Haydenism's

I love the way he talks and the things he comes up with!!

Lately Hayden has been coming up with games that he wants to play. He creates these games and doesn't explain all of the rules and if you are not playing right he will let you know.

The Bike game is where you choose what kind of bike and accessories you want.

The Car game is where you pick what type of car you want but you have to be a dog driving the car.

Restaurant game you decide what you want to eat and then you have to make it....all in the correct order.

His sayings lately are:

Mom you told me to hold your hand when there are cars coming....Mom that's not a car it's a truck!

Mom this is NOT Target.. Target has a T A R G E T and a circle with a dot (the bullseye symbol).

Were going to Old Navy to do some shopping....is Old Navy old it has OLD in the front.

Mom I want to go to the pet store...I want a new dog...my dog bites me (Hayden antagonizes her).

Yes okay I'll go to bed...Wait let me check the time (goes to look at the clock with hands)...Yes hands on the 8. Eight o'clock is my bed time.

Dad I'll go with you there is nothing to be scared of...your not scared of the dark or animals...because I'll protect you.

Mom I don't like living next to woods...there are raccoons out there.


Okay these next videos are of Hayden talking about different toys. Sometimes Hayden leaves off the first letter of a word or says a different letter for it. When he does that we usually try to correct him. So now when I don't understand what he is saying he will break off pieces of a word and tell me to say the pieces and then I have to say it all together the right way.

2 Reasons Why

I have been meaning to put these videos on the blog. Hayden has been playing baseball for 4 weeks, that's about the half way point. Hayden has days were he loves to play baseball. He tries to field every ball and hits really well. Then there are days where he is bored and it is not for him.

Yeah...I think football or basketball might be better for him. He nearly tackles the kid for the ball!! Then he mopes because he didn't get it.



In basketball there is always something going on. He doesn't like the down time. He is so bored and doesn't seem to have a clue. This is his first time playing first base.

What Are You Doing

For the past few weeks the sermons at church really hit home. I know I can walk into church carrying the weight of the week and leaving in peace. The sermon series have been about the cross, the power of the cross, and what the cross really means. He has been discussing if you are really giving God your life. If you are living like you should. I started thinking back and really trying to figure out when I lived my life "right". When I gave all of my "problems" to God.

I can remember being in high school and every morning waking up early to read my bible. I would spend the summer really reading it for fun. I went to church every Sunday and to Youth Group. I was truly walking right. When I went on my Mission's Trip my Senior year I learned a lot about myself. I knew then my calling was teaching. I pretty much had my mind set that I HAD to become a teacher.

So fast forward 6 years later to my first year teaching in a Public School. Man it is very different then what I was used too. It is one of the most difficult things that I've faced. The kids and their stories are why I teach. Most of my students come from a low income family, broken homes, and parents that are or have been in jail or rehab.

I want each child that walks into my class to know that they are loved no matter what happens. Every morning I greet each student with a hug and tell them they are going to have a great day. When they leave I give them a hug and say "No matter what you do I still love you". I can't count how many times I tell David the horror stories about kids hoarding food, or telling me about the police or parole officers.

I love to tell the stories about how much they grew. I love this time of the year because I see how much they grew academically. I get so excited because when they first walked into Kindergarten they knew 5 letters, no sounds, could only count to 10, didn't recognize any numbers and now they know all of their letters and sounds, can count to 100, and is reading on a level 4 (which is on grade level). I love to get pictures and I Love You notes or hugs for no reason. I love to see them smile when I let them know how proud they make me. I don't know how to describe the feeling...it's amazing!!

So I got to thinking okay...I am using my "gift" but is there more? Am I doing everything I can? No...I don't get up early to read my bible or do I volunteer my time for anything. I want to be a positive influence on David and Hayden.

So I am slowly giving over the "power" and trying to stop the thinking and the what ifs and let "HIM'" handle it all. It makes things so much easier. I can breath and the weight is gone.

Here is song that totally describes everything. My mom got me this CD for Christmas and I still listen to it every day.

Easter

Today is the day He has RISEN!! We had a great day filled with a great service and family. I am working on a post that is totally how I am feeling spiritually (I usually don't write about that stuff but its heavy on my heart). Yesterday, my mom and I brought Hayden to the park and we took pictures. This park in League City is not a really for kids (there isn't anything to play with) but has a lot of outdoorsy stuff like waterfalls, plants, and flowers, rocks....Here are my favorite. We are going to have to go back either early in the morning or in the evening. It was already getting too hot.








He did really good and cooperated! It made it a lot easier.

After church we went to Mimi and Pop's for an Easter meal. It was very yummy....I ate way to much. I am still full! Hayden played so hard he crashed before we made it home. I went out to do my Sunday shopping at CVS and Walgreens. I did really good. Today I spent about $14.00 dollars out of pocket.



