Look what Bruce lost today!!

This was big news around our house! Bruce lost his first tooth. His second one will probably come out this week too. He was very excited. He's hoping to get something good from the tooth fairy tonight! 

Bruce was also in a play today and did great. We'll get that posted in a day or so.

Report Cards

I got the kids report cards today. They did great. I'm so proud of both of them. Of course it's only E for excellent, G for good and so on. But, it's good to know they've adjusted really well.
Bruce's teacher put a nice little note on his report card:

Bruce is an excellent student. He is on task and usually does a neat and careful job with his assignments. He is particularly good at explaining how he solves math problems. He expresses himself in writing well and has improved his handwriting. He seems very happy at Garrison and gets along well with his classmates. He loves to share his experiences when we are learning about Washington DC.

Deep Thought by KaDee

I've always heard  people say that 3 kids is the hardest, and that after 3, it's easy.

Well, those people were lying. :)

...or maybe they just didn't have 4 so close together.

Beach Bums

We've been loving living just a few miles from the beach. We've been going often and the kids find shells and rocks to collect, build sandcastles, and search for sand crabs. Yesterday it was warm enough to wear swimsuits and get wet! The kids had a lot of fun with their cousins that were visiting from Idaho. The top pic is Bruce and his cousins Sayre and Brodey. You can see the Oceanside pier behind them. We plan on being total beach bums this summer!!

(Jane, Claire, Linda)

Another Kindergarten Update

Linda started out this school year in preschool, so when she transferred in to Kindergarten mid-year, she was a little behind the rest of the students who had had a half year of Kindergarten.
However, I talked to Linda's teacher today and she said that Linda has passed all of her testing! She is now reading, writing, counting, etc., at or above the requirements. We're very proud of her. She has worked really hard and has learned a lot in just under 3 months.

My first bike rider!

A couple years back, Bruce had a small bike with training wheels. Since then, he hasn't set foot on a bike because we just really didn't have anywhere for him to ride. So we go over to Grandpa's house today and they have a regular kids bike. I'm thinking, I don't know if I know how to teach a kid how to ride a bike. He rode by himself on his first try!! That was easy! He's really good at it, just still getting used to the brakes. We have an official bike rider! Now that we have a backyard with a big porch and a neighborhood with sidewalks I think this will be one of his favorite activities.

Eye Specialist - Visit #1

Children with Jane's form of arthritis often have an eye condition where the eye begins to swell and not treated this condition damages the eye permanently. So, she will see a Pediatric Ophthalmologist every three months to watch for this conditions. Today was her first visit. She did awesome. She is so well behaved and was excited about all the "games" the eye Dr. played with her. Anyway, here are the results of her exam today:

20/20 vision

No sign of swelling in her eyes

So far so good. We'll be back in 3months for her next appointment.
Also, she was in with her regular pediatrician yesterday and he agreed with the specialists diagnosis of Jane's arthritis.

Nice Note About Linda

I got this nice note about Linda from her teacher. A mom always appreciates posotive feedback. Linda really is so special.

Dear Mrs. Thompson,
I can't tell you how incredible your sweet Linda is. She is making great progress. Keep up the good work you are doing at home! I am so glad that Linda is enjoying our class. She is such a darling girl!

Mrs. Kirkman