Update: Kenna, Lucan, Zaden

KENNA:
We had an ice-skating birthday party for Kenna at the end of February when she turned 9, a fun celebration with friends and cousins. While many remark about how much Kenna looks like Charis did at this age, their personalities are very different. Kenna is definitely a girly tomboy: you are likely to find her outside digging up and collecting worms for her dirt-filled birdhouse container, with toenail polish on the nails of her muddy feet. She loves to dress up but hates to shower (although a good long soak in the tub is always a treat). She plays hard and works capably, although her bedroom is more likely to be a disaster zone than to reflect the organizational skills of her big sister. She loves, loves, LOVES to read, and it doesn't bother her in the least to do schoolwork "later" when she'd rather finish the current book in her hands. Her math skills are coming along nicely after some struggles, and while she knows/feels she is "behind" (finishing up the Beta book instead of Gamma this year), she works steadily and is understanding the concepts well. Her sloppy handwriting is something she has a desire to change, so she is working more in earnest on learning cursive and practicing on various pieces of scrap paper. While the language arts writing assignments have never been her favorite, she has discovered that typing out a creative story can actually be fun...so last week's assignment is still a work in progress as she adds a little each day to her Story Starter. Kenna is a social being, thriving when she gets to play with friends or attend anything remotely social. She loves her siblings fiercely and carries Rhema around like a pro. Her current career choice is to be a missionary in Fiji...and I wouldn't put it past her to make that happen!

LUCAN:
Having received a number of art supplies for his recent 7th birthday (celebrated fireman style!), Lucan describes himself very seriously as an ARTIST. Some days it is an effort to pry him from the table and convince him that he really would enjoy going outside to run around! He has always loved working on his own little projects at the table by himself (yet with a constant stream of chatter about what he is creating to anyone who will even pretend to listen), and since he is not a typical rough-and-tumble boy, he usually responds to my requests for outside play time with reluctance...until he comes up with a creative play scenario that has him narrating his actions and traversing the yard in his own neverland. He and Zaden are--usually--best buddies in these scenarios. Lucan is very passionate about Jesus and wants to tell others about God's love for us. Almost every day he says something that reflects his tender heart, whether talking about being a missionary or praying for our sponsored kids in Africa. His prayers are wide-sweeping as he asks the Lord for there to be no more fighting or wars (before playing good-guys-fighting-bad-guys, lol). This post I left on Facebook awhile ago still makes me laugh:

Lucan has been showing such a tender heart to share the good news of salvation through Jesus with others. This sweetness does, however, end in a good giggle at times, as this conversation shows...you'll have to imagine my responses for brevity's sake.

"Mommy, when I grow up, I want to tell people in South America about Jesus. When I am 19, I will tell people in Peru. After I walk to all the cities, then I will go to Brazil. I will be 20 then. And then I will go to Argentina. I think I will be 24 then. And then I will tell people in Chile about Jesus when I am 25."

After listening to Lucan tell about his planned route, I ask him if he will learn Spanish.

"Spanish?!"

"Yes. Most people in South America speak Spanish. And most people in Brazil speak Portuguese."

Pause. "Um, never mind."

Quiet...

"Mommy, do people in Canada speak English?"

ZADEN:
While he loves to run around with his siblings and friends, Zaden is still a cuddler and usually prefers to sit on Ted's or my lap in church instead of joining the kids when they leave for their class. Though we are trying to remind him that sucking his thumb means it's (nap) bedtime, he still pops his thumb in his mouth when he's tired or feeling shy. I'm trying not to make a huge deal out of it; simply making him aware that big boys don't suck their thumbs (and if he's sucking his thumb, then it clearly means he needs a nap!) seems at least a step in the right direction. I'm enjoying this last year of not having to do much of anything "school-ish" with Zaden, although he sometimes REALLY wants to work on some kind of workbook, anything to make him feel like he's doing school also. We are lazily learning to write letters and finishing up random workbooks when we feel like it, and he sometimes listens in on Kenna's reading and almost always listens in on Lucan's reading. He is an AWANA Cubbies graduate now--hard to believe he will be a Sparkie next year! He is a passionate little boy, and by "passionate" I mean "still prone to insanely ridiculous temper tantrums." (He had a meltdown Sunday morning because Ted gave him the plate he asked for. Sigh.) He is also an excellent tattle-tale, which may or may not be helpful, depending on which sibling he feels the need to report about. I am trying to capitalize on his desire to help in the kitchen, even though having one little helper usually means I end up with 4 or 6 extra hands to keep gainfully occupied.  As cute as he is, Zaden probably often feels overlooked, with two cute baby sibs that need a lot of supervision and all his older sibs engaged in schoolwork that Mom needs to oversee. There are times when lesson plans need to rest awhile so I can snuggle and read with my thumb-sucking boy!

Homeschool Recital Performances

Videos for the grandparents!  (And other long-distance friends and family who can put up with the shaky video quality because they love our kids, LOL.)

Arden plays "The Entertainer" at warp speed:


Tobin plays "The Pink Panther" theme song:


Charis plays "Minuet in G" on the violin while Arden accompanies her on the piano:


Charis plays "The Midnight Fire Alarm" on the piano (a bit faster than it should be because of nerves, but she kept it together pretty well!):

Sir Lucan & the Princess

Charis helped Kenna and Lucan make this stinkin' cute video yesterday while I was running some errands. Lucan the Knight saves Princess Kenna by cutting off the head of a dragon.  He then shyly asks, "Will you marry me?" and they ride off into the sunset!

Highlights!

I have so much on my mind and in my heart these days!  I've been wanting to journal some spiritual things God has been leading me through over the past 8 months or so.  But I feel the (self-pressured) expectation to keep up-to-date with our family events, so in order to assuage the guilt, here we go...

PREGNANCY
13 weeks along.  Feeling reasonably well, aside from utter dismay at the way my uterus has declared a free-for-all.  I look like I did when I was 6 months pregnant with my first few babies!

ZADEN
Finally walking consistently!  (Although he still does an astonishingly fast sideways crawl up on his knees--hilarious.)  Delighted with life; a joy to all.  Callouses on his thumbs from sucking.  Permanent curls in the hair from twisting while sucking thumb.  A-DOR-able.  Loves tickles and even tries to tickle himself while he gets diaper changes, poking his belly and saying what sounds like "tickle" with giggles.

