weekend for growing relationships (ekklesia and koinonia):

We had another full weekend, especially Sunday.  On Saturday morning, Manny took Lucas to see the Angry Birds movie (which he said wasn't good, but Lucas liked it), I took Isaac to buy groceries, and in the afternoon, Naomi went with her friend to Build-a-Bear to use her birthday giftcard.  It was rainy, and the mall was very crowded, so they decided to go back to her friend's house for a playdate and dinner.  I picked her up afterward.  Naomi had a great time, and I liked that she was respectful toward us after the playdate.  Sometimes she returns and isn't, I think either taking us for granted or being bothered that we aren't as "normal" as other families to her.

On Sunday, we heard the second sermon on the church body and got to put it into practice at our Women's Tea.  The men and kids went to a concurrent BBQ, and then it was all followed by a going-away gathering for one of our beloved church staff members, T., and his wife C.  Having little ones at a park means you have to keep an eye on them, so there weren't a ton of opportunities for Manny to get to know others, especially since Lucas was so tired and misbehaving.  

They asked all the participants to bring some food if possible.  I signed up for the easy cucumber and cream cheese tea sandwiches (but was still up till 11 pm making them).  An Indian family brought curry naan bread, which was very good.  We women did get to talking, and I very much appreciate the men taking the kids so we could do that, or some who worked in the nursery for women without that option for their children.  We had a surprisingly fun game of musical chairs, where two older women beat out all the younger ones.  :)  Then one of the coordinators gave a captivating talk on relationships with other women and our heavenly Father, and we sang and had a drawing for prizes afterward.  I helped clean up and then I transitioned to the sharing and prayer time for T and C's celebration.  Naomi stopped in briefly, but left with a friend.

As many reiterated, one great thing about T. is that he always connected well with people from all walks of life.  He was also very punctual with the administrative work he did.  He was just a behind-the-scenes guy who really did much with what he was given.  He was on disability, and unfortunately it was not enough to be able to afford the current high rents in our area.  So they had to move on for financial reasons, but I know God will use them where they go.  

Ekklesia (the called-out church) and koinonia (communion, joint participation) are two Greek words that describe what the church should be.  The New Testament was first written in Greek, and it helps to understand that ekklesia is not just a church and koinonia is not just being together.  It's supposed to be a family.  Lately I've found it harder to love people in the church with whom I don't connect very well, but I think regardless of what I receive, there is always more I can give, whether it be grace, encouragement, time, a physical gift, or something else.  I just have to be careful not to let it overtake my responsibility to my husband and children.  

Naomi's new stuffed leopard with a rainbow of colors, of course.

Tea time!  They asked us to wear hats if we had them, and no biggie if we didn't.

Manny at the BBQ.

Group photo at the farewell gathering for T and C.

school updates (awards, clubs, testing, plans, philosophy):

Naomi

Just a note that I'm not trying to brag about Naomi (she asked me not to), but I wanted to record these proud moments and reflect on what we're learning from them.

Last week, Naomi was voted by her classmates to receive the Citizenship Award "for good behavior and actions toward others."  It sort of sums up how well she's adjusted this year, and how even under the radar and in a crowd, people will still notice the way we carry ourselves and treat others.  One of her goals for this year was to grow in leadership.  I'd nudged her to run for student council, but she didn't think she'd win or that it was a right fit for her.  Now I am reminded, in the perspective of faith, a leader must first be a servant.  

Naomi receiving the Citizenship Award

She received the biggest cheers from her classmates of any of the recipients that morning.

Naomi finished her last Computer Coding Club class (nice alliteration) on Monday and received her certificate and cookies (cute idea) as a treat.  She was in the Music and Sounds class, which really suited her.  I thought all of her projects were so fun and creative.  On the last day, the students wrote a thank-you program for the teachers.  She decided to put her spin on it, as always, and added a little slapstick humor at the end where one of her characters messes around with the computer and accidentally gets sucked in (teleported, as she put it).  Her program was randomly selected to be the one shown to the class, so everyone got to enjoy that.

She also has been doing Common Core testing at school the past two weeks.  There was a quickly-contained fire at her school during one of the days, but she doesn't feel she was too thrown off by the interruption.  She has tested ahead into 7th grade math for the fall!  I'm super proud of her, especially because math had been her least-favorite and weakest subject since the start.  I'm thankful we were able to homeschool so we could focus on learning math conceptually, however long it required (and some of those days were very, very long).  As I've mentioned, I'm not against Common Core math standards themselves but the implementation and universal enforcement of those standards.

