Parent/Teacher Conferences!

This past week, we met with Mrs. Schmidt and Mrs. Hoppens for Brady and Kade's parent/teacher conferences. The purpose of the conferences is to discuss how much progress you child is making. They have one in the fall and one in the spring. Monday was Brady's conference. Mrs. Schmidt said that Brady is doing fine. He has a couple of things to work on, but she said because he is one of the youngest in the class is the reason he lags behind in a couple of areas. She says he will catch up in no time in the next few months to come. She informed us that Brady is a very headstrong little boy and extremely independent. He is going to do what Brady wants to do and there is no changing his mind. Although these may not seem like great qualities to have right now, she said they will be great qualities to have as he gets older. He will be a leader in the future and not a follower.
Kade's conference went great as always. He is right on track or ahead of where he needs to be. He is considerate of others feelings, uses good manners, listens well, participates in centers, loves to read and listen to stories, wants to please everyone, and is always willing to learn something new and be challenged.
WOW! What a difference. It is so crazy how different their personalities are and they are raised in the same home, by the same parents, the same way. I guess that is the difference between your first born and the second child.

Brady, my middle child!

Well, I have always heard that the middle child is the worst child. Even though the new baby isn't here yet, Brady is beginning to prove that there is truth to that statement. About a week ago he was in "one of his moods" you could say. When I picked him up from school, Mrs. Connie said that he just wasn't quite himself that day. He had been kind of whiny and just in a bad mood. Needless to say that mood followed us home. When we got home, I took the backpacks and mail in the house. The boys stayed outside to play. Kade came running in yelling "Mom, come quick. Brady." I thought something happened to Brady, but when I went out there, he was on the back of the mule dumping out fish food by the scoops full all over the carport. I disciplined and told him to go play on his play set. While I was sweeping up fish food, he proceeded to dump out the dog food. Once all the food was cleaned up, we went inside, and Brady told me he was thirsty. I gave him a PURPLE grape caprisun juice that he took in my bedroom and squirted out all over my light colored carpet; the entire juice. I sent him outside with Dane while I cleaned that up. While outside, he took the key out of the mule and hid it from us. When we asked him where he put it, he said "It proly in da house." I said no it's not. He said "It proly on top of da car." I said no it's not. We finally found it under the mule hidden up under a lip. Back inside the house, Kade was watching TV. Brady was being loud, so Kade told him to go in the other room because he couldn't hear his show. Brady marched in the kitchen, took out two pot lids, and got in Kade's face and starting banging them together as loud as he could. Before the night was over he managed to break an entire box of crayons in half and throw them all over the floor in his room. While cleaning them up, he decided to do a little artwork all over the carpet with a black crayon. By then, Dane and I had had it. We did some major disciplining. This was all in just one evening, and I was exhausted. Thank goodness this isn't an everyday occurance. It's hard to imagine how that innocent faced little boy can be so mischevious. No matter what or how much mischief he seems to get in though, we still love and adore him. He has a personality and a sweet side to him that can melt your heart. Let's just hope for future purposes that we see that sweet side much more often than the spiteful side.