The First Week

Well, our first real week of Kindergarten is over now. He had a great week! He really enjoys school and is learning so much, so fast. He couldn't write his name when this week started (he does have a really long name) and today he wrote his entire name legibly! I am so amazed at it all! Every day he comes home with different stories and telling us all about what he did each day. He really enjoys it. This morning, he did give me a little resistance about going to school, but once we opened the door to get out of the car in the car rider line, he got right out and went in happily. But, he is proud to be learning how to write his letters. In fact, tonight, we were at Target and there was a Spiderman book to practice writing letters and Sebastian CHOSE to get that book over a toy! When we got home, he went immediately to writing in his new book and took it upstairs with him to bed! Sebastian is my child who never really wants to do anything like that. He's very smart, but, up till now, if you asked him if he wanted to learn to write or anything like that, he would say no. But, he is really enjoying it and I am so thankful to God that this has been such a smooth transition into school.

I rarely talk about anything close to being opinionated, but I have to say that I am so thrilled at McCain's VP choice!! A pro-life, homeschooling, mother of five!! And she has lived her pro-life stance. She brings an excitement to the ticket that wasn't there before and I am so excited about it. What a historic election! This is going to be an exciting two months!

A few pictures

Okay, please bear in mind that we had been outside playing soccer and stuff for an hour or so when these pictures were taken. But, I still think they're good pictures! Thanks, Mrs. Bonnie for the pictures!

Annabelle

Annabelle and Jude in the back of Daddy's truck

Adam, Zoe and Me

My whole family

Sweet Sebastian

Our weekend

We had a pretty good weekend. Not really a lot going on, but it was nice. My Mom and Bonnie came over for dinner on Saturday night and then we saw them again on Sunday at church. So we got to see a good bit of her and pictures of her two grandsons. It was a good visit.

I am still learning about contentment and depending on God for everything. And being thankful for everything. God is definitely right now providing my family with everything we need, and nothing we don't. It's kind of hard to go into right now since I'm not sure who (if anybody) reads this, but we are learning about what we need and what we want. Definitely not an easy lesson at all, but we are learning. Maybe one day I'll be able to share it openly.

But, for today, I'm just going to be grateful for the food I have, the house I have, the drive-able cars we have (and own) and my kids. I'm grateful for the fact that Sebastian is loving school and so is Zoe. I'm grateful for the one-on-one time I am getting with Jude, like today when we cuddled on the couch and played his Nintendo DS game. And I am grateful that Annabelle is completely content to play Barbies or babies in our playroom that is really a dining room with no furniture in it. I'll just rest in the fact that God is continuing to meet our needs and not giving us anything that we don't need.

One more thing out of my comfort zone...

Okay, so I am admitting to being an "un-fun" mom again here, but I generally do not participate in any "construction" that goes on at our house. I don't forbid castle/fort/tunnel building in my living room at all, I just usually don't participate. The couch cushions, blankets, pillows, etc. all over the place just tends to frustrate me more than anything. But, today, the three little ones (Zoe was at school) were trying to build a tunnel between our couch and coffee table and, for what ever reason, couldn't get it to stay up. So, I went in there and built them a very complex tunnel that they had to actually maneuver through. They had so much fun in it. For a few minutes, all three of them were playing, going around the coffee table and through the tunnel over and over again. Sadly, I was so busy playing that I didn't grab the camera, so I have only mental pictures of it. I know that may sound like such a little thing, but it's not something that I do everyday.

After that, we headed to the airport to meet my mom's dear friend, Bonnie. How to explain how I know this precious woman? She and my Mom met while I was in the fourth grade in Mississippi and they worked at the same school. She has a daughter my age and a son that is my brother's age. Our families just clicked and the following summer, we moved to Memphis, TN when they moved to outside of Columbus, OH. Every summer after that (that was 1985) until 1995, we met for a week at a state park in Kentucky and just had a blast. From 1996 until now, my Mom and Bonnie take turns going to each other's house. So, last summer, my Mom went to OH and so now Bonnie is here. We always look forward to her visits and they are so much fun! Now her daughter is in California and her son is in Ohio with his wife and two sons, so our families don't get together anymore. But, we are so excited about her visit!

The great thing about this weekend is that I don't have to work. So, we're not sure what we're going to do yet, but it will be fun.

To Christine, have a great trip!

Sebastian's Second Day of Kindergarten

Yesterday was Sebastian's second day at Kindergarten. He did great and was very happy to go back. When he got home, he came running off the bus and came in the door with his backpack. He then said, "Oh, I have stuff to give you." He gave me all of the papers from his backpack! I was so proud he remembered to give me his stuff, even after the bus ride home.
So, while the two older ones were at school, the two younger ones and I got to spend the day together. First, we went to my Mom's house and finished painting her bedroom for her. Zoe and I had helped her on Saturday night and so I went over and finished it for her. It looks so good!
Jude and Annabelle were so good while we were there, but, of course, they were dying to paint something. So, when we got home, I let them finger paint. Okay, here's a little bit of total honesty. I never let the kids paint. We color a lot with crayons, markers and color pencils, but no painting. I just hate the mess. So, I was totally out of my comfort zone. But, they loved it. We even learned about mixing the colors to make more colors...red and yellow make orange, yellow and blue make green and red and blue make purple. They had so much fun!!
So, I felt like a good daughter and a good mother....

Annabelle's Creation (Mommy did the suns)

Jude's Creation

Fun at Coolidge Park

Annabelle playing in the water

Sebastian

Jude

Today seemed like a good day to take the kiddos to Coolidge Park. So, we packed a lunch and headed downtown. The weather was perfect and since school has just started, there was no one there except us and one other family! The kids had a blast and, finally, after all summer, Annabelle played in the water! She typically doesn't like any water to touch her face, so the spraying water fountains at Coolidge Park aren't her favorite thing. But, today, she had so much fun actually got wet. We all had fun.

My Sweet Zoe

I thought I would write about Zoe. (actually, her name is supposed to have two dots over the "e", but I can't figure it out on here) How do I describe Zoe? She is a petite fourth grader with freckles across her nose and cheeks. She is a perfect mix of me and Adam. She has my sensitivity and Adam's negotiation skills. Every answer that we give her is the starting point for discussion. Well, to her, anyway. Fortunately for us, she is only that way to her parents, not to other authority figures. She loves school and always performs well. She has lots of friends. Her official stance on boys is still that she doesn't like them, but she is now noticing ones who are cute or funny. It's so strange to think about her liking boys, but I know that day is most definitely coming.

She is still very spiritual and very deep and is very aware of God and His love for her. She is one of the most helpful children I have ever met. She loves being a big sister and helps me in so many ways. She is the one who buckles the boys in the van so I don't have to climb in the backseat. So very helpful! She loves to cook and all things that go with cooking - chopping, cleaning, all of it. She says she wants to go to culinary school someday. I would love that! What a neat skill to have!

Zoe is also very musical. She loves to sing and to do drama. She has a very good voice with excellent breath control and a hint of vibrato. She can develop into a really good singer when she matures some. She is not afraid at all, either! She has stage presence. I can't wait to see what is in her future. She is destined for great things, without a doubt. And, it could be anything, really...from a doctor to a stay at home mom or anything in between. She amazes me!