{peeks at us}
A friend I haven't talked to in a while called yesterday and asked how we were doing. I gave the three second answer of "We're good! The school year is going well. Everyone is busy with sports and school and playdates and daily life...... How are you guys?"
There was so much to share that it was too much. We all do it, don't we?
What I really could have said was:
Gracie is loving fourth grade! I got an email from her teacher yesterday that makes me feel happy every time I think about it. She says Gracie has adjusted to her new school and classmates extremely well and is well liked in the classroom. My favorite part? Gracie is "upbeat and positive and friendly.....she just seems comfortable in her own skin." As someone who still sometimes struggles with shyness as an adult, I LOVE hearing this about my daughter.
Gracie has made many friends in her class, but especially likes a girl in her class who enjoys gymnastics as much as she does. We've been taking gymnastics at the Y since we moved here, but after the session ends this week, we are opting to begin classes at a gym devoted to gymnastics. We've noticed her skills declining just a bit since we left Knoxville and we're not sure if it is the program she's been in or just a stage she's going through, but her interest is still incredibly high and we're excited to watch her continue to pursue this passion.
Her favorite after school activities are writing, drawing, and doing crafts of any kind. She has been cooking and baking with me a lot lately too. She (and the boys) are getting pretty confident in the kitchen.
Luke is having a good school year too. He has two best friends now, Sammi and Calvin. Calvin lives around the corner, so the two of them have been playing together almost every afternoon once their homework is done. He is very excited for his upcoming birthday because eight classmates are coming to our house for a pizza party. I look forward to getting to know his classmates and their parents at the party.
We were so pleased to find out that Luke's teacher recommended that he be tested for the school's gifted program and he performed incredibly well on the test. He began the Project Plus program two weeks ago and just loves it. The gifted teacher called to introduce herself and explained to me all of the cool projects and research he will get to do this year and I think he will really enjoy it. There are only three second graders who get this gifted teacher all to themselves for four hours a week; I couldn't be more pleased.
The fall soccer season is winding down and he has requested to play basketball next, so we're on the lookout for a league starting soon.
Drew is Drew. He keeps us laughing and on our toes on a daily basis. He has such a strong personality! He is convinced he is older than four and frequently complains when he is not treated exactly as his hero, Luke, is. He idolizes Luke and wants to do everything that he does. Luckily, the two of them get along pretty well at least most of the time. They have a common love of drawing, so they spend many hours sitting at the dining room table together among piles of paper and colored pencils.
Drew is really happy with his preschool. He is in an all boy class and his teachers tell me the energy level in the room is high. I can imagine. :) He comes home on school days just full of things to tell me. He especially loves science class and now wants to be a scientist when he grows up. He is learning new things everyday and impresses me often with the things he knows.
Katie Bear is growing up so quickly! She is no longer a baby, but very much a toddler. Hard to believe she is almost a year and a half old! She is becoming quite the chatterbox and has a vocabulary that grows by the week. She says hi to almost everyone we encounter. She is not shy in the least and wants to be friends with everyone. She loves dogs and can spot one almost instantly with a cry of "goggy! goggy!" She says "yeah" and "no" to answer our questions.
She loves sleep. Really loves sleep. She is the best sleeper we've had, by far. She still likes two long naps a day, typically napping from nine to eleven in the morning and from three to five in the afternoon. Even with so much sleep during the day, she still sleeps from around 9:30 in the evening until about 6:30 the next morning. I would love to be able to transition her to one nap a day because it would fit into the family's schedule a little better, but she just doesn't seem ready for it. She gets horribly crabby without her two naps.
She has become a bit pickier when it comes to food. She used to eat almost anything we'd give her, but now she balks at vegetables, many meats, and eggs. She still loves yogurt, oatmeal, chicken, hummus, fruit, and breads & crackers of any variety. I look forward to her upcoming checkup to see how much she has grown lately. Some clothes in her closet that used to be ridiculously big on her now fit her very well.
Ben is busy with work, but trying hard to find a good balance between work life and home life. He still has to travel a bit, but not quite as much as he used to. Last week he was gone for three days, but the week before that he didn't have to travel at all.
He has been enjoying working on projects around the house. His latest project was replacing our front porch. What a task, but he worked tirelessly for hours upon hours trying to get it done. It looks amazing and is now ready for trick or treaters next week. :)
He ordered a couple of new Kinnect games that he and the kids have been having a lot of fun playing.
It is really funny to watch him play the country dancing game with Gracie. He and the kids also like to watch cooking shows together. I think it's really cute.
And I am mostly busy keeping up with all of the above. Like Ben, I have been working on house projects when I get the chance. My latest big projects have been ripping the carpet and padding (and hundred of staples) off of the stairs, stripping and staining the front screen door, beginning to paint the exterior windows, and continuing to paint the interior windows in the kitchen and family room. There's always something to do, but I enjoy it. Most of the time. I frequently have to work with one hand while holding Katie in the other, which makes every task more difficult.
I've been sewing more lately. After sewing eighteen curtain panels for the family room, I was a bit burnt out on sewing for a few weeks, but just this week I decided to sew just for fun. I made some headbands and flower hair bows for my girls, embellished a onesie for Katie, and sewed a skirt for each of them. This afternoon I hope to begin to sew kitty cat costumes for them both as well.
My free moments have been occupied with some crafty sorts of things as well. Getting ready for our housewarming party last week, putting together a craft to do in Luke's classroom on Halloween, and beginning to plan games for Luke's upcoming party have caused many runs to Hobby Lobby and Target. Drew is also a bit craft obsessed at the moment and will happily do any craft I present him with.
