I know it’s been 3 weeks since I posted – it’s been a whirlwind of activity around here. It’s funny how work & school combine to make the weeks fly past! I’m enjoying working full-time, although my beloved husband has had to take on most of the cooking & cleaning, at least while I adjust to my busy new schedule. He also had to stay home with the kids for a couple of days last week, when Elijah came down with croup and William and Charlie passed around a stomach bug (which they gave to their long-suffering father, too).
Charlie’s settling in well at her new school after a couple of rocky weeks, which involved near-daily time-outs from teachers (mostly for talking when she was supposed to be listening) and various incidents of her kissing boys out on the playground! We have stamped this out and are encouraging her to make friends with the girls in her class, since she felt a bit excluded from their group. She is picking up lots of new French vocabulary and doesn’t seem to mind doing 20 minutes of homework every weeknight (although I think it’s a little excessive). She’s already learning to sound out words and is very excited at the thought of being able to read by herself.
Charlotte’s school has a mandatory enrichment program, and this semester she’s taking classes in watercolour painting, computers and hip hop dancing, as well as a Hebrew class twice a week. I wasn’t sure what she’d think of the Hebrew school, but it turns out that she LOVES it! Tomorrow night is the beginning of Yom Kippur, and Charlie has been peppering me with questions about it – Am I going to eat (since adults normally fast)? Is she allowed to eat? What about Daddy (since he’s not Jewish, he can do whatever he wants!) Did I know that you’re not allowed to wear leather? Is she going to school that day? She was equally fascinated with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, especially when she was given an actual shofar to bring home (for the non-Jews out there, this is a ram’s horn used as a kind of trumpet). I’m pleased (although somewhat surprised) by her interest, since we’re a fairly secular household. Perhaps the trickiest aspect to her Hebrew classes is that she needed to know her Hebrew name, and I (oops) never actually chose one for her! Rather than look for a name that sounded similar to “Charlotte”, I’ve chosen the Yiddish name “Kady” for her, in honour of my great-grandmother. Luckily, Elijah and William have Hebrew names already sorted (“Eliyahu” and “Ze’ev”, respectively, which tie into their English names) so at least I won’t have to scramble for an answer when they ask me!
Speaking of William and Elijah…
Will on the left, Elijah (in the funky flowered shirt) on the right.
The boys have had an easy transition into the 3-year-olds’ room at daycare, which is a big relief. They are with most of the same kids as last year, and they still see their old teachers all the time, plus their new teachers seem like great people. We are very lucky with their daycare! The boys continue to pick up and combine new words on a daily basis, and their sunny personalities make them a joy to be around.
We were lucky enough to have a couple of visits from my brother Dan last week, who was in Montreal to work on his professional photography website. Here he is with the three kids, over at the Corner Park (note Charlie’s new haircut, which is MUCH shorter than I requested):
Crazy Uncle Dan!
On that same park visit, William had a breakthrough and managed to swing, hand over hand, half-way across the monkeybars! Here he is, showing off his new skills:
William the monkey
This past week has also seen my husband start his evening classes (on Thursdays) and his practicum hours at a university counselling centre, so he’s busy too… and to add a little extra excitement, we’ve signed up the boys for their first ever swim lessons! They had their first class last Sunday, which was a mixed success; Elijah blew bubbles and kicked his feet enthusiastically, but Will (who had been talking about swimming for weeks) cried almost non-stop! Both their father and I were in the pool with them, although this class is meant to transition them to independent swim lessons. We’ll be back again tomorrow, and hopefully William will enjoy the water a bit more this time. Charlie had to bring a book and sit up in the viewing area next to the pool, but this went fine, other than her talking the ear off some random mothers who were trying to watching their children’s lessons. Charlotte is also taking swimming again: she’s now in “Divers”, and she’s quite the little mermaid! I love seeing her enjoying the pool, and I certainly look forward to her brothers becoming swimmers too.
life after twins? 