Family Life :)

Oh my goodness, how I adore this face! I know to many of you a lot of my pictures seem the same. But they are all so cute I can never decide which ones to post- so I post them ALL!

Like this one.

And this one.

Emma recently received this bouncer from her friend, Aurora. She absolutely loves it (see the video below)!

Well, we had a sicky week. Brad came down with some sort of bug Wednesday, and Emma and Savanna caught it by Friday. So we have been playing lots of Legos, reading, watching movies, and cuddling. So far no one else is sick (fingers crossed)! James is hoping to get the day off work tomorrow so that I can get some sleep, and he can take whoever is well to church.

Having sick kids is always sad, but nothing is sadder than a sick baby. My sweet-natured Emma has been crying most of the day. If only I could kiss it all away! Fortunately, no one stays sick for very long in this family usually. Bradley is almost completely better already. You can still see a little sickness in his eyes, but he has been playing outside and running around again today.

Brad displaying his new Lego creation and some cool clothes that were given to him by his friend Jayden.

Savanna has decided to start reading all the Harry Potter books again preparing for the last movie to come out this summer. Her and James plan on going to the midnight showing. More power to them! I love Harry Potter, but I love my sleep more these days!

James has decided to apply for a correctional deputy position at the courthouse. It is a one-year position that would begin in May. The hours would be Monday thru Friday from 8 to 5 (ish), so he would be off every Saturday and Sunday, and all major holidays! He hasn't been able to attend church or be with us on Christmas and other holidays in over two years, and he missed almost all the kids' camp outs and soccer games last year. Although it would be strange to not have him home 3 to 4 days during the week, we are praying that he gets this position. I think it would work so much better for our family, and he could have a little refueling spiritually. There are only three openings, and it is all done by seniority, so we may need some divine intervention to make this happen. Send your prayers and good thoughts his way, please!

I am doing well. I had a very inspired conversation with a friend at church last Sunday. You know how you know that you need to make changes, and you even some times know exactly what you need to do, but it takes someone else telling you what you already know to actually take action? Whew, that was a long sentence! At any rate, I had some great epiphanies and have started to implement some positive changes this week in regards to my health and well-being. I am feeling great, and am looking forward to getting back on track. :)

February 26 - March 5, 2011

My Little Niece, Gabriella

These are some of my favorite pictures of Gabby that I have recently seen on my Sister's blog. She is becoming prettier and prettier. There is nothing more sweet than a newborn baby!

She fits in Nelson's hand!

February 2011

The Serrano Family Is Complete

My Sis and her family's recent portraits- these turned out SO great, Heath!

You can't see it, but Sofi's shirt says Big Sister and Gabby's shirt says Little Sister. :)

Little Gabby is a little over 2 weeks old!

February 26, 2011

What did we do this week?

This week went by quickly. I know we did a lot of things, like usual, but I have almost no pictures to show of it! I'll try to take more next week.

Let's see...we have been exercising, taking care of our new home (James is in the process of building us a bunch of custom shelves in our master closet, the kids' walk-in closet, and a couple in the learning closet.), I received another calling this week and was trained on that (In addition to being a ward missionary and Assistant Relief Society Secretary- for fellow Office fans, that's different than Assistant TO the Relief Society Secretary!- I am now also the Visiting Teaching Coordinator. It's pretty simple. I make some calls and do some reports each month to keep track of all the women who have been visited.), James is still going to the chiropractor for his back pain (I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Steve Tullius in Grover Beach if anyone is looking for a great chiropractor), Savanna had her colloquium about Snow Treasures, and we are loving our new learning closet.

The boys can't wait until the closet is "opened" each day. We have decided to only use the closet an hour or two a day. It is opened when James or I are available to play/learn with them. So far this week there favorite picks from the learning closet have been pattern blocks, Montessori manipulatives, and Battleship. I'm loving the closet because it is time set aside for me to simply play with the kids. Moms are very busy. There are so many duties and people that pull and tug at us all day long. I found that even with home schooling, it is hard to find time to just play. I feel like I should be doing a "lesson" or teaching some sort of skill at all times, but there is so much value in simply spending quality time with each child doing something he/she loves. Deep discussions have developed during this special play time (and remember, during Core phase learning is synonymous with playing) that might not have occurred otherwise. I am able to bring up many topics, edify strengths and encourage progress during our closet sessions. It is so popular that the boys are waiting anxiously for me to get off the computer so that we can have closet time while Emma sleeps right now. So, I guess I better go. :)

And just for fun, here's our cute puppy. I love it when he cocks his head to the side like this!

February 21- 26, 2011

Savanna's New Haircut

Savanna and I had a girl's day yesterday. We went shopping, Savanna had her hair cut, and then we hit the library for our monthly Mentor Meeting. Once a month Savanna and I break out our calendars and plan out the next month based on academic and recreational goals Savanna has personally set. As she is getting older, these meetings are becoming more and more productive. She is really taking ownership of her education lately, studying hours a day without me prodding or supervising her. She finally has reached a point where she loves to learn, and does it because she sees value in it, not because someone is making her! I am very excited for her. In March she will be working on: pre-algebra, US and World History, spelling, grammar, sewing, drawing, cooking, Personal Progress (our church's spiritual program for young women), soccer, tennis, science, and piano. She will also be reading several classic books, and leading her own colloquium. Good times. :)

February 25, 2011

"The" Closet

Our big Saturday project: setting up our learning closet and school room. According to the home-school coach (also known as the closet coach), Mary Ann Johnson, the closet is a BIG deal. The closet is an essential tool for any family wanting to inspire their kids to learn from a variety of topics on a daily basis.

Here is what Mary Ann says about the closet http://home-school-coach.com/closet-the-basic-home-schooling-tool/.

We have utilized the closet principle before, but it always became a disorganized mess. The children got bored quickly, and I found myself having to persuade them to learn...persuading is not the same as inspiring!

Using some of Mary Ann's principles, we finally turned our third bedroom into our office/school room with our learning closet set-up correctly and some ground rules placed. I was careful to select only a portion of our learning materials, and we will be rotating them on a regular basis. This will keep the closet from becoming too crowded and overstimulating the children. Also, the closet will only be opened during our structured learning time each day when Mom or Dad is available to "play"/learn alongside the children. This will also keep the closet neat and tidy due to supervision, and will allow it to become something special. It isn't just available any ol' time whenever they want. Learning time with the closet will be a sacred time for reading, math, puzzles, games, etc. with another family member. It will be something we can all look forward to and take advantage of daily. I'm excited to get started on Monday! The room feels so much warmer and inviting already!

Emma's learning corner.

February 19, 2011