It's been a blissfully uneventful week. We have been finishing our second week of swim lessons and all three kiddos did wonderfully! Each passed their particular class, and all learned so much about water safety and how to move in the water. William would like you to know he learned how to front float. He is very proud.
We've been keeping up with school and taking our evening family walks (when the weather permits), so we are not bored. Tomorrow starts another grand adventure, so I am thankful for the quiet times to regroup and relax.
William is devouring entire novels in a day now without breaking a sweat. Robert is writing his name with ease and is starting to connect letters with their sounds pretty consistently. He really wants to read like William, but I have to remind him to be patient. Hannah is learning more things than I could ever write here about life, how to share, and how she can be a good "mommy" to her baby dolls (mostly by putting them away after she is done playing).
I have two little boys who have commentary for every sentence I type, so this entry is short. Till next time!
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Thursday, June 22, 2017
June 22, 2017
Happy belated Father's day! It was a good Father's Day weekend around here. We did some necessary things that were nagging on our to do list. I made lasagna (Francis's favorite!), we ate out at Rudy's and Red Lobster, and the kids loved on their daddy oh so much. We got him some Pokemon cards (so now he can actually beat William), a special lunch box (it's more exciting than it sounds), special handmade pictures and a homemade cake. The kids were especially excited to make and decorate the cake. And we all ate it; it was delicious. While it was a quiet and relatively uneventful weekend, I think it was markedly special for exactly that reason. Life around here can be nuts, so a relaxing weekend is a treat.
We've been swimming this week! Swim lessons are in full swing around here. We finished our first week this morning and have one more to go. The boys are having a blast in their own respective classes, and Hannah and I are doing the parent/child class. I have 3 little fish to be sure. The boys finish their lessons and want to tell me everything they've learned. Hannah knows the routine now and motions for what's next before the teacher does. She's a quick study, my girl. We are having a blast! Lessons aren't until 11 so we've been able to get do do stuff around the house or go out (like to the library) beforehand. It's been good even though I was worried as that is usually our lunch time. Oh! I was still able to go to Bible Study on Tuesday because Francis took the kids to lessons and I got the kids from him afterward. He's a keeper! All in all a good week.
Hannah is a little mother these days. She helps the boys pick up their toys, hands them things they are looking for, tries to get them to take naps (this one in particular cracks me up as she is not a nap-taker herself), "cooks for them" and even tries to feed them. The boys humor her, and Hannah feels very proud of herself for being so helpful. She still loves her baby dolls, princess dresses and playing with Pokemon, so life for her is pretty good. She is loving swimming and kicks and moves her arms better than many of the older kids in her class. I love this girl!
Robert is growing in so many ways. His appetite has grown enormously over the past week and a half, so I'm thinking a growth spurt is coming shortly. He is also getting much better at writing his name (he even does the "obert" part in lowercase letters). The other day he randomly wrote all the numbers from one to ten and brought them to me. He also can put all of the letters in alphabetical order. We are currently working on letter sounds, and although he has trouble making a few of them, he can still recognize them. Swim lessons have been wearing him out so he's been napping this week. As a result of a 3 hour nap yesterday, I decided to take him with me on a quick trip yesterday evening. He was so excited to go by himself with just me. He had a smile permanently plastered on his face. We had to stop for gas on the way, and Robert asked if he could put the gas in the car. He's never done it before and since no one else was in the car, I obliged. I told him all the steps, and with close monitoring he was successful at filling up the van. He was so proud! We then went on to Target to pick up an online order. Everyone there told him how cute he was and the cashier gave him a special sticker. I teared up seeing what a good time he was having with such simple tasks. As a surprise on the way home we picked up Bahama Bucks for Francis and myself. I asked for an extra empty cup. I fully intended to share my shaved ice with Robert on the way home. Sensing what I was doing, the girl gave me a cup with three umbrellas and a spoon, which made Robert jump for joy (normally you get one umbrella at most)! He ate all that I gave him and came home looking like the cat that ate the canary. It was so fun to spend some one on one time with him. He's super fun to be around.
William is a reader. Two weeks in a row he has read an entire Hank the Cowdog Novel in less than 48 hours. Between yesterday at 1pm and today at 1pm, he read a 250 page Hank the Cowdog novel (it was a special one and twice as long as a normal one). I have no idea how late he was up last night reading, but he's hooked on books. His mom and dad (and many other members of his extended family) all love reading so he comes by it honestly. I just didn't think that he'd be devouring novels before the age of 6. I love the hunger for knowledge that all my kids have. I pray they never lose it. William is also learning how to front float and dive in swim lessons. I will be interested to see how he uses these skill next time we go to Dallas. He was already swimming like a fish, and I'm hoping he'll learn to tread water soon too.