So that's us in a big nutshell. Life is good here.
There was so much to share that it was too much. We all do it, don't we?
What I really could have said was:
Gracie is loving fourth grade! I got an email from her teacher yesterday that makes me feel happy every time I think about it. She says Gracie has adjusted to her new school and classmates extremely well and is well liked in the classroom. My favorite part? Gracie is "upbeat and positive and friendly.....she just seems comfortable in her own skin." As someone who still sometimes struggles with shyness as an adult, I LOVE hearing this about my daughter.
Gracie has made many friends in her class, but especially likes a girl in her class who enjoys gymnastics as much as she does. We've been taking gymnastics at the Y since we moved here, but after the session ends this week, we are opting to begin classes at a gym devoted to gymnastics. We've noticed her skills declining just a bit since we left Knoxville and we're not sure if it is the program she's been in or just a stage she's going through, but her interest is still incredibly high and we're excited to watch her continue to pursue this passion.
Her favorite after school activities are writing, drawing, and doing crafts of any kind. She has been cooking and baking with me a lot lately too. She (and the boys) are getting pretty confident in the kitchen.
Luke is having a good school year too. He has two best friends now, Sammi and Calvin. Calvin lives around the corner, so the two of them have been playing together almost every afternoon once their homework is done. He is very excited for his upcoming birthday because eight classmates are coming to our house for a pizza party. I look forward to getting to know his classmates and their parents at the party.
We were so pleased to find out that Luke's teacher recommended that he be tested for the school's gifted program and he performed incredibly well on the test. He began the Project Plus program two weeks ago and just loves it. The gifted teacher called to introduce herself and explained to me all of the cool projects and research he will get to do this year and I think he will really enjoy it. There are only three second graders who get this gifted teacher all to themselves for four hours a week; I couldn't be more pleased.
The fall soccer season is winding down and he has requested to play basketball next, so we're on the lookout for a league starting soon.
Drew is Drew. He keeps us laughing and on our toes on a daily basis. He has such a strong personality! He is convinced he is older than four and frequently complains when he is not treated exactly as his hero, Luke, is. He idolizes Luke and wants to do everything that he does. Luckily, the two of them get along pretty well at least most of the time. They have a common love of drawing, so they spend many hours sitting at the dining room table together among piles of paper and colored pencils.
Drew is really happy with his preschool. He is in an all boy class and his teachers tell me the energy level in the room is high. I can imagine. :) He comes home on school days just full of things to tell me. He especially loves science class and now wants to be a scientist when he grows up. He is learning new things everyday and impresses me often with the things he knows.
Katie Bear is growing up so quickly! She is no longer a baby, but very much a toddler. Hard to believe she is almost a year and a half old! She is becoming quite the chatterbox and has a vocabulary that grows by the week. She says hi to almost everyone we encounter. She is not shy in the least and wants to be friends with everyone. She loves dogs and can spot one almost instantly with a cry of "goggy! goggy!" She says "yeah" and "no" to answer our questions.
She loves sleep. Really loves sleep. She is the best sleeper we've had, by far. She still likes two long naps a day, typically napping from nine to eleven in the morning and from three to five in the afternoon. Even with so much sleep during the day, she still sleeps from around 9:30 in the evening until about 6:30 the next morning. I would love to be able to transition her to one nap a day because it would fit into the family's schedule a little better, but she just doesn't seem ready for it. She gets horribly crabby without her two naps.
She has become a bit pickier when it comes to food. She used to eat almost anything we'd give her, but now she balks at vegetables, many meats, and eggs. She still loves yogurt, oatmeal, chicken, hummus, fruit, and breads & crackers of any variety. I look forward to her upcoming checkup to see how much she has grown lately. Some clothes in her closet that used to be ridiculously big on her now fit her very well.
Ben is busy with work, but trying hard to find a good balance between work life and home life. He still has to travel a bit, but not quite as much as he used to. Last week he was gone for three days, but the week before that he didn't have to travel at all.
He has been enjoying working on projects around the house. His latest project was replacing our front porch. What a task, but he worked tirelessly for hours upon hours trying to get it done. It looks amazing and is now ready for trick or treaters next week. :)
He ordered a couple of new Kinnect games that he and the kids have been having a lot of fun playing.
It is really funny to watch him play the country dancing game with Gracie. He and the kids also like to watch cooking shows together. I think it's really cute.
And I am mostly busy keeping up with all of the above. Like Ben, I have been working on house projects when I get the chance. My latest big projects have been ripping the carpet and padding (and hundred of staples) off of the stairs, stripping and staining the front screen door, beginning to paint the exterior windows, and continuing to paint the interior windows in the kitchen and family room. There's always something to do, but I enjoy it. Most of the time. I frequently have to work with one hand while holding Katie in the other, which makes every task more difficult.
I've been sewing more lately. After sewing eighteen curtain panels for the family room, I was a bit burnt out on sewing for a few weeks, but just this week I decided to sew just for fun. I made some headbands and flower hair bows for my girls, embellished a onesie for Katie, and sewed a skirt for each of them. This afternoon I hope to begin to sew kitty cat costumes for them both as well.
My free moments have been occupied with some crafty sorts of things as well. Getting ready for our housewarming party last week, putting together a craft to do in Luke's classroom on Halloween, and beginning to plan games for Luke's upcoming party have caused many runs to Hobby Lobby and Target. Drew is also a bit craft obsessed at the moment and will happily do any craft I present him with.
So that's us in a big nutshell. Life is good here.
Comments