I am updating backwards in time because I loaded these pictures up in the wrong order, and I don't want to change it now.
This is my Junior Great Books group at Ethan's school. I go in once a week and we read and discuss stories from those books with these kids. I love doing that and I absolutely loved this group of kids. A main idea behind Junior Great Books is to encourage a discussion about the story whereby kids share their differing opinions on why characters behaved in certain ways, or things along those lines. I've been doing this since Grace was in second grade, and it is often hard to get them to have these types of discussions. They are very much in a raise-your-hand mindframe. And they talk to me, not to each other. And as many times as I remind them and try to get them going and wait through awkward silences, sometimes it just doesn't work. This group, though, they did it. They got it. We had lots of great discussions and I'll miss them.
Then I have a few pictures from last week, which was my last week before working full time, even though I did work on Thursday and Friday. But we went to another park and Gertie had a great time. Some other family brought their sand toys (Why didn't I think of that?) and Gertie just jumped right in. We had another little friend that I was watching that day, and on the way home we stopped to pick some "flowers." They had a great time. And I had a great time.
And even before that, my step-sister Kristal came to visit her dad, and we snapped a quick picture. It was fun to see her again.
So, now that the picture gallery is over, I want to think back over the last couple weeks.
My dad and step-mom had given us a gift certificate for Ruth's Chris Steak House up in the Cities for Christmas. For some reason, that seems to be quite the undertaking for us, to get a date night in that involves a little travel, but finally, in May, we got it done. Grace stayed overnight with a friend because of the church talent show, which she'd been working on a skit for. We took Ethan with us and dropped him off at my sister's house so they could attend Hunter's hockey game. Ethan was excited to do that, and I was thankful for them agreeing to add one more to their brood. Then we stopped at my mom's place so she could watch Gertie. My mom had taken every picture she could find on the internet of Gertie, printed out big 8x10 copies, and taped them all over her house. Gertie was everywhere! When we pulled up and mom came out the door, Gertie cried, very excitedly, "My Grandma! My Grandma!" We left her there and raced off to dinner.
It must have been prom night for many high-schoolers, because there were many young people dressed to the nines (the very skimpy nines, I might add). It made me look to the future, not all that distant any more, and decide to set my standards NOW! Anyway, the food was delicious. John said he'd go back for the mashed potatoes alone. It was a very nice, classy, and expensive restaurant. We were watching our budget pretty closely with this gift certificate. And we came very close, too. The only thing we didn't factor in was the $18 that we paid for water to drink with this meal. Imported straight from Italy. It was good water.
We had a great date, and we laughed a lot about the water.
We picked up Gertie, who had been having a great time with Grandma. She was hiding (her face only) from us, giggling up a storm, when we came to pick her up.
The next morning I had to take a court reporting test. I guess I didn't have to take it, but I'd like to have these particular letters after my name, if I could. This isn't the first time I've taken it. And I don't think it will be the last. There are four parts, and I've passed three of them. The only one I'm stuck on is where two people ask questions and give answers to each other for five minutes straight at 225 words per minute. I can't seem to get it. I am certain that I don't prepare like I should, but often, when I'm practicing right before the actual test, I am getting everything just fine. It is my nerves that kick in the moment it is a test. My fingers just don't do what they should. So that is discouraging, but I'll keep trying.
Then I returned to my sister's home where we celebrated my step-dad's birthday. It was a good day visiting my family, whom I just don't see often enough, even though they're only two hours away.
On Grace, a couple things: First, we got an invitation in the mail for a presidential honors luncheon in honor of all students who maintained straight As all year. Grace is on that list, and I've already arranged to have that day off work so we can attend together.
She had also tried out for another play, a more quality production through community theater, and made such an impression that they changed a part from a son to a daughter to get her in. She is quite pleased, as are we. They are going to be doing South Pacific. We need to go rent that movie now so we know what she's in for.
Also, she worked this last week on a presentation about dams that she needs to give in science. She works quietly and quite hard on her research, and then she declares she needs to create a model of a dam. Her father and I helped a bit in finding places to haunt for materials, but then she just takes over and goes about the business of building a dam. John took me out for dinner last night, and I was reflecting on this girl of ours. I am so proud of her devotion to her studies and her independence in conquering the big tasks. She tested her speech on us when we got home. I was impressed. She knows her stuff, and I got an education. I think she said that China builds 1000(?) dams per year, and the rest of the world put together builds 225. She is talking about hydro-electric dams. I hope I have those numbers right, but at the least, China is powering ahead.
Ethan, on the other hand, keeps mentioning to us that someone gets $20 for all As on his report card, and would we do that if he got all As. (Which he basically gets anyway, except they don't do letter grades in our school system for kids his age.) We just aren't into that. Not when it comes relatively easily. I am going to look into taking him to this banquet so that he can see what kind of an honor Grace receives for her hard work.
Gertie is my Gertie. I am crazy about that girl, and I eat up every minute we have together. But she can really test me sometimes. She taken to sprinting off in a dead run (the toddler version, of course) when I ask her to give me something she's got that she should have. She's laughing and giggling and running the circle of our home. Sometimes I can't believe how long it takes me to catch her. She goes to the no-no chair, where she does actually become sad, but so far it doesn't deter her from the original sprint. She loves to be outside now that the weather has warmed up (sort of). I love that crazy-haired kid.
John starts finals this week. Ethan sings in the end-of-year concert on Thursday and then Grace plays cello in an orchestra concert that night. We are finally having a gathering of the friends who helped us move into our house a year and a half ago. They are coming over on Friday night. I am excited for this. It's been too long since we've had people over, it seems. I'm ready.
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