One last thing. I saw a child I used to teach today. I had him when he was 3/4 years old. He's now going into 6th grade. I'm getting old! I suppose that's it for now. Till next time!
We've been swimming this week! Swim lessons are in full swing around here. We finished our first week this morning and have one more to go. The boys are having a blast in their own respective classes, and Hannah and I are doing the parent/child class. I have 3 little fish to be sure. The boys finish their lessons and want to tell me everything they've learned. Hannah knows the routine now and motions for what's next before the teacher does. She's a quick study, my girl. We are having a blast! Lessons aren't until 11 so we've been able to get do do stuff around the house or go out (like to the library) beforehand. It's been good even though I was worried as that is usually our lunch time. Oh! I was still able to go to Bible Study on Tuesday because Francis took the kids to lessons and I got the kids from him afterward. He's a keeper! All in all a good week.
Hannah is a little mother these days. She helps the boys pick up their toys, hands them things they are looking for, tries to get them to take naps (this one in particular cracks me up as she is not a nap-taker herself), "cooks for them" and even tries to feed them. The boys humor her, and Hannah feels very proud of herself for being so helpful. She still loves her baby dolls, princess dresses and playing with Pokemon, so life for her is pretty good. She is loving swimming and kicks and moves her arms better than many of the older kids in her class. I love this girl!
Robert is growing in so many ways. His appetite has grown enormously over the past week and a half, so I'm thinking a growth spurt is coming shortly. He is also getting much better at writing his name (he even does the "obert" part in lowercase letters). The other day he randomly wrote all the numbers from one to ten and brought them to me. He also can put all of the letters in alphabetical order. We are currently working on letter sounds, and although he has trouble making a few of them, he can still recognize them. Swim lessons have been wearing him out so he's been napping this week. As a result of a 3 hour nap yesterday, I decided to take him with me on a quick trip yesterday evening. He was so excited to go by himself with just me. He had a smile permanently plastered on his face. We had to stop for gas on the way, and Robert asked if he could put the gas in the car. He's never done it before and since no one else was in the car, I obliged. I told him all the steps, and with close monitoring he was successful at filling up the van. He was so proud! We then went on to Target to pick up an online order. Everyone there told him how cute he was and the cashier gave him a special sticker. I teared up seeing what a good time he was having with such simple tasks. As a surprise on the way home we picked up Bahama Bucks for Francis and myself. I asked for an extra empty cup. I fully intended to share my shaved ice with Robert on the way home. Sensing what I was doing, the girl gave me a cup with three umbrellas and a spoon, which made Robert jump for joy (normally you get one umbrella at most)! He ate all that I gave him and came home looking like the cat that ate the canary. It was so fun to spend some one on one time with him. He's super fun to be around.
William is a reader. Two weeks in a row he has read an entire Hank the Cowdog Novel in less than 48 hours. Between yesterday at 1pm and today at 1pm, he read a 250 page Hank the Cowdog novel (it was a special one and twice as long as a normal one). I have no idea how late he was up last night reading, but he's hooked on books. His mom and dad (and many other members of his extended family) all love reading so he comes by it honestly. I just didn't think that he'd be devouring novels before the age of 6. I love the hunger for knowledge that all my kids have. I pray they never lose it. William is also learning how to front float and dive in swim lessons. I will be interested to see how he uses these skill next time we go to Dallas. He was already swimming like a fish, and I'm hoping he'll learn to tread water soon too.
One last thing. I saw a child I used to teach today. I had him when he was 3/4 years old. He's now going into 6th grade. I'm getting old! I suppose that's it for now. Till next time!
Thursday, June 15, 2017
June 15, 2017
Whew! It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks.
Saturday before last I left CC training to head to Dallas for Danielle's bachelorette party. After a harrowing trip (involving a very scary freak storm) I made it to Medieval Times where my in-laws picked up my kids. Everyone in the group dressed for the occasion, including me. We had front row seats which I've never done before. It turns out the people in the show will interact with you from that distance, so Christian sassed back and forth with the knights and we got more than one smile or nod from the actors thanks to our authentic dress. Danielle was knighted after the show and we all got commemorative pictures. We then went back to Sierra's house after the show for a night of ice cream, facials, junk food, card games and chick flicks. It was a good time. I still managed to get up, eat, pick up my kids and get them to church on time the next morning (thanks in large part to my awesome Mother-in-law)! We stayed with my in-laws all week and they were such great hosts. I really hit the jackpot with them!