At CVS I paid 10.77 and then got 10 Extra Care Bucks...which I will use next week. So I basically paid for .77 cents for 2 things of mouthwash and 3 tubes of toothpaste.




At Walgreens I spent 3.64 and got 14.00 bucks in Register Rewards..those will go towards next weeks trip. I got love getting PAID to shop. I did have to buy some fillers which are cheap items because the amount of coupons you use have to match the amount of items being purchased so I didn't use a coupon on the nail polish or the candy bar. Not to sure what we we are going to do with Splenda so if you need some let me know!!

Now its off to dye eggs with Hayden.

Free

We have been busy. Hayden had a Easter party at school. I was able to go!! I left school early and joined him. I didn't tell him I was coming. He was so surprised to see me. Hayden ate a ton...he had 3 sandwiches, 2 fruit cups, 2 servings of chips and dip, 1 cup cake, and two cookies! I know he eats a lot but I am so embarrassed that he eats that much at school. It looks like we don't feed the kid. So after the party I went on the hunt to get free toothpaste and toothbrushes. I went to 3 stores all sold out. I did get rain checks but they limit the quantity so I can't by 4 of anything. We came home and took a nap. Then we went to Hayden's practice. They took pictures too. Man that was a disaster. Hayden wasn't cooperating in the individual and then the team wasn't any better. You can't get 14 3 and 4 year old to stand still, smile, and look at the camera all at the same time. We ended up leaving practice early because Hayden was misbehaving. He was very upset and sad. I am hoping that he learned that he has to follow directions and listen the first time. On Friday I cleaned out Hayden's toys and my closet. I threw two sacks of junk away from Hayden's closet and toys. Then I worked on my closet. David has been telling me to clean out my closet that I don't wear everything that's in there. So I did. I gather two trash sacks, two goodwill bags, and two sacks of things that don't fit that go in the attic. My closet if half the size it was and there is still a ton of stuff. I think it's because I have two types of wardrobes work and home. In the summer I can wear shorts and tank tops but at work I can't. Then we went to lunch. I took Hayden to Chik-Fli-A. It is one of his favorite place to eat at. He loves to play there. It was really busy, but so worth it. Hayden played with several kids. He was drenched in sweat from running around so much. Then we went to Target to get some more coupon deals. Today my mom, Hayden, and I got up early and went shopping. We went to Old Navy. I got 11 items for 45 bucks. Then to ToysRus. They had some really good buys there. If I went to buy these toys from the shelf with no coupons or sale I would spend around 100 bucks. I walked out only spending 19 dollars.



Not sure what I am going to do with these toys. They will make good presents to give out for birthdays or Christmas. Hayden loves Mr. Potato Head. Wish they had more I would have bought 3 or 4.

Then on to Walgreens....I did not spend any money here. Everything was FREE...Yes they didn't like it and the cashier had to figure out how to adjust the coupons and I had to show her the coupon policy, but I followed the rules.



After all of this Hayden was ready to go hunt some eggs. We brought him to a park and we took a few picture then he hunted. Hayden had a great time. He loves his Easter basket. I will upload pictures tomorrow.

Making Money

Okay so most of you know that I have been on this couponing and saving money kick. I have been doing for about two months. I am going to be honest...YES it is time consuming. I do spend about 2-3 hours on Saturday or Sunday mapping out the deals, preparing list, and clipping coupons. It is so worth the reward. At first, I started small saving a few bucks here and there now I am up to the point where I get things for FREE!!! For the last two weeks I only spent 70 bucks on groceries each week. Before my budget was 100 bucks and it was VERY hard to stick to it. I base my menu each week based on what is on sale. We don't eat beans and rice for dinner but its not anything extravagant like lobster. I have a stock pile of several items like cereal, chips, cheese, frozen veggies, fruit snacks, Ziploc baggies, toilet paper. paper towels, toothpaste, razors, shower gel, soap, dish soap, bar soap, face wash, shampoo, deodorant, shaving gel, toothpaste, make-up, cleaning supplies...I am sure there is more but can't think of it. If we had a deep freeze I would stock up on meat when it's on sale. About 30-35 dollars of our budget goes to meat, fresh fruit and veggies, milk, and bread. It is hard to find coupons on those items.

This weekend I did really well. The following pictures were either free or less then buck. There was a few other things like juice and fruit and veggies that were cheap that I didn't get picture of.




There are 7 bottles of body wash. I must have about 15 bottles of body wash. It will take us a few years to go through all of that. I am thinking that I can donate a lot of the stuff we aren't going to use to families and kids at my school.




Tomorrow I am off to make some money on Splenda sugar. We don't use it but will cost $1.03 out of pocket and then I will get a $4.00 register reward at Walgreen's. I have been on the hunt for these color wonder things at Walgreen's...they are on sale and I have a coupon!

