Busy Times

It's been busy. The rush of school, and homework, enforced bedtimes, and the need to push everyone out the door in the morning. Exciting stuff. For the most part everyone has been pretty happy. We took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge when my mom was in town. Correction: She took us all to Great Wolf Lodge when she was in town. Rob has video he wants to edit together and post at some wonderful point. He had fun with a new case that let him take the camera underwater. So it went down slides and did all kinds of things. The kids had a great time to, and fell in love with Magiquest as much as with the water slides.

Caleb and Beth loved the bigger inner tube slides, and something has happened to me as I've gotten older. I just don't love them. I don't, but I went so it counts. Jacob had a lot of fun doing the little kid slides and the wave pool. He's so confident in the water now. My mom's visit was a lot of fun and went really smoothly. It's nice to have her visit. Sometimes it's hard being so far away from my family. The visit was a perfect way to feel reconnected.

Beth has her first male teacher. And I have to say I'm super impressed. His attitude about teaching, and the way he runs his class is impressive. I've liked all of Beth's teachers. They've been good for her, but I can see why they need more male teachers in the classroom. She's been pretty good about doing her homework this year. And she's on track to keep doing well.

Caleb's having a difficult time with his teacher and his behavior this year. I know that she's pretty strict. Beth would get a few card flips a month when she had her, and she maybe got one a year in her other classes. But it's frustrating and wearing on his self esteem. So I'm facing a dilemma. I'm about ready to schedule a conference with the teacher, and it's not going to be easy. I hate to call people out on the situation, and I don't think that Caleb is a perfect little boy that never talks out of turn or sits perfectly still, but at the same time--he is a first grade boy who wiggles, and gets excited and moves around and likes to talk to people. I don't want him to get labeled as a troubled kid. He's super smart--it doesn't take him long to do work, and I'm sure he gets bored. Actually Beth's teacher put the whole thing into perspective for me, when he talked about how he wanted his fourth graders to learn to behave, but he also realizes that they are fourth graders and aren't going to be perfect all of the time. Any advice would be appreciated.

Jacob is really progressing on his speech, and enjoying preschool. He sees his friend Miles at school most days--they are not in the same class, but I think they have recess together. He is much happier now that he has busy time each day. He misses his brother and sister when they are at school. It's nice to know that he is in a structured environment where he can have fun.

We all went to Bugfest again this year. No camera in tow, so no pictures. The boys all ate chocolate covered worms. Caleb had two. Rob came home all paranoid, and flossed his teeth and used mouthwash just in case. It made me laugh, because if you're that paranoid why eat them at all? (I'm more than that paranoid--hence no bug eating from me.) The kids got to make an antenna headband, and compete in the bug olympics and win a gold medal each. Happy times.