The Saturday 7

1. Lena started gymnastics on Tuesday. She loved it and was great at it last year, but her anxiety took over and she quit after two sessions. But she was ready to try again this semester. She had sufficiently psyched herself up and was genuinely excited, but nervous. So we were both relieved when we found out the night before the first class that her friend Aubrey was also signed up for the same class! It's funny, because at gymnastics, Lena and Aubrey hardly even interacted, but just having her there was all Lena needed. She had a great time and did awesome as usual.

2. We're continuing to chug along with homeschooling. This week got a little more intense and there were definitely some tears. But we also had some fun. And I've been crazy impressed with Lucy's math skills. We're sticking with the same curriculum that she had at ACS in case she ever gets to go back. It's stupid common core which is not my forte, but apparently works really well for Lucy. I am flabbergasted by her ability to do math in her head. Look at this example:

(Number 10) I watched her do it all in her head. She underlined the numbers, thought about it for a while, then wrote down the answer. I had to break out my calculator to check it! Lol. Even the problems at the bottom she did in her head. I would have to write down the numbers vertically and write out what numbers needed to be carried. My 8 year old is better at math than I am. (Also, of note, she was just supposed to estimate the answer, not find the exact answer, but apparently she's better at adding than reading directions.)

3. One more kid brag: we went to a thrift store one day this week. While I was treasure hunting through the book section, Lena was saying, "Can I get this bike? Look at this bike! Can I get this? Mom! Mom! Mom!" I glanced up, noticed it didn't have training wheels and said, "No, honey, you can't ride that bike." A few minutes later, I glanced up again and she was riding it in circles around the store. Lol. I decided it was worth the $5 I shelled out for it and we threw it in the van to Lena's delight. She spent the next few hours wobbling all over our driveway until she totally conquered the beast. I love that she keeps at something until she figures it out. That'll teach me to underestimate her!

4. Lucy's personality is much more like mine and if she can't succeed at something the first time she tries it, she'll immediately give up - especially if pain or failure are involved. The first time she tried to ride a 2 wheel bike, she fell, scraped her knees, and refused to try again. That was like 3 years ago. Haha. Now she's so tall that she has to ride a bigger bike, which is even scarier! But seeing her little sister zip around on two wheels was new motivation and she got back on the proverbial horse.

She's still not totally confident or ready to ride on her own, but she's more willing to try, and that's saying a lot!

5. In sadder news, Levi learned a painful lesson today. He did the cliche "put a hand on a hot stove."

You can't tell from that picture, but there are totally the lines from the electric burner on his little palm. He carried around an ice pack all night and is sleeping with it clutched in his hand. Poor baby. Hopefully he sleeps tonight!

6. Today was our small town's fall festival. It's really not a big deal, but I did hit the book sale and got 19 books for $3, so it was a day well spent. We also caught some candy at the parade, did some carnival games, and checked out the auto show. Levi was in his glories!