Will was actually enthusiastic to start school this year. After all, he is starting pre-k. He can go to recess TWICE each day, and he doesn’t have to take a nap any more – not that he slept last year anyway. He also gets to use the dry erase marker to sign himself in every morning. (Something Will is very good at doing!) How cool is that??? Well, when your best friend Gabe is in your class again, it is all very, very cool.
A few days ago I asked Eling if she would like to go to the Asian market to pick up some of her favorite foods. She was happy to find some recipes online and created a list of ingredients. At the market, she took the lead and filled the cart with fresh vegetables and meat, spices, and cooking staples. We came home, and she got right to work creating a Chinese feast for our family, including a spicy pork dish, beef with noodles, and an egg dish with tomatoes. We tried out our new rice cooker, too. Eling says she has NEVER, ever cooked before. She must be a really fast learner. The food was excellent! (The only things that didn’t turn out perfectly were the things I made!)
And we are love our new kitchen table. This big family just wasn’t going to fit at the table for 4 anymore, and Sam kept getting folded up in the card table chairs we were using. So Brad found a beautiful rectangular table that comfortably seats 6 without the leaf – and I’m thinking we be able to squeeze 10 while the kids are still small.
Sunday we had a chance to get together with Brad’s mom and all of the cousins. It was a super chance for everyone to reconnect & get to know each other’s exchange students. (Brad’s sister is hosting a student from Germany) After lunch, Molly took all of the girls to the mall for some serious shopping. Both Eling and Margaret came home with big smiles and some cute new outfits. They were practically dressed alike for school on Monday – I wish I had gotten a picture of that!
Cousins:
Girlfriends:
Don’t ask me to pose for a picture while I’m trying to play Leapster:
My poor baby has had a hard week. He’s so resilient and so good natured that I really didn’t think about how difficult it would be for him when I went back to work on Tuesday. Sweet baby has taken a stand and decided not to nap at all while he is in child care. And of course, he is so over-stimulated that he is not sleeping well at night either. I’m thankful that when our regular preschool schedule starts, he will have one-on-one care with Miss Robin and her sweet little baby, Shiloh.
Margaret made Sam a little fort behind the big red chair. He had so much fun hiding out, being all secretive. Sam is always happy when he thinks he is getting away with something naughty. He’s Brad’s kid (wink, wink).
Addison, TX
The Aus Side of Life!