Beaming

Tonight we had our first parent-teacher conference with Gabe's kindergarten teacher.  We weren't entirely sure what to expect, and though we weren't really expecting anything really negative (what parent does?! :-)), we left feeling exceptionally proud.  I can't help but share some of his teacher's comments from his progress report:

Academic
"Gabe is our curious little guy who loves to find out the how and why of things.  He listens intently when facts of a topic are discussed and adds his knowledge of the subject.  When Gabe speaks, people listen!  His knowledge of letter sounds is making the move to reading become more natural and fun! Sometimes Gabe even surprises himself as he decodes a new word.  As his confidence soars, so does his ability to tackle new letter combinations.  He enjoys our phonetic awareness (auditory substitutions and word changes), and takes an active part in class response.  Gabe completes activities without distracting others, nor is he easily distracted - that's a true gift for a little guy!"

Social / Emotional:
"Gabe is the perfect combination of fun-loving litte guy, while being 100% in control of his actions and emotions with his friends.  Thus Gabe is a sough after and trusted friend - his friends know they can depend on Gabe to play fairly and cooperatively.  He displays the perfect balance of leadership qualities and the ability to listen to others and follow their lead - unless someone tries to be "bossy."  Then Gabe remains true to himself and will not just do what the "boss" says.  That's maturity!"

Spiritual
"Gabe enjoys listening to stories of Bible heroes and adding his knowledge of the stories.  He is awed by the power and presence of God in his life and of His never ending love for him."

Physical
"Gabe shows good agility, confidence and speed in movement.  He jumps on one foot, two feet and is developing a step-hop skip."


Again, just so proud of him, but am also fascinated by: a.) the fact that we are even at a point in our lives where we are going to "parent-teacher conferences," and, b.) hearing another person's perspective on my child's personality.  I find it very interesing to hear about his behavior when he's away from us, and am so glad to hear that he's doing well.  Makes me feel a little better about transitioning to this stage (though sometimes I still want to keep him little!).

Thanks for letting me share a proud mom moment.  :-)

Hi, My Name is Sara...

....and I used to blog here. :-)  It's been a while!  We are alive and well.  Fall has been great....Gabe is in the full swing of kindergarten (and he lost another tooth on 10/30!), Caleb is growing and keeping us laughing, Dan is still running, and Lolli...well, I'll need to devote an entire post to Miss Lollipop, but she's good, too.

Just wanted to pop in and say hello if anyone's still out there!  I need to be more consistent with updates and such.  The ol' memory isn't as good as it used to be, and Lord knows I'm not keeping record of things anywhere else.  So, for the sake of posterity and family records, I'll try to do a little better.  :-)

Photo: Aunt Christina! {She did an amazing job despite some VERY difficult clients.  :-)  That's another story for another day, with more photos to come.}