We have had quite the exciting week... some great moments and some terrifying.I took the kids shopping for new clothes, tax software and we poked around alittle at Frye's. While there are got a chance to meet a wonderful Parrot (I forget the name). The kids each got to feed and hold the Parrot but not pet, I guess she bites if you pet her... ouch!
In the end the kids have grown 2 inches each; they both needed jeans and other clothing and I picked up a few movies along with Turbo Tax. Deryck and Ashley started their new schools on Monday.
Deryck was a little worried he might not make any friends at Lowell; but to our surprise he was placed in Mrs. Shiogi's class... his friend Garren is in that class. Deryck came home so happy Monday and told us all the cool and neat things that are come up. He was so happy that all the kids are nice and very friendly. The third grade classes are in the care of salmon eggs... as Lowell is an official fish hatchery (on a very small scale) each fall a local State hatchery partners with the third graders at Lowell to collect and care for a small amount of wild salmon eggs (a few hundred). The children watch the eggs develop and change into salmon and then journal the changes that they go through on a weekly basis. After the eggs have hatched and the salmon are ready to be released the students will take the fish back to the site when the eggs where to collected and release them to help preserve the wild salmon population. So many things happened this week that it shocks me that their is such a difference within the same district. Deryck is having a small struggle with the amount of homework that is sent home each night... the work in more challenging and there is quite a bit more of it each night. He doesn't understand why he has more and why the work is harder as he is still in the third grade... I wish I could explain to him but it might be better not to for now.
Ashley also started her new school on Monday. I explained to the staff at New Adventures that she can be reserved and might just take a few months to open up with them. Boy, was I wrong and she made a lair out of me. Ashley was having so much fun each day that I had to carry her out of the school each day. She has made friends with Taylor and Abby, and her teacher says the three cannot be separated. The teachers tell me every day what a delight she is and that if this is reserved they can't wait to see her "open" up to them. Ashley has always been a little cleaner and I guess she is "mothering" the other kids to help clean up after themselves after lunch and nap time . The teacher said she is always soft and kind about it but she encourages the children to clean up so they can move to the next task throughout the day. This made me laugh because she is so helpful around the house and is always asking to help after dinner or get things tidied up in the evening.
I am so glad that both children seem to be doing well with these changes and that they are both happy with the moves. I often worry if we are making the right choices for our family and seeing how happy the kids are reassures me that this change was the right change for each of them.
I won't go into the terrifying details but Ashley has started sleep walking. She has always had vivid dreams and for a while has suffered from night terrors. The "terrors" have become a nightly occurrence and I have adapted to wakeful nights. I have spoken with Dr. Rurik several times about the night terrors...unfortunately these are a very normal part of growing up and there is very little we can do. Sadly, this was the what he told us Friday when we called about the sleep walking situation that occurred Thursday evening. Dr. Rurik gave me a few pointers on how to help Ashley but in the end recommended a security system so we know if she leaves the house again during the night. Until that time he recommends cow bells on doors and obstructions between her path and the doors so we will be alerted that she is up and on her way out. I thank God that Ashley was unharmed on Thursday night... that He was watching and guiding her in a huge way back to us. Jim and I are hoping that a security system can be installed at the house quickly and pray that God continues to protect our little Ashley during this normal (but scary) part of childhood.
I leave for Dallas in the morning. I am tired... feel like I have forgotten something already and last night dreamed that I did something horrible during the meetings I am about to go on. Which, I think just means that I am worrying too much and need to be confident in my abilities and that in the end I will do fine. I trust our numbers, I have triple and quadruple checked them and I finished my presentation Thursday and ran through it with my team on Friday. They loved it and thought it was concise, to the point and that that I was prepared for the barge of questions they threw at me for further discussion. I confirmed Dallas received my packages Friday before I left the office and made sure I have two back ups of my presentation and my supporting documentation in case there is a PC failure.
I can't think of anything else I need to do but enjoy the day with my kids, finish packing after the laundry dries and then get a good nights sleep (whatever that is).
Deryck was a little worried he might not make any friends at Lowell; but to our surprise he was placed in Mrs. Shiogi's class... his friend Garren is in that class. Deryck came home so happy Monday and told us all the cool and neat things that are come up. He was so happy that all the kids are nice and very friendly. The third grade classes are in the care of salmon eggs... as Lowell is an official fish hatchery (on a very small scale) each fall a local State hatchery partners with the third graders at Lowell to collect and care for a small amount of wild salmon eggs (a few hundred). The children watch the eggs develop and change into salmon and then journal the changes that they go through on a weekly basis. After the eggs have hatched and the salmon are ready to be released the students will take the fish back to the site when the eggs where to collected and release them to help preserve the wild salmon population. So many things happened this week that it shocks me that their is such a difference within the same district. Deryck is having a small struggle with the amount of homework that is sent home each night... the work in more challenging and there is quite a bit more of it each night. He doesn't understand why he has more and why the work is harder as he is still in the third grade... I wish I could explain to him but it might be better not to for now.
Ashley also started her new school on Monday. I explained to the staff at New Adventures that she can be reserved and might just take a few months to open up with them. Boy, was I wrong and she made a lair out of me. Ashley was having so much fun each day that I had to carry her out of the school each day. She has made friends with Taylor and Abby, and her teacher says the three cannot be separated. The teachers tell me every day what a delight she is and that if this is reserved they can't wait to see her "open" up to them. Ashley has always been a little cleaner and I guess she is "mothering" the other kids to help clean up after themselves after lunch and nap time . The teacher said she is always soft and kind about it but she encourages the children to clean up so they can move to the next task throughout the day. This made me laugh because she is so helpful around the house and is always asking to help after dinner or get things tidied up in the evening.
I am so glad that both children seem to be doing well with these changes and that they are both happy with the moves. I often worry if we are making the right choices for our family and seeing how happy the kids are reassures me that this change was the right change for each of them.
I won't go into the terrifying details but Ashley has started sleep walking. She has always had vivid dreams and for a while has suffered from night terrors. The "terrors" have become a nightly occurrence and I have adapted to wakeful nights. I have spoken with Dr. Rurik several times about the night terrors...unfortunately these are a very normal part of growing up and there is very little we can do. Sadly, this was the what he told us Friday when we called about the sleep walking situation that occurred Thursday evening. Dr. Rurik gave me a few pointers on how to help Ashley but in the end recommended a security system so we know if she leaves the house again during the night. Until that time he recommends cow bells on doors and obstructions between her path and the doors so we will be alerted that she is up and on her way out. I thank God that Ashley was unharmed on Thursday night... that He was watching and guiding her in a huge way back to us. Jim and I are hoping that a security system can be installed at the house quickly and pray that God continues to protect our little Ashley during this normal (but scary) part of childhood.
I leave for Dallas in the morning. I am tired... feel like I have forgotten something already and last night dreamed that I did something horrible during the meetings I am about to go on. Which, I think just means that I am worrying too much and need to be confident in my abilities and that in the end I will do fine. I trust our numbers, I have triple and quadruple checked them and I finished my presentation Thursday and ran through it with my team on Friday. They loved it and thought it was concise, to the point and that that I was prepared for the barge of questions they threw at me for further discussion. I confirmed Dallas received my packages Friday before I left the office and made sure I have two back ups of my presentation and my supporting documentation in case there is a PC failure.
I can't think of anything else I need to do but enjoy the day with my kids, finish packing after the laundry dries and then get a good nights sleep (whatever that is).
