February has been a transitional month for us. We’ve been going to a new church and joined a small group (life group) close to our house. So far it seems like a really positive church and we have enjoyed getting to know the other people in the small group. Each of the kids have also had new things during this month.
Julieta has been with us for two and half months now. She was finally able to take her drivers test toward the end of this month and passed! She’s been getting Anthony and Lydia out for play dates and has been enjoying the Au Pair community in San Diego.
Cordelia is enjoying school and AWANA. Her school had an open house where parents got to experience a 30 minute “silent journey” in the class room. Alicia got to watch Cordelia and her classmates doing their jobs; it was a great experience. Corrie has been doing well and continuing to mature, her mothering nature is seen towards her siblings and those around her. Cordelia had a week break from school and spent her time in Arizona with Mimi and Papa. She enjoyed the extra one-on-one time and did a lot of fun things. Cordelia continues practicing on the piano, thought not as diligently as she probably should. She has pretty good timing and is getting both hands playing in the same song. Corrie continues to improve at swim class and next month she will switch from dance to gymnastics.
Anthony started out the month with a cold that resulted in an ear infection. Fortunately he’s recovered now. Anthony is enjoying his new toys from his birthday. He got a new bike and has been riding it around, practicing his balance. While the training wheels are still on, they are up pretty high, which gives him the opportunity to ride without them touching the ground. He enjoyed a weekend in Arizona with his cousins and then some extra family time with Alicia and Tim taking some vacation days. Anthony is continuing to improve in swim class, getting more strength and endurance. He’s also doing well in gymnastics. He seems to be wanting more mentally stimulating things to do, so starting in March he will start going to the Montessori school three days a week.
Lydia continues developing and is in full toddler exploration mode. We rearranged our living and family rooms to accommodate Lydia’s needs without compromising the space and toys of the older kids. Lydia also transitioned to a toddler bed this month while Cordelia was away having her week in Tuscon. Lydia did pretty well with the transition. Some getting out of bed and crying but she’s figuring it out well. She is putting two or three words together now “more please” “no hat” and things like that (“stop Daddy no Daddy my turn”).
At work Alicia is very busy at work. She’s continuing her technical contributions while still assisting her the group with process support. She’s enjoying her role though at times the balance is difficult to maintain. Alicia continues her volunteer duty as AWANA Sparks director. She is in a pretty good routine now with lesson preparation. While the time commitment is still high, about 6-8 hours a week, she is having a better experience and enjoys seeing the kids and leaders be excited about AWANA. At home Alicia enjoyed some extra quality time with the Anthony and Lydia. Alicia and Tim took a short three day work week off for vacation and had a “stay-cation”. Alicia also got to spend a couple days in Tucson with Cordelia.
Tim’s work was slow this month but he finally got an interview with a different division and accepted an offer the last week of the month. So things are likely to improve as he transitions to the new division. He’s still buttoning up some of his work items for his current position and will move over to the new division at the end of March. Tim has been working hard in the yard this month. He added new top soil to the raised beds, ran new irrigation and planted 7 grape vines. He installed gutters on the shed and channeled the gutter spout into the rain barrel – which is now full! We put up new fencing around the raised beds and just planted the first round of fruits and vegetables for the year.
We are thankful to have found a church that seems like a good fit for us and we pray for growing connection. Tim and Alicia struggled this month to find a good balance between house/yard work and family quality time. While there’s always a long list of to-do items for a 50 yr old house and a large yard we’re trying to find the balance that still gives us time slots for fun family activities.
Pray that we would continue to have open communication about priorities. Also pray that Anthony enjoys his first month going to “school”. We are thankful for the love, support, and time we get to spend with our family and friends.
