It's been so long since I've done one of these catch-up posts and I really regret not having done more these past few months. They may just be little sentences jotted down, but they're memory keepers for me, and I want to look back years from now and recall these little things the kids are doing and saying at this stage. I have a terrible memory, so without this blog, I'd be lost!
Right now, our crew are 3.5, 5.5, and 6.5. They basically all just passed their "half birthdays" so we are truly half way through their years. Oli is in pre-K at an English school, Lily is in grade 1 at the local French school, and Clover spends two days a week at a Forest School play group, and the rest of the time at home with me. This is our last year with a child in our home... it's so strange reflecting on that since I've had one (or all three!) home with me for almost seven years.
Chloe is such a strong spirit! Her talking has increased and improved leaps and bounds over the winter. She does still have delayed speech, but we are confident that she's improving and finding her voice... oh is she finding a VOICE. She is sarcastic, funny, and loud. The kids say she's the funniest person in our family and we have to agree. She's started making up her own songs about Jesus and it's the sweetest thing to eavesdrop on her singing something she's made up on the spot about how much God loves her. her laugh is guttural and hearty and we hear it often. Lately, her responses are always so affirmative (i.e. instead of saying "yes" or "no" she'll say "I do" "I will" or "I won't" "I didn't", etc.) It's so specific and interesting. She's officially diaper free and always trying to keep up with the big kids. She pretends to read and makes a folded piece of paper her "Bible" or her "phone" almost every day. She's still in love with the colour blue and penguins, but now has broadened her horizons to include purple, ponies and cats. She's such a hugger and shows affection really quickly to new people. Probably a trait from growing up in the church and always being around large crowds of people who love her :)
Oli is growing up so fast! I'm so glad we put him in the pre-K program at the local English school. He is so eager to learn and is thriving at school. A few months ago he saw Lily learning to read and wanted to join in, and within a couple of weeks he was reading grade 1 level books in English. No French for him yet, though. He reads to his class for "show and tell" and this month he's in his school's production of Beauty and the Beast. He recently asked me to buss his head so he could look more like Brad, lol! He's staying up later and later which is kind of hard on us because our evenings are getting smaller and smaller, but he truly needs way less sleep than the girls. With them all sharing a bedroom, we can't just have him read quietly in his room because he might wake the girls, so he's always the last one to bed. He's really into Marvel superheros and still obsessed with all-things Lego. He's so quick to ask me to pray with him - if we see a homeless person, an ambulance, when we get bad news, etc. He split his chin open at swimming lessons a few weeks ago and barely cried - a huge stuffed Hulk was his prize for being so brave!
Lily is our courageous leader. Grade 1 has been so challenging with learning to read in two languages and all the new material and expectations that the grade brings. She's the youngest in her class and the only Anglophone, and yet she's still loving school and persevering in French. She is reading in French and is so committed to the class challenge of reading 100 books. As I type this, she's at 87 books this year - I'm so proud of her! She's started developing friendships with more and more kids who speak absolutely zero English which is just amazing to me. She has close friendships with girls from school, swimming lessons, and church where she never speaks her native tongue. I know how tiring that can be in my own friendships, but to her it's just second nature - so cool. Lily is constantly teaching and leading - sometimes we need to remind her "not to be the parent!" but she's just such a classic elder sister and leader of the pack. She's been losing teeth like crazy lately, and her smile is so beautiful!
I've been working on free-lance writing projects, selling Beautycounter, and maintaining this blog on my two free days but I'd love to expand on all fronts next year when Chloe is in school five days a week. I'm also starting up a Mom and Babies group in our church this month where moms (we have so many new mamas!) can come with their little ones for some community, coffee, and encouragement. My book club is starting the Anne of Green Gables series after reading heaps of Jane Austen this winter.