The boys did Vacation Bible School at Prestonwood last week (my home church growing up). The theme was about Noah and they both had a blast. This meant that Hannah and I could get dresses for the bridesmaids' luncheon and rehearsal, get my bridesmaid dress altered and run a myriad of errands while still getting to hang out with my sisters, mother and my twin niece and nephew. The kids had a particularly great time together. I think they will have years of fun and laughter ahead of them. Thursday evening I had to go to the airport to pick up my friend Erin at dinner time. Christian (who lives by the airport) graciously watched my kids while I went to get Erin and when we returned we all had dinner together. All this family time does make me wish I lived closer to my family. It does my heart good. So I stayed up late Thursday talking to Erin while Francis was at the Bachelor party and the kids slept. Friday morning I dropped off the boys at the last day of VBS and took Hannah back home to Francis. He and Erin watched Hannah and the twins (and eventually the boys also) as Christian and I went to the Bridemaid's luncheon and manicure/pedicure date. Everything went pretty smoothly and we were able to love, pray for and pamper Danielle as any bride deserves. That evening we all made it over to the church for the rehearsal and then the rehearsal dinner. As many of us were pros (includeing two of us having been married in that chapel), the rehearsal was very smooth. The coordinator even remarked how "seasoned" we were to do so well. The dinner afterwards was at Lucas community center and was a special time with good food.
Saturday morning came all too quickly. Erin and I headed over to Danielle's house so I could get my hair and make-up done. Francis had to get a different pair of pant for William's tuxedo as we discovered they did not fit. It was quite an ordeal, but they made it to the church before the wedding, so it all worked out. I got amazing hair and make-up. Everyone else looked beautiful also, but Danielle was a vision to be sure. There was no outshining her even if we tried. Before we knew it, we were at the church, getting dressed, lining up and ready to go. Kevin and Danielle were so enchanting, that I was unable to take my eyes off of them pretty much the entire ceremony. I have very little idea who else was there, because they were just....just perfect. I will never forget Kevin's face as he turned to face the preacher after receiving Danielle's hand from my father. I caught his eye for a split second and I could almost see what we will look like as we enter heaven. I teared up (as I always do) and spent the rest of the ceremony fighting back happy tears. And they were so happy. The reception was equally joyful. I got to spend time with good friends, family and just bask in the love that permeated the room. I'm so thankful for those moments.
We made it home after church on Sunday. Since then we have been working on getting back into a routine. We are also getting ready for Father's day. The kids made special pictures for Francis today and they are going to wrap his presents in a moment. I thought this would be our quiet week, but we've been busy every day. Today we went to dollar movie days and saw the Lego Batman Movie. Everyone sat through it beautifully and it was fun. We've reached a new stage now that our kids can sit through movies. It may not seem like much, but it's the little things that make you realize that your kids are growing up!
Till next time!
Saturday before last I left CC training to head to Dallas for Danielle's bachelorette party. After a harrowing trip (involving a very scary freak storm) I made it to Medieval Times where my in-laws picked up my kids. Everyone in the group dressed for the occasion, including me. We had front row seats which I've never done before. It turns out the people in the show will interact with you from that distance, so Christian sassed back and forth with the knights and we got more than one smile or nod from the actors thanks to our authentic dress. Danielle was knighted after the show and we all got commemorative pictures. We then went back to Sierra's house after the show for a night of ice cream, facials, junk food, card games and chick flicks. It was a good time. I still managed to get up, eat, pick up my kids and get them to church on time the next morning (thanks in large part to my awesome Mother-in-law)! We stayed with my in-laws all week and they were such great hosts. I really hit the jackpot with them!
The boys did Vacation Bible School at Prestonwood last week (my home church growing up). The theme was about Noah and they both had a blast. This meant that Hannah and I could get dresses for the bridesmaids' luncheon and rehearsal, get my bridesmaid dress altered and run a myriad of errands while still getting to hang out with my sisters, mother and my twin niece and nephew. The kids had a particularly great time together. I think they will have years of fun and laughter ahead of them. Thursday evening I had to go to the airport to pick up my friend Erin at dinner time. Christian (who lives by the airport) graciously watched my kids while I went to get Erin and when we returned we all had dinner together. All this family time does make me wish I lived closer to my family. It does my heart good. So I stayed up late Thursday talking to Erin while Francis was at the Bachelor party and the kids slept. Friday morning I dropped off the boys at the last day of VBS and took Hannah back home to Francis. He and Erin watched Hannah and the twins (and eventually the boys also) as Christian and I went to the Bridemaid's luncheon and manicure/pedicure date. Everything went pretty smoothly and we were able to love, pray for and pamper Danielle as any bride deserves. That evening we all made it over to the church for the rehearsal and then the rehearsal dinner. As many of us were pros (includeing two of us having been married in that chapel), the rehearsal was very smooth. The coordinator even remarked how "seasoned" we were to do so well. The dinner afterwards was at Lucas community center and was a special time with good food.
