I was writing a letter to my mom about all the going ons with the kids. It struck me that I should post the letter as I want to look back and read about what the kids have been up to.
"I was reading through all my old blogs last night and looking at the pictures. I'm so glad that I wrote about all the stories that have happened over the years - I had forgotten so many of them. I love seeing the pictures of the kids and remembering how fun and cute they were
It seems we have turned a corner around this house as it's been really enjoyable and easy having the kids home. Perrin and Sam have been getting a long for the most part and their school work is going well. They went to the private school (The Oaks) yesterday to take their assessment to see what grade level they should be in and it went really well. The principal said they did great and are on grade level....whew - I didn't mess them up this year with homeschooling! We have our final meeting next Thursday as a family and then hopefully we'll get in. Both classes are currently full so we'll see if there's room for next year. I can't tell you how much of a peace I have about sending them to this school. It's such a great school - I really like everything about it and I think the kids are going to really be able to learn and grow there. It doesn't start in the fall until the third week of September so I'm thinking that we'll be able to take a family vacation during that time as we're not really taking much time just as a family this summer. But we have to get in first.
I have to say that I'm really glad that I took the time off this year to have the kids home. It's been tough but overall it's been really beautiful. I'm seeing such an amazing side of the kids. Sam is a really funny kid and his brain is so quick and agile. He comes up with the funniest observations and comments about things and lately has been so quick to laugh. He's struggling with meeting boys that he wants to hang out with. He said most of the kids around are mean and kind of pick on the younger kids, meaning him, and he doesn't really want to hang out with them. So we're working on encouraging relationships that are good and kind, we've got one boy that fits that bill. I'm hoping if we get into The Oaks I can call up some of the other parents that live in Liberty Lake and encourage those relationships. Meanwhile Balin and I both agree that this is a prime opportunity for Balin to step into the gap and hang out with Sam. Balin's doing a great job at that, as you can imagine. He's been coming home and going out and playing basketball with Sam or playing games with him. He and Sam also do Parkour together on Sunday evenings for an hour, which they both love. I'm so thankful that Balin wants to have a great relationship with Sam and is engaging him. Sam's at the age where doing stuff with his mom is ok but doing it with his dad is amazing. I'm amazed at the timing of our life as Balin's responsibility at work is less than it was when he owned the company - which makes it easier for him to separate himself and be more available as a husband/dad. Much needed.
Perrin has been just as much of a pleasure. She's been working really hard at getting her school work done first thing during the week so she can take Friday off. She loves having her work done. "Check" is her favorite word. :) She's also very much into baking lately. She gets out an Ina Garten cookbook, goes to the back to where all the desserts are and picks one out to bake. I purchased a small convection oven for the guest house a couple of years back and decided to pull that out recently which has been the impetus for her baking I think. She can use it to bake all sorts of things all by herself - she's got Red Velvet cupcakes down, chocolate chip cookies are "too easy mom" and they never make it to the baked cookie stage as everyone consumes it as raw cookie dough. She's working on donuts but she needs a donut pan to make those successful. Unfortunately i'm trying to lose some weight and am eating only meats and vegetables and nuts, so her baking goods tempt me regularly - some of them are really good. She's making a Marlova (a meringue filled with whipped cream and fruit) for Balin's birthday Sunday and then tomorrow for a get together she's making chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. She loves it.
She's also been into her American Girl doll lately. Sage goes everywhere with her and she's constantly looking at what she might get for her doll on Amazon. She really wants someone else to buy her the doll Isabelle but I told her every doll that someone else buys she either doesn't play with or gives away. She has to spend her own money on this stuff so she actually appreciates it. She grimaces every time we talk about it. She says it's way too hard for her to spend her own money on such a big purchase - which is my point exactly. Funny little girl. I did get her the new movie Grace that is coming out in June about a girl who likes to bake and has an entrepreneurial spirit. It looks really good and I think Perrin has been inspired by it.
Lastly, one of the things I'm seeing with Perrin that has been such a joy is her spirit of hospitality. When her bucket is full, she loves to serve people, make sure they are taken care of. It warms my heart to see it. She truly loves people and wants their best, most of the time, and her brother is often the exception. (I think he exasperates her to no end) I have been working on redoing our landscape in both the front and back. I just borrowed a book from the library about hardy annuals and having a cutting flower garden. I was showing Perrin all the flowers that we'll have in the garden and her response was, "I can't wait to take flowers to all the neighbors mom". She and I are going to have a lot of work to do in the coming months planting seeds and the literally hundreds of plants I've ordered from various plant stores. More than anything, I want this garden to be a summer wonder of flowers upon flowers upon flowers. I'm not too concerned about what it looks like in the winter as we're off skiing most of the time anyway - I just want it to be dazzling from May to September. Can't wait! Nor can Perrin.
We've been listening to books on tape for the past couple of months whenever we drive somewhere. If the book is really good we sit in front of the fire at night and listen to it in the living room. We've read Ender's Game this way and now we're listening to Anne of Green Gables. Both of the kids jump in the car and say, "turn on Anne mom". It's actually been really good for their writing as they hear the stories and then they picture them in their minds, which I've been helping them to transfer to their writing. Last week we went to the Park in town for their writing and this week we're going to Riverside State Park for their writing time. I think Anne's great "scope of imagination" is lighting their imagination also. I ordered the movie Anne of Green Gable last night as it's so fun to watch the movie after we read the book. For Ender's Game all of us agreed that the book was far better than the movie. We'll see about Anne."