LUCAN
Still no interest in self-motivated potty usage.  Praying this will change before Baby arrives.  Doof dog has  lost about 90% of his stuffing but is still the preferred sleeping buddy.  Plays with Kenna for hours on end; also builds with various toys by himself for hours on end.  Generally an agreeable, happy boy, though he does exert his will, usually at the most inopportune times (i.e. wailing in his car seat during a lengthy car ride).

KENNA
Waiting on reading lessons paid off!  She is finding much success with Phonics Pathways, reading 3-letter words at this time (C-V-C) and able to write them from dictation exercises.  We both look forward to when she will have the tools to read sentences.  It won't be long now!  Her confidence is growing, and she surprises and delights herself and us by picking out words on signs or "big kid books."  Her dark side has shown itself, as she has proven to be a candy thief and subsequent liar. Prayers for a tender and responsive heart eventually work...the latest progression was as follows:

"Kenna, did you take the candy for my Bible study class?"
1.  Immediate response:  Vigorous denial while rubbing eyes.
2.  Later that day:  Changed the subject.
3.  At night when tucking into bed:  "I'm not ready to tell you yet."
4.  The next day I ask, "Are you ready to confess yet?"  She sweetly replies, "No, not yet."
5.  Finally, days later when she has been grounded from candy, she comes to me and tearfully confesses and asks forgiveness...while informing me that taking away her candy privileges "hurt my feelings and ruined my Valentine's party day."  Giggle!

ARDEN
We had a heart-to-heart talk today when he wrote "I hate school" as part of a LA assignment.  Sigh.  Gentle probing revealed that he doesn't think he's very good at anything.  Praise God for precious moments like this, when He uses me to point out all the ways my tough, tender guy shines.  We pray, hug, and he lets me kiss him on his kissable cheek.  Multiple times.  I don't know how long this permission will last, but I speak words of encouragement and steal hugs and kisses while I can.  The boy is way ahead in math, has made leaps and bounds progress in reading, hunts out books to read on his own that he wouldn't have touched with a 10-foot pole a year ago, and has progressed remarkably noticeably in his piano skills in just 6 weeks of lessons after a 6-month hiatus.  Satan, you may NOT have this young man's heart or mind, and you will NOT speak lies at him!  Father, protect Arden, and remind us as parents to speak truth over him to encourage him in the purpose YOU have for him.

TOBIN
Less enthused about piano than Arden, he still seems to enjoy finishing pieces and looks forward to the spring recital.  His preference is always an activity involving a screen, but Lego building and playtime are still a favorite pastime.  His face is well known at the base library.  I can see a career--or at least a side job--involving performance, as he loves to make up jokes and test them out on us.  He has begun crocheting and inspired Arden to take up the new hobby as well...I now have 3 children lusting after yarn!

CHARIS
Her Bears for Bricks project is drawing to an end as she wraps up the final 7 bears.  I'll have to get an exact count, but I do believe she made (or will have made) well over 40 knitted teddy bears, all with donated time, energy, and supplies!  I hope and pray that those who supported her in the project by requesting one or more bears are able to give generously toward the children's home in Uganda, knowing what a sacrifice this girl has made over the last 4-5 months!  Mostly, we are happy to have had the opportunity to share with others our new connection with Lahash International.  Charis continues to craft and is desperately working to finish a knitted doll with outfits for Kenna's birthday on the 27th and a complete set of 15 crocheted Star Wars figures for Tobin's birthday in April.  (The Star Wars figures may well be making an appearance in a business opportunity for her...but we need to check some things first!)  Charis has also taken up violin and has eagerly added that to her musical repertoire.

TED
Last week Ted changed jobs!  Every few years the NATO nations bid for job positions.  His old job is now filled by a Canadian.  He got moved to a different office and now works for a Turkish colonel, having replaced a Norwegian, with I-can't-remember-what-nationality sergeant working for him.  Somewhere in there is an Italian.  (I can't keep all this straight.)  He may--or may not--attend a training course later in the spring. In the meantime, he's trying his darnedest to figure out what exactly this new job entails, having finally gotten a clue what his old one required!  Additionally, he has been asked to consider taking over as AWANA commander, as the current one is PSCing this summer.  After prayer and discussion, we have decided that this looks to be a role God indeed has in mind for Ted, and he is looking to meet with our chaplain, the current commander, and the youth program leader to plan the next steps.

ME
As for me, the biggest thing going on for me other than usual family/household matters is that I have been privileged to lead one of the Bible study classes for PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) this semester.  It has been so humbling and yet exciting to be part of this!  In fact, this is one of the things I plan to delve more into in subsequent blog posts.  The book we are studying is The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, president of World Vision USA.  I read it last summer, and it sparked a huge flame in me that keeps growing!  So, more on that later...

Kids at Camp, Day 1

Charis, Tobin, and Arden are experiencing something new this week--day camp nearby!  Here's how the camp itself describes the program:

"Campers will participate in a weeklong variety of activities that will encourage them to explore and appreciate the outdoors in a biblically informed way. Programs can include a time of wilderness education, map reading/orienteering, games, gardening, fishing, archery, and horse riding/training. Riding classes incorporate patience, emotional control, and learning how to communicate with a horse without the use of force or intimidation. We teach respectful boundaries with horses; how to keep an animal out of your space while improving leadership and love. A period of Bible instruction and reflection is included to encourage the campers to enjoy a daily walk with Christ and appreciation of his word. A climbing wall, paddleboats, a planned zip-line and giant swing, or exploring our woods provide an outlet for excess energy in a non-harmful way."

I knew Charis would love it, since she's a girl and therefore in love with horses.  And I figured the boys would enjoy it as well, since their pal Justin has been attending the past couple of years with his older sister Jessica.  Stefanie and I are carpooling--I take the kids in the morning (we leave at 8 a.m.), and she brings them home in the afternoon (camp ends at 3:30 p.m.).  

Today was the first time we had set foot on the campus, and I was glad to see it in person.  We had looked at a lot of pictures to prepare the kids for what they would see and do.  This week is the homeschool session, and it's a small crew, only 14 kids total.  But I think that's just fine!