Saturday morning came all too quickly. Erin and I headed over to Danielle's house so I could get my hair and make-up done. Francis had to get a different pair of pant for William's tuxedo as we discovered they did not fit. It was quite an ordeal, but they made it to the church before the wedding, so it all worked out. I got amazing hair and make-up. Everyone else looked beautiful also, but Danielle was a vision to be sure. There was no outshining her even if we tried. Before we knew it, we were at the church, getting dressed, lining up and ready to go. Kevin and Danielle were so enchanting, that I was unable to take my eyes off of them pretty much the entire ceremony. I have very little idea who else was there, because they were just....just perfect. I will never forget Kevin's face as he turned to face the preacher after receiving Danielle's hand from my father. I caught his eye for a split second and I could almost see what we will look like as we enter heaven. I teared up (as I always do) and spent the rest of the ceremony fighting back happy tears. And they were so happy. The reception was equally joyful. I got to spend time with good friends, family and just bask in the love that permeated the room. I'm so thankful for those moments.
We made it home after church on Sunday. Since then we have been working on getting back into a routine. We are also getting ready for Father's day. The kids made special pictures for Francis today and they are going to wrap his presents in a moment. I thought this would be our quiet week, but we've been busy every day. Today we went to dollar movie days and saw the Lego Batman Movie. Everyone sat through it beautifully and it was fun. We've reached a new stage now that our kids can sit through movies. It may not seem like much, but it's the little things that make you realize that your kids are growing up!
Till next time!
Thursday, June 1, 2017
June 1, 2017
I'm going to have to make this short. I have homework to do....but I'll get to that in a minute.
School is going well. William and Robert are continuing on their insatiable quest for knowledge. I love it even though it constantly challenges me to keep up with them. Hannah continues to be a cuddle bug and it learning through exploration and her own toddler know-how.
Last weekend was Memorial day and we were able to go with all of Francis' family to Sea World. We got a day and a half at Aquatica (the water park) and a full day at Sea World proper. The kids rode more rides than I can count. William and Robert loved the Shamu roller coaster the best (riding it 10 times before the park even officially opened), and Hannah loved the carousel. The kids also had great fun with their cousin Abby, Aunt Cyndy, Uncle Chris, Nana and Grandad. It was a seriously great trip.
Today was the beginning of Parent Practicum for Classical Conversations. I am going to be a tutor next year, so I got to do my first tutor training. I felt like I was drowning the first day of practicum last year, and this year also felt like a firehouse of information. After some time to reflect, I'm sure I will feel more in control, but I won't get that time for a while. It was an all day affair and I barely got home in time to make dinner. The kids got to go to play camp and the nursery (which were both down the hall from me) and we all ate lunch together. I love that they are learning while I am learning. I also love that they see I am learning too. It's important for them to know learning is a lifelong process. I'm excited to see what I will learn tomorrow and Saturday!
Anyway, after my first day of training I have homework for tomorrow. I better get on it. Things are ramping up around here. We (the kids and I) leave after training on Saturday for Dallas to begin the week long festivities that are Danielle's wedding. She will be married in 10 short days and I'm so excited!
Till next time!
School is going well. William and Robert are continuing on their insatiable quest for knowledge. I love it even though it constantly challenges me to keep up with them. Hannah continues to be a cuddle bug and it learning through exploration and her own toddler know-how.
Last weekend was Memorial day and we were able to go with all of Francis' family to Sea World. We got a day and a half at Aquatica (the water park) and a full day at Sea World proper. The kids rode more rides than I can count. William and Robert loved the Shamu roller coaster the best (riding it 10 times before the park even officially opened), and Hannah loved the carousel. The kids also had great fun with their cousin Abby, Aunt Cyndy, Uncle Chris, Nana and Grandad. It was a seriously great trip.
Today was the beginning of Parent Practicum for Classical Conversations. I am going to be a tutor next year, so I got to do my first tutor training. I felt like I was drowning the first day of practicum last year, and this year also felt like a firehouse of information. After some time to reflect, I'm sure I will feel more in control, but I won't get that time for a while. It was an all day affair and I barely got home in time to make dinner. The kids got to go to play camp and the nursery (which were both down the hall from me) and we all ate lunch together. I love that they are learning while I am learning. I also love that they see I am learning too. It's important for them to know learning is a lifelong process. I'm excited to see what I will learn tomorrow and Saturday!
Anyway, after my first day of training I have homework for tomorrow. I better get on it. Things are ramping up around here. We (the kids and I) leave after training on Saturday for Dallas to begin the week long festivities that are Danielle's wedding. She will be married in 10 short days and I'm so excited!
Till next time!
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