It's been busy these weeks. Francis and I had a wonderful early Valentine's Day Dinner while the kids were at Parent's night out a couple of weekends ago. We had steak and it was AMAZING (the company was top notch too). My best friend since third grade, Ashley, came to visit that same weekend and got a dose of our crazy life for a couple of days. She didn't see the big boys much because they had basketball all day Saturday, but Hannah and Andrew loved her so much! We took her to the park and they made her slide over and over again. In fact Andrew grew so fond of her that when we picked him up from church class the following day (Sunday), he went to Ashley instead of me. He never goes to anyone but me. Ashley, the kids can't wait for your next visit and neither can I!
Last Friday was Valentine's Day. The kids have the best grandparents and great-grandparents. They awoke to sweet notes and cards waiting for them on the breakfast table. Each told them how much they are loved. They even got a small gift, a bit of candy and a new toothbrush (compliments of their mom, haha). It was a fun day. The kids had already had 2 valentine's parties, so they also had candy and cards from all their CC friends and Bible Study classmates. We ended the day with Francis and watched Lego Masters as a family on TV. It's really a show that has something for everyone in our family. It was perfect. Francis gave me a doozy of a Valentine's gift. We are going on a cruise! He knows I'm in need of a break and so he booked a trip for the two of us in March. I'm so excited! I've got a good man, and I know it. I love you, Francis!
This past weekend, we went to Houston to celebrate my nephew Jackson turning one. I cannot believe it has already been a year. Abby, my niece, was not feeling well, so we were sad not to see her much. The party had a bounce house, balloon animals, face painting, a ball pit and food. It was certainly a winning combination. We love being able to see and celebrate our cousins. I wish we could see family more often!
Francis had Monday off before heading to Maryland on Tuesday (he is on his way back as we speak). We enjoyed getting to have a little extra dad time! After taking Hannah on her date to get her nails done at the beginning of February, taking Robert to chuck E cheese last week, and taking Andrew to the park on Sunday, I completed my final date of the month with William Monday afternoon. He also chose Chuck E Cheese. I treasure these times with my kids. They get to tell me things without interruption that I might not otherwise hear. Next month is Francis's turn, and I'm already looking forward to my turn again in April. I think it's time well invested and something my kids will remember.
Well, life not all roses over here (I'm currently dealing with one kid who threw up overnight and another with diarrhea). I'm tired, not as patient as I want to be, and I never get as much done as I want. But if I'm honest, I wouldn't change it (we'll I'd change the throw up situation...) and I wouldn't trade it.
Till next time!
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Thursday, February 6, 2020
February 2, 2020
It's been a while! Things are chugging along here. Things are generally going well. I'm still tutoring in Hannah's class at CC and I feel like I'm starting to get a rhythm. Of course, this is our week off, so who knows what week will hold?
Andrew is keeping me on my toes, as usual. When I picked him up last week from Bible Study, the teacher described how he climbed the shelves to get to the counter, and then proceeded to reach over the half door and push on the door knob to open the door (it's locked on the inside). When she called his name, he closed the door, climbed down, looked at her and smiled impishly. This pretty much describes my life with him right now. He's adorable and knows how to get into/out of anything. He's so smart and has things pretty much figured out. He's got quite a few opinions on the matter also. I'm looking forward to the day when we can discuss those opinions with words. He is sleeping through the night most night (cue angelic chorus) so at least I'm able to get a little sleep each night. I can't wait to see what is around the corner for my creative, athletic and strong willed baby!
Hannah is learning and growing all the time. She is having to learn to get along with her brothers. This is very easy sometimes, but she cannot understand why they don't want to play ponies or princesses every hour of the day. She is discovering her own love of reading. She has to be tucked in every night with at least 3 books. She loves looking at the pictures, especially Fancy Nancy or all things princess related. She is becoming articulate in her thoughts and exceptionally expressive in her feelings and gestures. It is fun to imagine what she will be like all grown up. For now, I'm loving little tea parties and watching girly shows with her. She's my girl.
Robert is taking after William in the books department. I can't get them books fast enough. Fridays are library days currently, and they usually manage to hit the max number of books for my card and then read them all before bed on Friday. It's crazy. Robert is loving a set of Dragon books right now. His imagination fits perfectly in the fantasy realm, and he makes up new stories or different endings as soon as he is finished reading. We have started the process of getting him tested for speech therapy. He is still having some difficulty with his "r"s and "s"s (though he has worked so hard and made so much progress!!!), and we just want to make sure he is not in need of extra help. He has been playing his first season of basketball too. He is an excellent defense man. I mean excellent. He's tried making a few goals during the games too, but hasn't yet landed one yet. I can't wait to see it when he does!
