Saturday, December 28, 2013
Friday, October 25, 2013
Checking In
Wow, I can't believe it has been five months since I've updated here. Life is humming along happily here at the Tyson house. We are still in our little house by the bay, and should have about another year and a half here. I am already starting to think about our inevitable move, and it makes me feel mostly sad, but then also a little excited about the possibilities. Hopefully as the transfer time approaches the sadness will fade and the excitement will rise...and hopefully the kids will pick up on that mindset as well. Although I am a military wife, and therefore destined to a life of moving, I truly don't like it. However, it is only the moving I don't like. The goodbyes...the nostalgia....the two weeks of hard hard work. Once we get to our new locale I always perk up. We have been blessed so far to truly enjoy each of Matt's duty stations. Anyway...back to the here and now.
Beth is in third grade this year. She is learning the play the violin at school, and is so pleased with herself. Her first concert is at Christmas time, and I can't wait to see her perform. At AWANAS she moved up to "T&T" which is crazy to me. T&T has the BIG kids...the 3rd-6th graders. How did she end up there, and so quickly? In school she continues to do well. She is having some slight issues in math, which quite frankly I blame on the school's new (common core) curriculum. I went in and looked at it, and it just defies logic. Like they no longer teach the multiplication tables, but just teach the "strategy" of multiplication and then go straight on with long division. So confusing! It's enough to make this mama miss homeschooling. Maybe we'll return to that after we move... Here the kids are just too happy with their school to consider anything else. It truly is a nice little place. At home she continues to love to read, and has read through the Harry Potter series multiple times. I try to get her going with new books, and she'll read them a bit, and then I find her with Harry Potter again.
Mr. Matthew is in second grade this year, and he is really doing well. In school he brings home straight B's. It makes me laugh, because literally every problem he misses in math is because he didn't read the directions for it, or he didn't check his work and just flat out skipped one or two. He always knows how to do the problems, so that's something at least. In reading every problem he misses is because he answers their "thinking questions" with "I know this, because I read it in the story." Not the supporting details they were looking for. Ha! Oh well...B's are good enough, and I think the small issues will resolve as he grows and matures. He never gets in trouble at school, and after raising such a crazy toddler and preschooler I am just flat out impressed. He is still very energetic, but he aims to please, and apparently keeps himself in check enough to get through the day. After school I send him outside to jump on his trampoline and burn off some energy. After that he spends all his time setting his toy cars up into huge patterns of traffic and/or wrecks that he then wants me to come and admire.
Caroline is in kindergarten this year. She is unbelievably cute. Five has got to be one of my favorite ages so far. She is getting so independent, but yet she is still so sweet and loving. She is learning her sight words and her letter sounds at school. She is my free spirit and really just wants to play all day. When I ask her about her day she'll say something like "I went to PE! I played in the sand box with my friends! I sang a song! And then my teacher made me do some work." The work...such a downer in kindergarten. Really though, this kindergarten is less academic than the other two my kids have attended. Even though it's full day I think she gets lots of play time and center time, and that suits her well. She still asks to go back to preschool on occasion though.
Katy Ann started preschool this fall. She goes two mornings a week, so that means I have six kid-free hours each week. First time in YEARS. She is also potty trained now, so that means I am done with diapers after 8 1/2 years straight. And a lot of that time was with more than one kid. Dare I say babyhood is behind us? So sad in a way, but it is fun to see her grow. She still colors on my furniture and on the walls if given the chance, so perhaps "toddlerhood" is not quite gone. Haha! She is a little artist, which is why I can't bring myself to disarm her, despite her repeated infractions with the art supplies. The best I can do is try to keep her using crayons, and hide the markers.
Beth is in third grade this year. She is learning the play the violin at school, and is so pleased with herself. Her first concert is at Christmas time, and I can't wait to see her perform. At AWANAS she moved up to "T&T" which is crazy to me. T&T has the BIG kids...the 3rd-6th graders. How did she end up there, and so quickly? In school she continues to do well. She is having some slight issues in math, which quite frankly I blame on the school's new (common core) curriculum. I went in and looked at it, and it just defies logic. Like they no longer teach the multiplication tables, but just teach the "strategy" of multiplication and then go straight on with long division. So confusing! It's enough to make this mama miss homeschooling. Maybe we'll return to that after we move... Here the kids are just too happy with their school to consider anything else. It truly is a nice little place. At home she continues to love to read, and has read through the Harry Potter series multiple times. I try to get her going with new books, and she'll read them a bit, and then I find her with Harry Potter again.
