The first week of school...

Anna is a first grader and loving it!  She is so excited to be able to have computer class and pick out books from the big book shelves at the school library, which as a Kindergartener she didn't get to do.  The whole school is doing a rewards program for good behavior.  The students can receive yellow (golden) or green tickets for good behavior like being safe, respectful, and responsible.  Every Friday throughout the year, students will be picked to get rewards like sitting on the stage to eat lunch and having their picture posted on the school television system.  Anna has been so excited about the rewards program and everyday she comes home to tell us how many tickets she earned.  One day during the first week of school she earned 5 tickets!  It was a special blessing that she got picked the first Friday to eat lunch on the stage.  She was so happy!

Over this past summer, for one of our family nights we watched the original movie of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."  They were mesmerized by the whole idea of the "golden ticket."  Which has been a real treat for Anna since she considers the yellow tickets to be golden.

Ever since the summer Olympics, Anna has been fervently practicing cartwheels and handstands.  She has mastered cartwheels and can do 3 in a row.  As for handstands, her goal is to be able to hold her feet up and walk.  She loves listening, dancing, and singing to worship music, writing and drawing on her dry erase board, and having playdates.

For Micaiah, he has been enjoying more Mama time during the days.  He likes having me all to himself, but I think more importantly he doesn't have to share his toys.  We are doing Teaching Time at home, in which there are good days and bad moments here and there.  We do up to an hour and a half of reading, singing, rhyming, mazes, puzzles, painting, letter/phonic workbooks, and preschool skills/activities two or three times a week.  His level of attention span is getting longer and more focused so that is a good indicator.  He loves Bible Time, painting, playing with his Polar Express train set, playdough, and playing soccer.  And most recently he has started telling knock-knock jokes!  He says some of the funniest things -- he calls restaurants "eating rooms".

The school year is off to a great start!