The only bad thing is...apparently Arden has inherited his dad's allergy to horses. :-(  In typical Arden fashion, however, he took it all in stride, did NOT want the camp leaders to call Mom, and didn't complain a bit.  I promptly gave him Benadryl when he walked in the kitchen and I saw his red, puffy eyes and heard from Stefanie what happened!  I made him go shower and change his clothes, too!  The kids are only around horses Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so we'll see what he wants to do the next couple of times.  The leaders said he could double up on the other activity--they split the kids into two groups, and while one group is with the horses, the other group does something like the zip line or ropes course activities.  So, if he prefers to not put himself through that again, he can do that.  Or, we can give him more allergy meds before he goes and have some on hand to keep in his system to get him through the day...I think he really DID enjoy being with the horses, so I wouldn't be too surprised if he chooses this option.

They have a Bible study during the day as well, and it sounded really neat.  All in all, I think it will be a great week for all of us.

When I got home from dropping kids off this morning, Eilene picked Kenna up to take to the dog park with her, and Chris came over to get Lucan and take him to her house across the street for some play time.  I happily organized our bookshelves and brought out ALL of our Sonlight books to put on their own special shelves!  I decided I would much rather let the kids have the opportunity to read/reread all these great books rather than have them perfectly organized and separated and sitting in boxes in our closet.

I gathered a sackful of trash from around the book case area and filled 2 1/2 bins with items for the July community garage sale.  Woohoo!  All the shelves got cleared and dusted at some point, and all the shelves now have books neatly aligned on them.  I'm going to be VERY strict with the Sonlight shelves, but we'll see how long that lasts...  I put all of Lucan's board books in a Rubbermaid container to keep beside the bookshelves, so that freed up a lot of space, too, and will make it easier to clean up his books, since they are the most awkward and bulky pieces of our library.  We actually have a shelf and a half EMPTY!  Probably not for long, once I have all the kids retrieve the various books from the Suburban, their rooms, etc.

I should note that I only worked on the two bookcases that house kids' books...I didn't even attempt to change anything on Ted's and my shelves!  I'm sure as the garage sale dates get closer, I may want to purge some more, but as I don't want/need to add anything to those shelves at this point, I wasn't concerned about doing anything there.  It's really amazing how two bookcases could take up so much of my time!  But I'm thankful for the opportunity to get to this project, as it's been bugging me for weeks now!

I took lunch over to Chris's back porch, and we all ate (Kenna had joined Lucan by that point, and the two were happily playing in the kiddie pool), and then I brought the kids home for Lucan's nap.  Kenna puttered around, watched part of a movie, and mostly waited for me to give her some attention. :-)  So we did a few things together, and I still managed to finish up what I wanted/needed to with the book shelves.

Then the older kids came home and cleaned and showered, and I...drum roll, please...actually got a night out!  Our church moms' night out group was meeting at The Cheesecake Factory, and I had posted on our Helping Hands web site about the event awhile ago, but no one had signed up as of yesterday.  Megan gently reminded people, and a friend from church signed up and came over to watch the kiddos for me!  So I got to escape from the house WITHOUT KIDS!!  First time since Ted left...has it really only been two weeks and a day?!  So, I feel slightly spoiled by all the time I had to myself today.  I could get used to this, LOL!  

I tucked the older kids in when I got home and had some sweet moments being able to hear more from each one individually about their camp experiences.  It was after 9:30 when I left their rooms...I hope I'll be able to drag them out of bed for their early breakfast tomorrow!

Kid Tidbits

CHARIS

• Her role as The Mouse in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has been way fun.  It's been amazing to see the confidence that she is exuding as a result of this experience!  While we haven't actually seen a performance yet, we've heard wonderful things and are thankful she has had this opportunity.
• Piano remains a favorite activity, and since Tobin recently began lessons, she has helped him get off to a great start, teaching him a few songs (one of which became his recital piece) and giving sisterly advice.  She has progressed very well and definitely has natural talent.
• Science has become a favorite part of the school day for her.  Now that we're heavily involved with experiments and activities (all related to plant growth), she is really taking an active role in her own learning process.  She is very detail-oriented and does a fantastic job with her charts and record keeping.
• As usual, she continues to enjoy reading and crafting, although those activities have slowed a bit with the heavy rehearsal and now performance schedule with the play.  I'm sure we'll return to normal after the play is over, and I'll have to hunt her down when she has her nose in a book or is buried in the craft room!
• The above picture is from our field trip to the Dayton Art Institute.  Her class did a sculpture tour, then an art workshop where she created the piece she's holding.

TOBIN

• As mentioned above, Tobin began piano lessons on March 1 and performed in his first piano recital today!  Mrs. D, the teacher, asked me if it would be all right to put him on the recital schedule, even though he had just started, because he was doing so well.  This is due in large part to Charis helping him learn a couple of songs right off the bat, some of his favorites that she used to play.  Now, he sits at the piano a good majority of his free time and teaches himself!  I am really quite amazed at what he has accomplished in such a short amount of time.  It's evidence of self-motivation, that is for sure!
• Having been told that he will soon be the "man of the house," Tobin is trying to make sure that also entitles him to Daddy-sized portions of food (particularly dessert) and extra computer time.  Mom's not buying it.
• Tobin's picture is from our field trip to the aquarium.  It's just so TOBIN!

ARDEN

• The biggest news for Arden is that he was baptized at our church on March 27!  It was very special timing, as our Colorado family was able to be here to witness the event, and Ted was here to baptize his son.
• He has finished his last Sparks book at AWANA along with the review patch and is now coasting through the book 1 review, which is the only Sparks text he hasn't completed.  The reason he didn't do it when we were in Las Vegas is the only book they had available was REALLY old...this was during the transition stuff, I guess.  Anyway, he is flying through it!
• At 7 1/2 years old, he has conquered multiple-digit multiplication.  Is it wrong for me to be proud?!  I'm still fairly amazed at his math abilities--they are much more advanced than his handwriting abilities, LOL, which sometimes causes difficulties in reading his math work, but on a typical day, he can whip out 346 X 79 with no problems!
• Arden's picture is from our trip to the Air Force Museum with our Colorado family.

