May!

Did you think I was never going to post again? I didn't realize it had been so long. The events of that last weekend in March are still fresh in my memory so it's hard to believe it was so long ago! April was a very busy month. I was extremely busy at work and then with soccer and dance lessons, it seemed that every minute was taken up. We did have some nice, busy weekends and some fun with friends.

Marcie's dance recital was this past weekend, and as usual, she did a terrific job. She really is quite good for only having finished her 3rd year in dance. Age-wise, she was supposed to have been in the Kinderdance (4 and 5 year olds) when I enrolled her last fall but she was so serious about her dance that I moved her up to the 6 and 7 year old group (combination D) last September. That was a good decision as she really did pay attention in class, try hard and practiced a lot at home. It paid off and she performed very well. My tap students were nervous but they did a nice job, as well.

I got Kyle and Joanna registered for Kindergarten. All 4 of my kids will be in school in the fall! Both did fairly well on their "Brigance" testing. I was amazed at how well Kyle did considering he had only been in the 4 year old classroom at daycare for about 4 weeks prior to the testing. He scored a 72. Joanna, who had been in that classroom since last June, scored a 78. I think 100 is the highest score possible with scores below 68 indicating the need for more work prior to school starting. So, I was very proud of Kyle.

Speaking of Kyle and having moved to the 4 year old room -- yes, he finally did it! He finally figured out how to keep his pants dry! He is now fully potty-trained and is nearly always dry (sometimes his underwear get a little wet) and he is often dry at night. He is still a silly and relatively immature little boy for his age (but that's typical of boys!) and he's smart as a whip. I am really looking forward to watching him blossom with more educational opportunities. He can even read a few words and he just loves to learn. He has a very analytical brain, so I am looking forward to a future engineer making the big bucks to support his Mom in her old age! (Just kidding! I hope to be self-supporting!).

Joanna is still very quiet and obedient for the most part. She is a bit sneaky but seems to not hide things as much as she used to (unless she's getting better at it and I'm getting worse at finding them). She sometimes still has strange answers for the questions she's asked and she still lies a lot. She also still carries around paper and loves to fold and unfold paper. She enjoyed the dance recital and when people ask her if she wants to dance, she hesitates and then nods. She's never asked for dance classes, though. I think she's more of an artist. She seems happiest when she has paper and crayons. Because she gets preschool special ed services, and she has one more year of her IEP, she'll have special ed support for Kindergarten. I am glad because I think language processing is still an issue for her and that's why her responses to questions seem so strange. Maybe it explains some of the lying, too, as she has to search her brain for the correct words.

Prima Donna Marcie is doing exceedingly well in school and just loves the social opportunities school presents. Last night was Science Night at their school and the Kindergarteners sang. She looked so cute! My friend snapped a picture so after she sends it to me electronically, I'll post it.
Charlie just finished a science project -- a diarama (is that how you spell it?) of a habitat for an animal that the child could choose. Charlie picked "bear" initially, then narrowed it down to polar bear. He did a nice job and really loved his work. He did pull his science grade up from a "M" (minimal progress) to an "S" this past 9 weeks. He is working really hard in school but still struggling with language arts and reading.

So, that's where we are at the moment. I am still trying to figure out how to use coupons, etc., to save a little money. It just seems to take more time than I have but now that my spring semester is over, maybe I won't be so crazed. I do have students this summer but the grading isn't quite as extensive so I won't have so much to bring home at night. Now, if the weather could stay warm, it will really feel like summer is here!