I have a quick little check in from the whole family to kick off 2022. These are the current events in each of their lives. The kids are all about to have birthdays this Spring and will add one more year to their totals :)
Olive // Age 8
1. Olive would say tell you that it's hard to move in the middle of the school year. Lots of people already have friends and routines so it's tricky to break in. She's thankful for nice girls in her class that are making an effort to get to know her. She reminds us often that she misses her old friends and her old school and just really knowing what to expect. She went to her old school for 3.5 years and she loved knowing the game plan - the best teachers, the nice girls, the expectations and the norms. I'm hoping she picks up on all of that soon at her new school. I'm so proud of her for trying her best each day and feeling a little more confident in doing so.
2. She is in a demanding 3rd grade class. She came home with homework instructions to reread the assignment, review the detailed outline she'd written in class and then type up a 3-4 paragraph persuasive writing on her monster creation - Cookie. She created a cute monster that helps you with cooking, gives you massages and can style your hair. Her "hook" (catchy opening line to her essay) was "Are you tired of doing everything yourself?" It was really creative, cute and funny. I'm impressed with her writing. Olive is creative and clever. She also seems so grown up all of the sudden. She loves to remind me that she's almost double digits.
3. Comfy clothes are key. She wants soft flowy pants, soft shirts, high pony tails and she's even going for tennis shoes more than Crocs now that it's freezing out. She stays very active at school with PE twice a week and daily exercise in her classroom.
Fletcher // Age 5
1. Fletcher is enjoying school. He has buddies that he sits by and he's really bonded with the teacher's aid in his classroom. She's very sweet. She knows Fletcher and then sees Olive later in the day. It's fun to see them get to connect with new adults at their new school. I got a sneak peek of him on the playground this week and he runs the entire time at recess. He plays tag, chases friends, etc. It was funny to see him GO GO GO.
2. He wakes up every morning and asks if it's the weekend yet. He's a homebody and loves to be home as much as possible. He's started telling people: "I'm going to be a stay at home dad when I grow up!" He says he'll cook and clean and do all the fun stuff with the kids. We'll have to see how that plays out for him as he gets older.
3. Fletcher has had some behind the scenes health things going and we were looking for some answers for the past 6 months or so. We were so relieved when he got a perfect bill of health recently.
Leo // Age 1
1. Well Leo tends to get the most coverage these days because he's my 24/7 sidekick. He goes nonstop and has rightfully earned the hashtag #wildmanleo - it's perfectly fitting for him. He's happy to climb on the counters, wants to share every single thing with me (wear my head phones) and steals drinks whenever he gets the chance. He follows directions most of the time - go get your shoes on, put your hat on, lets go to the front door, etc.
2. Leo has learned to say his sibling's names. Sissy and Fuffy. Olive & Fletcher. He loves going around the room, pointing to each of us and saying our names. The big kids love that he has a name for each of the now. They're all good buddies.
3. I'm still squeezing him into his 2T clothing even though he's ready for 3T. He's just growing too fast. A stranger at Target asked me how old he was. I tried to remember the months (20 months) but couldn't so I just said, "He's about to turn 2!" Gosh, that flew by fast. He needs me to find his box of 3T Fletcher hand me downs ASAP. Maybe that'll make my to do list for today.
Kevin & Whitney // Age 40 (haha Olive asked why I only put the kid's ages on our Christmas cards and didn't tell everyone how old we were. That made me laugh so here's a reminder that we're both 40!)
1. Kevin's days are filled with meetings, settling in at his new office, learning the ropes at a new university and being the new guy on campus. He's been working hard on projects around the house to help us all feel more settled.
2. My days are filled with errands, grocery trips, unpacking/finding homes for all of our stuff and being the constant routine keeper for the whole crew. We have our morning routine, school routines, after school and homework routines, dinner time, down time, and bed time. We're still working on them, but it makes me happy to be the constant in their lives. My friend Laura reminded me that I'm the anchor for my family during this big transition.
3. We're both working on making Evansville feel like home. I honestly have to orient myself and remind myself of our surroundings. After living FAR away for nearly 20 years, it's hard to shift yoru thinking to everything and everyone being 20 minutes away. I'm still typing in directions to get places, tracking down gas stations and trying to figure out the easiest way from A to B.
You'll find us on sunset strolls most evenings as long as it's not raining. Winter sunsets are so pretty!
Tell me something about you to kick off the new year :)
