Colin has worked hard at football and impressed the coaches with his knowledge of the play book and now starts as Tight End on Offense and Line Backer on Defense! I am so proud of him for working hard and earning the starting positions. His team is now 5-0, so that helps his enthusiasm for the game too! They played this past weekend at a high school stadium and it was so fun to watch from the bleachers. The weather was perfect and it was a great day. Colin played the entire game! Evan didn't have a game this weekend, so we were able to all be at Colin's game together, which was also a nice treat!
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| Found this in Colin's backpack and thought it was awesome! |
Evan is doing fantastic at baseball. It is so neat to watch his growth each season. He has gotten some great outs. His last game, he caught a pop fly at 3rd base and was able to throw the ball all the way to first too. I am so impressed with his development. He is also gaining confidence in his own abilities which is always nice to see as a parent. Evan takes things very personally if he strikes out or gets out at a base. But, he is working on not crying, staying strong, and not getting down on himself too much and for that I am very proud. It is a work in progress.
Logan is going to 3 day 3 hr preschool at a great preschool we found. They are fantastic, but I do wish their program was longer then 3 hrs. We could have sent him to 5 days, but the cost was higher then we want to spend with only having one income coming in. He is enjoying it and asks every night if he has school tomorrow. He is also enjoying going to a play group I joined with other kids born the same year as him. We have his play group every Tuesday morning and a playgroup for Leah on Wednesday mornings and he enjoys both. I am enjoying meeting some other Moms as I don't have any friends here in NOVA yet.
Leah, I will write more on next time. But, she is doing well too. Her language is crazy, she is able to really get across what she wants. She takes great naps most days and is overall pretty easy even though she is very independent.
School is going ok for the older boys. Overall, this school system, while good, is not at the same level as their school in Indiana. They are finding it kind of easy and thus a bit boring. They also find PE boring, I guess in VA it is more about exercise and less about fun. Both boys are having to repeat math because they were a grade level ahead in Indiana and Loudon County Schools doesn't offer that. Their teachers are trying to make it more challenging for them and I know they are in a top group but it is still easy.
Colin is having a tough adjustment because he was in a full time gifted program in Indiana, where every single subject was accelerated and that isn't offered here. I feel like he has had to take a huge step backwards and I am having major Mom guilt over it. He is currently being tested for their gifted program which is a once a week pull out program. He would go to another school once a week. It is completely different though, it is not academic based it is more critical thinking, so not sure if he will get in to that or not. I don't think he is as much gifted in his higher level thinking as he is just a quick learner and needs a more advanced academic program. Also, it isn't based just on test scores but also relies on a parent questionnaire and teacher recommendation, so not sure what they are looking for.
While I love Ashburn, it is new and clean, people are friendly, there are lots of kids and everything is 5 minutes from me, I do have regrets that we couldn't find a house in Fairfax County. I wish we had put education higher on our priority list and even though I love having a back yard, maybe we should have compromised that? Colin really needs the challenge and I worry he is not getting that. I think my other kids will be fine and probably excel in this school system. But, I worry Colin won't reach his full potential.
Luckily, both kids seem to like their teachers. Colin has a male teacher, Mr. Mihalik, and seems to be enjoying that. Evan has Ms. Nevius a more nurturing grandmother type, which is a perfect match for him, since he needs someone who is patient and can help boost his self esteem while still being structured. I am very happy so far with the teachers they have. The principal (not sure if I mentioned this already but he was principal of the year for the Washington area a couple years ago), is also fantastic.
We are happy to be back in VA, but it is an adjustment as all moves are. I think Dennis is actually the most excited to be here. He grew up in NOVA and it feels like home for him. For me, having grown up overseas a lot and only really being in NOVA for my senior year of high school (as well as a few years when I was younger), I don't have as many fond memories, in fact that was the worst year of my life. So, it doesn't feel like home to me. I don't have friendships here. My only hold to the area is my family. Dennis is reestablishing old friendships and is loving being back here and that is nice to see.
I actually think Richmond having lived there 12 years (the most in one place), would probably feel most like home for me. We would have moved there if he had found a job there and I really think it is a great place to live. I struggle with the cost of living here. I am a frugal person. I have spent hours on the computer trying to find the best deals for furniture. I refuse to spend a lot of furniture that kids will ruin anyway. And, I am not comfortable with how much money we spent on a home. I am already thinking about the day our kids move out and we downsize.
But, there are perks too… I love that my family is close by and my parents offer to babysit without being asked, like they did recently for my birthday. We don't ask people to babysit very much, because we don't like to burden people, so if someone calls us (like my Mom called Dennis) and offers to babysit it means so much. I also love that my kids are being raised near their cousins and they are becoming best friends. And I love that Dennis is happier with his job. I have said before there is no perfect place to live, but it does feel nice to know we have settled somewhere and hopefully will raise our kids in this home for a long time.
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