Mr. Matthew is in second grade this year, and he is really doing well. In school he brings home straight B's. It makes me laugh, because literally every problem he misses in math is because he didn't read the directions for it, or he didn't check his work and just flat out skipped one or two. He always knows how to do the problems, so that's something at least. In reading every problem he misses is because he answers their "thinking questions" with "I know this, because I read it in the story." Not the supporting details they were looking for. Ha! Oh well...B's are good enough, and I think the small issues will resolve as he grows and matures. He never gets in trouble at school, and after raising such a crazy toddler and preschooler I am just flat out impressed. He is still very energetic, but he aims to please, and apparently keeps himself in check enough to get through the day. After school I send him outside to jump on his trampoline and burn off some energy. After that he spends all his time setting his toy cars up into huge patterns of traffic and/or wrecks that he then wants me to come and admire.
Caroline is in kindergarten this year. She is unbelievably cute. Five has got to be one of my favorite ages so far. She is getting so independent, but yet she is still so sweet and loving. She is learning her sight words and her letter sounds at school. She is my free spirit and really just wants to play all day. When I ask her about her day she'll say something like "I went to PE! I played in the sand box with my friends! I sang a song! And then my teacher made me do some work." The work...such a downer in kindergarten. Really though, this kindergarten is less academic than the other two my kids have attended. Even though it's full day I think she gets lots of play time and center time, and that suits her well. She still asks to go back to preschool on occasion though.
Katy Ann started preschool this fall. She goes two mornings a week, so that means I have six kid-free hours each week. First time in YEARS. She is also potty trained now, so that means I am done with diapers after 8 1/2 years straight. And a lot of that time was with more than one kid. Dare I say babyhood is behind us? So sad in a way, but it is fun to see her grow. She still colors on my furniture and on the walls if given the chance, so perhaps "toddlerhood" is not quite gone. Haha! She is a little artist, which is why I can't bring myself to disarm her, despite her repeated infractions with the art supplies. The best I can do is try to keep her using crayons, and hide the markers.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
What a week
This week has been one marked by sadness. A little boy from our base was killed in an accident...only six years old. His family has been weighing heavily on my heart this week. Such a sweet boy, and oh so young. I told the kids the sad news, and that same evening we found a baby bird that had fallen from it's nest and died on our patio. My daughter asked me if the bird was in heaven...with the little boy. And were they lonely without their mothers. I told her no, our time on earth is so incredibly short compared to our eternities with God. It would be like arriving in Heaven one day, and then your family arriving the very next. And in the meantime those who have gone before you, like loving grandparents, are already there waiting. That seemed like an acceptable answer to her. It just touched my heart how her first concern would be that he would be lonely. I know that is not the case, and I am thankful that our children are watched over by their Heavenly Father in addition to their earthly parents.
Of course last night added the tragedy of the tornadoes in Oklahoma. The first news report showed an elementary school that had just been completely swept away. While the children and teachers were still inside, hunkering down for the storm. As of right now the recovery work continues at that school, along with the entire surrounding area. I just can't imagine a greater tragedy than losing your child. I have seen how the loss of one little boy has touched so many in our area, and then I think of that loss multiplied so many times for this community in Oklahoma.
I guess at times like this there is nothing to do but pray, and to reach out to your fellow humans. Our church here is working on getting a recovery effort towards Oklahoma already, as are many other organizations and individuals. And of course there is always a constant need in local communities as well. For shelter, for help, for understanding and companionship....
Of course last night added the tragedy of the tornadoes in Oklahoma. The first news report showed an elementary school that had just been completely swept away. While the children and teachers were still inside, hunkering down for the storm. As of right now the recovery work continues at that school, along with the entire surrounding area. I just can't imagine a greater tragedy than losing your child. I have seen how the loss of one little boy has touched so many in our area, and then I think of that loss multiplied so many times for this community in Oklahoma.
I guess at times like this there is nothing to do but pray, and to reach out to your fellow humans. Our church here is working on getting a recovery effort towards Oklahoma already, as are many other organizations and individuals. And of course there is always a constant need in local communities as well. For shelter, for help, for understanding and companionship....
