We decided that instead of including pictures in our Christmas cards this year, since we could not settle on a favorite, it might be fun to invite everyone to our (seldom used...) blog for a whole slew of pictures and stories! Hopefully, I'll do a better job of making entries, at least more frequently than every 8 months!
(Eamon gets a big boy bed with Spiderman sheets)
It's been a very busy and exciting 2008! Eamon (now four and a half) is in his second year of pre-school, is totally obsessed with superheros, and is all boy! He is rambunctious, loving, and extremely creative. He loves to tell long stories about his many characters -- real and invented by Eamon (our favorite is the alter-ego he created for one superhero... "Trent Squuntrunt" ...which is now our favorite nickname for him!) He is incredibly observant and has great dexterity with his hands, using toy tools and balling socks with surprising skill.
(Carl and Eamon enjoying a last summertime picnic before the gloom of Ohio winter!)
Lucy will soon be seven (I can't believe it!). First grade has been a fun year so far -- she is reading long novels in one sitting, is getting very good at math, loves science and music, and writes poetry in her journal nearly every day. She is a real rennaisance child! She's also getting strong in her gymnastics classes and is slowly but surely getting better on her roller skates. In October, she was voted Good Citizen by her classmates.
(Our cowgirl on Halloween)
I can't get over how amazing children are (especially when they're your own!). I never had experience with small children -- I did very little babysitting as a teen, and being the youngest, never really knew what it was like to deal with small children. So it's been a real learning experience for me. Carl, on the other hand, having been a clown, is tremendously good with kids. He comes up with great games and stories on the spur of the moment!
Carl has been working so hard this year. I'm very proud of him -- he made partner at his firm two weeks ago. He also took us all on a great trip to Chicago this summer, rebuilt our deck and built a new shed for us, all from scratch.
As for me, I've been incredibly busy. I've been volunteering at Lucy's school many hours a week. Her school doesn't have the resources to offer art all year, so they don't have it in the fall. Last year, one of the moms volunteered to teach during fall semester, but this year, her child is in a different class. So I decided to try my hand at it. It's been a blast -- time consuming, but fun to stretch my creative muscles again. We've done everything from still-lifes to Chinese dragons. In January, their regular art teacher will take over, but I think I'll still be in to do the bulletin boards and other things. But I'm looking forward to the "free time."
(Lucy dressed as Snegurochka, the Snow Maiden, who helps Grandfather Frost deliver presents to children in Russia. She also made a beautiful poster and told her classmates the story of winter holidays in Russia for a class project.)
(Lucy's first grade class standing before the 20' Chinese dragon we made for art class!)
(Two drawings I did last year, giving one as a thank-you for Lucy's teacher.)
When I'm not at school, I've been doing a lot of cleaning (not that you can tell...) and playing with the kids. But when I get a minute, I've also been drawing, writing, working out, and crocheting. Professionally, I gave a lecture earlier this year at OSU and have reviewed a couple of articles for different journals. In the spring, I taught Russian to Lucy's Kindergarten class and helped teach it in a second-grade class as well. So, I stay busy, but I'm so glad I get the chance to be home with the kids.
Lucy overcoming her fear of jumping into deep water while vacationing with friends on Lake Erie!
Eamon overcoming his fear (or general disinterest) in performing in his school Christmas concert (yes, he stayed on his teacher's lap pretty much the whole time, but at least he managed to get his arm to move -- the one NOT holding the toy for comfort).
We've had a great year, and we hope you have, too. We wish you all the best in 2009, and we hope you'll come back to revisit our blog often and post to us if you like. I'll do my best to keep it more current than I have!
Thanks for visiting!
