Update

We just had or parent teachers conference at Caleb's school. We love his teachers and are very thankful that God knew exactly which class would allow Caleb to flourish. There were seven categories they look at and overall Caleb did great.

Math Readiness- He does great, but still skips the numbers 14 and 17 when counting no matter how high he goes. I think he can count to 50 if he can stay focused. He has known all his shapes since 2, so when he didn't get all of these correct I am sure he just lost interest in the activity.

Reading Readiness-I learned rhyming is an important activity to prepare for reading. He loves nursery rhymes, so we have been reading these lately and he especially loves Goosey Goosey Gander.  Probably because the goose throws the guy down the stairs for not praying. 

Practical Skills-such as his name and phone number. I need to be more intentional with teaching him how to call Mommy.

Social/Emotional Skills-he did great in this area and I was extremely happy to hear he has never melted down at school.

Fine Motor Skills- This is by far his weakest area. He doesn't like to write and is adamant that getting it done fast is far superior to quality. Both the kids love Play Doh, so I will try to incorporate this into our activities more often.

Self-Help Skills-He was on target in this area. One benefit of a mommy that always tries to squeeze in too much is self sufficient little ones. He picks out his outfit and dresses himself almost everyday. Sometimes his coordination is a little questionable, but I love that I am seeing his personality though what he likes to wear.

Gross Motor Skills-this area is his strength. He is so athletic and enjoys competition. He is wired to a be a brave warrior. As his Mommy I am not sure if I like the thought of him going off to war, but I am sure he will be a leader on the ball field someday. He is already coordinating games and activities with his classmates during gym time.

Speaking and Listening Skills- He is strong in verbal communication; however, he struggles with attention span. I finally understand the true problem with TV. It is extremely stimulating and I am pretty convinced in Caleb's case TV is the main contributing factor to his short attention span. It is my fault. He doesn't watch a ton of TV, but if he ever seems bored and thus restless resulting in trouble I use the TV to stimulate him. We do so much that is fun together and rarely slow down. Pretty much our only quiet time is before bed or watching TV. I am going to try to do extremely limited screen time and not use the TV as a crutch to get stuff done. I am hoping this helps. Mrs. Trax recommended we wait on Kindergarden for this reason alone. We were planning on waiting another year, and any doubt on whether or not this was a good decision was a eliminated.

Makaylee is still her sweet self. 

She has been asserting her independence, which I appreciate until we are in a hurry. Sadly, because time management is not a quality I posses we are always running late. "I do it myself" creates a major obstacle to every outing. I need to add an extra five to allow for synergy in our lives. I know this, yet I still haven't  adjusted. 

Her communication is drastically improving. I can tell she is going to have the gift of gab. I love this!! She enjoys a good salad and as we share spinach bits I flash forward to the times we are sharing lunch and life stories. 

We are struggling with bedtime. She is having a hard time falling asleep and thus decides to wonder into the hallway. Often, I find her lying on the floor outside her room with her little pillow, blankey and a book. It might be time to cut the afternoon nap to an hour tops. 

We have been trying to get her to potty train, but it seems intimidating to her. I don't want to push it, so I just mention it to her multiple times a day. I got her big girl room all ready and told her when she is ready to potty she gets to move into her big girl room. She likes the idea of being a big girl, but doesn't like the changes that accompany this label. A put up a shelf in the new room and didn't have anything she wouldn't break to go on it, so I decided to steal a great idea form my friend at Funmoms and make custom blocks to decorate the shelf and add an interest item. She loves them!!

 Her nickname from Attie Jo