Well, it's been a year. A lot has happened, but the world finally seems to be recovering from...you know...
So, what's been going on? A lot actually.
We are still part of our Classical Conversations community. I'm tutoring again this year and it has been a great honor to lead this wonderful group this year. We only have four more weeks before the end of the year. I cannot believe how time has flown!
Let's get down to the important stuff: the kiddos.
Andrew is now every bit of two and has been since his birthday back in June. If you ask him how old he is, he will give you some random number and then smile innocently like he doesn't know it was the wrong one. "Andrew, how old are you?" "37. " It's hilarious and just shows his cheeky personality. He is so very smart and will take apart anything if given the opportunity. I have to be super careful not to change batteries around him or I will come back to find dismantled remotes or other devices with Andrew trying to reinstall the batteries he has removed. His favorite show is Mickey Mouse and he likes doing "schoolwork" when he can. Lately he's been using Francis's cousin's book Head to Toe (by Jessica Lawler) and loves feeling like a big kid. He is very big in fact. Andrew is already in 4T clothing and is quickly making strides toward Hannah and Robert in the weight department. He is so determines that being the 4th child will never be an issue for him. He knows how to get things done!
Hannah is our princess as always. While she would love a sister, I think she sees the advantages of being the only girl. She has learned to read pretty well and does addition and subtraction problems quickly when the mood strikes her. Hannah is pretty quiet in public places, but that's not true at home. I love hearing her thoughts about the world, princesses, and what she likes. Hannah loves to dress up. She has decided that she does not have to wear a skirt every day (thank goodness), but has developed a taste for shoes. We don't go into stores much anymore, but when we do, oh boy! She will tell me which shoes are beautiful and which are not. We don't always agree. She enjoys play ABC mouse on her tablet and reading Dragon Masters books (with help). She enjoys so many things and I am looking forward to seeing how her interests grow.
Robert is as creative as ever. His "what if" questions can sometimes leave me stumped. Yesterday at the dinner table he asked, "If you could have your ancestors be born anywhere in the world different from where they were actually born, where would you want them to come from?" It took me a good 5 minutes to unpack what he was actually asking and then I didn't have an answer. I think he was disappointed when I listed countries I would like to visit instead. Robert reads whatever he can get his hands on, which con be difficult with four kids who like books. He's by far the most giving and forgiving of the kids and his three siblings always welcome him as a playmate. Robert's love language is physical touch, so he is also an expert hug-giver. You can count on his to give sympathy and a good squeeze no matter your problem. Robert is so sweet! I love to see how his intelligence and his compassion work together to make him an expert problem solver.
William is nearly 10 and he is definitely in preteen mode. He questions the validity of everything. Always wants to know why and generally has an idea of exactly how every task should be accomplished. He's so smart, that usually his way works. William is a crazy fast reader. I sat and read 115 pages in an hour the other day (I'm a fast reader) only to find William had read over 189 pages in the same span of time. We were reading two different books from the same series, so it wasn't even like I could claim his book was easier. Words come easy for him. I am happy William is becoming a critical thinker. He challenges me in ways I never thought possible, and makes me want to be better. William is getting tall and getting dangerously close to me in weight, so Francis is starting to take on more of the discipline. I enjoy seeing Francis lead William. Francis is such an excellent father, and William will listen to him much better than me when it comes to certain things. I'm so glad Francis and I are a team. William always leads us into uncharted territories as the first born, and I can only smile when I see him mature and grow into the wonderful adult I know he will be someday.
Francis is still working from home. We moved back in September to a new house (that was an ordeal in itself) and now Francis is no longer working in our bedroom closet. We hope to build an official office for him soon, but for now he is in the future homeschool room. He coaches the boy's sports teams (currently soccer) and volunteers in AWANAS and doing the lights at church. He's mine and I love getting to see more than I ever did when he was away all day. So, I guess you could say I'm very content.
We finished official school work for the year before "Spring Break" (yes I'm aware of the irony) so we are doing some fun supplementary stuff before we pick back up in late April or May. We school year round and that means we can take time off any time we need to. I'm still working for VIPKID tutoring the most adorable students in China in the early morning hours. I still enjoy it, and I'm thankful I can work from home. I also tutor for Classical Conversations, and I wouldn't trade our community for anything. The most exciting thing about me personally is I accomplished something that has been a personal goal since I was a teenager. This past week I finished writing my first full length novel. It currently stands at just under 82,000 words and is the product of months (and years) of work. I don't know if anything will happen with it, but I am proud of myself for doing something hard and completing it. So far the only people to have read (or heard) it in its entirety are William, Robert and Hannah, but they seem to have enjoyed it. It's fantasy, which is William's favorite genre. I have now begun to edit and will be praying to see what (if anything) comes next. This book is technically in a series of 5, and my kids already are urging me to work on #2. It's nice to have them appreciate my work. After I edit, Francis will get a chance to read it too. So far he's only heard bits and pieces. I'll be interested to hear his impressions since fantasy is definitely not his thing. If anyone else might be interested in reading/editing/artwork, let me know.
That's all for now!