William is also playing basketball in the next age group up. He has improved dramatically from last year and even made his first score during a game Saturday before last. I cried like he'd won a gold medal in the Olympics. I was so proud! Fortunately Nana and Grandad were there to celebrate with us. It was a great day! My Dad came the game before that and also got to see both boys' skills. We are very blessed to have awesome grandparents around. I am trying to prepare William for being a big kid. One of those skills is learning to take a test. I will be giving him the ITBS test in April both to get him familiar with testing (he doesn't have much "real" testing right now) as well as to gage his progress in what he knows. He's done well with the practice questions and talking him through a problem when he doesn't know the answer has been very interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing the result!
Francis has been assistant coaching William's basketball team and it looks like he will be head coach of the big boys' team come soccer season next month. He also teaches Hannah's AWANA class on Sunday evenings. He's a super dad and I really appreciate all he is and does. I've still = been working mornings teaching online (as well as tutoring Hannah's class on Tuesdays) and lately I've also been working early evenings. With the crisis in China and so many being home-bound, the need for online classes has risen dramatically for the time being. I'm happy to help ease some of the burden. I like providing an outlet for these kids who are bored, scared, or both. But I also look forward to when things can return to normal for them. Until then, Teacher Melissa is on evening and morning duty.
Till next time!
Andrew is keeping me on my toes, as usual. When I picked him up last week from Bible Study, the teacher described how he climbed the shelves to get to the counter, and then proceeded to reach over the half door and push on the door knob to open the door (it's locked on the inside). When she called his name, he closed the door, climbed down, looked at her and smiled impishly. This pretty much describes my life with him right now. He's adorable and knows how to get into/out of anything. He's so smart and has things pretty much figured out. He's got quite a few opinions on the matter also. I'm looking forward to the day when we can discuss those opinions with words. He is sleeping through the night most night (cue angelic chorus) so at least I'm able to get a little sleep each night. I can't wait to see what is around the corner for my creative, athletic and strong willed baby!
Hannah is learning and growing all the time. She is having to learn to get along with her brothers. This is very easy sometimes, but she cannot understand why they don't want to play ponies or princesses every hour of the day. She is discovering her own love of reading. She has to be tucked in every night with at least 3 books. She loves looking at the pictures, especially Fancy Nancy or all things princess related. She is becoming articulate in her thoughts and exceptionally expressive in her feelings and gestures. It is fun to imagine what she will be like all grown up. For now, I'm loving little tea parties and watching girly shows with her. She's my girl.
Robert is taking after William in the books department. I can't get them books fast enough. Fridays are library days currently, and they usually manage to hit the max number of books for my card and then read them all before bed on Friday. It's crazy. Robert is loving a set of Dragon books right now. His imagination fits perfectly in the fantasy realm, and he makes up new stories or different endings as soon as he is finished reading. We have started the process of getting him tested for speech therapy. He is still having some difficulty with his "r"s and "s"s (though he has worked so hard and made so much progress!!!), and we just want to make sure he is not in need of extra help. He has been playing his first season of basketball too. He is an excellent defense man. I mean excellent. He's tried making a few goals during the games too, but hasn't yet landed one yet. I can't wait to see it when he does!
William is also playing basketball in the next age group up. He has improved dramatically from last year and even made his first score during a game Saturday before last. I cried like he'd won a gold medal in the Olympics. I was so proud! Fortunately Nana and Grandad were there to celebrate with us. It was a great day! My Dad came the game before that and also got to see both boys' skills. We are very blessed to have awesome grandparents around. I am trying to prepare William for being a big kid. One of those skills is learning to take a test. I will be giving him the ITBS test in April both to get him familiar with testing (he doesn't have much "real" testing right now) as well as to gage his progress in what he knows. He's done well with the practice questions and talking him through a problem when he doesn't know the answer has been very interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing the result!
Francis has been assistant coaching William's basketball team and it looks like he will be head coach of the big boys' team come soccer season next month. He also teaches Hannah's AWANA class on Sunday evenings. He's a super dad and I really appreciate all he is and does. I've still = been working mornings teaching online (as well as tutoring Hannah's class on Tuesdays) and lately I've also been working early evenings. With the crisis in China and so many being home-bound, the need for online classes has risen dramatically for the time being. I'm happy to help ease some of the burden. I like providing an outlet for these kids who are bored, scared, or both. But I also look forward to when things can return to normal for them. Until then, Teacher Melissa is on evening and morning duty.
Till next time!
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