Grandma Evy's Birthday Party

Ok, so we didn't do streamers and hats and all that other party stuff, but we did have fun. We only put 3 candles on the cake. We figured once you reach 50, you get to start all over again. So, we put 2 candles for being 52 and a third candle to grow on.

We've loved having grandma around. The kids are making sure they get all the miles out of her that they can. Katie has really latched on to her. She and grandma do lots of things together. One of Katie's favorite activities is to read "Love that Baby" with grandma. They sure are cute together.

The other girls are doing well. School is less than amazing. There aren't proper books in the classroom, the school is under staffed, and some of the teachers aren't anything to brag about. Fortunately, that won't be a problem in a month. We are signing a lease for a new place in San Rafael that has a little more space for the family to grow and live. We'll post pictures soon. But until then, enjoy these . . .

Well, today is Cyrus' last day of finals. He has been fairly busy but he thinks he over-studied for the tests...it is looking like a lot of A's and maybe a few B's so that is good.

Carolyn finally started reading in school again. I am always amazed with how excited she gets about doing her work when she is doing it at school. She was thrilled to be reading again and has started reading through all the books we have here at home again. The library here is lacking in books so the girls are reading everything they can find here at home. She has been jumping rope like there is no tomorrow since that seems to be important here :). She has gotten really good at it.

Hannah has really gotten the hang of school and she loves to see her sister every day outside. She is a nice little girls and is always looking for people who don't have anyone to play with. Hannah was thrilled to get to make a sculpture at school with wood. She was a little sad she was suppose to make it look like the teacher's. She said that next week she will get to paint the sculpture.

Carolyn and Hannah will be starting piano lessons in about two weeks so they are really excited about that. I am excited for them too.

Katie loves Mary Poppins. She wants to watch it every day...she is still a little bored home with mommy all the time but we do have fun.

Here Are Some Pics From Our Hike

Last week, I went the whole week without posting, it just flew right by. Katie is getting the hang of being home without her sisters. Last week, she ran out into the living room and yelled, "steppin time" and started dancing. Her favorite show (and the only show that doesn't end up with her crying) is Mary Poppins. She has only watched it a couple of times but she remembers "Steppin Time." Today she finally is napping so that is wonderful. She gets so grouchy in the afternoon but she fights tooth and nail against naps.

Hannah has made a new friend named Victor at school. He is so nice to Hannah and they play together every day. He always makes sure Hannah can find her sister at recess and her mom after school and stays right with her all day. Her teacher told me today they are always sitting by each other and being friends throughout the day and are in short, very much in love. She also told me it has been good for Victor because he is sort of a dreamer and doesn't focus and Hannah is the smartest girl in class (that made me happy) so now Victor is really putting his heart into being like Hannah. I am so happy Hannah has a good friend. She still plays with Carolyn every day and that makes me happy too. In fact, they told me, when Hannah leaves Carolyn after recess, she gives Carolyn a hug and so does Victor.

Hannah is loving school too. Her teacher is just great!!! They don't have books in the Kindergarten classroom (one of the problems I have with the school) but she saw that Hannah was ready to really jump into reading so she has started using these photo-copy books. All the children work on them at their own pace. I am thrilled with Hannah's teacher. She has 25 years of experience and seems to have managing all kinds of levels and all kinds of children in the bag. Some of the parents wish her room was more decorated and such (they hired her only 4 days before school started and her classroom has only things that she personally owned in it--the school supplied nothing) but I wouldn't trade her experience for anything.

Carolyn loves school. She loves the structure and thrives on whatever kind of learning is offered. She certainly isn't being challenged here yet but I am hoping soon...Carolyn's teacher is somewhat new and I think teaching to various levels comes a bit slower with less experience but she tells me she WILL challenge Carolyn so that is good. Carolyn has had a harder time getting into her class. There are a few very nice girls that she has been playing with and two sweet little boys she and Hannah chase. There are also some really awful kids. Mean girls who say awful things to her--make plans specifically to leave her out, etc. She keeps trying to be nice and they just keep bing mean. Daddy told her to just stay away from them (particularly one girl is mean) and I told her to keep being nice. This is a new experience for all of us so we will see how it goes. I was surprised that girls start being mean in 1st grade!!! Yikes. It still feels like Carolyn is such a baby.

This Thursday, the girls get their first experience being taught by a naturalist in the MArin headlands. This is one of the things the school throws a lot of money into. They have a naturalist teach the children 3 hours a week (but no level-appropriate books in Kindergarten) for environmental studies. It feels a bit like a pet project to me but hopefully the girls will like it.

Blessings

The girls are having a great week at school this week . Hannah is finally feeling comfortable at school and I am so pleased with her teacher. She is a kind, gentle lady who is perfect for Hannah. Carolyn is a little bored in first grade but she will be ok...I try to challenge her a bit at home.

Last week we went to this wonderful place called Tennessee Valley Cove. It was a fun and easy hike there (about 1.8 miles but mostly flat so that was perfect for the girls) and a fun day at the beach. The waves were really big and periodically surprised us and got us all wet!!! It was a fun way to spend the afternoon.

Yesterday I was talking to the girls about the hurricane and all the devistation in New Orleans and Mississippi and what we could do to help. We decided that we could try to use the car less to save gas for people who really need it and that we can keep our ears open for ways to help. Our budget is tight but we will donate extra to fast offering at church so it can be used for relief. It gave me some peace of mind to know that the church has sent supplies to places they can get to and that churches in the south are being used for temporary housing. Now if only I had an extra bus to go pick up all those poor people stuck in New Orleans. :) Hannah had the best idea of all when we were talking--she said, "Mom, I know what we can do for all those people, we can pray." The most wonderful things come out of the mouths of our babies. I have truly felt the burden of our blessings as I have thought of all the suffering. I can really and truly be more grateful.