Schedules

No new pictures to post right now. Just updates on our September.

We are all doing well and enjoying the weather as fall begins to rush in on us. It is getting nippy but still beautiful.

School is going very well for both kids. M is making all sorts of new friends, has gone on a field trip already and is enjoying her teacher. She has decided to join his Marimba band before school a couple of times per week. Practice hasn't started yet but I am anxious to see what she learns.

Right now, she is busy with gymnastics once per week, AWANA's once per week and a very full social calendar. She has a friend that lives just up the street that she has really hit it off with and they hang out together, do homework together and just generally pal around. I think what really got there friendship going was that they both have Healys so they like to race each other and learn new tricks together. Healys are those tennis shoes with a wheel in the heal. Anyway, both C and M got them before school started and they have been scooting everywhere since.

C is doing very well in school. He continues to do very well academically and he adores his teacher as well as all the kids in his classroom. His teacher is pretty structured and that seems to float his boat. He has decided to be a scientist when he grows up, or at least that is what his chosen profession is this week. We'll see what he wants to be next week.

He is staying busy with TaeKwanDo two days a week and AWANAS once per week. He is really progressing well in TaeKwanDo and has been invited to be a part of the blackbelt club. We are talking about that. It would add one more day to his fun.

As for Todd and I, well, I'm sure you can see we are staying pretty busy. I started my metalcraft class last week. It was a total blast and I am really looking forward to all the new things I will be learning. I started off well by giving myself a blood blister while hammering out my copper alloy. It brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my face. Tears because, man, that really hurt and a smile because I know it is the first of many minor injuries I will get while learning to do something I have wanted to explore for quite some time.

In addition to my metalcraft class, I started walking the butte with my friend Jana 3-4 days a week again and I've taken up water aerobics with my friend Julane as many mornings as I can pull myself out of bed at 6am or o'dark thirty as she puts it.

Believe it or not, I'm really not as busy as I thought I would be, or at least it doesn't feel like last year did. I have managed to make sure that the kids activities and my activities happen before Todd gets home with the exception of AWANAs. That makes it really nice because I have time to make dinner and we can enjoy th evening as a family.

Todd is continuing to be busy at work. I know that is always what I say but for a while, I think that won't change. He has been working on this project for such a long time and he is in the last stetch of this marathon and as any marathon goes, the last stretch is the hardest part. The beauty is that he isn't bored and has an incredible learning curve going. He always has some new problem to solve so he is constantly on his toes.

In addition to work, Todd volunteered to be an AWANA leader this year. He has done it in the past and really enjoyed the kids so he decided he'd like to do that again. The kids in his group love him and by the end of the year he is like the pied piper to them. They follow his every lead.

I am working with AWANAs as well but my job is a little less complicated than it has been in the past. I am the secretary for one of the groups so I get to take role, hand out awards and be an errand runner. It's a pretty easy job which is nice for me.

Abbie is doing well. Her life consists of sleeping, eating, barking in her sleep and trying to sneek into the van with me when I go places. It will be nice when the weather is consitantly cooler so I can just take her with me. She hates being home alone so when I do have to leave her, she usually curls up on my side of the bed and sleeps which is a big no,no for two reasons. The first is she isn't supposed to be on our bed and the second is that I am slightly allergic to her hair :0)

Well, I think that about covers it for now. I'll keep updating as I have time.

Have a great week,
Tulip

It is Saturday, the first weekend after school started at our house. It has been a crazy, fun week for all I think. T is at the men's retreat for our church and getting some much needed guy time and God time I hope.
This week in a nutshell for Moriah has gone from nerve wracking to "good" as she would say. She was pretty nervous on Tuesday. Her class is a 4/5 grade split. The draw back is that she didn't have any friends in her class so she felt like she was starting from scratch. (Side note - her 3 best friends moved out of town over the summer so her she felt at a disadvantage going into the school year.) Moriah came home from the first day pretty sad. She spent most of the evening crying, throwing fits and generally a miserable little girl. The second day was better and the rest of the week steadily got better. By yesterday, she was jazzed because she found a couple of girls she likes and who have befriended her. She is also very excited because her class tends to do recess, lunch and other classroom activities with the 5th graders.

This week we also finalized plans for AWANA's, gymnastics, TaeKwanDo and we are working to find a piano teacher. I know something is going to have to give but for this we will shove it all in.

Caleb is a 2nd grader and has, in my opinion, one of the best teachers at his school. He is so excited about going to class every day and has terrific reports about all the cool stuff he has done each day. He continues to be extremely task oriented and enthusiastic about homework, reading etc. C also started TaeKwanDo again this week. He is a little rusty but will catch on quickly. I haven't told him yet but he has been invited to join the black belt club which would be a little bit bigger commitment in many ways. I'm holding off until he has completed September. He will be participating in AWANA as well this year and has expressed a dire interest in learning to play the violin. I'm checking into that right now but still need to talk to T about it before we make the leap.

Todd continues to work is heart out at work. He is nearing the end of his 2 year project and is anxious to see it through. It has been pretty stressful and time consuming for him so we are hoping to figure out a nice vacation when the project winds down. Like I said before, he is at our church's mens retreat having a terrific time I hope.

As for me, I loved having my routine back. I walked the butte with my friend Jana 3 times this week and will probably do that at least 3 times next week and maybe throw something else in there for good measure. I have also spent this week working on making greeting cards, my cancer boxes, organizing my house(the never ending project) and just having some quiet time. I have been the keeper of the schedule and am looking at it with intensity and care. We are on the verge of being over the top with time commitments as a family but I think once September is over we will know what to pitch and what to keep as a family.

As for my outside commitments, I am scheduled to take a class at our local community college. I was especially wanting to take a photography class but just can't make the time work so I am on to plan B. I am on the waiting list for a metalcraft class and a 3D design class. I also have a business class in the works but T and I have decided it would be best for me to hold off on anything to intense for a semester. I am looking forward to finding out which class will fit me best, metal work or 3D design. Oh, one more thing, I am wanting to take a water aerobics class but haven't gotten down there to sign up yet. It's on my list for next week. I'll let you know how that goes.

Have a terrific weekend.