So part two of December. It was a blur. I made it through the Christmas Eve services and really enjoyed the fruits of our efforts. It was the first year I've participated in them as I usually travel. Then (since we are crazy) I got back home at 6:30 in the evening and Jeremy had the car completely loaded up, dogs, kids, presents and all. We arrived at my moms in the wee hours of the morning. That turned out to be okay because in the meantime my brother and his family had gotten the stomach bug from the in-laws. So we actually pushed back Christmas like three days. It was sort of fun to put Christmas music on two days after Christmas with the holiday anticipation still intact and everyone elses' celebrations were done. We got to see my Aunt's new place and visit with the kids. Blake and Trinity really enjoyed hanging out with Meaghan and Vince. I'm super happy about them being closer to us!
I really took no pictures. I just made an effort to be present this year. I suppose I might regret that at some point when there is NO pictures of my kids Christmas 2016 but it felt really nice. We stayed through the new year riding snowmobiles, enjoying game night, and hitting some of our favorite places. We even got to catch up with three out of four of Jeremy's old college friends who happened to be having a game night themselves while we were in Spokane one evening. Good to see you Jodi, SAra, and Shanna! Then it was an easy drive home where who the heck knows what we did the first few weeks of January! Ha Ha, well I know we started school back in on the 10th. Second Semester of EEL tutoring has been going really well. I've been enjoying group dynamics and not feeling like it's too much. There was one week though that I definitely was getting a little lost. Fortunately there is grace for that. Talked to some people at the public school about the parent partnership program and it sounds really amazing. I'm still a little up in the air about what will work the best for us at Trinity reaches high school age. I'm glad I will get at least one year of challenge starting this fall to see if I feel it's a great fit or not. That would still give to time to get her in two years of the Parent Partnership thing if that seems a better choice. My grandma miller turned 91! I called her but I hate that both my grandmas are in Arizona on their own. They don't complain but seriously, they are both over 90 and I just worry about what will happen if their health declines which of course it's going to at some point.
So in January, Blake quit parkour and all three took up Karate. It's been super good for Isaac. He is asked to be still when listening and to follow instructions. He is using memory work to remember the kata's he is learning. It's just been a great fit for his focus issues. I feel Blake will benefit from their strict rules on respect and excellence in behavior and academics. The tricky thing is the class blake and trin are in are technically to stop at age 11. Trinity is already 12 but they let me fudge so I could have them all together, plus she really functions in some ways more at an 11 year old level anyway. But in July (as I'm thinking ahead because it's cheaper to sign up for like seven months) she will be thirteen. They then throw the kids in with adults and lessons are at 7:00. That is not going to work for me so I'm frustrated. I'd love to talk to them about having a homeschool class earlier like at three that would encompass like 4-12 grade. I think they would get a ton of kids. It's not ideal for me to have back to back hours (isaac, then the big kids) but it would be better than a lesson at four then not until seven. Not sure what to do for it. I can't think of any other major changes in January. There has been improvement for sure in Trinity's anxiety with a combination of medication and supplements that a naturopath has recommended. It's been very encouraging to see her more engaged in every aspect of life, girlscouts and choir are no longer the worst part of her day. So thankful for this improvement. We've had to throw down some new rules, restricting her phone time as she has not been faithful with our demands. Also there are new family rules on the wall as the children had a night where they simply could NOT be kind to each other. We called a family time-put and talked about what might help this situation because it was simply not going to work for us that they treat each other that way. There has been some improvement. Blake has well has had some new expectations put on his behavior. For a while I will admit I was letting things slide. I just had a lot on my plate and I didn't have the time or inclination to follow through on consistent discipline but lucky me it totally had a snowball effect and his entitled attitude had to be checked. So I've been working hard on it. I think I see some light at the end of the bad behavior tunnel. Next up I would love to get more hardcore about his and Isaac's diet. I think Isaac would follow his brother and actually like quite a few things. Blake may not like them but he still has to try them. Sigh. A mother's work is never done. Trinity even recorded a song and officially auditioned for America's Got Talent! (a bucket list thing for her) And here we are in the first week of February. Eep!
