Apples
1:35 PM - Posted by Bobbi - 0 comments
Fall's here and that means...apples!

Fall also means apple processing: apple sauce, apple butter, and apple chips. Time consuming but - oddly enough - fun, too. 

We dusted off the pickers and started to pull down those apples! 

Balin was more than a little upset that he didn't get an apple picker, making it abundantly clear that he did not want to put the fallen apples into bags. For a time, he and I shared the longer apple picker and when Arthur was through with the shorter one, he gave his to Balin. 

These apples are not the nicest looking fruit but you wouldn't know it after they've been cut up, cooked, and canned. Besides, bugs add protein, right? 

Blessed be.


Bilingual Education
1:33 PM - Posted by Bobbi - 0 comments
Today was a bit of a surprise. 

One of the support staff at Arthur's school called, telling us they had room in their dual language immersion program. She asked if we would like to place Arthur in the program. I told her we would talk to Arthur about it.

He gave us a resounding "YES!!!" so I filled out the application and sent it back to the school.

He's awfully excited. He came home from his first day in the program telling us that he "needs a few more days before he can understand Spanish" and "When I grow up, I want to be a Spanish teacher."

It pleases me that my boys are excited to learn about different cultures and people and are not intimidated by new experiences. It reminds me of my own childhood and growing up in a place that was so unlike mainstream America. 

Blessed be.


First Grade
12:50 PM - Posted by Bobbi - 0 comments

Dear Arthur,



You are now in first grade.

The summer was fun, at times stressful, exciting, and exhausting. I think we both look forward to the routine tedium that school has to offer.

The night before school, you sat in bed, pensive and anxious. You said that you were a bit afraid. I reassured you that many of your kindergarten classmates were in your class. You had a class pet. You had two nice teachers who were excited to begin the school year.

As I watched you get on the bus the next morning, I felt a strange mixture of joy, pride, and more than a hint of sadness. It was the sadness that surprised me most, leading me to believe that I wasn't quite ready to let you go as quickly as I thought.

Dear boy, I don't know what this year will bring, but of one thing I am certain: you love school. You love learning. You love questing for knowledge. I do not know if this quality we share is inherent in you or if I taught it to you, but of all of your wonderful qualities, I relate to this one the most. It is a most precious gift, to be able to question and search for meaning. I hope that you keep it the whole of your life.

Love, Mommy