When the sun is shining like it was this afternoon, homework can wait—it’s time to play! What a beautiful day!
Scrimmage
14 years ago
Today, Franny had the excellent idea to ride the Max train downtown. Everyone loved this adventure--from riding the train to having snacks at Starbucks to walking up the waterfront. The rainy day didn't phase anyone. The kids loved every minute of it--I love that these kids always find a way to have fun no matter what we do. Maybe this is a lot of pictures for a somewhat ordinary event (we done a variation of this a number of times), but I just couldn't edit it down anymore! I never get tired of seeing these kids have fun...
Delaney has quite an incredibly extensive vocabulary. A lot of it is all her--what she has learned and now uses very articulately. And then there are some other words and phases that she has picked up from Franny and Cole. While she does use them with a confidence that I find quite admirable, her true understanding of what she is saying doesn't quite measure up.
The most recent example of these is describing things as her "favorites". This really isn't surprising--since Delaney could sit up and look at catalogues with Franny, she was being asked to pick a favorite, and in some cases being told which one was a favorite. Lately, however, she has begun to describe everything as her favorite. Purple? Oh, yes...I like purple....purple is my favorite! And, depending on the day, bananas are her favorite fruit, she has a favorite dress, a favorite stuffed animal, a favorite book...the list is endless.
I guess at least we do know what she likes. And, I do love that she has such a positive outlook that she is fixated on these things, rather than things she doesn't like.
Today, she gave me a big smile and said You are my favorite mommy.
Lucky me!
A change in routine can be a difficult thing to adjust to--especially for young kids. Last year, Franny had occasional homework, and what homework she had were fun, special projects like a photo collage or an art project. This year, however, she has a new homework packet every week, as well as a daily reading assignment, and a supplemental math and reading extension. Besides the reading, she has to do about 45 minutes of homework everyday to have it completed by Friday. It took some time for her to adjust to doing homework daily and not have it be a struggle. But now, she does a great job and usually has a very positive attitude to doing what she needs to do.
Cole doesn't have required homework, as his school holds the belief that homework is inappropriate at this age and learning beyond the classroom is best achieved through unstructured activity. They do, however, provide a weekly writing and phonics assignment that is optional. Because Cole wasn't writing on his own at the beginning of the year, not only did he do the assignment, but we starting spending 15 minutes or so every day practicing his letters. And, that 15 minutes was definitely a battle at the beginning. Now, he works as long as Franny does, and has filled up two spiral notebooks of letters, words, and numbers. He does an incredible job and he does it without protest.
It blows me away at the turn-around they have done. I am so proud of them.
And, Delaney--she asks to do her homework and her letters. Right now, she is solely concentrating on the letter 'O'. She cracks me up. And, she doesn't last 45 minutes, but I do give her credit for trying!
I know that we won't be able to maintain this new routine throughout the summer and next fall will probably be struggle once again. But, for now, I am definitely enjoying what is currently our normal routine. Afternoons may not be all fun and games, anymore, but they get the job done. They are such incredible kids!
With the kids having Monday off for Presidents Day, we utilized the long weekend by spending it at Cannon Beach. We had mixed weather--rain and wind on Saturday, some sun on Sunday, and overcast Monday morning--but, we focused on maximizing the good weather and doing what we could. Sunday, fortunately, was the best day and the kids were able to spend time on the beach without retreating indoors from the cold wind. Franny and Delaney, however, fell into the tide as they were trying to run and had to go back to hotel to regroup and get warm and dry. But, they were back by the afternoon and having a great time. It was a fun weekend and good to get away for awhile.
There have been few blogs the last few weeks. Not that there is nothing happening, but there is just so much happening that I have had difficulty keeping up.
A couple of weeks ago, I took Delaney to the emergency room at 1:30 am because after waking several times it was clear she was having trouble breathing. At times like this, I am extremely thankful that we live so close to a major hospital. I wasn't that concerned--we had a similar incident when Franny had croup, and I assumed that it was something similar. After two oxygen treatments (she was at 89%, where she should have been in the upper 90s) and x-rays to rule out pneumonia, it was determined that she had a childhood respiratory virus that settled deep in her lungs.
By the time we administered the second oxygen treatment, she had become a pro, and was actually having fun with her dinosaur inhaler. She was giggling and smiling while I was falling asleep waiting waiting for it to finish up. We headed home around 3 am.
We are so thankful that this turned out to be just a virus and that Delaney remains to be a very healthy, happy little girl. But, I am still baffled why these incidents always happen in the middle of the night!
