The Best

The {2} best parts of my day yesterday.....

Having some one on one time with this favorite little person helping me make some muffins.

And then getting to see this in the afternoon...
I was able to get Cameron from the bus stop! As funny as it may sound it was THE highlight of my day!
He thought it was pretty cool, too!
This teacher mommy LOVES days off!

Teachers Really Do Make A Difference

Cameron really likes school. He's never been one to choose to sit and do something "academic" or even coloring and crafts. And oh how I have tried. Working with him this summer to get him on track for Kindergarten was interesting and a lot of bribing took place. Lately, I have seen such a turn around in him. He is showing interest in the world of letters, sounds, reading, counting, measuring and writing. I can't tell you how it makes this mommy teacher heart happy. And the smile on his face when he reads word.....precious.

Everyday I look through his folder and ask him about his day. At first there was not much to hear about other than he had 3 recesses again and to please not pack peanut butter and jelly ;) But lately he has been so excited to share about all the things in his folder.
The other night he was particularly proud of this page where made words by sounding them out(cat, mat, sat). He was so excited to be able to read them and tell us about the rocket he drew on another page and how he did the dot to dot all by himself! He even kept talking about his day at dinner. Yes! Breakthrough!
And then, the best part. We were downstairs as the boys were riding bikes. Cameron spotted a big old box and asked if he could get the markers. Thinking it would be some fun entertainment as he(and of course then, Haiden too) colored I could get a quick run in. Little did I know that he wanted to write words!! He started sounding out the words that he learned that day. He was so proud of what he was doing...sounding out and writing real words! I saw the excitement and smile and decided this was going to be WAY more fun than a run. So, I sat on the basement floor next to him and we made words! It was so much fun. I helped him think of words, even a 1st grade word....flat ;) Of course I had to snag some pictures. Here is the impact of just one of the many ways his teacher is making a difference in the life and learning of my little boy.
And to top it off not bad fine motor skills for writing them like he was writing on a whiteboard! Pretty good Mrs. Sloothaak don't you think?! The "mer" was his sound spelling of mirror. ha!

Out of all the words he wrote, this one by far captured my heart.....
Having this time with Cameron, seeing how much of an impact just one day, one lesson, one moment can have on a child has me challenged me in my own life in the classroom. What am I doing to enrich and challenge my kids in my room? How are my actions and words making a difference in their lives on a daily basis? Am I making a difference? Do they see my passion and love for learning, teaching and desire to see them happy, safe and cared for? Many times I simply don't know. But what I am learning through the eyes and ears of Cameron is that I have at my fingertips daily moments to make a difference in the life of every child in my classroom. What gives me hope that I made a difference, is that I can see it in Cameron and strive to make writing words on a box the hilite of the day for a child in my room. I love what I do. I love that I can be a mom, and finally see that teachers do really make a difference.

All about Tools and BIG NEWS!

My boys are all about tools. Not the toy ones. Those are "no fun". We're talking the tools that daddy uses. The ones they should not be left alone with and that some might consider dangerous for little boys to play with. Us, well, their a part of our day. Especially the ones that turn on and have something sharp(and why this is I do not know?)!

And when you get the chance to take things apart with said tools and use them all by yourself, it's loads of entertainment.
Last weekend(you know, when it was pretending to be summer again!), Cameron and Haiden were entertained with this old jeep that does not work (and Mommy can't seem to get rid of the clunky thing out of our already overflowing mess of toys!)
Looking for just the right spot to clip.


Little brother of course had to get in on the tool action. And please pay no attention to the fact that he has winter boots on! A battle not worth fighting, but at times I have serious worries about what our neighbors think the way Haiden is attired at moments!

And then when you add to the tools an actual project with Daddy and Grandpa Vruggink, you have a little piece of heaven for these two!
We finally got our front doors hung up this weekend. They turned out okay. I will have to see what I can find at Hobby Lobby to add some pizazz to them, but they look a little blah. And by pizazz I mean something to hang over the doors that is multi-seasonal. Remember, no crafty lady lives here! So no pictures of the blahness. But here is some cuteness at work!

Both boys eagerly searching for something that the tools could be used for!

HA! How many Vruggink's does it take to hang a door?! Many hands make the job easier, right!? Of course with these little hands you have to be on your toes so that they don't cut something a little too quick ;)

And now for the BIG NEWS!!! Are you curious? Cameron can now say.........


"I can curl my tongue!"
Seriously this boy has been trying this for SO long. And now with every bit of concentration and as deep as breath as possible, he can do it! All. Day. Long. And every time he accomplishes this feat it's like it's the first time because someone has to look or he needs to run and find something he can see himself in.
Now seriously, the 3 of you who read my blog did not think any type of preggo announcement was coming, did you! HA! That's not going to happen, but I thought it would be fun to tease:)

Whirlwind

When I looked at the date of my last post I laughed out loud! Simply put, it has been a whirlwind of activity of things at this household. From taking a little mini vacation a few weekends ago, catching up from being away for only one night(yikes!), Wednesday night church starting(where I TRY to teach 3 and 4 year old's about Jesus--it's quite comical), reading with Cameron...yes he is becoming a reader!!, playing outside in this beautiful weather while it lasts, trying with every last bit of energy to exercise, packing lunches, bags and trying to enjoy every moment of it all, has to say the least, consuming my time.

So as the boys actually sleep in this morning, here are some pics as a quick recap. Hopefully as life becomes more routine, I can keep up with the happenings in this life of mine!

Attempt to get a fun picture of my boys. Ha! This makes me laugh! I guess this captures real life, though!
We took a last minute mini vaca to Cabela's. We headed out early Saturday morning(basically got the boys out of bed, changed them and gave them breakfast in the van!) and came back Sunday evening. It was a perfect little time away. We spent some time in Cabela's but the boys had the most fun at the hotel. They got to sleep in bunk beds, open the door with a card(why is that SO fun for kids) run in the halls of he hotel and play in the water park! It is so much easier the older Haiden gets!
I can't tell you how many times he went down this slide!
Why go down the normal way!?
Ha! These 2 are hilarious! And yes they have suckers to keep them entertained! I had fun walking around with them while Daddy looked for his new gun! This is one store they actually liked being in too and didn't ask to leave!

After our apple orchard adventure, we took on the task of making applesauce! One of those time consuming, messy and not much to show for it things that we have fun doing!
Just look at the concentration!
And the tongue adds some added strength!

And now the boys are awake! So no time to proofread this one!
Time to start our Saturday!