our week

A lot was accomplished last week, or so it seemed. Must be the change in the season that has me feeling like I am just going and going. Early to rise in the morning, going non-stop all day, and bedtime can't come sooner. By the time we are all in bed, and my body relaxes, I fall asleep, easily. The good, I've been up all day, beat, tired, kind of sleep.

We are all enjoying spring. Oh, my favorite season. I love it so. We could spend our days outside every day. If only Arizona summers weren't so hot and in a hurry to get here, because we know our perfect weather will end soon. The heat will creep in and then it will soon be unbearable, but for now, we are loving our springtime.

Jonas is going to be in his first ever little league game tomorrow. He's been practicing with Miah. He has gone from not knowing much about the sport to understanding the game. He is working on hitting the ball and adding a little more power to his hit, catching, and hustling to get the ball. He and Miah are having a good time working together. So much so that every practice he wants it to be he and Miah only. Angus, Paloma and I tag along sometimes to play in the playground.

Paloma has been so difficult for about two weeks straight. She has been fussy. She's refusing to potty train, she constantly wants me to hold her and she asks in the whiniest voice "mama hoooollld", if something is not exactly as she wants, she breaks down. Oh, I hope this stage passes quickly because it is so, so tiring.

Angus and I play hours of monster jam, robot rumble, spiderman vs. bumble bee, etc, etc, etc, a week. He is my action figure, monster truck player. I love to watch his imagination at work. Most of the time the characters play nice. Holding a monster truck in his hand, he bumps against the one I'm holding and says, "hey, can I talk to you." That's how the adventures begin. We build Lego robots, that we eventually destroy. Fun stuff, but its hard to tell him I have to wash dishes or do laundry. He'd have me playing all day if it were up to him.

Our sunflower seeds are in the ground. Can't wait to see them sunflowers standing tall. Veggies will be planted this week. Our chickens have become consistent little egg layers. Soon, we will not need to buy any from the store. We are turning all organic, home grown over here or at least trying to be.

We are working on and through a lot of things over here.

completely demonstrates

We were scheduled to be at parent/teacher conference at four in the afternoon. I called my dad to see if he could help for an hour with the kids while Jeremiah and I talked to Mrs. R. He couldn't, but luckily Jerry showed up to help.

The kids happily played in the playground while we waited for our turn to enter the classroom. Jonas was talking to one of his friends, while Angus stood next to him. They were holding hands. Brothers stick together. Paloma climbed up the playground and slid down the slide. Again and again. Jerry showed up, took over the watch and we walked into the classroom.

Mrs. R started talking about Jonas' latest test scores. We were so impressed. He is above grade level in reading and above where he used to be in math, which is excellent. When he reads he shows expression, which can be hard for a first grader. He does great on his spelling tests. All the nightly readings have payed off, big time. He even reminds the teacher if they forget to work on a subject she had mentioned earlier. Not in a rude way, either, she made sure to tell us that. He is very polite, she said. He does worry when there is a change in routine, but he has gotten better about it.

This little boy is very different from Miah and I. I know Miah struggled a little when he was in elementary school. I was so shy and quiet that it stopped me from doing a lot in school. I never drew attention to myself, never raised my hand to answer questions. He raises his hand, he answers questions, he speaks up. Don't know why I was so painfully shy, but I am so grateful he is not. I hope my Angus and Paloma are free from it, too.

He is one of the best students, she said. At home, he can be troublesome and sometimes defiant, but he knows how far he can go with us. How many buttons he can push before mom and dad have had enough. Mrs. R said he tells the class to be quiet when she is talking. He helps his classmates. He is a good friend. He is a great student.

After I heard all she had to say about him, I almost got teary eyed right there in front of the teacher, but held it in. I was proud of him, of us. This job of raising these little beings is hard. No one ever tells you how hard it is going to be. You try to figure it out as you go along, each day, because you don't know what they will do next, how you will react in every situation that gets thrown at you, how they will act, what their personality will be like. Each child is different.

I go through this parenting journey trying to do the best I can, hoping my children grow up to be great people. People that will walk this earth with confidence, with respect for themselves and for others. Kind, compassionate, loving, strong, smart people and whatever else they bring from their own uniqueness. The list goes on.

I know it is only first grade, and that I still have many more years to go, many more conferences to attend, from not one child, but three of my loves. So far, I feel good on this journey. This moment, in this journey, I feel great.
~
This morning, the kids and I had breakfast at school. It was Jonas' first time eating in the cafeteria for breakfast. He had heard that they give prizes for eating there. Turns out they give prizes if your tray had a marking under it. We looked under our trays. There were no markings on ours. He was upset about it. He wanted to get a prize, so he pouted the entire time we were there.

I told him he should be happy that we were trying something new. Angus and Paloma loved being in school. They were having a fun time. The bell rang and we had to go. Before he walked into class, he asked me if we could eat there again tomorrow. I said we could.

In the afternoon, when he got into the car after school, the first words that came out of his mouth were, "I feel so bad for you mom."

He handed me a note that he had written explaining how bad he felt for his behavior at breakfast.
He cried at school that morning he said, because he kept thinking of me at breakfast and how I was trying to make the best of it. I told him I wasn't upset about that morning. I thanked him for my note and told him how much I appreciated his apology. I told him he didn't have to be sad for me.
~
My heart swells, almost ready to burst at moments like these. Moments where my children amaze me. Where all I can think is that I am so proud to be their mother.

our week

The weather has been nice this week, which means its great to spend the days outside. We come inside, then get ready again to get away from our walls to play outside.