It's Wild Here

jamie's 8th grade promotion

Jamie with his best friend, Soccer Ball, and sporting his new Class of 2013 button.

pi day socks

I finished these socks on pi day, March 14.  They're knit in worsted weight yarn so they're nice and warm, but not too heavy to go with clogs.  When Grandma was dying and I was visiting often, I brought these, and she wore them for her last couple of days. 

busy older guys

Late last month, J began 8th grade. He's also busy with soccer, the end of the season at the intergenerational garden, catching up on past seasons of Lost, and the beginning of the soccer season. He's also doing quite a lot of painting (post to come), and continues to beg for a fabulous camera like Aunt Katie's.

JJ began 6th grade in public school and has adjusted marvelously. As expected, he enjoys an easy and fun social life. He finds the academic work very doable, although at times not very stimulating. Both boys enjoyed the local blues festival last weekend, where JJ purchased these distinctive shades. He's playing travel and recreational soccer, and continues to be dedicated to our trusty trampoline out back.

updates

My blogging is badly behind.  I have so many unposted photos and updates that I'm kind of paralyzed with behind-ness.

Posting a little is better than none, I know, but somehow I can't move on until I can make it complete, which is really silly. So a little is what it will be.

Jamie starts school Tuesday. Today we're meeting with his teachers. Well, he's meeting with them.

Evan has a trip to Boston on Wednesday, and our buyers are visiting to plan for their remodeling on that day and the next.

Jeremiah is going to start tumbling and/or another martial arts class soon. I'd like to get him going asap, but it may have to be after the move. He is starting indoor soccer this Saturday.

Ryan is seeming closer and closer to 4, which of course he is. Still no real progress in the potty dept, but he's doing well with things like dressing himself, drawing pictures of people and other things, and his verbal skills continue to develop.

Kellen is talking too, saying a few favorite things - Daddy, Mama, Ryan, ball, boots, water, and also signing milk, water, poop, and no. There are more but I have to rush off now...

SALE PENDING

so reads the sign outside our current house, as well as the one we plan to move into within the month. yay!

As hard as packing and moving is, I don't think it can possibly top the work of getting this house sold. I am just so glad that's over.

houses

We have a contract on a new house and a good chance at an offer on this house. We'll see today. Stress. is. killing. me.

news

Yesterday, two neighbor children, V and K, stopped by with their sitter. They'd been expressing a desire to get together with us for a while, so that R could play with them. I was happy to be available when they stopped by, so we went over for a visit. We had a good time inside and then went out to leave, but the 3yos decided to ride bikes really quickly before we went. Well, K and R traded bikes, giving R a two-wheeler, which has been a great desire of his for a while. Sitter offered to have him stay while I went home, and he did it! He stayed for about an hour and had a lovely time. It was so close that it was easy to check in, send Jamie down with a jacket for him, etc. I hope this means good things for my chances of being home with only the baby on Saturday when Evan goes to Jamie's tournament.

Also yesterday, Jamie made the official, more dedicated request to attend middle school. We have been giving it serious thought. Although home education seems to have served him well over the years, he is ready to try something new. I am sure he will be successful wherever he learns, and I know this will be a great adventure. He has the option of full enrollment or taking a single class, so we decided that taking one class would be the obvious way to make the transition less abrupt and overwhelming. He's deciding between two different classes and will probably start after we return from our family mini-vacation next week.

adding another new category... school!

transitions

We've decided to put our house on the market and look around for a new spot with more space. 

updates

Ja: Soaking up the final weeks of summer, still gardening (watering often due to heat), attending Jacob's birthday sleepover, striving to be more playful with difficult siblings, striving to use less pottymouth everywhere, considering a minor haircut, doing a lot of ink drawings on file folders.

Je: Four soccer games in a weekend, making the finals, appreciating a good coach, very unhappy to miss birthday sleepover due to sleep requirements for soccer, working through the first fat HP book - #4 - and enjoying the Quidditch content.

Ryan: working hard to learn self-control with baby and cat (making lots of good progress, too), taking a break from any toileting at all, playing games involving pirates, lions, birds, babies and boats. Enjoys being told stories aloud -particular the three bears and three little pigs - huffing and puffing are a highlight. Enjoys making "quicksand" by dragging the hose out to the sandbox, having a little separation anxiety when going to Sh's house, but so far not enough to outweigh the fun and stay home, except once. Also, we're trying out a little more structured routine, to see if that gives him some grounding.  To start with, a more regular bedtime routine with bath.  Next, morning routine and regular quiet time.

K: popping 2 molars and 2 more top teeth in front, trying to run, transitioning to one nap (about half the time), still not eating much solid food, but a few bites at each meal time. Very attached to his "towel" (prefold cloth diaper - fortunately we have many of these), out of cloth diapers himself until we get out of this busy period wrt selling the house. K is also enjoying climbing on things. Yesterday I turned around to see him standing all the way up on the seat of R's trike, out on the driveway. Two feet. On the seat. On three wheels. Very satisfied and quite safe-feeling.

Evan and Amy:  thinking more seriously about moving (within town, but somewhere with 1-2 more rooms and/or basement), clearing out the garage, surviving a weekend soccer tournament through heat in the 90s, up with belly aches and wide-awake littles from 3-5am. In other words, cranky and anxious.

Born

Kellen Carter Scott
born at home. very long, hardest birth I've had.
unsure of exact weight, at least 9lbs
beautiful baby, cried hours and didn't want to nurse but is already settling in more peacefully now, at about 7hrs old.