The final few days of school.....

School officially ended June 3rd for the kids,

but it's just finally starting to feel like Summer.

It's been relatively cool to say the least.

A few weeks prior to the end of school Alex came home with a note instructing him to

create a car out of cardboard and bring it on the last day of school for

a drive in movie experience.

Alex got in the van that day with his note in hand and immediately asked to call Uncle Aaron.

He didn't want me or Dad to help him.

He had crazy plans already going on in his head and he knew

he needed Uncle Aaron's help.

Alex's car was very cool and he had the only car with wheels that actually worked!

He even had a real go cart seat!

He was so excited!

Thank you Aunt Misty and Uncle Aaron for all your help!

I snapped a few quick pictures with my phone the morning of the drive in movie.

A few of the cars were just your basic box cars but a few of them went all out!

Alex loved the star wars plane that his friend made.

He is already making plans for next year.

(Misty and Aaron; this is your one year warning and next year we'll need two!)

Alex, Hallie and Nadya celebrated the of the school year with a fun field day.

It was a cool, windy day, but that didn't stop anyone.

(Pictured left if Alex throwing the ball and dunking his friend, Harrison in the dunk booth!  It was funny because everyone was telling Harrison he was going down and Harrison said, "No, he won't dunk me. 

 He's my friend!"  Ball connects and down he goes!  Well done Alex!!!!!!!

All the 6th graders got to take a turn in the dunk booth. 

Lucky for Hallie, I captured it play by play on my camera.

Poor thing...  It was windy and cold.....

To end off the day the firetruck came and hosed the kids down.

Alex didn't last long.  It was just too cold.

Nadya took her umbrella and I couldn't find Hallie in the mess of kids.

Hallie left her last day of Elementary school with huge crocodile tears.

She was so sad to be leaving such a great school.

It was heart breaking, but I know she will love Jr High!

Carter celebrated his last day at his school with a fun day at Cowabunga Bay.

(Again, it was a bit cold, but their lazy river is well heated so the kids could always warm up.)

Carter was a little too brave for me and ended up going down all the slides!

Nadya came too, but Alex and Hallie did not want to

leave early on their last day of school in order to attend.

I had very mixed emotions about Carter's last day of school.  

He is leaving an amazing place and he is doing so well there.

I hate making decisions like these as a parent!

 It was his last day officially on June 2nd and he'd  been there since he was 18 months.

I have no doubt the amazing influence that school has had on him.

They have helped shape him into the sweet, god loving boy that he is.

We consider ourselves very lucky to have had Carter and Alex attend such a great school.

 A school that has blessed not only our boys, but our entire  family over and over.

It is sad to move on, but I am just not sure we want to continue to pay private tuition

when we have such a great public school option.

Both boys will be in the Magnet program (accelerated class)  at one of Utah's best public schools.

And of course, nothing is set in stone.

We would be welcomed with open arms back to our private school if need be.

And I can't end this entry with out bragging.

Sorry, it's my blog and I'll brag if I want to!

My kids all had AMAZING report cards.... Alex finished the year with all E's and H's.

 (Something he did all three terms!)

Nadya had all A's except one measly math grade! (Way to go!)

And, she scored a 27 on her  DWA (Direct Writing Assessment)

That blows my mind!  30 is the top score and 22 was the state average.

A girl who four years ago couldn't speak or write English just scored a 27!

They assess the kids using the 6 traits of writing and they can earn up to five points for each trait.

She got three 5s and three 4s.

Way to go Miss Mae!

You are an amazing girl!

Hallie had all A's and B's!

Yeah Hallie!!!!! All your hard work paid off!

 And Carter's report card is being mailed along with his SAT scores,

so we will have to wait on those.

But, I fully expect it to be like his last three report cards which were fantastic!

Bring on the Warmer Weather.........

We are Ready for Summer!!!!!!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Nadya Mae

4th Grade

Nadya was so excited for her Parent Teacher Conference. She couldn't wait! She knew how hard she has been working and she was excited for us to hear all about it. She exceeded every expectation. I really need to stop saying, "she can't because...." Because, the girl is proof that she can! She can speak another language 8 years of her life and learn to speak, read and write English in two short years. Not only can she do it, she can do it all very well! So, did it surprise me when her teacher showed us her report card that revealed nothing but A's? No, not really. Doug knew she was a smart girl in Russia. We were told she was one of the top kids, but it was hard to believe. Really? Don't they say that to all adoptive parents? Well, maybe not. I'll never know. But, does it matter? All A's..... There were only 4 others on the high honor roll and she was one of them. Not only all A's but all her testing shows unbelievable progress.

