My Josiah has shown me a piece of how his mind works...
I've been working with him on writing his name neatly and in a straight line. The straight line thing is big, because Josiah doesn't really feel he needs to put all the letters in the right order or even next to each other. I'll have to take a picture to show you what I mean. Well needless to say, he has the neat part down... but if he feels like writing the "J" in the upper part of the page, the "O" in the lower half of the page, the "S" in the left corner somewhere, the "I" huge and smack dab in the middle of the paper... and so on and so on... HE WILL! And it is different each time. All the letters are there, just not in a straight line.
He's creative!! Yes, I know.... so here I am the enforcer of conformity... will make sure he writes left to right and within two parallel lines... But he does have plenty of art expression opportunities so I don't feel horrible at all. :-)
Anyway... we were in Red Robin a couple of weeks ago and Josiah out of nowhere says that's an "R" mom. I looked at the picture and yes, the words "Happy Birthday" were written out in cursive. I was surprised because we haven't even touched cursive writing yet, not even with little Ry... so I asked him which letter he was referring to. There was a lower case cursive "r", but I couldn't imagine he knew which one. So he points to a letter "y". Ry and I smiled and said "Oh, Jo, that's a 'y', good try".
Well he got indignant and said "No it isn't. Its an R!". So we went back and forth for a minute or two and he finally jumps up frustrated with us and traces the "y" with his finger. "See its a 'R'!" and sure enough... an upside down cursive 'y' does look like an upper case "R".
To say I was stumped is not an exaggeration. I turned my head to look at it upside down and my baby was right. I just laughed and said, Josiah you are a smart young man and a very creative thinker! Definitely a little artist in the making.
Little tid bits like that are giving me a great insight into how his little brain puts things together. He can see things right side up, upside down, in the correct order or not. AND he's just as happy either way. Makes my job fun. So I am working on creative ways to teach him during school time...while still being the enforcer of conformity!
I am also signing him up for art classes next month (smile).
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Bishop Stallworth
Last week, I went to California to attend the funeral services for Bishop Stallworth. It was a quick trip, but a necessary trip to honor a great man!
I rededicated my life to the Lord when I was 15 years old. Yes, I received the Lord as my personal saviour when I was 6 years old when I was visiting my grandmother Moore in Louisiana. But the early teen years, with all the rebellious junk rearing its head, led me to make the decision to finally "get it together" if I wanted to be somebody in the future. I was attending a church called Christ Temple at the time and wanted what I saw others have.
Enter stage right... Bishop Stallworth. He was a large (tall) man. Everyone around me held him in this reverenced awe... I later came to understand why, but at the time he was 67 years old and the Lord used him for my baptism. Folks later told me, he didn't do baptisms anymore and that was the last one he did... I don't know if that fact held up over these last 17 years, but I felt special at the time.
Later as time passed, I left Christ Temple church (attending his daughter's church) and didn't really get to know Bishop till I returned to Christ Temple as an employee in the summer of 1996. I was 20 years old and happy to be working with the church and a few months later the school, Samuel Hancock Christian School.
So over 4 years working for this great man and his family I grew to love him like a grandfather. He would never call me Sis. Nicole, like everyone else did. He simply called me "Daughter". After about a year, I realized that he called most females daughter... but I still felt special.
Then when I was going to be married, I knew I wanted him to perform the ceremony. I knew it would be a special request because he didn't really perform weddings anymore... well for people outside of his family, but I really wanted him to do it. So I made the appointment to meet with him and he said yes... after making it seem like he wouldn't at first. He did our marriage counseling and on August 12, 2000 sealed the deal for Ryan and I.
So this special man has been there for a couple my big transitions... 1st - into the family of God & 2nd - into my own personal family.
Though I never spent more than an hour of personal one on one time with Bishop Stallworth just shooting the breeze, I feel like he knew everything about me and loved me none-the-less. He has supported me in my life by giving his time, finances and through prayers. He really impacted my life.
So I loved him too.
I will miss him, now that he is no longer here. I know he is kicking it up in heaven right now and I know we'll get to see him again. Praise God!!
Many in the community came out to honor Bishop too. He left quite a mark in the city of Stockton. Links to the articles/tributes from the local paper are below (you may have to copy and paste):
Visit http://online.recordnet.com/projects/stallworth/project.html
to see clips of the Home Going Celebration for Bishop L.D. Stallworth, Sr.
News Reports: http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articleAID=/20080418/A_NEWS/804180333/0/A_NEWS0802
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articleAID=/20080418/A_NEWS/804180323/0/A_NEWS0802
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080417/A_NEWS/804170350
Till later... Nic
I rededicated my life to the Lord when I was 15 years old. Yes, I received the Lord as my personal saviour when I was 6 years old when I was visiting my grandmother Moore in Louisiana. But the early teen years, with all the rebellious junk rearing its head, led me to make the decision to finally "get it together" if I wanted to be somebody in the future. I was attending a church called Christ Temple at the time and wanted what I saw others have.
