Another Christmas has come upon us, and I hope it finds you happy, healthy, and among those you love. Kylie, Melissa, and I all got to spend the morning and early afternoon together, as is the custom. Kylie seemed to be happy with everything Santa left for her and the items that Melissa and I got her as well. When I asked Kylie what her favorite gift was, she named off everything, so I take that as a good sign. After Kylie left Melissa and I just spent the rest of the day relaxing, and wishing Kylie could still be with us. Hopefully everyone else had a great day too.
Category Archives: Kylie
Parent Teacher Conference
Today Tiffany went to Kylie’s parent teacher conference, and we got some great updates on Kylie’s progress. At this time Kylie is above average in Spelling and Social Studies and is performing at level in everything else! Including math! In fact Kylie has improved so much, and is performing so much better in math specifically, that her teacher thinks continuing with tutoring at Sylvan at this point is a waste of time and money. Her teacher is so confident in Kylie’s ability to continue performing at this level, and to not have a relapse of any issue, that she said if Kylie does need additional help that she will tutor her for free! This is some awesome progress for the first three months! We are looking forward to what the rest of the year will bring.
WatchDOGS Day
Today I got to surprise Kylie by showing up at her house bright and early to pick her up for school, because today was my day to be a Watch DOG! Kylie had no idea that I was going to be a Watch DOG today, so when she came out from brushing her teeth to see me standing in the living room with my Watch DOG shirt on, she was very surprised, and that made for a great start to an awesome day! 
When we got to her school we went to the office in order for me to sign in and get my schedule and an introduction to the program. Then, once that was complete, I got to join Kylie in the library to participate in the morning announcements. The announcements are televised throughout the school and Kylie got to introduce me as the Days Watch DOG, and she was very excited to be able to participate in the announcements. After the announcements we had our picture taken together to place on the schools Watch DOG hall of fame board, then the day began.
After that my day consisted of moving from one assigned class to another, starting and ending with Kylie’s class. While I was in these classrooms I helped out in whatever way the teacher needed. This ranged from helping students with their work, to taking a few students at a time out into the hall to work on individual lessons. I also helped out during all of the lunch sessions; helping kids open their containers or getting them additional milks, and coordinating the different shifts of students coming in to eat.
During the day I got a lot of high-fives and hugs from the kids, who all seemed to be really excited to have a Watch DOG in their class or even just passing them by in the hall. At the end of the day I had the opportunity to provide some feedback on the program along with any ideas or suggestions I had on making improvements. This was a very exciting and fun filled day. I am not sure if I will be able to take another day to participate in the program again this year, but if the opportunity presents itself I will be sure to jump at the opportunity as it was a great experience!
Congratulations Tiffany and Neil!
As you join your lives today we hope that the happiest moments of your past become the saddest moments of your future! We wish you all the best this life has to offer and hope your journey together is long, prosperous, happy and full of love!
Congratulations!
WatchDOGS Intro
Kylie’s school is starting something new this year, it’s called WatchDOGS. The “DOGS” is an acronym that stands for “Dads Of Great Students” and the introduction meeting was tonight. The program is an attempt to get more Father figures involved with their students. As part of the program participants sign up for a day that they can spend at school with their student. They will assist around the school going from classroom to classroom and providing aide to the teach and class, monitor halls, help at lunch, play with the students at recess, and other various activities. The day is typically scheduled in advanced and the program organizers for the school work in conjunction with the school and teachers to ensure the WatchDOGS’ day is planned out to allow for maximum benefit. From the WatchDOGS website:
WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) – Engage men, inspire children, reduce bullying and enhance the educational environment at your school.
WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) – Is the father involvement initiative of the National Center for Fathering that organizes fathers and father figures in order to provide positive male role models for the students and to enhance school security. Today, more than 3,793 active programs in 46 states participate in the WATCH D.O.G.S. Program.
Who are WatchDOGS? Fathers, grandfathers, step-fathers, uncles, and other father figures who volunteer to serve at least one day a year in a variety of school activities as assigned by the school principal or other administrator.
I have signed up to participate in late November, and I am really looking forward to it. Kylie doesn’t know though, and I am hoping to keep it a surprise!
First Day of Third Grade
Another first day of school has arrived and this one finds Kylie heading in for the start of third grade! This year Kylie did not experience any of the nervousness that she felt at the beginning of second grade. This year she was rather excited and confident, and really looking forward to seeing all of her friends and starting off another school year. Maybe it is because the school routine will add some much needed structure for her, something steady and constant. Kylie is more nervous about some rather large changes that are going to take place in the coming months, that of Mommy and Neil’s wedding. While she is very excited for the occasion, she is also unsure of what changes it will bring so returning to school and dealing with a new teacher, a new classroom, and possibly even new friends seems like a rather small change to deal with. Additionally Kylie still really enjoys school, just as Mommy and Daddy did all through their grade school years, so going back is exciting. She says she is looking forward to science this year and really hopes they will learn about rocks! She has always liked rocks, maybe she’ll be a geologist when she grows up? Hopefully that won’t be too soon though! Here’s looking forward to another great year!
Pre School Checkup
Today was Kylie’s yearly back to school check up and the numbers are looking just as good as last year’s. This year she measures 51.25 inches tall (4’ 3.25”) which means that since last year she has grown 2.25 inches. I know I said this last year as well, but it seems like she has grown more than that. Maybe it has to do with the continual development of her personality, vocabulary, and the evolution of her own style that makes her seem even bigger. She weighed in at 79.5 pounds today which is only 10.5 pounds more than last year. So compared to last year she appears to have had an overall smaller growth spurt, but that is ok with us as we don’t want her growing up too fast anyway. Her blood pressure this year was 98/60, and that is still good for her age. She is now all set to start third grade, even if we aren’t fully prepared for her to be this old yet!
Company Picnic
Today was the first company (Secure-24) picnic I have gone to that I was also able to bring the family too. This was a nice change for me, at my old job (Truven Health / Thomson Reuters) the company picnic was always held during the week and during normal business hours, which meant you could only go if you could get out of the office without impacting work and that it was employees only. This was a nice change indeed! Melissa and Kylie were both able to attend and there were lots of things going on. In addition to all the normal picnic foods and drinks being supplied the company also bought out an entire ice cream truck. So we were able to walk up and order anything we wanted that they had, and it stayed there all day until they were out of everything. So they literally bought out the entire truck! The kids all seemed to love this. I think Kylie most enjoyed the bouncy house, as she stayed in there pretty much all day. A number of the management team took turns in a dunk tank and certain people had a very long line trying to dunk them! We stayed for quite a few hours and had a really good time hanging out with my co-workers and friends. So far working for Secure-24 has a lot of benefits and a really great culture and even after 10 months I am still really happy I decided to accept a position here.
Monster’s University
Kylie, Melissa and I went and saw Monster’s University today. It was pretty good, but I think I liked the first one better. Kylie got a kick out of the props around the movie theater that she could take a picture with though.
A Hot Day for a Party
Today was Kylie’s Eighth Birthday party, and boy was it a hot one. That was ok though because Mommy had her pool up and so Kylie and her friends were able to swim around and have some fun. Besides the heat, it was a really nice day. Kylie got a lot of nice gifts and was able to play with her friends and cousins in the pool and on her swing set. After the party was over Kylie came home with Melissa and Daddy and got to open even more presents. She said the day “was awesome!” and she had a really good time. Her favorite gift was her new American Girl doll Saige, that Daddy and Melissa got her. Saige was the girl of the year this year and she got the whole collection. Many photos of the day can be seen in the gallery.