Five Weeks Later...

I'm not sure where time goes, but it seems as though I blinked and here we are. It's been 5 weeks of school already. No wonder those last 9 years of school went by so fast! I thought it was time for a little update of what's been going on.

Bill's job has been busy as ever - there are always new projects that come up and he's right there to tackle them head on. They've had a recent batch of new hires that "graduated" from their program this past week. Training them in the different departments of ConocoPhillips fills up his days, now he can work on some other projects that have been put on the back burner. Bill also got some new skates - Bonts. He is so excited. He kept checking the Fed Ex website to see where they were and when we weren't home to sign for them, he drove to their facility to pick them up. He's even in Austin today for an informal marathon. I bet he skates his best time ever!

Jack is loving high school. I must say that I have been so nervous about him going into high school - so many kids, so many pressures, so many everything! But Jack has proven everyday that he is up to the task of being a successful high school student. He has goals and that has made all the difference in the world. He is taking all Pre AP/GT classes and making all A's so far. He's completely involved with the theater department - the Spring Woods Safari Players. They are doing Roald Dahl shows this school year. The first show, James and the Giant Peach, is scheduled to perform next Thursday through Saturday and is being considered by the Texas Thespian Committee to come to their State Convention in November to perform there. In October, they are performing The Witches over Halloween weekend. Jack has the lead "boy" role in that show. Then in January, they are doing Willy Wonka! This show will be entered in the Tommy Tune awards. These are the "Oscars" for Houston high schools. Spring Woods has always had great success in receiving Tommy Tune awards. Jack is also busy playing basketball. His coach says he's doing very well. Jack hopes to make the freshman A team - they will find out in October or November. And lastly, Jack is so involved with the teen ministry at church. He is trying so hard to make great choices based on the Bible. His attitude has been so enjoyable and he wants to be at every event that the teens have. He began studying the Bible with one of the teen helpers to learn more about having a real relationship with God. So...so far high school has been so great for Jack.

Matt is loving middle school! I knew he would. He actually goes to bed on his own at night so he'll be able to get up "awake" in the morning. He's going to Cornerstone Academy, which is a charter middle school in our district. At first, he thought he was only going to know a few kids from elementary, but once he got there, he realized he had friends from all over - baseball teams, soccer teams, SPIRAL, etc. He has fabulous teachers and his favorite subject is LASS (language arts/social studies). Matt is realizing that middle school subjects are a great challenge and he's been enjoying that. Matt is also playing trumpet in the beginning stage band. He loves it! He has band first period and they began having after school practices for their upcoming winter concert in December. They are playing "Billy Jean" by Michael Jackson. He thinks that is pretty cool! Matt is not playing sports this fall - which is fine with us. It was his decision - but I think it is really good since adjusting to middle school can be challenging and not being so busy every evening the first couple months would make the transition a bit easier. He looks forward to basketball in November - so the "busy"ness will begin then for him.

I am loving my job. I signed a contract with our school district and am no longer subbing. My official title is "Technology and Intervention Specialist". I spend my day with small groups of kids supporting what they are learning in the classroom and trying to fill some gaps that they've missed along the way. The technology side is very exciting. I've created a tech blog for our school and post various technology ideas that the teachers can use in their classroom to support their curriculum. I'm also using technology with my small groups to see if learning a new way will help. I'm also teaching large group technology lessons with kinder and 1st to help better equip them in computer skills to help them the rest of their school career. It's fun and I'm grateful to have this opportunity.

Other than the above, we've been busy enjoying friends and family. We've had a couple of really nice, cool days in Houston and it gives us hope that fall weather is right around the corner. We "celebrated" the one year anniversary of Hurricane Ike and was grateful we had electricity this year. We hope that life is treating you well. Enjoy every day!