Sunday Photo: March 13th

Everyone is sick :(

Sunday Photo: March 6th

10 months old

Hatts turned 10 months old on February 28th. We celebrated with cupcakes, except actually Hatts and I were in bed so the boys celebrated. She's pulling to standing, cruising, and even pushing her push toy, at times. We went in for her 9 month wellness check up last week and she's around 19 pounds (around 50th percentile), 28 inches long (34th percentile) and has a very average sized head. She's so sweet and funny, and gets on so well with the boys. Charlie's favourite thing to do is to wake her up... 'it wasn't on purpose, mummy...' or '.. it was just an accident'!

We're on round God knows what of sickness... me and all the children. I can't remember the last time I slept only badly! All nighters with the children when you're ill yourself is not much fun. May Spring come upon us soon!

Teacher/Parent conference

Rich and I met with Raf's teacher last night, Mrs. Bogardus. She is a wonderful teacher: very patient, kind, and has a mentoring style that can only really life a child's spirits. With that said, Raf has been surprising us recently with some less than rule-following behaviors! This is a really great thing, but also, you know...!

Raf has been in a reading group this past few months and we've seen how he's progressed at a very fast rate with reading levels. He has a tendency to be a little impatient and rush things (so he'll read a page and read the bigger words but substitute small words for other small words, without changing the meaning of the text.. !). This hurriedness is keeping him back a little as he has to show he can do everything before he moves on, but he's moving forward in leaps and bounds. Mrs. B is very positive and underlay Raf's enormous 'capacity' and sophistication when it comes to understanding things. It did make us very proud because we know this is testament to a lot of hard work from Raf.  

I really don't enjoy the testing culture that pervades all schooling here (and no doubt in the UK, too) but it was a relief to see that he's getting back on track in terms of independent reading, and in assisted reading (or whatever they call it) he is much further ahead than current grade level. He's doing very well in maths, too. 

Our biggest goal was for Raf to love school in these early years, and he really does. He has lots of lovely little friends, and has a social life that I am envious of! He's formed such earnest little relationships with Rohit and Gideon, and a handful of other friends that he likes to hang out with. Not sure how we got to this point, but it's clear that Raf is entering a new phase of his life. Not really ready for it, but it's coming anyway...!

 

Sunday Photo: February 28th

Sunday Photo: February 21st

Winter Beach Walk

It's been an unfun week around these parts as I was suddenly struck down by an infect sore throat (aka strep throat in the US), and poor Charlie has an infected toe after bashing it at swimming last week, so Dr appointments, antibiotics, and just a general feeling of unwellness. We did have fun times last week, though, and I'll post about our Valentine's dance later! On Sunday we hit the beach for a quick stroll with the pups... We bought a new camera so until the battery ran out (I hadn't charged it.. so it was very quickly) I had fun trying to work it out!

Kids had a great time.

And so did the pups.