She will be heading to the 6th grade at a public middle school in the fall, in advanced English and social studies classes, 7th grade math, and hopefully be able to get into Culinary Arts and the volleyball team.  I don't think honors science courses happen until the 7th grade.  I'm not sure what she'll be learning yet, but I'll be paying attention.  

Lucas

I saw this article the same day Naomi received an award and thought a little bit about how Lucas may never receive a lot of awards.  Lucas is starting to burn out with school, but we will finish on a good note.  He is finally reading full sentences!  Last week during our weeknight gathering at church, Lucas read a bible passage in front of his class.  I know that took courage and perseverance.  Sometimes he does a sort of cheat-reading that kids with dyslexia do.  He doesn't understand much of what he is reading.  So, those are my areas of focus.  However, he is progressing, and is finally getting "silent e."  What used to be little milestones have become big ones with him.  Now to get him to write sentences on his own...

He will be continuing with the private school satellite program in the fall, but if his reading and articulation improve, I would consider changing programs in the following year to one where he could go into class weekly like before.  I hope our old ISP would take us back.  He doesn't have as many behavioral issues as before.  Right now, the therapy sessions take up a lot of our time, and the plan is to return him to language tutoring once one or more of therapy sessions ends.  

This year, I finally got over the grief of not being able to have him do "normal" things.  I'm really understanding just how much more we grow from not having life go as we'd expected.  Sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed, but if I don't want him to give up, I can't give up on him.  I walk in varied circles of friends, and now I've entered the circle of special needs parents, and it's been amazing to find this new way to be an encouragement to others.

Isaac and philosophy

Isaac wants to do a craft every day, which he calls his "school."  That, our field trips, and exploratory play are pretty much how he learns.  Most of the time, preschool classes do pretty much what we do at home, but so many parents are trying to get their kids ahead that they are now pushing preschool teachers to teach reading and arithmetic and study habits.  Some children may work well that way, but Isaac and Naomi have always been such organic/social learners, they don't seem to learn well at all from flashcards, audio CDs, or endless worksheets.  Naomi didn't even like educational videos.  Lucas, however, really likes his worksheets and videos, but I limit them at times to get him to do more interactive learning and thinking.  I think "fed" learners can be swayed or indoctrinated too easily.  I also believe preschoolers and even older students learn better through discovery than spoon-feeding.

Isaac is at times unbearably messy.  I know creative people can thrive in clutter, because there's a method to their madness.  It's filth that isn't acceptable, but slowly and surely he is understanding that it's not okay to eat off the floor, spill something on purpose, and smear his food everywhere.  Sadly, just today, we had a three-way war today when he felt ganged up on by Lucas and me over putting his drink back in the refrigerator instead of leaving it out.  He'd leave it out for an entire week if I let him, and Lucas just isn't very nice to him about his poor habits, so I had to correct Lucas as well.  We ended up missing our trip to the park.  I get pretty worn out, but it's important that the boys get out and play.  I think that one of the reasons kids like video games so much is because they, perhaps ironically, want to explore and experience.  So I try to fit in time for that around our busy schedules.  Thankfully we live in a townhome complex with a lot of children, so they often get to see or play with other kids when they're out and are relatively safer than out on the main streets.

Isaac's finally tall enough (barely) to ride Naomi's old Dora Big Wheels.

He's closing his eyes and singing while he's swinging--he really likes to enjoy the thrill.

party weekend:

This past weekend wasn't technically a long weekend, but it felt pretty full.  On Friday, we were out for the better part of 11 hours.  We met up with my friend, the former children's ministry director, so I could give her our group gift.  She had suggested we meet at an indoor play area with our sons.  We went at opening when it wasn't crowded, so we were actually able to have a meaningful conversation.  The boys loved it there, but the price only covers about an hour, which is never enough for Isaac.  He is like an Energizer Bunny when he's out, like Naomi at this age.  He protested when it was time to go, but we couldn't stay even if I'd wanted to.  I decided to go to McDonald's Play Place so he could burn off more energy.  It was Isaac's first time up in the play structure, and Lucas was happy to have someone to play with.  We went to pick Naomi up, and then it was a rush home to give Isaac a bath and feed the kids snacks before we dropped Naomi off at a miniature golf place for her 5th-grade promotion party for church.  She's going into the youth group with the teens next month!  Then, I had to stop at the supermarket to pick up some ingredients for an avocado/bean salad for a party Sunday afternoon.  We stopped at home to grab Lucas' violin for his lesson.  He's enjoying it.  His new teacher is a Russian immigrant, Christian, older, and straightforward.  Lucas likes him.

