Okay, so I took the blog off the public setting because I had made another blog for selling our house and didn't want those readers to be able to read all about our family by clicking on my username. BUT, we recently decided we are going to wait till next year to sell, so I'm back...sort of.
These days we aren't taking too many pictures, unless it's the kids taking photos of such memorable masterpieces as their latest lego creation or the piece of candy they put upside down on their brownie. Not exactly blogworthy material:)
These days Matt is doing a ton of studying, plus class and the gym. He is busy and there is always more he can do, though he tries to balance out his time and see the kids some each day. He's about halfway through the first ("easy") semester at Duke, with summer, fall, and spring to go. He's enjoying being at Duke, is looking forward to his new career, and can't wait for a little over a year from now when he'll actually get a day really and truly "off" sometimes.
These days the boys are winding down from basketball (fun times, though they weren't exactly the star players!), looking forward to starting flag football this spring, and getting through their day-to-day school stuff. Joshua is the model student and enjoys his friends at school. He was made for school. It's hard to believe how shy and unsocial he was at 5. I was just reading in the record book I keep that before he started school, it used to be a remarkable thing if he actually played with children in a normal way, not shying away or talking baby talk with them. Now he makes friends easily and loves having playmates.
Gray was not made for school, but he's making it. He is just so "in his head" all the time. He doesn't connect to other kids as quickly as Joshua. He can completely tune out what's going on around him (even if he's on the court in a basketball game) if there's something he's thinking about. He can take hours to complete his very easy homework.
I've thought of taking him out of school so he doesn't drive his teachers absolutely crazy. But his regular teacher and speech teacher have encouraged me to keep him in and that he can thrive there. I also am reluctant to take him out because his view is that he wants me teach him at home sometimes when he thinks school isn't fun. I don't want him to think when you face something that isn't ideal, you run away, or that everything in life has to be entertainment. Plus, based on the fact that he pretty much hates any instruction I give him on his schoolwork, homeschool ain't going to be as fun as he imagines! So we are staying the course right now. I still love the diversity at their school, as they are in class with kids of all colors and cultures. I still want to do what I can to support public schools and their teachers. I still don't want to hole up at home and shut out the world, as is my natural tendency. He also recently qualified for the AIG program, so in a couple of years, he'll spend a majority of his day there getting differentiated work that will probably hold his attention better.
These days Julia is spending her days dancing and singing around the house. She seems so shy at first with strangers but actually breaks out her social butterfly side pretty easily. She just started a pre-ballet class and was talking and participating like a champ on her first day. We have also been looking for a new church and she has gone into each new class without a fuss and played and chatted and had a great time. She loves to have two little girls from our Kids' Night Out program come over each week for reading and writing and play time. She still cannot wait to start school.
These days I am wrapping up a phase of home improvements/decorating/cleaning out in order to get ready for selling the house. We'll gear back up for that when Matt's school is winding down and it's not so busy. I'm crocheting here and there (thanks for teaching me, Mama!) and doing a few other craft projects. I'm keeping up with Kids' Night and helping run a tutoring program. I'm getting ready to become a weekly "reading buddy" for a child in Gray's class, once the resource teacher has everything set up. I'm working out with Matt in the basement, mostly weight lifting. I'm starting to prepare for an ACT for Justice meeting on Orphan Care that I'll be in charge of in a few months. I'm playing baby and little people with Julia. (Though I must admit, these are the times I think she needs a sister! Just not into pretending anymore.) I'm trying to keep up with the admin stuff for the gym. I'm enjoying my weekly Bible Study. I'm praying for us to settle on a new church.
So there's the long catch-up on us. Probably won't write as much as I used to, but will try to post periodically. Have a great week!
