Happy Halloween from My Girl

Hazel can be found, almost daily, working on some form of art. Don't you just love the cute animals with the blood and the stitches? These are some of my favorite works of art by my girl.
She has just started sounding out words without asking for help. I just can't get enough of these examples of her work.
August is quick to tell her when the words aren't spelled just right and I have to pull him aside and gently remind him that he still spells words wrong and that I still spell words wrong and that it isn't his job to correct her right now. I want her to feel confident in her ability to read and write and with August zipping through books like A Wrinkle in Time and the Harry Potter series it can be daunting to her as she struggles through her easy readers.

Seasonal Thoughts

***I think Mike G took this picture last year at Alki Beach***


I tend to get a bit melancholy as the temps change from warm and dry to wet and, well, not warm. I would be exaggerating if I said it got cold here...yesterday it was windy and 65, today it will be rainy and 60...not too bad. But I really did love this summer. I know, we had some cold days, but they were bumpered with very warm days...and I kinda like that.
So I'm thinking about why I get down around this time of year and I realize that I have absolutely NO reason. Here's what the change in weather brings the Many Family:

Trey's birthday, October 16.
Halloween (and my brother's birthday), October 31.
Hazel's birthday, November 17.
Thanksgiving, November 27.
August's birthday, December 4.
Christmas travel dates, December 19- January 3.
My Dad's birthday, Christmas Eve.

That's a lot to plan for folks! I have nothing to be down about. There are a million things to do and yet I'm sitting on my couch with a scarf wrapped around my neck. Trey's birthday is right around the corner...and what are we going to do for Hazel's birthday this year? She is still flip-flopping between a gymnastics party and a nail polish party...decisions, decisions!

Soccer Games

Just posted some pictures from August's soccer most recent soccer game to my gallery. Here's a few if you don't have time to look at them all:

First Day

Well, August is in 4th and Hazel is in 1st! Big day today...Grandma Klier asked August what he was going to do on his first day back to school and he said, "Pout!" He wasn't so bad though. Trey bought him a cool new hoodie and he was excited to show it off, I think it helped that we had one of his good friends over yesterday too.
Hazel was downright excited by seeing all her friends and having the same teacher that August had when he was in 1st grade. She's the classic second child in that she's ready for anything.

Here are their first day pictures from last year:And here are the pictures from today:

Hazel is super excited because she gets to have one of her good friends from preschool in her class this year. They were the first in line.

Movie Night

So last night we all went to see movies. Trey and August when to see Journey to the Center of the Earth while this stranger and I went to see Kit Kittredge.
Everyone liked the movies. August said that Journey was exciting and Hazel was full of emotions as Kit worked through the problem of the movies...I won't tell you more...wouldn't want to spoil the plot for you. It was cute.

I've been totally immersed in all things Twilight thanks to Kathleen Boden! My sister started reading the books a few months ago and was raving about it and handed each book, one by one as she finished them, down to me. Everyday I attempt to sneak peeks into the lives in the series, feeling frustrated by every minute I am pulled away. Last night I excitedly picked up the last half of the 3rd book as the kids crept off to bed and stared devouring the pages. I reluctantly followed Trey off to bed but couldn't stop reading...until a strange sound reached my ears...BIRDS?! CHIRPING?!
Why are there birds chirping in the middle of the night? I rolled over to check the time on my phone...4:45! UGH.
I finished the page I was on and turned off the light, a little reluctant to put the rest of the story on hold. Sleep should have fallen quickly on me but I tossed and turned wondering what would happen. I lay in bed and began to talk to God as is my normal routine and suddenly realized that I was praying for the characters in the book...this often happens when I'm immersed in a good story. I'm sure God got a good laugh as I prayed.

The kids both slept in until past 10:00 which is a good thing for me...I was able to finish the book over breakfast.

10 on 10

Welcome to the dog days of summer!

In a Nut Shell

Big news at the school: that's Ichiro in the green cap! Not sure how we ended up having some Mariners come to do an assembly, but we did...and it was amazing to see how the students reacted...I think a few of them needed to change their pants when it was all over.
On Tuesday we took Tank to the dog park after a long day of kennel time...Hazel found a heart in the pavement.
On Wednesday after school the kids and I returned to teach Hazel how to ride a two wheeler.
I think she's got the coasting pretty good...it's the stopping that gets her all worked up.
and brings a few tears.

