Besides snow (and some oddly warm weather), some other things have happened in January. Here are are 10 of them . . .
#1--The celebration continues. Sara gets more fun stuff in the mail to celebrate her three awesome years.
#2--Go Knights! David has been playing basketball this season. He has learned so much! It's been great. His team and some other teams were honored during halftime at one of the Kings high school games.
#3 PJs and Piggybacks. Mary and Sara have quite the collection of matching footie pajamas. I love my cuddly girls. One of Sara's favorite ways to hang out with Mary is via piggyback ride. Mary takes such good care of Sara. She gives Sara her breakfast, she helps her get ready in the morning, she did all of her class valentines for her, she dances with her, she helps her get bathed, she colors with her, she cuddles with her, just to name a few of the ways Mary is an awesome big sister.
#4--Black Belt Test Prep. David worked very, very hard in January preparing for his black belt test. I am amazed by how much information he has in his mind and body. I don't think he realizes how amazing it is. His test was last Friday. All that preparation paid off! Black belt posts coming soon!
#5--A trip to the Children's Museum. One random Monday we went to the Children's Museum. I think our school district was the only one with that day off because there was no body at the museum. It was great! David and Mary had such a great time! They had the freedom to work and play and solve problems. Sara was a little overwhelmed, but David and Mary took her under their wings. She loves any reason to spend time with them. It was a wonderful morning.
#6--We're moving in April! In January we found out we're moving to Edwards AFB at the beginning of April. This is unusual, as most military moves are in the summer. We could probably have found a way to keep the kids here until the end of the school year, but staying together as a family is our first priority. Fortunately our kids are young enough (i.e., no one is yet in high school or even middle school) that moving them during the school year isn't too complicated. It's true they will only have six or seven weeks of school in California before summer break. But this way they'll have a chance to make friends and get to know the school.
#7--Reliving the Nutcracker. The Nutcracker DVDs came in! Mary was finally able to see all that action she missed while backstage. Sara loved watching the dancers and trying to copy their moves. The girls spent a Saturday morning watching it.
#8--The Pinewood Derby! The Pinewood Derby was a big deal in our house this year. Greg is the Cubmaster, so he planned the event. This year the Cub Scout age girls were invited to participate too. So Greg got to help two kids make cars. (Yippeee! Not. We're lame parents, remember?) Actually, Greg did a great job of making sure David and Mary made their own cars. (I guess this is a real problem? Greg had a quick, small race right after the Pinewood Derby so any grown-ups who wanted to could race their own cars. This way dads can make their own cars and get out of the way of their kids. It also allowed younger siblings to race a car down the track if they wanted. This turned out to be a really good idea.) David and Mary did a great job on their cars! The event was a success. It was super fun having the girls too. It was bigger and more festive and more exciting. There were so many families there! Greg did a great job organizing the event. He made sure all the kids got to race a lot, that it was fair, and that it ran smoothly. Most of all, we're pleased with all the thought and hard work David and Mary put into their cars. They both did well, and we're also thankful for their help in pulling off this big event.
#9--We cleaned the house! Yes, it had been a long time, so, yes, this was a big deal.
#10--Montessori Observation/Practice Teaching! The last week of January I was observing in a Montessori school in Indianapolis. The first week of February I was teaching. I was working with a teacher at the Indiana Montessori Academy in Carmel. The school is only about 2 1/2 hours away, so I was able to come home some evenings (like for the Pinewood Derby). But leaving at 5 am is a killer for this night-person, so fortunately I was able to stay in Carmel some of the time. It was such a great experience! It's a very lovely school. I am incredibly fortunate for the connections and mentoring I had there. It was inspiring and very helpful. I might even be brave enough to open my own school one day! I was able to go because Greg took a week off of work, and my mom came out the second week. I obviously couldn't do this without their support. I'm also grateful to my kids for being so strong and resilient. Having your mom gone is the worst! But this was the last of it. Just five weeks of exams this summer--but they will be coming with me for that. I think I can see the ending of this Montessori training. . .