Enter stage right... Bishop Stallworth. He was a large (tall) man. Everyone around me held him in this reverenced awe... I later came to understand why, but at the time he was 67 years old and the Lord used him for my baptism. Folks later told me, he didn't do baptisms anymore and that was the last one he did... I don't know if that fact held up over these last 17 years, but I felt special at the time.
Later as time passed, I left Christ Temple church (attending his daughter's church) and didn't really get to know Bishop till I returned to Christ Temple as an employee in the summer of 1996. I was 20 years old and happy to be working with the church and a few months later the school, Samuel Hancock Christian School.
So over 4 years working for this great man and his family I grew to love him like a grandfather. He would never call me Sis. Nicole, like everyone else did. He simply called me "Daughter". After about a year, I realized that he called most females daughter... but I still felt special.
Then when I was going to be married, I knew I wanted him to perform the ceremony. I knew it would be a special request because he didn't really perform weddings anymore... well for people outside of his family, but I really wanted him to do it. So I made the appointment to meet with him and he said yes... after making it seem like he wouldn't at first. He did our marriage counseling and on August 12, 2000 sealed the deal for Ryan and I.
So this special man has been there for a couple my big transitions... 1st - into the family of God & 2nd - into my own personal family.
Though I never spent more than an hour of personal one on one time with Bishop Stallworth just shooting the breeze, I feel like he knew everything about me and loved me none-the-less. He has supported me in my life by giving his time, finances and through prayers. He really impacted my life.
So I loved him too.
I will miss him, now that he is no longer here. I know he is kicking it up in heaven right now and I know we'll get to see him again. Praise God!!
Many in the community came out to honor Bishop too. He left quite a mark in the city of Stockton. Links to the articles/tributes from the local paper are below (you may have to copy and paste):
Visit http://online.recordnet.com/projects/stallworth/project.html
to see clips of the Home Going Celebration for Bishop L.D. Stallworth, Sr.
News Reports: http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articleAID=/20080418/A_NEWS/804180333/0/A_NEWS0802
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articleAID=/20080418/A_NEWS/804180323/0/A_NEWS0802
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080417/A_NEWS/804170350
Till later... Nic
Thursday, April 3, 2008
30 Weeks
Well, the official countdown has started (in my mind) for the arrival of the 4th installment of Kelly men around here.
Wednesday (yesterday) we are 10 weeks away... Doesn't seem like a whole lot of time, but in a way it does. This pregnancy has flown by! Between work, school and family I honestly put it out of my mind. But when it dawned on me that in less than 3 months, a whole new person will be in our house (permanently) I started to get excited. So now it seems like it is far off... like waiting for a Christmas present.
This prego experience has been similar to the others... Loosing weight is always nice :-) I'm tired when 7 o'clock roles around, I'm not sick and the baby seems to like to head butt my cervix for fun... lovely. He doesn't seem to be as big as the others though... Maybe because I can't really remember the other ones perfectly. I'm waiting for the days where his foot lodges in a rib or something.
But he's getting bigger every day! It honestly feels like my belly is an inch bigger every morning I wake up. I'm trying not to do that prego-waddle, but none-the-less I seem to catch myself doing it when we are out in public.
The boys are getting used to the belly too. Quinny wants to lift up my shirt all the time, JoJo just want to hug and kiss the baby, and Ry just looks out the side of his eye and smiles. But of course after he reiterates that the baby is waiting for his birthday to come before he will pop out.
Oh and a bit of trivia... All of us, except for Big Ry will have an 8 in their birth date.
Big Ry March 20
Nicole April 18
Little Ry June 8
Josiah October 8
Quinlan December 8
Baby "Quad" June 18
Well I'll update about the baby when we are down to a month or so...
Till Later, Nic
Wednesday (yesterday) we are 10 weeks away... Doesn't seem like a whole lot of time, but in a way it does. This pregnancy has flown by! Between work, school and family I honestly put it out of my mind. But when it dawned on me that in less than 3 months, a whole new person will be in our house (permanently) I started to get excited. So now it seems like it is far off... like waiting for a Christmas present.
This prego experience has been similar to the others... Loosing weight is always nice :-) I'm tired when 7 o'clock roles around, I'm not sick and the baby seems to like to head butt my cervix for fun... lovely. He doesn't seem to be as big as the others though... Maybe because I can't really remember the other ones perfectly. I'm waiting for the days where his foot lodges in a rib or something.
But he's getting bigger every day! It honestly feels like my belly is an inch bigger every morning I wake up. I'm trying not to do that prego-waddle, but none-the-less I seem to catch myself doing it when we are out in public.
The boys are getting used to the belly too. Quinny wants to lift up my shirt all the time, JoJo just want to hug and kiss the baby, and Ry just looks out the side of his eye and smiles. But of course after he reiterates that the baby is waiting for his birthday to come before he will pop out.
Oh and a bit of trivia... All of us, except for Big Ry will have an 8 in their birth date.
Big Ry March 20
Nicole April 18
Little Ry June 8
Josiah October 8
Quinlan December 8
Baby "Quad" June 18
Well I'll update about the baby when we are down to a month or so...
Till Later, Nic
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