For Valentines Day, Rick and the kids took me to the newly opened Veggie Grill for dinner. It was a fun place--it was so nice for me to be able to choose anything from the menu. I was not about to order a salad or veggie burger, but the BBQ sandwich was very good and the kids did seem to like the sweet potato fries and the plant-based mac and cheese. For all you cheese eaters out there cringing--you'd be surprised what tasty, 'cheesy' things can be made with cashews! Given, everyone seemed to enjoy it, I think we'll definitely be coming back to this place. I definitely appreciate everyone's willingness to give me a special Valentines Day meal--I have a very thoughtful family and I love them more than anything!
The blue tongues were not courtesy of Veggie Grill...the kids brought their own Valentines candy for a special after-dinner treat.
Franny has been excited about Valentines Day for some time now--and even more so since she received her Valentines Day outfit from Auntie Noelle. Since I'm not able to go to her school party, I wanted to do something special for her. So, I made her a festive lunch of hearts. She loved it!
Today, Cole had his Sweethearts Party at school. There was a lot of fun and anticipation in the room--the kids were really excited to exchange their Valentines and then check out all their cards and treats. I loved watching all the kids--it was all such a big deal to them and so much fun!!!
Delaney enjoying lunch with the big kids
The Valentines bags
Cole checking out his cards with his friend Andrew
Cole really enjoyed his party!
Things have been very busy around our house the last couple of weeks. Valentines just weren't on the 'must do' list--that is, until February 13th. Cole has been working so hard on his writing, I really wanted to give him the opportunity to write out his Valentines cards, if he wanted to. But, with 27 cards (including teachers) to write and one afternoon (after school) to do it, I really thought he would only be up for signing his name 27 times. But, he really wanted to write out everyone's names, as well. He started at the top of the list (he can read all their names by himself) and powered through them all. Then, after doing that, he addressed the envelopes, too! I was so impressed with his focus, his hard work, and especially his handwriting! The last was as neatly written as the first. He has gotten a lot of complements on his handwriting from his teachers, but to see all his Valentines laid out, I was blown away at what a great job he did. I love the way he amazes me every day with his writing, as well as his phonics. I am so proud of him!
These two kids love playdates. I love it when they can have one together. One of Cole's good friends from his pre-K class also has an older sister that Franny was friends with when she went to pre-K. The two girls also had gymnastics class together for close to a year. So, when I was emailing with their mom about a special Saturday playdate for the boys, I suggested that we include the girls, as well. We met them at Out of This World Pizza, and it was so much fun for everyone!
On the way, Franny asked if she had to play with Cole and his friend. Usually, when we go to these places they are expected to stick together and look out for each other. So, she was thrilled when I told her that she could just play with her friend. Ironically, as it turned out, they all ended up playing together a majority of the time, anyway. Three and a half hours later (they could have gone longer) we all headed home talking about when we will see them again and all the fun things they can do together. I think the double playdate was a definite success!
And where was Delaney during this time? Having her own super fun one-on-one time with Rick, which included a trip to Costco, pizza for lunch, and the Children's Museum. Lucky girl!
I don't know the last time I went a week without updating the Trio blog. But, unfortunately sometimes certain things just need to be put on hold. The kids' grandma had surgery a week ago for cancer. the journey before her is tremendous, but she has already shown such courage, determination, and grace, that I can only imagine the best possible outcome.
It is a definitive time for us as a family. We are a strong family--we've had so many happy times and experiences that have brought us together. These three amazing kids are the newest members of our family, but they have done so much to bring all of us closer together. Their grandma has been an enormous part of that, and have given so much in so many ways. Now, it is our turn to give back to her. That is what family is all about. That's easy to say when things are going well, but it's when something like this comes about that our strength is tested.
These three are amazing kids. This last week, as I have gone back and forth from the hospital on a daily basis, these three have pulled together and adapted better than I could ever have hoped. It has been an incredible help to not have to worry about them during the times that I was gone. When Rick was here, it was easy, as he immediately picked up my load--helping with homework, fixing meals, cleaning the house, and making sure the kids were happy and distracted from my absence. Once he left on his business trip, it was harder because their care landed with three different babysitters over the last three days. While I am sure they had fun, these kids are used to routine and haven't even had one babysitter since August, much less three! But, they were amazing and handled it all really well--never cried or complained and just did what needed to be done. They are such great kids.
We don't know what will happen in the future, but I do know we will face it with courage, determination, and love. Grandma and Grandpa were (are) my teachers and now I will teach Franny, Cole, and Delaney. That's our family. We are so blessed.