Thursday, August 13, 2009

Where did the summer go?



We had a very busy and productive summer. Every room in the house was either rearranged, redecorated, or repurposed as we continue to get ready to add a new member to our household. We got so much done and I am very grateful that we don't have to spend the fall scurrying around to get ready. Especially now that I am not a very graceful at scurrying. :)


A few updates:


Me--The pregnacy is progressing smoothly and very text-bookish. I am about to start my 28th week (3rd trimester). I've gained 15 pounds--whew--but at least that's less than where I was with Alex at this point. I still feel pretty huge and get very sympathetic comments from people when they hear that I still have 3 months to go. Thankfully this summer was not as hot as the last. I just cannot bear the heat at all. My back hurts most days and Kevin has been great about coming home from work and giving Alex an outlet for all of his energy. "Outside" time is usually reserved for the two of them in the late afternoon and that's been a great relief to me.


I was a little sad on the first day of school that I do not have a classroom of my own this year, but I am also very grateful to be staying at home. I do miss all of the kids and especially my co-workers, but I wouldn't trade being a SAHM for anything. I've tried to keep busy with photography, but the past year's economy has definitely put a hold on everyone's spending. Things are starting to pick back up and I am getting ready to launch a big Christmas card campaign in a week or two--see http://www.natalieshivers.com/ for more info!


Kevin--Kevin is back at school and missing all of the privileges that he had last year as Teacher of the Year. Now that he's just a "normal" teacher again (haha), he is having to deal with extra duties, less pay (the whole state is cutting way back, arghh), and limited access to school funds for anything other than very basic classroom needs. BUT, he still does enjoy being in the classroom and says that he just can't picture himself anywhere else. Of course the decrease in pay makes us want to look elsewhere, but that's not really a realistic option for A) someone who has always wanted to be a teacher, B) someone who is a really excellent teacher, or C) an economy where every industry is having cutbacks and unemployment issues. So for now we just grin and bear it, and I get better at coupon shopping. :)


Due to two recent foot injuries, it doesn't look like he'll be able to play adult-league soccer this season, but he will get to join Alex on the field for Dad & Tots soccer starting next month.


Alex--Alex has started 3K preschool, going 3 days a week this year. He has only been two times since it just started this past Monday, but so far is doing SO good. I was very nervous about how he would react since it is a different school from last year's school, AND his mommy is not teaching right across the hall! But we have had no tears at drop-off time (WHEW!!) and the best news of all is that his boot-camp potty training that we did during July seems to have worked. He hasn't had any accidents yet at school and the ones at home are getting farther and farther apart. Yea!! It will be nice to at least be able to go 3 months here without needing diapers.


He is (in my humble opinion, haha) a very smart little boy--especially when it comes to letters. I promise, even though his parents are/were both teachers we do NOT push him and make him play school all the time. But he has become VERY obsessed with letters and numbers, letters especially. I think a lot of it comes from his favorite DVDs, the Leapfrog Letter Factory series, but the kid is nuts about letters. If I took pictures of our house right now you would see magnet letters (3 sets so he can "build complex words"--no lie) on the dishwasher, a word-builder game on the fridge, bath letters in the bathtub, and foam letters scattered everywhere. He knows all of the letters, their sounds, can say whether they are uppercase or lowercase, and whether they are vowels or consonants. He is working on blends ('sh', 'st', etc), silent-e, and 2-vowel words, and can read 3 and 4-letter words. He's just started becoming interested in numbers and told his teacher on Monday that "if there are 2 students at the train table and I am 1 student and if I go there too, there will be 3 students at the train table!".


If it sounds like I'm bragging, I guess I am--but this is all HIM. He is very much a little 3-year-old nerd...said with all the affection in the world. Thankfully he is also interested in sports and cars and can tantrum enough so that we can't forget that he is only 3 and is just a little boy. :) He is just so lively and unpredictable these days--you never know what is going to come out of his mouth next. His favorite phrases are "You're kidding me!" and "Just a second, mom."


He's very excited about the arrival of Baby Moses, and we are hoping that won't change too much once she's actually here to stay. He likes to talk (very loudly) into my stomach and thinks it is hilarious when she kicks at him. He was a good sport about changing rooms so that she could have the nursery and likes to brag to everyone that he has a baby in his tummy too.

Anyway...that's us in a nutshell. Now that I have a few extra hours to myself when he's at school, I might get better at blogging more frequently...at least until November. Ha!


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