I reported that it was very warm last weekend. Well, the cold weather came back. We even had snow flurries all day Wednesday. The snow didn't stick but the flakes were big making it one of the prettiest snowfalls I've seen in a long time. This has been the first week this year we've had five days of school.
GOOD STUDENTS. This is the first year of Student Renaissance at ERHS. This is a program to encourage and reward academics, attendance, behavior, and school spirit. We went to an awards ceremony Sunday afternoon which recognized students for their work in the fall semester. There was an impressive group of students who are part of Student Renaissance. Jenna was among those recognized.
Ben has also made me very proud this year. It would be accurate to say that many times during first and second grade getting him to do his homework was not a pleasant experience. Vicki and I were both very concerned how the next ten years of school were going to be with him. I am glad to report that this is beginning to turn around for Ben, though spelling words are still a source of frustration for him.
What has made me so proud is that Ben has taken it upon himself to start doing his homework on his own when he gets off the bus at Aunt Mar's. I think his goal is to get it done before he gets home so he can play, and this suits me just fine. All I know is that many days I come in and see him studying at the kitchen table or in the living room.
CATCHING UP. Sunday night we were among several families who ate over at Kenny and Lori's. We had taco soup, a jigsaw puzzle, and good conversation. In that conversation Lori told Vicki a funny story about Nate.
The night Pauline passed away the boys stayed over at Kenny and Lori's. Lori must have had Pauline on her mind a lot which made her pay a little extra attention to the boys. At one point Nate asked, "Mrs. Lori, do I have a fever?"
Taken aback she said, "No. Why?"
"Well, you keep touching me."
GROWING. Jenna, Ben, and Nate look like they are getting taller every day. At 5' 4" She is not self-conscious about her height at all. She loves it and hopes to even be taller than Vicki someday. She's turning into a beautiful young lady. I think I need to start keeping my shotgun handy.
Ben's growth was evident the other day when he dressed for school in a pair of pants Vicki bought for him back in August. They are high waters now. When Vicki saw them she told him he'd have to change. This was something Ben did not want to do as we were about to leave to catch the bus. His protest only made Vicki fuss at him all the more, "Benton, you look ridiculous!" Then Ben began to ever so slightly shrink before our eyes. He had decided to squat just the tiniest bit to see if that would make his pants cuffs ride a little lower on his ankles. Vicki started laughing and said, "I'll let you wear those pants if you'll walk around all day like that." We all got a good laugh. Ben changed his pants.
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS. We went to the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby Monday night. The good news is that Nate won third place for speed out of the entire cub scout pack. He was excited!
The bad news is that while Ben's car raced well he didn't place in the top twelve with Nate and wasn't asked to race in a second round to determine the fastest cars. He was crushed. It was a repeat of last year when Nate's car beat his at our church RA race. So how do you handle two kids at two emotional extremes over the same event? Is there a merit badge for that?
Of course, a Sonic Blast smooths over a lot of things like this.
Joe
