According to Jay, my Adoring Fan's have been missing my updates and are starting to wonder if something's wrong on the homefront. Rest assured, we're all doing well here, but I'm in a pretty sad state of needing some serious R & R after summer "vacation"! July was so busy my schedule was fairly busting at the seams, and now that we're in August I'm trying to get my brain wrapped around a new routine. So I'm taking the next few minutes to finally sit down and try to fill you in on the happenin's around here.
First of all, just so you know, we did it all in this kind of weather:
This is no picnic when you have to sit around for one and a half hours outside while your kids are in swim lessons, playing soccer, or begging you to let them go in the pool. Our swimming pool water is HOT; it's about the same temp I like for taking a bath. That's not very refreshing when you really want to cool off. And the sun is HOT, so just sitting outside keeping tabs on the kids while they enjoy the bathwater is also no joyride. For those of you tempted to be envious of your neighbors with swimming pools, just know that on July and August days, the pool is one of the last places I want to be!
Speaking of swimming pools, one of my little tasks that I rather enjoy is my morning role of wild life scout. I've gotten pretty good at identifying creatures in the pool by their ripple patterns in the still water first thing in the morning. Most mornings it's just a very slight ripple from one corner and I know it's a cricket or beetle. Other mornings it's a significant, intermittent ripple and I know it's one of the tree frogs (which, by the way, are designed to stick to vertical surfaces, not swim). I try to hurry up and get those little guys because they don't last long in chlorinated water. Once every couple of weeks there is a more violent ripple and I pretty much know it's a big, fat toad. Those bad boys are just obnoxious. I love 'em, but dang it! they're dumb as...well, toads. They don't have webbed feet like frogs, yet when I try to scoop them out they immediately dive downward where I can't reach them. And apparently they aren't designed to hold their breath for long, because after a few dives they exhale underwater, lose their buoyancy, and sink to the bottom. Now at 7 am, I have no inclination to dive in to rescue them, nor do I care to dash in the house, change into my swimsuit and dive in to save them. Thus, if they choose not to allow me the pleasure of scooping them up with my net, they're at the mercy of God Almighty. As you can guess, we get our fair share of dead toads in the skimmer....
Anyway, this is a photo of the kids looking at the shrew I saved from certain death earlier in July. I thought it was a vole at first, since I don't know my backyard rodent species too well. However, after an internet search which taught me that voles pretty much look like mice (wonder how many creatures I thought were field mice were actually voles?), I found that what I had saved, and even been bitten by, was indeed a shrew. And wanna know what was really interesting to learn? The danged things are venomous. Glad the little stinker didn't break the skin when he bit me. No, I didn't let the kids hold him. Once I knew he'd bite, I didn't let them touch him. He was a cutie, though, and we all enjoyed checking him out before releasing him way far off in the back yard. Far from the pool.
The highlight of our month included a visit from my nephew. I'll do a separate post on that visit since he'd probably like to see lots of the photos from the time he was here. But part of that visit included a trip to the Flint RiverQuarium. As you already know, we really like our little trips to the zoo and aquarium, so how could we resist taking Cousin Patrick with us for a very nicely air-conditioned day among the fishes?
Katie Mei was particularly interested in the size of this fish.
And Merrilee enjoyed the baby turtles in the aquarium's nursery.
And speaking of nursery, the aquarium has a little aviary section with birds who have come in for emergency help. Most of them are rescues and are not able to go back into the wild. In July the wood ducks and the quail hatched babies. We were delighted to see the new additions up close!
Here's one of those forced photos where Aunt Petrie, aka Mommy, makes everyone sit down and act like they're happy to be there!
