Easter Egg Hunt & Parent Teacher Conferences

It seems so silly to have parent teacher conferences for preschoolers, and yet I look forward to hearing about teacher observations about my child.  Audrey is completing her first year of Montessori preschool and it has been a mixed bag of emotions from the beginning to the end.  We love the Children's House, but homeschooling an older brother and sister made it hard for Audrey to want to attend preschool daily.  Most days she really wanted to stay home, which she expressed verbally almost daily, even though once she arrived she was happy to join her friends and dive into her work of choice.  An unexpected blessing has been a carpool arrangement with her buddy Grady.  Grady is a wonderful little guy whose presence has made going to preschool a shared experience, and thus a motivating factor.  I have enjoyed listening to Grady and Audrey converse about snack items, letter of the week, weather conditions, friends, and work choices while driving to and from school.  This past week Children's House celebrated the beginning of spring break by hosting and Easter Egg Hunt.  Audrey is such an independent little girl and readily found her own eggs without help from siblings, parents, or friends.  Her teachers confirmed that Audrey is also an independent worker at school.  She readily chooses her own work, will stay on task, complete her work, and will move on to another area of interest with our prompting from teachers.  Her teachers also shared that while Grady and Audrey work independently of each other, they share a bond and will often sit next to each other during circle time.  I enjoyed hearing special stories about my little girl and look forward to watching her little personality grow. 

Soccer 2014

This spring has been rainy and cool, unusual for Mississippi this time of the year.  Shane and I have loved the weather, but practicing and playing soccer has been a challenge.  Additionally, Shane started out as Avery's team coach, but had to step down after his achilles tear.  For both reasons the season initially felt lackluster, but went from dull to exciting very quickly.  Both kids made great strides from last year and showed improvements during the short season.  They both enjoyed the thrill of making a goal and the satisfaction that comes after playing a hard game when teamwork is the primary objective. From a parents perspective this was a fun season to watch, with several very exciting games.

Mustache March & Achilles Tear

The month of March has been a tough month for the Dieckman family.  Shane tore his achilles tendon while playing basketball.  On top of that, we had to cancel a planned ski trip due to plane delays.  Both are total bummers, but Shane's achilles tear is by far the most depressing.  Shane's tear required surgery and the rehab is brutal.  Just this week he was cleared to hobble around on both feet.  Otherwise, he has been using a scooter to get around, which keeps pressure off his injure.  I currently serve as his taxi driver, since driving is not an option until the end of May.  I have discovered that homeschooling and taxi driving go together like oil and water.  Additionally, we have often wondered whether living on base was the right choice, but are SO thankful for our proximity to work, and now know it was the right choice.  Our neighbors have been awesome, volunteering frequently to give Shane a lift to work.  Shane has been a trooper through the whole process and even managed to join in on a recent base wide challenge by growing facial hair for Mustache March.    

Happy Birthday Amelia!

Today my sweet Amelia turns 7!  She has been waiting for this day for over a month and woke up all smiles this morning.  We celebrated her birthday with friends a couple of weeks ago at a "Rapunzel Ball and Tea" showing.  However, celebrating with friends early does not make you seven and Amelia was all to aware of this fact.  Therefore, today was an especially gratifying day that included, presents, cake, dining out, and turning seven.  We savored the day by doing minimal schooling, making a Midori cake, eating sushi as Chef Scott's, and celebrating as a family at home.  It was low key, simple, and enjoyable.  Amelia was truly thankful for every gift she opened and squealed with delight at her brother's homemade necklaces, rings, and bracelets.  She really is a sweet girl.  Here are some things I want to remember about Amelia at this age:

1.  Amelia loves stuffed animals and babies, but is not fond of dolls that look like little girls. I learned this the hard way after buying not one but two American Girl Dolls.

2.  Amelia loves horses.  She enjoys books about horses, toy horses, and is thrilled with her horse riding lessons.  It may be a phase but it's fun to see her passionate about something.

3.  Amelia loves sushi.  In fact, all the kids do, but Amelia requests sushi 9 times out of 10 when asked for  dining out perferences.  

4.  When getting ready in the morning Amelia insists on having her beautiful curly hair pulled back in a pony tail.  She enjoys doing her own hair but always prefers it pulled back.

5.  Her wardrobe choices include clothes of comfort as opposed to clothes of fashion.  This is not to say she isn't picky, because she is, but she prefers her "floppy pants" over a pair of jeans any day of the week.

6.  Amelia still sleeps with the covers over her head and insists on nightly prayers and happy thoughts.  Failure to do any of these rituals before bedtime will almost certainly result in tears.

7.  This girl is still my early riser.  She was a morning baby and is now a morning girl, she is a morning person.

8.  Amelia loves hugs, sweets smiles, and warm words.  Her love languages are physical touch and words of affirmation.  

9.  Amelia is not a sore loser.   She takes losing better than any member of our family.  I always learn something new when I watch Amelia play a game and strive to be more like my beautiful daughter.

10.  Amelia tells me often before bedtime that when she goes to college she wants to live at home.  I chuckle knowing this will someday change, but secretly relish in the thought of having one of my children close to home after they graduate from high school.