KENNA

• An obsession that may not disappear anytime soon is the fact that she wants a baby in her belly just like Mommy!  She first informed her brothers that there IS a baby in her belly, and now she just keeps asking me when she'll get a baby.  Charis is very careful to always explain to her that first she has to get married and have a husband!!  One of my favorite quotes related to this is, "When I'm a mommy, I'LL have a baby in MY tummy!"  Yep, that's kind of what makes you a mommy!!
• Related to this is her fascination with my growing belly.  At the beginning of the pregnancy, when I was trying to explain how the baby would grow inside of me, I made the mistake of telling her that my belly would get bigger and bigger, and soon it would look like a beach ball.  Well, Kenna thinks that is just a hilarious description, so she will often giggle and tell me, "Soon your belly will be a beach ball!"  Note to self:  You have no right to be offended by the words of a 4-year-old when you're the one who taught her what to say!!
• One thing I've noticed about Kenna is her wonderful manners.  She consistently thanks me for things that I wouldn't even necessarily expect to be thanked for, and I love it!  Don't get me wrong--we still need to remind her to stay please or other such things, but overall, she is very good with this, and it warms my heart to hear her say something like, "Mangoes!  Mommy, you bought mangoes!  They're my favorite!  Thank you for getting mangoes, Mommy!"  (It's also cute how so many things are her "favorite.")
• Kenna still works very hard to pronounce her "Ls," and it's cute to hear her carefully saying words with them.
• Her picture is from last Sunday...she recently got this dress from her cousin Tabitha, and of COURSE she had to wear it to church!  And of COURSE we had to take a picture!

LUCAN

• Our baby is TWO years old now!  We had a little family party when Ted's family was in town visiting.  Since Ted's birthday is 5 days before, they shared a very yummy cake with very yummy frosting that was completely legal on our current diet!
• One of Lucan's favorite possessions is his stuffed cat, which he calls "Yow."  (This is how he says "meow.")  He actually has lots of stuffed buddies that he adores, but Yow follows us into the Suburban for many an adventure.
• One of Lucan's favorite words is BUS.  He very precisely says every sound in this word, and he says it as frequently as he possibly can, such as when spotting school buses, semis, RVs, SUVs, or anytime the fancy strikes him.  In fact, today he had a fit because he was LOOKING at a church bus in the parking lot after the piano recital and Ted needed to buckle him up so that he was NOT facing the BUS!  Daddy promised to drive by the bus, which got the buckling process complete, and we drove very s-l-o-w-l-y beside the bus, which made him happy again.
• Apparently people are amazed at Lucan's puzzle-putting-together skills.  What...don't most 2-year-olds do 48-piece puzzles by themselves?!  OK, maybe not, LOL!  Kenna didn't even get interested in her 12-piece puzzles until she was 3 1/2!  But it is one more way Lucan is like his big brother Arden, who was doing 100-piece puzzles by himself at 2 1/2 years of age.  Lucan will spend hours working on various puzzles throughout the house, leaving behind quite the mess.  ("Mess" is another fun word to say.  He knows what it is, and he often points to the girls' room and says "Mess," which is entirely appropriate.)
• Lucan's vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds as he now tries to repeat everything we say.  One of the family favorites is after his bath, when he runs out to the family room trying to repeat Daddy's phrase, "NAKED BABY!!!"  
• He likes order and actually seems to enjoy cleaning up when it's time.  "Neen up, neen up!"  Maybe, finally, one of the kids got my organizing gene!  (This, Ted notes, is one way he does NOT resemble Arden.  Sigh.)
• Currently we are in a phase where Lucan prefers for US to spoon feed him.  Mommy especially hopes this phase comes to an end very soon.

 BABY J

• In case you missed the Facebook announcement, we are having another boy!  The ultrasound was last Friday, and the picture seems quite clear.  So at least we're following the pattern:  girl, boy, boy...girl, boy, boy.
• Baby is quite active, as evidenced by the extremely difficult time the tech had in getting certain measurements.  Movements are getting strong enough that other people can feel them...IF they happen to land on my belly at the right moment!
• No picture to share yet...they gave us printouts on base, and we don't have a scanner.  But he has all his fingers and toes and looks to be very healthy!

10 on Tuesday

I really need to sit and do some focused blog entries soon, but there are a lot of little things, so here we are again with another 10 on Tuesday...

1. The kids had their eye exams this morning after a year and a half. Charis is now sporting a trial pair of contacts (my baby's growing up!), and Arden has a pair of reading glasses on order. Tobin is getting new frames and lenses that will hopefully hold up. Both he and Charis are supposed to take their glasses/lenses OFF for up-close reading and activities, while Arden is supposed to wear his for the same purpose in order to try to prevent him from needing regular glasses in the near future. Despite desperate pleas otherwise, Kenna is NOT getting glasses. (Nor did she have her eyes examined, I might add!)

2. We've always used whole-wheat pasta for our cooking at home, with the exception of boxed mac-n-cheese for quick lunches now and then. Recently, however, I've become convinced (convicted?) that we need to be more proactive in making sure we are keeping processed foods OUT of our bodies, or at least to an extreme minimum. So, today we had homemade mac-n-cheese, which the kids like just as much if not better. (I ate some myself, and that would NOT have happened if we had made it from a box. Ick.)

3. The problem with #2 is that I have not yet located whole wheat elbow macaroni. I know it's out there--I used to buy it at Walmart in Las Vegas, for cryin' out loud. But the commissary and Walmart here neither one carry it. I'll have to check Kroger's and possibly Trader Joe's, which is quite a haul from our house, but one I will be making regularly in the future.

4. Lucan is now saying...syllables. We're eagerly waiting for him to become more verbal, but so far his word repertoire consists of "Hi!" (with MUCH inflection, as if a grown-up is talking baby talk, which is probably why he says it that way--everyone around him says "Hi-iii" when they see him!), "ya" (yeah), "bubba," "ma," "na/da" or something like that for no. The accompanying shove with his "no" syllable does wonders for interpretation.

5. Ted had an exciting weekend--he attended a Project 86 concert Friday night and took Arden to a Broncos game in Cincinnati Sunday night. Arden was thrilled to go! Tobin was thrilled to stay home and finally watch the first Spiderman movie, LOL. Charis thought the movie was "OK." :-)

6. School is beginning to start up around here. Our city schools start a week from today. Frankly, I'll be glad when everyone else's kids go to school, LOL! Our boys are hardly home these days! But seriously, I can understand why many moms can't WAIT to send their kids to school. Two and a half months without a routine definitely tends to make the kids go crazy. Though I had great intentions for keeping us on a summer-school type of schedule, doing math, Bible bee activities, reading, etc., we've been flying by the seat of our pants the last few weeks, and it's showing!

7. Due to #6, a MOTH schedule is coming soon to a refrigerator near us. (Managers of Their Homes,for the uninitiated.)

8. I can't remember if I already posted this...Ted and I have signed up to run a 5K in September to support some missionaries from our church. My time should be GREAT if, like this morning, I get the urge to use the restroom 1/2 mile into the run.