We also had to get a forced photo in front of one of the many painted turtle statues around downtown Albany. I don't know the whole story behind them, but just like the painted bird statues around our previous town in MD, there are turtles around Albany, all painted by local artists. This one is the Beer turtle, made to look like an eagle. I cannot actually remember if it represents the Anheuser Busch company with the eagle mascot, or more likely the Miller Coors company which has a bottling plant here, but in any case, it's located right next to the Turtle Grove Playground and has "Drink Responsibly" printed across the bottom. I'm not quite sure what message the city is trying to get across with this particular turtle....
My parents came to pick up my nephew on my birthday, and we had a little celebration. It's been a long time since Jay has been home on my actual birthday, and it's been an even longer time since my parents were able to celebrate with me. So this one was special! Even my nephew was there!
Merrilee probably enjoyed the occasion more than anyone. She had been eyeballing a little glass treasure at Cracker Barrel restaurant for some time and had her heart set on giving it to me as a gift. She told me over and over "If I had enough money I'd love to buy that for you!" Well, she had done a lot of chores and worked hard to earn money prior to my birthday, and when Daddy came home from a business trip the first thing she asked him was if he'd take her to Cracker Barrel to buy the gift for me. So after my birthday dinner at Blackbeard's Restaurant, we swung by CB so she could run in and get the gift. She was elated to have earned the money, saved it, and made the purchase, and giving me that precious glass butterfly had her on cloud nine!
Here's the crowd, minus Jay who was taking photos. I was so happy to have family with me for that day!
You can't really tell by Katie Mei's expression, but the cake Mom brought was absolutely delicious! Fudge frosting on chocolate cake...ahhhhhhh!
Now something else that made July kind of busy: Kitties! Dusty is somethin' else! He's a ball of muscular energy. But he's also a lover and has been so good with the kids. Katie Mei keeps her distance from our sometimes snappy Siamese, Linus, but as you can see she loves on Dusty. He's just such a sweetie that it's hard not to love on him. And when he's not dashing around chasing toy mice or swatting at Linus's tail, he's actually game for a few choky kisses.
And here's the busy part: the new baby kitten with no name yet. We've had her for almost two weeks now, and I still haven't come up with a name. She's quite tiny, and we've had to keep her away from Dusty unless they're well supervised. He has turned his attention away from Linus's tail and has taken on the duty of toughening up the kitten. If we aren't paying attention Dusty will pin her down and start chomping on her. She's a screamer, so we spend quite a bit of time scampering around trying to get her out from under furniture after a Dusty attack to put her back in the bedroom for some time out. It's like having a toddler beating up on a baby around here!
She is quite the ball of energy, though, and she's just one more reason we love kitties!
And, swim lessons. The long-awaited swim lessons. Last year the kids were in swim lessons in MD and attended four times a week for four weeks. They made great progress and I thoroughly enjoyed having them in the American Red Cross program. But that was where we had a kiddie pool for Katie Mei to play in during the lessons, and Jacob and Merrilee were both in the pool at the same time. But it didn't work out that way down here. Class was twice a week for half an hour, and wasn't as structured as before. We had to arrive at the pool on base, a 40-minute drive from our house, by 9:30 am, and each kid had separate lessons. There was no pool for Katie Mei to play in while she and I waited, so she had to find something to occupy herself for the hour+ wait. Needless to say, she got pretty good at some of the games on Merrilee's Leapster. I, on the other hand, just felt like I might get heat stroke.
Jacob had his lesson first. He was in the "aqua kids" class. Unfortunately, this was not an American Red Cross class, so the kids didn't accomplish the same things I would have liked them to learn, and they didn't move up in any of the ARC levels. Instead they just polished some of the strokes and skills they already had.
Merrilee was in "super swimmers" and got to do some diving. Again, she didn't learn anything new, but did get to hone her skills. The lessons were twice a week for four weeks, and after eight lessons, I didn't feel we were any better off than we were before. I don't think we'll be doing swim lessons on base here again.
