that causes feelings of unfairness. After a rumble, I may take away Wii time from Jackson, but give Matthew a time out. One time when Jackson was particularly upset by the perceived injustice in punishment, Jack asked me to take away Matthew's iPad. I put it on top of my dresser and it spent well over a month there. Matthew never noticed it was gone. Not exactly a consequence that deters or encourages, well, anything. Though I want to hold Matthew to the same standard, I have to do what works. Time outs are really the only tool in my tool box for him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Example 2: Dinner time has always consisted of two options-- take it or leave it. We have held this steady through 10 years of feeding children. Lately, Matthew has made us rethink that edict though. Every day, when we pick them up from after school care, Matthew is hangry. Very hangry. After a year of this, making almost every evening unbelievably unpleasant because we can't make dinner fast enough, I gave up. I started packing him a dinner in the morning, so he can eat as soon as he gets home. And though it breaks our original rule, and the standard to which we hold Alyssa and Jackson, it has made our household a much more enjoyable place to be between the hours of 5-7pm. I guess some rules are meant to be broken-- for the greater good!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We know Matthew will be different from Alyssa and Jackson, like in the examples above, but in most instances, he's pretty similar. The challenge is finding which instances are which. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew loves the new routine!<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></td></tr>
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-84697020573693622192016-04-25T14:38:00.001-05:002016-04-25T14:38:07.296-05:00Don't Blink<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not sure how it has been almost 2 months since I last posted, but I guess I blinked and the time went by faster than I ever imagined. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully March and April were vastly improved over February! Since I last posted, we went on a cruise with dear friends, we enjoyed time off for Spring Break and visits with family and friends. We started soccer (for Aly and Matt) and flag-football (for Jax), and then hosted a crawfish boil. We continued school, and work, and scouts, and piano, and so on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now it is just a mad rush to the end of the school year. Happy spring!</span><div>
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279397398694101190.post-56519015516990056812016-02-29T21:36:00.000-06:002016-03-01T06:03:19.040-06:00Review of February<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">February was a bit rough--</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We passed around a stomach bug.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The dog was diagnosed with cancer with few treatment options available.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Matthew ran a mystery fever for 4 days, due to an ear infection.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and I got what looked to be a spider bite on my forehead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But the month had lots of awesome moments too--</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Matthew met 2 of his Language Arts goals for the year (7 months early).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We had a great time at the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, where Jackson (and Darren) came in 1st in his den (though didn't place in the finals). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Family and friends celebrated Matthew's sixth birthday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />And we are done selling Girl Scout cookies, where Alyssa was excited to "earn" Mr. Moos (a little stuffed cow). </span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12794179220355425186noreply@blogger.com0