9. It's less than 2 weeks until the local Bible Bee competition. We're way behind, but we're pressing on.

10. I have a new planner! My brain is happy. :-)

The Ticket System

A few months ago I got the idea (thank you, Lord!) for an incentive system for the kids that would encompass their schoolwork as well as chores, attitudes, initiative, etc. The inspiration came from a roll of tickets that was sitting on my counter after a stamping event. I've often used tickets at workshops to encourage guests to be involved in my presentation, to come on time, to bring friends, etc. I figured if they were incentives for women, they might also be for kids!

This idea percolated in my brain for awhile, and I finally typed out a ticket redemption chart that hangs in our kitchen eating area. Also in this area, on the bulletin boards, are envelopes with Charis, Tobin, and Arden's names. This is where they keep the tickets they earn throughout the day.

Here are some ways the kids can earn tickets:
* One ticket for completing school checklists. (They have an appointment with me at some point during the day during which we review their written work.)
* One ticket for completing "funvelope" activities. (I'll post about checklists and funvelopes a different time.)
* One ticket for saying the Bible verse of the week without looking during our breakfast review time.
* During school review times, I give a ticket for volunteering to share something we learned during the day (often around the dinner table so Dad can hear).

The great thing about giving tickets away is that it's completely arbitrary--I haven't tied myself to a particular system, other than giving a ticket for completing school work. I sometimes give a ticket for getting 100% on a math test--but not always. I sometimes give a ticket for answering, "Yes, ma'am" and coming immediately when I call--but not always. I sometimes give a ticket for doing something without being asked--but not always. You get the idea! I don't necessarily want the kids to EXPECT a ticket for doing a good deed, but I do want to recognize their efforts and inspire them to look for ways to help out, be polite, etc.

So, basically, I give tickets for anything I want to encourage.

Likewise, I take away tickets for anything I want to discourage. Yelling at your sibling? Bring me a ticket. Didn't come when I called? Bring me a ticket. Neglecting your chores? Bring me a ticket. Left a pencil on the table for Kenna to find and color on the wall with? Bring me 10 tickets. Grrr. (Just kidding, but that does happen more often than I want to keep track of, sigh.)

So, what to do with all the tickets? Here are some of the privileges that the kids can "buy" with their tickets:

1 ticket = 1 piece of candy
(This came after Halloween, ugh.)

3 tickets = extra snack
I was tired of the kids always asking for food. They get one approved snack, and if they're still hungry, they pay for more food with tickets! Encourages them to eat a decent meal at breakfast and lunch time. :-)

3 tickets = bike break (No one has taken advantage of this lately, LOL.)

5 tickets = 15 minute break from school; game time with Mom; or trampoline time.

10 tickets = 1 hour or less DVD in the afternoon; 1/2 hour computer time in the afternoon; stay up and read one hour after bedtime (from 8 - 9 p.m.). (So if bedtime is late, say 8:30 instead of our normal 8:00, they don't have the option of buying this privilege. Or if we have to get up early the next day, they have to wait to buy this privilege.)

15 tickets = attend Homeschool Skate Day; go to Chick-Fil-a for lunch; go to the Boonshoft Museum.

20 tickets = Go to Young's for lunch.

Note: Whenever there is an outing away from the house, EACH kid has to have the specified number of tickets. Charis has been known to give her brothers a few tickets so we could make it to Homeschool Skate Day, since Charis is always rolling in extra tickets. The boys tend to spend theirs for computer time as soon as they rack up 10 tickets!

Ted and I do put limits on the number of times they can redeem tickets for DVDs or computer time. We don't yet have the physical objects ready, but we plan to have "Media Chips" to give out so that there is a set number of hours per week for media time. When they turn in tickets for game time or whatever, or if they play the Wii or video games at a friend's house, they will have to cash in media chips as well. Ted and I just haven't had a chance to discuss a reasonable total per week. But basically I try to limit it right now to 2-3 afternoons of computer games or DVDs, plus our Friday night movie night.

I'd be glad to answer any questions about this system if you have any. Hopefully I've covered the basics. We've used it for several months now and are happy with it, and I think the kids are, too!

Systems and Schedules

After taking so much time off in December, I was greatly anticipating the return to a regular schedule. Life just goes so much more smoothly around here when things are predictable. Breakfast whenever you want it and lounging around in pajamas all day sounds nice, but the bickering and short tempers that seem prevalent on schedule-less days outweigh whatever sense of relaxation there may be. (And let's face it--relaxation may happen for the kids when we don't have school, but not for Mom!)

I knew we'd need to tweak some things with our schedule, particularly when it came to chores. Now that we're getting close to finishing our second school week in 2010, I think I can safely say that we're doing fairly well. The house is staying cleaner than usual, and we're actually caught up with school work despite having January 4 off as a family day and January 8 off as a snow day. We've also had play dates and run errands, and my sanity has remained intact, so that tells me we're definitely on the right track, LOL.

Today I'll just write about our new approach to chores. This is something I was praying about for a long time, knowing that we needed to get the kids more involved with household tasks. Chore charts were just not working for us. We might stay up with them the first couple of days of the week, but inevitably life would put us behind. Then there was the matter of inspection--if that didn't happen, then there was no accountability. And what about training the kids to do harder jobs and to do a BETTER job? That needed to be taken into account also.

So here's our new system--for now. I'm sure it will change, but I'm pleased with it so far. I have an index card file box with two main categories: Weekly Service Opportunities and Extra Service Opportunities.

Weekly Service Opportunities are tasks that I want done every week. Thinking in terms of 3 kids working each day, I grouped like tasks in sets of three. Ideally, of course, 3 kids will do 3 tasks every day, Monday through Friday. When the chore is finished AND inspected, the card goes to the back of the stack. If we have a crazy day and don't have time for chores, no big deal. We pick up where we left off. (However, I always have the option of moving the cards around and placing ones at the front of the stack that I want to be sure we get done!) Here are the tasks I've set up for this section:

* Deep cleaning bathrooms
1. Kids' bathroom
2. Guest bathroom
3. Basement bathroom

* Vacuuming
1. Vacuum library and entryway
2. Vacuum dining room
3. Vacuum family room

* Vacuuming
1. Vacuum boys' room
2. Vacuum girls' room
3. Vacuum Lucan's room

* Vacuuming (see a trend here?!)
1. Vacuum stairs from 2nd floor to main floor
2. Vacuum stairs from main floor to basement
3. Vacuum or sweep tile in kitchen and eating area

* Quick clean bathrooms (same 3 as deep cleaning)

In addition to the Weekly Service Opportunities, the kids have Extra Service Opportunities. These are additional tasks that I'd like them to do weekly or bi-weekly, but ones that won't cause my stress level to rise if we don't get to them.

