I have gotten so behind in my blogging that I was having a hard time finding the ambition to get caught up. Now that I'm on fall break, I've finally decided that it's now or never so here we go...
(Sorry this is so long, but this blog also serves as our family journal and I needed to get caught up.)Trey started 2nd grade this year. It's hard to believe that my baby is in 2nd grade. Where has the time gone? He loves school and is really motivated to stretch himself. Almost every night he shares some far out math problem that he has figured out on his own that day. I think his problem the other night was "What is 14,000 times 2,000?" I wish I could say all my children are so easily motivated to learn. :o)
Damian is in 3rd grade this year and continues to view school simply as a social event - you know...before school recess, lunch, lunch recess, afternoon recess, etc... At progress report time we had to have a sit down with the teacher and set up a bit more structure for him. Thankfully he realized we were serious and has started to take the whole academic experience a bit more seriously. I think the thing he hates the most is that I'm a 3rd grade teacher and know what a 3rd grader should be doing and how to teach the math, writing, etc... I'm sure one day he'll look back on my being a teacher and think it was cool to have a mom that knew all about school stuff, for right now I think I'm more of an inconvenience because I know what it's like to have students like Damian who aren't taking school seriously.
Maggie is in 4th grade this year and has
THE 4th grade boy teacher. Let's just say she wasn't super excited. I think the real reason she was so upset was because it was Amaya's teacher from 4th grade and that year Amaya really struggled. Maggie's perception of Mr. Schneider was from Amaya's point of view and let's just say it was a bit skewed. It probably didn't help that Dustin and I provided absolutely no sympathy to her as she moped around the weekend before school started. In fact, I think we may have even chuckled and giggled about the situation. (I know, we're mean parents, but we thought it was kind of funny that she ended up with Mr. Schneider.) As this quarter has progressed, Maggie absolutely loves her class and wouldn't change at all. In fact, Mr. Schneider has managed to get my pretty pink princess of a girlie-girl hooked on football, reading very long chapter books, and actually writing creative stories. All in all, I would say she's had a great quarter and has realized that Mr. Schneider isn't so bad after all. :o)
Amaya started 6th grade this year and has officially started at the
middle school. Nothing makes me feel like I've hit middle age more than having a child in middle school. It has been a very interesting experience watching Amaya go through this transition. In many ways she has hit her stride and is doing well. Academically she is doing quite well and has exceeded our expectations. She is still struggling with her interactions with her classmates and is still struggling to really "find" herself. We keep praying that she will have one of those V-8 moments and realize that she is a beautiful child of God and has such divine potential.
When I was younger my mom told me I would have a child just like me. Thinking about that, I don't know if she was offering a compliment or a voice of warning. :o) Since all my kids are adopted I never really thought it would happen since genetically they aren't mine. Well, the older my kids get the more "de ja vue" moments into my own childhood I have. It has truly made me appreciate my parents more and more for the job they did parenting me. This whole parenting thing isn't easy and I didn't always make it easy for them. Thanks mom and dad for all the sacrifices you made to make my life as good as it was!
About the middle of August we found out that Dustin's company would be restructuring the equipment department and all employees (including Dustin's boss) in the equipment department would be eliminated as of October 1st. When Dustin first called and told me the news, I was shocked. I couldn't believe that he would be let go because of a decision to restructure the company, not because the company was struggling financially or that there wasn't any work for him. I guess at one point they even contemplated selling his work truck to him and then paying him (3rd party) to continue being the mechanic for their heavy equipment. Needless to say the 7 weeks we knew were bittersweet. We were so happy to have the time to plan and make changes in our budget to be ready, but in the same token, 7 weeks is a really long time to wait for the inevitable. There were many sleepless nights. We made the decision to let the kids know what might be happening and the kids immediately made it a matter of prayer that daddy wouldn't lose his job. As the parents we tried to let them know that daddy losing his job might be part of Heavenly Father's plan so that way when Dustin did lose his job the kids wouldn't be devastated that their prayers weren't answered. Well, October 1st came and went and thankfully Dustin still has a job and it looks like he might still be employed for awhile. In fact, he is the only heavy equipment field mechanic still left with the company. I can't tell you how grateful I am for answers to prayers. We truly feel like we experienced our own little miracle regarding Dustin's job. We don't know if Dustin will have this job for a long or short time, but we certainly feel like everyday after October 1st is a blessing and answer to our prayers.
I started a new teaching job at a new school this year. At first I had a hard time adjusting to their way of doing things, but am so thankful to have this job. It is exactly what our family needs. I am able to bring in an income to help support the family, but be home before my kiddos get off the school bus in the afternoon. What a huge blessing this has been for all of us. I'm back teaching 3rd grade and really enjoying it. I have 22 kids in my class, but 5 of them are out of my room for most of the main subjects. It's nice to be able to really have the time to get to know my students and be able to plan specifically for their academic strengths and weaknesses. Only one of my students (that's non-sped) is actually struggling, all the rest are at or well above grade level so it's been fun to have a class of students that you can really challenge. Plus, I have an aide that comes in everyday and works with my lower students so they don't fall behind. I still can't believe that I have been blessed with such a wonderful job that allows me to be home with my kids. :o)
When I was laid off at the end of last school year, I was devastated. I took it really hard. After a week or two of moping around, I realized that I was upset about losing a job that did nothing but stress me out. At that point I made the change to giving it all to Heavenly Father and asking for a way for me to be able to help support my family, but also be home in the afternoon for my kids. It is humbling to know that Heavenly Father knew all along what was best for me and my family and was only waiting for me to turn it all over to him.
Although the uncertainty of the economy has hit home to us in a very real way, we feel so blessed that we have been preserved and protected from a drastic financial blow (at least for the moment).
For my kids' birthdays I always make a list of special things about them. I didn't do Maggie's on her birthday, so here goes...
After the party we took the girls to a local pizza parlor for their lunch buffet, had an ice-cream cake, and opened presents. The party was so much fun and the girls had a great time picking out their ceramic figurines, and learning how to clean and paint them. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect place for Amaya to have her party. It went so well! One thing I learned about Amaya is that she isn't a shopper. I took her shopping that night to exchange and buy some new clothes she had gotten for her birthday and she was so miserable. Picking out clothes and trying them on was not a fun event for her. When she gets older her husband will love the fact that she hates shopping. :o)