Praying Man

Oh how I love Hayden. He can make my day no matter what mood I am in. He can cheer me up and make me cry from laughter. He is icing on the cake. Tonight at dinner we HAD to pray...He never forgets and if someone takes a bite or starts without praying he goes into a lecture. Why are you eating? Did we say grace? No...then you can't eat. Wait...you can't talk with your mouth full. Oh kay.. get your hands ready...

Hayden has trouble remembering what to say when we pray. He usually never forgets dear Lord, blessed, and Amen.



In his prayer he said Dear Lord bless us amen...

If you notice his shirt is on backwards. When I picked him up from school his shirt was on backwards. I asked him why it was on backwards. His answer was my shorts were on backwards so my shirt had to match! He gets himself dressed in the mornings so I guess he put his shorts on wrong. When he went to the bathroom at school, he fixed it by turning his shirt.

Today I talked to his school about moving him to the 4 year old class because the curriculum is more advanced and hopefully that will keep him engaged. Which I think is the reason he is acting up. According to his teacher he is bored. At 2, Hayden knew all of his letters. He only got mixed up with m and n. I can remember doing grades for school and Hayden knowing more stuff then my 5 years old. I am not sure if moving him up is going to be something that we will regret later if he goes to public school. They usually don't test kids to see what grade need to be in. I am looking at all options for him.

What a Week

WOW...This week blew by fast and its one I will remember for awhile. This week has been so stressful at work and home. As the school year is winding down there is a lot I have to do. I am evaluated 2 times a year (sometimes more) and so many days before the school year ends I have to turn in a lot of documentation. The documentation usually consist of student attendance, student progress, how I communicate with parents, what I did to help my struggling students.... and so much more!! I was busy trying to get all of that turned in by Friday. Grades are also due on Monday so I was busy preparing report cards. On top of that I found out that I didn't get into Project Vision...which means I have to come up with $15,000 dollars to pay for my classes. I don't know any teacher that has that kind of money laying around!! I refuse to take out any loans. I have been searching the web to find scholarships I can apply for. I filled out my FASFA. I am hoping I can get some grant money. There is also the TEACH Grant which you can get if you get a degree in a high need field and teach in low income school for 4 years. That might be an option. It will pay 4,000 dollars a year.

Hayden has been behaving terrible at school which leads to him misbehaving at home. We aren't sure why he is misbehaving. We talk to him about it and he just says that was my idea. I know my kid can be difficult at times but he usually will snap out of it after a time out or just talking to him. At daycare he has been hitting, pushing, spitting, pinching, and locked a kid in the bathroom. David and I have tried everything...praising him, no toys or watching tv. I doesn't seem to work. We started retracing our steps...going through our routine to see what has changed. The only thing that we can think is that we haven't spent quality time with him. We decided that when Hayden is awake we won't sit in front of the TV as a family but do something that engages him. David has been extremely busy at work. This week we only ate together once. We usually eat dinner as a family every night. I am thinking that affects him. He doesn't have the vocabulary or know how to say, Hey spend some time with me!

I have been laying my hands and praying for him. We talk about choices that he needs to make and how to do it. Please pray for all of us as we go through this season of our life. David asks, what would you do in the classroom if this was happening? I tell him it is about the before, during, after. What happens with him or the class before the incident occurs, then in the during, and after. It is hard to get the information from a 3 year old. He can tell you he got in trouble and will rat on himself. He doesn't seem to remember exactly what he did though. I am praying this is a phase to see how much he can get away with. I am also thinking that Hayden is exactly like me. He has to be doing something all the time. He is probably bored. He can count, knows letters and sounds, read a few words, remember nursery rhymes, and can pretty much tell you about every book he reads. Private school is looking pretty good for him...if it can be challenging for him. Hayden has a late birthday which means that he will almost be 6 before he can go to Kindergarten...which means he will know a lot before he get there.

Fun Weekend

We had a great weekend. We were busy nonstop. Emily and the girls came in. Hayden was thrilled because he got to see Ava. We went out to eat Friday night. While we were there Hayden was coloring on the menu. It had a word search. Hayden doesn't know how to do it right so he did it his own way. He found all the h's and circled those (because his name starts with h and it's his favorite letter). Then he began to circle the other letters in his name. I know my kid is bright but what 3 year old would think of that? We went over to Karen's and Joe's to let them play. Hayden loved it and cried because he wanted to stay. On Saturday, we all went to Hayden's game. Hayden seemed very distracted. I am guessing because of all the people watching him. We headed over to Joe's and Karen's and they went on the slip in slide. Hayden loved it! Maybe we need to get one for our house. I am not sure how much fun it would be by yourself though. I think the biggest reason Hayden loves to play with Ava is because he has a playmate his age. Saturday night we went to Mimi's and Pop's for dinner and an egg hunt. Oh my it was crazy. Hayden and Ava went crazy. They were trying to get a lot of eggs. Eventually their basket was to heavy for them to carry. So then they brought the eggs to the basket. Laney and Lexis weren't nearly as entertained with the egg hunt. They wanted to eat everything they picked up. Hayden wanted to open each egg to see what was inside, before he moved to the next egg. Sunday, we all went to the zoo. I am pretty sure the zoo isn't worth 42 bucks. It was expensive to get in and we had to pay to park. Here are some pictures from this weekend! ENJOY!!














