It's About Time

It has been a really long time since I have posted anything to our blog, so I hope I remember how to do this...

The Scoop
The past year or so has been an incredibly busy one for our family. I (Andrea) went to grad school to get my teaching certification in art. I graduated this past December and started a part-time teaching job with an amazing school in January. The job offer actually came on the very last day of my student teaching which was a HUGE answer to prayer - afterall, for the year and a half that I was in grad school I had been telling Troy that it would be OK and I would be able to find a job (despite the constant cuts within our sons' school district).

The boys are thriving. They are just as vibrant and playful as they ever have been. It seems they become more and more comfortable with us being a family. I think Troy and I would both say that it is a great privilege to get to be these boys' parents. With two and a half years under our belts, I also think we might finally be getting the hang of this parenting thing...maybe.

The Highlights
Here are some of the more noteworthy things that have happened since we last blogged:

• The twins started their second year of kindergarten. We knew well into their first year that this would be a possibility and we are so glad we agreed to retention. They are both much more comfortable academically and socially this year. Their growth has been astounding to say the least.
• Samuel is now in second grade. This year has been a big struggle for him (worthy of a separate post), but we do see that he is growing. In April 2010, he was diagnosed with ADHD. Getting the right medication for him has been half the battle, the other half is getting him to understand that he is the one in control of himself.
• The twins are no longer terrified of the dogs. In August, I took down the gate to our bedroom (where the dogs stayed when the kids were downstairs). I basically told the twins that they had to start liking the dogs. Within a day or so, they were chasing the dogs all around the house, and I was wishing I would have taken the gate down a lot sooner.
• Samuel is in Cub Scouts! He and Troy get to go to the meetings and campouts and other special events together. Sam really likes the time with his dad. And, he won his den race for the Pinewood Derby. We like that he is learning about building character and taking on responsibility. This has been a great thing for him to be involved in.

What's Next?
Well for the next week, the boys are on spring break, but I have to work. I get mine the week after them. I think this is a blessing. Samuel's ninth birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks and the twins will be seven at the end of May. We are having a party at a bounce house with some of their friends to celebrate. At this age, the joint party system seems to be working.

That is pretty much it for now. Hopefully, I will have truly exciting and interesting stuff to post in the not so distant future.

The boys, February