Thursday, August 6, 2009

Summer Recap

Summer is winding down around here. Taking inventory, I would say this summer was a success for our family. We all learned some new things, enjoyed the outdoors, and had some fun together. Here are some highlights. Sorry if this reads a little too much like a holiday letter....

Ed's summer started pretty rotten. His work schedule was changed back to nights and weekends, a relic from our time in New York we thought we had left behind. Ed had a lot of child care responsibilities this summer while I worked full-time and the boys enjoyed their time with him (and their less healthy meal options). I have to say Ed never complained when he had to care for the boys early in the morning after getting home from work at 2am. For his birthday present this year, I signed up Ed for tennis lessons. He made a lot of improvement and it is much more enjoyable to play with him now. Other good summer happenings for Ed: He was made the NBA night editor, which softened the blow of the schedule change. He also got to see two of his favorite artists live this summer.

Noe spent the beginning of his summer at ESY (Extended School Year) and seemed to have a good experience there. He is using his words and signs so much better, it is fun to hear him try out new words. He is working hard, but it doesn't come easy for him. He looked forward to his weekly sports camp with Asher and, from what I hear, now has some mad soccer skeelz. He is still fanatical about his bike rides. We always have to plan for at least an hour, usually two hours of riding when we take him out. He also got to experience his first rock concert!

Asher rallied late in the summer and learned to swim! He also experienced his first chapter books (Ribsy & Henry Huggins, both written by Beverly Cleary). It was a lot of fun to read to him for a few minutes each night. We had to place strict computer limits on Asher after we discovered him on YouTube searching for Thomas the Train clips.

As for me, I really enjoyed my summer of work. I had a great staff and we had minimal problems with the students. In fact, I am feeling a bit lost now that my job has ended...and I'm wondering if this is a sign that I'm ready to return to work full-time again. I commuted the 13 miles round trip by bike each day. It was a great way to start and end my day. Each evening while Ed was at work, I would take the boys swimming at the neighborhood pool and end the day reading to them. I also enjoyed the fruits of my community garden plot and supplemented it with produce from the local farmer's market. Ed and I discovered the best gelato EVER...or at least in Reston, and I saw my first live Beatle in concert. Being a half-hearted fan, I wasn't really prepared for the emotion the music would have for me and the FUN I would have at the concert. I thought a lot about my dad, who saw the Beatles live when he was a teenager, in Portland.

2 comments:

Beth said...

Jen - How old is Asher??? Four or Five? I'm wondering if T would like reading a chapter book. That might be fun. I will look up those ones you mentioned. I like the updates on your fam.

Jen said...

Hi Beth - Asher is 4. I know some kids are ready at 3, but Asher wouldn't have been ready. He read early, but his comprehension and vocab are still catching up. He still doesn't catch everything, but I ask him questions and know he is getting the main idea of the story.

Ribsy & Henry Huggins are great for boys because they are about a boy and his dog. I love them because they are set in Portland. I know we did a post on Tales on chapter books as well and they probably have a really great list of books to start off on. In fact, I should probably look at the list again for more ideas.

Let me know how it goes, Beth! I really love the one on one time. I think the key is to find a book T will like and you will be able to stand to read for a couple weeks!