Monday, February 15, 2016

2 years in recap

I recently headed back home for the first time in a long time.  I was informed that a few people still read this, so I will try to update once in a while here.  I'm not making any promises, but I'll try.  So the last 2 years...

 Shelby.  Our little sassy pants is almost 4.    She's got quite an attitude on her.  She makes us laugh and cry.  As another friend put it "One minute she's butterflies and rainbows, the next fireworks and hand grenades."  We are almost out of diapers.  We're just using up the last of our pullups and then I hope to never purchase diapers again for as long as I live :)

She started preschool, 2 mornings a week, this fall.  She loves school and all her friends.  Her favorite thing is coloring and after the photo on the left, we have banned all markers from her room.  She's only allowed to color in public places.  :)

Tate is now 7 1/2.  The other day I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he told me either a "football player, or maybe a soldier, probably a farmer, but I kind of do that already."  He enjoys school, first grade this year.  He's had difficulty with reading.  He's grown a lot this year, but we will be testing him for dyslexia next month.  He's a smart kid and retains information (ask him about WWII), but he can't read very well.  It's frustrating for both of us.

Cole is 9 1/2.  He's getting close to double digits and I'm a little freaked out by it.  It's going too fast!  His ear problems have been good.  He can ride a bike like a pro and his rechecks have come back clean.  He's in 3rd grade now and things are getting a bit more challenging for him.  He reads everything in sight and was in the elementary math league this year.

Both boys are in piano lessons this year.  Neither of them are Beethoven, but they seem to enjoy it.

 We did some travelling this year.  This summer we headed west and hit up some national parks and monuments.  Teddy Roosevelt, Devils Tower, Mt. Rushmore, and Badlands.  It was a quick trip, but we saw a lot and added Montana and Wyoming to states the kids have been.  (Cole did a map in 2nd grade that was a bit depressing, so we needed to remedy that).  This winter we headed south for a few days, Fargo South, aka Frisco, TX, to watch the Bison win their 5th straight national championship.  We had a great time and the kids handled the car like champs (iPads and DVD players help).  We added Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas to their maps with stops in Witchita and OK City.  We visited Legoland and the Fort Worth Stockyards, but their favorite, except Shelby, was watching the Bison win.

I added California to my state map.  I'd only seen the inside of LAX prior to my visit to San Diego with some NDSU friends.  We had a girls only weekend and had a great time.  It was warm, but not swim-in-the-ocean warm.

Now we are back to muddling through another winter.  I look forward to sun and snow-melting temps.