There are two ways these will get done:

1. Kids are driving me crazy and need to be gainfully employed. They will be sent to the chore box and may choose any one of the first 3 cards.

2. Kids want to earn extra tickets and choose any of the first 3 cards. Once the task is complete and inspected, they earn however many tickets are indicated on the card.

I guess this leads to our ticket system! I'll have to post that another day...

Really? That's All Ya Got?

I've been doing laundry on Thursdays the last few weeks instead of our typical Saturday wash day so that we could avoid doing laundry over holiday weekends. I decided I rather liked getting it out of the way before the weekend arrived, even if that meant I was on my own instead of having help from Ted.

So I was merrily plugging along, enjoying a wintry, snowy day with the kids while moving through the laundry at a rather amazing pace.

Soon it dawned on me WHY I was finishing up so quickly.

By the time I had folded all of the items, Tobin's clean laundry pile consisted of one pair of pajamas, one pair of underwear, and three pairs of socks.

Sigh.

Kenna seems to have worn enough clothes for 3 little girls, though, so perhaps that counts for something?!

(And as a side note, it is worth commending Tobin for listening to us in at least one regard--we had been begging the boys to PLEASE wear their pants more than once, as they were both going through them at an unreasonably fast pace. I'm not sure how that translates into "stuff your dirty underwear and shirts back in your drawer and wear those over and over and over," but I guess you never know with boys. Note to self--start paying attention to what the boys are wearing every day!)

Kid Update

Short (?) blurbs on the five kiddos...

LUCAN
He is now 4 months old--where is the time going?! He is officially the fastest turning baby we've had. He has been rolling from back to belly and belly to back for several weeks now. Charis only rolled over from back to belly for the first time after her 4-month birthday! I suspect we're going to have an early crawler/walker with this one. He seems to be teething as well; either that or he has a nasty cold, which is entirely possible, given the substances coming out his nose, LOL. Also the fact that Ted got hit with something over the weekend as well...

Anyway. Lucan has been sleeping through the night for a few weeks now, waking only the last few nights when he's had his nose/teething/whatever issues. He is going with me to Convention (we leave today!), and I'm thankful that he's overall a happy, cuddly baby. When fussy, he settles right down if one of us is holding him. Probably the only problem we'll have at Convention will be poop blow-outs, since his current MO seems to be saving up for several days, only to blast off several times in one day! (And Debi, that poop update is just for you, since you seem to get such a kick out of our poop stories! All my other mom friends who still have little ones at home think these updates are perfectly normal, LOL!)

KENNA
She is potty training! Woohoo! Oh, the power of a few M&Ms, or, as she calls them, "Mem-a-mems." The older kids get M&Ms or Skittles as well for helping her, and she has done quite well. We just need to get her consistently telling us when she needs to go. She'll willingly sit on the potty anytime we suggest it but only occasionally informs us when she truly needs to go. But we're getting there! At 2 1/2, she's younger than I would have really started putting effort into the training with all the other commotion around here, but it's nice to have older kids able to help her.

She and Charis are sharing a room in this house, which delights her (and Charis most of the time) to no end. She is still in her crib tent, however, and seems resigned to that--after our travels, she got used to being free and was not happy to be zipped up again! We've begun reading Bible stories from a preschool Bible book before her naps and bedtime, and she enjoys that routine. She also enjoys listening to music now as she falls asleep, something all the kids used to do at that age. In fact, all of the kids like the classical music CDs, and with their rooms close to each other upstairs, it's a great way to get in some fine arts at bedtime, LOL.

ARDEN
Our fearless boy is now sporting 6 stitches in his chin after a bike accident. No surprise there--we've always said one day we'll come home and find a couple of kids jumping off the roof onto mattresses, and those kids will be Arden and Kenna! Ted took him to the ER Sunday evening when it happened; thank the Lord it happened when we were all home! Arden was so brave! The doctor (who was in Ted's graduating USAFA class) was impressed with how well he did. This wasn't the first spill off his bike, and I'm sure it won't be the last...a telling thing about his personality is that he was back on his bicycle yesterday, riding all over the neighborhood, stopping only to play Capture the Flag with neighbor boys!

TOBIN
Currently Tobin's ambition for when he turns 20 or 21 (as he said just this morning) is to buy a house with one or two bedrooms and spend every evening eating popcorn and watching movies. It's so nice to know we're raising a couch potato! Hopefully he'll continue to love reading...we often stumble over him and/or his books, and he still loves mazes and other activity books as well. The Legos obsession seems to have abated for a short while, but I'm sure it will be back. We have lots of rainy days here in Ohio!

Tobin is learning to take more responsibility as the big brother. I've noticed him doing and saying things that I never thought he'd take initiative to do! At the same time, he is quick to POINT OUT what great things he is doing, so I guess his next character lesson needs to be humility, LOL. Still, he has matured quite a lot, and it's exciting to see him growing and becoming more sensitive to the Lord.

CHARIS
Many days I just don't know what I would do without Charis! She is so responsible and willing to help that I have to be very careful not to lean on her all the time and shirk giving her brothers responsibilities as well. I try to give her alone time in her craft corner (part of my office in the basement) since she does now share her bedroom and has to put up with Kenna's chattering day and night! One of her newer chores is washing the dishes by hand, so we absolved her of unloading the dishwasher, instead moving Kenna up to help put away silverware and plastic bowls and plates along with her older brothers.

Our neighborhood seems to have lots more boys than girls, and the girls Charis has met so far are either quite a bit older or quite a bit younger. But she hasn't seemed to mind, and I'm sure we'll find more friends her age as we get more involved in church activities.

***************
Last week was VBS at FairCreek, and it was such a blessing for the kids to be able to jump right in and start meeting people. On Sunday morning when we dropped them off in their classes, it was so wonderful to hear them calling out, "Hi, So-and-So!" and waving to people they had met during the week. Ted and I know quite a few people from the last time we were here, but obviously the kids don't remember anyone.

The Little Things, Part 2

Little joys of life from yesterday...

