Jenni's Seasons

Look what the kids got this weekend?!?!? Our other trampoline finally bit the dust in November. . . I think the net had finally blown away two weeks prior.  It was our second net.  It is so incredibly windy where we live. . .one time we came home and the trampoline had blown over the fence at the back of the property and down the field a bit!  We secured it after that.  I think there was a hole in the bouncy part too at this point. This was a day in November that we took it down.  Obviously we were unaware of all the cold and snow that would be hitting us within weeks!!! And, just for fun, here are pictures from putting that first trampoline up. . .at the end of 2006!  Look how little, little the kiddies are!!! I'm laughing at all the Little Tykes toys in the background too. . .those haven't been around in ages either. . .:)   OK, back to the present. . .here are my memories from this Sunday. . . What a great, beautiful day!  The entire project, from the

Mammaw and Grandpa Foster came down for the weekend!!!  This picture was after a full day of basketball. . .Thomas had a big game at his school with the cross-town rivals (they were supposed to play their tournament games this weekend but after two weeks of snow days that tourney was postponed to next weekend) and the younger three had Upward games.  Actually, Thomas had an Upward game too, but this was taken before then. My camera just doesn't do well with action.  Or I have not figured out the correct setting yet.  That's Frederick, though, with the ball.  As usual, I think he made the only buckets for his team again. This is Frederick with his best friend, M, after the game.  I *love* Upward ball!!! This is the first season our family has participated in the program, but our old church did Upward flag football and now that our YMCA no longer has a basketball program we were able to try this out.  The church in town that hosts it does a most excellent job and it is so well

Another snow day.  And although no one but Thomas is still in public school, snow days still matter to me because I have to work at the Y on those days.  It was too icy to get out first thing so I was an hour late for my shift.  That one hour did make a difference, I think, because the sun was out doing its job. . .it was still very icy getting to the main highway but I felt safer then I would have an hour prior. We got home about 12:45 today, made lunch and started on school work.  Frederick was done at 3:30, Marie and 3:35, Thomas at 4, and Margaret is still whining about the one last sentence or two she needs to write.  Sigh. Ten minutes ago it was And my house and children are snapped in time: Marie intent on her DS.  Library books strewn about.  A puzzle open and started on the extra table in here.  Blankets not folded (it is *so* cold in this house!!!!).  Bottom-left corner. . .that would be the Christmas tree still sitting in here. Yea, that desk would be ALL my fault. . .ne

So. . .we've started.  This is pretty much what it amounts to. . .a pile of workbooks for each (Thomas has his in a bag).  They were out of school ALL week last week so we went in to the satellite school for testing.  Frederick tested into the 3rd grade (which is good b/c they don't have a 2nd grade curriculum and since this is not something I plan on doing long-term I really didn't want to have to seek out something different for him).  Margaret tested very low in 3rd grade math, which was disappointing. . .I think she could have done better.  Maybe she's not a good test-taker?  Regardless, it's fine.  Now she and Frederick are in the same math book.  She's a couple lessons ahead of him in Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies though.  Marie tested smack-dab in the middle of 4th grade, right where she should be.  And Thomas disappointed himself by testing low in math. . . it's always been his best subject.  His school just isn't moving along as qui

I grew up knowing I wanted to be a teacher.  I have always loved being at school  -- save some high school years, but even then it was more that I wanted to "move on" and felt a little "stuck" -- and it wasn't the social life.  It was the learning.  The orderliness of a day.  The schedule, routine, and expectations.  The teacher who most influenced me?  Sister Mary Vernon in 2nd and 3rd grade at Lial School in Toledo, OH.  No school has *ever* compared to that wonderful little school in the woods .  My family moved half-way through my fourth grade year and we were all put back into public school, Chapelfield Elementary in Gahanna, OH.  Mrs. Raymond was my 4th grade teacher and Mr. Kindle my 5th grade teacher.  That year we had a student teacher, Miss Frisbee.  I wanted to be her.  She was really pretty.  And she was a teacher.  She was living my dream.  I can still remember details from that year so vividly. . .another move in 7th grade to Dayton, OH. . .playin

This is what we woke up to this morning. . .not a surprise exactly, but at midnight we still didn't have anything so I thought maybe we were going to dodge this snowfall this time. The kids have been in school one full day since January 4th.  The last full day prior to that was December 10th.  It's been a brutal winter so far and it's not going away.  On Tuesday, when they were in school for the entire day, they all made up the Christmas parties they missed prior to the holiday.  On Wednesday they dismissed early because it started to snow, Thursday there was a delay but since no more snow materialized I dropped them off at school at 9:30.  Friday snow was predicted so school was canceled.  A snowflake never fell from the sky. Marie and Frederick went outside and started on a snowman today. . .they got a good start but lost their momentum.  Oh well. . .they probably have the rest of the week to finish it. Middle Tennessee. . .winter is hard to like.