Short Update

whew! alright brag time. This is what happens when you don't keep on top of the blog...you end up knowing there are things you need to record and know they are from all over the place...so hang on.

Landon just won some money for his essay contest he entered for the Veterans of Foreign War. They held a banquet today and handed out these amazing awards and surprised everyone with cash rewards as well. He took first at the local post and third at the regional level. Probably one of my highlights were the two old men who came up to Shem afterward and both said, "it sure shows all over your face every time they call that boys name...congratulations." In Kasi language, that means, "What an awesome Dad you are!" And they're right.

Landon can't wait til soccer starts again in March and has finally decided he's going to surpass Landon Donovan. His new hobby in the meantime....juggling...Nonnie sent him a little juggling kit and he had it down in two days. Only obnoxious when he is constantly trying new things and hitting people.

Hailey (4th grade) is now not only doing fifth grade reading, but fifth grade math as well. Didn't I tell ya I was gonna brag?! She loves loves loves doing her faith in God requirements for church and is just a little weird that she loves our little dog so much she sleeps with him every night! At least she doesn't bathe with him......hmmmmm.....yup that's for you LD.

Abby (3rd grade) is also moving forward and has moved into 4th grade reading. I remember what the teachers who had Hailey first would say after Abby, "Hailey would walk through fire for me....Abby says....I don't feel like it" It's quite a push to get this girl motivated, but when she is, she yells at everyone around her because..., " I can't concentrate". This makes sense out of the many times I would walk in to volunteer at the school and find Abby irritated behind a folder she had rigged to hide herself from others so they would, "quit bugging me."

Ireland (sigh) Oh Ireland. She talks about Hawaii all the time. Talks about the "airporch" we left from and how awesome it was to fly. She loves reading books all the time and we play a lot of "oxie" (Yahtzee). She knows that she gets a lot of Yahtzee's, but still asks her siblings to play oxie???

What'll come next, you never know ;-)