"I was reading through all my old blogs last night and looking at the pictures. I'm so glad that I wrote about all the stories that have happened over the years - I had forgotten so many of them. I love seeing the pictures of the kids and remembering how fun and cute they were
It seems we have turned a corner around this house as it's been really enjoyable and easy having the kids home. Perrin and Sam have been getting a long for the most part and their school work is going well. They went to the private school (The Oaks) yesterday to take their assessment to see what grade level they should be in and it went really well. The principal said they did great and are on grade level....whew - I didn't mess them up this year with homeschooling! We have our final meeting next Thursday as a family and then hopefully we'll get in. Both classes are currently full so we'll see if there's room for next year. I can't tell you how much of a peace I have about sending them to this school. It's such a great school - I really like everything about it and I think the kids are going to really be able to learn and grow there. It doesn't start in the fall until the third week of September so I'm thinking that we'll be able to take a family vacation during that time as we're not really taking much time just as a family this summer. But we have to get in first.
I have to say that I'm really glad that I took the time off this year to have the kids home. It's been tough but overall it's been really beautiful. I'm seeing such an amazing side of the kids. Sam is a really funny kid and his brain is so quick and agile. He comes up with the funniest observations and comments about things and lately has been so quick to laugh. He's struggling with meeting boys that he wants to hang out with. He said most of the kids around are mean and kind of pick on the younger kids, meaning him, and he doesn't really want to hang out with them. So we're working on encouraging relationships that are good and kind, we've got one boy that fits that bill. I'm hoping if we get into The Oaks I can call up some of the other parents that live in Liberty Lake and encourage those relationships. Meanwhile Balin and I both agree that this is a prime opportunity for Balin to step into the gap and hang out with Sam. Balin's doing a great job at that, as you can imagine. He's been coming home and going out and playing basketball with Sam or playing games with him. He and Sam also do Parkour together on Sunday evenings for an hour, which they both love. I'm so thankful that Balin wants to have a great relationship with Sam and is engaging him. Sam's at the age where doing stuff with his mom is ok but doing it with his dad is amazing. I'm amazed at the timing of our life as Balin's responsibility at work is less than it was when he owned the company - which makes it easier for him to separate himself and be more available as a husband/dad. Much needed.
Perrin has been just as much of a pleasure. She's been working really hard at getting her school work done first thing during the week so she can take Friday off. She loves having her work done. "Check" is her favorite word. :) She's also very much into baking lately. She gets out an Ina Garten cookbook, goes to the back to where all the desserts are and picks one out to bake. I purchased a small convection oven for the guest house a couple of years back and decided to pull that out recently which has been the impetus for her baking I think. She can use it to bake all sorts of things all by herself - she's got Red Velvet cupcakes down, chocolate chip cookies are "too easy mom" and they never make it to the baked cookie stage as everyone consumes it as raw cookie dough. She's working on donuts but she needs a donut pan to make those successful. Unfortunately i'm trying to lose some weight and am eating only meats and vegetables and nuts, so her baking goods tempt me regularly - some of them are really good. She's making a Marlova (a meringue filled with whipped cream and fruit) for Balin's birthday Sunday and then tomorrow for a get together she's making chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. She loves it.
She's also been into her American Girl doll lately. Sage goes everywhere with her and she's constantly looking at what she might get for her doll on Amazon. She really wants someone else to buy her the doll Isabelle but I told her every doll that someone else buys she either doesn't play with or gives away. She has to spend her own money on this stuff so she actually appreciates it. She grimaces every time we talk about it. She says it's way too hard for her to spend her own money on such a big purchase - which is my point exactly. Funny little girl. I did get her the new movie Grace that is coming out in June about a girl who likes to bake and has an entrepreneurial spirit. It looks really good and I think Perrin has been inspired by it.
Lastly, one of the things I'm seeing with Perrin that has been such a joy is her spirit of hospitality. When her bucket is full, she loves to serve people, make sure they are taken care of. It warms my heart to see it. She truly loves people and wants their best, most of the time, and her brother is often the exception. (I think he exasperates her to no end) I have been working on redoing our landscape in both the front and back. I just borrowed a book from the library about hardy annuals and having a cutting flower garden. I was showing Perrin all the flowers that we'll have in the garden and her response was, "I can't wait to take flowers to all the neighbors mom". She and I are going to have a lot of work to do in the coming months planting seeds and the literally hundreds of plants I've ordered from various plant stores. More than anything, I want this garden to be a summer wonder of flowers upon flowers upon flowers. I'm not too concerned about what it looks like in the winter as we're off skiing most of the time anyway - I just want it to be dazzling from May to September. Can't wait! Nor can Perrin.
We've been listening to books on tape for the past couple of months whenever we drive somewhere. If the book is really good we sit in front of the fire at night and listen to it in the living room. We've read Ender's Game this way and now we're listening to Anne of Green Gables. Both of the kids jump in the car and say, "turn on Anne mom". It's actually been really good for their writing as they hear the stories and then they picture them in their minds, which I've been helping them to transfer to their writing. Last week we went to the Park in town for their writing and this week we're going to Riverside State Park for their writing time. I think Anne's great "scope of imagination" is lighting their imagination also. I ordered the movie Anne of Green Gable last night as it's so fun to watch the movie after we read the book. For Ender's Game all of us agreed that the book was far better than the movie. We'll see about Anne."
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