After violin, the boys and I ran back to the car (sometimes I have to park far due to the location of the music center) to make it in time to pick Naomi up from the pizza place.  The coordinator had sent me a text saying that she'd have someone stay with Naomi if I could not get there in time.  I felt bad, so I hurried and did arrive on time, only to find out they'd be running over by an hour.  That wouldn't be a problem, except that I had hungry boys with me.  Isaac wanted pizza, and I really did not want to give in, but he was bothering the other patrons, and I didn't know how long we'd be there.  At some point Naomi thought the adults said it was time to go, but then no one was behind us when we left.  Isaac was still in the middle of eating, so he put up a fight as I dragged him to the car.  Naomi said she had a good time playing miniature golf, but then at dinner, they decided to have everyone go around and say something they liked about each child.  So that lent to a situation where the besties raved about each other and had little to say about anyone else, and then teachers who didn't know the child well were making up things to say.  This bothered Naomi, and perhaps rightfully so, but I didn't want to hear it, so I scolded her about her attitude (having a worse attitude myself) and about telling us it was time to go when it wasn't.  I apologized later, but it takes a long time to build up the trust it only took seconds to break down.  Manny made it home I think at 8 or 8:30.  He stayed up late playing with Lucas and Isaac that night, and he also had work to do from home.  It was a rough night with Isaac--his legs probably hurt from all the running and walking that day.

On Saturday, I went grocery shopping with Isaac.  Naomi cleaned her room and got ready for another sleepover birthday party with friends from school.  Manny had to go into work in the afternoon, but he got back in time for us to take Naomi to her party.  We went to dinner with the boys at a popular Cantonese restaurant.  My friend's brother actually owns it.  It's often too crowded to even get into the parking lot, but we arrived right when it opened for dinner.  They had many uncommon dishes on the menu, so the boys probably could only eat the noodles (Naomi is the foodie), but Manny and I ate a lot.  Then we went to a place that serves boba with cotton candy on top and got that and some ice cream to share.  After that, Manny took us to the park.  It was good to watch the boys play together.  At some point, Manny and I got to sit on the park bench together.  It was bittersweet--we were watching and enjoying the boys playing, but benches aren't so romantic anymore.

Sunday morning, Manny went to pick Naomi up from her friend's house.  She had a fun time.  The birthday girl is the top student in class and is a Christian.  Lucas fell asleep in the middle of breakfast, after breakfast, and again in the car.  It is very unlike him to ever nap or doze off during the day.  He might have woken up at night or stayed up late again on Saturday, so we've hidden any electronics or games at night just in case.  We went to church and heard a very timely sermon about the gospel and the church family.  So many things the pastor said were exactly what I'd been processing lately.  I'd been growing weary and needed that encouragement and stirring.  I am looking forward to the next two sermons in this series.  After church, we went to a party for our small group.  We had some drama on the way there.  I need to let things run their course between Manny and Naomi and not get involved.  Lesson learned.

The hosts just had their backyard remodeled, and it was really beautiful.  They are the same people who watched the kids both times that Manny and I went out for our 40th birthdays.  They had barbecue and a jumphouse, and the guests brought the sides.  It was nice for Naomi that another girl around her age was there.  Most of the moms and daughters played Apples to Apples together, us included.  When her friend left, Naomi was ready to go.  The boys weren't, and I made a bad decision to let them stay, even though Lucas was acting up and hiding around the house.  Staying later just made everyone more tired after an already tiring three days.  I got an earful from Manny about not discussing the decision with him, and the kids weren't happy with me either (although my job isn't to make them happy).  Naomi crashed in her bed when we got home.  I fed the boys dinner but let her sleep, and when she got up, she was upset, and then Manny was upset I'd neglected her, even though I'd been tirelessly keeping Isaac occupied through all that time.  I've woken her up to eat before, but you're not going to have much of an appetite being startled out of deep sleep.  So, here I was thinking that I was doing everyone a favor by letting her sleep, and as usual, it backfired.  Sigh.  I feel like I get blamed for everything sometimes, but I know the truth and just have to move on.  One thing I'm learning is to just do less.  Many of the ways I try to be proactive or help or sacrifice more for my family don't usually have good results.  It's better to focus on the necessities and do them right and maybe to even stay quiet when things get heated.  I've always been one to hash things out, and I hate sweeping things under the rug, but after all these years of marriage, perhaps I'm learning that it's better to just let things go or let someone else bring up their issues first.  Anyway, it was a good weekend, but with all the conflicts, I'm still processing what I could work on for next time.  I can't always change how others judge me, but I can at least work on myself.

