lately

That year of daily blogging apparently sucked all the excitement out of it for me, because I sure haven't been fighting off any urges to update things around here.  There is so much big stuff happening all around us--mostly slightly horrible things, to people we really care about--and I feel like anything I'd have to say is so trivial that it'd be best just to be quiet and appreciate the normalcy of daily life.

But, if I'm trying to use this platform as a way to show my future kids (my current kids, in the future; not future kids that I don't have yet) what a slice of daily life was like, then I'm not doing them any favors by only documenting semi-monumental things.  So, with that said...

Avery seems to be having a great year at school.  We're definitely getting less info than we did last year; she is clearly entering that stage of pulling away from her parents.  In her ideal world, she could get everywhere she needs to go by herself.  She is constantly looking for opportunities to go places on her own--walking home with a friend after dance, walking to get a snack after school, etc.  Too bad the two places she goes on a daily basis (school and dance) are not walkable... and that she hasn't embraced the idea of a bus pass yet.  She has also completely taken over control of all her schoolwork, which is apparently right on track for seventh grade.  You might recall how much I struggled with this last year, but I'm pleased to say it has been a non-issue this year and her grades are somehow better than last year (hmn).  She has two big dance shows coming up, about 3 weeks apart, so we're gearing up for the crazy rehearsal schedule that is quickly approaching.

Cayden is enjoying fifth grade more than he did at the beginning of the year, and seems to be in a good place right now.  His beloved basketball season is coming to an end though, so I might have to change that last part in a couple weeks.  He craves basketball like some people crave chocolate; it's weird to me.  He made a buzzer beater half-court shot at one of his games this season and I think he'll be riding that high until about eighth grade.  He's starting to get more excited about middle school, which is good of course.  Following Avery to her arts-based school wouldn't necessarily be his first choice, but I think he can recognize (and I definitely recognize) that it's too good of an opportunity to pass up (he gets first dibs at one of the 150 coveted spots as a sibling).  He's starting to talk about which art electives he wants to try, and seems excited to meet some new friends.  It's still six months off, but I'm looking forward to it all for him.

Josie is still just Josie, happily living life to the fullest.  She has a list a mile long of classes that she wants me to sign her up for--clearly with no concept of when she might have time to take any of them.  Yoga, horse-back riding, knitting, painting, tap, basketball, soccer, baseball, braiding (?), just to name a few, and of course her standards: ballet and swimming.  She had to take a break from swimming this session because she was the youngest kid by 8 years and it just wasn't a good fit.  She can't exactly swim in a straight line so she was constantly getting kicked and hit (accidentally, of course) by the kids who were trying to share a lane with her. I found a class next session that's almost immediately after school gets out and I'm hoping that it might be less-crowded or attract a slightly younger group of kids.  School continues to go well, although I did hear that she had to go sit at her desk for talking in line today (for shame!).  Her teacher is officially not coming back this school year, which is disheartening, but we're lucky to have a phenomenal sub so I have no complaints. 

Now that I've started I'm realizing there is so much more to share!  But, alas, I've lost interest and would rather curl up under a blanket and watch something awful on TV.  I'm going to try to motivate myself to pop in here every once in a while though.  Probably.  Maybe.