Summer Time Happiness

Peyton finished the school year by losing her first tooth during Super Kids Day and earned all E's (excellent).  Her reading score was so high, she actually finished Kindergarten reading at a level 16 which is what she will need to finish First Grade.  She had such a great time in kindergarten, she was sad for it to end, but has been having a great time in the younger summer program at St. Joseph's. 

It seems like almost every week there is something new she has figured out how to do.  She can reach her towel on the hooks of the bathroom door, put her hair in a pony tail, hula-hoop with 2 at a time and she is such an amazing big sister.  I am seeing what kind of a mom, I think she will be.

She is in to Shopkins and still loves to play board games.  This summer Nana and Papa bought her a new version of Monopoly and she is getting good.  Peyton is a little nervous about who she will get for her First Grade teacher, but I have assured her, she will more than likely have a great year no matter what.

Peyton brings us such joy and is quite the joke teller.  She has a heart of gold, is doing a good job displaying integrity by making good choices and is still rather dramatic with her facial expressions, which makes life so much fun.  She is starting gymnastics at Bart Connor and shocked us the 2nd day by being able to climb the rope to the top!

She has hit a growth spurt and is over 4ft. tall and is wearing a size 1 shoe.  She hasn't quite hit 50lbs yet, but she is close!

So Many Accomplishments!

 

Peyton's accomplishments just continue to amaze us.  A picture she drew was chosen out of her class of 22 to be displayed at the Norman All-City Art Show.  She is humble which makes what she is doing that much more impressive. 

 

April 29th, Peyton stood in front of all the students and teachers of Roosevelt as well as numerous parents to demostrate her knowledge of 9 colors in the Chinese language.  Her class meets with the Chinese teacher for 30 minutes once a month and she was the only kindergarten student (of 80+) that could recite all 9 colors in the language.  Later that day, Peyton's teacher emailed us to let us know she scored a 16 on the DRA reading assessment.  What makes this so impressive is that a score of 4 is what is required to pass kindergarten!  We look forward to attending Rendevous May 5th when Peyton gets a gold medal for reading 118 books from the end of August to April 17th.  She went above and beyond what was required for a gold medal in the Reading Olympics.  A large number of her books were also chapter books!

 

We love this girl and are so thankful to be blessed with her.  She will perform in her first Sooner Theatre Showcase the first weekend of May and she is looking forward to summer gymnastics at Bart Connors and attending her first vacation Bible school.

Where Has the Time Gone?

Our little Kindergartener continues to blow us away with her outlook on life, analytical ability and complete love of her brother!  Peyton started Gifted and Talented in january after the teacher returned from maternity leave.  She tested in the 99%!  She loves it and I receive email from her GT teacher talking about how much she loves having Peyton in class and what she brings to the learning environment.

Peyton has chosen to participate in the reading olympics at Roosevelt and so far has read 113 books since the end of August.  I should add that most of these are chapter books and not the ones typically given to kids her age.  Besides being a terrific reader she is showing signs of being able to do advanced math quickly in her head.  Even better is her continued love for learning and her creativity.

Peyton is such an amazing big sister.  Her brother is absolutely lost when she is not around!

Kindergarten At Last!

What an Amazing year with Peyton!

August 20, 2014

Peyton began "big kid" school at Roosevelt Elementary with her Teacher Mrs. Dykes.  Her best friend's name is Rowan and overall she has adapted nicely.  Peyton's teacher told us at our first conference that Peyton is a leader in the class and is well-ahead of schedule with her knowledge base.  She was tested for Gifted and Talented January 5th, 2015 and was thrilled she answered a few questions that for meant for 12 year olds (though she was disappointed she didn't answer any of the questions for 13 & 14 year olds).  Mrs. Brown, the G&T teacher sent us this email about Peyton,

 

"Peyton was such a joy to test and I was secretly hoping she'd qualify because I enjoyed her so much! Her responses were very impressive and her love of learning truly shines.  I am very much looking forward to working with her over the next three years."

 

 

Happy 4th Birthday Uncka Pluncka!!

For Peyton's 4th birthday we decided on a carnival in our backyard. Mother Nature decided we would have an abnormal weather day so it was over 90 degrees and 30 mile an hour winds. This did hamper our decorating, but we remained flexible and continued with what we could make work. Peyton had a wondrful time and we hope her friends did as well! The games included Duck Match, Spill the Milk, Bean Bag toss, Dart/Balloon toss (rubber-tipped darts of course), Cup Pong, and Carnival Tattoos by Aunt Jacque. The prizes seemed to be a big hit with the girls but boy were the horns loud! To top the day off everyone got balloon hats, bracelets and animals from John Pansze. He was wonderful and even entertained the guests while we cut cake.

Fall is in the air

It hard to believe it is half-way through October and our baby is almost 4 years old.  We have been having so much fun that the time has gotten away from me when it comes to updating the blog.

Peyton loves her school (though she would rather stay home with mommy - mommy would prefer this as well but we all know how that goes).  We have recently gone to a camp themed birthday party for twins at her school and will soon be hosting a carnival themed party in our backyard for Peyton.

Peyton still loves puzzles, singing, dancing, telling everyone the correct way to do things and of course playing outside.  She is extremely into taking pictures and as you can see from the slideshow I often find numerous pictures of her on my phone. 

We just got back from the Texas State Fair and a huge win by our OU Sooners!  Peyton once again loved the giant ferris wheel and all the fair had to offer.  She tried caramel popcorn for the first time and was a fan as well as the rainbow pop (popsicle) she finished in its entirety.

Peyton is involved once again in a Music and Math Connection program and has added Tumblebus to her activities.  One thing is for sure - if she puts her mind to it, she excels.  She loves her baby cousins Blakely and Alex and is learning how to behave with newborns.  When they aren't around, she occupies her love for babies by taking great care of her own baby doll.

Earlier this month we took family pictures on the campus on The University of Oklahoma since it plays such a large role in our lives.  Not only was it the first time we had taken family pictures outside but it was our first opportunity to take pictures with my brother and his family.

Peyton continues to challenge and amaze us.  She holds story time for us and even "reads" her books to herself when we are busy.  It is amazing to hear the stories she comes up with.  Last week one Dora book she read out loud was very dramatic in plot and even contained 5 words in Spanish!

Peyton still loves to sing and for the last month has been going to "big people church" as she likes to call it.  Her favorite song comes right after the offering and instead of belting out Alleluia, she passionately sings, "AlleUla!"  It is so cute and she gets so into singing that I don't have the heart to correct her pronunciation right now.

Since our neighborhood has a pool, we have been spending quite a few hours there.  Peyton is coming along in her comfort level in the big pool and her swimming skills.  She doesn't want to take formal lessons this summer so instead she is not allowed to get into the pool without her arm floaties, her flower ring floaty and of course mom or dad.  The progress she has made in a month is encouraging.  Her P.A. lives down the road form us so Peyton loves seeing Doctor Amanda outside of the office setting.  We also suspect Peyton has a crush on the pool guy that tests the water.

Peyton now has a pet.  She is the proud owner of "Rose" the fish.  She talks to her everyday and even tries to help me change her water twice a week.  We take turns feeding her and Rose is the perfect pet for us since she doesn't bother our allergies!