The "Guls"

 We refer to Justin's basketball players as "our girls."  Canaan has even caught on to this and in the sweetest two year old voice as possible calls them the "guls."  He will wake up in the morning and the first thing he often asks about is the "guls."  I don't worry when he's two and asking about teenage girls first thing in the morning, but when he's a teenager himself, that will be another story.

Since I consider this blog my electronic scrapbook of sorts, it's important to me that I keep up with important things to our family.  Well, basketball is certainly one of them, because it takes up a huge amount of our family time.  Ronnie and Cathy continue to be our biggest support and help at all the ballgames.

Aubree is Hadley's best friend and is in her preschool class.  Aubree was at the game this night and sat with us for awhile.  We are thankful for Aubree's sweet disposition and thankful that Hadley has her as a friend!

Hadley continues to enjoy doing the radio with Justin and Canaan has even joined in a couple of times.  We just have to watch him so carefully, though, as he is more of a wild card in his behavior.  I can hear him screaming some mumbo-jumbo on air!  I'm sure the radio listeners wouldn't appreciate that too much.

Justin continues to talk to media all the time.  People at church laughingly ask for his autograph because he's on the nightly news very frequently during this time of the year.  The media love my man. ;)

So although this is an incredibly busy time of the year; sometimes to the point of tears....we are so blessed to get to know our "guls" and invest in their lives.  Wouldn't trade it for anything!  Go Lady Scotties!



  

100 Club, Sight Words, and Beginner Books

It has been so neat to watch Hadley's growth as a student this year.  The preschool program at my school has been wonderful for her; exactly what our girl needed.  Her teacher did an activity for Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday where she asked each student what his/her dream was.  I loved Hadley's response, "My dream is for my brother to stay with me forever."  Be still my heart.  Her handwriting has improved tremendously since the beginning of the year.  After fall break, she did a writing assignment where she wrote what she did over the break.  She wrote that she went to the mountains.  I still can't believe her progress since then.

Ms. Brittney sends a paperback book home with Hadley each week for her to practice at home.  She got to come read to my students one week.  Another week she read to our principal.  It makes her feel so big to think she is really reading.  We are also working through the first set of Bob Books, which we love.

Sight words have come home with her every night since October.  She has mastered all the words on the first list and we are now on the second list.  She loves getting stickers on her cards when she is able to recite them to Ms. Brittney.  Ms. Brittney says Hadley really keeps her on her toes with the sight words.  We are also proud that she recently made it in to the 100 club, which is when a child counts to 100 orally.  At the very beginning of preschool she could only count to 39, so this has been another huge step for her.  Hadley just can't get enough of school and learning.  She wants to do homework and is a perfectionist.  We are just so proud of all she has accomplished this year so far!  It's a good thing, too, since kindergarten is just around the corner.  Sniff, sniff.