It's been a busy September!  I cannot believe the month is almost over.  I don't have any major news to share on the blog, but wanted to do a little update.

Silas - Silas is doing well in Kindergarten!  He is such a smart little boy.  He is reading sight words and starting to sound out CVC words like pop and top.  It amazes me how far he has come in such a short time.  Silas is receiving speech therapy at his school twice a week and OT once a week.  He struggles with handwriting, but is making progress.  He has homework each week and I have found that doing his HW in the morning works much better.  He is exhausted when he gets home and his attention span is zero.  The couple mornings I go in late to work, after I drop the girls off at school we sit at the table and do his worksheets before he leaves for school with Jason.

Silas has really enjoyed t-ball.  He is starting to play in the infield some and made a couple of plays in the last game. : )  There are two games left and then the season is over.  I'm not going to sign him up for any other activities this year.  We will hopefully do t-ball again in the spring if we can swing it.

Behavior wise, Silas still has good days and bad days.  Most days he is good at school, but we do get an occasional note home about difficulty listening or something like that.  He wants to please though.  We are plugging along and again, the progress is good. 

Caroline - Caroline is loving first grade.  She recently won the Stone Award for her class and was the first girl chosen!  The Stone Award is for kids who daily go above and beyond.  I was able to slip out of work and eat lunch with her at the special table. : )  She also got to say the pledge over the intercom at school.  Jason went with her on her first field trip last week to the Apple Orchard and they had a blast.  Caroline was also chosen to be in Talent Pool (like QUEST for primary grades) and is enjoying getting to go to a special class for a few hours each week.

Caroline also has really enjoyed t-ball and has made good progress.  She really wants to play basketball but we are waiting to see what we can fit into our schedule.  There is only so much time in the day!  Her cello lessons are going well and she is still enjoying learning to play.

Madelyn - Madelyn is thriving in third grade!  She has a great teacher who she loves.  She has transitioned well to having much more homework and we are so proud of her progress in school.  In first grade, she was pulled out for extra reading help, now she is in the top reading group.  Way to go Madelyn!  She is currently in the process for applying to our county's creative gifted and talented program for piano.  She has to audition in December and if chosen, will go to that school for 4th grade and up.  She and I went to an open house there last night and it would be a perfect fit for her.  Madelyn is an artist and would have the opportunity to explore so many arts areas while being surrounded by other students just like her.  Praying for God's will on that situation...

Madelyn is continuing to love ballet and piano.  She had the opportunity to perform in two outdoor festivals this month with ballet and had a great time.  She has almost finished her first Suzuki book and is learning how to read music.

Anna-Grace - Baby Anna-Grace is growing!  I'm bigger than I was at this point than in my other pregnancies, but I guess that is to be expected. : )  I'm 27 weeks now and we will be meeting our new girl on 12-5-11!  I started having contractions last week and spent several hours in the doctors office, but all is fine.  I've had a couple days with contractions this week as well.  I had early contractions with Caroline, but they never caused any problems.  I am excited to meet AG, I cannot wait to see what she looks like!  I've been praying a lot about the transition of another baby into our family and (most of the time) am at peace with things.  She WILL be laid back, right??? : )  We've got most of her room set up and I'm trying to think of all the things I need for a baby - it has been well over 6 years since I've had one!  We still have several things we need, but it will all come together.  Things slow down in October with t-ball being over and I will have time to figure out what all else we need to do!  I've started Christmas shopping already and my goal is to be finished, and have everything wrapped and ready to go by Thanksgiving.  I can do it!  I do not want to be stressed about Christmas when I have a new baby to snuggle with!


Well, this ended up being a long update!  Life is full and we are very blessed.  I'm so thankful for Jason - we really do make a great team although he has been pulling more than his share of the weight lately.  I am very blessed to have a husband who is very much involved in our kids lives!

T-ball is going very well.  Silas and Caroline are really enjoying it and are getting the hang of the game.  Caroline usually plays the in field at least one inning and has been playing short stop lately.  Silas is getting the hang of batting and has been playing 2nd base occasionally.  Silas is a little more concerned about us watching him than him watching the ball!  He's learning though and the games are fun to watch.  One game night was Silas' birthday and he won the game ball that evening.  He has it in his room and is learning how important getting the game ball is as the season is going on.  I'm hoping they can both play on the same team again in the spring and that Caroline will not be too old.  Jason has been helping the coach and has enjoyed being on the field with the kids. 

 September 1, Silas turned 5!  We celebrated the weekend before at a bouncy house place here in town.  Birthdays are generally very difficult for Silas.  The past couple of years we have had very low key family only celebrations at home.  Five is a big year, so I decided to try a party.  Overall, it went surprisingly well!  The day before the party was his rough day.  I told him, no matter what he was still having his party, his friends would still be there and he would have cake and presents.  That seemed to help a little.  I think he is so afraid it won't actually happen that he freaks out.  The day of the party was very pleasant!  We went to church, he played nicely and took a little nap before we celebrated.  I was prepared for a difficult day and was so thankful he was able to handle the excitement like a "normal" (I hate to use that word) kid.

A couple weeks after the girls started school, it was Silas' turn!  He is attending Kindergarten at the same school he went to for preschool.  It is the perfect place for him.  There are 7 kids in his class and it is a school for speech, language and hearing issues.  He is enjoying being the "big kid" in his school this year and is off to a great start!