--where to begin...where to begin...
--it's hard to believe i haven't sent out an update in an entire year (unless you count facebook status updates); but then it's also not so hard to believe. life has been very different and sometimes difficult this past year, though all in all it was a very good year. here's my disclaimer: this will be an insufficient recap of the past year, and pictures will not really relate to what i've written, however hoping you'll all enjoy it anyway.
--the kids and i are currently installed in our 3-bedroom townhouse in what billy somewhat-teasingly calls the ghetto...though i don't agree with that assessment. we've definitely cut our square-footage down, reduced our collection of possessions, and downgraded our use of certain utilities...all of which are really a good thing. but have no fear; we are safe and sound and thriving, surrounded by friendly neighbors, in a good school system, and very comfortable and happy.
--aidan started kindergarten this year. he goes to half-day class in the afternoon. i was somewhat disappointed that he wasn't in the morning class, though i was secretly hoping he'd be in the all-day class. morning class would have allowed him to ride the bus to school, which would have saved me morning daycare costs...and all-day (in addition to giving him more learning time) would have reduced it even more. however virginia beach uses the all-day classes for remedial purposes to make sure all kids leaving kindergarten are at the same level...as they don't always begin it at the same level. needless to say, aidan blew the test out of the water...which of course made me super proud, while also making it necessary to pay for extra childcare. oh well. aidan was upset that he didn't get to ride the bus though, but understands he will ride next year. this year his daycare takes him to school and picks him up.
--it was sierra's first experience with any school setting when she started daycare this year. she took to it like i don't know what. i think there were two days when she didn't want me to leave her...but for the most part she runs off without looking back, as she's already screamed hello to multiple little friends before i've even signed them in at the door. she is, however, equally excited to see me when i pick her up, so that's good. she tells me that her favorite part of the day is playing with her friends.
--aidan is now beginning to read. he does quite well when he sits still and pays attention...though that's a pretty typical issue for a five-year-old boy. he was actually reading some beginner books before he started school. and since starting i've noticed that his writing and spelling have greatly improved. each day at dinner when i ask him what he did at school, he usually tells me about what game he played at recess until i ask him direct questions about what he learned. his typical response is "i don't remember" until prompted a bit more. (sierra's favorite response to what she did is "i didn't do nothin, mama" with the sly sideways look/grin. then, "i play in the playstation!") sweet boy that he is, aidan usually says his favorite part of the day is when i come to pick him up.
--he's been doing tae kwon do since january and getting quite good at it. he's enjoying class, getting better, and learning to focus...which honestly was my reason for choosing martial arts over sports at this point in his life. he's now a yellow-belt "decided." (they get the new belt/degree the first testing round when they're "recommended" for that level, then the headband when they test 8weeks or so later for the "decided" degree.) he's gone from white to orange to orange-decided to yellow to yellow-decided. he tests for his camo belt at the end of october. anyhow, it's interesting to see how he (and really his whole class) has progressed. they're not all the same belt/degree, but they're all improving. when i first started taking him, i was surprisingly disappointed in his "abilities." thinking i have a very coordinated child, as he's always been good at backyard sports and can't wait to play, loves to flip over and on furniture, can do a headstand for nearly a minute; watching him stand there unresponsive like he didn't understand that someone was speaking to him was not a comfortable moment for me. so, needless to say, we went home and practiced. i think some of it was that he didn't understand half of what they were asking him to do...as he's never been allowed to hit or kick anything without getting in trouble, they're saying things in korean, and it's kinda loud in there with little ones "hi-yah'ing" at the top of their lungs all over the place. it took him about three classes to get comfortable enough to hi-yah out loud...then he turned around and grinned at me. he still has his spaz-out moments, but he has learned a lot and does really well in class. his favorite part is sparring because he's now in the leadership class where they spar and work with weapons. he does these random jump-spin-kicks...where the most damage he does to his partner is that he ends up on the floor instead of actually hitting him. oh, and lord help us if i forget the bag with all his gear that day...total and complete melt down. but that's only happened once.
--sierra has grown so unbelievably much this past year. it's amazing. the difference between age two and three is crazy! she speaks in full-length stories, is totally potty-trained except for some nights (sorry for that to all who hate the nitty-gritty details i give...haha), and insists on doing most everything by herself. and when i say insist, she insists! i call her my italian princess...never thought something with skin and eyes that dark would come out of me...and even without my moniker, she truly believes she's a princess. (we did give her a princess birthday party too...so maybe I have fed the image just a little...hmmm.) anyhow, she's the most stubborn thing i've ever met. billy tells me that's because she's a hunt-lady. now i consider myself pretty flexible and easy going, though can definitely be stubborn at certain times. but she wants to argue like it's her calling...sometimes just to do it...sometimes just for a reaction...and sometimes she really means it. and when she means it, she most definitely means it. she pitched the fit of all fits one morning when the dress she wanted to wear wasn't clean. she wore her "merica fwag" (american flag) dress two days before, yet it was time to wear it again. she cried like the world ended when i told her she'd have to pick something else. after several minutes of waiting for her to calm down...which didn't happen...i told her to pick something or i would. she grudgingly and screamingly chose something else then stood there and screamed and cried some more when i told her to put them on. a few minutes later she was still standing, clutching, screaming, and crying. so i told her to put them on or i'd put them on her. she screamed louder. so i put them on her. then she took them off and put them on herself. she wouldn't walk downstairs so i carried her down and sat her at the table, where she wouldn't say what she wanted to eat, didn't eat what i gave her to eat, and screamed some more. so after her non-breakfast, i didn't give her the option of choosing or even putting on her own shoes, put some on her and put her in the car...where she continued to scream and cry all the way to school. the only good thing about that morning was that they don't need much prep time in the morning and our drive isn't very long...so i only had to listen to screaming for 45minutes. as soon as we got to school some little friend said "hi sarah." she stopped immediately...waterworks just turned off...and she said, "hi wee-yum" (william). gotta love it...
--so, this was obviously not an all-inclusive detailed description of our past year...apologies all around. however i plan to update pretty frequently, so check back. happy fall!
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