* The homeschool garage sale I attended--I spent $34 and got TONS of GREAT stuff, including 27 Mythbuster episodes on DVD!! One of my biggest joys from yesterday was seeing the look on Ted's face when he saw the collection! Also lots of wonderful books that our whole family will be enjoying for a long time to come.

* The gorgeous weather. From the wonderful smell of rain Wednesday night to the bright sunny afternoon yesterday, I'm finally starting to realize that I will actually miss Las Vegas when we move.

* Listening to Kenna's shrieks of laughter while I jumped on the trampoline with her. "Bump," she would demand, and I'd jump some more, toppling her over in a matter of moments, much to her delight.

* Watching the kids do an "experiment" to see what it's like to be blind. (Our current Sonlight read-aloud is Follow My Leader, about a boy who is blinded by a firecracker at age 11 and has to learn to adapt.) Charis kept asking for more and more "tasks" to perform while "blind!" Great discussion opportunities. I cherish these moments of homeschooling my kids.

* Surprising the kids with a hot chocolate treat in the middle of the afternoon...while sitting down myself with a chai latte!

* Seeing Charis almost single-handedly make the meatloaf that we had for dinner last night. What a great little cook she is becoming! (And as a fun side note...she crushed the crackers while being "blind," but the rest of the project she did while fully sighted--thank goodness, ha!)

You Make Me Laugh!

Yesterday during lunch Kenna looked up at the back screen door and saw a bug. She immediately notified us, pointing and exclaiming, "Buh, buh, BUH!" We acknowledged that yes, it was indeed a bug. (How clever of her to notice!) She stopped her proclamations, stared thoughtfully at the bug for a moment, then wrinkled her little nose and said, "EWWWWW!" The whole family burst into laughter, so I knew I had to remember to write this on the blog!

*****************
While reading aloud to me this morning, Arden was running his sentences together. He's a great reader for being only 5 1/2 years old, but he does tend to be a bit monotone and wants to read fast like his older sibs. I had him stop and pointed out the periods on the page. I suggested that he take a little break, maybe take a breath or something, when he came to a period so he would remember to pause more between sentences. Dutifully he read the next sentence, stopped completely after the next period, took an enormous breath, and moved on. It was very hard not to giggle!

*****************
During our Sonlight read-aloud time this afternoon, I caught a whiff of stinky feet. I asked who the culprit was, and of course everyone denied being the one to have smelly toes. Tobin even leaned down to sniff his foot to be sure. When I asked, "Well, does it smell?" his response was, "Only if you get REALLY close!"

Our Snow Day

These are some pictures from Monday. The first one is in the front yard, just as it was starting to snow. The rest are in the backyard. Kenna was throwing a little "snowball"...the kids made little snowmen with giant carrot noses (the boy on the left is our friend Riley)...the boys worked on a snow fort...and Charis later made a big snowman after she had finished her tiny masterpiece. I regret I never got back outside to take a picture of her finished product, which was taller than Kenna, or to get shots of the whole yard covered with snow, but I was dealing with a non-napping toddler. Grrr. That's a whole other post which I won't write now, though!

Would You Believe?!

IT'S SNOWING IN LAS VEGAS!! And I mean SNOWING! This morning's vocabulary word was "accumulate," LOL. It has piled on the branches, and you can't even really see grass anymore. The kids are beyond delighted. When they first woke up, small flakes were coming down, but they were melting as soon as they hit the ground. I didn't let the kids go out for awhile, as it was muddy and just plain messy. But later it actually started sticking, so we all bundled up and went out to catch snowflakes on our tongues. (Arden kept referring to them as snow drops!) The boys cupped their hands and held them in front of their bodies, very still. When I asked what they were doing, they said they were going to collect snowflakes to make snowballs, LOL! Can you tell they haven't had much exposure to snow?!

We had friends over from "down in the valley," who said it was just raining at their house. So the kids had a blast with their friends, making real snowballs (as it had accumulated enough to actually play with by that point), little snowmen, little snow forts, snow angels (on the trampoline, ha!), and so on. It was a very fun break for all of us.

I will post pictures later. I started this post awhile ago, and now it's 7 p.m., the kids are in bed (Kenna never did nap...3rd day in the last 4 days she has shunned her nap, sigh), and I'm going to go spend some much-needed time with my hubby!! After the rehearsals and shows last week, it's very nice to have a quiet evening at home!

The Stats

Oops...I forgot to write the heights and weights of the kids!

Charis--42 pounds, 47 1/4 inches
Tobin--48 pounds, 46 inches
Arden--48 pounds, 44 1/2 inches
Kenna--?? pounds, 32 inches

Kenna has her 18-month appointment on Monday, so we'll get for-sure numbers for her then!

Wonderful Watermelon

We always enjoy a good melon during the summer, as these pics and video clip show!

Goodbye, Olympic Games

Well, finally we're done sitting on our duffs and watching toned, muscle-y athletes work hard! It was a tough 16 days, but we managed to persevere by consuming large amounts of popcorn and ice cream and taking naps whenever possible. We endured stupid commercials and the agony of realizing the broadcast went beyond the 4 hours we had programmed the DVR. But thanks to the newspaper and the Internet, we were able to follow our favorite Olympians 'til the very end.

And what a joyous end! Thanks to numerous, never-before-allowed hours of television, our kids can now identify the flags of at least 20 different countries. They know what terms like "block," "spike," "heat," and "semifinal" mean and the importance of staying in bounds. They look to Michael Phelps as their new hero. They know what an "anthem" is and have stopped asking why Mommy gets teary-eyed every time she hears it. They frequently shout things like "Yeah, baby!" and "Go, go, GOOOOOO!" And they can do a victory dance like nobody's business.

Yes, the Olympic games were well worth the time invested. We laughed, we cried--it moved us, Bob. (Veggie Tales allusion there for the uninitiated.)

And now, for your viewing pleasure, in case you haven't quite gotten enough of the Olympics, I present to you OUR Olympic Games.

First up, Nastia (aka Charis) and Jonathan (aka Arden) dazzle us with their routines (and their costumes).



Next, Tobin gives Daddy the "what for" in this wrestling match--or is it the other way around?!



Finally, the kids' version of beach volleyball. They set this one up all by themselves. The video clip is but a small portion of what we actually got to see. They worked out an ingenius system for playing with 3 people--Arden switched sides after every 2 points! It was so cute to see the boys hugging every time they got a point as a team!

The Days Are Long...