Finally, the biggest busy-maker of my whole summer: Gymnastics. As you may recall, Merrilee was selected to be on the gymnastics team in May. We gave it the good, ol' college try, but this Momma had to call it a day. With Jay's upcoming extended travel and my obligation to care for two other kids while Merrilee is in the gym, as well as when she's required to go to competitions requiring over night stays; not to mention the fact that there is no time left in the schedule for Jacob or Katie Mei to enjoy any extra-curricular activities such as Pioneer Clubs at church or soccer at the YMCA; we've had to cut the gymnastics from our lives for now. It was costing us twelve hours per week, and making family meals a difficult task. There are just some things in life that our family cherishes too much to let go, and the family meal is a big one. I'm not that soccer mom, or gymnastics mom, that can let family time slide by the wayside. I know there will come a time in the future when the kids will start to scatter for their own independent activities, but at the ages of seven and under, it's just too early for me. So goodbye, gymnastics.
It broke my heart to have to discuss this with Merrilee, but she showed extraordinary maturity and understanding in her response. Instead, I will enroll her in the YMCA's homeschool PE program where she'll get a broader experience in sports for now. And next year, when Jacob is also seven years old, he can join as well. Who knows, she might really like badminton and never look back....
So that's my story. July was a pain in the butt very hectic, but we survived. Next year we're going to do things differently (I say that now...), and try to really enjoy the summer without clogging it full of things to do.
Now we're gearing up for the school year. I've signed the kids up for Elementary Spanish, The Presidents, Girl's club (for Merrilee), Show and Tell (for Jacob), and Preschool (for Katie Mei) in Friday classes. And I've volunteered to teach the Keeper's of the Faith class (Girl's club) myself. I also volunteered to teach Pioneer Clubs at church on Wednesday nights. I don't know if that means the rest of the school year is going to be as crazy as July was, but at least we'll all be doing something educational, fun, and God-glorifying at the same time, and there won't be anyone in the family sitting in a lobby waiting. And more importantly, dinners will be more relaxed and we'll all be together. That's what counts!
I will try to update the blog again soon, and will include the fun visit with Patrick! Thanks to all my Adoring Fans for the hints, reminders, and inquiries as to why I hadn't updated in awhile. It's nice to know I was missed!
Love,
Petrie
Busy work...sometimes it keeps her busy and sometimes it doesn't work!
Merrilee is excited to be learning history and science from a new perspective this year. She's had three years of early American history with Pilgrims and Squanto, and this year she's able to move ahead and learn more world geography, map skills, and profiles of prominent Americans. Her science is also moving into physical science this year. Our first chapter was on simple machines and she's really enjoyed it. I have been blessed to find out that Georgia Public Broadcasting allows homeschoolers to sign up for streaming video of all their materials. It is free, and gives me access to their archives of all their educational video material. So the documentaries, children's programs, and other stuff you'd see on a PBS station are mine to use in our homeschool. It's really awesome, and I am thrilled to be able to let an interesting, age-appropriate video entertain and teach all three of my kids about simple machines. If you remember how fun it was to have a movie in the classroom in elementary school, the same excitement happens in homeschool. The kids just love it! Thank you GPB! We're already looking forward to our videos about ancient civilizations like Mesopotamia and Egypt. This is going to be a fun school year.
Jacob has had to go back and review quite a bit of his math. Last year he breezed through the Kindergarten math book and I started him on the first grade book. But after a few weeks of it I could tell we were getting into territory he wasn't ready for, so we quit. This year I have started back at the beginning of the first grade book and quickly sped through all that he was comfortable doing, and we're almost back to where we left off. I have found that he really needs to spend a little more time working through concepts until he's really solid in them. Review really helps him. Merrilee hated review once she learned something and she always needs to move on quickly. It doesn't mean she grasps the concepts any faster than Jacob, but he really needs to soak in them more than she did before he's ready for new stuff. I just cannot imagine how their grades and ability to retain information would differ if they were in a classroom setting; one just cannot teach different kids the same way.
"It's showing on the outside what's happened on the inside."
