March 2017

Well, it's a new year (it's been a new year for a while!) and I missed January and February's posts!
I am really sucking at blogging.  I am so busy with my new life in my new city and don't have as much free time anymore.  We are in a big city now, and I spend a lot more time on my behind in my car driving the kids around town.

Christmas was nice.  Although we all kept saying that it didn't really feel like Christmas because it's so warm here in Phoenix! I had another birthday after Christmas (already?!) and Josh turned 9, Jacob turns 12 this weekend, Laney the crazy dog turned 3 last week.... we celebrated my dad's birthday this weekend, and he is pushing 70 next year!  Z will be 15 this summer (say whaaat?!) and Cami will be 5 in September.  How did that happen?!   Since she has a September birthday, she will do Pre-K next year.  The director of one of the preschools we looked at said she thought she would pass the test to start kindergarten early (this fall), but we decided to wait.  Z is the youngest in his grade, and it shows.  Josh is a January birthday, and that is much better.

We went to the Suns vs. Cel.tics basketball game yesterday.  It was a great game!  The Suns tied it up with about 4 seconds left in the game.  The Cel.tics got the ball and I figured they'd make a last minute basket and they'd win.  There were SO many Cel.tics fans at the game...green shirts everywhere and they all stood up in front of us during the last 2 seconds, and so I missed the lasts play.  All of a sudden, everyone started screaming and cheering and the crowd went crazy..... apparently, the Suns stole the ball from them and made a 3 point shot at the very last second and won with a buzzer-beater shot!!!  It was so exciting!

The 3rd quarter of the school year is almost over.  Fastest year ever!  My kids have all had a good school years so far in their new school in their new city.  I'm so proud of them.  It's tough to move and make new friends.  They were so brave.  Dave and I have made new friends here too, and are enjoying hanging out with them.  My kids are at amazing schools.  We narrowed down the choices, and the kids ultimately picked which schools they wanted to attend, and they made good choices.  Whew.   J & J are doing Little League baseball now, so we are busier than usual.  Z has a fractured humerus around his elbow and growth plate separation.  (Say whaaat?!)   He has been banned by his physician  from throwing anything for 3 months.  That puts him around May 17th.  Practically all of spring baseball season.  Kind of crushing.  Now he gets to go to physical therapy and hopefully they can work their magic and get him to be able to extend his arm again.  He is busy with school.  He has tough classes (3 honors classes) and his school is hard.  He used to be able to coast through school before and get straight A's.  Not so much anymore.  He has to work hard now!  However, that's what we wanted for him... a challenging school with a rigorous curriculum so he wouldn't get bored.  He likes his high school and wants to stay there.  He has made some nice friends.  Next year, he wants to take 2 honors and 2 AP classes. I told him maybe to slow down a bit and pace himself!  He is also taking photography which will be a good class.  He is taking summer school.... not because of remedial reasons.  People often look at me like he failed a class when I tell them he's taking summer school!  Not so.    Not so at all.  The vast majority of kids at his high school take summer school.  Overachievers!  And plus they have to take 7 classes a year to graduate (the public schools in our state are usually 6 classes a year and senior year is 4 classes and the kids are done at noon!), and they take a religion class every year.  So kids usually take summer school to get ahead in math or open up room in their schedule for more electives or a 7th hour advanced PE class or a study hall.  He is hoping to take a study hall in the spring to spend more time studying for his 2 AP tests in May.  I can't believe I'm talking about sophomore year already!

Jacob got inducted into the National Junior Honor Society in January!  I'm so proud of him.  He is doing so well at his new school.  It is a very hard school.  Lots of work and homework.  An "A" is 94% and a "B" is 93%   Not an "A-"  !!

Josh is doing well in 3rd grade.   He is also making his communion and confirmation at the end of April.  (In AZ, they make these sacraments in 3rd grade.)  My dad is going to be his sponsor!  My brother was Z's sponsor and my mom was Jacob's sponsor.  So it's my dad's turn!  lol  ;)
And Z will probably be Cami's sponsor because he will be 19 then and old enough to be a sponsor.

Cami loves, loves, loves gymnastics!  Really loves it.  She does NOT, however, love swimming lessons.  But I tell her "Girlfriend, learning to swim is a necessary part of life...especially when you have a pool in your back yard!"  She has her dance recital at her new dance studio in June.

I'm doing ok.  Tired.  So tired all the time- I need to sleep more and come up with how to make there be 26 hours in the day!  I'm having fun hanging out with friends and family.  Trying to get back to working out.

Cami has a new baby birth sister.  She is 2 months old.  I cannot believe she is 2 months old already!  She is so cute.  I'm not surprised....her birth mom only makes cute babies!

Happy 2017 everyone.