• She reads 70 words per minute on 4th grade level text. wow!

• She read with 100% accuracy on a level 2E test. (second grade at the end of the year) So, her teacher decided to try a more difficult test. She reads with 95% accuracy on a 3C (third grade at the end of the year) So, this is where they have placed her. She is just barely behind in reading. She does not meet the rate requirement, but quite honestly that requirement really frustrates me. They make no allowance for ESL students (English as a second language) and they should. She reads 70 words per minute on a 4th grade level text and she has been speaking the language for all of two years and somehow that is not enough? Thank God for her teacher. She doesn't believe the rate requirement should hold her back. She is not going to read at the same rate as her peers who have been speaking English their entire life. So what if it takes her a little bit longer to read, she is doing a great job comprehending the text and she really needs the exposure to the vocabulary in 3rd and 4th grade books. So, that is exactly what she is getting and you know what? She is doing really well with it.

• Her spelling assessment placed her right at the end of 3rd grade working on other vowels. When I mentioned that she knows her words on Tuesday every week and we do not study them her teacher suggested giving her two lists. So, she will be working on other vowels, as well as syllable junctures which is exactly where 4th graders should be. We will see how it goes, but I don't anticipate any problems but currently we are not studying for spelling tests.

• She received an "H" (Honors) in citizenship. Her teacher said she is a hard worker, very helpful but not overly helpful and actually does a fair amount of peer tutoring with struggling students without being asked.

• She continues to do all of this and she puts in 10 hours a week in the gym for gymnastics. We are so very proud of her and of all her accomplishments!

Hallie Jo

5th Grade

Hallie was very cute at her conference. Her teacher really put the kids in charge and it was fun to watch her orchastrate the conference and tell us about how she is doing. She is really a great kid and had fun telling us just how great she is! :) Her report card was good, A's and B's. She was pleased and so were we. Her teacher had great things to say about her and praised Hallie for being so respectful and such a great listener. It was so fun to watch her teacher imitate Hallie's body language when she is listening because Hallie listens with her entire body. Her teacher was wishing that all of her students would listen like that and we were wishing she would listen like that at home. What gives? So, she is doing well. We are very proud of her. Her new goals are.

• She is going to work on her multiplication facts and decimal addition and subtraction with regrouping.

• Her reading was right where it should be, but her spelling is below grade level. No surprises there. She has never been a good speller. It is just not her thing! Good thing she has Nadya, who happens to be a great little speller to help her out. So, we will be working harder on spelling.

• Hallie is also suppose to work on her typing skills as she is only typing 5 words per minute currently. So, we have a lot of work to do in that area. Any suggestions?

• We are trying something new with Hallie's schedule.  She will spend a week with Dad and a week with Mom. We think a little more consistency with homework and life in general could be  a better fit.  This is the first week and I am already seeing so many benefits.  I think we will like it, but not seeing her for a week at a time is a real down side!
  

Alex Michael

Kindergarten

Alex's Kindergarten teacher was very pleased with Alex. She started with his strengths. He is an amazing reader! Reading at about a second grade level. Go Alex! He has been reading since he was four, so this really comes as no surprise. He is bringing home books that are around 2.5-3.3 and has been very successful in reading them and taking the AR tests on the computer. He is very good at math and does well in addition. He is compassionate and sensitive and she shared a story about how Alex was willing to work with a girl so his best friend could be partners with a boy. Sweet boy! I guess girls do have cooties in Kindergarten. His report card revealed many, many + for excellent and a few check marks for satisfactory and one "I" for needs to improve. He needs to work on his self control. He is very social and really likes to talk apparently, so this gives us something to work on. I have noticed this when I am volunteering, but I have also noticed the same thing with many other children so I am assuming it is pretty age appropriate. Nonetheless, we will still work on it. His teacher said she would write in his conduct folder if he seemed really chatty, otherwise we will assume it was a good day. Sounds like a plan to me! Way to go Alex!