The boys upstairs in the structure together.  My friend, her son, and I were down below.

Hard to see, but Lucas is walking across the bridge while supporting Isaac in front of him.

At Cooking Papa with the boys while Naomi was at her sleepover.

The boba was under this cotton candy!

This is true--Lucas was a bit grumpy beforehand but was pretty happy with that ice cream.

Lucas' first time climbing up and down this twisted gate.  I climbed it once, and even I was shaking on it.  He's become much braver this past year.

Naomi and her friend L. at the small group BBQ.

The boys having fun in the jumphouse.

A rare family photo, but with Lucas' usual silly face.

mother's day:

Mother's Day is a day set aside to celebrate and honor mothers, whether they are thankfully with us or dearly missed.  My mom only had her mom for sixteen short years.  Every year as a child, I dreaded the anniversary of my grandmother's death, because I didn't like to see my mom so hurt and disconnected.  After burning incense, she would kneel quietly in front of her mother's photo with tears flowing, chanting a prayer in a Chinese dialect I didn't understand.  I had to kneel next to her through the long process.  She was given a lot of pain and responsibility at a young age.  She never talked about it, but I knew this from my three aunts whom she had to raise.  Her mother's passing probably led to some of the choices she made.  My mom suffered much.  She was not a conventional or very nurturing mother, but she still worked incredibly hard to keep us afloat.  

We sent Manny's mom red roses that came with a bath relaxer and chocolate.  She's not a chocolate connoisseur, but it just came with it.  I also got a present from his parents--these wonderful peelers and graters (the Y-shaped kind).  I wished my mother a happy Mother's Day, but I do not send her gifts.  It's a long story why not, but it's in everyone's best interest.  

Manny asked me if there was anything special I'd like to do for Mother's Day weekend.  That was a loaded question, because I know the root of many issues with the holiday is expectations.  If I ask for something, I might be setting myself and my family up for failure.  We women give so much so freely, it's easy to feel disappointed when we don't get that in return.  But telling Manny the reason I wasn't specifying was probably not the best idea.  I did stick with what I'd originally requested--I wanted to watch a movie by myself and have a day off.  Manny told me about reserving my seat online so I wouldn't have to wait in line opening weekend, and this theater also had leather luxury seats, which I'd never been in before.  The movie part worked out well, and even if I didn't get the day off, I had a very nice break.  We also went to lunch after church, which was pretty nice, and then got some treats before I rushed off to the movie.  

I needed to be by myself for a little while to recuperate and process all that's been going on--three deaths in recent months of people I cared about, things my brother has been writing to me, Lucas' special needs and homeschooling, marital conflicts, Naomi going into middle school and all her activities and friends, Isaac's lack of nutrition, reaching out to neighbors and Naomi's friends' parents, ministries, lots of people and lots of things.  

I wanted to see Captain America: Civil War (which to me was more of an Avengers movie and a much better one than the slightly disappointing Age of Ultron--I don't want to spoil it, so I won't write a review till much later).  I enjoyed watching the movie and driving alone for a while.  On the drive, I got to listen to some Chinese Christian programming, which I haven't been able to in years.  It's not that I don't love being with my family, but it's a lot to juggle and a lot of pressure, and then I sometimes get overwhelmed and do or say something I regret.  When I get a break, I feel like I can reload and refresh and be a better mom and wife.  I am thankful for my family, but I won't deny the challenges I face now as a wife and mother, having been ill-prepared for them and often not having enough opportunities to get away and process it better.

At Chili's (Lucas' choice) for lunch.  The server gave me a nice carnation.

It wasn't crowded, probably due to Mother's Day, so it "only" took half an hour instead of an hour to receive our food.  I was just happy that Isaac wasn't acting crazy, although he started to at the end.

Wow, got to put my feet up and relax in this comfortable, wide leather seat.  A woman two seats down yelled at her sons for a long time about messing up their reservation and then talked through all the trailers, but thankfully she was quiet during the movie.

