Busy family

Well, Richmond has welcomed us with open arms and is filling up our social calendar.  Thankfully, the Lord gave us a new church just when we were starting to get exasperated with visiting a new church every Sunday.  We have found the people at Commonwealth Chapel to be so real, engaging and with a such geniuine love for the Lord.  We are visiting a couples community group on Wednesdays and I have been trying to connect during the week through MOPS, Sisters in Motherhood and a new discipleship group that is meeting over the Summer.

Rylie was quite busy last weekend with a total of four stage performances; and this isn't even a "thing" for us!  Her fourth grade class spent the school year working with the Richmond Ballet on a performance of The Epic of Gilgamesh (a ballet created to mesh 6 schools with professional ballerinas and also teach the lesson of bullying).  They performed in a beautiful, old theater (see photo); it was very well done and such a neat opportunity.  Then, she and Madelyn performed with the kids at church in a play called Star Factor.  They were adorable dancers. The energy Madelyn puts into this performance cracks me up everytime (if I was able to do it right, see youtube link http://youtu.be/mg6OalrZ6GU)

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In addition, both girls took tennis classes this Spring.  Rylie was picked to participate in a tennis tournament of schools.  She and her partner won every game!  Her main struggle continues to be organization, bringing the right materials home for homework and studying, etc.  Her grades aren't great because her preparation isn't there.  Maybe I should call this "my main struggle" because I am trying desperately to find a balance between helping her and making this her responsibility without getting too worked up about it.  I have definitely glimsped times when the Holy Spirit keeps me calm and I am helpful rather than emotional, but it has been hard. 

In her first grade class, Madelyn had to write and illustrate an original story.  Hers was picked to be displayed at a creative writing event.  She came up with the story herself...a princess is captured by a knight named Kai.  As she is about to be tossed into a volcano of hot lava, Amelia Earhart flies by, drops a ladder and saves her.  They end up putting the night in the dungeon for the rest of his life.  Girl power, I guess?

Kai continues to make us smile and we are really seeing his love of learning come out.  He has two imaginary friends, Jack and Michael, and they race him everyday on our walk (his run) to school to pick up the girls.  He always wins.  He's really getting into sports including going to his first semi-pro baseball game (Go Flying Squirrels!) and watching Stanley Cup Playoffs with his daddy.  He loves playing soccer and baseball in the backyard.  He even made up a hybrid game called soccer-basketball.  He is getting into letter sounds, writing letters, tracking print in books and can spot the word "no" on street signs.  Also, he loves giving us two numbers and telling us which is bigger (e.g. 43 is bigger than 41).  Wow!  He starts preschool in the Fall, going from 9-12 everyday.  My baby is getting so big and WHAT WILL I DO WITH THAT FREE TIME?  I am sure I will find something.  :)  We had quite a thrill in April as Kai cut his finger on the metal weatherstripping of our front door.  It required several stitches...nothing like a trip to the pediatric ER on a sunny Tuesday morning.  He healed quickly and his finger is a good as new.  By the way, he's not flipping you off; it was his middle finger.