The Martins

I finally found time to update our blog, however, I don't have much time so here's the rundown:

-The girls are growing by leaps and bounds, which is overwhelming. They each come up with something new daily and we are constantly amazed at how quickly they learn.

-Madyson ended up with pneumonia the week she was initially scheduled to get tubes in her ears, so that was put off for 2 more weeks. FINALLY, the procedure was done and so far she hasn't been sick. She has even had a runny nose and no ear infection yet, so that's a GREAT thing!

-Caitlyn has informed me that not only will she go to Kindergarden when she turns 5, she is also getting married AND becoming a Mommy when she get's "bigger."

-Robert and I have both been busy at work. My office in Anaconda is closing this Thursday, which means I will be based out of our Butte office and I will travel to Anaconda two days per week. In addition, I have now started a caseload in Butte, so the number of clients that I am serving has been growing by leaps and bounds and I can barely keep up! This is a good thing in theory, but given that my job is to help people with disabilities find employment, it has proven to be a difficult thing given the state of our lovely economy. Such is life. I still really like my job, which is always a good thing.

Caitlyn:

Caitlyn has been learning so much in preschool this year that it truly is amazing what she knows! Robert and I have a strong belief that at this age our job as parents is to nurture Caitlyn and teach her about her social world, as she has the rest of her life to learn about numbers, letters, etc. We are teaching her that she is loved "no matter what" and that she can come to us with any question or feeling and we will help her answer the questions she has. We are not at all worried about her learning to read, write, etc. right now, as we feel that right now the foundation is teaching her how to navigate the social aspects of life. For instance, wherever we go, she goes. She is learning how to use her manners in public (restaurants, grocery store etc.), how to interact with other kids as well as adults, how to navigate peer relationships and interactions, and how to express her feelings. At home we play, talk with her about her day, talk about her friendships, and answer questions she has about anything and everything (which is A LOT). Having said that, in her 1/2 day of daily preschool, she is learning A LOT. We really like her preschool/daycare, as they teach through "real life" examples and hands-on learning, so while she's learning how to write, etc. she is also learning how life "works." We love it and we couldn't be happier!

Caitlyn has established wonderful friendships at preschool/daycare and she is such a loving girl.

Madyson:

Miss Madyson has become quite opinionated and assertive. She has a LARGE personal "bubble" and does NOT like it when people invade her "bubble." Given that her sister's "bubble" is non-existent, it becomes quite comical at times to watch their interactions. In fact, Madyson has started to hit and kick when others get in her "bubble," so we're trying to get a hold on that issue right now. Meal times are quite comical with Madyson at the dinner table, as she mimics her sister and we have quite a difficult time sometimes getting them to stop feeding off of each other's actions. For instance, when Caitlyn accidentally burped at dinner, Madyson then made a burp sound and it was chaos from that point on. Hard to "lay down the law" when we can't stop laughing!

Madyson loves her friends and "teachers" at daycare. She eagerly and constantly asks "what's that" so she can learn about her surroundings. She is quite the sparkplug!