Catsup!

I have been running around like a crazy woman lately! I have my new public blog up and running and I have been spending alot of time trying to get my readership up and whatnot. I have baby showers and bridal showers out the wazoo and of course the ever increasing demands of Ian and Ainsley's schooling (yep she's now beginning to participate as well!). There are co-ops and playdates and Mom's night out, and birthday parties and I am stretched so thin you could probably see right through me! But all is well and things will calm down in the next month or so!

The kids are doing great! Ian is doing amazingly well with school. He has decided he likes multiplication more than addition and subtraction and he does a fine job with division as well. I did a placement test for him last week, so I could know what our next step would be with his curriculum and he is testing at about a 3rd grade level. His reading is constantly improving and he is now the primary bedtime storyteller for Miss Piggy! Nothing makes my heart melt like hearing him read to her! He is moving right along with Story of the World, his history program. We did a twelve chapter review last Friday and I was pretty amazed at everything he retained. I wonder sometimes with the way he wriggles and squirms if he is comprehending ANYTHING I say! But I guess he does, so he continues to wriggle and I continue to live with it and not feel the need to run to the doctor to have him medicated! Science of course is great! We are now the proud owners of two tadpoles, Krokus and Ribbett. So far so good. I am not well-versed in amphibian! So I am constantly worried about them! I hate to think they might die, yet I worry about them living too! They are going to be whopping big North American bullfrogs someday and I'm not sure if I'm ready for middle of the night croaking or having to feed them mice! They will need to find a nice home with some wonderful middle school biology class!

Ainsley is doing alright. We have hit a bit of a rough spot with her. She is very easily thrown over the edge into violent tantrums. She has also been pretty mean to her big brother! I have a hard time with the hitting. He is so good and he has never hit her back, but there are times that I think maybe I should let him haul off and knock the poop out of her so she knows how it feels! But I haven't allowed that yet and don't intend to. She really knows how to push my buttons and I am REALLY having to learn how to control my own emotions with her. I know the worst thing I can do is deal with her in anger. So I take alot of deep breaths and try to speak calmly and slowly.

But on the flip side, when she's happy, she's beyond amazing! She is so funny and so cute and she'll just talk anyone's ear off! She jokes with me and giggles and sometimes she plays so sweetly with Ian and I just think of what an amazing bond they have and I'm so happy to know that will have each other always. She is doing great with her letters, numbers, colors and shapes. But of course how could she not be with Big Bubba quizzing her CONSTANTLY. She is also pretty good at identifying rock songs and artists! She loves to play hide and seek. We are still the abnormal family with that game, you never stay hidden, you jump out and scare the seeker! But we love it that way! She is also learning how to do puzzles and play little board games with Ian. And by gosh if he's doing something, she wants to do it too, no matter how scary or ridiculous it is! That girl has ZERO fear! I don't know whether to be proud or very, very scared. But she is quite a bruiser and definitely holds her own with the big boys!

So that pretty much sums it up. I PROMISE I will be better about posting on this blog. After all, this truly is the blog that is most important. The whole purpose is to keep track of all those wonderful little things that make our family so great!