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Awanas wrap up
The kids have now completed their third year of Awanas. As of September I will have one child in T&T, two in Sparks, and one new little Cubbie. Katy is so excited to finally be old enough to join in. I guess that is the fate of the baby in a family...so many years spent watching and waiting for her turn.
Miss Beth was our Sparkies graduate. Over the past three years she has learned over 150 Bible verses.
Miss Beth was our Sparkies graduate. Over the past three years she has learned over 150 Bible verses.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Mother's Day
Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there. I received a wide assortment of homemade treasures from the kids this year. Cards, artwork, potted plants, poems... What a luck mother I am.
In other news, Matt lost his first tooth last night. He is seven years old.
In other news, Matt lost his first tooth last night. He is seven years old.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Family Day :)
Today was supposed to be another baseball day, but thanks to thunderstorms last night both games were canceled. Instead, we spent a nice morning on the couch in our pajamas watching a Harry Potter movie. We didn't get the call that the 8:30 game was canceled until we were all up and had had breakfast, but that is as far as we made it. Matt works some weekends, and most weekends we are busy, so it was nice just having a morning to relax and hang out together.
After lunch we rode into town for a "Pet Expo" a local kennel was having. And I use the word "kennel" loosely. I really mean a hotel for pets that is nicer than any hotel for people that we stay at. It is PLUSH. I'm sure we will just stick with paying a sitter to come feed our kitties once a day when we are out of town. In any case, the expo was a lot of fun. They had dogs performing tricks, police dogs, a kids' area with crafts, plus all kinds of pet rescues. The kids bonded with a very sweet little black puppy, who was wearing an "Adopt Me" bandanna. They loved him, and he loved them too. I can totally see an energetic puppy fitting in around here in the Tyson zoo. In a rare example of self control I didn't bring a puppy home though. We certainly have enough pets as it is. And this little boy looked like he was a pit bull mix, and unfortunately with Matt being in the military and current breed restrictions we just can't go there. But oh was he cute. Maybe in a few years. Eleven years of marriage and we are still a cat family. They are just so much easier. I think I need a farm. Beth has wanted to raise a goat for 4-H for years. Yes...a farm would be the ticket. Maybe once we move back to Mississippi.
After lunch we rode into town for a "Pet Expo" a local kennel was having. And I use the word "kennel" loosely. I really mean a hotel for pets that is nicer than any hotel for people that we stay at. It is PLUSH. I'm sure we will just stick with paying a sitter to come feed our kitties once a day when we are out of town. In any case, the expo was a lot of fun. They had dogs performing tricks, police dogs, a kids' area with crafts, plus all kinds of pet rescues. The kids bonded with a very sweet little black puppy, who was wearing an "Adopt Me" bandanna. They loved him, and he loved them too. I can totally see an energetic puppy fitting in around here in the Tyson zoo. In a rare example of self control I didn't bring a puppy home though. We certainly have enough pets as it is. And this little boy looked like he was a pit bull mix, and unfortunately with Matt being in the military and current breed restrictions we just can't go there. But oh was he cute. Maybe in a few years. Eleven years of marriage and we are still a cat family. They are just so much easier. I think I need a farm. Beth has wanted to raise a goat for 4-H for years. Yes...a farm would be the ticket. Maybe once we move back to Mississippi.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Sweet Spring Days...
These are the days of picnics after preschool, long afternoons in the backyard and down by the bay, and evening baseball games times two.
Yesterday Beth's team had their fist victory of the season. It was sweet indeed! She played as pitcher half the game, and came up to bat three time and hit three singles. Success! Matt and Carrie are on the same team this year, which makes life a little easier for me. Matt has matured so much, and really gets into the games this year. He made an awesome first baseman this week. Little Miss Carrie is nothing but pure cuteness in her xx-small uniform that is still too big. She has no clue what is going on, but at 5 1/2 she fits right in.
Yesterday Beth's team had their fist victory of the season. It was sweet indeed! She played as pitcher half the game, and came up to bat three time and hit three singles. Success! Matt and Carrie are on the same team this year, which makes life a little easier for me. Matt has matured so much, and really gets into the games this year. He made an awesome first baseman this week. Little Miss Carrie is nothing but pure cuteness in her xx-small uniform that is still too big. She has no clue what is going on, but at 5 1/2 she fits right in.
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