Remember Me?

Wow.  It's been a while.  Not exactly a whole year. But definitely a whole school year!  This school year has been a roller coaster for me.  But all that is drawing to a close in 2 short weeks and then we get the best time of the year.  Summer.  The light at the end of the tunnel is certainly growing brighter.  I learned this week that I will have pretty much the same teaching position next year as I did this year.  I was not exactly thrilled with this news, but I have all summer to come to terms with it.  This year has been a huge learning experience, so at least I can start back in August knowing what to expect.  I have a plan in mind and a few things I want to work on over the summer.  But that's enough about my job.  It takes up too much of my thoughts and conversations lately and quite frankly, I am tired of the topic.

A much better topic is my family!

Alfred is finishing up fourth grade.  I can't believe how fast this is going by.  I remember the days when he was an only child.  That was a short 16 months.  Days filled with play dates and Kindermusik, a pile of baby toys in the living room floor and lots of snuggling.  Now he is nine years old.  I had to buy him a new shirt for a school project this week and I had to go to the men's section.  Really?  My biggest boy now wears a men's size shirt.  He will be playing baseball again this summer.  Baseball is his passion.  He is doing kid pitch for the first time and he is a little nervous about it.  But I know he will do great.  He is a natural.  It will be hot, sweaty, and a lot of fun.  I hope I have the attention span to blog about it.

Oliver is finishing up second grade.  I think the only plan this boy has for summer is playing video games and riding his scooter with his friend who lives down the street.  Oh and checkers.  Lots and lots of checkers.  He is really good and beats me every time.  Oliver is still crazy about Star Wars and Big Time Rush.  I can't believe how much he has grown.  Taller only.  He is still a skinny little bean pole.  I know he is excited about the upcoming summer, mostly because he will be free of homework for about 3 months!  Let me tell you, he is not the only one.  

Charlotte, my sweet girl, is almost done with Kindergarten.  She went from a sweet baby girl to a sweet big girl in such a short time.  I look back over the year and she amazes me.  My smart girl reads like a first grader, loves to write stories, and has probably given me every detail of each school day throughout the year.  She loves her teacher almost as much as she loves me, and this year has been so much fun for us both.  She has become quite the social butterfly and loves to spend her weekends playing outside with all of her little friends who live on our street.  I am so thankful we chose this neighborhood when we moved.  It was still pretty empty when we moved in two and half years ago, and now there are kids everywhere!  Charlotte has a date with a boy who lives down the street today.  She just brought in one of her church dresses and asked if she can wear in on her date.  She has also requested a hair cut and a special hair do.  Braids.  Oh my.  This should be fun!

Theodore is four now.  Four.  (Mostly) Gone are the days of the terrible twos.  Four is such a delightful age.  We still get one more year with him as a preschooler before he joins the ranks of big kid school.  I try to soak up all of his sweet little cuteness every day.  Four year olds say the funniest things.  He is still wishing me Happy Mother's Day, and I am happily taking all of his special Mother's Day hugs and kisses.  He is crazy about the Avengers, especially Crushing Man, aka Hulk.  He is a whiz on the computer.  He is practically reading already.  I guess that comes from having a houseful of readers to look up to.  I am pretty sure he will ride a two wheeler bike before his big brother, Oliver does.  He also has glasses now.  I laugh now, thinking how we dreaded getting him glasses, afraid I would be making daily trips to the store to have them repaired.  I guess it is another sign his toddler days are behind us.  He is a very responsible glasses wearer and takes very good care of them.

Last, but certainly not least.  The handsome hubby.  He is back in his favorite district in the county.  Back on the day shift.  All is right in his world.  He is good at his job and he takes it seriously.  I do not love how often he ends up working late, but I do love to hear his stories about work and see the sparkle in his eye as he tells me about a job he loves.  He takes such good care of me and the children and I am thankful everyday that he is mine.

So that is the update on the family.  Hopefully, I will be back again before another nine months goes by to fill you in on the goings on around here along with whatever random thoughts cross my mind.

Until then...