Jack started Pre-K the first week of September. He is back at the same school he attended last year, Hoot Hoot Preschool with Miss Diana, but going three days a week instead of two. Three of the kids in his class moved up with him, and two are new, so it was a good mix of familiar with a chance to reach out and make new friends as well. When I picked him up his first day, his teacher pulled me aside and asked in an astounded voice, "When did Jack learn to read?" She tested him on fluency a week or two later and said he is reading at a 3rd grade level. I believe it. This boy picks up books whenever he has down time, and reads over my shoulder as well. He is just very, very interested in learning. He is trying to keep up with Hazel's first grade math homework as well.
Jack gave his first talk in primary this month. He was asked to share his testimony on prayer. At home, I asked him what he knew about prayer and wrote it down. Jack read it independently at the microphone while I sat in the audience and videotaped it. He was clear and confident. When he sat down next to me, I asked him if he had been nervous, and he rolled his eyes at me and said no.
Hazel lost one of her front teeth - the week before school pictures! How classic is that for a first grader? Her lisp is priceless. Luckily, she is good natured about laughing along with me about it.
Hazel and Gemma traded bedrooms, so Hazel has her own room now. It vacillates between chaos and perfect organization. She loves to straighten things up in a major overhaul, but for the most part, this little lady is a pack rat and a junk collector. It's been good for her to have no one else to blame for the mess, so she can learn to take more responsibility for it. She has a secret stash of books and flashlights in her room and reads to herself after we put her to bed every night. She thinks we don't know, as she quickly hides the light under her blanket and closes her eyes every time we walk past her room. I can't bear to stop her, as I think reading is just about the best pastime possible.
I do a babysitting swap with my friend Maggie each week so she and I can take the opportunity to volunteer in our school kid's classes. We do it while Jack is at preschool, so it's just a fun time for our two-year-olds to play together. Last week at my house, Grace was playing with the baby stroller pretty much the whole time, which made Gemma want it, of course. Our general line in our family in those situations is, "Can I play with it when you're done?" and then the other person passes the item on as soon as they're ready to play with something else. It almost always works fine. But Grace isn't in on the deal, and was not giving up the stroller for the life of her. I was so impressed when, an hour into this, Gemma calmly asked on her own, "Can we push it together?" and Grace happily agreed. The two of them took the stroller for a walk around the kitchen island for the next ten minutes, singing a chanty I made up right then about how "working together is awesome!"
I don't have a carpool this year, so every morning, I get up at 6:30, exercise, then wake up all three kids and get them dressed and fed and out the door. It was pretty rough for the first couple of weeks of school, but we're in the rhythm now, and I don't mind it much. Jack and Gemma and I usually meet up with some friends on the playground for 15 minutes or so after school starts. We all really look forward to that.
Todd's been working like a maniac most of the month, waking up at 5am almost every day and almost always working some more after the kids are in bed. The evenings he doesn't get back to work, he often falls asleep on the couch. One night, he fell asleep at 7:30 - while I was still reading stories to the kids. Hazel tucked him in. He got up a couple of hours later and went straight to bed. Poor guy. Between his very busy job, flying helicopters, and being Scoutmaster at church, he's pretty maxed out.
It was my birthday on the 21st. I had a nice, relaxing day, complete with lunch with friends, the afternoon at a pool, and take-out for dinner. The family "surprised" me with the rain jacket I had picked out at REI a couple of days before. The following weekend, I had a massage and pedicure.
Speaking of massages, I think we've found a way to motivate me to stop eating treats so all my exercise can pay off and I can lose 15 pounds. Todd promised me that once I reach my goal weight, I can go to the spa for a professional massage every single month that I maintain that weight. What the what?! That glorious vision has made it easy for me to rank the worth of a pastry this week. Wish me luck in my endeavor!
Can I just say that I live in a beautiful place? I was biking with Jack and Gemma in the trailer and had to stop to take a picture of the sky, it was so beautiful. I'm grateful for a body that can see and appreciate the glories of God's creations.