Carter Jay

Pre-Kindergarten

Carter is doing very well. He likes school, seems happy to be there, has many friends and is writing his letters big, but well. Carter knows all of his colors, shapes, and identifies numbers 1-12. He can count to 39 but he skipped 14. I actually had already noticed that so we had been working on it. He no longer skips 14, but he did back in October when she assessed him. He can identify all of his letters, upper-case and lower and knows all of his sounds but did not know "O" or "U" when she asked him, even though I know he does. Stinker! His teacher is very pleased with him and really enjoys him. She even said she loves his little voice. Little???? I would disagree with that one. Carter does not seem to enjoy music or reciting the pledge. I suggested to his teacher that she try not to make a big deal out of it and perhaps he will come to enjoy it. He just sits quietly and watches everyone else, but doesn't want to join in. I am not sure why as he seemed to enjoy music in preschool, so perhaps this is just a phase? At home, Carter is struggling in the evenings. He only gets 30 minutes of rest time at school and is very tired at home as a result. We have pushed up bedtime, but usually he is in bed by 7:30 or he has a very bad attitude because he is tired. I am looking forward to my Monday class finishing up the first of December so he can go back to just attending school 3 days a week. I think 4 days is one day too many for his little body. He seems really tired a fair amount of the time. At home Carter has started to read Bob Books and currently can read books 1-3. He is sounding out words sometimes, but mostly has an amazing memory and memorizes many of the words too. We are very proud of him!

Sitting in Amazement

I literally find myself sitting there staring at Nadya and wondering..... what if Doug hadn't met and fell in love with her?? What would her life be like?? What would our life be like??? This question is so difficult, because we just couldn't even imagine our life with out her. We just celebrated her first Gotcha day last month and I can not believe it has already been a year.... She has learned so much in this short amount of time. At the orphanage we were told she didn't smile much and was not very sociable. Can I just tell you she is the complete opposite now?? She ALWAYS has a smile on her face and she talks so much in school that her teacher has to be careful who she sits her by. (I am smiling, because this is the same little girl that I was afraid would possibly hide in the corner and never come out!) I am thrilled at these changes, because it means she is HAPPY! (She is also a good student, just still learning a few rules about when she can and can not talk, but I am told so is the rest of her class because they are a chatty bunch). She has changed so much in this past year and we have learned so much about her. I just wanted to list a few......

She loves pizza, ice cream, spaghetti, lasagna, and onions. Yes, onions!
She is pretty athletic, loves soccer (scored two goals in her last game)!
She loves gymnastic and is becoming a good gymnast.
She has lots of friends.
She is a great big sister.
She is becoming a great reader and writer.
She is persistent.
She is artistic.
She likes to keep her room clean.
She can be stubborn, but then again, so can her mom.
She loves junk food.
She loves the monkey bars.
She loves Dr Pepper.
She loves Hannah Montana.
She loves music.
She likes to read. She often reads more than is required by her teacher for homework.
She is very helpful.
She is a chatterbox, just like her brother.

Most importantly, She is LOVED by so many!

Miss Nadya Mae!!!!!

Nadya was tested this week at school and is officially reading at a level 6, which is comparable to a first grader in the middle of the year! Way to go Nadya! Only seven months and you are doing amazing things! If she continues to progress this quickly, she will catch up in no time!!!

Fall Time

We went up to the mountains for a family barbeque and had a great time. Here are a few pics and a brief update on all the kids..


Nadya-

Nadya is learning english rapidly. She loves school and has mastered the alphabet. She is currently working on her sounds and reviewing her numbers. She has learned to ride her bike very well and she is just enjoying her freedoms. She is a big help around the house and with the boys. She and Hallie are getting along pretty good, although they have their moments.

Hallie-
Hallie is a big 3rd grader and is learning cursive. I wonder if it is the right thing to do considering her print is not so great, but her cursive seems to be pretty good. Recently she has become a reader and is really enjoying a series called Dilly's Diary. She has a big report due in a few weeks on the Ute Indians and she has decided to be an Indian for Halloween as a result of all her research.

Alex-

Alex is almost 4!!!! Yikes!!!!! We have preparing him for this B-day by reminding him that 4 year olds get to get dressed all by themselves! He seems pretty excited about this and his birthday party!!!!! He is learning his letters and loves pre-school. He has also pretty good on his scooter and scares me to death with how fast he goes! He still loves the computer and would play it all day if mom would let him... He has been sick this past week, but seems to be feeling better. Unfortunetaly he seemed to get dad sick too.











Carter-


IS POTTY TRAINED!!!!!!!!!!! YIPPEEE!!! I can't believe how easy it has been. We have had a total of 5 accidents all week long and the past two days we haven't had a single accident. It's funny, I catch him in the bathroom going all by himself with out even telling me. Alex could take a few pointers from his brother. Alex has no problem using the bathroom, but he thinks he needs my help. Carter is unfortunately a terrible two and is very independent. He is extremely vocal for two and will just tell you how it is. My favorite quotes from the past few weeks are......


"You Mean, Go back to Russia!"


"I just want a little bit tiny please."