I know, I know, but the years are short. Right now this coming year can't go fast enough for me! I am absolutely worn out with this phase of parenting. Either Arden was the most mellow baby ever born (and I'm sure he was), or else I've just completely blocked from my memory just how hard this age is. At 15+ months, Kenna is into EVERYTHING. I mean EVERYTHING. She throws books off the shelf. She empties the sandwich baggie box. She finds the older kids' markers. She dumps over the piano bench and all its contents. She pulls things off the counters. She climbs onto the dining room table. She climbs onto the school table. She climbs onto the couch. She climbs into drawers. She's not content in the stroller unless we are MOVING, and I suspect her very first sentence is going to be "I do it!" She's like a little Energizer bunny in size 4 sandals!

So, besides the fact that I have an indefatigable child, we've got a marathon schedule going on this week and next, with some days being even more hectic than others. Now that we're halfway finished with the two-week swimming lessons session that the older kids are doing at the Y, I'm starting to wonder if there isn't an easier way for our kids to learn to swim! Oh, sure, 45 minutes SOUNDS reasonable. But what no one tells you is that 45 minutes is basically MY WHOLE MORNING!!! The lessons are actually from 9:00-9:45 a.m. But beforehand we have to rouse everyone out of bed (not Kenna or Tobin--they're usually up bright and early, to my dismay), get breakfast, clean up breakfast, find swim suits and towels, lotion everyone up, change Kenna's diaper one last time, pack some drinks, and herd everyone out to the van. It's about an 8-minute drive to the Y, and from there we park and unload the stroller and all the kids and towels and do the actual lesson part. Kenna and I hang out at the playground area, and I have actually enjoyed the opportunity to chat with some long-distance friends on my cell phone with headset so my hands can be free to rescue Kenna when she gets herself into a predicament. Then, when the lesson is finished, we head home with cries of "Mom, I'm HUNGRY!" echoing from the back of the van. (I tell you, if I had a nickel for every time I heard that phrase, I would have been a rich woman long ago!) So upon arriving home, Kenna gets buckled into her booster seat with an early lunch so I can scrounge up something healthy for the older kids before putting Kenna down for a much-needed nap (much-needed for me, that is, not necessarily her!).

Whew!

But that's not all! No, indeed!

Once Kenna is down for her nap, the rest of us have lunch (because even though a snack was devoured minutes beforehand, the kids are, of course, starving). Following lunch clean-up, we have actually done school 3 out of 4 days this week. I may be crazy, but the kids were driving me nuts BEGGING to start school again. They knew the brand new box o' Sonlight materials was sitting in my room, and they couldn't wait to get started!! Besides, the structure is welcome around here, and I also enjoy the chance to ENJOY my kids after a hectic morning. After a 3-week break, it's been fun to get back into the swing of things, even though our "schedule" is in dire need of an overhaul. For now, though, it's enough for me that the kids are loving school time. I'll figure out an official schedule once swim lessons and our trip to Idaho are past.

Following school time, which ends whenever Kenna wakes up, we then set our sights on the next activities--dinner and taekwondo practice, the latter of which is 3 times a week. Thank the LORD for my neighbor Carmen, who drives Charis and Tobin to and from the studio along with her kids! Other afternoon activities this week have included babysitting a friend's daughter, delivering a meal to a family who recently had a 4-pound baby, and visiting our friend Mr. Mel at the assisted living facility we've adopted as a ministry. Yikes!

I know once the marathon pace we're keeping is over, I'll be thankful for the opportunity the kids had to take real swimming lessons. This is the first time we've been able to do it, and getting all 3 of them in at the same time at a close location was a blessing. They NEED to gain confidence in the water. We've got a beautiful community pool that I would love to spend time at this summer, plus friends who have pools, and I don't want to worry about the older kids. Kenna will keep me worried enough, I'm sure!

In the meantime, I'm thankful that we can take a break the next 3 days. On Monday we'll start it all up again...only next week we also have to plan for my stamp club on Thursday afternoon and getting ready for the Commission youth camp!!

A Whole New World

Well, it's that time of life. It's time to start letting the kids get in on the busy-ness that we call SCHEDULED FUN! We've always been cautious about jumping on the activities wagon--more so than we probably would be if we had only one or two kids. But with 3 so close in age, we decided it would be unwise to begin T-ball, dance lessons, or any other type of activity when they were still so young.

Well. Enter our new neighbors, whom we have grown quite close to in a short time. The kids adore playing together, and it's a wonderful thing for a homeschooling mom to be able to host playmates for her kids, thereby giving her some much-needed freedom. (Is it sad that I feel "free" to do cooking or housework or even business activities while my kids are entertaining and being entertained by other children?!) Joe, the soon-to-be step-dad of Braden and Mikaela, is a black belt in taekwondo, and he had been talking to Carmen, the kids' mom and my new friend, about getting the kids in lessons. He personally knows a family who has a studio in the area, and he regards them very highly.

Coincidentally, Ted and I had been thinking for awhile that some kind of martial arts training would be very good for Tobin. So, with the interest of our friends and the recommendation for this particular studio, off we went for a trial session. Despite a very squirmy, fussy Kenna who would NOT be contained in the small seating area of the studio (she and I walked the strip mall multiple times), what I was able to see did impress me. I went ahead and signed Charis and Tobin up for the 2-week trial so we could see how they liked it.

Though it was difficult to say NO to Arden (he's too young for the class the other 4 kids are in), he took it quite well. And I have to confess that I probably would not have even considered this activity if it weren't for Carmen's generous offer to take my kids to lessons. They meet 3 times a week for 45-minute sessions, which isn't a big deal until you consider the fact that this particular studio is a good 25-minute drive WITHOUT Las Vegas evening traffic! After prayer and discussion, Ted and I decided to sign the older two up for 6 months. They already have their first belt test on June 19, and I confess I'm getting pretty excited.

From everything we checked out on the web site to the training DVD, I am quite impressed. I also have to say that I have seen a NOTICEABLE improvement in Tobin's self-control overall. The activity also seems to be very good for helping Charis in the physical coordination department, which is not her strong suit. She faithfully practices her forms each day, and I love watching her!

Arden still gets in on the action by going along now and then to watch the class with Carmen--he does great sitting still and watching. He's learning, too, and Joe is working with all 5 of the kids to help them. We'd love it if they all pass their belt tests and can move on to the next class together...otherwise, we'll have to figure out a way to carpool!

So, we'll see where this all leads. Right now is a great time to try it out, since it's summer and AWANA and Bible study sessions are on break.