Two Digits

Jaden is 10! That is so very hard to believe. Here are ten things we want to remember about Jaden:

10. Jaden will automatically cry if she witnesses someone else crying.

9. Jaden loves a good sleep-in.

8. Jaden babysits every now and then so mom and dad can go out. Typically, we leave for a nearby restaurant after Reese is tucked in and Ty is glued to the Wii. She is paid in HGTV minutes. Which leads me to number 7.

7. Hands down Jaden's favorite TV show is anything on the HGTV channel. At any given time of day you can find episodes on home decorating, landscaping design, remodeling, etc. She prefers it over anything else. And if you ask me, I think it's well spent TV-time.

6. Jaden has a real knack for decorating and designing. She has recently taken on designing/redecorating a little neighborhood girl's bedroom. Her name is Elle. Elle's parents have given Jaden a small budget to work with. Jaden (with Elle's input) has sketched 3 different design options for Elle's room. It's been really fun to watch. Only every now and then have the other mom and I had steer them in different/less expensive directions.

5. Jaden loathes piano practice. It is like pulling to teeth to get her to practice. I guess the apple doesn't fall to far from the tree, huh Kyle? And thanks for sharing all of your childhood piano horror stories with her, it only fuels her fire.

4. Jaden is an excellent teacher. For the past 2 summers she has created and held her own little school in our home. Her students range from preschool age to 6 years old. This summer she had 10 students coming on 2 different days. She creates her lessons plans, makes lunches, designs and decorates her classroom (our game room), and collects payment from the mothers. She earned nearly $150.00 this summer. She even has the kind and bossy "teacher voice" going for her. Which brings me to number 3.

3. Jaden is bossy. I don't know where she gets it from. (We're both working on it.)

2. Jaden is: A pleaser. An excellent student. A great reader. A helpful big sister. A persistent dancer. A determined soccer player. And . . .

1. Jaden was the perfect way to start growing our family!

P.S. No, the cake did not fall off of the platter. And yes, I made Jaden hold the cake near the presents for a picture. Don't worry she was ever so willing. She too enjoys the presentation . . . just about as much as the gifts.

Moving up a chair . . .

Back to school today. Everyone woke excited. Ty will enter first grade and Jaden will begin her last year of elementary school in the 5th grade. In fact, this is the last time both Jaden and Ty will be in school together. Jaden would tell you that she can't wait to be attending a different school than her little brother. But that's what she would tell you and that is not how she really feels! She's going to miss him.

Ty wanted to set his alarm for 4:30 a.m. Thank goodness he was talked out of that. Instead he woke at 6:30 and was fully dressed and raring to go by 6:35. Ty's teachers name is Ms. Wang--hand selected by me, of course. I don't spend hours on end at the school volunteering for nothing. She is lovely and will be a perfect fit for Ty this year. However, if Ty would have been able to request his teacher, he would have chosen Mrs. Martin. Word on the street is that Mrs. Martin lets you bring toys to class. Yeah, I didn't hear about that all summer long or anything. Something else we often heard Ty utter during the last few weeks of summer was this: "I can't wait to go back to school so I don't have to do so many chores!" That kid can't see past the end of his nose. Even after diagramming and comparing how many hours he spends doing chores in a day to how many hours he'd be spending at school, it was still worth it to him to go back to school. FYI, the kid spends an hour at most doing his daily chores.

Jaden, well, I no longer get to hand select Jaden's teachers. Her grades do the selecting. So far she has been placed with those teachers I would have personally selected anyway. This year she will have Mr. Brantner and Mrs. Matula. We are excited to hear about Mr. Brantner's lessons involving his beloved guitar. Images from the movie School of Rock with Jack Black keep filtering into my mind. In fact, Mr. Brantner looks like a skinnier, similarly hairy Jack Black with beard and all. Stay tuned on that one. And both Kyle and I were thrilled to learn that Jaden would be studying US history in Mrs. Matula's class. Dinner conversations are going to be exciting. I'm sure I'll be learning a thing or two!

Here's to another big year learning and growing you two!