Summer ends, 3rd Grade begins

All good things come to an end as they say. We had a nice summer overall and the kids loved staying up late almost every evening, mostly running after each other, watching some TV, playing around (tickle wars are the simple, favorite games) and reading stories before bed time.

We did some swimming, although not as much as I would have liked, mostly because the water got so hot that it was completely disgusting to jump in! And also because since we go skating on Saturdays, Sundays I’m busy catching up with housework, groceries, laundry and cooking. But we settled into a nice routine and they never complain about what’s on the plate. What can I say, my mum taught me well.

Skating lessons continue to go well and it gives us a nice break away from the hot sun, although we still get out of there sweating after 3 1/2 hours. Her coach is happy with her progress and she has days where she “gets it” and does amazing things, with the occasional “what happened today” moments, peppered with behavior challenges, etc. On the whole though, it’s a very enjoyable time, which we typically follow afterwards with a dinner (and ice-cream of course) and/or grocery shopping. On this day, she was very loud and energetic…wait, that's like every other day!

Isaac is showing interest occasionally in going to skate again, but then it could be because he knows he’ll get to ride in the car (and he likes my higher seats!) if he goes. We’ll see about that. In the meantime, he’s more than happy to dive and swim.

Isabella’s feet started blistering above her heel and she kept saying the skates were not tight or too small. We went to the shop to have them checked and perhaps adjusted, but as expected, her feet completely outgrew her current skates so now we’re on the second pair, same brand as before but in Size 4 instead of 2 1/2. The shop owner is very knowledgeable and she said it is common for kids to curl their toes to fit in a small boot. Anyway, I thought it would be a while before she broke them in (I know mine feel weird for a while even after sharpening blades) but nope: she was spinning in a matter of minutes with no trouble whatsoever. And no, papa still can’t do that!

During mid to late summer, we started Isabella at the same daycare/school as Isaac and she did quite well there in a small group. The teacher kept them mostly separate so she wouldn’t interfere (which she did every chance she got). At least they got to do some academic work and Isabella finally learned Lori’s phone number. I showed her how easy mine was to remember too since they are so similar. Her reading kept improving and she can now read a simple book with almost no help. So before bed now I give her a book to read to both me and Isaac. She’s finally feeling a positive sense of achievement and always wants to read it again a second time on her own will. Then I usually read another entertaining book and Isaac follows along and tries to recite in his way as well. He has good memory and I can easily tell that he knows what’s coming next as he remembers the emphasis points such as when I’m about to make a sound or read some dramatic passage.

Now that school is back in session, we start by dropping off Isabella first and Isaac second. Continuing on the summer tradition, I connect to Skype and have the kids talk to my parents on the speakerphone. Isabella still looks puzzled every time I tell her that grandma is my mum, but I think she’s getting it now. There is definitely never a boring moment!