Some thoughts I posted with the cards the kids made (Lucas was especially proud of his card and gave it to me first thing that morning):

"Happy Mother's Day to my mom (母親節快樂. 媽媽,謝謝你. 這輩子好辛苦) and mom-in-law and all mothers out there. Motherhood is not a competition, but it is a marathon. It's not for a paycheck, but the rewards are endless. Others only care what we do for a moment, but our children remember for a lifetime (so don't worry what others think). When I see these cards, I see something thoughtfully and lovingly written despite struggles my oldest and I have had. I see the most that my son with dyslexia has ever written on his own. I see beautiful scribbles from the youngest which will probably disappear by this time next year. I am about as far as one can get from being a perfect mom, but my children still love me (even if they don't love my singing and my jokes), and I am greatly blessed and humbled by my little gifts from God."

The translation of the Chinese part: Happy Mother's Day. Mom, thank you. This life has been so hard [for you].  I don't know enough Chinese to write all I'd like to say to her, but that's the gist of it.

naomi's first school concert:

Naomi joined Beginning Band this year, learning the clarinet.  They had a concert assembly at the end of school last Friday.  I thought all the groups did pretty well.  Naomi's group did have one hiccup at the end, but what do you expect when you have beginning trombone students frantically sliding a huge instrument trying to keep up with the William Tell Overture?  Some of the audience laughed, and the instructor ended up just cutting it short and letting us know they hadn't had a chance to rehearse that day.  Even if the clarinets were not the issue, Naomi is always team-minded, and she felt bad for her group.

I'm impressed by her music teacher, who has to teach so many instruments to so many students in different grades across so many schools in the district.  I was even more impressed at how he and the students managed the transition so well between the different groups.  I remember that was always chaotic at my schools.  

I played the violin from 5th to 9th grade and met my best friend in 7th grade in the orchestra class (and we did not take kindly to each other at first).  I'd always wanted piano lessons, but my parents could not afford it.  We are blessed to have Manny's job to pay for music lessons.  Lucas also started violin lessons last week, and Isaac is sad he doesn't get to start yet.  Naomi is still taking piano privately next school year, but will not continue with music at school so that she can take exploratory and culinary arts instead.  

Making their way on stage.

Naomi in the middle with the other clarinets.  Beginning Band was the smallest group.  Beginning Strings was the largest.  There were not enough music stands for the strings students, so they had to share, and several played from memory.

for alex:

My friend's son Alex passed away recently after an almost five-year battle with terminal bone cancer.  Not wanting to disrupt the main funeral service or have my boys be shocked by the viewing, I only took them to the burial at the cemetery.  It ended up being an unusual field trip answering many questions from Lucas.  I talked to him about mortality, legacy, heaven, and even cremation (because Lucas asked why there were tiny spaces).  It was a tough decision to bring the boys, but Manny couldn't make it home, and I really wanted to be there for my friend.  I've had to miss a number of funerals recently, and I think there was some closure in this for me as well.

His son's story was followed by thousands on social media and featured in the news.  He started a number of successful charity efforts to help the community and our world, using his illness for something positive.

I remember so much about him because my friend (his father) talked about him all the time at work.  I didn't remember meeting him until my friend mentioned it at the funeral home.  It would have been when he was about Lucas' age.  I do remember now that his son had a really wonderful smile.  I hadn't seen my friend in several years, and another mutual friend told me about his son's cancer last December when I'd asked about him.  I started following his son, who was very candid about his situation.  At that point, he was still fighting the cancer, but his health was fairly stable.  I sent him a message, wanting to tell him I remembered how much his dad loved him and to open a line for talking about faith if he wanted.  Many people had been forcing Christianity down his throat (in his words), and he posted that he was exploring his faith and had his own personal spiritual journey to work through.  I didn't receive a reply to my message, but I hope he was able to read it.

Around that time another former coworker was in town, so we had this reunion.  I'm thankful for it, because it would have been sad to have seen my friend for the first time in years at his son's burial.  Shortly after that reunion, his son's health had begun to deteriorate rapidly (sorry I'm jumping around here).  He underwent chemo, surgery, radiation, a blood transfusion.  Doctors did all they could until the cancer spread into his vital organs.  He went into hospice care.  Still, he fought hard and was able to do a couple more bucket-list things.  He died a painful death at only 19 in his mother's arms.  I hope he went to heaven.  All I've shared is from public postings and the news.  I've kept their private matters private.  I think I just wanted to say that we never know the exact numbers of our days, only that death comes to us all.  It's a reminder to me to live here in a way that matters while storing up treasures in heaven.

open houses, connections, and my doctor's visit:

We went to two open houses last week, one for Naomi's elementary school and the other for her middle school.  Her fifth grade class seems academically advanced, at least much more so than the fifth grade Manny and I experienced, even in the gifted program.  The class is doing algebra, balancing chemical equations and learning the periodic table, and reading Johnny Tremain.  I've enjoyed meeting her classmates' parents, although because of having two other children, I'm unable to be as plugged in as I'd like.  At least with the first open house, the boys got to go to their playground, and Manny was able to come home and watch them for the second one.