OPPS they are out of order....oh well. Blogger uploads them backwards.

Thoughts from a 3 Year Old

Hayden has the most creative imagination. He is constantly coming up with funny things. Tonight was no exception. I always say I am going to write it down but never do and forget. Tonight his perception of "old" people is something I will remember.

Hayden always ask what do ________ do. (the blank is usually old and young people, babies, animals, workers, my students)

Hayden's and David's conversation:

Hayden: You have something on your face Dad.
David: Where... is it food? (David is looking in the mirror)
Hayden: It's hair. Dad your old.
David: I am not old.
Hayden: Yes, you are because you have hair on your face.

A few seconds later..

Hayden: What do "old" people do.
David: Travel, see things, go shopping.
Hayden: Yeah, Dad your old because you go fishing. (David hasn't been fishing...not sure where he got the idea that old people fish)
David: Mommy is old.
Hayden: No, she isn't look at her do you see hair on her face?

I was cracking up!!!!

Hayden: What's so funny....old...hair...that's not funny!!

Some of Hayden's other sayings...

Dad get your flashlight and bug spray...I have a bug at school in the corner that needs to be killed.

(Turns on a flashlight)...What are you doing? Looking for mouse droppings..

Mom...Do you know that Jesus loves you?

(Attempting to wrap Holly in a blanket) What are you doing? I'm wrapping Holly in a blanket. Why? Because she is MY baby.

Mom can I drive my jeep to school?..I will be safe.

(Watching Wonder Pets...If you don't know anything about Wonder Pets they are animals that save other animals that need help) Hayden: oh no the Beaver needs help!! He needs a dam. Me: Hayden lets not say that... Hayden: A dam is what a beaver builds.

Bike Riding

Hayden got his first bike yesterday (he got a trike for his second birthday but never really rode it). We went to Toysrus and he got to pick it out. He loved trying to ride the bikes. He wasn't really excited to get a bike at first. He really didn't know how to ride it because there wasn't much room for him to practice. Once we got to the parking lot he took off. It was crazy he went from not having a clue to pedaling. He isn't really good a steering, pedaling, and looking where he is going. We are going to practice on that. When we got home today he spent 1 1/2 riding and playing outside. We moved the cars so he could have plenty of room. He wants to go ride at Aunt Ann's (she has a huge driveway that has a gate at the end so he could ride for a long time before he needed to turn around and would be a lot safer).



One more thing when we were in St. Louis every night we said grace. Since we have been back Hayden is adamant about us praying. Tonight he even told David "we can't eat we didn't say grace" so David bowed his head and Hayden said "ummm you have to put your hands like this" (fold them together). David told Hayden he could say it I helped him when were finished Hayden goes "you didn't say bless this food".

I mean come on how can you not love this kid!!!





All of these pictures and video are from my phone. They turned out pretty good.

Play Ball

We had a great weekend. It was filled with a lot of to do things but overall I enjoyed it. On Saturday Hayden had a game. He is slowly getting the hang of it. His first game he didn't have a clue. He loves to field the ball. He pushes and tries to get the ball first. I am thinking football or basketball might be better for him...we will wait and see. I got his first hit on video. His second hit was much better it went farther and he ran straight to first. I was in the dug out so you might see parts of the fence.



On another note Hayden learned about Zacchaeus at church...(if y'all remember the song from Sunday school or Vacation Bible School Zacchaeus was a wee little man a wee little man was he. He climbed up top a sycamore tree to see what he could see and Jesus said "Zacchaeus you come down from that tree".....or something like that). He started going on and on about Zaccheaus I had no idea who or what he was talking about...he finally mentioned the tree and I put it together. It was really cute seeing him get excited about it. One more thing today I got a FREE 8x10 through Walgreen's...I didn't have to spend anything to get it. If you are looking for ways to save money this is where I go. I check it often because I do miss out on things...if there is a limit. Some of my free stuff this weekend include toothpaste, mouthwash, toaster strudels, and flossers. Things I spent less then a buck on is chocolate candy, body wash, soap, cereal, fruit snacks, cinnamon rolls, and biscuits.