Fall update

Every time I come back to this blog and see how often my most dedicated readers are checking to see if there is a new post, I feel a little guilty.  Sorry, folks!  I'm not exactly sure where all my time is going, but obviously it's not being spent writing.  That hasn't been for a lack of material, however. The past month and a half have been incredibly busy.

We are all starting to settle into the new school year.  It's been a longer transition than I would have hoped.  The school's move to a new campus has been bumpier than I think anyone expected.  I have somehow gotten more involved in PTA stuff this year.  It feels nice to be involved and engaged in Jack's school, but it takes up a lot of time and energy.

Jack still likes his teacher, and we both like his class so much better this year.  I feel like he is starting to make real friendships in a way that was missing last year due to the disparity in maturity levels between him and most of his classmates.  He still finds the coursework too easy, but I am told that they will start pulling him out for more challenging English language arts (ELA for those of you who don't know the new school lingo) work next week.

Our hectic pace from summer has continued into the school year, as I knew it would.  Monday is the only day of the week that Jack isn't enrolled in an after-school program - all at his request.  On Tuesdays, he has math club.  On Wednesdays, he has basketball and lion dancing.  On Thursdays, he has art class and soccer practice.  On Fridays, he has Lego club.  On Wednesday through Friday, he insists on going to school early so that he can participate in running club.  The kids "get" to run for 15 minutes before school on those days.  After only three weeks, Jack has already run more than 10 miles.  I have no idea where he finds the energy.  I'll be a little relieved when the soccer season ends in a couple of weeks just to give us - well, let's be honest, ME - a break.

I am having a harder time keeping Violet occupied while Jack is in school.  On Tuesdays, we go to a little Mommy and Me outdoor class that meets at various playgrounds around the city.  She enjoys doing the weekly craft and circle time on the parachute.  It's nice to have a structured, set event to go to every week.  On Thursday, a friend and I take classes at the gym, and our girls play together in the kids club.  We all go out to lunch afterward.  In a couple of weeks, I will start swapping babysitting with a friend of mine on Mondays so that we can each volunteer in our older kids' classes, so that will also be a nice added bit of structure to our weeks.

I waver between wanting to add even more structure or keeping it as it.  It is kind of nice to have the flexibility to set up playdates with our friends whenever we want or for me to attend last-minute meetings at Jack's school.  But the reality often is that friends aren't always available when we want them to be, and there have been several days that we are at loose ends.  I am considering putting Violet in a tumbling or dance class, because I think she would love it, and it will be one more thing that I can commit to doing with her.  I need to be better about thinking of things that she and I can do together, just her and me.  So often when it's just the two of us, it's hard to resist the temptation to get something done around the house or on the computer.  I wanted to keep her out of preschool and at home one more year for a reason, but I feel that I'm not really making the most of it.

In other news, Jack lost two teeth in the last month.  His first tooth had to be extracted by the dentist because it was infected.  Jack was very brave.  His second tooth came out on his own, and there is already an adult tooth popping up to take its place.

Violet is also growing up much too fast.  In the past month, something clicked and she is saying her L's properly most of the time.  Every now and then, she will come across a word and will "Y" or "W" the L sound, but she is pretty consistently "Vi-o-llllet" now if you ask her her name.

She is also getting much more interested in drawing.  Her most reliably discernible illustrations are faces and V's.  Every time she sees the letter V, she will say, "V! Like Violet!"  (She also does the same thing when she says the color purple, except she'll say, "Purple! Like me!")  She has actually written her name a few times as well, although it does require a bit of coaching, especially when she gets to the E.

There is definitely more that has been going on, but this is more of a macro post to keep our diehard fans apprised of the broad strokes of our lives.  I will try to be better about posting more often.