What's Up Wednesday

I have a IRL friend who took up blogging about five or six years ago. She mostly does it to record family stories and she writes in fits and spurts. Lately I've been getting her posts in my inbox and it reminds me of all the reasons I started blogging myself. Don't get me wrong: I enjoy blogging challenges, link-ups, and sponsored posts, but I definitely miss the good ole days when I used to just write boring stories about the cute things my kids were doing!

Cute stories about the kids get harder to write as the kids get older. Frances and Henry often request more privacy for themselves now and Benjamin is still pretty darn cute (they all are!) but he doesn't like having his picture taken. Life settles in. We've moved out of that baby/toddler stage and into the school-age/tween/teen stage.

Here's an update on what's happening with all of us lately:

Benjamin is playing soccer like gang-busters this season. We have a great team this year and I love coaching him. He doesn't like practices much, but he plays his heart out during the games. He actually cries when he gets taken out, as opposed to the days when he would cry if I suggested he go out on the field! He's loving first grade and reading like there's no tomorrow. We like his teacher this year and he's got good friends in his class. He's going as a Minecraft Creeper for Halloween; mainly because that's what Henry wanted to be and they have matching Creeper jackets.

Henry is also playing soccer. Ken is one of his coaches. He's also continuing with violin and he's picked up choir and Orff at school. He seems to really enjoy music even though he's least likely to be the one singing along with the radio, or even at church. He is growing up and maturing a whole lot. He doesn't even complain that much when I ask him to put away dishes before he plays Nintendo in the mornings. His temper is evening out as well. Fourth grade seems to be going well. He is the most responsible of the three when it comes to bringing papers home and keeping track of which days he needs to be where.

Frances just turned 13! She still insists that she's six and that she doesn't want to grow up, though. She and I are sharing books now and that's a fun experience. She's usually got at least 3 with her at all times. I'm the mean mom that tells her kids to quit reading so much! They skip their chores and stay up late at night with their books. Frances just got a cell phone which is useful for when she's running late from violin or gets out early from dance. She's also been selected for a Young Women's Leadership Group at her school that meets once a week. Still she's managing to get her homework done and keep up with school. I really enjoy spending time with her and getting to know the young woman she is becoming.

Ken's been working hard at the store. He also started back to school this semester. It's a lot of juggling, but he's making it work. He's coaching Henry's soccer team along with two other guys. He's been doing a lot of walking around town for the fresh air and exercise. Our current home is a bit closer to work that our former one, and it's less traffic during the walk.

I just started my 6th year here at JMU. I had my five year anniversary breakfast last week with some delicious food. I'm completing an advanced certificate course, so I get out of the office a few times a month for classes and training which is nice. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are the activity days for the kids and I do a lot of driving after work on those days. I've learned to keep a book in the car so I can read while I'm waiting. It a lot of driving, but I do appreciate some quiet time to myself in between pickups and dropoffs.

Our housing situation hasn't changed much, which is a good thing in my opinion. We're still scheduled to close the sale on our old house at the end of November. I haven't really been looking at other housing options lately because there's not much on the market and I really don't want to move in December or January anyway. We'll look with fresh eyes in the new year!