One of her classmates whom I met at an orientation immediately reminded me of me at her age.  Oddly enough, Naomi came to me one day and said this same girl reminded her of me.  She is very logical and has said before she doesn't like Christianity being shoved down her throat, but she does enjoy Naomi's company (I was like that as well).  Also, her mother and I connected pretty quickly.  She only came to the States a few years ago and is a single mother.  Like many Chinese, she prefers to speak to me in Mandarin.  All of the Chinese moms I know actually speak to me in Mandarin except one, and I found out that it was only because she thought I was Korean.  Sometimes Chinese people speak just Chinese to each other, and rather openly, not to be exclusive (although that can be the result), but there's a comfort level, and there are certain nuances of the language that cannot be easily translated into English.  I need to brush up on my Mandarin, though.  I don't speak it too often, even though I really want the children to learn it.  I definitely feel there's little connection between my parents and the kids, and that is one of the reasons.  My kids can't learn unless they're immersed in it.  Manny doesn't pick up foreign languages readily and we no longer have relatives here who would speak it to them.  Many Chinese I've met have commented that my Chinese is very good for someone who grew up here and never went to Chinese school.  The key, I guess, is that my mom didn't really let me speak to her in English, and it was technically my first language.

We hung out together (us, Naomi's friend, and her mom whom I just mentioned) at the middle school open house.  We ran into friends from church as well.  Naomi's other friend who is a Christian is likely going to a charter school.  Her mom was at the open house and said that 340 students in just the entering 6th-grade class was far too big.  I went to large, overcrowded schools, so I guess it doesn't seem that big to me, but I understand it.  It's a pretty nice campus with a pool and nature area as well as being connected to an organic farm.  However, with the drought, the farm has had a hard time sustaining itself, so it may close in the next year or two.  The sixth graders get their own wing off to the side and their own lunch period, so it's more transitional than putting them directly with the 7th and 8th graders.  The school is in a nice area, and we just happen to live on the border to attend it.  However, it's still a major change with a larger population and different teachers for different subjects, which could mean a larger mixed bag of influences.  I still pray a hedge of protection around Naomi, but more importantly, I pray that she will show the love of Christ and be the stronger influence on others.

Manny usually takes her to school in the morning, which is easier for all of us.  Naomi would rather go with him since he's more easygoing than I am.  When he threw out his back, I had to take her a lot of the time, and I'd keep hurrying her so I could get back before Isaac woke up.  I was really high on stress, low on sleep, and there were other things going on that took their toll.  I felt like my body was shutting down more quickly than before.  I felt depressed all the time, and I haven't been this way since after Naomi's birth.  I finally went to see a doctor in the morning before Manny went to work, and she said I'd likely been run ragged from my schedule with the three kids in all different places.  She also suspected anemia, which was confirmed by the blood test, which I already knew.  Thankfully, that's all that didn't look right.  I'm right at the cusp for certain test results, but still within normal.  I was relieved to hear that, and I've honestly been feeling a lot better since Manny has been feeling better.  I was concerned about being prediabetic, as I had some symptoms like unusual thirst, but those have subsided and may have been the result of my body trying to replenish red blood cells.  I also have had some weight gain lately, but that may be due to stress eating or working out less because of my fatigue.  I'm thankful that I'm feeling better, with the exception of the occasional dizziness and nausea, which could be from anything but is not severe enough to be of immediate concern.

Artwork at the open house, I assume in the style of Henri Matisse?

Lucas proud to find his sister's work.  Naomi tells me she often runs short on time.  I didn't really train her to rush through art, but in the classroom sometimes you have to.

Naomi's desk with a pre-Revolutionary War timeline and her science journal.

Lucas found her work again.

Usually 10-15 minutes in the classroom and an hour at the playground.

Isaac loves to climb.  He made some adults panic at Gilroy Gardens because I let him climb some of the bigger kids' ladders,