Smart Globe for Smarty Pants

Phoenix got a Smart Globe for Christmas from Gma & Gpa DuBravac that he loves. He wrote a sentence about it (using at least one of his spelling words) for homework a couple of weeks ago. The word was "little." As usual with Phoenix's spelling homework, the words don't *really* fit the sentence. He just decides what he wants to write about (or draw) then makes the words fit. The picture is the part I thought was really funny though. "To say Hello in Russian, say Zdrahstuiteh."

Skinny Jeans

Months ago, Courtney commented that Lutece never wore jeans. Indeed, she rarely does, preferring the stretch and comfort of leggings. She did, however, have one pair of "skinny" jeans at the time (she now has another pair of more comfortable jeans thanks to Grandma DuB that she wears ALL the time). I took this picture back in November. This one's for you Courtney.

Basketball Season

This is our first foray into basketball, and Phoenix has had a great time. Last week I tried taking pictures again, but let me tell you, it is hard to get a shot of a running kid in an indoor space at 30 feet away. So instead, I took this one of a bunch of kids standing still. Phoenix is the little one in the center getting ready for the jump ball. Do you see that kid standing opposite Phoenix? Do you see that he's a head taller than my baby? Who do you think got the ball to his team? Oh yeah. My cutie pie.

He has improved tremendously. Now he can block an opponent, get a rebound, and run down the court to wherever the ball is (we're really happy about that last one :).

Also, he can DRIBBLE! Yes he can. And he can even make a basket now. Multiple baskets. Just not during a game yet. HEY. This stuff is hard!

Thank You Cards ~ Coming to a Mailbox Near You

We finally got thank-you cards out last week. Whew! Lutece and I actually made them over the Christmas break, but we didn't get down to writing them until the Sunday after break was over. Lutece decided who should get each card, I put a post-it note with their name on the front, and then we all sat down at the table and got to writing.

It reminded me of writing thank-you notes as a kid. (Remember, we'd all sit around the table and grumble?) It wasn't nearly as miserable as I remember it being as a child though. (Although it was pretty crummy having to rush Phoenix through the process. He kept wanting to write more and we kept saying, "Phoenix, this is only your first card. You have 8 more to go. Just make it short!" Then he got tired by the second or third card. Poor kid is only six.)

The card design was, as I mentioned in the previous post, all Lutece's idea. I just helped with the execution, and made a couple of them myself. It was a funny little project, but quite creative you'll no doubt agree.

You'll notice that Lutece signed her creations with a small "L" in the corner. Now you'll know if you got a Lutece original or a Christina cast-off.

Holiday Antics, Part 2

Lutece . . . ever the silly child. She and I had a good time over the vacation playing games, doing crafts, baking, and yes, making thank-you cards (which is what we were doing here).

She came up with the creative idea, and I figured out a way to execute it. That right there sums up our roles in most areas.

Silly and generally happy. That's our Lu.

Holiday Antics, Part 1

It's good for me to look at these pictures of Phoenix. They are definitely a good representation of his personality. Silly, crazy, silly, sweet, silly, independent.

The last week or two have been hard for him at school. He's had a couple of crying episodes in class or during PE over pretty little things (losing the lid to his glue stick, needing to go to the bathroom when it's not bathroom time) and perhaps some bigger issues (which we haven't figured out yet). He doesn't like going to PE and he particularly doesn't like playing dodgeball when the PE teacher is throwing the ball. He gets incredibly stressed about it.

Like I said, looking at these pictures reminds me that, while Phoenix is quite sensitive and often emotional, he is also very normal and happy. He is happy when he's at home. And as I write this post, I am realizing that this is, perhaps, the main reason he's having such a hard time at school . . . he is having a hard time adjusting to school after being at home all day for two weeks. Duh.

I suppose I should be grateful that home is a happy place for him and that he feels loved and safe here. I am. But I am also stressed for him at school. Hmmm, I wonder from where he gets the stress and anxiety?

Note: We went through a lot of Cutie oranges over the vacation.

Chocolate Fever

For Christmas, Lutece received a chocolate-making kit from Grandma and Grandpa DuBravac. She was so anxious to try it out that she made chocolate bon-bons for the family the day after Christmas, which also happened to be Family Home Evening. Perfect!

They were quite delicious . . . but more importantly, extremely cute.

"Hey, hey Phoenix, hands off!"

New Year Interview

We started a new family tradition this New Year . . . the New Year Interview. However, since this was our first year doing it, and I wasn't quite sure what I was doing, the kids just ended up filling in their interview sheet instead of waiting to be asked the questions. Note to self: Next year, do it interview style if you want more detailed answers, as in, more than a couple of words. Ahh, live and learn.

Anyhow, it was still fun to do as a family, and fun to talk about the past year together. Phoenix read all of his answers to us, but Lutece only some ("It's personal"). Next year, we will read through our sheets from last year to see how we've changed.

Here are some of Lutece's answers (but only the ones that aren't too "personal"):

What is your favorite color? red
What is your favorite toy? Dolly
What is your favorite food? nachos
How do you like to spend your time? reading and playing with Phoenix
What are you good at? Soccer
What did you love about last year? seeing abigail (Abigayle is her newest baby cousin)
What is your favorite memory from last year? the family reuenian
What do you want to learn this year? to play basketball

And some from Phoenix:

Where do you live? Kentucky, usa, earth, Milky Way
What is your favorite color? Blue, Blue!
What is your favorite toy? snap cirquits
How do you like to spend your time? HAVING FUN
What are you good at? Basketball (Hmmm)
What did you love about last year? family reunion
What is your favorite memory from last year? Mexico
What do you want to learn this year? Some new DodgeBall tricks
What do you look forward to most this year? fireworks in July

Happy New Year!!!