August got his eyes checked for the first time. He's got better than 20/20 vision...phew!
And well, the weather has been HOT and August is a little heater as it is and you see...I felt bad because he was just sitting out back and his hair was wet with sweat...so I cut it. And he hates it. But it should be noted that he agreed to the cut, I think he just hasn't seen his hair this short in a long while.
We had a little visitor today. Tanks mom, Irving came by to hang out in the sun. How huge is my dog? That's his MOM people! He came out of her!
Trey has been out of town on a work retreat. He comes home tonight and then leaves again on Wednesday morning to take August to 3rd grade camp, they come home on Friday and then Trey and I leave on Saturday to go to Sasquatch. I can not wait.

Update

Well, it's been quite an adjustment this last week.
I'd like to say that the kids are just fine with all the changes in our schedule and if you'd have asked me last week I would have told you just that...but we're on week two of me working full time and I'm beginning to see some changes in their behavior.
I like to be at work by 8 so that I can get the room organized and make copies and do whatever other small task that must be completed by 9, which means that the kids are having to wake up around 7:15. It was difficult to wake them at 8...7:15 is almost torture! I try to get everything ready for them before I enter their rooms, I try to have breakfast packed so that they can eat in my class while I buzz around the school, I try to be positive while I poke and prod them from their beds. I try. And I sometimes fail.
The behaviors I'm seeing are definitely due to them being tired. Hazel has been very full of tears. Tears at the drop of the hat. I checked in on her today and watched her laugh and play with some friends but then she saw me and literally began crying in one second. Big tears. I walked over to a confused group of friends and hugged her and reassured her that when school was over she could come and hang out in my room until we leave. In the end I had to leave her crying to get back to my room.
August has been quiet. It could be because he's tired, it could also be that he's just working so hard at getting his homework done so that he can retire to his room to read the latest Percy Jackson book. Or it could be that he wants to rush home to play the guitar Trey bought him last week. Either way, the boy is changing from a little kid into a big kid before my very eyes.
When they have to be in my room in the morning and afternoon they are amazing. I couldn't ask for better behaved children. They are patient and willing to help get things done so we can leave.
I'm adjusting alright as well. No more idle time for me...every minute is used planning time slots throughout the day. I've got a great bunch of kids in this class. It should be a great 5 weeks. I can tell you that I am very much looking forward to Sasquatch. And I am very, very much looking forward to my week long trip with Trey in June. The count down has begun.

August

The Boy, not the month.
He's had so much going on these days:
He has been getting work done on his teeth for the past number of months. It all started with an expander on the roof of his mouth and has now progressed to braces on his bottom teeth. He was great during the appointment and I just couldn't help snap this picture of his mouth all stretched out. He went right to school once the braces were in place, taking his travel toothbrush and toothpaste with him. After school he did ask for some kids pain reliever while he worked on his homework.

Nowadays you can pick out the color of your rubber brands and so...August chose glow in the dark bands. We left the office with hopes that he could read in the dark by the light of his teeth. He was a bit disappointed when bed time came.
August has been getting ready for the Washington State standardized test for the 3rd grade. I hate these things. I was never a good test taker. August, as some of you know, takes quite a while to get things done, homework is always a struggle- he's missed recess because he can't get work done during class time. I worry about this for him. So we've been working on some test like items at home and I think he'll do just fine. His teacher said that it's not a timed test and that the students get as much time as they need. It starts on Monday and continues through the week.
During all this prep time I've noticed him retiring to his room for hours after school work. He hangs out there and then sneaks out of his room and asks for my iPhone to take pictures. This is what he's been working on:



I think the most impressive thing is that these aren't kits. He is just going in his room and building new Speeders. He's emailed pictures of some of these to his cousin Z and his best friend F and a boy from school with hopes that they'll all start building their own. He has this grand idea that they can all get together and make card for these Speeders with "fire power" and other things I can't remember because it sounds way too much like Pokemon and well, I just don't get all that. I'm just loving it. He said these words to me a few days ago, "I can't believe I'm saying this but I think I'm having a better time building Speeders than I do playing video games!"
Hip-Hip!