Confusing title, I know. I say inconsistent because that is what I have been about keeping up with this whole blog thing. I say still the same because not much has changed since the last time I blogged. The kids are over their strep throat, hopefully they will not get anything else for the rest of the school year (insert light chuckle here). And I just finished antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection. Mark was the lucky one, only vomiting for two days and then it passed!
On October 12 we had parent-teacher conferences with Austin's and Abi's teachers. Both are doing well. Mrs. Cordar, Austin's teacher, is a seasoned teacher...and it shows in how well she has been working with Austin. One thing we discussed in the meeting was about challenging Austin more. He excelled on his language arts benchmark, getting high marks in all of the categories. He was not able to take his math benchmark because he was out sick the entire week. She said that she had no worries about it though because he made a 100 on the practice test. One thing Mark and I were delighted to hear was that she enjoys Austin's creativity. She said for their writing portion of the benchmark, she asked the students to write a self narrative. While walking around the room observing what the kids were writing, she found Austin doodling a picture of a robot. She told him that he was supposed to be writing a story about himself. He said he didn't want to; she in turn suggested that maybe he could write a story about a robot then. (Excellent response in my opinion, instead of scolding him about not following directions, she suggested something else that might interest him!! ) He did write a story about a robot, one that Mrs. Cordar said she found very creative for his level. She allowed Mark and me to read it...and it was very cute! It was a cross between a story about the mad scientist similar (to the one from Underdog) and 5 robots that he created- kind of like the three little bears. She was impressed with his work, and said that her challenge this year will be challenging Austin! Later in the discussion, Mark and I asked her about having him tested for GT classes. Her response to this really impressed Mark and me- she said GT is a good idea, but any teacher that is good at what she does is going to make sure he is challenged! So, five gold stars for Mrs. Cordar!
Abi's conference was a good one too. I truly feared for her teacher before the start of the school year, because I know Abi. She is just like me...sassy, knows what she wants and doesn't really care too much if someone opposes why or what she believes!!! When she has her mind set on something, it is hard to change it! Much to my surprise, Abi has had a fabulous year...and craves to learn more! She grunts a little when we sit down to go through site words, but in all she has a strong desire to learn more. She was tested on the alphabet and what letters/sounds she knows. I was a little shocked by her scores, because according to that test, she didn't know much! But then on the computer test on phonics etc. she scored above the average for the district. Mrs. Cano, her teacher, was concerned that Abi only knew a few of sounds/letters. That same day I sat Abi down and randomly asked her sounds/letters and she knew all of them! I asked her why she didn't do that for Mrs. Cano...her response, "I didn't want to" as she shrugged her shoulders and smiled! What a stinker! We have since had the conversation about always doing your very best...and she has been putting a lot more effort into it. Also worth mentioning, is her great behavior at school. She had a rocky start with two bad notes the first week, but has gotten a good stamp every day since!
This past weekend, we went to a birthday party at an ice skating rink. This was a first in ice skating for Mark, Austin, and Abi. We had so much fun!! Austin just took off- at one point after he got tired of me following him everywhere (to make sure all of his fingers and teeth stayed intact) he asked me if I wouldn't mind watching him from far away because he wanted to skate on his own! Abi stayed connected to Mark, which showed later through the back spasms! It was an awesome experience, one that Austin wants to have again very soon (despite his black and blue knees from falling so many times)!
Another first we had this past weekend was a trip to the Houston Symphony to see a children's presentation of The Wizard of Oz. It was neat, and the kids were interested at first; but the longer the music went on, the more distracted they became. Austin kept asking when the play was going to start!! When Dorothy first appeared on stage, she came in search of Todo..."Todo, Todo. Has anyone seen my dog Todo? Is he under your seat (pointing to a kid in the front row)? Have you seen him (pointing to another kid)? Does anyone know where my dog is? Oh, where is he?" While most kids are hanging on her every word trying to figure out where this dog went...Austin yells out "WE DON'T KNOW!!!" It earned him a laugh from the audience (and me). After the show, the kids were able to hold and play with a few instruments, which they liked... pics to be posted soon... Most of all, we enjoyed spending time with Aunt Marie, Mark's aunt. Since Mark's mom has checked out, she has been putting some very much appreciated effort into see the kids and spending time with them.
Okay, so I guess a lot more happened than I thought...
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