We are so excited for this summer's travels - we are off to Switzerland and Austria! This past winter felt really long... maybe because we spent the the last three weeks of summer in Iceland where it was +10 degrees? Brad just finished a really busy month with two conferences and a teaching stint out of town. I'm so thankful for my man. I'm always hesitant to brag on him on the blog because I never want to make it seem like my husband is better than another or that we have the perfect life - but he is so truly wonderful and God knew what he was doing giving him to me. He's strong in many of my weakest qualities, and vice versa. Plus, he mops the floors, so what can I say? I love you Braddy!
Right now, our crew are 3.5, 5.5, and 6.5. They basically all just passed their "half birthdays" so we are truly half way through their years. Oli is in pre-K at an English school, Lily is in grade 1 at the local French school, and Clover spends two days a week at a Forest School play group, and the rest of the time at home with me. This is our last year with a child in our home... it's so strange reflecting on that since I've had one (or all three!) home with me for almost seven years.
Chloe is such a strong spirit! Her talking has increased and improved leaps and bounds over the winter. She does still have delayed speech, but we are confident that she's improving and finding her voice... oh is she finding a VOICE. She is sarcastic, funny, and loud. The kids say she's the funniest person in our family and we have to agree. She's started making up her own songs about Jesus and it's the sweetest thing to eavesdrop on her singing something she's made up on the spot about how much God loves her. her laugh is guttural and hearty and we hear it often. Lately, her responses are always so affirmative (i.e. instead of saying "yes" or "no" she'll say "I do" "I will" or "I won't" "I didn't", etc.) It's so specific and interesting. She's officially diaper free and always trying to keep up with the big kids. She pretends to read and makes a folded piece of paper her "Bible" or her "phone" almost every day. She's still in love with the colour blue and penguins, but now has broadened her horizons to include purple, ponies and cats. She's such a hugger and shows affection really quickly to new people. Probably a trait from growing up in the church and always being around large crowds of people who love her :)
Oli is growing up so fast! I'm so glad we put him in the pre-K program at the local English school. He is so eager to learn and is thriving at school. A few months ago he saw Lily learning to read and wanted to join in, and within a couple of weeks he was reading grade 1 level books in English. No French for him yet, though. He reads to his class for "show and tell" and this month he's in his school's production of Beauty and the Beast. He recently asked me to buss his head so he could look more like Brad, lol! He's staying up later and later which is kind of hard on us because our evenings are getting smaller and smaller, but he truly needs way less sleep than the girls. With them all sharing a bedroom, we can't just have him read quietly in his room because he might wake the girls, so he's always the last one to bed. He's really into Marvel superheros and still obsessed with all-things Lego. He's so quick to ask me to pray with him - if we see a homeless person, an ambulance, when we get bad news, etc. He split his chin open at swimming lessons a few weeks ago and barely cried - a huge stuffed Hulk was his prize for being so brave!
Lily is our courageous leader. Grade 1 has been so challenging with learning to read in two languages and all the new material and expectations that the grade brings. She's the youngest in her class and the only Anglophone, and yet she's still loving school and persevering in French. She is reading in French and is so committed to the class challenge of reading 100 books. As I type this, she's at 87 books this year - I'm so proud of her! She's started developing friendships with more and more kids who speak absolutely zero English which is just amazing to me. She has close friendships with girls from school, swimming lessons, and church where she never speaks her native tongue. I know how tiring that can be in my own friendships, but to her it's just second nature - so cool. Lily is constantly teaching and leading - sometimes we need to remind her "not to be the parent!" but she's just such a classic elder sister and leader of the pack. She's been losing teeth like crazy lately, and her smile is so beautiful!
I've been working on free-lance writing projects, selling Beautycounter, and maintaining this blog on my two free days but I'd love to expand on all fronts next year when Chloe is in school five days a week. I'm also starting up a Mom and Babies group in our church this month where moms (we have so many new mamas!) can come with their little ones for some community, coffee, and encouragement. My book club is starting the Anne of Green Gables series after reading heaps of Jane Austen this winter.
Enjoy Anne of Green Gables I read it last year and was so sad when I finished the series.
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